Network-connected electronic stethoscope systems
Introduced here are electronic stethoscope systems designed to simultaneously monitor sounds originating from within a body under examination and the ambient environment. An electronic stethoscope system can include one or more input units that are connected to a hub unit. Each input unit may have at least one auscultation microphone and at least one ambient microphone. To improve the quality of sound recorded by an input unit, a processor can apply a noise cancellation algorithm that considers as input the audio data produced by the auscultation microphone(s) and the audio data produced by the ambient microphone(s). The audio data may be digitized directly in the input unit, and then transmitted to the hub unit for synchronization. For example, by examining the audio data produced by the ambient microphone(s), the processor may discover which digital artifacts, if any, should be filtered from the audio data produced by the auscultation microphone(s). The processor may reside within the input unit or the hub unit.
1. An input unit for an electronic stethoscope system, the input unit comprising:
a structural body that includes a conical resonator designed to collect acoustic waves corresponding to sounds internal to a body;
an auscultation microphone configured to produce first audio data indicative of the sounds internal to the body;
an ambient microphone configured to produce second audio data indicative of sounds external to the body;
an attachment sensor configured to generate attachment data indicative of an adhesion status of the input unit,
wherein the attachment sensor is an optical proximity sensor designed to emit light through the conical resonator and then determine a distance between the input unit and the body based on a characteristic of the light reflected back through the conical resonator; and
a processor configured to forward the first and second audio data to a hub unit responsible for examining the first and second audio data.
2. An input unit for an electronic stethoscope system, the input unit comprising:
a structural body that includes a conical resonator designed to collect acoustic waves corresponding to sounds internal to a body;
an auscultation microphone configured to produce first audio data indicative of the sounds internal to the body;
an ambient microphone configured to produce second audio data indicative of sounds external to the body;
an attachment sensor configured to generate attachment data indicative of an adhesion status of the input unit,
wherein the attachment sensor is an audio sensor designed to determine a distance between the input unit and the body based on acoustic characterization; and
a processor configured to forward the first and second audio data to a hub unit responsible for examining the first and second audio data.
3. An input unit for an electronic stethoscope system, the input unit comprising:
a structural body that includes a conical resonator designed to collect acoustic waves corresponding to sounds internal to a body;
an auscultation microphone configured to produce first audio data indicative of the sounds internal to the body;
an ambient microphone configured to produce second audio data indicative of sounds external to the body;
an attachment sensor configured to generate attachment data indicative of an adhesion status of the input unit,
wherein the attachment sensor is a pressure sensor designed to determine a distance between the input unit and the body based on an amount of applied pressure; and
a processor configured to forward the first and second audio data to a hub unit responsible for examining the first and second audio data.
4. An input unit for an electronic stethoscope system, the input unit comprising:
a structural body that includes a conical resonator designed to collect acoustic waves corresponding to sounds internal to a body;
an auscultation microphone configured to produce first audio data indicative of the sounds internal to the body;
an ambient microphone configured to produce second audio data indicative of sounds external to the body;
an attachment sensor configured to generate attachment data indicative of an adhesion status of the input unit; and
a processor configured to:
determine, based on the attachment data, whether the input unit has been properly adhered to the body;
in response to a determination that the input unit has been properly adhered to the body,
initiate recording by the auscultation and ambient microphones;
in response to a determination that the input unit has not been properly adhered to the body,
prevent the auscultation and ambient microphones from recording; and
forward the first and second audio data to a hub unit responsible for examining the first and second audio data.
5. An input unit for an electronic stethoscope system, the input unit comprising:
a structural body that includes a conical resonator designed to collect acoustic waves corresponding to sounds internal to a body;
an auscultation microphone configured to produce first audio data indicative of the sounds internal to the body;
an ambient microphone configured to produce second audio data indicative of sounds external to the body;
an inertial measurement unit configured to generate movement data indicative of a force, an inclination, an angular rate, or a magnetic field experienced by the input unit; and
a processor configured to:
append metadata to the first and second audio data that identifies the input unit; and
forward the first and second audio data to a hub unit responsible for examining the first and second audio data.