SYSTEMS, METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DIFFERENTIAL AIR PRESSURE DEVICES
Described herein are various embodiments of differential air pressure systems and components for differential air pressure systems. The air pressure systems comprise a chamber for receiving at least a portion of a user's body. Pressure in the chamber can be changed to adjust force on the user's body. Described herein are various methods and related structures for sealing a user into a pressurizable chamber. Also described herein are various methods and related structures for changing the shape and/or height of the chamber. Described herein are various types and configurations of chambers and support structures for chambers. Also described herein are various methods and related systems for treating various conditions using the differential air pressure systems, including but not limited to obesity, cardiac disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or Down Syndrome.
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The present patent application claims priority to the corresponding U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/999,102, entitled “ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT FOR A DIFFERENTIAL AIR PRESSURE DEVICE” and filed on Oct. 15, 2007, the corresponding provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/999,101, entitled “ADJUSTABLE ORIFICE FOR A DIFFERENTIAL AIR PRESURE DEVICE” and filed on Oct. 15, 2007, the corresponding provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/999,061, entitled “METHOD FOR DETERMINING UNLOADING SETTINGS INA DIFFERENTIAL AIR PRESSURE DEVICE VIA PAIN TITRATION” and filed on Oct. 15, 2007, and the corresponding provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/999,060, entitled “METHOD FOR APPLYING A DIFFERENTIAL AIR PRESSURE DEVICE IN THE FIELD OF PEDIATRICS, OBESITY, AND CARDIAC DISEASE” and filed on Oct. 15, 2007, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The present application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “SYSTEMS, METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CALIBRATING DIFFERENTIAL AIR PRESSURE DEVICES” (Attorney Docket No. 8038.P006) and filed concurrently herewith, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to differential air pressure devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems, methods and apparatus for differential air pressure devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONGravity produces forces on the body. Methods of counteracting these forces have been devised for therapeutic as well as physical training uses. One way to counteract the effects of gravity on a body is to attach elastic cords at the waist and/or shoulder to produce either a positive or negative vertical force on the individual.
Other systems may use differential air pressure to simulate a low gravity effect, for example as described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0181121, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
A need exists for improved differential air pressure systems to be used for therapeutic and/or physical training uses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONDescribed herein are various embodiments of differential air pressure systems. The air pressure systems comprise a chamber for receiving at least a portion of a user's body. Pressure in the chamber can be changed to adjust force on the user's body. Described herein are various methods and related structures for sealing a user into a pressurizable chamber. Also described herein are various methods and related structures for changing the shape and/or height of the chamber. Described herein are various types and configurations of chambers. Also described herein are various methods and related systems for treating various conditions using the differential air pressure systems, including but not limited to obesity, cardiac disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or Down Syndrome.
Structures for enclosing and sealing a portion of a body of a user into a differential air pressure system are described. In some variations, the structures comprise a chamber and a user seal coupled to the chamber. In these variations, the user seal comprises an adjustable opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber. A sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the chamber so that a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber. The adjustable opening in the user seal may be capable of accommodating a range of user body sizes. In some variations, the user seal comprises a plurality of expansion slits distributed circumferentially around a perimeter of the user seal, and one or more of the expansion slits can be selectively closed or opened by the user to adjust a size of the opening in the user seal.
In some variations, a user seal configured for use in a differential air pressure system is configured to allow a user to rotate his body relative to a pressure chamber of the differential air pressure system. In these variations, the user seal is coupled to the chamber and comprises an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber, and a sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the chamber so that a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber. The user seal is configured to allow a user to rotate his body relative to the pressure chamber while maintaining the sufficiently airtight junction between the user's body and the chamber. In some variations, the user seals that allow user rotation comprise an outer structure coupled to the chamber, an inner structure comprising the opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body configured to seal around the user's body, wherein the inner structure is configured to mate with the outer structure and the inner structure is configured to rotate relative to the outer structure about a rotational axis of the outer structure.
Additional variations of user seals are described herein. Some user seals are configured to be anchored to a user's body so that the user seal maintains a relatively stable vertical position along the user's body as pressure in the chamber is varied. In these variations, the user seal is configured to be coupled to a chamber of a differential air pressure system. The user seal comprises an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber. A sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the chamber so that a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber. In some variations, the user seal comprises a body wrap that is anchored to a user's body. The body wrap may comprise a plurality of flaps. The flaps may be wrapped around one or more body parts of a user and secured to provide a grip between the body wrap and the user's body.
Still more variations of user seals are described herein. In some variations, a user seal may be configured to allow a user to translate along an axis of a chamber in a differential air pressure system. In these variations, the user seal is configured to be coupled to a chamber of a differential pressure system, and the user seal comprises an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber. A sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the chamber so that a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber. The user seal is configured to allow the user to translate his body along the axis of the chamber while maintaining the sufficiently airtight junction between the chamber and the user's body. For example, in some variations, the user seal may comprise a first section comprising an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body and a second section that is coupled to the chamber. The first and second sections are slidably coupled to form a junction therebetween. A sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the first section, between the first and section sections, and between the second section and the chamber so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber, a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber, and the first section can translate relative to the second section to allow the user to translate along an axis of the chamber while substantially maintaining the nonzero differential pressure in the chamber.
Additional variations of user seals are provided herein. In some variations, a user seal comprises a lower section comprising an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body and an upper section disposed on an upper surface of the lower section to form a junction between the upper and lower section. The upper section can be coupled to the chamber. A sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the lower section, between the upper and lower sections, and between the upper section and the chamber so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber and a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber.
Variations of pressurizable chambers for use in differential air pressure systems are described here. In some variations, a pressurizable chamber comprises an inflatable enclosure formed from a flexible material, and an adjustable frame that can be coupled to the inflatable enclosure. The adjustable frame controls at least one of a width and a height of the enclosure in its inflated state to reduce interference of the inflated enclosure with arm and/or leg motion of a user whose lower body is sealed into the pressurizable chamber and whose upper body is outside of the pressurizable chamber. In some variations, the adjustable frame comprises at least one contoured section to accommodate arm and/or leg motion of the user. In some variations, the adjustable frame comprises at least one telescoping member having a variable length, wherein the length of the at least one telescoping member is changed to adjust a dimension of the frame.
Additional variations of chambers for use in differential air pressure systems are described herein. In some variations, a pressurizable chamber comprises an inflatable enclosure and a height adjustable frame positioned around the enclosure, wherein the height adjustable frame capable of supporting a user's body weight in the event of a trip or a fall. The height adjustable frame can comprise a rear vertical support and a front vertical support. At least one of the rear and front vertical supports can comprise a height adjustment apparatus for engaging a lengthwise transverse member of the frame that extends between the rear vertical support and the front vertical support to adjust the height of the frame. In some variations, the height adjustment apparatus comprises a series of vertically arranged slots and the lengthwise tranverse member of the frame is engaged into one of the slots of the height adjustment apparatus to adjust a height of the frame.
Methods of treatment using a differential air pressure system are described herein. In some variations, the methods of treatment comprise creating a differential pressure in a chamber of a differential air pressure system, wherein the chamber is configured to receive at least a portion of a user's body and to adjust force on the user's body by adjusting pressure in the chamber, and adjusting pressure in the chamber in response to a condition-related metric determined for the user. The methods further comprise generating an initial setting of the differential air pressure system for the user based on a dependence of the condition-related metric on the adjustment of pressure. In some variations, the methods comprise generating an individualized treatment protocol for the condition based on the initial setting for the user. The methods may be used for treating a variety of health conditions, including but not limited to obesity, cardiac conditions, and musculoskeletal conditions.
Additional variations of methods of treatment are described herein. In some variations, the methods comprise creating a differential pressure in a chamber of a differential air pressure system, wherein the chamber is configured to receive at least a portion of a user's body and to adjust force on the user's body by adjusting pressure in the chamber. The methods comprise estimating an initial setting for the differential air pressure system based on a condition of the user. The methods further comprise receiving indication of pain experienced by the user as a function of pressure in the chamber and using the indication of pain at one or more pressure levels to set or modify a course of treatment for the condition. The methods may comprise receiving the indication of pain directly from a user in some variations, while in other variations the methods may comprise receiving the indication of pain from one or more sensors sensing a biological parameter of the user. The methods may for example be used for treating acute injuries or chronic injuries.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, serve by way of illustration and not by illustration to explain the principles and implementations of the invention.
In the drawings:
Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following detailed description of the present invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Reference will now be made in detail to implementations of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts. Unless clearly indicated otherwise explicitly or by context, the singular referents such “a,” “an”, and “the” are meant to encompass plural referents as well.
In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described. It will, of course, be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with application- and business-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the components, process steps, and/or data structures may be implemented using various types of operating systems (OS), computing platforms, firmware, computer programs, computer languages, and/or general-purpose machines. The method can be run as a programmed process running on processing circuitry. The processing circuitry can take the form of numerous combinations of processors and operating systems, or a stand-alone device. The process can be implemented as instructions executed by such hardware, hardware alone, software, software alone, or any combination thereof. The software may be stored on a program storage device readable by a machine.
In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that devices of a less general purpose nature, such as hardwired devices, field programmable logic devices (FPLDs), including field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, may also be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed herein.
Differential Air Pressure SystemsExamples of differential air pressure systems are illustrated in
As described below, in some embodiments, a user seal describes a construction of a soft or flexible material, a stiff or rigid material, or a combination thereof, to span the gap between a user and a chamber in a sufficiently airtight manner. Various examples of constructions and methods of accomplishing a user seal are described below.
Furthermore, the differential air pressure systems and related methods described herein may be adapted for use used in a variety of different situations, such as, for example, dynamically (e.g., while a user is in motion and not simply standing still) or statically (e.g., while a user is stationary or relatively stationary). In some embodiments, the differential air pressure systems described herein may apply a positive pressure, where the pressure inside the chamber of a differential air pressure system is greater than the ambient pressure of the surroundings. In other embodiments, a negative pressure may be applied to the pressure chamber, the negative pressure being lower than that of the ambient pressure of the surrounding environment.
The chamber 102 includes an aperture 104 along an axis, such as a vertical axis, horizontal axis, etc., for receiving the lower body 106. In accordance with one embodiment, the chamber 102 may include a soft (flexible) or rigid (stiff) shell.
In variations in which the chamber 102 has a soft or flexible shell or a shell including a soft or flexible portion and a stiff or rigid portion, the soft shell or soft portion of the shell may be inflated or deflated accordingly. In certain variations, the chamber 102 may occupy an approximately hemi-spherical shape or half-ovoid shape when a soft shell or soft portion of a shell is inflated.
The soft shell or soft shell portion may be made of any suitable flexible material, e.g. a fabric (woven or nonwoven), a thin sheet of plastic, leather (natural or synthetic), and the like. In some variations, the soft shell or soft shell portion may be made from sufficiently airtight fabric that may be woven or non-woven. In some cases, a fabric used in a shell may be slightly permeable to air, but be sufficiently airtight so as to allow a desired degree of pressure to build up in the chamber. While the chamber is deflated, the soft shell or shell portion may allow for the lower body portion 106 to be positioned within the aperture 104. The aperture 104 may include for example an elliptical or circular shape and flexible fabric or other type of flexible material for accommodating various shapes of waistline of the individual lower body 106. The height of the flexible soft shell may be altered and the height restricted in a variety of embodiments, for example by using straps to pull down on the top surface. In some variations, the aperture 104 may include a rigid ring (not shown) that surrounds the waist or torso of the individual 101. The height of the chamber 102 can thus be adjusted by raising or lowering the rigid ring.
One or more bars (not shown) may be provided as part of the system 100 and may be configured to encompass at least a portion of the flexible shell below the waist of the individual 101. Such bar or bars may be configured to hold a flexible portion of shell in along the sides of the chamber to limit expansion, therefore keeping the shell close to the torso of the individual 101 allowing for comfortable arm swing. The bar or bars may limit the ability of a flexible shell from expanding into an undesired shape, e.g. a spherical shape. The bar or bars may have any suitable configuration. For example, in some variations, two parallel bars may be provided along sides. In other variations, one U-shaped bar may be used, where the base of the U-shaped bar may be positioned in front of the user. Similarly, a rigid shell or partially rigid shell may be configured to allow for keeping the arms of the individual 101 from touching or otherwise being interfered with by the rigid shell while the individual 101 is moving (walking or running) through a contoured shape, e.g. a saddle shape.
The system 100 may also include a rear entrance walkway (not shown) to facilitate entrance and exit to and from the chamber 102. A rear entrance walkway may in some variations include a step. In variations of the chamber 102 having a soft shell or soft shell portion, such a rear entrance walkway, if present, may be used a means for supporting the soft shell or soft shell portion in an deflated state, e.g. so that it is easier to attach a seal 110 to the individual 101. A walkway may also serve as a safety platform in case the shell of the chamber 102 rips (in the case of a flexible shell, e.g. a fabric shell) or breaks (in the case of hard shell). A walkway may also include one or more holding bars for the individual 101 to hold onto to support the individual or to prevent the individual from falling.
With respect to variations of the chamber 102 having a hard shell, the chamber 102 may include a door (not shown) or other type of opening that allows the individual 101 to enter and exit the chamber 102. For example, a door can be used, where the door can swing open, swing down, or slide open. A door can be comprised of fabric, plastic, leather or other type of flexible material that can be closed in a sufficiently airtight manner with a zipper, snaps, and/or other type of closure (e.g. Velcro™ type hook and loop closures). In some variations, aperture 104 may be created by moving two halves of chamber 102 apart and back together like a clam-shell or a cockpit. Additionally, the height of hard shell may be adjusted based on the height of individual 101.
A user seal 110 is provided between the lower body 106 and the aperture 104 at or near the torso or the waistline of the individual 101. In accordance with one embodiment, the seal 110 includes a plurality of openings/leaks around the torso of the individual 101 to cool the individual 101 and to better control distribution of pressure around the torso of the individual 101. For example, leaks positioned in front by the stomach of the individual 101 help with the bloating due to ballooning of the flexible waist seal under pressure. Such deliberate leaks may be implemented by sewing non-airtight fabrics, or by forming holes in the shell or fabric of the chamber 102. The seal 110 can be made of a substantially airtight material and/or non-airtight fabric. The seal 110 can be implemented using any suitable means for securing to the user's body, e.g. a skirt, pants, other means or technique as described herein in greater detail below, or any combination thereof.
In accordance with one embodiment, the seal 110 may include a separable seal closure. Non-limiting examples of separable seal closures include zippers, snaps, Velcro™ type hook and loop closures, kayak style attachment (e.g. using a zipper) over a rigid lip that is attached to the shell, clamps, and deformable loops. In some variations, the seal 110 may include means for anchoring to the individual lower body 106 and means for attaching to the aperture 104. Means for anchoring to the user's body may include, for example, Velcro™ type straps that extend around the circumference of a user's thighs for adjustment to accommodate different thigh sizes, and a belt that keeps the seal anchored at the hipbone. Other examples of means for anchoring to the user's body may include a high friction material that seals against the user's body and remains anchored because of a high friction coefficient. The seal 110 may be breathable and washable. In accordance with another embodiment, the seal 110 may seal up to the individual chest, and in some variations the seal may extend from the user's waist region up to the chest. In some variations, the seal 110 may include a skirt-type seal. Additional non-limiting examples of seals are described in detail herein.
An optional exercise machine 112 may be at least partially housed within the chamber 102. Any suitable exercise machine may be used, e.g. a treadmill, a stationary bicycle, a rowing machine, a stepper machine, an elliptical trainer, a balance board, and the like. The exercise machine 112 may be, for example, a treadmill having an adjustable height, inclination, and speed. Any parameter of the exercise machine can be adjusted based on a dimension of the individual user 101. For example, the height, position within the chamber, seat position, handgrip position, and the like, of the exercise machine 112 can be adjusted to accommodate a dimension of the individual 101. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the treadmill shown is not intended to be limiting and that other exercise machines can be used without departing from the inventive concepts herein disclosed.
In some variations, a differential air pressure system includes a pressurizable chamber without an exercise machine 112. In these variations, the chamber 102 may be used without any exercise machines, e.g. as a means to improve jumping ability, balance, or general movement.
Any suitable type of controller 103 can be used for adjusting the pressure inside the chamber 102. As stated above, the controller 103 in some variations is configured to maintain the pressure in the chamber 102, e.g. if the controller 103 is configured as a negative feedback control system. In certain variations, the controller 103 includes an intake system 114 and an outtake system 116. In some cases, the controller 103 may include a pressure sensor 120, a processor 122, or a control panel 118, or any combination of two or more of the above.
In the variation illustrated in
In the variation illustrated in
In some variations, the differential air pressure system as illustrated in
In one embodiment, an optional pressure sensor 120 is connected to the chamber 102 for measuring a differential pressure between the pressure inside the chamber 102 and the ambient pressure. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the pressure sensor 120 shown is not intended to be limiting and that other types of pressure transducer or pressure measuring sensors can be used without departing from the inventive concepts herein disclosed. The pressure sensor 120 communicates its measurements to the processor 122. System 100 does not need to include pressure sensor to accomplish the calibration, e.g. as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “SYSTEMS, METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CALIBRATING DIFFERENTIAL AIR PRESSURE DEVICES” (Attorney Docket No. 8038.P006) and filed concurrently herewith, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
In some variations, the controller 103 can be configured to use input from the pressure sensor 120 to control the pressure source 126 and/or the pressure regulating valve 132. The processor 122 can communicate with the user interface or control panel 118, if present. An example of the algorithm of the processor 122 is the processor 122 receives an input from the control panel 118. For example, the input may include a desired pressure within the chamber 102, a desired percentage of body weight of the individual, an amount of weight to offset the user's body weight, and/or a pain level. The processor 122 can be configured to operate the pressure source 126 and/or the regulated valve 132 using a negative feedback loop, circuit, or system. The processor 122 can in certain variations monitor the pressure inside the chamber 102 with input from the pressure sensor 120. Based on the measurements from the pressure sensor 120 and the input from user, e.g. via the control panel 118, the processor 122 sends a drive signal to the regulated valve 132 and/or the pressure source 126 to increase or decrease the exhaust flow through the chamber 102 so as to maintain the pressure within chamber 102 as close as possible to the desired pressure. The desired pressure may be pre-set in some variations, and in some variations may be received from the control panel 118 or derived from information received from user, e.g. via the control panel. The pressure (positive or negative) inside the chamber 102 produces an upward or downward force on the individual 101 resulting in a lighter or heavier sensation.
The processor 122 may in some variations communicate with the exercise machine 112. The processor 122 may receive one or more input parameters via the control panel 118 for the exercise machine 112. For example, the exercise machine 112 may include a treadmill with speed or inclination adjusted by the processor 122 based on the pressure sensed inside the chamber 102.
In accordance with some embodiments, the system 100 may be controlled to monitor and/or maintain various performance parameters, such as to achieve a constant stride frequency. In some variations, the processor 122 may be configured to receive input from one or more user performance parameter sensors, e.g. heart rate, blood pressure, pain level, stride length, cadence or stride frequency, foot strike pressure, and the like. One or more parameters of the exercise machine such as speed, resistance and/or pressure inside the chamber may be adjusted in response to the one or more user parameters. For example, a sensor may be placed on a treadmill to detect the impact from the user's feet on the treadmill and compare with subsequent values to measure the time duration between strides. The machine can then adjust pressure, tilt, speed, etc. to maintain a specific stride rate.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, the system 100 may include an acceleration/deceleration sensor coupled to the individual 101 sensing whether the user is speeding up or slowing down. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that there are many ways of implementing such a sensor. The processor 122 receives the measurement from the acceleration/deceleration sensor and may send a signal to increase or decrease the speed of the treadmill in response to the measurement in combination with increasing or decreasing the pressure inside the chamber 102.
The processor 122 may also include a data storage (not shown) such as a database storing various data and/or executable programs that may be selected or programmed in by the individual 101 or by an operator via the control panel 118. The data storage may include a repository of data that may be used to control the system 100. For example, while receiving data from one or more sensors (including the pressure sensor, performance sensors of the individual, a safety sensor, etc. . . . ) the processor 122 may determine that one or more parameters has reached a pre-set limit or a dangerous level. The processor 122 then alters the pressure and/or a parameter of the exercise machine 112, e.g. a resistance or speed, e.g. the speed of the treadmill. For example, a trainer could set a maximum speed, heart rate, resistance, cadence, blood pressure, or pain parameter for the individual 101. The processor 122 would ensure that that parameter is not to be exceeded. The data storage may also be used to store past performance data and personal records for different protocols and the system 100 could allow the individual 101 to run against previous performance data or personal records.
The data storage may also include various training programs based on the selection from the control panel 118. The processor 122 could then limit activity levels to non-harmful ranges for the individual 101 based on one variable, a combination of variables, e.g. a maximal allowed user heart rate. The data storage may also be able to log and record the performance and activities of the individual 101 as well as store any calibration data so that the individual 101, trainer, therapist or the like need not perform that the calibration process for every use of the differential air pressure system.
Controller 202 for adjusting (and in some variations maintaining) the pressure inside the chamber 102 includes an intake system 204. In some variations, the controller includes a user interface such as described in connection with
In the variation illustrated in
The processor 206 communicates with the control panel 118, if present, and the pressure sensor 120 to control the regulated pressure source 210. An example of the algorithm of processor 122 is the processor 206 receives an input from the user, e.g. via control panel 118. For example, the input may include a desired pressure inside the chamber 102, a body weight of the individual, a factor to determine a percentage of body weight that the individual would like to experience during exercise, a weight offset the user would like use to offset his weight at relative to weight at ambient pressure, a pain limit, a heart rate, and/or a blood pressure, and the like. In the variation illustrated in
In some variations, the processor 206 may communicate with an exercise machine 112 at least partially housed inside the chamber 102. Any suitable exercise machine 112 may be used, e.g. as described above in connection with
The processor 206 may also include a data storage (not shown) such as a database storing various data and/or executable programs that may be selected or programmed in by the individual 101 or an operator via the control panel 118. The data storage may include a repository of data that may be used to control the system 200. For example, while receiving data from all sensors, the processor 206 may determine that one or more parameters have reached a pre-set limit or a dangerous level. The processor 206 then alters the pressure and/or one or more parameters of the exercise machine 112, e.g. the speed of a treadmill. For example, a trainer or physical therapist could set a maximum speed parameter for the individual 101. The processor 206 could limit that speed so that it is not exceeded. The data storage may be used to store past performance data and/or personal records for different protocols and the system 200 could allow the individual 101 to train against previous performance data or personal records.
The data storage may also include various training programs based on a selection from the control panel 118. The processor 206 can in some variations limit one or more activity levels of the individual to non-harmful levels based on one or more variables, e.g. a maximal heart rate for the user. The data storage may also be able to log and record the performance and activities of individual 101.
User Seal for a Differential Air Pressure SystemAs described above, a user seal is provided between the user and the chamber of a differential air pressure system to allow the chamber to sustain a nonzero differential air pressure (i.e. sustain a pressure in the chamber that is different than ambient pressure). A functional user seal forms a sufficiently airtight junction to the user's body and a sufficiently airtight junction to the pressure chamber to sustain the desired nonzero differential air pressure. Further, any intermediate junction within the user seal must also be sufficiently airtight so as to sustain the desired nonzero differential pressure. In various embodiments, user seals can employ any suitable technique or attachment scheme to form the sufficiently airtight junction between the user's body and the seal itself, e.g. by using a sufficiently airtight elastic material, an elastic band, a cinch, an adhesive, friction, and/or close physical contact (e.g. a seal that is moldable or contoured to follow the shape of a user's body). As described herein, a user seal can be anchored to the user to form and maintain a sufficiently airtight junction even when the user is moving (i.e., up and down, rotationally, or forward or backward), for a wide range of clothing types that may be worn by users, and even when the user is sweating, etc.
If an adhesive is used to anchor a user seal to a user (alone or in combination with another anchoring mechanism), any suitable adhesive type may be used, and any suitable adhesive delivery may be used. For example, adhesive tape, a spray-on adhesive, solvent based glue, and/or a curing epoxy may be used.
To accommodate as many users as possible, it is desired for differential air pressure systems to include a user seal that can accommodate a range of different body sizes and body shapes. As discussed below, a system with a user seal that includes an adjustable orifice in the chamber for accepting the body of a user that does not require multiple discrete orifice sizes, shapes, etc may be a beneficial improvement on a differential air pressure system. Furthermore, a single adjustable orifice seal in a chamber that is adaptable to many users may speed up user entrance and exit from the system and/or may reduce the number of steps and/or specialized accessories needed to use the differential air pressure system. Additionally, variations of user seals are provided below that include an effective means of anchoring the user seal to the body of the user to create the seal between the user and the chamber.
In some embodiments, a separate insert may be added between the user's body and a deformable material of a user seal to collect sweat or other bodily substances, so that subsequent users can exercise in a clean sanitary environment. Such an insert may be applied to any of the adjustable orifice user seals described herein.
Seal Orifice Sizing
Various techniques and structures may be employed to form a user seal having an adjustable orifice that can accommodate a range of users. Non-limiting examples of user seals having an adjustable orifice are described herein. Further, various techniques and structures may be employed to anchor the seal to the user, e.g. an elastic material, an elastic band, a cinch, an adhesive, friction, and/or close physical contact such as when the seal is molded or contoured to the user's body.
In some variations, one or more drawstrings (laces) or other cinching mechanism (e.g. a ratchet) may be positioned circumferentially around the opening for the user in a user seal. Drawstrings or laces, if used, may be elastic or non-elastic. The cinching mechanism allows the size of the opening to be varied to accommodate a range of user sizes. Further, the one or more drawstrings or other cinching mechanism function to press a user seal against a user's body when cinched, thus anchoring the seal to the body to form a sufficiently airtight junction to sustain a desired differential pressure in the chamber. The one or more drawstrings or other cinching mechanism can be arranged in any suitable manner to cinch the user seal so as to urge the seal against the user's body. For example, one or more drawstrings may be circumferentially threaded around at least a portion of a circular or elliptical user seal to enable cinching. In certain variations, two or more drawstrings may be circumferentially threaded around at least a portion of a circular or elliptical user seal, e.g. so that the two or more drawstrings are arranged in a generally concentric fashion. In certain cases, multiple drawstrings may be arranged vertically relative to each other and circumferentially threaded around at least a portion of a seal so that the multiple drawstrings provide anchoring of the seal to the user vertically along a user's torso. Alternatively or in addition, one or more drawstrings may be threaded through a gap in the user seal, where the gap allows the user seal to open to accommodate entry or exit of the user. The one or more drawstrings may be cinched to close the gap to seal the user into the chamber before operation of the differential air pressure system.
For example, as illustrated in
By closing one or more of pleats 4021 . . . N to form closed pleats 4101 . . . N as shown in
In some variations, one or more expandable pouches can be provided on either the enclosure of the chamber and/or on attachment (e.g. shorts) worn by a user.
In one embodiment, a seal comprising an adjustable orifice is constructed in a weave similar to a Chinese finger trap to snugly fit individuals of varying dimensions, as illustrated in
In some variations of woven adjustable orifice seals as illustrated in
In another embodiment of an adjustable orifice seal as illustrated in
Any suitable expandable band may be used in adjustable orifice seals as illustrated in
Yet another example of an adjustable orifice seal comprising an expandable band is illustrated in
Other configurations and types of deformable structures can be used to adjust the size of an opening in a pressure chamber. In one embodiment, a deformable constructed form or shape-recovering material can be secured to all or part of a perimeter of the opening, and a user can deform the foam to get in the chamber. Once the user is in the chamber, a shape-recovering deformable structure, e.g. foam, will try to recover to its normal shape against the user, thereby forming a seal. In some variations, a deformable material may be permanently deformable and a molded insert specific to a user's body can be attached to the chamber prior to use and subsequently compressed around the user when the user enters the machine.
In one embodiment illustrated in
In one embodiment, as illustrated in
In some variations, a pouch can be added to shorts worn by a user of some appropriate embodiments discussed herein to add comfort to the groin during use in a differential air pressure system. This pouch, if present, can be made using an elastic material. One embodiment of user shorts 584 with a pouch 586 is illustrated in
Rotational Orifice Sealing
Currently devices that utilize differential air pressure technology for cosmetic, health, or fitness purposes are limited in the way that a user is able to move with respect to the pressure chamber. The chamber that has either a higher or lower pressure than the outside air allows a user to accomplish a variety of activities that can lead to bodily improvements. Currently, a user in one of these machines may want to increase their range of motion through allowing rotation of their body relative to the enclosure statically (i.e., prior to or after activity), or dynamically (i.e., during activity). A user seal that facilitates rotational movement is advantageous for many applications of differential air pressure technology. Dynamic adjustment gives the user the ability for a wider range of motion during their time in the chamber, and allows them to change position in the chamber without having to exit the chamber or to change a setting of the chamber. A rotational adjustment capability would allow users to perform normal forward motion, sideways motion, and backwards motion without having to adjust the direction or angle of the floor or moving surface underneath. While not required, further combination with a translational movement capability may also improve the experience and range of motion for a user inside a pressurized chamber. In one embodiment, one or both of the described rotational and translational movement capabilities may be assisted via automation, sensors, software, and/or hardware.
In one embodiment, a rotational seal is made via the use of bearings to allow a rotational motion about a seal in a differential air pressure system. In one embodiment, relative rotation motion of a user inside a chamber is enabled by disposing a bearing between the user and the enclosure.
Rotation of the user relative to the enclosure can also accomplished by using ball bearings between layers of material.
In different embodiments, rotational seals may be configured via different geometries, as illustrated in
In another embodiment of a rotational seal, illustrated in
Another embodiment of rotational seal comprising a “key” rotation and locking mechanism is to create a stiff circumferential cavity around the user's waist such as depicted in
Rotating user seals, as discussed herein, may either be used alone or along with other known sealing methods to create a pressure seal that rotates, such as a flap seal a shown in
As can be seen in the cross sectional view of
Translational Orifice Sealing
Enabling translational movement of a user relative to a base of a differential air pressure system may be desired in certain circumstances. For example, by adding one or more translational elements to a differential air pressure system, a user can experience a wider range of movement options, which can make differential air pressure technology more widely applicable and potentially more useful. The goal of the differential air pressure experience is to provide the unloading on the individual's body weight while restricting natural body movement as little as possible. Thus, allowing the user to translate along one or more axes is a step toward more degrees of freedom and an overall more natural experience during exercise. As used herein, a longitudinal axis of a chamber is meant to refer to a user moving in a forward or backward direction, relative to the user.
Translational motion in a differential air pressure system may be accomplished in a variety of ways. Two broad categories can be considered: discrete translation, and dynamic translation. A discrete translation system refers to a variation in which the user can change translational position, but halts exercise to change position. A dynamic translation system refers to a variation in which the user has the ability to adjust position “on the fly,” i.e., without halting exercise. The methods of accomplishing translation discussed below may be constructed in either a discrete or dynamic configuration. Other methods of motion, such as rotational motion, may be combined with translational motion to enhance the users experience and freedom of natural body movement as shown in
In one embodiment, the rail concept may be applied in more than one direction simultaneously, where one rail system slides within another rail system, e.g., like a laser cutting machine. For this embodiment, the same principles described above for maintaining a sufficiently air tight top surface during translation apply. The translation motion may be induced by the user's body, or assisted by a motor or other actuator, or a combination of manual or assisted operation. For example, an assistive actuation system may sense a user movement and react to assist the user in translating the seal opening in that that direction at an appropriate rate.
Non-limiting examples of geometries for overlapping materials or structures include rectangles, circles, ovals, etc.
Any of these overlap methods to create a translational seal can use bearings, fluid bearings, magnetism, or lubrication to assist in either sealing or motion. Furthermore, overlapping materials can be either stiff, flexible, or a combination of both. For example, a translational seal can be formed using a deformable angled shape, e.g. such as that shown and described above in connection with
Translational motion may occur in one or multiple planes in various embodiments of a differential air pressure system. This may be advantageous in an air pressure chamber where exercises are to be performed required significant vertical movement such as jumping, squats, assisted pull-ups or dips. One way to allow vertical translation is to use extra material to create a flexible rolling diaphragm, sometimes seen in piston/cylinder configurations. One embodiment of a user seal 940 enabling vertical translation is illustrated in the section view shown in
In one embodiment, these translational seals and related methods can be used alone or along with other seal features or sealing methods as described herein or otherwise known to create a pressure seal that translates. Examples of secondary seals are flap seals. Furthermore, these translational seals and methods utilizing the translational seals may be used alone or in conjunction with any of the other concepts described herein.
Secure Anchoring Seal
As described herein, the effectiveness of differential air pressure technology, which involves a user in a pressure chamber, is partially dependant on how the user is able to seal in the pressure chamber. The ability of the user to get in and out of the chamber also can determine how positive the user experience is.
In one embodiment, a user may be connected to a pressurized chamber by using adhesives. Application of the adhesive to the user or to a piece of clothing on the user would allow a seal to be created simply. One or more layers of tape could be used to attach a person to the chamber opening, creating a quick seal. Solvent based glues that dry are also possibilities to attach a user to the chamber.
In one embodiment, the pleated, or zipper, inverted skirt of
An aspect of many sealing methods the contact the body only around the user's waist is that they may “blow out” when under higher pressures or ride up on the user's body during movement. The seal deforms, or reverses, to a form where it can no longer hold pressure. One way of countering this problem is to seal a user to the chamber with vertically overlapping surfaces that attract one another. This allows a user to drop into the opening, but then would be sealed to the chamber.
A user seal that resists “blow out” as described above can be accomplished by any suitable method, including the use of high friction or “sticky” surfaces, Velcro™ type closures, material interactions that take advantage of van der Waals type forces, or magnetism to adhere a portion of the seal to the user, to the user's clothing, or to another portion of the seal, or to a portion of the chamber. Two surfaces can interact on their own to create a user seal, or they could be assisted. For example, a drawstring or other band may be used to pull together two high friction materials to secure the user into a differential air pressure system. A drawstring can restrict the outer diameter of the opening through which the inverted skirt would need to blow out and if tightened against the user's body there will be no space for the inversion to occur. Other methods beside a drawstring could be used to help the mechanical interference such as a rod or other keyway to lock the top of each seal material to each other so that the “sticky” surfaces do not also have to withstand the vertical force, which is the force that causes a “blow out” scenario.
In one embodiment, a folding pattern (e.g., like a diaper) is also a way to anchor a user to the pressure chamber.
In a differential air pressure system, it is desirable that the system accommodate as wide a range of users as possible. One of the most challenging aspects to this accommodation is to adjust the height of the opening that surrounds the waist of the individual in an efficient, effective, and user friendly manner while maintaining the structural integrity of the shell under the load resulting from pressurization of the chamber. A chamber that has a fixed height may only be operable over a narrow range of users. If the shell is optimized to reside at the iliac crest of a 6′4″ user by example, a 5′0″ user will have the opening above the stomach and not be able to use the apparatus effectively.
For a comfortable user experience the height adjustment process should be simple, quick and intuitive to perform and must allow adjustment over a wide range of heights. Further, the mechanism should be easy to operate and require little force to adjust, so it may be operated by elderly or weak individuals.
It is a further benefit if the height adjustment scheme provides for support of the user in the event that there is a depressurization or over pressurization. Having a fabric inflatable with straps anchored to a base or the floor can be an efficient means of maintaining a height of the chamber, but may in some variations provide insufficient safety should the fabric rip or a strap break, or the chamber bag rip and the user fall, for example.
The support bar 1104 and height adjustment 1110 in system 1100 represents one embodiment of a system that incorporates both a support and height adjustment features into a single mechanism or system. However, other embodiments of differential air pressure systems could include only one of these features. In the embodiment illustrated in
In some variations, a locking mechanism, such as a locking bar 1108 and height adjustment bar 1110 enable the adjustment of the angle of the support bar 1104, which is important in some circumstances, e.g. when system 1100 is configured to have user 1102 running at an incline. In systems that do not have an adjustable angle in a support bar, when a user runs at a steep incline, the user may collide with the edges of the orifice. A tall person may have the same issue regardless of incline. Thus, the adjustability of support bar's 1104 height and angle, relative to differential air pressure system, increases the range of users who can successfully use the system types and also increases the scope of uses of the system.
In one embodiment, safety bar 1104 locks into locking bar 1108 at an angle to which the safety bar has been adjusted. The locking mechanism of locking bar 1108 ensures that if user 1102 were to stumble or fall, the user 1102 would be able to safely support themselves on support bar 1104.
In some variations, adjustment of the height of support bar 1104 in system 1100 is performed by configuring support bar 1104 at some tilt angle into height adjustment slots 1110. In one embodiment, there are multiple height adjustments slots (e.g. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or even more) 1110 constructed of material sufficiently strong so that should user 1102 fall and lean on safety bar 1104, height adjustment slots 1110 will not bend or break and can support the full body weight of the user, at least for a short period of time.
In one embodiment, support bar 1104 becomes fixed in place while under use in system 1100. Support bar 1104 is fixed in place via locking bar 1108. In some variations, locking bar 1108 swings down and locks in place once support bar 1104 has been set in a position. In certain variations, an automatic latching mechanism may be utilized. However, as illustrated in
Another example of a height adjustable structure 1700 for a differential air pressure system is illustrated in
In some variations, the bar may be inserted into a slot and pushed to the rear of the slot, as illustrated in
In some variations, the height adjustment slots may include a bump, protrusion, or other mechanical barrier, e.g. as illustrated in
In the systems described herein, the safety bar and their support mechanisms and locking mechanisms are capable of withstanding high vertical force to support both the large force due to pressure and a dynamic load should the user fall on the height adjustment bar and use it for support. For reference, the vertical load may be approximated by the surface area of the bag on the bar multiplied by the pressure in the chamber. An estimate is 24″×36″×2 lb/sqin=˜1700 lbs of vertical load due to pressure.
Additional embodiments of a height adjustment in a differential air pressure system are illustrated in
In another embodiment, illustrated in
In different embodiments, illustrated in
An example of a height adjustment bar which translates up and down multiple guide posts is shown in
In some variations of differential air pressure systems, the enclosure may be coupled to a height adjustment structure so that adjustment of the height adjustment structure simultaneously adjusts the height of the enclosure or vice versa. The height of the height adjustment structure may be adjustable by any of the methods described herein or otherwise known.
In another embodiment, the height adjustment structure may be separable from the enclosure so that the user may adjust the height of the height adjustment structure first and then attach the enclosure to the structure.
In one embodiment, to reduce the lifting force required to raise the height adjustment structure, and possibly the fabric enclosure as well if the enclosure is coupled to the height adjustment structure, the height adjustment structure may be counter balanced with weights or electro-mechanically lifted, for example by a motor, motor and belt system, etc. Other lifting systems may include lead screws, hoists, winches, hand cranks, scissor lift (manual or automated), hydraulics, or other means of mechanical or electromechanical advantage to reduce or eliminate the force required to lift the structure by the user.
Any of the height adjustment systems and lifting systems as described herein may further include a locking mechanism to secure the position of the height adjustment structure once the desired height is set. Such locking may be done with pins or other mechanical interference, worm gears or lead screws or other non-back-drivable gearing, strong electro magnets, straps to a portion of the main system structure, or use of friction as in a cantilevered system. Other means of mechanical locking are considered within the scope of this invention.
Another system and related method for adjusting the height of an opening in a chamber for receiving the body of a user may include the use of a combination of one or more hard portions of a shell and one or more soft or flexible portions of the shell. In such system variations, the soft portion of the shell may expand or be compressed to allow for the vertical adjustment. The soft portion of the enclosure may reside at any point along the vertical direction of the hard shell, and may even divide the hard shell into two or more portions.
If a differential air pressure system comprises a hybrid shell comprising one or more soft portions and one or more hard or rigid portions, the hard shell portion may be movable by automation or by the user lifting the shell. In one embodiment, the hard shell portion may be counter balanced to allow for easier lifting by the user. The position of the hard shell portion may further be lockable in place once the proper height is achieved. Any means of lifting or locking as described herein or otherwise known may be implemented with a hard shell portion as well. The height of the hard shell portion may remain locked during use such that as pressure varies the shell remains fixed vertically.
In another embodiment, a snapping mechanism worn by the user may be activated when a portion of the user seal is mated with a matching portion of the enclosure. An example of this concept is a ring around the user that fits in a concentric manner with a ring on the enclosure, and a latch (e.g. a rotating latch) positioned on either the user seal or the enclosure piece, such that the user may pick up the enclosure and fit the portion of the user seal inside the portion on the enclosure and activate the latch with their hand to secure the two pieces together. Other locking mechanisms may also be utilized in a differential air pressure system.
Another method of adjusting the height may be a linkage system comprising one or more translating or rotating members that may be locked to form the upper surface of the height adjustment structure and maintain shape under pressure.
Another embodiment of a linkage system is shown in
As has been discussed herein, straps can be used to adjust the vertical position of the chamber opening that attaches to the user. Ropes or cables may also be used to restrict the vertical position of the opening. Such a system with ropes or straps may be individually adjustable or may be connected via pulleys and routing so that a single cable, strap, or rope may be pulled to evenly adjust all cables or straps simultaneously to maintain a level top surface. The position of this adjustment may be locking with a knot, cable grip, cam lock, or the like. Many such locking mechanisms are seen in yachting or boating. If a vertical height adjustment system for a chamber does not itself provide a user support in the event of a tear in the enclosure or pressure failure, in some variations, a secondary vertical support system, e.g. similar to a harness, may be provided for the user.
It may be advantageous in some situations to have a hard shell to promote ease of access, for example by not having to step over fabric folds or the like. Hard shell differential air pressure system also can allow for height adjustment to accommodate users of varying statures. Furthermore, it may be advantageous to maintain the structural integrity of the hard shell, and instead to raise the height of the floor, exercise platform treadmill, or other exercise apparatus instead of changing the height of the opening on the shell itself. In those variations, the shell could be built to the largest desired size and smaller users would be raised up to meet the upper surface of the shell.
Another embodiment (not shown) of lifting a treadmill or other exercise machine may comprise placing one air bags under each of the front and the rear of the treadmill (or other exercise machine or exercise platform), and controlling the pressure inside each air bag. Air used to pressurize the air bags may even be routed into the chamber after it goes through the air bags. Air bags may be constrained or made like a bellows so that inflation causes primarily vertical motion. The amount of pressure in a bellow can determine the vertical position of the bellows. As the bellows expands, the pressure will drop and load is reduced until equilibrium is reached. Then additional pressure will raise the height and reduction of pressure will lower the height.
As discussed herein, an exercise machine (e.g., treadmill, stepper, elliptical, bicycle, etc.) may be utilized in a differential air pressure system. Furthermore, the differential air pressure system may be adjusted for various users, the exercise machine may be adjusted to provide for various workout environments, and the differential air pressure system enclosure, opening, and structure may be configured in many different ways. The wide range of adjustments and system configurations therefore provides for a variety of workout, therapy, and/or medical treatment environments heretofore not realized in differential air pressure systems.
Bag Shaping for a Differential Air Pressure SystemWhile a user is enclosed in a differential air pressure system chamber at a portion of their body near the torso, such as those described herein, it may occur that the user would hit a part of their body on the chamber shell during exercise. However, a user may wish to exercise or move in some cases without this inhibition of movement. This issue of movement inhibition is further exacerbated by the reality that users of many different body shapes and sizes will be using the same physical device. For instance, a rotund individual will require a wide opening and upper surface of the shell to fit inside. If left alone, this same surface, when used by a diminutive person will cause the small person's arms and hands to contact the upper surface because natural motion is to swing the arms by the hips.
Furthermore, the enclosure should be contoured to be long to allow the user to extend their leg back during running and bring the knee high during the forward step portion of the gait cycle. This creates a long device, which must at the same time remain narrow to prevent interference with arm swing. Should a user contact the shell during a run, such contact may throw off the user's balance or cause trauma to the area that impacted the enclosure. To enhance the safety of the system it may be desirable to contour the shape of the shell to avoid contact with the user's body as much as possible.
As discussed herein, a differential air pressure system shell can be contoured to allow for freedom of movement of all limbs of the body during user activity. Furthermore, a differential air pressure system is made adjustable to accommodate individuals of different sizes to use a single differential air pressure system apparatus and accommodate a range of varying body types.
As illustrated in
The features discussed above with respect to shell height adjustment, rotational seals, translational seals, shell contour adjustment, etc. are all aimed at ensuring that an experience is provided that is as natural to normal exercise as possible. If the user must adjust their arm swing or position this may distort their gait and cause discomfort. Gait distortion and arm swing adjustment issues may be exacerbated in a sprinting situation versus a walking or jogging situation, but a user who feels awkward or self-conscious about contacting the shell will likely never feel completely natural. The embodiments discussed above may be used with a chamber constructed of fabric or a hybrid-type shell comprising a minimally deforming stiffer material as a lower portion with a flexible (e.g. fabric) top portion.
In one embodiment, a support bar is attached to the chamber in such a way that the fabric of the chamber contoured by the bar is restricted from moving past the bar, thus fixing the top shape of the fabric above the bar. To be implemented for users of different heights, the fabric below the bar is allowed to collapse or expand and deform to accommodate users of various heights. The bar can be secured in a vertical position with a locking or latching mechanism so as to maintain an appropriate height to match the individual who is exercising, such as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the contouring bar concept may be integrated into a minimally deforming shell enclosure.
In one embodiment, a structure, such as an endoskeleton or exoskeleton, may be utilized to constrain a fabric enclosure of a differential air pressure system.
A skeleton design is similar to a minimally deforming shell, discussed above, though reduces weight, fabrication costs, and potentially ingress and egress to the chamber by including a bar which acts as a gate 3506 to control user access to the chamber. In one embodiment, bar 3506 is placed to constrain the fabric 3504 shell from expanding outward and interfering with arm swing. In one embodiment, the upper portion and front and rear portions of the skeleton 3502 are contoured to provide a comparable shape described above to allow freedom of movement of user limbs during use. An exemplary construction may be a geodesic dome. In one embodiment, the skeleton 3502 may be vertically adjustable, and certain members of the skeleton 3502 may serve as hand rails.
In one embodiment, rings 36041 to 3604N are shaped approximately concentrically to allow deflation of bag 3602 in an organized fashion, rather than to freely crumple. Configuring rings in this fashion can further assist in controlling the shape of the fabric in a deflated state 3602B to make storage cleaner, as well as easier for a user walk over the deflated bag without tripping on a wrinkle or fold.
In one embodiment, instead of nested rings, one or more nested rigid structures may be utilized, as illustrated in
As discussed above, the surface of hard and soft shell differential air pressure system cases may be contoured. The contouring allows for a wide degree of freedom of movement, which is as natural as possible, during exercise or therapy. Furthermore, as discussed above, the contouring may be easily adjusted during use by a user, a trainer, or therapist observing a routine, and the height of the contouring surface may also be adjustable by any method described herein or otherwise known. Optionally, the contouring method described above may be combined with any of the other inventions disclosed herein to promote freedom of movement and/or user ergonomics among other things.
Differential Air Pressure System ApplicationAs discussed above, a differential air pressure system is described that is adjustable for users of different heights and body sizes. Furthermore, support systems and mechanisms are described that enable the differential air pressure systems to operate at different angles, speeds, etc. while the user is comfortable and safe, as well as allowing for a wide range of user motion. Embodiments of applications and uses for the differential air pressure system, such as any of systems described herein (e.g. in connection with
Currently, obesity is driving people to become bedridden. As a person becomes increasingly obese, that person may not able to support his own weight or may not have the strength to sustain prolonged walking or jogging. Furthermore, such a person's joints may not be able to endure the stress of walking or other movement due to the excessive weight placed on the joints. As a consequence, obese people exercise less, and the downward cycle continues. One option open to obese people is to exercise in a pool. However, frequently obese people are embarrassed to enter pools and in some circumstances may require a hoist or other cumbersome means to actually enter the water. There is also risk of drowning with someone who is not fit. Walking and jogging are better forms of exercise for losing weight than aquatic exercise, or hand bikes, because of the rate of calorie burn. No practical harness systems are available for obese people, as these systems would be very uncomfortable because of the amount of weight the strapping would have to support, and the strapping may begin to cut into the skin. Strapping would also require significant setup time and multiple people to assist in getting the person into the machine.
Some embodiments of differential air pressure systems, which may be configured (or specifically designed) for wider persons, can allow for much simpler ingress and egress than aquatic exercise or harness systems, and the air pressure can provide a significant amount of weight support. Although an application of a differential air pressure system is described below for treatment of obesity, other maladies, such as, conditions that affect a person's motor system (e.g., multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or Down Syndrome) or a person's exercise tolerance (e.g., cardiac disease, etc.) may also utilize the techniques described below.
Referring now to
Processing logic then develops a treatment plan based on the initial settings for the user (processing block 3904). A plan to combat obesity may include incrementally and systematically increasing the strenuousness of a workout by adjusting pressure in the chamber, adjusting incline of a treadmill, including intervals of strenuous and non-strenuous activity in a workout, etc., or any combination thereof. Additionally, processing logic may track user progress over time, or from session to session, to monitor weight loss or physical conditional of the user. Further, the treatment plan may be adjusted, either by processing logic, the user, an outside observer, a health professional, etc., to constantly improve the effectiveness of the treatment plan. By precisely controlling the forces against which the user is training using the differential air pressure systems and methods described herein, a precisely-controlled and quantifiable plan for weight loss with concomitant building of muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness may allow for an aggressive treatment plan of weight loss. Further, the differential air pressure systems can be somewhat self-adjusting for a user with obesity. For example, a treatment program may be designed so that a user exercises at a certain fraction of his body weight, so as the user loses weight, the pressure in the chamber may automatically drop to keep the user exercising at that same fraction of his new, lower body weight. This is important because weight loss drastically affects how a user can exercise. This allows, for example, the system to be more aggressive in treating obesity. The system may consist of periodic recalibration as weight is dropped and the user's bodyweight begins to change. By expanding this to record calibrations over a period of multiple workouts, weight loss of the user can be obtained. The weight loss can then affect other workout metrics such as speed, incline, etc. A composite of these metrics can give tangible feedback about the progress the user is making and make suggestions for workout adjustments to help the user more aggressively lose weight, regain mobility, improve cardiovascular fitness, etc. As a result, a consistent and safe workout is provided by the differential air pressure system, for a person suffering from obesity.
Calibration of a Differential Air Pressure System Via Pain TitrationPain is a useful workout metric, especially for people rehabilitating an injury. In one embodiment, pain titration is utilized in an unloading device, such as the differential air pressure systems discussed herein, to record, adjust, and plan workouts. This can be beneficial by allowing a physician to create consistent workouts for patients, as well as storing and providing hard analytical data for evaluation of a patient's recovery process or injury. Furthermore, use of a differential air pressure system can also allow users to more quickly begin and complete a workout because their pain can be accurately and immediately controlled, without reliance on a physician or other health professional.
As discussed below, pain values may be measured or estimated using an arbitrary scale, from a knob, a numerical input, a graphical input, a series of questions, or other segmented scale method for accepting input from a user. Any of the above-listed pain level inputs that can be provided by the user can be used to evaluate the level of pain the user feels at one or more moments in a workout or therapy session, as well as to adjust metrics associated with a workout (i.e., maintaining a constant pain level).
Furthermore, user pain level inputs can be used to adjust a workout during a workout or therapy session. This allows adjustment of workouts (current and future) based on user input. In some embodiments, pain level inputs from the user can be used to create one or more protocols that, in turn, create a workout or series of workouts based on the user's pain level. The creation of one or more protocols corresponding to workout settings can allows users, physicians, and other health professionals to obtain consistent metrics of healing, either from a set different workouts by a single user, or by workouts across multiple users normalized to a generic pain scale. Furthermore, by storing or otherwise outputting pain metrics, a user can monitor how he has progressed, and a physician or other health professional can monitor how his patient is progressing, and in some cases may compare his patient's progress versus statistics of healing from people with similar injuries or conditions. This type of data collection for a single individual or across groups of individual can enable further refinement of workouts to assist in the healing process.
The workouts can be designed for recovery from a new injury, or for managing a chronic injury or condition. A workout designed to push ability and to heal a temporary injury is generally different than providing a workout regimen for someone with a chronic injury. For example, a protocol for increasing load on a person recovering from a stress fracture is likely to be different than a protocol to assist someone with arthritis exercise, because a health professional may expect a certain rate of healing to reach full health for an acute stress fracture injury versus a slower progression, stagnant performance, or even declining performance with a chronic injury or degenerative condition.
In some embodiments, pain inputs and/or pain level readings can be used to predict a rate of healing. Such a correlation may allow a user or physician to predict what activities are most appropriate to allow or restrict activity at certain points in the recovery cycle. The pain inputs and a predicted rate of healing associated with the pain inputs can be used to predict when the patient will be able to return to normal or safe use of the injured body part (e.g., use of the body part not previously allowed due to the injury). This capability may be useful, for example, in cases of injured athletes trying to decide when they can resume competition. The capability has other uses beyond that of athletes. For example, the pain inputs and a predicted rate of healing associated with the pain inputs can be applied to work-related injuries and the ability and/or timing of a user to resume work activity. In the case of athletes or workers deciding whether to resume their normal activities, or a health professional deciding on a course of treatment, the systematic pain data that can in some circumstances be obtained using a differential air pressure system may provide a more quantitative basis for making such decisions.
Furthermore, in some variations, pain inputs/readings can be used as a diagnostic tool to determine the source of an injury. Physicians often use manual stimulation to determine the site of pain. This system can allow for a user to change variables in a workout in a controlled manner and to have a protocol for a recovery workout, and the resulting pain input from the user may reveal a more specific description of the condition for a physician or other health professional. The pain inputs can further be used to evaluate the extent of an injury. The extent of an injury can be estimated by pain during manual stimulation or through scanning (x-ray, MRI, CAT, etc). Differential air pressure systems that are configured to receive pain input from a user can allow for the user to change workout constants such as, but not limited to, speed, incline, and effective bodyweight to identify the acceptable load on the injury. The system may record the progression and different pain levels for a given set of functional system parameters, and a protocol developed based on the level of pain at multiple points of adjustment. Optionally, these data may be output to a physician or other health professional for creation of a new, separate protocol or for adjustment of a system generated protocol.
In some embodiments, the user pain input may be provided to a sensor of a differential air pressure system, for example a sensor that senses a biological parameter of the user, e.g. swelling, blood pressure, muscle effort, tissue strain, blood flow, brain activity, etc., or any combination thereof. These extra sensors may, but do not have to be, directly connected to the user. In these configurations, the system may utilize other external factors that have been linked to pain in lieu of or in addition to direct pain readings from the user to manage and modify a workout. The sensors can be, but are not limited to, mechanical or electrical sensors.
The pain inputs, workout determination, injury evaluation, and/or calibration can take place individually or in conjunction with one another, and take place in hardware, software, or both hardware and software. The software may reside on the machine itself or on an external computer or evaluation center. The data may be transferred from the machine by a memory storage device or transmitted over a network, e.g. a wireless network.
Because different conditions may require different programs and settings for a differential air pressure system, the system can be calibrated. In some variations, the system calibration is performed based on a condition, personal factors of a user, malady, etc. For example, a person with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee may not need the same initial settings in a differential air pressure system as a person suffering from obesity, or a child suffering from Down Syndrome.
Referring to
Processing logic then operates a differential air pressure system according to the initial settings (processing block 4004).
Processing logic may further receive an indication of a user's pain level (processing block 4006). In various embodiments, a user may operate a user interface (which may be on a control panel 118), e.g. hit a button, turn a dial, speak, touch a screen or other touch sensor, etc. to indicate that they are in pain, or to indicate a level of pain that they are experiencing. In one embodiment, processing logic may receive data corresponding to a user's pain from an arbitrary user-actuated dial. For example, control panel 118 of a differential air pressure system may include a dial from 0-100 that corresponds to zero pressure and full pressure, respectively, and/or a scale of 0-10 for indicating the level of pain. This dial would control the pressure set point, so the first time a patient comes in the knob could be set to 80 (i.e., meaning 80% of full pressure, not full body weight) and system adjustment based on a pain level can be made thereafter. The position of the pressure dial and/or pain dial could be adjusted by processing logic in a future treatment.
Based on the received data indicating user pain, air pressure in the system is adjusted to either increase weight (processing block 4008) or decrease weight (processing block 4010). In some variations, if data are received that indicates a user feels pain or feels pain of a certain level, weight experienced by the user is reduced in small increments by increasing chamber pressure until data are received that indicates no more pain is felt or that pain is within a desired range. Furthermore, if a user indicates that no pain is felt, body weight experienced by the user may be increased by decreasing the chamber pressure until the user begin to feel the pain of his injury. Weight experienced by the user is then adjusted using pressure so that pain indicated by the user and/or sensed by one or more sensors as described above is below the known threshold (processing block 4012). In some variations of the method, pressure is adjusted so that the body weight percentage is reduced by a few percentage points per adjustment.
Processing logic stores data indicating this point (processing block 4014), e.g. a pressure at which the user starts to feel pain or a certain amount of pain. As a result, the stored data point (e.g., applied pressure as an indication of an effective body weight) may later be used by processing logic as a reference to start, increase, or decrease the chamber pressure the next time the user undergoes a treatment (processing block 4016). Furthermore, the data points may be stored and tracked over time to provide a relative progress of treatment.
In different embodiments, user pain readings can occur before, during, or after an unloading session. Because the pain readings can be taken at any time, or almost any time depending on the protocol used, the system has a chance not only to calibrate the user to workout at expected pain levels, but to also dynamically modify the calibration and/or workout at any point during the workout. The pain inputs can involve either static or dynamic forces which include, but are not limited to, ground reaction forces, weight, foot strike forces, torque, or combinations of those forces. Furthermore, calibration based on these forces or torques may allow for the physician (or other health professional) or the system to devise a workout targeted more directly to a specific injury. Some injuries are more prone to torque on a body part than direct ground forces and vice versa.
Pain titration is used in medicine to treat many maladies. The process and system described above may enable fine adjustment in conjunction with accurate and repeatable control for offloading user weight. Furthermore, an efficient method is provided for quantitatively accounting for and calibrating against a measure, pain, that is typically not quantifiable, or not quantified in practice. Furthermore, settings may be stored and tracked to further refine treatment programs, as well as to predict and proscribe future treatment, future device settings, etc. For example, if a user with an ankle injury is only able to perform a 45 minute first workout, but a 50 minute second workout, then a prediction of a future starting setting (e.g., a 55 minute workout) may be set and progress gauged.
In some variations of the embodiments described herein, there may be no need to know or measure an initial specific body weight or percentage of body weight as a function of pressure, because metrics such as pain threshold of a user are used to calibrate the system.
Exemplary Computer SystemSystem 4100 further comprises a random access memory (RAM), or other dynamic storage device 4104 (referred to as main memory) coupled to bus 4111 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 4112. Main memory 4104 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by processor 4112.
Computer system 4100 also comprises a read only memory (ROM) and/or other static storage device 4106 coupled to bus 4111 for storing static information and instructions for processor 4112, and a data storage device 4107, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk and its corresponding disk drive. Data storage device 4107 is coupled to bus 4111 for storing information and instructions.
Computer system 4100 may further be coupled to a display device 4121, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD), coupled to bus 4111 for displaying information to a computer user. An alphanumeric input device 4122, including alphanumeric and other keys, may also be coupled to bus 4111 for communicating information and command selections to processor 4112. An additional user input device is cursor control 4123, such as a mouse, trackball, trackpad, stylus, or cursor direction keys, coupled to bus 4111 for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 4112, and for controlling cursor movement on display 4121.
Another device that may be coupled to bus 4111 is hard copy device 4124, which may be used for marking information on a medium such as paper, film, or similar types of media. Another device that may be coupled to bus 4111 is a wired/wireless communication capability 4125 to communication to a phone or handheld palm device.
Note that any or all of the components of system 4100 and associated hardware may be used in the present invention. However, it can be appreciated that other configurations of the computer system may include some or all of the devices. Certain variations of system 4100 may include peripherals or components not illustrated in
Certain embodiments may be implemented as a computer program product that may include instructions stored on a machine-readable medium. These instructions may be used to program a general-purpose or special-purpose processor to perform the described operations. A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form (e.g., software, processing application) readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, magnetic storage medium (e.g., floppy diskette); optical storage medium (e.g., CD-ROM); magneto-optical storage medium; read-only memory (ROM); random-access memory (RAM); erasable programmable memory (e.g., EPROM and EEPROM); flash memory; electrical, optical, acoustical, or other form of propagated signal (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.); or another type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.
Additionally, some embodiments may be practiced in distributed computing environments where the machine-readable medium is stored on and/or executed by more than one computer system. In addition, the information transferred between computer systems may either be pulled or pushed across the communication medium connecting the computer systems.
The digital processing device(s) described herein may include one or more general-purpose processing devices such as a microprocessor or central processing unit, a controller, or the like. Alternatively, the digital processing device may include one or more special-purpose processing devices such as a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. In an alternative embodiment, for example, the digital processing device may be a network processor having multiple processors including a core unit and multiple microengines. Additionally, the digital processing device may include any combination of general-purpose processing device(s) and special-purpose processing device(s).
Although the operations of the method(s) herein are shown and described in a particular order, the order of the operations of each method may be altered so that certain operations may be performed in an inverse order or so that certain operation may be performed, at least in part, concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of distinct operations may be in an intermittent and/or alternating manner.
While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. For example, the present invention may be applicable to containing any part of the body, such as the upper body, torso area, etc. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Furthermore, embodiments of the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein may be practiced individually, or in combination. Many different combinations would be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
It shall be understood that any of the concepts described herein may be joined together, or combined, to form a useful invention. For instance, an adjustable orifice may be combined with a contoured shell to provide an effective means for accepting uses or various body types and maintaining a natural running experience. For the sake of brevity, and to avoid obscuring the individual concepts discussed above, not all combinations of the inventions described herein have been listed, but combinations shall be held within the scope of this patent. Additionally, it shall be understood that systems that described a pressurized chamber may be construed to include both positive and negative pressure configurations. Positive versus negative pressure may require different configurations of the inventions but such modifications from those explicitly described herein shall be considered within the scope of this patent.
Claims
1. A structure for enclosing and sealing a portion of a body of a user into a differential air pressure system, the structure comprising:
- a chamber; and
- a user seal coupled to the chamber, the user seal comprising an adjustable opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber,
- wherein a sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the chamber so that a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber, and the adjustable opening is capable of accommodating a range of user body sizes.
2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the user seal comprises a plurality of expansion slits distributed circumferentially around a perimeter of user seal, and one or more of the expansion slits can be selectively closed or opened by the user to adjust a size of the opening in the user seal.
3. A user seal configured for use in a differential pressure system, wherein:
- the user seal is configured to be coupled to a chamber of a differential pressure system; and
- the user seal comprises an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber,
- wherein a sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the chamber so that a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber, and the user seal is configured to allow the user to rotate his body relative to the chamber while maintaining the sufficiently airtight junction between the chamber and the user's body.
4. The user seal of claim 3, comprising:
- an outer structure coupled to the chamber; and
- an inner structure comprising the opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around the user's body,
- wherein the inner structure is configured to mate with the outer structure, and the inner structure is configured to rotate relative to the outer structure about a rotational axis of the outer structure.
5. A user seal configured for use in a differential pressure system, wherein:
- the user seal is configured to be coupled to a chamber of a differential pressure system; and
- the user seal comprises an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber,
- wherein a sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the chamber so that a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber, and the user seal is configured to be anchored to the user's body so that the user seal maintains a relatively stable vertical position along the body of the user as pressure in the chamber is varied.
6. The user seal of claim 5, comprising a body wrap that is anchored to a user's body, the body wrap comprising a plurality of flexible flaps, wherein the plurality of flexible flaps are wrapped around one or more body parts of the user and secured to provide a grip between the body wrap and the user's body.
7. A user seal configured for use in a differential pressure system, wherein:
- the user seal is configured to be coupled to a chamber of a differential pressure system; and
- the user seal comprises an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber,
- wherein a sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the chamber so that a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber, and the user seal is configured to allow the user to translate his body along an axis of the chamber while maintaining the sufficiently airtight junction between the chamber and the user's body.
8. The user seal of claim 7, comprising:
- a first section comprising an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body; and
- a second section coupled to the chamber, wherein the first and second sections are slidably coupled to form a junction therebetween,
- wherein a sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the first section, between the first and section sections, and between the second section and the chamber so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber, a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber, and the first section can translate relative to the second section to allow the user to translate along the axis of the chamber while substantially maintaining the nonzero differential pressure in the chamber.
9. A user seal configured for use in a differential air pressure system, the user seal comprising:
- a lower section comprising an opening that is capable of receiving and sealing around a user's body; and
- an upper section disposed on an upper surface of the lower section to form a junction between the upper and lower section, the upper section being coupled to the chamber,
- wherein a sufficiently airtight junction is formed between the user's body and the lower section, between the upper and lower sections, and between the upper section and the chamber so that at least a portion of the user's body is sealed into the chamber and a nonzero differential pressure can be sustained in the chamber.
10. A pressurizable chamber for a differential air pressure system, the chamber comprising:
- an inflatable enclosure formed from a flexible material; and
- an adjustable frame that can be coupled to the inflatable enclosure,
- wherein the adjustable frame controls at least one of a width and a height of the enclosure in its inflated state to reduce interference of the inflated enclosure with arm and/or leg motion of a user whose lower body is sealed into the pressurizable chamber and whose upper body is outside of the pressurizable chamber.
11. The pressurizable chamber of claim 10, wherein the adjustable frame comprises at least one contoured section to accommodate arm and/or leg motion of the user.
12. The pressurizable chamber of claim 10, wherein the adjustable frame comprises at least one telescoping member having a variable length, wherein the length of the at least one telescoping member is changed to adjust a dimension of the frame.
13. A chamber for a differential air pressure system, the chamber comprising:
- an inflatable enclosure;
- a height adjustable frame positioned around the enclosure, the height adjustable frame capable of supporting a user's body weight in the event of a trip or a fall,
- wherein the height adjustable frame comprises a rear vertical support and a front vertical support, and at least one of the rear and front vertical supports comprises a height adjustment apparatus for engaging a lengthwise transverse member of the frame that extends between the rear vertical support and the front vertical support to adjust the height of the frame.
14. The chamber of claim 13, wherein the height adjustment apparatus comprises a series of vertically arranged slots and wherein the lengthwise tranverse member of the frame is engaged into one of the slots of the height adjustment apparatus to adjust a height of the frame.
15. A method of treatment comprising:
- creating a differential pressure in a chamber of a differential air pressure system, the chamber configured to receive at least a portion of a user's body and to adjust force on the user's body by adjusting pressure in the chamber;
- adjusting pressure in the chamber in response to a condition-related metric determined for the user;
- generating an initial setting for the differential air pressure system for the user based on a dependence of the condition-related metric on the adjustment of pressure; and
- generating an individualized treatment protocol for the condition based on the initial setting for the user.
16. The method of claim 15, for treating obesity.
17. A method of treatment comprising:
- creating a differential pressure in a chamber of a differential air pressure system, the chamber configured to receive at least a portion of a user's body and to adjust force on the user's body by adjusting pressure in the chamber;
- estimating an initial setting for the differential air pressure system based on a condition of the user;
- receiving indication of pain experienced by the user as a function of pressure in the chamber; and
- using the indication of pain at one or more pressure levels to set or modify a course of treatment for the condition.
18. The method of claim 17, for treating a chronic injury.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the indication of pain is received directly from the user.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the indication of pain is received from one or more sensors sensing a biological parameter of the user.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 15, 2010
Publication Date: Apr 28, 2011
Applicant: AlterG, Inc. (FREMONT, CA)
Inventors: Sean Tremaine Whalen (Mountain View, CA), Mark A. Shughart (Palo Alto, CA), Douglas Frank Schwandt (Palo Alto, CA), Robert Tremaine Whalen (Los Altos, CA), Edward Liou (Los Altos, CA), Fritz Moore (Vacaville, CA)
Application Number: 12/761,316
International Classification: A61H 7/00 (20060101);
