Abstract:
An electronic stethoscope comprises a local unit ( 1 - 6 ) and an outer auxiliary processing unit (PU). The local unit ( 1 - 6 ) comprises:—a microphone ( 10 ),—first coupling means ( 11 ) that can receive an auscultation signal supplied by the microphone ( 10 ), and transmit it to the auxiliary processing unit (PU), on a first link,—second coupling means ( 13 ) that can receive an audio signal, from the auxiliary processing unit (PU), on a second link,—and sound reproducing means ( 14 ), for reproducing an audio signal supplied by the second coupling means ( 13 ); The auxiliary processing unit (PU) comprises:—receiving means ( 21 ) that can receive an auscultation signal from a local unit ( 1 - 6 ), on a first link,—processing means for processing an auscultation signal received by the receiving means, and restituting an improved auscultation signal;—and transmitting means ( 22 ) that can send the improved auscultation signal to a local unit ( 1 - 6 ), on the second link

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention relates to an electronic stethoscope of the type comprising a microphone, electronic sound processing means, and sound reproducing means, such as a loudspeaker or headphones. Stethoscopes are used by physicians to listen to sounds from the organism, in particular heart and lungs. An electronic stethoscope gives the possibility of active amplification and filtering to any desired degree. Furthermore there is a possibility to permit physicians to discuss the same phenomenon during simultaneous auscultation, as several headphones may well be connected to one and the same amplifier with filter. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    A known construction of an electronic stethoscope is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,331. It comprises: a microphone, a preamplifier, a first amplifier, a digital filtering unit, and a second amplifier coupled to an output. 
         [0005]    The preamplifier performs impedance conversion. A pre-emphasis takes place in the first amplifier. The pre-emphasized signal is fed to the digital filtering unit. The digital filtering unit comprises an analog-to-digital converter (A/D converter), a digital filter, and a digital-to-analog converter (D/A converter). A switch selects either the filtered signal from the filtering unit, or a direct signal from the preamplifier, in order that a comparison may be made between the filtered signal and the unfiltered signal, by switching these two signals. Before such a comparison is performed, there may be loudness equalization between the two channels so that the ear will not have too great adjustment problems by the comparison. From the output amplifier, the amplified signal is brought to one or several headphones. 
         [0006]    An electronic stethoscope can be hands-free: A wireless transmission (high frequency, low frequency, or optical) links a transducer part and a headphone part. 
         [0007]    The output of an electronic stethoscope can be linked to a personal computer or a personal digital assistant for analyzing and displaying waveforms, for instance a phonocardiogram. Known electronic stethoscopes provide some digital audio processing, but the performances are limited by the low computing power that can be embedded in an electronic stethoscope, and by the limited possibilities of the interface for controlling the functions of the stethoscope: It can only comprise a few switches and a very small display. For instance, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,809 describes a digital stethoscope comprising means for detecting, digitizing, and recording a phonocardiogram. An audio processor embedded in the stethoscope locally filters the auscultation signal. Then the filtered signal is sent directly to the headset, and it may be recorded. Recorded data may be transmitted to a computer/display unit for further analysis. 
         [0008]    The U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,189 describes a stethoscopy system comprising a plurality of electronic stethoscopes respectively coupled to a micro-computer by bidirectional radio links. 
         [0009]    Each stethoscope includes an audio processor that locally filters the auscultation signal. Then the filtered signal is sent directly to a headset. Each stethoscope comprises means for receiving an audio signal transmitted on a radio link. In addition each stethoscope comprises means for transmitting auscultation sounds on a radio link, so that the detected sound from one stethoscope may be received by another stethoscope so as to enable co-listening by one or more users of said stethoscopes; and may be received by the micro-computer, so that they can be processed for elaborating a diagnostic. 
         [0010]    The micro-computer comprises: 
         [0011]    a receiving circuit; 
         [0012]    a bandpass filter bank for dividing a signal received from said receiving circuit into several audio bands, whereby a continuous received signal can be expressed as discrete parameters from each audio band at discrete time intervals; 
         [0013]    means connected to said receiving circuit for detecting the rate of the signal waveform of said received signal; 
         [0014]    processing means for receiving the discrete parameters from said bandpass filter bank and an output of said rate detecting means for forming a pattern from the discrete parameters, comparing said formed pattern with other predetermined patterns representative of particular symptoms, and storing said formed and predetermined patterns in a data base along with criteria for pattern comparison; 
         [0015]    output and radio transmitting means for outputting said formed pattern or other symptom-related data outputted by said processing means in accordance with said comparison; 
         [0016]    a signal characteristics extractor, a signal characteristics comparator, a symptom diagnoser, a data base, a digital verbal output circuit. 
         [0017]    The signal characteristics comparator provides basic criteria for determination of various symptoms. The symptom diagnoser recognizes different patterns of detected sound, which differ from the reference pattern whenever there is a symptom. The symptom diagnoser is used to diagnose occurrence of a symptom with appropriate software and reference data stored in the database. The digital voice output device is used to tell by voice the name of, and information concerning, a possible disease after the aforesaid diagnosis. The database contains patterns of sound for various diseases and the voice data of the disease names (causes). A digital/analog converter and an amplifier convert the digital voice data that is composed of the digital parameters. 
         [0018]    So the micro-computer elaborates a diagnostic as a voice signal that is supplied to the radio transmitting means. This audio signal may be received by anyone of the stethoscopes. While a practitioner listens to the auscultation signal, locally filtered by the audio processor embedded in the stethoscope, he/she can listen to the name of, and information concerning, a possible disease supplied by the micro-computer. 
         [0019]    The aim of the present invention is to further improve the known electronic stethoscopes. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    The invention provides an electronic stethoscope comprising a local unit and an outer auxiliary processing unit, said local unit comprising:
       a microphone,   first coupling means that can receive an auscultation signal supplied by the microphone, and transmit it to the auxiliary processing unit, on a first link,   second coupling means that can receive an audio signal, from the auxiliary processing unit, on a second link,   and sound reproducing means, for reproducing an audio signal supplied by the second coupling means;       
 
         [0025]    said auxiliary processing unit (PU) comprising:
       receiving means that can receive an auscultation signal from a local unit, on a first link,   processing means for processing an auscultation signal received by the receiving means,   and transmitting means that can send an audio signal to a local unit, on the second link;       
 
         [0029]    said auxiliary processing unit being characterized in that:
       the processing means are adapted for processing an auscultation signal received by the receiving means, and restituting an improved auscultation signal,   and the transmitting means are adapted to send said improved auscultation signal to a local unit, on the second link.       
 
         [0032]    The stethoscope according to the invention benefits from an unlimited computation power for improving the auscultation sound heard by a physician, since the auscultation signal is sent, via the first link, to an auxiliary processing unit that has no limitation a priori; then the improved auscultation signal restituted by the auxiliary processing unit is sent to the local unit of the stethoscope, via the second link, and forwarded to the sound reproducing means, up to the ears of the physician. 
         [0033]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0034]    The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the drawing, in which: 
           [0035]      FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of a first embodiment of the stethoscope according to the invention. 
           [0036]      FIG. 2  shows a more detailed block diagram of this first embodiment. 
           [0037]      FIG. 3  shows a block diagram of a second embodiment of the stethoscope according to the invention. 
       
    
    
       [0038]    If possible, like or similar reference numerals designate the same or similar components throughout the figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0039]    The first embodiment represented on  FIG. 1  comprises a local unit  1 - 6  and an outer auxiliary processing unit PU that can be a few meters distant. The local unit  1 - 6  comprises:
       A chest piece  1  that is placed on the location where the user wants to hear sound. The chest piece  1  comprises a diaphragm  2  on the bottom side.   A conventional flexible tube  3 , attached to a ribbed stem  4  of the chest piece  1 .   A conventional headset made up of two metal eartubes  5 ,  6 , a tension spring  7 , and two eartips  8 ,  9 .       
 
         [0043]    The chestpiece  1  comprises a cup shaped cavity  16  limited by the diaphragm  2  and by a metal wall  17  ; and a second cavity  18  containing an acoustical chamber  15 , a loudspeaker  14 , two electronic units  11 - 13 , a switch  12 , a microphone  10 , and a battery not represented. The microphone  10  is placed in a hole  19  cut in the wall  17 , for converting the sound transmitted by the diaphragm  2  into an electric signal. 
         [0044]    A first electronic unit  11  amplifies the auscultation signal supplied by the microphone  10 , samples it, and digitizes it. The first electronic unit  11  further comprises a Bluetooth transmitter that sends the digitized auscultation signal to an outer processing unit PU, which is a personal digital assistant for instance. 
         [0045]    A second electronic unit  13  comprises a Bluetooth receiver that receives a digitized signal from the outer processing unit PU. This signal is the auscultation signal that has been processed by the processing unit in such a way as to provide more valuable diagnostic information. The received auscultation signal is amplified and then applied to the loudspeaker  14 . The ribbed stem  4  is connected to the acoustic chamber  15  placed in front of loudspeaker  14 . 
         [0046]    This loudspeaker  14  has preferably a broad diameter (Four centimeters for instance) in order to correctly reproduce the low frequencies. The association of this broad diameter loudspeaker  14  and of the classical flexible tube  3  provides an audio transfer function that is not flat, but is similar to the transfer function of the association of the diaphragm and of the tube in a classical acoustic stethoscope. So the audio signal provided at the eartips  8 ,  9  sounds familiar to a physician who has been trained to auscultation with a classical stethoscope. 
         [0047]    The outer auxiliary processing unit PU in real time processes the auscultation signal. A current personal digital assistant, or a personal computer, has a computation power appropriate for applying sophisticated filtering methods which need much computation power. Examples of such sophisticated filtering methods can be found in the followings documents:
       Acoustic echo and noise control A practical approach,   Authors: HÄNSLER Eberhard, SCHMIDT Gerhard, WILEY Editor.   IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING LETTERS, VOL. 11, NO. 4, APRIL 2004,   A Fast Converging Algorithm for Network Echo Cancellation, Mehran Nekuii,  Student Member, IEEE , and Mojtaba Atarodi,  Member, IEEE.          
 
         [0052]    In addition, the processing unit PU processes the auscultation signal for displaying a waveform on a screen  20  of the processing unit PU. A method for such processing is described in the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,809 incorporated here by reference. 
         [0053]    The auxiliary processing unit PU provides a richer man-machine interface, than any electronic stethoscope. It may comprise an alphanumeric keyboard, a touch screen, a voice recognition software, etc, which are very useful means for controlling the functions of the stethoscope, and that could not be embedded in a stethoscope alone. A graphical interface displays menus in order to enable a user to switch between several transfer functions for the filtering, and several display parameters for displaying waveforms. Several sets of filter coefficients are stored in a memory of the processing unit PU. 
         [0054]    The switch  12  enables to bypass the Bluetooth link to the auxiliary processing unit PU. It can be used either when no processing unit PU is available, or when the physician wants to hear the auscultation signal directly, without any filtering, for comparing with the filtered signal provided by the processing unit PU. 
         [0055]      FIG. 2  shows a more detailed block diagram of this first embodiment. The first electronic unit  11  comprises in series: an analogue preamplifier  30 , an analogue-to-digital converter  31 , and a Bluetooth radio transmitter  32 . An input of the analogue preamplifier  30  is linked to the microphone  10 . An output of the analogue preamplifier  30  is linked to an input of the Bluetooth radio transmitter  32 . The output of the analogue preamplifier  30  is linked to an input of the analogue-to-digital converter  31  and to a first terminal of the switch  12 . The output of the analogue-to-digital converter  31  is linked to the input of the Bluetooth radio transmitter  32 . 
         [0056]    The second electronic unit  13  comprises in series: a Bluetooth radio receiver  33 , a digital-to-analogue converter  34 , and an output amplifier  35 . The output of Bluetooth radio receiver  33  is linked to the input of the digital-to-analogue converter  34 . The output of the digital-to-analogue converter  34  is linked to a first input of the output amplifier  35 . This latter has a second input linked to a second terminal of the switch  12 , a first output linked to the loudspeaker  14 , and a second output linked to a connector  30  where a headphone, or several headphones, can be connected. 
         [0057]    A micro controller controls the Bluetooth radio transmitter  32 , the Bluetooth radio receiver  33 , and the output amplifier  35 . 
         [0058]    A rechargeable battery  42  supplies power to a power unit  43  regulating a DC voltage distributed to all the electronic components of the stethoscope. A charging unit  41  linked to a connector  40 , at the surface of the housing, can charge the battery  42 . When the stethoscope is not in use, an AC power adapter (not represented) is connected to the connector  40 . 
         [0059]    In a preferred embodiment, the outer auxiliary processing unit PU is a personal digital assistant that comprises a classical Bluetooth transmitter  21  and a classical Bluetooth receiver  22 . They are associated to the classical Bluetooth transmitter  33  and the classical Bluetooth receiver  32  of the stethoscope in a classical way. 
         [0060]    A peculiar application software is run by the personal digital assistant, which:
       enables the Bluetooth receiver  32  to receive an auscultation signal from the processing means  11 ,  13  of the stethoscope,   processes the auscultation signal received by the Bluetooth receiver  32 , to improve the diagnostic value of the auscultation signal, for instance by a peculiar filtering,   and enables the Bluetooth transmitter  33  to send the auscultation signal back, to the processing means  11 ,  13  of the stethoscope, after processing.       
 
         [0064]      FIG. 3  shows a block diagram of a second embodiment of the stethoscope according to the invention. This embodiment is designed to convert a classical stethoscope into an electronic one. A local unit  1 ′- 6 ′ comprises a housing  1 ′ with an upper ribbed stem  4 ′ and a lower ribbed stem  4 ″. In this example, the classical stethoscope comprised:
       A chest piece qui comprises a diaphragm  54  on one side and a bell  53  on the other side.   A conventional flexible tube  3 , attached to a ribbed stem  52  of the chest piece.   A conventional headset made up of two metal eartubes  5 ′,  6 ′, a tension spring  7 ′, and two eartips  8 ′,  9 ′.       
 
         [0068]    The user has converted it into an electronic stethoscope by:
       Cutting the tube  3  into two segments  3 ′ and  3 ″,   Then attaching the segment  3 ′ to the upper ribbed stem  4 ′ of the housing  1 ′,   And the segment  3 ″to the lower ribbed stem  4 ″ of the housing  1 ′.       
 
         [0072]    The lower ribbed stem  4 ″ continues into the housing  1 ′ by a first acoustical chamber  51  containing a microphone  10 ′. The upper ribbed stem  4 ″ continues into the housing  1 ′ by a second acoustical chamber  15 ′ containing a loudspeaker  15 ′. 
         [0073]    The housing  1 ′ also contains two electronic units  11 ′,  13 ′, a switch  12 ′, and a battery not represented. These elements have respectively the same functions as the corresponding elements in the first embodiment. 
         [0074]    The auscultation signal is transmitted to an outer auxiliary processing unit PU′ (A personal computer in this example) for filtering, and for displaying wave forms on a screen. The auxiliary processing unit PU′ restitutes an improved auscultation signal. It is then transmitted back to the housing  1 ′ for reproduction by the loudspeaker  14 , coupled to the tube segment  3 ′ by the acoustical chamber  15 ′. 
         [0075]    The upward and downward link with the outer processing unit preferably is wireless, however a wire could be used as well, for instance using the USB 2 technology (Universal Serial Bus version 2). 
         [0076]    The radio transmitter  32  and the radio receiver  33  preferably use the Bluetooth technology, however they can use other wireless transmission technologies as well, for instance Zigbee or UWB. 
         [0077]    They can use two different technologies respectively for the transmission from the stethoscope to the processing unit PU, and for the transmission from the processing unit PU to the stethoscope, these technologies being chosen in order to minimize the power consumption in the stethoscope, while providing bandwidths respectively adapted to the two signals to be transmitted. 
         [0078]    The preferred embodiments comprise a remote loudspeaker coupled to a headset by flexible tubing, however the invention can be also applied to a stethoscope wherein the headset and tubing are replaced by headphones and a wire between the housing and the headphones.