FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to breathing exercise, and more specifically, to a system and method for breathing exercise.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nowadays, many people are living in a stressful life with stress from working, parenting, social activities etc. If not well-managed, stress may cause many different symptoms, including headaches, muscle tension, stomach problems, difficulty concentration, and other changes in physical, mental or behaviors. Breathing exercises may bring significant benefits, such as stress relief, control of the symptoms of asthma, decrease of blood pressure, or promotion of good sleep etc.

Conventional breathing exercise solutions present certain breathing patterns to a user, and the user follows the breathing patterns on his/her own. For example, Apple Watch provides a Breathe App, with which the user can select an exercise breathing pattern, such as the duration of breathing exercise and breathing frequency, and perform exhalation and inhalation according to the animation image generated by the Breathe App based on the breathing patterns. However, the user is only presented with a preset or selected exercise pattern without any feedback. The user does not know whether he/she has followed the exercise breathing pattern well.

There is a need for further improvements to direct the user how to better follow the delivered breathing pattern and evaluate the exercise effect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and method for breathing exercise.

In a first aspect, a system for breathing exercise is provided. The system comprises a breathing sensing module arranged on a mask and configured to measure an actual breathing pattern of a user; and a controller configured to: cause an exercise breathing pattern to be presented to the user; determine a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the exercise breathing pattern; and in response to the difference exceeding a predefined threshold, cause an alarm of the difference to be presented to the user.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the user’s actual breathing pattern may be obtained by means of a mask. With this arrangement, it is possible to direct the user to adjust breathing pattern according to a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the exercise breathing pattern. In this way, a better breathing exercise effect can be achieved.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to determine the exercise breathing pattern by: causing a set of candidate breathing patterns associated with a set of breathing volumes to be presented to the user; obtaining a set of heart rate variation HRV values of the user respectively corresponding to the set of candidate exercise breathing patterns; and selecting the exercise breathing pattern based on the HRV values and the breathing volumes. In this way, the system may utilize HRV value of the user to determine an exercise breathing pattern with certain breathing volume suitable for the user.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to determine the exercise breathing pattern by: causing a set of candidate breathing patterns associated with a set of breathing frequencies to be presented to the user; obtaining a set of heart rate variation HRV values of the user respectively corresponding to the set of candidate exercise breathing patterns; and selecting the exercise breathing pattern based on the HRV values and the breathing frequencies. In this way, the system may utilize HRV value of the user to determine an exercise breathing pattern with certain breathing frequency suitable for the user.

In some embodiments, the controller is configured to select the exercise breathing pattern by: determining whether a maximum HRV value of the set of HRV values corresponds to a maximum breathing frequency or a minimum breathing frequency among the breathing frequencies; and in accordance with a determination that the maximum HRV value does not correspond to a maximum or minimum breathing frequency of the set of breathing frequencies, selecting a candidate exercise breathing pattern corresponding to the maximum HRV value as the exercise breathing pattern. In this way, an exercise breathing pattern to be presented to the user may lead to a maximum HRV value and thus a better breathing exercise effect.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to: in accordance with a determination that a maximum HRV value of the set of HRV values corresponds to a maximum breathing frequency of the set of breathing frequencies, adjust the set of candidate breathing patterns by increasing the maximum breathing frequency; in accordance with a determination that the maximum HRV value corresponds to a minimum breathing frequency of the set of breathing frequencies, adjust the set of candidate breathing patterns by decreasing the minimum breathing frequency. In this way, an exercise breathing pattern to be presented to the user may lead to a maximum HRV value and thus a better breathing exercise effect.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises a heart rate sensor integrated on the mask and configured to acquire the HRV values. With this arrangement, the HRV values can be easily obtained.

In some embodiments, the breathing sensing module comprises a fan, wherein the exercise breathing pattern is associated with an expected rotation speed of the fan, and the actual breathing pattern is associated with an actual rotation speed of the fan. When wearing mask, inhalation and exhalation processes alter the pressure of mask inner cavity. The pressure increases during exhalation, while decreases during inhalation. The pressure change inside mask cavity induces fluctuations of fan rotation speeds. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the presented exercise breathing pattern can be easily obtained based on rotation speed of the fan.

In some embodiments, the breathing sensing module comprises a pressure sensor configured to measure an air pressure in an air chamber formed by the mask; and wherein the controller is configured to determine the actual breathing pattern of the user based on a change of the air pressure measured by the pressure sensor. The pressure change during inhalation and exhalation processes can be directly used to indicate user’s actual breathing patterns. A differential pressure sensor can sensitively detect this pressure change. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the presented exercise breathing pattern can be easily obtained based on air pressure in the air chamber.

In some embodiments, the breathing sensing module is configured to measure one of the following parameters so as to determine the actual breathing pattern of the user: motor current of a fan mounted on the mask; temperature in a chamber formed by the mask; humidity in a chamber formed by the mask; and opening size of an one-way valve mounted on the mask. In this way, a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the presented exercise breathing pattern can be easily obtained.

In some embodiments, the controller is integrated on the mask. This arrangement enables simple implementation of the system.

In some embodiments, the controller is remotely located from the mask, and the system further comprises a communication module arranged on the mask and configured for communication between the breathing sensing module and the controller. This arrangement enables reducing the power consumption of the mask, more functions may be accomplished by the controller and better experience of the user may be achieved.

In a second aspect, an exercise breathing method is provided. The method comprises presenting an exercise breathing pattern to a user; measuring an actual breathing pattern of the user; determining a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the exercise breathing pattern; and in response to the difference exceeding a predefined threshold, presenting an alarm of the difference to the user. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to direct the user to adjust breathing pattern according to a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the exercise breathing pattern. In this way, a better breathing exercise effect can be achieved.

In some embodiments, method further comprises presenting a set of candidate exercise breathing patterns associated with a set of breathing frequencies and/or a set of breathing volumes to the user; obtaining a set of heart rate variation HRV values of the user respectively corresponding to the set of candidate exercise breathing patterns; determining a target HRV value based on the set of HRV values; and selecting the exercise breathing pattern based on the HRV values and the breathing frequencies and/or the breathing volumes. In this way, the system may utilize HRV value of the user to determine an exercise breathing pattern with certain breathing frequency and/or certain breathing volume suitable for the user.

It is to be understood that the Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objectives, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through a more detailed depiction of example embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein in the example embodiments of the present disclosure, same reference numerals usually represent the same components.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system for breathing exercise according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exploded view of a system for breathing exercise according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a block diagram of a system for breathing exercise according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a block diagram of a system for breathing exercise according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a flow diagram of an exercise breathing method according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAIEED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to several example embodiments. It is to be understood these embodiments are discussed only for the purpose of enabling those skilled persons in the art to better understand and thus implement the present disclosure, rather than suggesting any limitations on the scope of the subject matter.

As used herein, the term “comprises” and its variants are to be read as open terms that mean “comprises, but is not limited to.” The term “based on” is to be read as “based at least in part on.” The term “one embodiment” and “an embodiment” are to be read as “at least one embodiment.” The term “another embodiment” is to be read as “at least one other embodiment.” The terms “first,” “second,” and the like may refer to different or same objects. Other definitions, explicit and implicit, may be comprised below. A definition of a term is consistent throughout the description unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system for breathing exercise. The system may present the user with an exercise breathing pattern, obtain the user’s actual breathing pattern by means of a mask and direct the user to adjust breathing pattern according to a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the exercise breathing pattern. The mask-type system can be a good platform to realize breathing exercises for users. One obvious advantage is that the user’s breathing pattern can be readily extracted by active masks, which makes the exercise feedback possible. Moreover, the mask is convenient to carry and use for the users. In addition, the system may utilize heart rate variation (HRV) value of the user to determine an exercise breathing pattern suitable for the user, so that a better breathing exercise effect can be achieved.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system 100 for breathing exercise according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 100 comprises a breathing sensing module 12 arranged on a mask 10. The breathing sensing module 12 may be configured to measure an actual breathing pattern of a user. When a user wears the mask 10, the mask 10 forms an air chamber with the user's face. The breathing sensing module 12 may be configured to measure one of the following parameters so as to determine the actual breathing pattern of the user: rotation speed of a fan mounted on the mask 10; motor current of a fan mounted on the mask 10; air pressure in the air chamber formed by the mask 10; temperature in the air chamber formed by the mask 10; humidity in the air chamber formed by the mask 10; and opening size of a one-way valve mounted on the mask 10. In some embodiments, the breathing sensing module 12 may comprise a switch 14 for turning the breathing sensing module 12 on and off, which enables easy operations for starting and stopping the breathing sensing module, thereby facilitating operation and reducing the power consumption of the breathing sensing module.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exploded view of a system 100 for breathing exercise according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the system 100 may comprise a controller 18. The controller 18 may be configured to: cause an exercise breathing pattern to be presented to the user; determine a difference between the actual breathing pattern measured by the breathing sensing module 12 and the exercise breathing pattern presented to the user; and in response to the difference exceeding a predefined threshold, cause an alarm of the difference to be presented to the user.

In an embodiment, the mask 10 may be implemented as an active mask. A fan 22 may be installed on the mask 10 through a fan interface/air valve, such as a one-way valve. The fan 22 may comprise a motor as shown in FIG. 2 to rotate air blades (not shown) so as to suck air into the air chamber from the outside and/or to exhaust air from the air chamber to the outside. The fan 22 may be turned on and off by means of the switch 14.

The system 100 may also comprise a battery 20. The battery 20 can be used to supply power to the controller 18 and the fan 22.

It should be noted that the system 100 shown in FIGs. 1-2 is provided as an example only, and is not intended to be limiting. Alternatively, the controller 18 may be remotely located from the mask 10, rather than integrated on the mask 10. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a block diagram of a system 100 for breathing exercise according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals are used to denote the components described in FIG. 3 having the same structure as the components described in FIGs. 1-2, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The controller 18 may be configured to cause an exercise breathing pattern to be presented to the user. In an embodiment, the controller 18 may control the rotation speed of the fan 22 according to the exercise breathing pattern to be presented to the user. For example, the controller 18 may control the fan 22 to accelerate rotation during an inspiratory period of the exercise breathing pattern, and to decelerate rotation during an expiratory period of the exercise breathing pattern. Accordingly, the user may inhale when perceives fast rotation and may exhale when perceives slow rotation. Alternatively, the breathing sensing module 12 may include a vibrator 26. The controller 18 may control the vibrator 26 to vibrate in different vibration modes according to the exercise breathing pattern. The user may follow the perceived vibrations to inhale or exhale. Alternatively, the controller 18 may cause the exercise breathing pattern to be presented to the user via visual signals (e.g., visual animations shown in an app on a mobile phone), auditory signals (e.g., voice reminder), or the like.

The controller 18 may be configured to determine a difference between the actual breathing pattern measured by the breathing sensing module 12 and the exercise breathing pattern presented to the user. When the user wearing the mask 10 inhales or exhales, the rotation speed of the fan 22 may vary accordingly. Therefore, an expected rotation speed of the fan 22 may be determined based on the exercise breathing pattern presented to the user. The breathing sensing module 12 may be configured to measure the user’s actual breathing pattern based on an actual rotation speed of the fan 22. The controller 18 may determine a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the exercise breathing pattern based on the actual rotation speed and expected rotation speed of the fan 22.

Alternatively, the breathing sensing module 12 may comprise a pressure sensor 24 installed on the mask 10. When the user wearing the mask 10 inhales or exhales, the air pressure in the air chamber formed by the mask 10 may change accordingly. The pressure sensor 24 may be configured to measure the air pressure in the chamber. The controller 18 may determine the actual breathing pattern based on a change of the air pressure measured by the pressure sensor 24.

In addition to the rotation speed of the fan 22 and the air pressure in the air chamber, an exhalation and inhalation of the user may also result in a change in other parameters such as motor current of the fan 22; temperature in the air chamber; humidity in the air chamber; and opening size of a one-way valve mounted on the mask 10 and the like. The breathing sensing module 12 may thus determine the actual breathing pattern of the user based on any one of the above parameters.

The controller 18 may be further configured to cause an alarm of the difference to be presented to the user in response to the difference between the actual breathing pattern and the exercise breathing pattern presented to the user exceeding a predefined threshold during breathing exercise. The alarm may be presented to the user in the form of visual signals (e.g., indicator light), auditory signals (e.g., voice reminder), or the like. When receiving the alarm signals, the user may adjust his/her breathing so as to better follow the presented exercise breathing pattern.

The controller 18 may determine the exercise breathing pattern to be presented to the user according to preset settings or user selection. When a user performs breathing exercises, he/she expects good exercise effects, such as stress relief, control of the symptoms of asthma, decrease of blood pressure, or promotion of good sleep etc. However, for the same user, different exercise breathing patterns may result in different exercise effects; while for different users, the same exercise breathing pattern may also lead to different exercise effects. Since different users may require different breathing patterns to solve their stress issues, it is desired to determine an exercise breathing pattern suitable for the user so as to achieve a significant breathing exercise effect.

Heart rate variation (HRV) value can be extracted from a heart rate sensor and acts as an indicator of a clinically relevant feature of stress-related disorders such as anxiety, depression, and epilepsy. When the user has a high HRV value, the pressure of the user can be significantly relieved. HRV values can be affected by the user’s breathing patterns (e.g., breathing frequency and breathing volume). Therefore, the exercise breathing pattern suitable for the user may be determined to enable the user to reach a larger HRV value, preferably the maximum HRV value.

In an embodiment, the system 100 may further comprise a heart rate sensor 16. The heart rate sensor 16 may be in the forms of ECG or PPG. The heart rate sensor 16 may be configured to acquire HRV value of the user. A set of candidate exercise breathing patterns associated with a set of breathing frequencies and/or a set of breathing volumes may be preset and stored in a memory of the system 100. The controller 18 may be configured to cause the set of candidate breathing patterns to be presented to the user. The heart rate sensor 16 may be configured to acquire a set of HRV values of the user respectively corresponding to the set of candidate exercise breathing patterns. The controller 18 may be further configured to select the exercise breathing pattern based on the HRV values and the breathing frequencies and/or the breathing volumes. In particular, the controller 18 may select a candidate exercise breathing pattern with a maximum HRV value among the measured HRV values among the set of candidate breathing patterns as the exercise breathing pattern suitable for the user during a pattern determination stage and guide the user to follow the determined exercise breathing pattern during breathing exercise stage.

The set of candidate breathing patterns may include a limited number of candidate breathing patterns, and the maximum HRV value among the measured HRV values may not correspond to the user’s maximum HRV value. In other words, the breathing pattern corresponding to the user’s maximum HRV value may not be included in the set of candidate breathing patterns. Therefore, the set of candidate breathing patterns may need to be adjusted during a pattern determination stage.

Take breathing frequency as an example. In the entire breathing frequency range, as the breathing frequency increases, the user’s HRV value usually increases first and then decreases. In other words, when the breathing frequency is lower than the optimal breathing frequency corresponding to the user’s maximum HRV value, the user’s HRV value increases as the breathing frequency increases; when the breathing frequency is higher than the user’s optimal breathing frequency, the user’s HRV value decreases as the breathing frequency increases. Therefore, when the interval of the candidate breathing frequencies included in the set of candidate breathing patterns is lower than the user’s optimal breathing frequency, the set of candidate breathing patterns may be adjusted to increase the maximum breathing frequency included therein; when the interval of the candidate breathing frequencies is higher than the user’s optimal breathing frequency, the set of candidate breathing patterns may be adjusted to decrease the maximum breathing frequency included therein; and when the interval of the candidate breathing frequencies includes the user’s optimal breathing frequency, the candidate breathing training corresponding to the maximum HRV value can be determined as an exercise breathing pattern suitable for the user.

In an embodiment, a set of candidate exercise breathing patterns associated with a set of breathing frequencies are presented to the user. For example, during the pattern determination stage, users can be presented with five candidate exercise breathing patterns of 6 breaths/min, 7 breaths/min, 8 breaths/min, 9 breaths/min, and 10 breaths/min with the duration of each breathing pattern of 20 seconds. The heart rate sensor 16 may acquire a set of HRV values of the user respectively corresponding to the set of candidate exercise breathing patterns. The controller 18 may determine whether a maximum HRV value of the set of HRV values corresponds to a maximum breathing frequency or a minimum breathing frequency among the breathing frequencies. In accordance with a determination that the maximum HRV value does not correspond to a maximum or minimum breathing frequency of the set of breathing frequencies, the controller 18 may select a candidate exercise breathing pattern corresponding to the maximum HRV value as the exercise breathing pattern. In accordance with a determination that a maximum HRV value of the set of HRV values corresponds to a maximum breathing frequency of the set of breathing frequencies, the controller 18 may adjust the set of candidate breathing patterns by increasing the maximum breathing frequency. In accordance with a determination that the maximum HRV value corresponds to a minimum breathing frequency of the set of breathing frequencies, the controller 18 may adjust the set of candidate breathing patterns by decreasing the minimum breathing frequency.

The heart rate sensor 16 may be integrated on the mask 10. Alternatively, the heart rate sensor 16 may be remotely located from the mask 10. In other embodiments, System 100 may not require an additional heart rate sensor, but may utilize heart rate data from existing sensors from user’s wearable device, such as smart watch, smart bans, etc.

In an embodiment, the controller 18 may evaluate the breathing exercise effect based on the difference between the actual breathing pattern and the presented exercise breathing pattern. Alternatively, the breathing exercise effect may be determined based on the HRV values. For example, the breathing exercise effect may be evaluated by calculating a standard deviation of the measured HRV values of the user and the maximum HRV value. FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a block diagram of a system 100 for breathing exercise according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals are used to denote the components described in FIG. 4 having the same structure as the components described in FIG. 3, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The controller 18 may be remotely located from the mask 10. In an embodiment, the controller 18 may be located in a smart phone 28 or other portal device. The system 100 may further comprise a communication module 30 arranged on the mask 10. The communication module 30 may be configured for communicating between the breathing sensing module 12 and the controller 18, for example, via Bluetooth connection. An App may be installed in the smart phone 28, for example, in the forms of WeChat mini-app or standalone app, and may be configured to present the user with at least one of exercise breathing pattern, the actual breathing pattern measured by the breathing sensing module 12, a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the presented exercise breathing pattern, the output of the breathing exercise effect and/or alarm signals when the difference exceeds a predefined threshold. In an embodiment, an user may click the “start” button from the App to activate the breathing exercise. Alternatively, the switch 14 on mask 10 can be programmed to activate the breathing exercise. For example, the system 100 may enter a breathing exercise stage when long-press of the button for 3 or more seconds.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a flow diagram of an exercise breathing method 500 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The process 500 may be implemented by the embodiment of the system 100 in FIGs. 1 to 4.

At block 502, an exercise breathing pattern may be presented to a user. The exercise breathing pattern to be presented may be determined during a pattern determination stage. In one embodiment, a set of candidate exercise breathing patterns associated with a set of breathing frequencies and/or a set of breathing volumes may be presented to the user during a pattern determination stage. A set of heart rate variation HRV values of the user respectively corresponding to the set of candidate exercise breathing patterns may be obtained. A target HRV value based on the set of HRV values may be determined. The exercise breathing pattern may be selected based on the HRV values and the breathing frequencies and/or the breathing volumes.

At block 504, an actual breathing pattern of the user may be measured.

At block 506, a difference between the actual breathing pattern and the exercise breathing pattern may be determined.

At block 508, in response to the difference exceeding a predefined threshold, an alarm of the difference may be presented to the user.

It should be appreciated that the above detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are only to exemplify or explain principles of the present disclosure and not to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent alternatives and improvements, etc. without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure shall be comprised in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Meanwhile, appended claims of the present disclosure aim to cover all the variations and modifications falling under the scope and boundary of the claims or equivalents of the scope and boundary.