What is claimed is:
1. A device for monitoring the breath of a user, the devise comprising, in combination:
a tub adapted to contain a liquid for at least partially immersing the user in the liquid;
a weight sensor positioned to sense weight information of the user while the user is at least partially immersed in the liquid; and
a controller operably connected to the weight sensor to receive the weight information and adapted to dynamically determine at least one of a respiratory phase of the user and a respiratory amplitude of the user using changes in the weight information over a period of time resulting from buoyancy changes of the user.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to detect volitional breath commands of the user using at least one of the respiratory phase of the user and the respiratory amplitude of the user.
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to detect a pain threshold of the user using at least one of the respiratory phase of the user and the respiratory amplitude of the user.
4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one manipulator adapted to engage the user for therapeutic physical manipulation of the user.
5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the controller is operably connected to the at least one manipulator to control movement of the at least one manipulator synchronously with at least one of the respiratory phase of the user and the respiratory amplitude of the user.
6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the controller is adapted to detect volitional breath commands of the user using at least one of the respiratory phase of the user and the respiratory amplitude of the user and the controller is operably connected to the at least one manipulator to control movement of the at least one manipulator in accordance with the volitional breath commands.
7. The device according to claim 4, wherein the controller is adapted to detect a pain threshold of the user using at least one of the respiratory phase of the user and the respiratory amplitude of the user and the controller is operably connected to the at least one manipulator to control movement of the at least one manipulator in accordance with the pain threshold of the user.
8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an audible signal generator, and the wherein the controller is operably connected to audible signal generator and adapted to generate audible signals to the user synchronous with at least one of the respiratory phase of the user and the respiratory amplitude of the user.
9. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one manipulator adapted to engage the user for therapeutic physical manipulation of the user and means for changing pressure intensity of the at least one manipulator, wherein the controller is operably connected to the at least one manipulator to control movement of the at least one manipulator and to the changing means to control pressure intensity of the at least one manipulator synchronously with at least one of the respiratory phase of the user and the respiratory amplitude of the user.
10. The device according to claim 1, further comprising means for changing buoyancy of the user.
11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the buoyancy changing means includes means for changing the density of the liquid.
12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the density changing means includes gas diffusers operably connected to the tub to provide rising gas bubbles in the liquid.
13. The device according to claim 10, wherein the buoyancy changing means includes at least one support at least partially supporting the user in the liquid and movable to adjust immersion of the user in the liquid.
14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the at least one support is flexible membrane.
15. The device according to claim 13, wherein the at least one support is a manipulator adapted to engage the user for therapeutic physical manipulation of the user.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An information processing device comprising:
a generating unit configured to generate a descriptor including information indicating an area in a storage unit, and state information indicating a state of an entry in which the information indicating the area is stored;
an inputoutput unit configured to perform at least one of writing and reading data tofrom the area indicated in the entry selected according to the state information;
an update unit configured to update the state information according to at least one of the writing and reading of data in the area by the inputoutput unit; and
an intermittent control unit configured to suppress operation of the inputoutput unit when at least one of the writing and reading of data tofrom the storage unit by the inputoutput unit is terminated, wherein
the generating unit generates the descriptor in advance before at least one of the writing and reading of data into the storage unit by the inputoutput unit is started,
the state information includes a first state indicating that the information of the entry is invalid and a second state indicating that the information of the entry is valid, and the state information further includes a third state indicating a state waiting for reading the data when the inputoutput unit is to read data, and
the inputoutput unit selects the state information in the second state for data writing, and selects the state information in the third state for data reading.
2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a return procedure storage unit configured to store return procedures for returning the inputoutput unit from a state where operation thereof is suppressed; and
a return control unit configured to return the inputoutput unit with the operation thereof being suppressed by the intermittent control unit from the state where the operation thereof is suppressed according to the return procedures stored in the return procedure storage unit.
3. A program product having a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including programmed instructions executed by a computer which comprises:
an inputoutput unit configured to perform at least one of writing and reading data to an area in a storage unit indicated by an entry selected according to state information indicating a state of the entry in which information indicating the area in the storage unit included in a descriptor is stored;
an update unit configured to update the state information according to at least one of the writing and reading of data in the area by the inputoutput unit; and
an intermittent control unit configured to suppress operation of the inputoutput unit when at least one of the writing and reading of data tofrom the storage unit by the inputoutput unit is terminated, wherein
the state information includes a first state indicating that the information of the entry is invalid and a second state indicating that the information of the entry is valid, and the state information further includes a third state indicating a state waiting for reading the data when the inputoutput unit is to read data,
the inputoutput unit selects the state information in the second state for data writing, and selects the state information in the state for data reading, and
the program product comprises an instruction for making the computer generate the descriptor in advance before at least one of the writing and reading data tofrom the storage unit by the inputoutput unit.
4. The program product according to claim 3, further comprising:
a return procedures storage unit configured to store return procedures for returning the inputoutput unit from a state where operation thereof is suppressed; and
a return control unit configured to return the inputoutput unit with the operation thereof being suppressed by the intermittent control unit from the state where the operation thereof is suppressed according to the return procedures stored in the return procedure storage unit.
5. An information processing device comprising:
a generating unit configured to generate a descriptor including information indicating an area in a storage unit, and state information indicating a state of an entry in which the information indicating the area is stored;
an inputoutput unit configured to perform at least one of writing and reading data tofrom the area indicated in the entry selected according to the state information;
an update unit configured to update the state information according to at least one of the writing and reading of data in the area by the inputoutput unit; and
an intermittent control unit configured to suppress operation of the inputoutput unit when at least one of the writing and reading of data tofrom the storage unit by the inputoutput unit is terminated, wherein
the generating unit generates the descriptor in advance before at least one of the writing and reading of data into the storage unit by the inputoutput unit is started,
the state information includes a first state indicating that the information of the entry is invalid and a second state indicating that the information of the entry is valid,
when writing data in the area, the inputoutput unit writes information indicating the area into the descriptor and sets the state information to the second state, and
the update unit updates the state information having been set to the second state by the inputoutput unit to the first state when the inputoutput unit writes data in the area.
6. The information processing device according to claim 5, further comprising:
a return procedure storage unit configured to store return procedures for returning the inputoutput unit from a state where operation thereof is suppressed; and
a return control unit configured to return the inputoutput unit with the operation thereof being suppressed by the intermittent control unit from the state where the operation thereof is suppressed according to the return procedures stored in the return procedure storage unit.
7. A program product having a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including programmed instructions executed by a computer which comprises:
an inputoutput unit configured to perform at least one of writing and reading data to an area in a storage unit indicated by an entry selected according to state information indicating a state of the entry in which information indicating the area in the storage unit included in a descriptor is stored;
an update unit configured to update the state information according to at least one of the writing and reading of data in the area by the inputoutput unit; and
an intermittent control unit configured to suppress operation of the inputoutput unit when at least one of the writing and reading of data tofrom the storage unit by the inputoutput unit is terminated, wherein
the state information includes a first state indicating that the information of the entry is invalid and a second state indicating that the information of the entry is valid,
when writing data in the area, the inputoutput unit writes information indicating the area into the descriptor and sets the state information to the second state,
the update unit updates the state information having been set to the second state by the inputoutput unit to the first state when the inputoutput unit writes data in the area, and
the program product comprises an instruction for making the computer generate the descriptor in advance before at least one of the writing and reading data tofrom the storage unit by the inputoutput unit.
8. The program product according to claim 7, further comprising:
a return procedure storage unit configured to store return procedures for returning the inputoutput unit from a state where operation thereof is suppressed; and
a return control unit configured to return the inputoutput unit with the operation thereof being suppressed by the intermittent control unit from the state where the operation thereof is suppressed according to the return procedures stored in the return procedures storage unit.