Systems, devices, and methods for performing active auscultation and detecting sonic energy measurements

Inventors

ARTUNDUAGA, Maria

Assignees

Samay Inc

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

An active auscultation system and method directs acoustic energy into a user’s lung using an emitter driven by a processor, and receives a responsive acoustic energy response at a receiver communicatively coupled to the processor. The processor determines a resonant frequency included within the acoustic energy response and determines a volume of trapped air present in the user’s lung responsively to the resonant frequency.

The processor determines a lung resonance signature for the user based on the resonant frequency and the volume of trapped air present in the user’s lung. The lung resonance signature is generated from the resonant frequency and the trapped-air volume, and the method stores the lung resonance signature in a database.

The claim set further supports determining multiple resonant frequencies and additional components of the signature, including harmonic frequencies and intensity associated with resonant frequencies. The system is described as enabling lung-health monitoring, including COPD monitoring, by tracking lung resonance features over a respiratory cycle.

Claims Coverage

Independent claim coverage includes two main inventive feature sets: using active auscultation to determine a resonant frequency, trapped-air volume, and a lung resonance signature, and storing the lung resonance signature in a database; and using the received acoustic energy response to determine trapped-air volume and a lung resonance signature, with storage of both in a database. The claim set further provides refinements including multiple resonant frequencies, harmonic frequency-based spectral signature determination, intensity inclusion, and optional comparison to predetermined signatures.

Across the independent claims, the shared inventive core is using an emitter/receiver active auscultation response to determine a resonant frequency, deriving a lung resonance signature, and estimating trapped-air volume defined as trapped within discrete pockets of lung tissue after exhalation, with storage of the derived outputs in a database. The dependent claims further broaden the resonance characterization and signature definition, and optionally compare generated signatures to predetermined lung resonance signatures.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications