US 3,977,394 AGranted

Computerized pulmonary analyzer

AssigneeJones Medical Instrument Company

InventorsWilliam C. Jones, Clifford Harwood

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A programmable digital computer receives an electrical signal from a spirometer into which a person under test breathes. The signal is representative of the volume of air expired by the person. The computer controls a matrix printer. Data may be entered into the computer via a keyboard. The computer instructs the operator as to when identification data may be entered via the keyboard. The operator indicates which test is to be conducted by actuating the keyboard; and the computer receives the data and indicates whether acquired test data is acceptable. The operator tells the test subject which breathing maneuver he must follow for a desired test. The computer stores the test results and the operator may then have the measurement test results analyzed by the computer, compared with standardized predicted values, and printed on a permanent record. The system is capable of measuring, analyzing and computing values for standard Forced Expiratory Volume, Maximal Voluntary Ventilation, Minute Ventilation and Functional Residual Capacity tests.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A self-contained, portable system for measuring and computing respiratory parameters of a test subject undergoing forced expired breathing maneuvers according to instructions, comprising:

transducer means including spirometer means receiving the exhaled breath of the subject for generating a measurement signal representative of the volume of gas exhaled by said subject during a predetermined forced breathing maneuver;
miniaturized digital computer means including clock circuit means for generating timing signals, said computer means receiving said measurement signal for acquiring and storing digital signals representing a stored record of said forced maneuver, in timed relation with said timing signals and for computing predetermined respiratory parameters of said subject from said stored signals;
keyboard means comprising a plurality of digit key means selectively actuatable by an operator and communicating with said computer means for entering data relating to said particular subject, and a plurality of function key means for controlling the acquisition of said stored record of a forced breathing maneuver from said spriometer means in timed relation with said timing signals, and for communicating with said computer means for controlling the sequence of operation and computation of said system;
and record generating means including printer means for printing alpha-numeric characters on a paper tape under control of said computer means to generate indicia representative of the computed parameter results selected by the operator through said keyboard means, and for communicating to said operator the progress of the sequence of said operations of said system under control of said computer means.

1 more element

A self-contained, portable system for measuring, computing and preparing a permanent record of breathing parameters of a test subject undergoing forced, expired breathing maneuvers according to instructions, comprising:

spirometer means for receiving the exhaled gases of said subject during a forced test maneuver and for generating a signal representative of the volume of gases exhaled by said subject during a predetermined breathing maneuver;
programmable digital computer means receiving said signal for acquiring and storing digital signals comprising a stored record of said maneuver, said computer means being programmable for computing predetermined respiratory parameters of said subject from said stored signals;
one of the test functions programmed in said computer means being a Forced Expiratory Volume test, said computer means including programmed means for converting the signal from said spirometer means into digital signal representation at a predetermined sampling rate, for determining the first measurement value of said signal from said spirometer means by comparing it to a predetermined threshold value and thereafter storing samples of the signal from said spirometer means at predetermined intervals to generate a series of stored digital samples representative of a forced expiratory volume curve;
keyboard means comprising a plurality of key means communicating with said computer means and selectively actuatable by an operator and communicating with said computer means for entering data relating to said particular subject and for controlling the acquisition of said stored record of a breathing maneuver and for controlling the sequence of operation and computation of said system;
and printer means for printing a permanent record under control of said computer means as selected by the operator through said keyboard means, said computer means being programmed, upon being actuated to print a message on said record instructing the operator to enter subject identification or reference data into said system by means of said keyboard means.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.