Patent Publication Number: US-2018028351-A1

Title: Anti-snore devices

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 105211238, filed on Jul. 26, 2016, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates generally to anti-snore devices, and more particularly it relates to headsets configured to stop users from snoring. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     A good headset can not only stabilize the wearer&#39;s sleeping posture but also reduce compression in the cervical vertebrae to provide a good-quality sleep. Since people spend about one-third of life time on lying on bed, it should be very happy to find a sleeping posture, which is suitable for their own, and a good headset for the sake of falling asleep easily. A person&#39;s seep quality may suffer due to snoring, and the reason for snoring is mainly airway obstruction, resulting in reduced sleep quality. 
     In addition, some users use headsets that they are familiar with as they sleep. Once they sleep without their headsets that they are familiar with, they turn to be really hard to fall asleep. Therefore, if the users may improve their snoring phenomenon with their headsets that they are familiar with, the users could have an excellent sleeping quality to improve their daily working efficiency. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In an embodiment, an anti-snore device comprises a headset, a snoring detector, an inflator, and a pressure detector. The headset comprises a first airbag and a second airbag. The snoring detector detects snore information to transmit an enable signal. The inflator inflates either the first airbag or the second airbag according to the enable signal. The inflator deflates the first airbag or second airbag according to a disable signal. The pressure detector is configured to detect pressure in the first airbag or the second airbag. The pressure detector transmits the disable signal when the pressure detector has detected that the pressure in the first airbag or second airbag exceeds a predetermined pressure value. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the headset further comprises: a first tube and a second tube. The first tube is coupled between the first airbag and the inflator, such that the inflator inflates and deflates the first airbag through the first tube. The second tube is coupled between the second airbag and the inflator, such that the inflator inflates and deflates the second airbag through the second tube. The pressure detector detects pressure in the first tube and in the second tube respectively to determine whether the pressure of the first airbag or the second airbag exceeds the predetermined pressure value. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the headset further comprises a hard foam and a soft foam. The hard foam comprises a plurality of slots. The first tube and the second tube are deposited in the slots. The soft foam is deposited on the hard foam. The first airbag and the second airbag are deposited side-by-side at the bottom of the headset, the hard foam is deposited on the first airbag and the second airbag, and the hard foam is deposited between the soft foam and both the first airbag and the second airbag. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the anti-snore device further comprises a headset cover. The headset cover is configured to cover the headset. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the snoring detector is a microphone configured to detect a snoring sound to generate the enable signal. The microphone is deposited at the top of the headset. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, the snoring detector is an Oxymeter configured to detect the blood oxygen concentration of a user to transmit the enable signal. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, when the snoring detector has detected the snore information once again, the inflator inflates the other of the first airbag and the second airbag. When the pressure detector has detected that the pressure of the other of the first airbag and the second airbag exceeds the predetermined pressure value, the inflator deflates the other of the first airbag and the second airbag. 
     A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an anti-snore device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an anti-snore device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are operation diagrams of an anti-snore device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-section diagram of a headset in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed. The scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims. 
     It should be understood that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the application. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed. Moreover, the formation of a feature on, connected to, and/or coupled to another feature in the present disclosure that follows may include embodiments in which the features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed interposing the features, such that the features may not be in direct contact. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an anti-snore device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the anti-snore device  100  includes a headset  110 , an inflator  120 , a snore detector  130 , and a pressure detector  140 . The headset  110  includes a first airbag  111  and a second airbag  112 . The inflator  120  inflates the first airbag  111  or the second airbag  112  according to the enable signal EN, and deflates the first airbag  111  or the second airbag  112  according to the disable signal DN. According to other embodiments of the invention, the headset  110  may include a plurality of airbags. The first airbag  111  and the second airbag  112  are merely illustrated herein. 
     The snoring detector  130  detects the snore information to transmit the enable signal EN to the inflator  120 . The pressure detector  140  is configured to detect the pressure of the first airbag  111  or the second airbag  112 . When the pressure detector  140  detects that the pressure of the first airbag  111  or the second airbag  112  exceeds a predetermined pressure value, the pressure detector  140  generates the disable signal DN. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an anti-snore device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the headset  210  includes the first airbag  211 , the second airbag  212 , the first tube  213 , and the second tube  214 , in which the first airbag  211  and the second airbag  212  is deposited side-by-side at the bottom of the headset  210 , the first tube  213  is coupled to the first airbag  211 , and the second tube  214  is coupled to the second airbag  212 . 
     The headset  210 , the first airbag  211 , the second airbag  212 , the inflator  220 , the snoring detector  230 , and the pressure detector  240  shown in  FIG. 2  respectively correspond to the headset  110 , the first airbag  111 , the second airbag  112 , the inflator  120 , the snoring detector  130 , and the pressure detector  140  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The inflator  220  inflates, according to the enable signal EN (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), the first airbag  211  through the first tube  213  and inflates the second airbag  212  through the second tube  214 . In addition, the inflator  220  deflates, according to the disable signal (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), the first airbag  211  through the first tube  213  and deflates the second airbag  212  through the second tube  214 . 
     The snoring detector  230  is configured to collect the snore information and transmits the enable signal EN (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) to the inflator  220 . According to an embodiment of the invention, the snoring detector  230  is a microphone located at the top of the headset  210 , configured to detect the snoring of the user to transmit the enable signal EN (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) to the inflator  220 . The microphone is as close to the user as possible, in order to precisely detect the snoring of the user. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the snoring detector  230  is an Oxymeter wearing on the user (i.e., separated from the headset  210 ), which is configured to detect the user&#39;s blood oxygen concentration. When the Oxymeter detects the blood oxygen concentration has decreased to a threshold, the Oxymeter determines that the user is experiencing sleep apnea and transmits the enable signal EN (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) to the inflator  220 , such that the inflator  220  inflates the first airbag  211  or the second airbag  212 . 
     The pressure detector  240  detects the pressure of the first airbag  211  and the second airbag  212  through the first tube  213  and the second tube  214  respectively to determine whether the pressure of the first airbag  211  or the second airbag  212  exceeds the predetermined pressure value. According to an embodiment of the invention, when the pressure detector  240  determines, through the first tube  213 , that the pressure of the first airbag  211  exceeds the predetermined pressure value, the pressure detector  240  generates the disable signal DN (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), such that the inflator  220  deflates the first airbag  211 . According to another embodiment of the invention, when the pressure detector  240  determines, through the second tube  214 , that the pressure of the second airbag  212  exceeds the predetermined pressure value, the pressure detector  240  generates the disable signal DN (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), such that the inflator  220  deflates the second airbag  212 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the first airbag  211  and the second airbag  212  are deposited side-by-side in both sides of the headset  210 .  FIGS. 3A and 3B  are operation diagrams of an anti-snore device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the head of the user  300  is lying on the headset  310 , in which headset  310  corresponds to the headset  210  in  FIG. 2  and the neck of the user  300  is deposited in the slot  20  in  FIG. 2 . 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, when the snoring detector  230  has detected the snore information to transmit the enable signal EN, the inflator  220  inflates the first airbag  211 , such that the head of the user  300  is rotated in the direction shown from  FIG. 3A  to  FIG. 3B  (i.e., rotated toward the direction of the second airbag  212 ). When the pressure detector  240  has detected that the pressure of the first airbag  211  exceeds the predetermined pressure value to generate the disable signal DN, the inflator  220  immediately deflates the first airbag  211 . At this moment, the head of the user  300  is rotated due to the inflated airbag  211 . 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, when the snoring detector  230  has detected the snore information generated by the user  300  once again to generate the enable signal EN, the inflator  220  inflates the second airbag  212 , such that the head of the user  300  is rotated in the opposite direction shown in  FIG. 3B  (i.e., rotated toward the second airbag  212 ). When the pressure detector  240  has detected that the pressure of the second airbag  212  exceeds the predetermined pressure value to generate the disable signal DN, the inflator  220  immediately deflates the second airbag  212 . At this moment, the head of the user  300  is rotated due to the inflated second airbag  212 . 
     According to other embodiments of the invention, whenever the snoring detector  230  detects the snore information generated by the user  300  to transmit the enable signal EN, the inflator  220  alternatively inflates the first airbag  211  and the second airbag  212  to rotate the head of the user  300 . In addition, when the pressure detector  240  detects that the pressure of the second airbag  212  exceeds the predetermined pressure value, the pressure detector  240  generates the disable signal DN, such that the inflator  220  deflates the first airbag  211  or the second airbag  212  that has been inflated. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-section diagram of a headset in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the headset  400  includes a first airbag  411 , a second airbag  412 , a hard foam  420 , a soft foam  430 , and a headset cover  440 , in which the first airbag  411  and the second airbag  412  are deposited side-by-side at the bottom of the headset  400 . 
     The hard foam  420  includes a plurality of slots (not shown in  FIG. 4 ). The first tube  213  and the second tube  214  shown in  FIG. 2  are deposited in the slots for preventing the first tube  213  and the second tube  214  from being squeezed, resulting in impeding the first airbag  211  and the second airbag  212  from being inflated or deflated. The soft foam  430  is deposited on the hard foam  420  as a shock absorber. 
     The invention allows the user to sleep with his/her familiar headset with the use of the anti-snore device provided herein, without changing to a new headset with special specifications. The user only has to lie on the headset as usual to operate the anti-snore device. When the snoring detector detects that the user is snoring, the inflator then individually inflates the airbags to rotate the user&#39;s head, so that the respiratory tract is unblocked. 
     When the pressure in a tube has reached the predetermined pressure value, the corresponding airbag immediately stops being inflated and begins to be deflated. After the airbag has been deflated, the other airbag will be inflated again when the snoring detector detects that the user is snoring again, and the cycle is repeated to achieve the purpose of stopping the snoring. The tube can be disassembled for storage, the air in the airbags can be emptied for the convenience of storage and carrying, and the headset cover can be removed for cleaning and changing. 
     While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those who are skilled in this technology can still make various alterations and modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention shall be defined and protected by the following claims and their equivalents.