METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACQUIRING AND PROCESSING ACOUSTIC ENERGY EMITTED BY AT LEAST ONE ORGAN IN A BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM

• US 20150105695A1
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael E. Sabatino
• Original Assignee: Audio Evolution Diagnostics, Inc.
• Inventors: Sabatino, Michael E.
• Granted Patent: US 11,357,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/586
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/00 Instruments for auscultation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R

Abstract

In some embodiments, an apparatus for acquiring, processing and transmitting physiological sounds, which may include acoustic sounds from at least one organ in a biological system, may include a sensor for acquiring physiological sounds. Analogue signals representative of the physiological sounds are converted into an electrical output. The electrical output is converted to digital data. A processing unit processes the digital data in a manner selected by a user.

Claims

1. A system for acquiring and processing physiological sounds comprising:

an apparatus comprising;

a sensor configured to convert an analogue signal into an electrical output representative of said physiological sounds;

an analogue to digital converter operatively coupled to said sensor, wherein said analogue to digital converter is configured to convert said electrical output into a stream of digital data; and

a parallel to serial converter operatively coupled to said analogue to digital converter, said parallel to serial converter configured to receive at least a portion of said stream of digital data as at least one input of a plurality of inputs, and said parallel to serial converter further configured to convert said plurality of inputs into a serial output.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said analogue signal is characterized as a first analogue signal, said apparatus further comprising:

a digital to analogue converter operatively coupled to said parallel to serial converter, said digital to analogue converter configured to convert at least a portion of said serial output into a second analogue signal for transmission over a wireless network.

3. The system of claim 1, said apparatus further comprising:

a processing unit operatively coupled to said analogue to digital converter, said processing unit configured to compute a mathematical transform on at least a portion of said stream of digital data prior to conversion into said serial output.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said apparatus is characterized as a first apparatus, and said processing unit is characterized as a first processing unit, and further comprising a second apparatus operatively coupled to said first apparatus, said second apparatus comprising:

an electronic memory configured to store a signal representative of at least a portion of said serial output; and

a display device configured to display a plurality of icons, wherein at least one icon of said plurality of icons displayed on said display device is configured for customization by a user through insertion of an additional icon in said plurality of icons displayed.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display device operatively coupled to said apparatus, wherein at least one icon of a plurality of icons displayed correspond to at least one operation that said apparatus is configured to perform, and said plurality of icons displayed on said display device is configured for customization by a user through insertion of an additional icon in said plurality of icons displayed, and wherein a recording of said physiological sounds is initiated by interaction of said user with at least one icon in said plurality of icons displayed.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display device operatively coupled to said apparatus, said display device configured to display information comprising a vital sign.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said physiological sounds are generated by an organ in a frequency range up to 20,000 Hz inclusive, and wherein said display device is configured to output an icon to a user for facilitation of selective connection and disconnection of said apparatus, by said user, to a wireless network.

8. A system for acquiring and processing physiological sounds comprising:

an apparatus comprising;

a sensor configured to convert an analogue signal into an electrical output representative of said physiological sounds;

an analogue to digital converter operatively coupled to said sensor, wherein said analogue to digital converter is configured to convert said electrical output into a stream of digital data; and

a serial to parallel converter operatively coupled to said analogue to digital converter, said serial to parallel converter configured to convert at least a portion of said stream of digital data into a parallel output.

9. The system of claim 8, said apparatus further comprising:

a digital to analogue operatively coupled to said serial to parallel converter, said digital to analogue converter configured to convert at least a portion of said parallel output into a second analogue signal for transmission over a wireless network.

10. The system of claim 8, said apparatus further comprising:

a processing unit operatively coupled to said analogue to digital converter, said processing unit configured to compute a mathematical transform on at least a portion of said parallel output.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said mathematical transform is a fast Fourier transformation.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a display device operatively coupled to said apparatus, said display device configured to display a plurality of icons, wherein said plurality of icons displayed on said display device is configured for customization by a user through insertion of an additional icon in said plurality of icons displayed, and wherein the apparatus is configured to initiate a recording of said physiological sounds by interaction of said user with at least one icon in said plurality of icons displayed.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a display device operatively coupled to said apparatus, said display device configured to display information comprising a vital sign.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said physiological sounds are sounds generated by an organ in a frequency range up to 20,000 Hz inclusive, and wherein said sensor is one sensor of a plurality of sensors and at least two sensors of said plurality of sensors are configured to convert said physiological sounds into a plurality of corresponding electrical signals.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said plurality of sensors comprises at least three sensors.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein said apparatus is characterized as a first apparatus, and further comprising a second apparatus operatively coupled to said first apparatus, said second apparatus comprising:

an electronic memory configured to store a signal representative of at least a portion of said parallel output; and

a processing unit coupled to said electronic memory, said processing unit configured to retrieve from said electronic memory and process said signal representative of at least a portion of said parallel output into a processed signal.

17. A method of acquiring, processing and transmitting physiological sounds which comprises the steps of:

transmitting an output over a wireless network in a first direction to an apparatus, said apparatus comprising;

a sensor configured to convert an analogue signal into an electrical output;

a wireless network device configured for transmission in a second direction of at least a portion of a representation of the electrical output from said sensor and access to an internet, wherein the first direction is towards the apparatus and the second direction is away from the apparatus;

an analogue to digital converter operatively coupled to said sensor, wherein said analogue to digital converter is configured to transform at least a portion of said electrical output into a stream of digital data;

a processing unit configured to receive at least a portion of said stream of digital data; and

an electronic memory operatively coupled to said processing unit, wherein said electronic memory is configured to store at least a portion of said output transmitted to said apparatus.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said transmitted output comprises:

a set of instructions, wherein said processing unit is further configured to process at least a portion of said stream of digital data by execution of said set of instructions.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said analogue signal is characterized as a first analogue signal, further comprising the steps in the sequence set forth:

transforming at least a portion of said representation of said electrical output into a frequency domain representation; and

transmitting a second analogue signal representative of at least a portion of said frequency domain representation in said second direction as a plurality of frequencies which are orthogonal to each other.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

applying a window function to at least a portion of said stream of digital data through a user interaction with an icon displayed on an electronic visual display that is operatively coupled to said processing unit.