Patent Publication Number: US-2019192109-A1

Title: Stethoscope

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Example embodiments of inventive concepts relate to a stethoscope, and more particularly, to a stethoscope enabling for a doctor and a patient to listen to the auscultation sound at the same time. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Generally, a stethoscope is a medical device for auscultating inside of the human body and diagnosing illness of patient. It is used to listen to various inner body organs such as intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins as well as lung and heart sounds. 
     The stethoscope includes an auscultation member for auscultating inside of the human body, a headset for listening to the auscultation sound, and a guiding tube for guiding the auscultation sound by connecting the auscultation member and the headset. The stethoscope having such the structure is used to examine a patient through the auscultation sound received from the headset by contacting the auscultation member on the patient&#39;s body. 
     By the way, a doctor needs to provide his headset to the patient in the case that the patient is willing to listen to the auscultation sound in person. Accordingly, the doctor should endure inconvenience of sharing his headset with the patient. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Goal of the Invention 
     According to an exemplary embodiment, the inventive concept provides a stethoscope being capable of delivering the auscultation sound to a patient as well as to a doctor. 
     Technical Solution of the Invention 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a stethoscope includes a chestpiece for auscultating a patient, a first headset unit for delivering the auscultation sound to a doctor&#39;s ears and a second headset unit for delivering the auscultation sound to a patient&#39;s ears, and a connection unit guiding the auscultation sound to the first headset unit and the second headset unit wherein the connection unit connects the chestpiece, the first headset unit, and the second headset unit mutually. 
     The connection unit is prepared among the chestpiece, the first headset unit, and the second headset unit and includes a first connecting tube and a second connecting tube which are connected to the chestpiece by one terminals and to each of the first headset unit and the second headset unit by the other terminals. 
     The connection unit is formed of a hollow tube of a “T” shape which is connected to the chestpiece, the first headset unit, and the second headset unit and enables to deliver the auscultation sound from the chestpiece to the first headset unit and the second headset unit at the same time. 
     The connecting tube further includes a Bluetooth connecting the first headset unit and the chestpiece in wireless. 
     According to another exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a stethoscope includes a chestpiece for auscultating a patient, a first headset unit and a second headset unit enabling to listen to the auscultation sound of the chestpiece, a connection unit prepared among the chestpiece, the first headset unit, and the second headset unit and guiding the auscultation sound from the chestpiece to the first headset unit and the second headset unit by branching the auscultation sound. 
     The connection unit includes a first connecting tube and a second connecting tube which connected to the chestpiece by one terminals and to each of the first headset unit and the second headset unit by the other terminals, wherein the one terminals of the first connecting tube and the second connecting tube are connected to the chestpiece across a connecting body. 
     According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a stethoscope includes a chestpiece for auscultating a patient, a first headset unit connected to the chestpiece and delivering the auscultation sound from the chestpiece to a doctor&#39;s ears, a second headset unit connected to the chestpiece and delivering the auscultation sound from the chestpiece to a patient&#39;s ears, and a connection unit delivering the auscultation sound to the second headset unit by connecting the chestpiece and the second headset unit. 
     The connection unit is formed of a hollow tube shaped “T” each ends connected to the chestpiece, the first headset unit, and the second headset unit and branches the auscultation sound from the chestpiece for delivering the auscultation sound to the first headset unit and the second headset unit at the same time. 
     The connection unit includes a Bluetooth connecting the second headset unit and the chestpiece in wireless. 
     Effect of the Invention 
     According to the inventive concept, a stethoscope enables for a patient to listen to the auscultation sound as well as for a doctor, thereby increasing reliability of diagnosing. 
     The stethoscope includes a connection unit of simple structure branching the auscultation sound, and accordingly, the auscultation sound may not leak before being delivered to the doctor&#39;s ears and the patient&#39;s ears directly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of a stethoscope according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept; 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Various example embodiments will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a stethoscope  1  according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept includes a chestpiece  10 , a first headset unit  20 , a second headset unit  30  and a connection unit  40 . 
     The chestpiece  10  is used to examine the inside of human body while contacting the patient on the body. Specifically, the chestpiece  10  is used to examine the patient by listening to the internal sound of the body, for example, heart sound, breath sound, artery sound, intestine sound, and blood vessel sound. Also, the chestpiece  10  is contacted to the patient on the body to gather the brachial artery sound when measuring blood pressure. Such the chestpiece  10  includes a diaphragm  11  prepared at one side, a bell  12  prepared at the opposite side of the diaphragm  11 , and an auscultation tube  13  for delivering the auscultation sound. 
     The diaphragm  11  includes a flat plastic vibrating plate and lets the auscultation sound of frequency 100 Hz to 1 KHz, for example, lung sound or intestine sound, be heard. The bell  12  has a bell shape and lets the auscultation sound of frequency 20 Hz to 200 Hz, for example, comparatively low sound such as opening and shutting sounds of valves of the heart and swirl and backward flow sounds of blood flow. That is, the diaphragm  11  and the bell  12  auscultate for sounds of each different frequencies to examine the patient exactly. 
     As a guide, the reason that the diaphragm  11  and the bell  12  auscultate for sounds of each different frequencies is due to the structure of sound collecting position. Specifically, the bell  12  may auscultate for sounds of low frequency because it has no vibrating plate so that the vibration sound generated from a body may vibrate air directly. On the other hand, the diaphragm  11  delivers vibration of skin through plastic vibrating plate so that the vibrating of the vibrating plate may vibrate air to deliver the sound. At this time, the sound of low frequency may not be delivered any more when being absorbed to the vibrating plate, therefore, the diaphragm  11  may auscultate for the sound of high frequency when the sound has more than a predetermined vibration. 
     The auscultation sound gathered by the diaphragm  11  and the bell  12  is delivered through the air, for that, the diaphragm  11  and the bell  12  are connected to auscultation tube  13 . The auscultation tube  13  is a path for auscultation sound formed of flexible material. 
     The first headset unit  20  delivers the auscultation sound gathered from the chestpiece  10  to the doctor&#39;s ears. The first headset unit  20  includes a pair of first ear pieces  21  for the doctor&#39;s ears, a pair of first binaurals  22  extended from the first ear pieces  21 , and a first headset tube  23  extended to be connected to the first binaurals  22 . 
     The pair of ear pieces  21  are bent along the direction of external auditory meatus so as to be inserted and contacted to the doctor&#39;s ears. Such the first ear pieces  21  are preferred to be formed of material being flexible and harmless to humans to provide comfort even in the state of being inserted to the ears for a long time. 
     The first binaural  22  is a kind of tube connected from the first earpiece  21 . Such the first binaural  22  delivers the auscultation sound transferred through the first headset tube  23  connected through the auscultation tube  13  and is made of metal such as reinforced aluminum, steel, or copper. 
     The first headset tube  23  is made of flexible material like the auscultation tube  13  described above and performs a function of pathway of the auscultation sound. 
     The second headset unit  30  enables for the patient to listen to the auscultation sound from the chestpiece  10  by being connected to the patient&#39;s ears. The second headset unit  30  includes a pair of second ear pieces  31 , a pair of second binaurals  32 , and a second headset tube  33  like the first headset unit  20 . The second earpieces  31 , the second binaurals  32 , and the second headset tube  33  have similar structures with the first earpieces  21 , the first binaurals  22 , and the first headset tube  23  of the first headset unit  30 , and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted accordingly. 
     The connection unit  40  is located among the chestpiece  10 , the first headset unit  20 , and the second headset unit  30  and prepared to connect them with each other to guide the auscultation sound from the chestpiece  10  to the first headset unit  20  and the second headset unit  30 . The connection unit  40  includes a first connecting tube  41  and the second connecting tube  42  which are separated to be connected to the auscultation tube  13  by one terminal of the each connecting tubes as shown in  FIG. 1 . and to the first headset tube  23  and the second headset tube  33  by the other terminal of the each connecting tubes. The first connecting tube  41  and the second connecting tube  42  have a shape of hallow hole of “T” connected to the chestpiece  10 , the first headset unit  20 , and the second headset unit  30 . At this time, the other end of each of the first connecting tube  41  and the second connecting tube  42  is connected to the chestpiece  13  through a connecting body C at the same time. 
     As the first connecting tube  41  and the second connecting tube  42  of the connection unit  40  are connected to the chestpiece  13 , the first headset tube  23 , and the second headset tube  33 , the auscultation sound auscultated from the chestpiece  10  is separated to the first headset unit  20  and the second headset unit  30  at the same time and delivered thereto. 
     According to another exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, auscultating operation of the stethoscope  1  according to an exemplary embodiment will be described referring to  FIG. 1 . 
     A doctor contacts any one of the diaphragm  11  or the bell  12  of the chestpiece  10  to the body while wearing the first earpieces  21  on the ears. The auscultation sound auscultated through the chestpiece  10  is delivered to the first headset tube  23  and the second headset tube  33  connected to the first connecting tube  41  and the second connecting tube through the auscultating tube  13 , the connecting body C, and the first and the second connecting tubes  41 ,  42  in order. 
     The auscultation sound guided to the first headset tube  23  and the second headset tube  33  is delivered to the doctor&#39;s ears and the patient&#39;s ears through the first binaurals  22  and the second binaurals  32  and the first earpieces  23  and the second earpieces  33  in order. As such, the patient as well as the doctor may listen to the auscultation sound, and the patient may have increased reliability on the examine result. 
     Meanwhile, the connection unit  40  has a shape of “T” among the chestpiece  10 , the first headset unit  20 , and the second headset unit  30 , but the embodiment is not restricted thereto. For example, the chestpiece  10  and the first headset unit  20  may be connected with each other through the auscultation tube  13  and the first headset tube  23 , and the connection unit  40  may connect the second headset unit  30  and the chestpiece  10  with each other in wireless by a Bluetooth. In this case, it is possible for a patient to listen to the auscultation sound only when he wishes to listen by wearing the second headset unit  30  with the Bluetooth function on. That is, the Bluetooth included in the connection unit  40  may have on/off system. 
     While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims. 
     INDUSTRIAL USABILITY 
     The present invention is applicable to a stethoscope.