EXTENDED AUSCULTATION DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to an auscultation device (1) for capturing and evaluating body sounds, having an auscultation element (2) having a housing (4, 4a) and arranged therein: an audio system (5), a power supply (6), a computing unit (7), means for data transmission (7a) and a control interface (8), and having a data processing system having a user interface (10), means for data transmission (14a), a memory (13) and a computing unit (14), wherein the audio system (5) comprises at least one microphone unit (5a, 5b) for capturing the body's own sounds and this at least one microphone unit (5a, 5b) comprises a microphone (i) and a connection element (ii) between microphone (i) and housing (4, 4a).

Claims

1. An auscultation device for capturing and evaluating body sounds, comprising: an auscultation element having a housing and arranged therein: an audio system for capturing sounds, a power supply, a computing unit, means for data transmission and a control interface; and a data processing system having a user interface, a memory, a computing unit for analyzing sounds and means for data transmission, wherein the audio system (5) comprises at least one microphone unit for capturing the body's own sounds and this at least one microphone unit comprises a microphone and a connection element, wherein the connection element is provided between microphone and housing.

2. Auscultation device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the microphone units comprises a membrane which rests against the housing.

3. Auscultation device according to claim 1, wherein the connection element is funnel-shaped.

4. Auscultation device according to claim 1, wherein the data transmission relates to the data captured by the audio system.

5. Auscultation device according to claim 1, wherein the data processing system comprises a display for visualizing the transmitted data.

6. A method for the diagnosis of pathological states using an auscultation device according to claim 1, said method comprising the following steps: (A) Creating an initial dataset using the auscultation element; (B) Transmitting the initial dataset from the auscultation element to the data processing system; (C) Assessing the data quality of the initial dataset; (D) Creating a main dataset using the auscultation element; (E) Transmitting the main dataset from the auscultation element to the data processing system; (F) Analyzing, by the data processing system, the main dataset.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the initial dataset comprises at least two heart impulses, a swallowing sound, the blood flow of the carotid, a cough and a breath.

8. Method according to claim 6, wherein the assessment of the data quality is carried out by means of a comparison with reference data.

9. Method according to claim 6, wherein the analysis of the main dataset is carried out with the aid of filter algorithms, the use of wavelet transformation, Fourier transformation, short-time Fourier transformation (STFT) or autoregressive models (AR or ARMA models).

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein the analysis of the main dataset is further carried out via the use of AI, big data and deep learning tools.

Description

[0082] Shown are in:

[0083] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the CAAS according to the invention,

[0084] FIG. 2 a schematic representation of a second embodiment of the CAAS according to the invention.

[0085] In a first embodiment according to FIG. 1, the CAAS 1 according to the invention comprises an auscultation element 2 and a data processing system 3. The auscultation element 2 comprises a housing 4 in which an audio system 5, a power supply 6, a computing unit 7 and a control interface 8 are arranged. Between said components, data and power connections are provided, represented by solid and dotted lines, respectively.

[0086] The audio system 5 comprises at least two microphone units 5a, 5b, which each comprise a microphone i which is connected to the housing wall 4 via a funnel-shaped connection element ii. At the connection point with the funnel-shaped connection element ii, the housing wall 4 can have openings (not shown) which are covered by a membrane iii. The audio system 5 can be provided as exchangeable with a part of the housing 4a. The microphone units 5a, 5b are preferably arranged on a board 5c which is provided for example for the digital conversion of the audio signals. Embodiments having only one microphone unit are naturally also conceivable if this suffices to capture the desired data, i.e. for example a desired frequency range can be covered.

[0087] The power supply 6 comprises a battery or a rechargeable battery 6a.

[0088] The computing unit 7 is provided for controlling the processes of the auscultation element 2. This also includes, for example, the controlling of the data transmission 9, which can be carried out in a wireless or wired manner via the means for data transmission 7a. The computing unit 7 also controls the control interface 8.

[0089] The control interface 8 is provided for operating the auscultation element 2 and for displaying the respective operating states. For this, the control element 8 comprises both operating elements 8c, preferably in the form of buttons, as well as signal generators 8b, preferably in the form of LEDs.

[0090] The signal generators 8b can be provided for displaying the operating states such as on or off of the auscultation element or to provide feedback on current processes such as, for example, the data capture or data transmission.

[0091] The data processing system 3 comprises a user interface 10, which comprises an input interface 11 and a display 12 for visualizing for example the transmitted or processed data. The data processing system 3 further comprises a local memory 13, which can comprise a database. The data processing system 3 naturally further comprises a computing unit 14 for analyzing data, for controlling the wireless or wired data exchange via the means for data transmission 14a etc.

[0092] For switching on the auscultation element 2, the power supply 6 is activated for example by using a rechargeable battery 6a or by means of an input via the control interface 8. After the start-up operation, an automatic connection between the auscultation element 2 and the data processing system or a Wi-Fi network can be established. A successful connection can be confirmed via the control interface 8.

[0093] The auscultation element 2 is now ready to start the auscultation process, and can be controlled for example via a switch 8c. It is thus conceivable that the initial data capture or calibration is started using a first switch 8c. The achieved data quality can be displayed to the user for example via an LED 8b. Sufficient data quality could be displayed via a green LED, insufficient data quality via a red LED, for example. This enables the user to find an appropriate position of the auscultation element 2 in order to ensure sufficient data quality or high signal quality and amplitude.

[0094] As soon as sufficient data quality has been confirmed, the actual data capture can be started in a second step via a switch 8c and be completed after a sufficient duration. The status of the data capture can in turn be displayed via an LED 8c.

[0095] The captured data can be transmitted to the data processing system 3 either in real time or after caching in the auscultation element 2, as desired, and can optionally be stored in the data processing system prior to a further evaluation and/or visualization.

[0096] After data capture has been completed, the auscultation element 2 can be switched off via a switch 8c on the control interface 8.

[0097] The data capture system 3 serves to evaluate and visualize the data captured by the auscultation element 2. It also enables patient-related data, such as demographic information or comorbidities, to be added and captured data to be organized and accessed.

[0098] Visualization preferably starts on data transmission from the auscultation element 2 and stops as soon as data transmission has come to an end. This enables the user to perform a real-time interpretation of the auscultation signal and optionally to find a suitable capture location in order to ensure sufficient signal quality without necessarily needing a computer-assisted data comparison with reference data.

[0099] The second embodiment shown in FIG. 2 differs from the first embodiment of the CAAS 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 in that the auscultation element 2 comprises a further microphone unit 5d which is preferably provided for capturing external sounds, i.e. mainly not the body's own sounds, or can be used for recording the external portion of coughing sounds. The further microphone unit 5d can preferably be provided as part of the exchangeable housing part 4a and be arranged on the same board 5c of the audio system 5 as the other microphone units 5a, 5b. However, it is also conceivable that the further microphone unit 5d is provided at another place on the housing 4, particularly because to record external sounds, said microphone unit 5d is not necessarily in contact with the patient's body, and therefore less stringent hygiene requirements might apply and an exchange does not necessarily need to be provided for.

[0100] More than just the one microphone unit 5d shown here by way of example can naturally be provided for the data capture of external sounds.

[0101] The data recorded by the further microphone unit 5d can be included in the analysis of the body sounds captured by the microphone units 5a, 5b and can be used for example to filter corresponding external sounds out of the dataset of the body's own sounds. This is advantageous for the clarification of and delimitation between the body's own sounds and exogenous (or external) sounds.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0102] 1 Auscultation device (CAAS)
2 Auscultation element
3 Data processing system
4 Housing (4a: separable housing part)
5 Audio system (5a, 5b, 5d: microphone unit; 5c: board; i: microphone; ii: connection element; iii: membrane)
6 Power supply (6a: battery/rechargeable battery)
7 Computing unit (7a: means for data transmission)
8 Control interface (8a: operating element/button; 8b: signal generator/LED)
9 Data transmission
10 User interface
11 Input interface

12 Display

13 Memory

[0103] 14 Computing unit (14a: means for data transmission)