Systems, devices, and methods for performing active auscultation and detecting sonic energy measurements
Inventors
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-10709355-B2
Publication Date
2020-07-14
Expiration Date
Abstract
Active auscultation may be used to determine organ (e.g., lung or heart) characteristics of users. An acoustic or piezo-electric signal (e.g., a pulse, a tone, and/or a broadband pulse) may be projected into an animal (typically human) body or thorax. The signal interacts with the body, or lungs, and in some cases may induce resonance within the body/lungs. A resultant signal may be emitted from the body which may be analyzed to determine, for example, a lung's resonant frequency or frequencies and/or how the sound is otherwise absorbed, reflected, or modified by the body. This information may be indicative of lung characteristics such as lung capacity, a volume of air trapped in the lungs, and/or the presence of COPD.
Core Innovation
The invention provides active auscultation in which a processor directs a broadband acoustic signal as a pulse comprising a plurality of frequencies into a user's body toward a lung, and receives a return acoustic signal corresponding to the broadband acoustic signal. The processor determines at least one characteristic of the received acoustic signal, where the characteristic is at least one of an intensity and a frequency of the received acoustic signal, and determines a volume of trapped air present in the user's lung from the determined characteristic.
The invention further analyzes a detected acoustic signal corresponding to the pulse and determines a resonant frequency for the lung from the received multi-frequency acoustic signal, then determines the volume of trapped air based on the resonant frequency. The disclosed approach can constrain the broadband signal to a plurality of frequencies in a specified range and characterize the pulse duration within a specified time range.
The invention also includes driving an emitter with signal stimuli so the emitter produces acoustic energy of a plurality of frequencies directed toward an organ of a user, receiving an acoustic energy response, and analyzing the response to determine a resonant frequency for the organ. Based on the resonant frequency, the processor determines a volume of trapped air in the organ, where the trapped air is air trapped within discrete pockets of organ tissue. The disclosed resonant-frequency approach is described in the context of lung resonance signature tracking and resonant-frequency modeling to estimate trapped air volume and/or lung capacity.
Claims Coverage
The document includes three independent claims. Across these claims, the inventive features center on active auscultation using a broadband pulse with multiple frequencies, determining signal characteristics or a resonant frequency, and using the determined characteristic to determine a volume of trapped air in discrete pockets of lung or organ tissue after exhalation.
Broadband active auscultation to determine trapped-air volume
Direct a broadband acoustic signal into a user's body toward a user's lung, where the broadband acoustic signal is a pulse comprising a plurality of frequencies; receive a corresponding acoustic signal from the user's body; determine a characteristic of the received acoustic signal, where the characteristic is at least one of an intensity and a frequency; and determine a volume of trapped air present in the user's lung using the determined characteristic, where the trapped air is air trapped within discrete pockets of lung tissue following exhalation.
Resonant-frequency analysis to determine trapped-air volume
Receive, by a processor, a detected acoustic signal from a receiver corresponding to an acoustic signal directed toward a lung within a body in a pulse and responsively emanating from the user, the acoustic signal comprising a plurality of frequencies; analyze the received detected acoustic signal to determine a resonant frequency for the lung; and determine a volume of trapped air present in the lung following exhalation using the resonant frequency, where the trapped air is air trapped within discrete pockets of lung tissue following exhalation.
Organ active auscultation with resonant frequency trapped-air determination
Provide signal stimuli to an emitter so the emitter produces acoustic energy of a plurality of frequencies directed toward an organ; receive an acoustic energy response corresponding to the acoustic energy of the plurality of frequencies directed toward the organ; analyze the received acoustic energy response to determine a resonant frequency for the organ; and determine a volume of trapped air in the organ based on the resonant frequency, where the trapped air is air trapped within discrete pockets of organ tissue.
All independent claims share the core concept of active auscultation using multi-frequency acoustic energy directed toward a lung or organ, determining a characteristic or a resonant frequency from a corresponding response, and using that determination to calculate a trapped-air volume defined as air in discrete pockets following exhalation for the lung.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
Interested in licensing this patent?