Wearable Physiological Acoustic Sensor

• US 20150208163A1
• Filed: 01/21/2014
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hallberg, Bryan Severt, Piekstra, Glenn Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,521,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/05 Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone

Abstract

A wearable physiological acoustic sensor has an embedded and stacked acoustic sensing component architecture that inhibits motion-related impulse noise and environmental background noise, and provides good body sound capture, good patient comfort and an unobtrusive presence. The embedded and stacked component architecture also includes an environmental microphone that enables cancellation of background noise for further noise reduction.

Claims

1. A wearable physiological acoustic sensor, comprising:

a plaster having a top layer and a bottom layer; and

an acoustic sensing component assembly including a component housing having a ceiling, a wall and a floor having a flange held between the top layer and the bottom layer, and further including a component stack embedded in the component housing having a body microphone with acoustic access through an opening in the floor and an environmental microphone with acoustic access through an opening in the ceiling.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the component stack has a body microphone printed circuit board.

3. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the component assembly has a lower orifice running from the body microphone through the body microphone printed circuit board providing the body microphone with acoustic access.

4. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the lower orifice runs from the body microphone to a body sound chamber disposed between the lower orifice and the floor.

5. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the component stack has an environmental microphone printed circuit board.

6. The sensor of claim 5, wherein the component assembly has an upper orifice running from the environmental microphone through the environmental microphone printed circuit board providing the environmental microphone with acoustic access.

7. The sensor of claim 6, wherein the upper orifice runs from the environmental microphone to the ceiling.

8. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the body microphone and the environmental microphone are acoustically isolated from one another.

9. The sensor of claim 1, wherein acoustic isolation tape is disposed between the body microphone and the environmental microphone.

10. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the component housing has a strain relief element projecting from the wall and the component assembly has an acoustic signal output line running through an opening in the strain relief element.

11. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the flange is snugly retained between the top layer and the bottom layer.

12. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the plaster has a preformed groove and the flange is held in the preformed groove.

13. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the bottom layer comprises adhesive transfer tape having adhesive on a top side and a bottom side, wherein the top side adheres to the top layer.

14. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the plaster has a removable protective backing that adheres to the bottom layer.

15. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the component housing is centered on the plaster.

16. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the component housing is made of silicone.

17. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the component housing is substantially cylindrical.

18. A sensing component assembly for a physiological acoustic sensor, comprising:

an acoustic sensing component housing having a ceiling, a wall and a floor having a mounting flange; and

an acoustic sensing component stack embedded in the component housing having a body microphone with acoustic access through an opening in the floor and an environmental microphone with acoustic access through an opening in the ceiling.

19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the component stack has a body microphone printed circuit board, wherein the component assembly has a lower orifice running from the body microphone through the body microphone printed circuit board providing the body microphone with acoustic access.

20. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the component stack has an environmental microphone printed circuit board, wherein the component assembly has an upper orifice running from the environmental microphone through the environmental microphone printed circuit board providing the environmental microphone with acoustic access.