Patent ID: 11896398
Assignee: AUSCULSCIENCES, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  H | IPC A  H

Claim 20:
21. A method of receiving and processing at least one auscultatory sound signal from a corresponding at least one auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor, comprising:
a. placing the corresponding at least one auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor in proximity to a corresponding sound generator;
b. applying an auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor electronic test signal to said corresponding sound generator, wherein said auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor electronic test signal comprises a plurality of frequency components, each frequency component of said plurality of frequency components comprises an integral number of wavelengths, and each said frequency component is terminated following a duration of time corresponding to said integral number of wavelengths of said frequency component after said frequency component of said auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor electronic test signal is applied to said corresponding sound generator, wherein the operation of applying said auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor electronic test signal to said corresponding sound generator comprises driving said corresponding sound generator with, or responsive to, an analog signal from a digital-to-analog converter responsive to a digital waveform signal, wherein said digital waveform signal is generated in real time responsive to a stored program, wherein said digital waveform signal is generated in real time responsive to a plurality of STFT frame-synchronized sinusoidal test frequencies and a number of points of an associated Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT), wherein each STFT frame-synchronized sinusoidal test frequency of said plurality of STFT frame-synchronized sinusoidal test frequencies has a corresponding integral number of wavelengths within a time-frame interval of said associated Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT), and said STFT frame-synchronized sinusoidal test frequency is an integer factor times a ratio of a sampling frequency divided by said number of points of said associated Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT);
c. generating an acoustic sound signal from said corresponding sound generator responsive to said auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor electronic test signal;
d. exposing said corresponding at least one auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor to said acoustic sound signal and receiving a corresponding at least one auscultatory sound signal responsive thereto; and
e. determining whether or not said corresponding at least one auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor is functioning properly responsive to an analysis of a Fourier Transform of said corresponding at least one auscultatory sound signal.