Adjusting Sound on a Medical Device

• US 20160284198A1
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Tarn, Jeffrey, Wang, Fei
• Granted Patent: US 9,814,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/14 Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators semi-permeable membranes characterised by the material, manufacturing processes therefor B01D71/00; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for hemofiltration or pheresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1601 Control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/70 with testing or calibration facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/18 Prevention or correction of operating errors G08B29/02, G08B29/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

A dialysis machine comprising: a microphone; an alert module for producing an audible alert related to an operating condition of the dialysis machine; and a processing module configured for: receiving, from the microphone, information related to measured noise; determining, based on the information related to measured noise, an audible alert that will not be masked by the measured noise when the audible alert is produced by the alert module; and providing, to the alert module, instructions for producing the audible alert.

Claims

1. A dialysis machine comprising:

a microphone;

an alert module for producing an audible alert related to an operating condition of the dialysis machine; and

a processing module configured for;

receiving, from the microphone, information related to measured noise that originates from a source other than the dialysis machine;

determining, based on the information related to measured noise, an audible alert that will not be masked by the measured noise when the audible alert is produced by the alert module; and

providing, to the alert module, instructions for producing the audible alert.

2. The dialysis machine of claim 1, wherein the processing module is configured to identify a type of the measured noise.

3. The dialysis machine of claim 2, wherein the measured noise is ambient noise.

4. The dialysis machine of claim 2, wherein the measured noise is a second audible alert.

5. The dialysis machine of claim 4, wherein the second audible alert is related to an operating condition of a second dialysis machine.

6. The dialysis machine of claim 3, wherein the information related to the ambient noise includes a measurement of a volume of the ambient noise.

7. The dialysis machine of claim 6, wherein the instructions cause the alert module to produce an audible alert that is louder than the volume of the ambient noise.

8. The dialysis machine of claim 4, wherein the information related to the second audible alert includes a measurement of a timing of the second audible alert.

9. The dialysis machine of claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the alert module to produce an audible alert that has a timing that is out of phase with the timing of the second audible alert.

10. The dialysis machine of claim 4, wherein the information related to the second audible alert includes a measurement of a frequency of the second audible alert.

11. The dialysis machine of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the alert module to produce an audible alert of a frequency different from the frequency of the second audible alert.

12. The dialysis machine of claim 11, wherein the audible alert has a frequency that is within a predefined range.

13. The dialysis machine of claim 2, wherein the instructions for producing the audible alert are based at least in part on the type of the measured noise.

14. The dialysis machine of claim 1, wherein the instructions for producing the audible alert are based at least in part on the priority of the audible alert.

15. The dialysis machine of claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the alert module to produce an audible alert that is louder than lower-priority audible alerts that are measured by the microphone.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, from a microphone of a dialysis machine, information related to measured noise that originates from a source other than the dialysis machine;

determining, based on the information related to measured noise, an audible alert related to an operating condition of the dialysis machine, the audible alert determined such that the audible alert will not be masked by the measured noise when the audible alert is produced by an alert module of the dialysis machine; and

providing, to the alert module, instructions for producing the audible alert.

17. A system comprising:

a dialysis machine comprising;

a microphone;

an alert module for producing an audible alert related to an operating condition of the dialysis machine; and

a processing module configured for;

receiving, from the microphone, information related to measured noise that originates from a source other than the dialysis machine;

determining, based on the information related to measured noise, an audible alert that will not be masked by the measured noise when the audible alert is produced by the alert module; and

providing, to the alert module, instructions for producing the audible alert.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing a computer program including instructions for causing a computer to:

receive, from a microphone of a dialysis machine, information related to measured noise that originates from a source other than the dialysis machine;

determine, based on the information related to measured noise, an audible alert related to an operating condition of the dialysis machine, the audible alert determined such that the audible alert will not be masked by the measured noise when the audible alert is produced by an alert module of the dialysis machine; and

provide, to the alert module, instructions for producing the audible alert.