APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ACOUSTIC ALARM DETECTION AND VALIDATION

• US 20160283681A1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Van Dinther, Cornelus Hendricus Bertus Arnoldus, Falck, Thomas, Park, Mun Hum, Kohlrausch, Armin Gerhard
• Granted Patent: US 10,114,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0276 Determining malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/126 of annunciator circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/24 Self-calibration, e.g. compensating for environmental drift or ageing of components
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for use in detecting and validating acoustic alarms, and in particular relates to an apparatus and method for use in detecting and validating acoustic alarms generated by medical devices, such as patient monitoring devices.

Claims

1. An alarm detection and validation device for validating acoustic alarms that have been generated by a medical device, the alarm detection and validation device comprising:

a microphone arranged to output a first signal corresponding to audio detected by the microphone;

an alarm sound database containing audio signals corresponding to known alarm sounds, including the acoustic alarms able to be generated by the medical device; and

a processing unit arranged to;

receive the first signal from the microphone;

receive a second signal from the medical device indicating that the medical device has generated an acoustic alarm;

analyze the first signal to determine whether the detected audio includes the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device by comparing the detected audio to the audio signals in the alarm sound database so as to identify known alarm sounds included in the detected audio; and

output a third signal to the medical device based on the result of the determination, if the result of the determination is that the detected audio includes the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device.

2. The alarm detection and validation device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is also arranged to output the third signal if the result of the determination is that the detected audio does not include the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device, and wherein the third signal comprises a notification of the result of the determining.

3. The alarm detection and validation device of claim 1, wherein the third signal comprises an instruction to the medical device to:

(a) alter one or more parameters of the acoustic alarm, wherein the one or more parameters include any or all of;

alarm volume, alarm pattern, alarm spectral composition, which loudspeaker is used to emit the alarm; and

/or

(b) generate a non-acoustic alarm.

4. The alarm detection and validation device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to:

determine a current sound pressure level; and

use the determined sound pressure level to compare the volume of an acoustic alarm identified in the detected audio with the volume of other sounds included in the detected audio.

5. The alarm detection and validation device of claim 4, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to:

determine one or more parameters associated with an acoustic alarm included in the detected audio which has been identified by the processing unit as being generated by the medical device;

determine one or more parameters associated with a different acoustic alarm included in the detected audio signal which has been identified by the processing unit as being generated by a device other than the medical device; and

compare the one or more parameters of the acoustic alarm with the one or more parameters of the different acoustic alarm.

6. The alarm detection and validation device of claim 5, wherein the third signal comprises an instruction to the medical device to alter one or more parameters of the acoustic alarm to be different to the one or more parameters of the different acoustic alarm.

7. A medical device comprising:

a loudspeaker for emitting an acoustic alarm generated by the medical device;

an alarm detection and validation device according to claim 1, wherein the microphone of the alarm detection and validation device is arranged such that the detected audio includes any acoustic alarms emitted by the loudspeaker; and

a processing unit arranged to;

cause the loudspeaker to emit an acoustic alarm;

send a signal to the alarm detection and validation device indicating that the medical device has generated an acoustic alarm; and

perform a further action in response to;

(a) receiving the third signal output by the alarm detection and validation device, wherein the further action is based on the third signal;

or

(b) not receiving a signal from the alarm detection and validation device within a predetermined time period.

8. The medical device of claim 7, wherein the further action comprises one or more of:

cause the loudspeaker to continue emitting the acoustic alarm in accordance with the current parameters;

alter one or more of the predefined parameters and cause the loudspeaker to emit the acoustic alarm in accordance with the altered parameters;

cause the loudspeaker to cease emitting the acoustic alarm;

cause a different loudspeaker to emit the acoustic alarm;

cause an alternative alarm means to emit a non-acoustic alarm.

9. The medical device of claim 7, wherein the medical device comprises:

a main body which houses at least the processing unit of the medical device;

one or more remote components able to be positioned remotely from the main body, which house at least the loudspeaker and the microphone; and

a communications interface for enabling communication between the processing unit in the main body and the one or more remote components.

10. The medical device of claim 7, wherein the medical device further comprises alternative alarm means for generating a non-acoustic alarm, and wherein the processing unit of the medical device is further arranged to cause the alternative alarm means to generate a non-acoustic alarm:

(a) if the medical device has not received a signal from the alarm detection and validation device within the predetermined time period;

or

(b) wherein the processing unit of the alarm detection and validation device is also arranged to output the third signal if the result of the determination is that the detected audio does not include the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device, if the third signal is based on the alarm detection and validation device having determined that the detected audio does not include the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device.

11. The medical device of any of claim 7, further comprising an additional loudspeaker located within or adjacent to the main body of the medical device, wherein the processing unit of the medical device is arranged to cause the additional loudspeaker to emit an acoustic alarm:

(a) if the third signal is based on the alarm detection and validation device having determined that the detected audio does not include the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device;

or

(b) wherein the processing unit of the alarm detection and validation device is also arranged to output the third signal if the result of the determination is that the detected audio does not include the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device, if the third signal is based on the alarm detection and validation device having determined that the detected audio does not include the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device.

12. A method for validating an acoustic alarm generated by a medical device, the method comprising:

(a) providing a microphone arranged such that sound emitted by a loudspeaker configured to emit acoustic alarms generated by the medical device will be included in audio detected by the microphone;

b) providing an alarm sound database containing audio signals corresponding to known alarm sounds, including the acoustic alarms able to be generated by the medical device;

(c) providing a processing unit in communication with both the medical device and the microphone;

(d) generating an acoustic alarm with the medical device;

(e) notifying the processing unit of the generation of the acoustic alarm;

(f) detecting audio with the microphone;

(g) analyzing, with the processing unit, the detected audio to determine whether it includes the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device by comparing the detected audio to the audio signals in the alarm sound database so as to identify known alarm sounds included in the detected audio; and

if it is determined in (g) that the detected audio includes the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device;

(h) outputting, with the processing unit, a signal to the medical device based on the result of the determining.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising performing if it is determined in that the detected audio does not include the acoustic alarm generated by the medical device.

14. A computer program product comprising computer readable code embodied therein, the computer readable code being configured such that, on execution by a suitable computer or processing unit, the computer or processing unit performs method steps and according to claim 12.