Patent ID: 8771205
Filing Date: 2014-07-08
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A cough detector adapted to externally engage a person comprising: a sensor capable of sensing and transducing low frequency and high frequency mechanical vibrations; a low pass filter for receiving signals from the sensor wherein the low pass filter is adapted to selectively pass low frequency signals within a frequency range of 0.5 Hz to 10 Hz; a low frequency threshold detector for applying an adaptive or fixed threshold to the low frequency signals; a high pass filter for receiving signals from the sensor wherein the high pass filter is adapted to selectively pass high frequency signals within a frequency range of 200 Hz to 2000 Hz; a high frequency threshold detector for applying an adaptive or fixed threshold to the high frequency signals; a coincidence detector for receiving signals from both the low frequency threshold detector and the high frequency threshold detector, wherein the coincidence detector identifies a coincidence between the signals arriving from the low frequency threshold detector and the high frequency threshold detector and generates a continuous signal for the duration of the coincidence; a duration detector for determining whether the duration of the continuous signal generated by the coincidence detector is within a range of cough durations, to thereby identify coughing events; and a register for storing data concerning coughing events identified as such by the duration detector.