# US 8,784,329 B2 · Devices for diagnosing sleep apnea or other conditions and related systems and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,784,329 B2 - Document ID: US8784329B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/167,165 - Filed: 2011-06-23 - Published: 2012-05-17 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2010-11-15 - Applicants: Louis J. Wilson - Inventors: Louis J. Wilson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8784329B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/687: {Oesophagus} - A61B 5/08: Measuring devices for evaluating the respiratory organs - A61B 5/0803: {Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor} - A61B 5/0826: {Detecting or evaluating apnoea events (sleep apnoea A61B5/4818)} - A61B 5/087: Measuring breath flow - A61B 5/091: Measuring volume of inspired or expired gases, e.g. to determine lung capacity - A61B 5/4818: {Sleep apnoea} - A61B 5/6852: {Catheters} - A61B 5/7275: {Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor} - A61B 5/7278: {Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesizing signals from measured signals} - A61B 7/003: {Detecting lung or respiration noise} - A61M 16/0003: {Accessories therefor, e.g. sensors, vibrators, negative pressure} - A61M 16/04: Tracheal tubes (catheters in general A61M25/00) - A61B 5/6847: {mounted on an invasive device} - A61B 8/12: in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters - A61B 2562/0204: Acoustic sensors - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - 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 system includes a sensor device having a body configured to be inserted into an airway of a patient and one or more sensors mounted in or on the body. The one or more sensors are configured to collect sensor data associated with the airway of the patient. The system also includes a signal analyzer configured to analyze the sensor data. The one or more sensors could include one or more microphones. The signal analyzer could identify volume and/or pitch characteristics of the sensor data, perform pattern recognition to identify one or more patterns using the volume and/or pitch characteristics, and use the one or more patterns to identify a type, a location, and/or a degree of airway obstruction. This could be done, for instance, to determine if the patient suffers from obstructive sleep apnea or other condition that affects his or her airway. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: a body configured to be inserted into an airway of a patient; and multiple sensors mounted in or on the body, the sensors comprising multiple vibrational or acoustic sensors spaced apart along at least part of a length of the body and configured to collect vibrational or acoustic data associated with the airway of the patient at multiple locations along the airway of the patient; wherein the sensors in or on the body are configured to be inserted through a mouth or nose of the patient into an esophagus of the patient in order to position the sensors in the airway of the patient. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a sensor array containing the sensors. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vibrational or acoustic sensors comprise microphones. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a catheter having first and second channels, the first channel configured to receive a stylet, the second channel comprising one or more wires coupled to the sensors. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body comprises at least one marking that identifies a desired insertion distance. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensors further comprise one or more additional sensors configured to measure at least one of: respiratory effort, blood oxygen level, heart rate, airway temperature variations, and airway pressure. ### Claim 7 A system comprising: a sensor device comprising: a body configured to be inserted into an airway of a patient; and multiple sensors mounted in or on the body, the sensors comprising multiple vibrational or acoustic sensors spaced apart along at least part of a length of the body and configured to collect vibrational or acoustic data associated with the airway of the patient at multiple locations along the airway of the patient; wherein the sensors in or on the body are configured to be inserted through a mouth or nose of the patient into an esophagus of the patient in order to position the sensors in the airway of the patient; and a signal analyzer configured to analyze sensor data including the vibrational or acoustic data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the signal analyzer is configured to analyze the sensor data by identifying at least one of: volume characteristics and pitch characteristics of the sensor data. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the signal analyzer is configured to analyze the sensor data by performing pattern recognition to identify one or more patterns using at least one of the volume characteristics and the pitch characteristics of the sensor data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the signal analyzer is configured to analyze the sensor data by using the one or more patterns to identify at least one of: a type, a location, and a degree of airway obstruction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the sensor device comprises a sensor array containing the sensors. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the vibrational or acoustic sensors comprise microphones. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the body comprises a catheter having first and second channels, the first channel configured to receive a stylet, the second channel comprising one or more wires coupled to the sensors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the body comprises at least one marking that identifies a desired insertion distance. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising computer readable program code for: receiving sensor data comprising vibrational or acoustic data from multiple sensors, the sensors comprising multiple vibrational or acoustic sensors spaced apart along at least part of a length of a sensor device that is configured to be inserted into an airway of a patient, the sensors configured to be inserted through a mouth or nose of the patient into an esophagus of the patient in order to position the sensors in the airway of the patient, the vibrational or acoustic data associated with the airway of the patient at multiple locations along the airway of the patient; and analyzing the sensor data to determine if the patient suffers from a specified condition affecting the airway of the patient. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program code for analyzing the sensor data comprises computer readable program code for analyzing the sensor data to determine if the patient suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program code for analyzing the sensor data comprises computer readable program code for identifying at least one of: volume characteristics and pitch characteristics of the sensor data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code for analyzing the sensor data comprises computer readable program code for performing pattern recognition to identify one or more patterns using at least one of the volume characteristics and the pitch characteristics of the sensor data. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the computer readable program code for analyzing the sensor data comprises computer readable program code for using the one or more patterns to identify at least one of: a type, a location, and a degree of airway obstruction. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program code for receiving the sensor data comprises computer readable program code for receiving the sensor data from the multiple sensors in sequence along the sensor device. ### Claim 21 A method comprising: placing a patient under sedation; inserting a sensor device into an airway of the patient, the sensor device comprising multiple sensors, the sensors comprising multiple vibrational or acoustic sensors spaced apart along at least part of a length of the sensor′ device, the sensors inserted through a mouth or nose of the patient into an esophagus of the patient in order to position the sensors in the airway of the patient; collecting sensor data, including vibrational or acoustic data associated with the patient using the sensor device; and analyzing, using at least one processing unit, the sensor data to determine if the patient suffers from a specified condition affecting the airway of the patient.