Electronic stethoscope

• US 6,757,392 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Strela Development AG
• Original Assignee: Strela Development AG
• Inventors: Voegeli, Fridolin, Granzotto, Artemio
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Minsun Oh
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAHAM, ANDREW R
• Application Number:
  US09/003,054
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 381/67, 181/131, 600/528, 600/393, 600/509, 600/508, 422/44, 425/542
• US Class Current: 381/67
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R

Abstract

An electronic stethoscope comprises a headpiece, a chest-piece and two earpieces. The headpiece is fitted with a display arrangement in the form of a liquid-crystal display. A microphone, one or more sensors and fixed electrodes and movable electrodes are mounted in the headpiece. The movable electrodes are fixed to pivoted arms which form a contact ring.

Claims

1. An electronic stethoscope comprising a headpiece connected to a chest-piece by means of a lead, and two earpieces connected to the chest-piece, wherein the headpiece comprises:

(a) at least three electrodes for obtaining an electrocardiogram (ECG);

(b) a display arrangement for visual display of body function values obtained by the electrodes; and

(c) an evaluation unit for collection and processing of the body function values for displaying at the display arrangement,

wherein at least two of the three electrodes are fixed to arms attached pivotably to a periphery of a contact surface of the headpiece, the arms being adapted for swiveling out and forming at least approximately a closed contact ring when in a non-swivelled-out position, and wherein the three electrodes are positionable to form an approximately Einthoven triangle arrangement in a swiveled-out position.

2. An electronic stethoscope according to claim 1, wherein the display arrangement is a liquid-crystal display.

3. An electronic stethoscope according to claim 1, wherein the pivotable arms are flexible.

4. An electronic stethoscope according to claim 3, wherein each of the flexible arms are formed of two connected arm-pieces which are made of two different plastics having two different flectional elasticity properties.

5. An electronic stethoscope according to claim 1, wherein each of the earpieces has a loudspeaker mounted therein and the headpiece comprises a microphone.

6. An electronic stethoscope according to claim 1, wherein one of the three electrodes is mounted at a fixed position in the headpiece.

7. An electronic stethoscope according to claim 1, comprising three movable electrodes and three electrodes mounted in a fixed position in the headpiece.

8. An electronic stethoscope according to claim 1, wherein a switch is provided for electrically connecting the movable electrodes to the evaluation unit only when in a swiveled-out position.

9. An electronic stethoscope according to claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of:

(a) sensors for measurement of blood pressure; and

(b) sensors for measurement of blood temperature.