Disposable acoustic pad sensors
First Claim
1. An acoustic sensor for capturing sounds produced within a body, the sensor comprising:
- a pad having a desired surface area;
said pad being adapted to be mechanically and acoustically coupled over substantially all of said surface area to a portion of a patient'"'"'s skin;
said pad sensing flexure of said skin in response to sound produced within a patient'"'"'s body and having a flexure rigidity adjusted to the mechanical impedance of skin tissue;
said pad having a spaced apart first and second piezoelectric portions for sensing said flexure and for converting said sensed flexure into electrical signals; and
said first and second piezoelectric sensing portions being spaced apart a distance which creates a maximum voltage signal in said sensing portions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to an acoustic sensor device for capturing internal body sounds. The acoustic sensor device is designed to sense the flexing of a patient'"'"'s skin that is a result of the localized nature of internal body sounds, especially the patient'"'"'s heart sounds, and generate an electrical signal analogous to the flexure of the skin. The acoustic sensing device of the present invention has as its principal components two thin film piezoelectric sensing portions, preferably formed from polyvinylidene fluoride or a similar piezoelectric material, two layers of a compliant, substantially incompressible material, a flexible and elastic adhesive layer between respective ones of the sensing portions and the incompressible material layers, an electrical connector at one end of the sensing device, an optional neutral plane inducer, an electrostatic shield for the electrical connector, a moisture barrier/protective coating, and an optional adhesive or cream layer for adhering the sensor device to the skin of the patient.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An acoustic sensor for capturing sounds produced within a body, the sensor comprising:
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a pad having a desired surface area; said pad being adapted to be mechanically and acoustically coupled over substantially all of said surface area to a portion of a patient'"'"'s skin; said pad sensing flexure of said skin in response to sound produced within a patient'"'"'s body and having a flexure rigidity adjusted to the mechanical impedance of skin tissue; said pad having a spaced apart first and second piezoelectric portions for sensing said flexure and for converting said sensed flexure into electrical signals; and said first and second piezoelectric sensing portions being spaced apart a distance which creates a maximum voltage signal in said sensing portions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An acoustic sensor which comprises:
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a strip of piezoelectric material having a metallized outer surface and a partially metallized inner surface; said strip of piezoelectric material being folded so that a first end portion overlaps a second end portion; said partially metallized inner surface including a first metal layer overlaying an inner surface of said first end portion and a second metal layer overlaying an inner surface of said second end portion; said first and second end portions being spaced apart by a first layer formed from an insulating material, a neutral plane inducer, and a second layer formed from an insulating material; said first insulating layer being positioned adjacent said inner surface of said first end portion and said second insulating layer being positioned adjacent said inner surface of said second end portion; and said neutral plane inducer being positioned intermediate said first and second insulating layers. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification