822results about "Acoustic sensors" patented technology

Wearable apparatus for monitoring various physiological and environmental factors are provided. Real-time, noninvasive health and environmental monitors include a plurality of compact sensors integrated within small, low-profile devices, such as earpiece modules. Physiological and environmental data is collected and wirelessly transmitted into a wireless network, where the data is stored and/or processed.

Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for resecting a tissue mass. The system for resecting a tissue mass includes a surgical instrument and a first sensor for measuring a signal corresponding to the position and orientation of the tissue mass. The first sensor is dimensioned to fit insider or next to the tissue mass. The system also includes a second sensor attached to the surgical instrument configured to measure the position and orientation of the surgical instrument. The second sensor is configured to receive the signal from the first sensor. A controller is in communication with the first sensor and/or the second sensor, and the controller executes a stored program to calculate a distance between the first sensor and the second sensor. Accordingly, visual, auditory, haptic or other feedback is provided to the clinician to guide the surgical instrument to the surgical margin.

A method for diagnosing a joint condition includes in one embodiment: creating a 3d model of the patient specific bone; registering the patient's bone with the bone model; tracking the motion of the patient specific bone through a range of motion; selecting a database including empirical mathematical descriptions of the motion of a plurality actual bones through ranges of motion; and comparing the motion of the patient specific bone to the database.

A method and apparatus for estimating a respiratory rate of a patient. The method comprises the steps of recording respiratory sounds of the patient, deriving a plurality of respiratory rates from the recorded sounds using a plurality of respiratory rate estimating methods and applying a heuristic to the plurality of derived respiratory rates, the heuristic selecting one of the derived respiratory rates. The selected respiratory rate is the estimated respiratory rate. The apparatus comprises at least one sensor recording respiratory sounds of the patient, a plurality of respiratory rate processors, each of the processors comprising a respiratory rate calculating method, a heuristic means for selecting one of the calculated respiratory rates and a display means for displaying the selected respiratory as the estimated respiratory rate.

A method for monitoring the progression of the hemodynamic status of a patient by tracking autonomic tone. For example, the method may be applied to patients suffering from heart failure, diabetic neuropathy, cardiac ischemia, sleep apnea and hypertension. An implantable or other ambulatory monitor senses a pulse amplitude signal such as a vascular plethysmography signal. Variations of the signal amplitude on a scale greater than the heartbeat to heartbeat scale are indicative of variations in autonomic tone. A significant reduction in pulse amplitude and pulse amplitude variability are indicative of a heart failure exacerbation or other disease state change. This information may be used to warn the patient or healthcare providers of changes in the patient's condition warranting attention.

Hat, helmet, and other headgear apparatus includes dry electrophysiological electrodes and, optionally, other physiological and/or environmental sensors to measure signals such as ECG from the head of a subject. Methods of use of such apparatus to provide fitness, health, or other measured or derived, estimated, or predicted metrics are also disclosed.

A neurological control system for modulating activity of any component or structure comprising the entirety or portion of the nervous system, or any structure interfaced thereto, generally referred to herein as a “nervous system component.” The neurological control system generates neural modulation signals delivered to a nervous system component through one or more neuromodulators, comprising intracranial (IC) stimulating electrodes and other actuators, in accordance with treatment parameters. Such treatment parameters may be derived from a neural response to previously delivered neural modulation signals sensed by one or more sensors, each configured to sense a particular characteristic indicative of a neurological or psychiatric condition.

System, devices and methods are presented that provide an imaging array fabrication process method, comprising fabricating an array of semiconductor imaging elements, interconnecting the elements with stretchable interconnections, and transfer printing the array with a pre-strained elastomeric stamp to a secondary non-planar surface.

A sleep assist system to monitor and assist the user's sleep, comprising a bedside device positioned near the user's bed, the bedside device comprising a loudspeaker and a light source and optionally a microphone, a light sensor, a temperature sensor, a control unit, an air quality sensor, a display unit, a user interface. The sleep assist system further comprises a first sensing unit positioned in the user's bed and comprising one or more sensors adapted to sense at least pressure and/or changes in pressure exerted by the user lying in the bed. The system monitors the user's sleep, assesses the user's sleep cycles and the phase of sleep cycle, and provides the user with at least one light and sound program, the light and sound program being based on the assessment of the user's sleep cycles and the phase of sleep cycle.

A method and system of physiological monitoring, includes measuring a quantity relating to a first subject with a first sensor positioned in or in proximity of the first subject and configured to provide a first signal, measuring a quantity relating to a second subject with a second sensor positioned in or in proximity of the second subject and configured to provide a second signal, and analyzing the first and the second signal and the interrelation of the first and second signal in order to determine at least one event relating to the first and/or the second subject.

An apparatus and method of detecting COPD and in particular, emphysema utilizes a change in acoustic transmission characteristics of a lung due to e.g. the appearance of fenestrae (perforations) in the alveoli of the lung. The use of acoustic signals may provide good sensitivity to the existence of alveolar fenestrae, even for microscopic emphysema, and the appearance and increase in fenestrae may be determined by monitoring acoustic transmission characteristics such as, for example, an increase in acoustic signal velocity and velocity dispersion, and/or a change in attenuation. A transmitter may be located in e.g. the supra-clavicular space and receivers may be mounted on the chest. Measurements may be correlated between pairs of receivers to determine acoustic transmission profiles.

A chest piece for a stethoscope has a housing with a cavity. The cavity has a cavity surface which is paraboloid in shape, having an apex, an axis, and a focal point. The cavity terminates at the apex and an opening, and the focal point resides in the cavity. A transducer is positioned at the focal point. The parabolic shape of the cavity surface acts to reflect sound waves transmitted normal to the opening to the transducer, while reflecting other sound waves. A mechanical wave guide with a series of parallel passages preferably extends across the opening. Preferably, a membrane with a convex surface covers the opening. The cavity is preferably filled with a liquid or gel having physical characteristics similar to human flesh. To reduce noise from motion of the chest piece across the skin, the stethoscope can be activated by a pressure switch responsive to fluid pressure inside the cavity.

A system and methods of diagnosing and monitoring neurological disorders in a patient utilizing an artificial intelligence based system. The system may comprise a plurality of sensors, a collection of trained machine learning based diagnostic and monitoring tools, and an output device. The plurality of sensors may collect data relevant to neurological disorders. The trained diagnostic tool will learn to use the sensor data to assign risk assessments for various neurological disorders. The trained monitoring tool will track the development of a disorder over time and may be used to recommend or modify the administration of relevant treatments. The goal of the system is to render an accurate evaluation of the presence and severity of neurological disorders in a patient without requiring input from an expertly trained neurologist.

An electronic stethoscope head includes a head member having a contact surface for contact with a patient's body, a transducer in the head member, and an adhesive on the contact surface. A processing system for an electronic stethoscope includes a conditioning circuit configured to receive a transducer signal from a transducer and to be capable of amplifying and/or filtering the transducer signal, to yield a conditioned signal. There is also a signal processor system configured to subject the conditioned signal to an audio editing process. Bodily sounds are detected by applying an electronic stethoscope head a patient's body; generating a patient sonograph of the patient's bodily sounds; and comparing the patient sonograph to a reference sonograph. An electronic stethoscope system may include an accessory device and control circuitry to control the accessory device when abnormal bowel sounds are detected or no bowel sounds are detected for a predetermined interval.

Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for monitoring, identifying and determining the breathing cycle of an individual from processed acoustic signal waveform data. The breathing sounds of an individual are recorded using a microphone and digitized such that the breathing sounds may be plotted. The data is segmented and transformed to form a plurality of segments representative of a frequency spectrum. The frequency spectrum data is transformed so as to produce magnitude bins and the sum of lower magnitude bins and the sum of higher magnitude bins are determined in a sampling of segments. A Bands Ratio is determined from the sum of lower magnitude bins and the sum of higher magnitude bins in the sampling of segments. A first bands ratio is then determined within a given segment and compared to the mean bands ratio. If the first bands ratio of the given segment is greater than the mean bands ratio by at least a predetermined multiplier, the given segment is labeled as inspiration. If the first bands ratio of the given segment is less than the mean bands ratio by at least a predetermined multiplier, the given segment is labeled as expiration.