Stethoscope system including a sensor array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9955939-B2
Application number	US-201615013896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2016
Priority date	Feb 2, 2016
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A stethoscope system may include an array of sensors, which may include pressure sensors. The array may be implemented in a wearable “patch” that is conformable to a patient's body. The stethoscope system may include a control system that is capable of receiving signals from the array of sensors. The signals may, for example, correspond to measurements from multiple pressure sensors of the array. The control system may be capable of combining signals from multiple pressure sensors to produce combined signals. The control system may be capable of filtering the combined signals to remove, at least in part, breathing signal components and to produce filtered signals. The control system may be capable of determining a correspondence between heart signal components of the filtered signals and corresponding heart valve activity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stethoscope system, comprising:
a patch that includes an array of pressure sensors and a user feedback system, the patch including flexible material that allows the patch to be conformed to a patient's body; and
a control system capable of:
receiving signals from the array of pressure sensors, the signals corresponding to measurements from multiple pressure sensors of the array of pressure sensors;
combining signals from multiple pressure sensors of the array of pressure sensors to produce combined signals;
filtering the combined signals to remove, at least in part, breathing signal components and to produce filtered signals; and
determining a correspondence between heart signal components of the filtered signals and corresponding heart valve activity, wherein the control system includes one or more components from a list of components consisting of: a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor; a digital signal processor; an application specific integrated circuit; a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, and a discrete hardware component and wherein the control system is capable of providing instructions, via the user feedback system, regarding placement of the patch on a patient's chest.

2. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is capable of transforming the signals from a time domain into a frequency domain.

3. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is capable of determining a quality metric for the heart signal components.

4. The stethoscope system of claim 3 , wherein the control system is capable of providing instructions via the user feedback system based on a comparison of the quality metric and a quality metric threshold.

5. The stethoscope system of claim 4 , wherein the user feedback system includes force feedback elements.

6. The stethoscope system of claim 5 , wherein the force feedback elements include pressure sensors.

7. The stethoscope system of claim 6 , wherein the force feedback elements and the pressure sensors are piezoionic devices.

8. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the array of pressure sensors is a two-dimensional M by N or M by M array, wherein M and N are integers.

9. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further capable of performing signal pre-processing before combining the signals.

10. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the patch includes at least one layer of adhesive material for secure placement on the patient's body.

11. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the patch includes flexible material to which the array of pressure sensors is attached.

12. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the array of pressure sensors includes substantially identical pressure sensors.

13. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the signals correspond to multiple simultaneous measurements obtained from different areas of a patient's chest during a time interval.

14. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the signals correspond to multiple simultaneous and redundant measurements of vibrations produced by one or more heart valves.

15. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , further comprising an interface system capable of wireless communication.

16. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , further comprising an interface system, wherein the control system is capable of receiving instructions, via the interface system, and of controlling at least a portion of the stethoscope system according to the instructions.

17. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is disposed, at least in part, in another device.

18. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the signals correspond to redundant measurements from multiple pressure sensors of the array of pressure sensors.

19. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further capable of determining a correspondence between heart signal components and corresponding parts of a cardiac cycle.

20. The stethoscope system of claim 1 , further comprising an interface system, wherein the control system is further capable of detecting an abnormality of heart valve activity and of transmitting a signal, via the interface system, corresponding to the abnormality.

21. A method of processing signals from a stethoscope system, comprising:
receiving, by a control system, signals from a patch that includes an array of pressure sensors, the patch including flexible material that allows the patch to be conformed to a patient's body, the signals corresponding to measurements from multiple pressure sensors of the array of pressure sensors;
providing instructions from the control system via a user feedback system of the patch, regarding placement of the patch on a patient's chest;
combining, via the control system, signals from multiple pressure sensors of the array of pressure sensors to produce combined signals;
filtering the combined signals, via the control system, to remove, at least in part, breathing signal components and to produce filtered signals; and
determining a correspondence, via the control system, between heart signal components of the filtered signals and corresponding heart valve activity, wherein the control system includes one or more components from a list of components consisting of: a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor; a digital signal processor; an application specific integrated circuit; a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, and a discrete hardware component.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising determining a quality metric for the heart signal components.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising providing instructions based on a comparison of the quality metric and a quality metric threshold.

24. The method of claim 21 , further comprising detecting an abnormality of heart valve activity and of transmitting a signal corresponding to the abnormality.

25. At least one non-transitory medium having software stored thereon, the software including instructions for:
receiving, by a control system, signals from a patch that includes an array of pressure sensors, the patch including flexible material that allows the patch to be conformed to a patient's body, the signals corresponding to measurements from multiple pressure sensors of the array of pressure sensors;
providing instructions from the control system via a user feedback system of the patch, regarding placement of the patch on a patient's chest;
combining signals from multiple pressure sensors of the array of pressure sensors to produce combined signals;
filtering the combined signals, via the control system, to remove, at least in part, breathing signal components and to produce filtered signals; and
determining a correspondence, via the control system, between heart signal components of the filtered signals and corresponding heart valve activity, wherein the control system includes one or more components from a list of components consisting of: a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor; a digital signal processor; an application specific integrated circuit; a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, and a discrete hardware component.

26. The at least one non-transitory

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Sezan Muhammed Ibrahim
• Dantsker Eugene
• Kaskoun Kenneth
• Niznik Brian David
• Talbot Christopher

Classifications

• A61B5/6833

  Adhesive patches · CPC title

• A61B5/0205

  Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition · CPC title

• A61B7/04 Primary

  Electric stethoscopes · CPC title

• A61B5/721

  using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured · CPC title

• A61B7/00

  Instruments for auscultation · CPC title