Apparatus and methods for analyzing body sounds
AssigneeUniversity Technology Corporation
InventorsJoseph Isaac Shapiro, Howard David Weinberger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for assisting an operator to diagnose physical conditions in a patient by collecting and analyzing cyclical body sounds such as heart beat, peripheral vessel sounds, or breath sounds. Several cycles of data are collected and digitized. Each cycle is converted to the frequency domain and phase fixed. Then all of the frequency converted and phase fixed cycles are signal averaged together, and the results displayed to the operator. The cycles may be sorted according to respiratory cycle and averaged in two groups. The cycles may be gated according to the patients ECG. The apparatus may suggest diagnoses or further maneuvers to be performed.
Claims31
Apparatus for analyzing body sounds utilizing body sound data collected from a patient, said apparatus comprising:
- means for storing a plurality of cycles of data representing a body sound;
- means for converting each cycle to the frequency domain;
- means for phase fixing each frequency converted cycle;
- means for signal averaging the phase fixed cycles;
- and
- means for providing the averaged signals to a user.
A method of analyzing body sounds utilizing body sound data collected from a patient, said method comprising:
- storing a plurality of cycles of data representing a body sound;
- converting each cycle to the frequency domain;
- phase fixing each frequency converted cycle;
- signal averaging the phase fixed cycles;
- and
- providing the averaged signals to a user.
Apparatus for analyzing body sounds utilizing body sound data and respiratory phase data collected from a patient, said apparatus comprising:
- means for storing a plurality of cycles of data representing a body sound;
- means for sorting said cycles according to respiratory phase;
- means for converting each cycle to the frequency domain;
- means for phase fixing each frequency converted cycle;
- means for signal averaging the phase fixed cycles;
- and
- means for providing the averaged signals to a user.
A method of analyzing body sounds utilizing body sound and respiratory phase data collected from a patient, said method comprising:
- storing a plurality of cycles of data representing a body sound;
- converting each cycle to the frequency domain;
- sorting said cycles according to respiratory phase;
- phase fixing each frequency converted cycle;
- signal averaging the phase fixed cycles;
- and
- providing the averaged signals to a user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.