A DEVICE, FOR IMPROVING THE PHYSICAL WORKING CAPACITY OF AN ANIMAL, INCLUDING A HUMAN BEING

Abstract: Device for improving the well-being and the physical working ability of an animal, including a human being, by recovering energy from the expiration gas and/or adjusting the temperature of the inspiration gas when the gas temperature deviates from the body temperature, the device including means which operates in accordance with heat-exchanging principles. The novelty of the device lies in the fact that it is intended to be placed, completely or partially, into the oral cavity of the user, and to be held in position, either directly or indirectly, by the muscles associated with the oral cavity.

Description: A device for improving the physical working capacity of an animal, including a human being ' Technical Field The present invention relates to a breathing device for improving the physical working capacity and well-being of an animal, including a human being , by recovering energy from expiration gas or adjusting the temperature of the in¬ spiration air, particularly at temperatures which deviate to a greater or lesser extent from the normal body tempera- ture. The energy is recovered and the temperature adjusted with the aid of energy recovering means operating in accor¬ dance with known principles. Background Art The prior art which lies closest to the above - although not identical thereto - is found in US patent Specifica¬ tions Ser.Nos. 3,491,754, 4,09(3,513, 4,150,671, 4,136,691, 4,062,359, 3,835,853, 3,813,094 and 3,326,214 these speci¬ fications being selected by way of example. All of the devices and apparatus described in the selected prior art specifications have the form of face masks or like breathing arrangements, in which, due to the design thereof, the expiration gas remains in the mask and in the heat-exchanger provided, externally of the oral cavity, thereby resulting in an increase in the "dead space". By dead space is meant those passages which lie externally of the bronchus and which contain harmful residues of expira¬ tion gas. In other words, when a breath is taken the pre¬ viously expired gas which has remained inwardly of and within the heat-exchanger is again drawn into the lungs. Consequently, the volume of fresh and oxygen-rich air cap¬ able of being inhaled is decreased to the same extent as the volume of the air or gas enclosed in the mask and the heat-exchanger. This means that the breathing muscles are forced to work much harder, in order for sufficient oxygen- -rich air to be drawn into the lungs. It will therefore be obvious to all of normal skill in this art, having knowledge of and experience with the de¬ scribed technique - a mask-Ike device incorporating a 5 heat-exchanger and placed in front of the face of the wea¬ rer - that such devices do not afford the best of circum¬ stances for improving the physical working capacity of the wearer, since all the heat-exchanger means used with such devices increase the aforesaid dead space, and also in- 0 crease the breathing resistance of the wearer to an un¬ necessarily high degree. Disclosure if the Invention The ob-ject of the present invention is to provide a breath¬ ing device which increases the physical working ability 5 an d well-being of an animal, including a human feeing , by recovering and/or giving out energy, and with which an ex¬ change of gases can take place smoothly, without hinder, and without increasing the aforesaid dead space. This ob¬ ject is achieved in accordance with the invention, by ar- 0 ranging for said device to be placed totally or oartially within the oral cavity of the user, where it is held by the muscles associated with said oral cavity. Thus, the device according to the invention is placed wit¬ hin the dead space, as opposed to known techniques, accor- ^ ding to which all of the devices belonging thereto increase the volume of expired gas inhaled with each breath taken, due to the mask-like heat-exchanger placed in front of the mask. In accordance with the invention, the heat-exchange with 0 and moistening of the inspiration air shall take place, either totally or partially, within a space which, due to the natural physical form of the human respiratory system, is dead, i.e. within the mouth cavity. When the energy reco- OMPI . WIPO vering means is placed completely or partly in the oral cavity, the user will normally breathe more through the mouth than through the nose, i.e. ventilation through the nose decreases, and therewith also the effect of the dead space constituted by the nostrils. Thus, the device according to the invention results in a decrease in the dead space, or at worst in the least pos¬ sible increase, partly because the device is placed and used in the oral cavity, where it displaces an amount of used gas corresponding to the natural volume of said de¬ vice, and partly because of the relative decrease in ven¬ tilation through the nostrils. Dimensioning Requirements A male at rest consumes approximately 50 W/m 2 per body area. Thus, a normal person having a body area of 1,8 m 2 consumes roughly 90 W. When put to strenuous effort over a short period of time, the power output may be more than ten times this figure. It can be mentioned by way of, example that a manual worker in the forestry field requires a power output of 300 W, while the power output of a sprinter is between 1000 and 2000 W. When an individual is at rest, he or she is estimated to carry out 14 exchanges of air/gas per minu¬ te, with a volume of 0,5 liter at each exchange, i.e. a hu¬ man being will ventilate 7 litres per minute. When the individual carries out strenuous activities, the number of such exchanges will increase to almost 50 per mi¬ nute, while the ventilated volume can increase to about 2 litres per minute, i.e. a trained person can ventilate up to about 100 litres per minute. Inspiration is effected partly through the lowering of the diaphragm, and partly through expansion of the chest, with the aid of the asso¬ ciated musclature. In the case of strenuous activities, breathing is immensely demanding, and the energy required herefor amounts to about 10 percent of the total energy consumed. The corresponding value when the person is at rest is two percent. This means that if the power is in¬ creased from 100 W to 1000 W, the work carried out when breathing is one hundred times greater than when the body is at rest. It follows from this that all unnecessary in¬ spiration and expiration work should be avoided. The less energy required for proper breathing, the more energy re¬ maining for physical activities. Forced inspiration and expiration work as a result of unnecessary dead space is a waste of energy, which can be harmful both to the health and to the physical conditions of the person involved. It will be evident from the aforegoing that an energy re¬ covering means for personal use must be dimensioned with respect to the area in which it is to be used, and to the ability, both physically and mentally, of the user to in¬ sert the device into his or her mouth. Consequently, in order to function properly the energy recovery means should, interalia, be dimensioned with respect firstly to the heat absorbing area, secondly to the heat accumulating mass, and thirdly to the resistance of the ventilation passages to gas flow at the differing flow velocities. When seen against the background of the aforegoing, it will be understood that while the concept of the invention re¬ mains the same, the actual design or outward form of the device will change, in dependence upon the area in which the device is to be used, and upon the physical, mental and practical ability of a particular individual to use the energy recovering means according to the invention. In other words, the outward form of the device must be adap- ted to the suit the user, so that the device provides an optimal total effect with respect to heat storage, energy recovering and resistance to gas flow, in all situations. In order to obtain an optimal effect when using the device according to the invention, it is important that as much of the device as possible can be located within the space which is already dead, bearing in mind the physical and mental ability of the wearer to accept such positioning of said device. This particularly applies to older people, very young people or, for example, people with heart-dise- ases, who have excessively low ventilation in relation to the dead space in the ventilation system, i.e. the mask, throat, oral-cavity, nostrils and the bronchioles. As will be appreciated, the inhalation of oxygen-poor ex¬ piration gas with each new breath taken can be extremely harmful to people who are in a very weak condition. Simi¬ larly, because the volume of fresh air taken into the lungs falls with falling ambient temperatures, i.e. less oxygen-rich air is inspired, the inspiration of cold air can have fatal consequences. A number of advantages affored by the invention is given below: a) The oral cavity is used for positioning the device, thereby reducing the dead space in the oral cavity by an amount corresponding to the volume of gas displaced by the device. As beforementioned, in contrast hereto those devices having the form of a face mask increase the dead space by an amount corresponding to the amount of gas accommodated by said device. b) The breathing musculature requires no additional aids - - as opposed to present day techniques - and hence the requisite ventilation of the lungs in relation to the work done can be effected without extra work. c) Because the device is placed in the oral cavity, resul¬ ting in that the major part of a breathing cycle is ef- fected through the mouth, less ventilation is effected through the. nostrils, whereupon less expiration gas is breathed in, together with the fresh oxygen-rich air. d) The energy recovery means recovers the moisture and heat contained by the expiration gas, thereby to ensure that the inspiration air has the requisite temperature and a satisfactory humidity. The energy recovering means is also able to adjust the temperature of the inspira¬ tion air, e.g. lower the temperature thereof when am¬ bient temperatures are excessively high or raise said temperature when ambient temperatures are excessively low, thereby to assist in achieving a more comfortable and more efficient inspiration sequence. e) The residual volume is not increased with falling am¬ bient temperatures, and hence there is less strain on, for example, the heart, because sufficient oxygen is taken up. f) The invention can be used by all categories of people, irrespective of age, sex, or physical state. g) The device can be outwardly formed to suit individual needs and requirements, with respect to physical and mental circumstances. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1A illustrates in perspective one embodiment of the device according to the invention. Figure 1B illustrates one example of how the passages in¬ corporated in said device can be formed. Figure 2 illustrates a first example of how the device shown in Figure 1 is enclosed, in an active po¬ sition, in the oral cavity of a user. Figure 3 illustrates a second example in which, while in an active position, the device protrudes out of the oral cavity. Preferred Embodiment of the Invention A device according to the invention having the outward form shown by way of example in Figures 1-3 comprises a rectangular, rigid casing 10 which is open at two mutual¬ ly opposite sides thereof and which is preferably slight¬ ly arched when seen in cross-section. As can be seen, the casing 10 is also relatively slender and smooth, and is made from a known and suitable material. Enclosed within the casing 10 is a member 11 which functions as an energy recovering means and which in the illustrated embodiment comprises mutually superimposed corrugated aluminium she¬ ets. The corrugations may be of sinusoidal configuration and the aluminium sheets may comprise heavy foil. If desi¬ red, mutually adjacent corrugated sheets 11 can.be se¬ parated by a planar strip 11' (Figure 1B). In this way there are formed mutually parallel passages 12 which ex¬ tend in the inspiration and expiration direction, shown by arrows in Figure 1, and the walls of which are such as to absorb and store energy from the expiration gas, and to later deliver said energy to the inspiration air. Alt¬ hough the illustrated cross-sectional area of the passa¬ ges 12 is quite large, it will be appreciated that said cross-sectional area should be proportional, among other things, to the work to be carried out; to the prevailing temperature range; to the capacity of the users lungs; and to the physical size of the user, etc. Figure 2 illustrates how the whole of the energy recover- ing means can be placed in the oral cavity of a user, the¬ reby reducing dead space by the displacement of expiration gas through the intrinsic volume of the device, said gas otherwise being drawn into the lungs together with inspi¬ ration air. Figure 3 shows the device according to the invention par¬ tially located in the oral cavity of a user. Such positio¬ ning of the device can be motivated by physical and mental disabilities, and so as to enable the user to articulate. It is possible, within the scope of the invention, to di- mension the member 11 so that it only occupies a part of the length and breadth of the casing 10. The casing can also be provided with an outwardly extending flange-like part, to function as a stop means and to bear against the lips of the wearer. The casing 10 may also be provoded ex- ternally with a soft coating, e.g. a rubber coating, which may be patterned in some fashion.

Claims: C l a i m s 1. A device for improving the well-being and physical working ability of an animal, including a human beings, by recovering energy from expiration gas or lowering the temperature of the inspiration air when the temperature of the ambient air deviates from the body temperature, said device including means functioning in accordance with heat-exchanging principles, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said device (10,11) is formed in a manner which enables it to be placed completely or partially in the oral cavity of an individual in the intended fashion, and to be held in said position by the muscles of said oral cavity, either directly or indirectly. 2. A device according to Claim 1 , in which the heat-ex- changing function of the device is obtained by means of passages (12) formed by mutually superimposed corrugated strips (11) enclosed by the casing (10), c h a r a c t e¬ r i z e d in that the corrugated strips (]1) are arranged to be located within the oral cavity of the wearer. 3. A device according to Claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i¬ z e d in that the recovery of said energy or the lower¬ ing of said temperature is effected in passages (12) which extend parallel with one another co-directional with the direction of the inspiration and expiration gases. 4. A device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the casing (10) of said device comprises a rigid material which encloses the heat-balan¬ cing mass, comprising the walls of the mutually parallel and straight passages (12). 5. A device according to one or more of the preceding Claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the rigid casing (10) is provoded with a soft outer coating, for example rubber, friendly to the skin. 6. A device according to one or more of the preceding Claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the casing (10) and the heat-balancing mass have rounded and curved forms, to counteract discomfort when positioning said device in said oral cavity. 7. A device according to one or more of the preceding Claims, c h a rac t e r i z e d in that the casing (10) is provided with quard means for preventing injury to the wearer should the device be pressed too far into the oral cavity of the wearer, or for restricting the extent to which said device can be inserted into said cavity. OMPI W WIPO

Inventors: LINDHOLM NORE, LINDHOLM, NORE
Applicants: LINDHOLM NORE, LINDHOLM, NORE
Application year: 1983
Main classification: A61M16
IPC codes: A61M16