A hand-held medical device and a method for calibrating a hand-held medical device

Abstract

Disclosed is a method (200) for a hand-held medical detection device (100). The device comprises a sensor unit (110) configured to be positioned against skin of a body (330) for detection of one or more biosignals of the body. The method comprises calibrating (300) the device for the body by, at least, causing (210) a calibration mode for the device to be initiated. The method comprises, during the calibration mode, based on one or more movements (310) of the device across an anatomical structure of the body, an indication of the anatomical structure comprising an indication of a location of the anatomical structure and, optionally, an indication of an orientation of the anatomical structure to be determined (220). The device is configured to measure (230), upon the detection of the one or more biosignals, a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for localizing (400) the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure.

Description

[0001] A HAND-HELD MEDICAL DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR CALIBRATING A HAND-HELD MEDICAL DEVICE

[0002] FIELD

[0003] The present invention relates to hand-held medical detection devices . In particular, the disclosure relates to calibrating such a device for detecting biosignals from a particular body .

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Electronic hand-held medical devices can be used for detecting biosignals from a body . However, when multiple measurements of the biosignals are taken from different positions of the body, the person performing the measurement (hereafter also "the user" ) may need to perform the measurements in a speci fic order or manually associate each measurement with a measurement position to be able to produce a reliable record of the measurements .

[0006] SUMMARY

[0007] In accordance with the present disclosure , it has been found that recording of biosignal measurements from a body with a hand-held medical detection device can be facilitated by calibrating the position and, optionally, the orientation of the device with respect to an indication of an anatomical structure of the body, the indication determined from a movement of the device across the anatomical structure of the body . Any subsequently determined locations and / or orientations of the device can be locali zed with respect to the location and / or the orientation of the indication .

[0008] According to a first aspect , a method for a hand-held medical detection device is disclosed . The device may comprise a sensor unit configured to be po- sitioned against skin of a body for detection of one or more biosignals of the body . The method may comprise calibrating the device for the body by, at least , any or all of the following . First , causing a calibration mode for the device to be initiated . Second, based on one or more movements of the device acros s an anatomical structure of the body, caus ing an indication of the anatomical structure comprising an indication of a location of the anatomical structure and, optionally, an indication of an orientation and si ze / length of the anatomical structure to be determined . This may be performed during the calibration mode . The device may be configured to measure , upon the detection of the one or more biosignals , a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for locali zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure .

[0009] In an embodiment , the anatomical structure of the body is the sternum of the body . This has been found to correlate with si z and orientation of a body and thus provide calibration with improved accuracy, speed and ease of use . The calibration can be flexibly applied for a variety of body types and s i zes , including the body being a human body or an animal body .

[0010] In an embodiment , the one or more movements comprises a movement of the device with a terminal point , such as a start point , corresponding to a suprasternal notch of the sternum . This provides synergy for improved accuracy and ease of use for the calibration .

[0011] In an embodiment , the one or more movements comprises a movement of the device with a terminal point , such as an end point , corresponding to a xiphoid process of the sternum . This provides synergy for improved accuracy and ease of use for the calibration .

[0012] In an embodiment , the indication of the anatomical structure comprises an indication of the length of the anatomical structure . This allows improving the accuracy of locali zing the device .

[0013] In an embodiment , the calibration mode for the device is initiated in response to the device being pressed one or more times . The pressing may involve pushing one or more buttons of the device or tapping the device , e . g . a touch-responsive interface of the device , one or more times .

[0014] In an embodiment , the calibration mode for the device is initiated in response to the device being moved, for example downwards , in contact with the skin of the body . The user may move the device in contact with the skin of the body and the device may automatically detect this to initiate the calibration mode .

[0015] According to a second aspect , a hand-held medical detection device comprises a sensor unit configured to be positioned against skin of a body for detection of one or more biosignals of the body . The device may be configured to receive an indication of an anatomical structure of the body . The indication of the anatomical structure may comprise an indication of a location of the anatomical structure and, optionally, an indication of an orientation of the anatomical structure . The device may be also configured to measure , upon the detection of the one or more biosignals , a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for local i zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure .

[0016] In an embodiment , the device comprises an inertial measurement unit ( IMU) configured for measuring a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for determining the indication of the anatomical structure . The IMU may also be configured for measuring the location and, optionally, the orientation of the device for locali zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure . In an embodiment , the indication of the anatomical structure comprises an indication of the length of the anatomical structure .

[0017] In an embodiment , the device is configured for initiating a calibration mode for determining the indication of the anatomical structure with one or more measurements of the location and, optionally, the orientation of the device .

[0018] In an embodiment , the device comprises one or more sensors for detecting one or more presses of the device for initiating the calibration mode . For this purpose , the device may comprise one or more buttons and / or a touch-responsive interface such as a touchscreen .

[0019] In an embodiment , the anatomical structure of the body is the sternum of the body .

[0020] In an embodiment , the device may comprise one or more contact sensors for detecting contact with the skin of the body, the device being configured to initiate the calibration mode in response to the device being moved, for example downwards , in contact with the skin of the body . Thi s al lows the cal ibration mode to be initiated automatically, e . g . in response to the device being moved as a whole across the anatomical structure .

[0021] The solutions may be adapted for calibrating the device in such a manner that the device may be automatically local i zed upon the detection of the one or more biosignals . The user therefore does not need to designate detection results to their locations but the device can do it automatically . The device may be configured for creating a body model based on the indication of the anatomical structure . The detected location and, optionally, orientation can be stored with respect to the body model . The device may be configured for visuali zing the detected location and, optionally, orientation, for example with respect to the body model . The device may be configured for allowing the user to adj ust the detected location and, optionally, orientation, for example to correct any inaccuracies in automatic designation .

[0022] It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments described above may be used in any combination with each other . Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined together to form a further embodiment of the invention .

[0023] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings , which are included to provide a further understanding and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate examples and together with the description help to explain the principles of the disclosure . In the drawings :

[0025] Fig. 1 illustrates a device according to an example in a perspective view,

[0026] Fig. 2 illustrates a method according to an example ,

[0027] Fig. 3 illustrates calibration according to an example , and

[0028] Fig. 4 illustrates locali zation according to an example .

[0029] Like references are used to designate equivalent or at least functionally equivalent parts in the accompanying drawings .

[0030] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The detailed description provided below in connection with the appended drawings i s intended as a description of examples and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the example may be constructed or util i zed . However , the same or equivalent functions and structures may be accomplished by different examples .

[0032] Figure 1 shows an example a hand-held medical detection device 100 (herein also "the device" ) . The device may be a palm-held apparatus or, in particular, a pinch-grip-held apparatus . Below, the device may also be referred to as "the apparatus" . The device may be provided as an electronic measuring device .

[0033] The device 100 comprises a sensor unit 110 , which may be configured to be positioned against skin of a body for detection of one or more biosignals of the body . The surface of the apparatus contacting the skin for the detection may herein be referred as "the contact surface" 112 . The apparatus may comprise a contact part 120 , which may be configured to be positioned against the skin for the detection of the one or more biosignals of the body . For this purpose , the apparatus , or the contact part in particular, may have a flat surface , e . g . as the contact surface , to be positioned against the skin . The contact surface may be circular or oval but other shapes are also possible . The sensor unit may be partially or fully housed within the contact part .

[0034] The apparatus 100 may also comprise a gripping part 130 , which can be configured to extend outwards from the contact part for providing an interface for holding the apparatus when in use . In particular, the interface may be a pinch-grip interface configured so that it can be held with a pinch-grip for pos itioning the apparatus while in use , i . e . held against the skin . The gripping part may comprise a handle . The sensor unit 110 may be partially housed within the contact part . The contact part 120 may be directly connected to the gripping part . The apparatus may comprise a display 140 , for example in the gripping part . The apparatus may be configured for displaying information indicative of the subj ect and / or the one or more biosignals to be displayed on the display. The display may be provided opposite to the contact surface, thereby allowing the information to be displayed with ease of access while the apparatus is used for the detection of the one or more biosignals. For this purpose, the display may be parallel or substantially parallel with the contact surface. Here, "substantially parallel may be considered as having a tilt smaller than 25 degrees with respect to the contact surface.

[0035] The sensor unit has one or more sensors configured for detection of the one or more biosignals of the body. The apparatus may be provided as a smart (and connected) multi-modal device, for example as a smart stethoscope. The apparatus may be configured for measuring basic health parameters, i.e. vital signs, and / or parameters for further analysis for diagnosis. For each of the sensors described below, the apparatus may be configured for storing and / or processing, e.g. analyzing, the indicated measurement information. For these purposes, the apparatus may comprise one or more processors and / or one or more memories. The one or more processors may comprise instructions for processing e.g. analyzing any or all of the examples of measurement information as disclosed herein. The one or more processors and / or the one or more memories may be housed, for example, in the gripping part 130. Any combinations of the sensors as mentioned below are possible .

[0036] The one or more sensors may comprise one or more sound detectors, such as microphones. These may be housed in the contact part allowing a close contact at or near the skin. They may be configured for detection of sounds from a heart of the body and / or from a lung of the body. Additionally or alternatively, they may be configured for detection of sounds from any combination of a trachea, an abdomen and blood vessels of the body. The one or more sensors may comprise one or more temperature sensors , which may be configured for detection of a temperature of the body, e . g . from contact to the skin and / or with remote detection . The one or more temperature sensors may comprise or cons ist of one or more infrared sensors , in particular for the remote detection of temperature . The one or more temperature sensors may be housed in the contact part al lowing a close contact at or near the skin .

[0037] The one or more sensors may comprise one or more electrodes , which may be configured for detection of an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal from a heart of the body from contact with the skin and / or an impedance of the skin . The electrode ( s ) may be housed in the contact part allowing a close contact at or near the skin .

[0038] The one or more sensors may comprise one or more photoplethysmogram ( PPG) sensors , which may be configured for detection of biosignals of the body . The apparatus may be conf igured for using the PPG sensor ( s ) to provide a graphical record displaying volumetric changes of one or more blood vessels of the body .

[0039] The one or more sensors may comprise one or more sensors for detection of metabolites from the skin . These may be housed in the contact part al lowing a close contact at or near the skin .

[0040] The apparatus may also comprise one or more transmitters , such as transmitter-receivers , which may be configured for transmitting information of the one or more biosignals from the apparatus , e . g . to one or more computing devices such as servers and / or mobile phones . The one or more transmitters may also be housed, for example , in the gripping part . The one or more transmitters may comprise one or more wired and / or wireless transmitters . The apparatus may comprise one or more earpieces , such as headphones and / or ear buds , which may be configured for coupling to the sensor unit for lis tening audible playback of one or more of the one or more biosignals , e . g . the sounds of the heart and / or the lung ( s ) .

[0041] The device 100 may be configured to receive an indication of an anatomical structure of the body, e . g . from one or more calibration measurements performed by the device . The device may also be configured to receive the indication from the one or more memories and / or from the one or more transmitters .

[0042] The indication of the anatomical structure may comprise an indication of a location of the anatomical structure and, optionally, an indication of an orientation of the anatomical structure . The indication of the anatomical structure may also comprise an indication of a length of the anatomical structure . The body may be a human body or an animal body, for example a horse body or a dog body . The anatomical structure may be the sternum of the body . While the shape and si ze of the body may vary, the sternum has been found to provide a particularly effective indication for calibration for various body types . This is also facilitated by the length of the sternum correlating linearly with the stature of the body . The location and / or orientation of the anatomical structure , in particular the sternum, can be utili zed for locali zing as a reference of the location and, optionally, the orientation of the body . The device can then be locali zed with respect to said reference . The device may thus be configured for measuring a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for locali zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure . This may be done upon the detection of the one or more biosignals so the location and, optionally, the orientation of the device can be separately determined for one or more measurements for the detection of the one or more biosignals , e . g . at different locations and / or orientations of the device . This determination may be performed automatically by the device . The determined location and, optionally, the orientation may be stored by the device , e . g . at the one or more memories of the device . They may also be as sociated with the corresponding one or more meas urements for the detection of the one or more biosignals by the device . Each measurement of a biosignal may thus be automatically associated with the location and, optionally, orientation of the device while the measurement was performed . The calibration allows also associating said location of the device with a corresponding position of the body, thereby allowing locali z ing the device with respect to the body, in particular upon the detection of the one or more biosignals .

[0043] The device 100 may comprise an inertial measurement unit ( IMU) , which may be configured for measuring a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for determining the indication of the anatomical structure . The same IMU may also be configured for measuring the location and, optionally, the orientation of the device for localizing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure . The IMU may comprise one or more accelerometers , e . g . with three or more axes , and / or gyroscopes . Alternatively or additionally, it may comprise one or more magnetometers . The IMU may also be housed in the contact part but it may, in particular, be housed in the gripping part allowing more space for various sensors .

[0044] The device may be configured for using the IMU as one of the one or more sensors for detection of the one or more biosignals , e . g . heart rate of the heart of the body and / or respiration rate (RR) for the body . In general , the IMU may also be configured for determining movements of the sensor unit , e . g . for detecting the one or more biosignals of the body .

[0045] The device may comprise one or more pressure sensors configured for detecting a contact between the apparatus and the skin . This allows guiding the user of the device to use an appropriate amount of pressure for operating the device . The device may also be configured to utili ze the one or more pressure sensors for locali zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure , as it allows providing information when the device is in contact with the body . The device may be configured for utili zing an indication from the one or more pressure sensors for locali zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure as such indication from the pressure sensor ( s ) provides an indication of the device being in contact with the body .

[0046] In general , the device may be configured for detecting a contact with the body by one or more contact sensors of any type . In addition or as an alternative to the one or more pressure sensors described above , the one or more contact sensors may comprise one or more electrical impedance sensors and / or one or more temperature sensors for this purpose . These allow the device to provide an indication that it i s contact with the skin of the body .

[0047] The device may be configured for utili zing an indication from the one or more sound detectors for locali zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure as such indication from the sound detector ( s ) provides an indication of the device being in the vicinity of a particular source of sound, such as a heart or a lung . The device may be configured for automatic sound recognition, e . g . for heart and / or lung sounds , and this may be used for example for as sociating one or more measurements for detection of the one or more biosignals with location and, optionally, position of the device and / or with an indication of a type of biosignal for the one or more biosignals , e . g . a heart signal such as a heart sound or a lung signal such as a lung sound .

[0048] Figure 2 shows an example of a method 200 for the device 100 . The device may be calibrated by, first , causing 210 a calibration mode for the device to be initiated . The calibration mode allows determining the indication of the anatomical structure with, at least , one or more measurements of the location and, optionally, the orientation of the device . The measurement ( s ) may be performed by the device . The device may be configured for performance the measurements automatically during the calibration mode .

[0049] For initiating the calibration mode , the user of the device may give an indication to the device to initiate the calibration mode , for example by any of the following : waving the device , giving a speech command to the device and pressing the device one or more times . As an example the device may be configured for the indication to be given by tapping the device two or more times and / or by two oppos ite buttons being pressed towards each other, for example with a thumb and an index finger of the user . The calibration mode may then be initiated in response to said indication . The device may be configured to initiate the calibration mode and for this purpose it may comprise one or more sensors , for example for detecting one or more presses of the device . The one or more sensors may comprise one or more buttons and / or a touch-responsive interface such as a touch-screen . The device may be configured for the calibration mode to be maintained as long as the user maintains the indication, e . g . by continuing to press one or more buttons of the device . The device may also be configured for the calibration mode to be initiated in response to the indication to initiate the calibration mode and then maintained au- tomatically until the device detects a stopping condition . The stopping condition may be an indication from the user , such as a press of one or more buttons , or a threshold condition detected by the device , for example the movement of the device exceeding a threshold . The latter allows automatically exiting the calibration mode , for example if the device is moved at a speed above a threshold direction and / or in a direction away from a calibration direction . The threshold condition may also comprise a condition of the device being stationary or substantially stationary (e . g . below a threshold level of movement ) for a threshold time . The device may also be configured to maintain the calibration mode as long as it detects the device to be in contact with the body, for example based on signals from the one or more pressure sensors , as described above .

[0050] In a specific example , the user may cause the calibration mode to be initiated by moving the device in contact with the skin of the body . One or more further conditions for initiating the calibration mode may be applied, for example based on a movement that is performed when the device is moved in contact with the skin of the body . The movement may be a downwards movement and / or a linear movement . In such a case , the movement may be across the anatomical structure and as it clearly differs from normal operation of the device , where the device is held stationary for one or more measurements , it can be used as an indication for the calibration mode to be initiated . The device may be configured accordingly for initiating the calibration mode . The device may comprise one or more contact sensors for detecting contact with the skin of the body, for example as described above . The one or more contact sensors may thus comprise one or more pressure sensors and / or one or more electrical impedance sensors . The one or more contact sensors may also com- prise one or more temperature sensors . The device may be configured to initiate the calibration mode in response to the device being moved in contact with the skin of the body, for example with the movement as described above . The device may be configured to detect the movement , for example by the IMU . Thi s allows the calibration mode to be initiated automatically, e . g . in response to the device being moved across the anatomical structure . No separate actuation such as a press of the button or a tap of the device is required and it may or may not be included as an additional requirement for initiating the calibration mode .

[0051] The calibration involves determining 220 an indication of the anatomical structure and this may be done during the calibration mode ( i . e . when the device is in the calibration mode ) . The indication may be determined based on one or more movements of the device acros s an anatomical structure of the body . The device may be configured for measuring the indication, for example with the IMU, during the cal ibration mode . For the calibration, the user may move the device across the anatomical structure , while the device may measure the indication automatically or when prompted by the user .

[0052] The method may then subsequently comprise measuring 230 a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device so that to allow local i zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure . This may be performed upon the detection of the one or more biosignals , for example automatically each time that one of the one or more biosignals is measured . The device may be configured to local i ze the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure . It may also be configured to store (e . g . to the one or more memories ) and / or transmit (e . g . by the one or more transmitters , for example to a computer server and / or a mobi le phone ) information for locali zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure .

[0053] Figure 3 shows an example calibration 300 . In particular, an example of the one or more movements 310 is shown . The one or more movements may comprise or consist of one or more lines to be drawn with the device . The one or more lines may follow the shape of the anatomical structure , for example in a linear fashion . In particular, the anatomical structure may be a sternum 320 of the body 330 so the one or more movements may follow the sternum . The device may be configured for determining the indication based on one or more measurements during the one or more movements and / or at one or more terminal points of the one or more movements . The terminal points may comprise a start point and / or an end point of a movement . The indication may comprise an indication of location of the anatomical structure and, optionally, an indication of orientation of the anatomical structure . The indication of location may be formed from one or more measurements of location by the device , which measurements may be taken at different pos itions . The indication of orientation may be formed from one or more measurements of orientation by the device , which measurements may be taken at different positions .

[0054] In particular, the one or more movements may comprise or consist of a line drawn across the sternum . The one or more movements may have a terminal point corresponding to a suprasternal notch 340 of the sternum and / or a terminal point corresponding to a xiphoid process 350 of the sternum . In a specific example , the one or more movements has a start point at the suprasternal notch and / or an end point at the xiphoid proces s . In a more speci fic example the one or more movements comprises a line having a start point at the suprasternal notch and / or an end point at the xiphoid process . The line as described in any of the examples herein may be a straight line .

[0055] The indication of length of the anatomical structure may be determined from one or more measurements of location and, optionally orientation of the device during the one or more movements and / or at one or more terminal points of the one or more movements . The device may be configured for performing this automatically . The indication of length may be determined, at least , from a start point and an end point of the one or more movements , for example as a distance between the start point and the end point . The indication of length may correspond to the length of the line according to any of the examples herein .

[0056] An example of how the calibration can be performed is that the user swipes the device over the anatomical structure of the body, such as the sternum . This may be done starting from the suprasternal notch and / or ending at the xiphoid process , for example in a linear fashion . The location and length of a line corresponding the movement of the device during the movement (here , a swipe ) can be translated to the dimensions , orientation and position of a chest of the body . For accuracy, the subj ect can be instructed to remain in place after the calibration for the subsequent measurement of the one or more biosignals . Any location and, optionally, orientation of the device on the body can be determined in relation to the line , e . g . by calculations performed at the device .

[0057] Figure 4 shows an example of locali zation . As described above , the device may be conf igured to measure , upon the detection of the one or more biosignals , a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for local i zing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure . The device may be locali zed continuously across a model of the body 330 or discretely for a plurality of discrete measure- ment positions. The localized position (numbers 1-7 in the figure) may be visualized, for example with respect to the model of the body. The device may be configure to provide the localized positions automatically upon the detection of the one or more biosignals. The device may also be configured to visualize the localized positions, for example by utilizing the display .

[0058] The device 100 as described herein may used like a stethoscope. For this purpose, the user places the device on one or more areas of the body, e.g. on the chest and / or the back, in order to detect the one or more biosignals such as heart sounds and / or respiratory sounds. The heart sounds may be detected from different valves of the heart at different locations of the device. The lung sounds may be detected from different lobes of the lungs at different locations of the device. The location from which the biosignals are detected is important. For example, a heart sound corresponding to a murmur may be localized to a right valve of the heart. Lungs lobes are anatomically separate from each other and often an infection or other disease that causes abnormal sounds can be limited to one lobe or section of the lobe, while other diseases can be wide spread in one or both lungs. Localization of the one or more biosignals can also important for other signals, such as ECG, PPG, 02 saturation and temperature. ECG signals may look different when recorded from different parts on the chest. Core body temperature can be manifested as skin temperature in different areas of the body differently. The device may be configured to allow the one or more biosignals to be recorded and / or the any sounds to be listened, e.g. through one or more earpieces.

[0059] The disclosed solutions allow the device, e.g. by using the IMU, to automatically detect and register locations and, optionally, orientations, where the device has been placed with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure of the body . The device may be configured to relate the location and, optionally, the orientation to the one or more biosignals , e . g . for recorded audio . This may be done automatically using the means available to a person skilled in the art of medical signal analysis .

[0060] The device may be configured to disregard random movements of the body, such as hand movements , to detect only locations and, optionally, orientations of the device when the device has remained still and / or in skin contact at least for a threshold time . The locations and, optionally orientations determined by the device can be automatically ass igned to anatomical organs of the body by the device . The device may be configured to use that information for determining the type of analysis performed on the corresponding biosignal (e . g . heart or respiratory sound analysis ) , and for providing diagnostic suggestions to the user . For example , crackles heard from lower lobes of lungs on both sides in a sitting patient can suggest fluid in both lungs which can be caused by cardiac insufficiency . A wheez ing sound heard over trachea on exhalation can be strongly suggestive of asthma .

[0061] The device may be provided with a user interface , where the automatically detected locations and, optionally, orientations can be reviewed . The user interface may be configured to allow confirming and / or changing one or more of the automatically detected locations and, optionally, orientations . It may also be configured to allow reassign one or more of the automatically detected locations to another location . The device may be configured to provide an alert , which may be visual and / or auditory, to prompt the user to confirm and / or reassign the automatically detected locations . The location of the device may be determined by the device as a three-dimensional location, for example in terms of three-dimensional Cartesian coordinates . The orientation of the device may be determined by the device as a three-dimensional orientation, for example in terms of rotation with respect to three orthogonal reference axes .

[0062] The device may be configured to record the one or more biosignals , for example to the one or more memories , and / or transmit them, for example by the one or more transmitters . This can be done together with location ( s ) and, optionally, orientation ( s ) of the device , for example with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure , allowing the one or more bi osignals to be stored with automatically detected information of the location ( s ) and, optionally, orientation ( s ) at which they were measured . This allows multiple professionals to inspect the information at a later time .

[0063] The device may be configured for allowing the type of the body to be inputted for the device for facilitating the locali zing of the device , e . g . for improving the calibration . The device may be configured to allow the type to be human and / or animal . For animal , one or more alternatives for species ( for example comprising one or more of a dog, a cat and a horse ) and / or breed may be provided for selection .

[0064] The device as described above may be implemented in software , hardware , application logic or a combination of software , hardware and application logic . The application logic, software or instruction set may be maintained on any one of various conventional computer-readable media . A "computer-readable medium" may be any media or means that can contain, store , communicate , propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus , or device , such as a computer . A computer-readable medium may comprise a computer- readable storage medium that may be any media or means that can contain or store the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer. The examples can store information relating to various processes described herein. This information can be stored in one or more memories, such as a hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, RAM, and the like. One or more databases can store the information used to implement the embodiments. The databases can be organized using data structures (e.g., records, tables, arrays, fields, graphs, trees, lists, and the like) included in one or more memories or storage devices listed herein. The databases may be located on one or more devices comprising local and / or remote devices such as servers. The processes described with respect to the embodiments can include appropriate data structures for storing data collected and / or generated by the processes of the devices and subsystems of the embodiments in one or more databases.

[0065] All or a portion of the embodiments can be implemented using one or more general purpose processors, microprocessors, digital signal processors, micro-controllers, and the like, programmed according to the teachings of the embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the computer and / or software art(s) . Appropriate software can be readily prepared by programmers of ordinary skill based on the teachings of the embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the software art. In addition, the embodiments can be implemented by the preparation of application-specific integrated circuits or by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the electrical art(s) . Thus, the embodi- ments are not limited to any specific combination of hardware and / or software .

[0066] The different functions discussed herein may be performed in a different order and / or concurrently with each other .

[0067] Any range or device value given herein may be extended or altered without losing the effect sought , unless indicated otherwise . Also any example may be combined with another example unless explicitly disallowed .

[0068] Although the subj ect matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or acts , it is to be understood that the subj ect matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above . Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims and other equivalent features and acts are intended to be within the scope of the claims .

[0069] It will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments . The embodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the stated problems or those that have any or all of the stated benefits and advantages . It will further be understood that reference to ' an ' item may refer to one or more of those items .

[0070] The term ' comprising ' is used herein to mean including the method, blocks or elements identified, but that such blocks or elements do not comprise an exclusive list and a method or apparatus may contain additional blocks or elements .

[0071] Numerical descriptors such as ' first ' , ' second' , and the like are used in thi s text simply as a way of differentiating between parts that otherwise have similar names . The numerical descriptors are not to be construed as indicating any particular order, such as an order of preference , manufacture , or occurrence in any particular structure .

[0072] Expressions such as 'plurality' are in this text to indicate that the entities referred thereby are in plural , i . e . the number of the entities is two or more .

[0073] Although the invention has been described in conj unction with a certain type of apparatus and / or method, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to any certain type of apparatus and / or method . While the present inventions have been described in connection with a number of examples , embodiments and implementations , the present inventions are not so limited, but rather cover various modifications , and equivalent arrangements , which fall within the purview of the claims . Although various examples have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments , those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed examples without departing from the scope of this specification .

Claims

CLAIMS1. A hand-held medical detection device (100) comprising a sensor unit (110) configured to be positioned against skin of a body for detection of one or more biosignals of the body, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by being configured to receive an indication of an anatomical structure of the body, the indication of the anatomical structure comprising an indication of a location of the anatomical structure and, optionally, an indication of an orientation of the anatomical structure, and to measure, upon the detection of the one or more biosignals, a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for localizing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure.

2. The device according to claim 1, comprising an inertial measurement unit configured for measuring a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for determining the indication of the anatomical structure.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the indication of the anatomical structure comprises an indication of the length of the anatomical structure .

4. The device according to any of claims 1-3, configured for initiating a calibration mode for determining the indication of the anatomical structure with one or more measurements of the location and, optionally, the orientation of the device .

5. The device according to any of claims 1-4, comprising one or more sensors for detecting one or more presses of the device for initiating the calibration mode.

6. The device according to any of claims 1-5, wherein the anatomical structure of the body is the sternum of the body.

7. The device according to any of claims 1-6, comprising one or more contact sensors for detecting contact with the skin of the body, the device being configured to initiate the calibration mode in response to the device being moved in contact with the skin of the body.

8. A method (200) for a hand-held medical detection device, the device comprising a sensor unit configured to be positioned against skin of a body (330) for detection of one or more biosignals of the body, wherein the method comprises calibrating (300) the device for the body by at least causing (210) a calibration mode for the device to be initiated; c h a r a c t e r i z e d by, during the calibration mode, based on one or more movements (310) of the device across an anatomical structure of the body, causing an indication of the anatomical structure comprising an indication of a location of the anatomical structure and, optionally, an indication of an orientation of the anatomical structure to be determined (220) ; wherein the device is configured to measure (230) , upon the detection of the one or more biosignals, a location and, optionally, an orientation of the device for localizing the device with respect to the indication of the anatomical structure .

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the anatomical structure of the body is the sternum (320) of the body.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the one or more movements comprises a movement of the de-vice with a terminal point corresponding to a suprasternal notch (340) of the sternum.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the one or more movements comprises a movement of the device with a terminal point corresponding to a xiphoid process (350) of the sternum.

12. The method according to of claims 8-11, wherein the indication of the anatomical structure comprises an indication of the length of the anatom- ical structure.

13. The method according to any of claims 8-12, wherein the calibration mode for the device is initiated in response to the device being pressed one or more times.

14. The method according to any of claims 8-13, wherein the calibration mode for the device is initiated in response to the device being moved in contact with the skin of the body.

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