Abstract
This paper describes a photoelectric-helicoidal spirometer that has been designed in our laboratory. It includes a cylindrical helix (or turbine) partitioned in each of its blades by means of opaque plates transversally disposed. These plates obstruct the ray of light emitted by a diode, preventing it from reaching a photoreceptor located at the opposite side of the turbine. These basic elements are located in a module that can be adjusted to a mask that covers nostrils and mouth. Control software for this device is also described. The software facilitates a graphical representation of respiratory activity, as well as its storage in the computer. Software has been designed to be adaptable to any digital-to-analog converter. Both the device and the software have several advantages over traditional spirometers, as well as other nonspirometric techniques for studying respiratory activity.
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The photoelectric-helicoidal spirometer is inscribed by the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in the Spanish Patent Office (11-1-96-9600046). We are grateful to the company Sistemas-Instalaciones-Redes, S.A. (SIR, S.A., Tres Cantos, Madrid) for its aid in relation to the calibration process and determination of the technical specifications of the photoelectric-helicoidal spirometer.
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Carretié, L., Iglesias, J. & Aguilar, P. Photoelectric-helicoidal spirometer. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers 29, 582–585 (1997). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210611
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210611