Electronic stethoscope

• US 6,134,331 A
• Filed: 02/28/1997
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: Bang & Olufsen Technology A/S
• Inventors: B.ae butted.kgaard, Knud Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN, VIVIAN C
• Application Number:
  US08/793,622
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 381/67
• US Class Current: 381/67
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R

Abstract

An electronic stethoscope consisting of a transducer, an amplifier and a headphone will be better adapted to the habits of use of doctors when it is supplied with filters which mimic the transfer function of acoustic stethoscopes. Thus, the signals heard will correspond to those learnt, and thereby the advantages of greater amplification and elimination of noise sources may be fully utilized. Hence there is a possibility for extended digital signal processing which may furthermore compensate for the hearing loss of each individual doctor.

Claims

1. An electronic digital stethoscope comprising a vibration transducer, an amplifier, a headphone arrangement, and a digital filter means which establishes at least one impulse transfer function corresponding to at least one acoustic stethoscope type;

and wherein in the signal path before the filtering, there is performed a pre-emphasis of the high frequencies in dependence of the thickness of tissue which is present between an actual sound source and the transducer.

2. A stethoscope according to claim 1, further comprising digital filter means providing pre-emphasis.

3. A stethoscope according to claim 2, wherein multiple impulse transfer functions corresponding to multiple stethoscope types are stored in conjunction with the digital filter.

4. A stethoscope according to claim 1, further comprising means for an A/B comparison between the linear sound before filtering and the sound after digital filtering.

5. A stethoscope according to claim 4, wherein the sound after digital filtering is monitored prior to being routed to the head phone arrangement.

6. A stethoscope according to claim 1, wherein multiple headphones are coupled to one and the same amplifier.

7. A stethoscope according to claim 1, wherein the impulse transfer function of the digital filter means is obtained by measurement on a concrete stethoscope.

8. A stethoscope according to claim 1, further comprising digital pattern recognition means for windowing the acoustic signal to adaptively remove noise from the surroundings and suppress repetitive signals in the observed signal.

9. A stethoscope according to claim 8, wherein the digital pattern recognition means removes repetitive signals from the observed signal.

10. A stethoscope according to claim 8, further comprising means for an A/B comparison between the linear sound before filtering and after filtering.

11. A stethoscope according to claim 10, wherein the sound after digital filtering is monitored prior to being routed to the head phone arrangement.

12. A stethoscope according to claim 1, further comprising means for automatic control of amplification.

13. A stethoscope according to claim 1, wherein the headphone arrangement consists of transducers which are fitted in immediate proximity to the ear canal in each ear.

14. A stethoscope according to claim 13, wherein the signal to each ear is compensated with respect to the sensitivity of the particular ear.

15. A stethoscope according to claim 1, wherein the digital filter means stores multiple impulse transfer functions, each corresponding to a different acoustic stethoscope type, and wherein a user can select a desired one of the impulse transfer functions.