Auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor

A sound-or-vibration sensor, comprising:

• a. a first housing, wherein a first end of said first housing incorporates an open-ended cavity bounded by a base portion and a sidewall, said sidewall is located between said base portion and an opening of said open-ended cavity, an outer-facing surface of said base portion of said first housing provides for receiving an adhesive acoustic interface material to provide for coupling the sound-or-vibration sensor to a skin surface of a test subject, a periphery of said opening of an open end of said open-ended cavity abuts an outer rim of said first housing, and said sidewall incorporates a counterbore defining a base rim within said open-ended cavity, wherein said base rim is recessed from said outer rim;
• b. at least one metallic diaphragm disk operatively coupled to said base rim of said first housing, thereby providing for closing said open-ended cavity of said first housing;
• c. a piezoelectric material bonded to each said at least one metallic diaphragm disk;
• d. at least one inertial mass operatively coupled to a central portion of said at least one metallic diaphragm disk via a corresponding at least one stand-off element of reduced transverse dimension relative to a maximum transverse dimension of said at least one inertial mass, wherein said transverse dimension is relative to a direction that is generally parallel to a surface of said at least one metallic diaphragm disk, and the operative coupling of said at least one inertial mass to said at least one metallic diaphragm disk does not electrically short said piezoelectric material to said at least one metallic diaphragm disk;
• and
• e. a cover, wherein said cover provides for covering said opening of said open-ended cavity.

A wiring harness that provides for operatively coupling a plurality of auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensors to a recording module, comprising:

• a. a plurality of insulated conductors, and
• b. a first electrical connector, wherein each conductor of said plurality of insulated conductors extends between, and electrically connects, a corresponding terminal of said first electrical connector to either a corresponding terminal of an electrical connector jack of a plurality of electrical jacks located along the wiring harness, or to a corresponding terminal of a corresponding auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor of the plurality of auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensors, wherein each said electrical connector jack of said plurality of electrical jacks, if present, provide for connecting to a corresponding electrical connector plug associated with a corresponding sound-or-vibration sensor of the plurality of auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensors;
• c. wherein said plurality of insulated conductors are organized in a plurality of distinct branches, each distinct branch of said plurality of distinct branches originates either from said first electrical connector or from another portion of said wiring harness, and the locations of said plurality of distinct branches, in cooperation with said plurality of electrical jacks, if present, are implicitly suggestive of a corresponding location of said corresponding auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor on a thorax of a test subject, and said first electrical connector is adapted to connect to a corresponding counterpart first electrical connector of the recording module so as to provide for connecting electrical signals from each of said plurality of auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensors to said recording module for processing thereby.