# US 10,945,699 B2 · Respiratory sound analysis for lung health assessment

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- Number: US 10,945,699 B2
- Document ID: US10945699B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/849,864
- Filed: 2017-12-21
- Published: 2018-06-28
- Granted: 2021-03-16
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-28
- Assignees: Hill-Rom Services Pte. Ltd.
- Applicants: Hill-Rom Services PTE Ltd.
- Inventors: Chau Chong Ye; Yue Wang; Suresha Venkataraya; Aye Aung; Zhon Chu; Aaron R. Burnham; Matthew D. Mullin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10945699B2

## CPC

- A61B 7/003: {Detecting lung or respiration noise}
- A61B 5/0015: {characterised by features of the telemetry system}
- A61B 5/08: Measuring devices for evaluating the respiratory organs
- A61B 5/0803: {Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor}
- A61B 5/4833: {Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment}
- A61B 5/6805: {Vests, e.g. shirts or gowns}
- A61H 9/0007: {Pulsating}
- A61H 23/004: {With mechanical drive, e.g. spring mechanism or vibrating unit being hit for starting vibration and then applied to the body of a patient}
- A61H 23/006: {Percussion or tapping massage (hand percussion A61H23/06)}
- A61H 31/00: Artificial respiration by a force applied to the chest; Heart stimulation, e.g. heart massage (applying electric currents by contact electrodes for stimulation, e.g. heart pace-makers, A61N1/36 {; teaching or training models, demonstration models for medical purposes G09B23/288})
- A61M 16/0051: {with alarm devices}
- A61B 5/0816: {Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency (measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00)}
- A61B 5/1135: {by monitoring thoracic expansion}
- A61B 5/7267: {involving training the classification device}
- A61B 2562/0204: Acoustic sensors
- A61H 2023/002: {having a percussion element combined with a passive spacer element for bearing against the skin}
- A61H 2201/1207: with electric or magnetic drive
- A61H 2201/1619: Thorax
- A61H 2201/1621: Holding means therefor
- A61H 2201/1623: Back
- A61H 2201/1626: Holding means therefor
- A61H 2201/1645: contoured to fit the user
- A61H 2201/165: Wearable interfaces
- A61H 2201/5005: for controlling frequency distribution, modulation or interference of a driving signal
- A61H 2201/501: connected to external computer devices or networks
- A61H 2201/5043: Displays
- A61H 2201/5076: Frequency sensors
- A61H 2205/084: Chest
- A61H 2230/405: used as a control parameter for the apparatus
- A61M 16/0006: {with means for creating vibrations in patients' airways}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- A61H: PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY (electrotherapy, magnetotherapy, radiation therapy or ultrasound therapy A61N)
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}

## Abstract

A respiratory acoustic analysis system for sensing and analyzing respiratory sounds of a patient may include a High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO) vest, at least one sensor coupled with the HFCWO vest, and an algorithm stored in a processor for processing sensed data from the at least one acoustic sensor to provide processed data describing the respiratory sounds of the patient, in a form that can be used by a physician or other user.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A respiratory therapy and analysis system for administering a percussive treatment and sensing and analyzing respiratory sounds of a patient, the system comprising:
a high frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) vest;
at least one sensor coupled with the HFCWO vest, the at least one sensor including at least one pair of voice coil actuators having a transmitter voice coil actuator that transmits a signal on a first side of the HFCWO vest, and a receiver voice coil actuator that receives the signal on a second side of the HFCWO vest; and
an algorithm stored in a processor for processing sensed data from the at least one sensor to provide processed data describing the respiratory sounds of the patient, in a form that is usable by a user, wherein the respiratory sounds are used by the algorithm to determine lung clarity, and the percussive treatment is stopped when the lung clarity reaches a predefined threshold or a prescribed treatment time elapses, whichever occurs first, and the lung clarity is determined by measuring a phase shift in the signal received by the receiver voice coil actuator.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one pair of voice coil actuators comprises multiple pairs of voice coil actuators.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the multiple pairs of voice coil actuators are configured to provide the percussive treatment to the patient.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the algorithm comprises a machine learning algorithm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the algorithm comprises:
a pre-processing function;
a feature extraction function; and
a classification function.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the form of the processed data is selected from the group consisting of a patient progress report, a pulmonary function test report, and environmental data affecting breathing.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a charger main control board coupled with the at least one sensor, wherein the charger main control board comprises:
a digital signal processor; and
a radiofrequency module.

### Claim 8

A respiratory analysis system for sensing and analyzing respiratory sounds of a patient, the system comprising:
at least one acoustic sensor for attaching to a high frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) vest, the at least one acoustic sensor having at least one pair of voice coil actuators that includes a transmitter voice coil actuator configured to transmit a signal on a first side of the HFCWO vest, and a receiver voice coil actuator configured to receive the signal on a second side of the HFCWO vest; and
an algorithm stored in a processor for processing sensed acoustic data from the at least one acoustic sensor to provide processed data describing the respiratory sounds of the patient, in a form that is usable by a user, wherein the respiratory sounds are used by the algorithm to determine lung clarity, and a percussive treatment is stopped when the lung clarity reaches a predefined threshold or a prescribed treatment time elapses, whichever occurs first, and the lung clarity is determined by measuring a phase shift in the signal received by the receiver voice coil actuator.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is housed in the HFCWO vest or another computing device.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, further comprising an application for a smart device, configured to display at least one indicator to the patient regarding at least one of a lung function of the patient's lungs or progress of a lung treatment being performed on the patient's lungs.

### Claim 11

A method for measuring and analyzing respiratory sounds of a patient's lungs, the method comprising:
sensing at least one of respiratory sounds or chest wall movement, using at least one sensor coupled with a high frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) vest, the at least one sensor including a transmitter voice coil actuator and a receiver voice coil actuator, and sensing the at least one of the respiratory sounds or the chest wall movement including transmitting a signal from the transmitter voice coil actuator on a first side of the HFCWO vest, and receiving the signal with the receiver voice coil actuator on a second side of the HFCWO vest;
converting sensed data from the patient's lungs to electronic data;
processing the electronic data to provide lung function assessment data by measuring a phase shift between the transmitted signal and the received signal;
providing the lung function assessment data to a user;
determining whether the patient's breathing is at or above a predetermined threshold clarity based on the lung function assessment data; and
automatically stopping a percussive treatment when the patient's breathing reaches the predetermined threshold clarity or a prescribed treatment time elapses, whichever occurs first.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the sensing step comprises sensing chest wall movement with at least one of the transmitter voice coil actuator and the receiver voice coil actuator, and wherein the providing step comprises providing a respiratory rate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising providing an adjusted HFCWO treatment prescription, based on the lung function assessment data.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein providing the lung function assessment data comprises displaying the lung function assessment data on a display of a smart device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a smart device, and wherein completion of the percussive treatment with the HFCWO vest is displayed on the smart device.