• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    Automatic olfactory stimulation device for olfactometers. Automatic device (100) for olfactory stimulation for olfactometers, comprising a preparation module (10) of olfactory stimuli; an actuation module (20), a synchronization module (40) of analysis equipment; an acquisition module (50) of physiological parameters of a subject to be analyzed; a monitoring module (60) of parameters of the olfactory stimuli; and a control module (30) that receives the parameters of the module (50), of the module (60) and, optionally, of the module (40) and generates first signals (s1) of control of the actuation module (20) to synchronize the arrival of aromatized air streams to a subject to be analyzed with its respiration and generate/receive second signals (s2) of control to synchronize the olfactory stimulation with the activation of the olfactometer analysis equipment. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)
    公开号:ES2644172A1
    申请号:ES201630691
    申请日:2016-05-27
    公开日:2017-11-27
    发明作者:Juan Antonio Hernandez Tamames；Susana Borromeo Lopez；Guillermo LUNA GARCIA
    申请人:Universidad Rey Juan Carlos；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

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    AUTOMATIC OLFATORY STIMULATION DEVICE FOR OLFATOMETERS OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
    The present invention belongs to the technical field of bioengineering and biomedical devices. More specifically, the invention relates to an automatic olfactory stimulation device, integrable in an olfactometer equipped with electrophysiological or neuroimaging analysis equipment.
    BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
    The study of the sense of smell of a subject is gaining interest within the medical field because, among other applications, it can contribute to the early diagnosis of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, as well as disorders of feeding and / or sexual disorders (as reported, among others, in Susana Borromeo et Al: "Objective study of smell by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)", Spanish Otolaryngology Act ", volume 63, number 4, year 2012).
    Likewise, different devices, called olfactometers, have recently been developed to assess the olfactory capacity of a subject. Said olfactometers are provided with olfactory stimulation devices that generate olfactory stimuli and transmit them to a subject under study, as well as analysis equipment that analyzes the subject's response to said stimuli, usually measuring the activity of the olfactory areas of the subject's brain .
    However, the vast majority of olfactometers developed so far are mere laboratory prototypes, difficult to reproduce on an industrial scale and with little chance of being included in the clinical routine.
    The main obstacle that prevents its inclusion in the clinical routine is that a controlled and automatic olfactory stimulation device (or procedure) has not yet been developed, which guarantees the accuracy and repeatability of the evaluations carried out.
    To achieve the objective indicated in the previous paragraph it is essential to be able to control, at will, the concentration of the olfactory stimuli generated by the devices of
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    olfactory stimulation. This would allow, for example, to keep the concentration of olfactory stimuli fixed throughout different evaluations of olfactory capacity, which would in turn guarantee that the results obtained in said evaluations were consistent with each other.
    On the other hand, to be used clinically, it is also essential that olfactometers and their various components can obtain a sanitary technical certification, which is only achieved after passing demanding tests.
    For example, in order for an olfactometer to be marketed in Spain, it is necessary that it previously pass the “positive conformity assessment” set by Community Directive 93/42 / EC and that it obtains the mandatory prior operating license referred to in Article 100 of the general health law of Royal Decree RD1591 / 2009.
    Likewise, it is also advantageous that olfactory stimulation devices allow olfactometers to analyze the subject's response using neurophysiology or neuroimaging analysis equipment, since said technologies:
    1) allow obtaining detailed structural and functional information of the subject;
    2) they have a high temporal resolution, especially in the case of neurophysiology equipment;
    3) its use is widespread in the clinical routine, and
    4) do not involve the use of ionizing radiation (especially in the case of neuroimaging equipment)
    Electroencephalography (EEG) is a neurophysiological examination that is based on the recording of brain bioelectric activity. Neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging - fMRI, are in turn clinical and research techniques that allow you to capture live images of the central nervous system of a subject and, especially, of your brain.
    In order for an olfactometer to function correctly with electrophysiological or neuroimaging analysis equipment and as will be explained in detail below, it is necessary that its automatic olfactory stimulation device be synchronized with said electrophysiological or neuroimaging analysis equipment. This synchronization is especially important in the case of electrophysiological analysis equipment. Of what
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    On the contrary, the results on the olfactory capacity obtained will not be reliable enough, preventing the repetition of the evaluations carried out.
    Both electrophysiological analysis equipment and neuroimaging equipment are very sensitive to external disturbances, such as flickering, movements and activity of the subject under study. In addition, they have a low signal-to-noise ratio and in the case of electroencephalography the electrical signals generated by the stimulus have a very short window duration, of the order of 100-300 milliseconds.
    Therefore, in order to obtain comparable and consistent results from the evaluations, it is also necessary to synchronize the olfactory stimuli with the subject's breathing (that is, each of these stimuli reaches the nostrils of the subject during the phase of inspiration) and with the analysis teams. Said synchronization would minimize the impact of possible external disturbances, and would, therefore, ensure that the brain activity detected by the analysis equipment is closer to that caused, in fact, by olfactory stimuli in the subject.
    Finally, for an olfactometer to be included in the clinical routine, it is also necessary that it be easy to handle and have a reduced cost and volume.
    DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
    In order to address the problems and disadvantages of the above-mentioned prior art techniques, the invention provides an automatic olfactory stimulation device for olfactometers, said olfactometers being provided with at least one analytical equipment and comprising the automatic olfactory stimulation device:
    - A module for the preparation of olfactory stimuli provided with means for generating air currents, means for incorporating aromas into air currents to generate aromatized air currents, means for transporting aromatized air currents to the olfactory system of a subject to analysis and means of blocking aromatized air currents;
    - An actuation module for activating / deactivating the means for generating air currents, the means for incorporating aromas into the air stream and / or the means for blocking the air flow;
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    the automatic olfactory stimulation device being characterized because it also includes:
    - A module for the acquisition of physiological parameters of the subject;
    - A module for monitoring the parameters of olfactory stimuli; Y
    - A control module that receives the parameters of the acquisition module of physiological parameters, and the module for monitoring the parameters of olfactory stimuli; and generates first control signals of the actuation module to synchronize the arrival of aromatized air currents to the olfactory system of the subject with their breathing, generating or alternatively receiving second control signals of the equipment or analysis equipment to synchronize the arrival of said currents of aromatized air to the olfactory system of the subject, with the activation of the olfactometer equipment or analysis equipment.
    The olfactory stimuli generated by the automatic olfactory stimulation device according to the invention are aromatized air currents generated by the olfactory stimulus preparation module incorporating aromas into the generated air current. Said aromatized air currents are sent to the olfactory system of the subject to be analyzed by deactivating the blocking means, so that said subject inhales them. In addition, the olfactometer analysis means analyze the activity of the brain olfactory areas of the subject in response to inhaled olfactory stimuli.
    In automatic olfactory stimulation devices according to the invention, the control device receives information (in the form of parameters) from:
    - acquisition module of physiological parameters,
    - module for monitoring the parameters of olfactory stimuli,
    - and optionally a synchronization module for analysis equipment;
    based on this information, it sends the corresponding instructions (in the form of, respectively, first control signals to the actuation module, so that it activates or deactivates the generation of air currents, the means of incorporating aromas into the air current and / or the means of blocking the air flow).
    In addition, in a first embodiment of the invention, the control module also sends second control signals to the olfactometer analysis equipment or equipment so that
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    the recording of the cerebral signal is activated and monitored synchronously with olfactory stimulation.
    In a second alternative embodiment of the invention, the analysis equipment or equipment is activated first and sends the second control signals to the control module. Next, the control module sends first control signals to the actuation module, so that it activates or deactivates the olfactory stimulus preparation module, so that the arrival of said olfactory stimuli to the olfactory system of the subject is synchronized with its breathing.
    Depending on the specific embodiment of the invention, the control module can send or receive said second control signals directly to / from the analysis equipment or equipment (third embodiment of the invention) or, alternatively, send or receive them through a module of synchronization connected to the equipment or analysis equipment (fourth embodiment of the invention). Likewise, the control module can also receive information on the subject's brain activity from the synchronization module, captured by the control equipment or equipment.
    Any of the four embodiments described above allows synchronizing, thanks to the first control signals, the arrival of olfactory stimuli to the olfactory system of the subject to be analyzed with their breathing. Thus, the subject is exposed to the olfactory stimulus during the respiratory phase of inspiration, which means that said subject perceives the olfactory stimuli, preferably 100%, causing better use of said olfactory stimuli, also eliminating the possibility that Olfactory stimulus reaches the olfactory system of the subject during the expiration phase, which could mean that it was not perceived by the olfactory system of the subject and would lead to an erroneous reading of the analysis equipment or equipment.
    Likewise, in any of the four embodiments described above, the analysis equipment or equipment is automatically activated when the olfactory stimuli reach the olfactory system of the subject, thanks to the second control signals sent or received by the control module to / from the analysis equipment or equipment, either directly or alternatively, through the synchronization module. Said second control signals are sequence start signals or "trigger" signals.
    This double synchronization, characteristic of the devices according to the invention, allows
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    The olfactometers can function correctly using electrophysiological or neuroimaging analysis equipment, since said analysis equipment will only analyze the activity of the brain's olfactory areas of the subject when said subject is effectively perceiving an olfactory stimulus. It also ensures that olfactory stimuli reach different subjects under analysis in the same concentration, which leads to the analysis of olfactory capacity performed with a device according to the present invention are more reliable than those contemplated by the prior art (which do not prevent a controlled and automatic synchronization of the stimulation with the breath), allowing the repeatability of the evaluations carried out.
    In an embodiment of the invention, the means for generating currents are provided with an air pump and / or a compressor, activatable by the actuation module. When using an air pump, the air currents are generated inside the olfactory stimulation device, so that the air flow in said currents is approximately laminar.
    The fact that air currents flow in a laminar form simplifies, on the one hand, the design of the olfactory stimulation device and, on the other, simplifies the behavior of the physical magnitudes of the air currents, which become, therefore, much more controllable. In addition, laminar flow air currents give rise to flavored air currents with a more homogeneous concentration of aroma (s).
    The means for generating currents are preferably provided with a linear pump.
    More preferably, the current generating means are provided with a free linear cylinder pump driven by a motor. The use of free linear cylinder pumps driven by an engine is preferred because they allow to generate very stable air currents in terms of pressure and temperature, which facilitates the control of the concentration of aromas in the olfactory stimuli, once they are introduced into said air currents. Likewise, the air that circulates through a free linear cylinder pump driven by an engine is hardly contaminated, because the air current does not come into contact with any rubber or rubber element, elements especially prone to contaminate the air with unwanted odors. Finally, in free linear cylinder pumps with motor, air currents are driven at atmospheric pressure, which simplifies the design of the pipes, connections and the actuation module.
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    The means of generating air currents, the means of incorporating aromas, the means of transporting the aromatized air currents and / or the blocking means of the aromatized air currents are preferably provided with instantaneous connections, non-return valves, relays and / or solenoid valves, activated by the actuation module. Among all these components, solenoid valves are preferred because they have greater precision and less response time, in addition to easy maintenance.
    The actuation module is preferably provided with pneumatic, electrical and / or electronic actuation elements.
    In another preferred embodiment of the invention, one or more aromas in liquid state are employed. The use of liquid aromas is preferred because the use of aromas in a solid state does not guarantee the repeatability of the evaluations carried out, since there is no methodology to quantify the concentration of aroma (s) in the air currents, nor that it guarantees its stability in the time. Likewise, the use of aromas in a gaseous state hinders their transport, transfer and storage, as well as the automation of the aromatization of air currents.
    The means of transporting the aromatized air streams preferably comprise at least one conduit provided at one of its ends with a face mask or nasal glasses consisting of devices provided with two cannulas intended to transport gas streams that circulate through the inside of these cannulas. When using the nasal goggles, each of the cannulas is inserted into a nostril of a subject, so that the subject can inspire gas currents.
    The module for monitoring the parameters of olfactory stimuli is preferably provided with sensors that monitor the temperature, humidity, aroma concentration (s) and / or instant of arrival to the subject of the aromatized air currents (stimuli).
    There is a close dependence between the perception of an olfactory stimulus and the concentration of aroma (s) in said olfactory stimulus. Therefore, in order for the evaluations carried out by the analysis teams to obtain comparable and consistent results, it is convenient to monitor this parameter of the olfactory stimuli and keep the concentration of aromas in the olfactory stimuli stable over time.
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    It is also important to be able to control the temperature and humidity of olfactory stimuli, as these parameters influence the volatility of aromas.
    More preferably, the module for monitoring the parameters of olfactory stimuli is an electronic nose comprising at least one gas sensor, capable of detecting the presence of one or more gases, and a module for conditioning signal detection. When an electronic nose sensor detects the presence of a gas, it emits a detection signal, for example an electrical signal, which is sent to the detection signal conditioning module where it is filtered to eliminate possible disturbances in the detection signal and amplify In this way, the module for monitoring the parameters of olfactory stimuli is able to know the moment of arrival to the subject of aromatic air currents.
    The physiological parameter acquisition module of the subject preferably acquires the following parameters:
    - Breathing frequency;
    - heart rate;
    - Pulxiometry (or estimate of the percentage of oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in a subject's blood by means of photoelectric devices, for example, a pulse oximeter); Y
    - photoplethysmography or PPG, from which the respiratory rate can be estimated.
    If the analysis equipment is functional magnetic resonance equipment, the physiological parameter acquisition module preferably acquires said parameters directly from the functional magnetic resonance equipment. Otherwise, the acquisition module of physiological parameters of the subject may be provided with an electrocardiograph, pulse meter, plethysmograph, and / or a pulse oximeter to determine at least the respiratory rate of the subject.
    On the other hand, the control module may optionally be provided with hardware and / or software elements. Examples of hardware elements that the control module may be provided with are: a microprocessor, microcontroller and / or a programmable logic device.
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    The physiological parameters acquisition module measures the value of said physiological parameters of the subject (respiratory rate, cardiac response, pulxiometna and / or photoplethysmography) two or more times during predefined time intervals. The measurements are preferably performed with a constant periodicity. The control module receives from the acquisition module of physiological parameters the values of the physiological parameters obtained and determines, from them, at what moment said subject will start the inspiration phase.
    Preferably, the physiological parameter acquisition module measures 2500 times the value of said physiological parameters in each physiological parameter acquisition interval.
    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control module is provided with a microprocessor, microcontroller and / or a programmable logic device that implements a dynamic algorithm based on thresholding. Said dynamic thresholding based algorithm calculates the minimum value of the physiological parameters using, preferably, a vector tracking algorithm that dynamically calculates the gradient of said physiological parameters for given instants, using the values of the physiological parameters corresponding to the measurements made. in the three moments immediately before the instant being considered. It is established that the minimum values of the physiological parameters obtained correspond to the beginning of the inspiration phase of the subject.
    Preferably, the dynamic algorithm dynamically calculates the moment of inspiration of the subject by obtaining a threshold value that corresponds to the average of the values of the physiological parameters.
    As soon as said threshold value is exceeded, the control module sends a second control signal to the analysis equipment or equipment, either directly or through the synchronization module, in the form of a sequence start signal.
    Also, the automatic olfactory stimulation device for olfactometers according to the invention may optionally be provided with a user interface connected to the control module. Said user interface allows a user to control the operation of the device of the present invention by defining the operating parameters of said device (or stimulation paradigms). In one embodiment
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    Preferred of the invention said operating parameters are: the stimulation time (duration of the aromatized air currents), number of repetitions (total number of different aromatized air currents used), type of stimuli (types of aromas to be incorporated into the air currents), and / or time between stimuli (activation time of the blocking means between a stream of aromatized air and the next one). The user-defined operating parameters through the user interface can also be parameters related to the operation of the analysis equipment. Thus, in the case of functional magnetic resonance analysis equipment, examples of said user-defined operating parameters can be, for example, the number of dummies (or number of calibration cycles, necessary to achieve the stabilization of the process of magnetization after which the analysis equipment becomes operative) and the TR (repetition time between excitation pulses).
    The user interface may comprise hardware and / or software elements. Examples of hardware elements that the user interface may be provided with are, for example, a computer keyboard, a computer, a laptop, a mobile device, a mobile phone, a tablet or a touch screen.
    In a preferred embodiment, the device according to the invention further comprises a communications module that connects the user interface with the control module and transmits the operating parameters defined by the user in the user interface to said control module. The communications module is preferably provided with optical fiber, wireless connections, elements with Bluetooth ® technology and / or elements with WI-FI ® technology.
    The devices according to the present invention also allow to implement neurological rehabilitation or neuromodulation techniques (in English, neurofeedback), recently used in rehabilitation treatments. In these rehabilitation techniques, the subject learns to endogenously regulate his or her own brain activity. As in the devices according to the present invention it is possible to know when an olfactory stimulus arrives at a subject under analysis and which aroma concentration (s) possesses said olfactory stimulus, a closed loop control can be implemented in which, depending on Whatever the perception of the olfactory stimulus of the subject (measured through his cerebral response), the olfactory stimulation can be changed at will.
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    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
    Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the different components of which, in a possible embodiment, the device of the invention and the way of connecting said components to each other;
    Figure 2 is a perspective view of an element of the olfactory stimulus preparation module, in particular a distribution module of the different aromas to the mask or nasal goggles which is referred to herein as a collector; and Figure 3 is an exploded view of the olfactory stimulus preparation module element shown in Figure 2.
    PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
    A specific embodiment of the invention is described below, given as an illustrative and non-limiting example, with reference to the attached figures.
    A possible embodiment of an automatic olfactory stimulation device 100 according to the invention is shown in Figure 1.
    In the embodiment shown, the user, usually a qualified professional or professional, defines the operating parameters (Pi) of the device through the user interface 70.
    In this embodiment of the invention, the user interface 70 and the control module 30 comprise respective computer applications executed by a single desktop computer. The computer applications of the user interface 70 and the control module can be developed in the Embarcadero Delphi (registered trademark) environment, more specifically in RAD studio (registered trademark) and written in Object Pascal programming language.
    Also, other possible programming languages of high level of use in the present invention are Object Pascal, C, C ++ and Java.
    These programming languages have been chosen, among other reasons, because they allow a simple connection with all the hardware elements of the device according to the invention.
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    Also, in this embodiment of the invention, the computer application of the user interface 70 allows the user to enter the operating parameters (P1) of the device through a keyboard connected to the desktop computer.
    In this embodiment of the invention the operating parameters Pi that can be defined through the user interface 70 are: the type of olfactory stimuli (type of aromas used), duration of olfactory stimuli, interval between olfactory stimuli, presentation rate (number of times the olfactory stimuli are presented), instant of arrival of the olfactory stimuli to the subject, time of deactivation (time taken by the olfactory stimulus is to disappear). The deactivation time depends on the volatility of the aroma and is calculated by the stimulus monitoring module in the system calibration phase) and / or the TR (repetition time between excitation pulses of the analysis equipment).
    Said operating parameters P1 are transmitted through a communication network, which can be a wired or wireless network, to the communication module 80. In this embodiment of the invention the communication network is a TCP / IP network, which allows establish network connections, both local area (LAN network), and through the Internet (WAN network).
    The communication module 80 transmits, in turn, said operating parameters P1 to the control module 30. The control module 30 also receives, in real time, the physiological parameters P2 of a subject to be analyzed through the acquisition module of physiological parameters 50 and the parameters of the olfactory stimuli P3, generated by the preparation module 10 of olfactory stimuli, which are monitored by the monitoring module 60 of parameters of the olfactory stimuli.
    In this embodiment of the invention, the acquisition module of physiological parameters 50 receives the following physiological parameters P2 from an analysis equipment: heart rate, pulxiometry and respiratory rate. The physiological parameter acquisition module 50 transmits, in turn, said physiological parameters P2 to the control module 30.
    The analysis equipment is, in this embodiment: a functional magnetic resonance equipment of the General Electric 3T Signa HDx ® type that sends the physiological parameters P2 to the acquisition module of physiological parameters 50 with a transmission speed of 115,200 Baud in data frames of 12 bytes sent every 4 ms, and a team of
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    Brain Vision ® 64-channel electroencephalograph.
    Alternatively, the physiological parameter acquisition module 50 can obtain by itself said physiological parameters P2 of the subject. For this, it can optionally be provided with a sensor in the form of a respiratory band based on an extensiometric gauge that converts the stretching or contraction produced as a result of the respiration into an electrical signal. Said electrical signal can be conditioned, for example, by filtering with a pass band filter between 0.1 Hz and 15 Hz. The pass band filter can be formed, for example, by the combination of a low-pass filter and a filter. high-pass that implement Sallen-Key structures with Butterworth approach. Such Sallen-Key structures with Butterworth's approach are disclosed, for example, in the following documents: “Instrumentation electronics" by MA Perez, JC Anton, JC Campo Rodriguez, Thompson Editores Spain- Editorial Paraninfo SA, 2004; “Analysis of Sallen -Key Architecture''Aplication Report ", edited by Texas Instruments and" OP Amps for Everyone ", literary publication number SLOD006A, edited by Texas Instruments.
    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the physiological parameter acquisition module 50 transmits the physiological parameters P2 of the subject in a transparent manner, that is, it transmits them to the control module 30, whether it has obtained said physiological parameters P2 by itself, as if you received them from an external analysis team.
    In this embodiment of the invention, the control module 30 receives the physiological parameters P2 of the subject and subjects them to an algorithm based on thresholding. Said dynamic thresholding algorithm takes 2,500 measurements of the physiological parameters to calculate the minimum value and the maximum value of said physiological parameters using a vector tracking algorithm. This vector tracking algorithm calculates the instantaneous gradient of the physiological parameters using the three measurements immediately before the instant you are considering. The control module 30 establishes that the minimum value of the physiological parameters obtained corresponds to the start of the inspiration phase of the subject and also calculates, by means of the vector tracking algorithm, a threshold value that corresponds to the average of the values of The physiological parameters. When said threshold value is exceeded, the control module sends a signal Yes to the actuation means 20 to activate the means for generating air currents and the means for incorporating aromas into the air flow of the stimulus preparation module 10 olfactory and disconnect the blocking means, so that the olfactory stimuli can reach the subject to be analyzed.
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    Based on the different parameters received P1, P2 and P3, the control module 30 sends real control signals S1 in real time to the actuation module 20 so that it activates or deactivates the preparation module 10 of olfactory stimuli (or some of its components). The control module 30 also receives real-time second S2 control signals from the General Electric 3T Signa HDx (functional magnetic resonance) analysis equipment or sends the second S2 control signals to the Brain Vision® electroencephalography (EEG) equipment. The second control signals S2 are, in this embodiment of the invention, TTL sequence start signals.
    The second control signals S2, basically are intended to synchronize the stimulation (ie the arrival of olfactory stimuli to the olfactory system of the subject) with the activation of the analysis equipment, so that said analysis equipment can measure the activity of the brain olfactory areas of the subject due exclusively to inhaled olfactory stimuli. In the case of magnetic resonance equipment, these devices send the second control signals S2 (which are sequence start signals) to the control module 30, either directly or alternatively, through the synchronization module 40. In this way the beginning of the sequence is known and the preparation module 10 of olfactory stimuli can be synchronized with the acquisition of the images performed by said magnetic resonance equipment.
    In the case of electroencephalography equipment and due to the high temporal resolution of the brain electrical signal that occurs in response to the stimulus and its low duration, (of the order of milliseconds) it is essential that the moment is recorded when the Stimulus In this case the second control signals S2 are sent by the control module 30 to the electroencephalography equipment.
    In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the synchronization module 40 of analysis equipment also sends to the control module 30 information h on the brain activity of the subject, captured by the analysis equipment, for which the synchronization module 40 is provided of an electronic board that conditions the information h captured by the analysis equipment so that it can be processed by the control module 30.
    Alternatively, the synchronization module 40 of analysis equipment can be the one that receives the second control signals S2 and sends the sequence initiation signals to the analysis equipment or equipment.
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    The monitoring module 60 of parameters of the olfactory stimuli P3 comprises in this embodiment of the invention, a temperature and humidity sensor and an aroma concentration sensor (s), regulated by a microcontroller. The temperature and humidity sensor is an STH11 ® sensor, while the aroma concentration sensor (s) is a resistive gas sensor, whose conductivity varies depending on the aroma concentration (s). Said microcontroller sends the parameters of the olfactory stimuli obtained by the temperature and humidity sensor and an aroma concentration sensor (s) to the control module 30 through its Bluetooth ® modules.
    In this embodiment of the invention, the user interface 70 receives from the control module 30, through communications module 80, information I2 on the subject's breathing and information I3 on the state (activated / deactivated) of the stimulus preparation module olfactory
    In this embodiment of the invention, the air flow generation module comprises a free linear cylinder pump driven by a motor, model NITTO VP0625 ®, which generates air currents of 40l / min and a flowmeter that regulates said air currents to avoid the appearance of unwanted thermal and / or mechanical stimuli.
    The generated air currents are transported through nine primary pipes of PFA fluorinated polymer (perfluoroalkoxy) with a diameter of 8mm. The use of said polymer is preferred because of its resistance and poor reactivity to aromas. It is preferred that the pipes have a diameter of 8 mm because it minimizes the time of arrival of the olfactory stimuli to the subject.
    Likewise, in this embodiment of the invention, the means of incorporating aromas into the air streams comprise eight deposits of liquid aromas housed inside a PVC cabinet. Eight of the primary conduits conduct the air currents to the aromatic deposits, each of said primary conduits carrying the air currents to a different reservoir. Each of the air currents is mixed with at least one aroma in each tank, giving rise to a stream of aromatized air, which leaves the corresponding tank through a secondary outlet pipe, also made of PFA.
    Alternatively, the means of incorporating aromas into the air currents may comprise buffers impregnated in liquid aromas through which the
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    air currents.
    The eight secondary lines are connected to a respective inlet nozzle 200a, 200b, 200c, 200d, 200e, 200f, 200g, and 200h.
    As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the nozzles 200a, 200b, 200c, 200d, 200e, 200f, 200g, and 200h are screwed into two through holes provided in a first cover 210 of a collector 200. The first cover 210 is provided with a sealing washer 230.
    The ninth primary conduit, that is, the only one that does not lead to an aroma tank, is connected directly to a last inlet nozzle 200i of the collector 200.
    The manifold 200 is provided with a second cover 220, provided with a sealing washer 240. Screwed in a through hole provided in the second cover 220 is a single outlet nozzle 300 which, in this embodiment of the invention, is connected to a mask or nasal goggle so that the subject to be analyzed can perceive the olfactory stimuli.
    The fact that nine different air currents fall on the collector: eight aromatized air currents and a clean (unflavored) air stream allows, with this embodiment of the device of the invention, the Smell Test disclosed by Dr. Adolfo Toledano in Toledano, A., Ruiz, C., Navas, C., Herraiz, C., Gonzalez, E., Rodriguez, G., & Galindo, AN (2009) “Development of a Short Olfactory Test based on the Connecticut Test (CCCRC). ” Rhinology, 47 (4), 465-469.
    In other embodiments of the invention the total number of flows may be different.
    The actuation module 20 comprises, in this embodiment of the invention, a data acquisition card, for example, an ACCES i / O Products ® card provided with opto-coupled relays. This card is a data acquisition card that receives the control signals Si from the control module 30 via a PCI or USB communication protocol.
    Although the present invention has been described in relation to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated from the description that various combinations of elements, variations or improvements can be made therein, and are within the scope of the invention, defined exclusively by the following set of claims.
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    LIST OF NUMERICAL REFERENCES USED IN THE FIGURES
    • (10) Olfactory stimulus preparation module;
    • (20) Performance module;
    5 • (30) Control module;
    • (40) Synchronization module with the analysis teams;
    • (50) Module of acquisition of physiological parameters of the subject;
    • (60) Module for monitoring the parameters of olfactory stimuli;
    • (70) User interface;
    10 • (80) communications module;
    • (100) Automatic olfactory stimulation device;
    • (200) Collector;
    • (200a - 200i) Collector inlet nozzles;
    • (210) First collector cover;
    15 • (220) Second collector cover;
    • (230) Seal washer of the first cover;
    • (240) Sealing washer of the second cover;
    • (300) manifold outlet nozzle;
    • (Pi) Functional parameters of the olfactory stimulation device;
    20 • (P2) Physiological parameters of the subject;
    • (P3) Parameters of olfactory stimuli;
    • (Yes) Control signal of the performance module;
    • (S2) Control signal of the synchronization module with the analysis equipment / equipment;
    • (I1) information on the subject's brain activity;
    25 • (I2) information on the subject's breathing; Y
    • (I3) information on the state of the olfactory stimulus preparation module.
    权利要求:
    Claims (20)
    [1]
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    1. Automatic olfactory stimulation device (100) for olfactometers, said olfactometers being provided with at least one analysis device and the automatic olfactory stimulation device comprising:
    - a module for the preparation (10) of olfactory stimuli provided with means for generating an air stream, means for incorporating aromas into the air stream, means for transporting the aromatized air streams to the olfactory system of a subject to analyze and means of blocking air flow;
    - an actuation module (20) for activating / deactivating the means for generating air currents, the means for incorporating aromas into the air stream and / or the means for blocking the air flow;
    the automatic olfactory stimulation device (100) being characterized in that it also includes:
    - an acquisition module (50) of physiological parameters of a subject to be analyzed;
    - a monitoring module (60) of the parameters of olfactory stimuli; Y
    - a control module (30) that receives the parameters (P2) of the acquisition module of physiological parameters and the parameters (P3) of the monitoring module (60) of the parameters of the olfactory stimuli and generates first signals (Si) of control of the actuation module (20) to synchronize the arrival of the aromatized air currents to the olfactory system of the subject with their breathing, generating or alternatively also receiving second signals (S2) of control of the analysis equipment or equipment, to synchronize the stimulation olfactory of the subject by means of said aromatized air currents with the activation of the olfactometer analysis equipment or equipment.
    [2]
    2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device is also provided with a synchronization module (40) of olfactometer analysis equipment for sending or receiving the second control signals (S2) to / from the signal analysis equipment or equipment Sequence start.
    [3]
    3. Device according to any of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the
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    Synchronization module (40) of olfactometer analysis equipment sends to the control module (30) information (I1) from the analysis equipment or equipment.
    [4]
    Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for generating currents are provided with an air pump and / or a compressor, activatable by the actuation module (20).
    [5]
    5. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for generating currents are provided with a linear pump that generates continuous currents of air, of laminar flow.
    [6]
    6. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the means for generating currents are provided with a free linear cylinder pump driven by a motor.
    [7]
    Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that means for generating air currents, means for incorporating aromas, means for transporting aromatized air streams and / or blocking means for aromatized air currents are provided with instantaneous connections, non-return valves, relays and / or solenoid valves, activated by the actuation module.
    [8]
    Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for incorporating aromas incorporate one or more aromas in a liquid state into the air stream.
    [9]
    Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control module (30) is provided with at least one microprocessor, microcontroller and / or a programmable logic device.
    [10]
    10. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuation module (20) is provided with pneumatic, electrical and / or electronic actuation elements.
    [11]
    11. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means of transporting the aromatized air streams comprise at least one conduit provided, at one of its ends, with a face mask or nasal goggles.
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    [12]
    12. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the monitoring module (60) of the parameters of the olfactory stimuli is provided with sensors that monitor the temperature, humidity, concentration and / or the moment of arrival to the subject, of the flavored air currents.
    [13]
    13. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the monitoring module (60) of the parameters of the olfactory stimuli is an electronic nose comprising at least one gas sensor, capable of detecting the presence of one or more gases, and a detection signal conditioning module.
    [14]
    14. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is also provided with a user interface (70) connected to the control module (30), to allow a user to define operating parameters (Pi).
    [15]
    15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the user interface (70) allows a user to define at least the following operating parameters (P1): the duration of the flavored air streams, the total number of flavored air streams Different types of aromas to be incorporated into the air currents, the activation time of the blocking means between a stream of aromatized air and the following, the number of dummies of the analysis equipment and / or the TR of the analysis teams.
    [16]
    16. Device according to any of claims 14 to 15, characterized in that the user interface (70) comprises a computer keyboard, a computer, a laptop, a mobile device, mobile phone, tablet or a touch screen.
    [17]
    17. Device according to any of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that it comprises a communications module (80) that connects the user interface with the control module (30) and transmits the operating parameters (P1) defined by the user in the user interface (70) to said control module (30).
    [18]
    18. Device according to claim 17, characterized in that the communications module (80) is preferably provided with optical fiber, wireless connections, elements with Bluetooth technology and / or elements with WI-FI technology.
    [19]
    19. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the actuation module 20 comprises a data acquisition card and optocoupled relays.
    [20]
    20. Device according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the control module 30 is provided with means that implement a dynamic algorithm based on thresholding that calculates the maximum value, the minimum value and / or the average value 5 of the physiological parameters (P2 ).
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    ES2644172B1|2018-09-06|
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