Activity detector for a closed loop neuromodulator

1 . An abnormal respiration detector comprising:

a sampling clock, configured to generate clock pulses at a predetermined frequency;

a first gate configured to receive digital airflow information from a hardened sensor interface of a closed loop neural modulator, to pass the clock pulses from the sampling clock to a first counter when the digital airflow information is in a first respiration state, and to not pass the clock pulses from the sampling clock to the first counter when the digital airflow information is in a second respiration state;

wherein the first counter is coupled to the first gate and configured to sum a first count of clock pulses passed from the first gate;

a first magnitude comparator configured to receive the first count from the first counter and to compare the first count to a first count threshold; and

an activity gate coupled to the first magnitude counter and configured to produce a signal indicative of respiration activity using an output of the first magnitude comparator.

2 . The activity detector of claim 1 , including a data bus and a first count register, wherein the first count register is coupled to the data bus and the first counter, the first count register configured to store the first count and to provide the first count to a user using the data bus.

3 . The activity detector of claim 2 , including a first threshold register, wherein the first threshold register is coupled to the data bus and the first magnitude comparator, the first threshold register configured to store the first count threshold and to provide the first count threshold to a user using the data bus.

4 . The activity detector of claim 3 , wherein the first magnitude counter is configured to produce a first output activity signal indicative of the comparison between the first count and the first count threshold.

5 . The activity detector of claim 1 , including a second gate configured to receive the digital airflow information from the hardened sensor interface of the closed loop neural modulator, to pass the clock pulses from the sampling clock from the sampling clock to a second counter when the digital airflow information is in the second respiration state, and to not pass the clock pulses from the sampling clock to the second counter when the digital airflow information is in the first respiration state.

6 . The activity detector of claim 5 , wherein the second counter is configured to sum a second count of the clock pulses passed from the second gate.

7 . The activity detector of claim 6 , including a second magnitude comparator configured to receive the second count from the second counter and to compare the second count to a second threshold count.

8 . The activity detector of claim 6 , including a data bus and a second count register; and

wherein the second count register is coupled to the data bus and the second counter, the second count register configured to store the second count and to provide the second count to a user using the data bus.

9 . The activity detector of claim 8 , including a second threshold register; and

wherein the second threshold register is coupled to the data bus and the second magnitude comparator, the second threshold register configured to store the second threshold count and to provide the second threshold count to a user using the data bus.

10 . The activity detector of claim 7 , wherein the second magnitude counter is configured to produce a second output activity signal indicative of the comparison between the second count and the second threshold count.

11 . The activity detector of claim 1 , wherein the first respiration state of the airflow information is indicative of inhalation airflow of a patient; and

wherein the second respiration state of the airflow information is indicative of exhalation airflow of the patient.

12 . The activity detector of claim 1 , including a data bus and a respiration sampling clock register;

wherein the sampling clock register is coupled to the data bus and the respiration sampling clock; and

wherein the respiration sampling clock register is configured to store a sampling rate parameter for controlling the respiration sampling clock and to communicate the sampling rate parameter using the data bus.

13 . A system comprising:

a respiration sensor configured to detect respiration information from a patient;

a close loop neural modulator, configured to optimize sleep. therapy for the patient and to produce a digital signal indicative of respiration activity using the detected respiration information, the closed loop neural modulator comprising:

a respiration activity sensor configured to detect abnormal respiration information using the digital signal indicative of respiration activity, the respiration activity sensor comprising

a sampling clock configured to generate clock pulses at a predetermined frequency;

an inhalation gate configured to receive the digital signal indicative of respiration activity from a sensor interface, to pass the clock pulses from the sampling clock to an inhalation counter when the digital signal indicative of respiration activity is indicative of inhalation, and to not pass the clock pulses from the sampling clock to the inhalation counter when the digital signal indicative of respiration activity is not indicative of inhalation;

an exhalation gate configured to receive the digital signal indicative of respiration activity from the sensor interface, to pass the clock pulses from the sampling clock to an exhalation counter when the digital signal indicative of respiration activity is indicative of exhalation, and to not pass the clock pulses from the sampling clock to the exhalation counter when the digital signal indicative of respiration activity is not indicative of exhalation;

wherein the inhalation counter is coupled to the inhalation gate and configured to sum a first count of clock pulses passed from the inhalation gate;

wherein the exhalation counter is coupled to the exhalation gate and configured to sum a second count of clock pulses passed from the exhalation gate;

an inhalation magnitude comparator coupled to the inhalation counter, the inhalation magnitude comparator configured to compare the first count to an inhalation threshold and to produce an inhalation activity signal using the comparison of the first count to the inhalation threshold;

an exhalation magnitude comparator coupled to the exhalation counter; the exhalation magnitude comparator configured to compare the second count to an exhalation threshold and to produce an exhalation activity signal using the comparison of the second count to the exhalation threshold; and

a respiration activity gate coupled to the inhalation magnitude counter and the exhalation magnitude counter, the activity gate configured to produce a signal indicative of abnormal respiration activity using the inhalation activity signal and the exhalation activity signal;

wherein the closed loop neural modulator is configured to detect a sleep disorder using the signal indicative of abnormal respiration activity, to provide a first stimulus to a transducer, the first stimulus configured to not interrupt the detected sleep disorder, and to provide a second stimulus to the transducer, the second stimulus having more energy than the first stimulus and configured to interrupt the detected sleep disorder event; and

wherein the transducer is configured to deliver the first and second stimuli to the patient.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the sensor includes at least one of a thermocouple, a thermistor, an air pressure transducer, an electrode, a respiratory effort belt, or a pyro/piezoelectric sensors.

15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the transducer includes at least one of an acoustic transducer, a tactile mechanical agitator, an ocular stimulator, an electrical stimulator, a thermal stimulator, or an ultrasonic stimulator configured to modulate an audible signal onto an ultrasonic sound carrier.

16 . A method for detecting abnormal respiration activity, the method comprising:

generating clock pulses at a predetermined frequency;

receiving a digital airflow signal at a first gate;

passing the clock pulses through the first gate when the digital airflow signal indicates a first respiration state;

summing a first count of clock pulses passed through the first gate;

comparing the first count to a first count threshold; and

generating a respiration activity output using the comparison of the first count to the first count threshold.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the passing the clock pulses through the first gate includes at least one of passing the clock pulses through an inhalation gate to a inhalation counter when the digital airflow signal indicates an inhalation state or passing the clock pulses through an exhalation gate to a exhalation counter when the digital airflow signal indicates an exhalation state.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the summing the first count of clock pulses includes at least one of summing the first count of clock pulses an inhalation count of the clock pulses passing the inhalation gate at the inhalation counter and accumulating an exhalation count of clock pulses passing the exhalation gate at a exhalation counter.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the comparing includes comparing the inhalation count to an inhalation count threshold and comparing the exhalation count to an exhalation count threshold; and

wherein the generating includes generating an abnormal respiration activity output when the inhalation count is greater than an inhalation count threshold or when the exhalation count is greater than an exhalation count threshold.

20 . The method of claim 16 , including activating a closed loop neural modulator stimulus timer when the respiration activity output indicates abnormal respiration activity.