777 results about "Acoustic vibration" patented technology

An acoustic sensor is provided according to certain aspects for non-invasively detecting physiological acoustic vibrations indicative of one or more physiological parameters of a medical patient. The sensor can include an acoustic sensing element configured to generate a first signal in response to acoustic vibrations from a medical patient. The sensor can also include front-end circuitry configured to receive an input signal that is based at least in part on the first signal and to produce an amplified signal in response to the input signal. In some embodiments, the sensor further includes a compression module in communication with the front-end circuitry and configured to compress portions of at least one of the input signal and the amplified signal according to a first compression scheme, the compressed portions corresponding to portions of the first signal having a magnitude greater than a predetermined threshold level.

The timepiece, which is preferably a wristwatch, includes for each time position a capacitive sensor (C1 to C12), on a fixed bezel, including only four markings (R3, R6, R9, R12) at 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock, and a single crown-push-button (9). The case contains, in particular, a non-acoustic vibration generator (20) and an electronic interpretation and coding circuit (15), associated with a time-keeper circuit (10), with the sensors and with the crown to control the vibration device, said circuit (15) being designed to identify the manipulations on the crown (brief, long application of pressure or pull) and on the sensors (positioning or movement).

Disclosed herein is a touch panel display including, a flat plate-shaped movable panel unit, a movable support member, an acoustic vibration unit, and a soft member, wherein the acoustic vibration unit includes, a sound generating member, an actuator, and a hard member.

An apparatus and methods of providing dilation to external tissue and user communication via a nasal device are provided. One embodiment comprises a flexible strip of material adapted to be adhesively secured to nasal surfaces of a user, and a signal unit which receives physiological signals of the user while disposed upon the nasal surfaces and which communicates information to the user via one or more of: acoustic vibrations, tactile contact and light emission. One or more signal units may be provided. The signal units may detect physiological parameters of the user. The signal unit may wirelessly communicate information relating to use to an external receiver. The signal unit may receive commands via wireless communication to control a subsequent communication to the user via vibrations, contact, and/or light emission. Additional embodiments comprise a fluid-filled elongated vessel adapted to conform to nasal surfaces of the user in order to dilate nasal regions. The fluid-filled vessel may include pressurized air. Another embodiment comprises a reusable resilient member engaging an elongated member having a pair of pockets disposed at each end of the elongated

An automatic speech recognition (ASR) triggering system, and a method of providing an ASR trigger signal, is described. The ASR triggering system can include a microphone to generate an acoustic signal representing an acoustic vibration and an accelerometer worn in an ear canal of a user to generate a non-acoustic signal representing a bone conduction vibration. A processor of the ASR triggering system can receive an acoustic trigger signal based on the acoustic signal and a non-acoustic trigger signal based on the non-acoustic signal, and combine the trigger signals to gate an ASR trigger signal. For example, the ASR trigger signal may be provided to an ASR server only when the trigger signals are simultaneously asserted. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

A filtering apparatus comprises a microporous membrane and an actuator. The membrane is positioned to traverse across the hollow interior of a conduit used for the transport of molecules in bulk. In one example, the pores of the membrane comprise a plurality of open-ended carbon nanotubes. The actuator comprises a transducing material such as a polyvinyledene fluoride film that is operatively positioned in contact with the membrane and is capable of propagating acoustic vibration onto the membrane at a particular frequency so as to hasten the movement of the molecules through the membrane. Similarly, a method of filtering water comprises the steps of: (a) sifting molecules of water through the membrane, the pores of the membrane comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes; and (b) propagating acoustic vibration onto the microporous membrane at a libration frequency of ice so as to hasten movement of the water molecules within the carbon nanotubes.

An active respiratory therapeutic device for clearing breathing passages, loosening and breaking up mucus plugs and phlegm in a patient's sinuses, trachea, bronchial passages and lungs while a patient is breathing normally through the device is disclosed. The apparatus preferably includes a C shaped curved hollow housing having a closed end portion and an open threaded end portion. The open end portion forms at least part of an acoustic coupling chamber. A generally funnel shaped tapered mouthpiece tapers to a small end portion sized to be inserted into a patient's mouth. The mouthpiece forms another part of the acoustic coupling chamber. An acoustic signal generator housed within the hollow housing generates and directs acoustic vibrations into and through the coupling chamber. The mouthpiece preferably includes a valve permitting a patient breathing through the mouthpiece to inhale through a valve opening and exhale through a bypass passage around the valve while at the same time coupling the acoustic coupling chamber into the patient's airways.

A pump piston assembly has a pump cylinder, at least one hollow piston slidably mounted for reciprocating motion in the pump cylinder, the piston having an inner surface of a first diameter and an outer surface of a second diameter, and a liner sleeve of a different material from the piston mounted on the inner or outer surface of the piston with a close or friction fit to the diameter of the piston surface on which it is mounted. The liner sleeve is of an acoustic dampening material which has a lower acoustic frequency than the piston material and is configured to absorb harmonic acoustic vibrations resulting from reciprocation of the piston in the cylinder.

A circuit includes a microphone circuit, an audio processing module, a digital audio processing module, and an active noise reduction (ANR) circuit. The microphone circuit receives acoustic vibrations and generates an audio signal therefrom. The audio processing module generates a representation of the audio signal. The digital audio processing module compensates the representation of the audio signal based on hearing compensation data to produce a hearing compensated audio signal. The ANR circuit receives the hearing compensated audio signal and an ANR signal. The ANR circuit further functions to adjust the hearing compensated audio signal based on the ANR signal to produce an output audio signal, wherein the ANR signal is generated based on the output audio signal.

An acoustic vibration damping system for a car door utilizes the side impact beam and connects intermediate areas of the beam to the inside of the outer skin by way of at least one intermediate bracket to shorten vibration distances. An absorbing adhesive is used in the connection.

An apparatus, system and method for preventing or treating biofilm associated with catheters. A piezo-ceramic element may be attached to a catheter, and a vibration processor may be connected to the piezo-ceramic element. The vibration processor may provide electric signals that generate acoustic vibrations in the piezo-ceramic element, causing vibrations in or around the catheter. These vibrations may be particularly administered to disperse microbe colonies, thereby preventing or inhibiting formation of biofilm that may lead to infections. Vibrations may be amplified significantly due to resonance conditions in the catheter balloon, which may be powerful enough to be used to disperse microbe colonies that have grouped around the catheter or are attempting to do so.

A water leakage detecting apparatus is capable of detecting water leakage of a water pipe precisely and at low cost. The water leakage monitoring apparatus includes vibration/electric converter for converting an acoustic vibration transmitted to a water pipe into an electrical signal. A signal discriminator processes an output signal of the vibration/electric converter to detect a signal of a predetermined band being held below a predetermined level continuously beyond a continuing condition to generate a sound interruption detection signal. A counter counts the number of occurrences of the sound interruption detection signal.

The present invention provides compositions comprising energy (e.g., light) absorbing submicron particles (e.g., nanoparticles comprising a silica core and a gold shell) and methods for delivering such particles via topical application. This delivery is facilitated by application of mechanical agitation (e.g. massage), acoustic vibration in the range of 10 Hz-20 kHz, ultrasound, alternating suction and pressure, and microjets.

Portable operatively simple touch screen apparatus uses testing methods and systems that are free of age and language constraints include special signal processing techniques that provide a temporal resolution highly sensitive for probing cognitive function. The embodiments include or make use of one or more modules implemented at least partially in a set of instructions in software and configured to measure user reaction times to visual stimulus on a touch screen device having a capacitive sensor touch-sensitive surface and a detector of audio waves resulting from touch on the touch-sensitive surface. The modules employ recordation of acoustic vibrations resulting from a user's touching a target location on the touch screen surface spaced from a touched starting location on that surface, in one embodiment, to measure temporal response to a visual stimulus placed at the target location.

A wall element has a noise attenuating characteristic and is suitable for use as an aircraft cabin interior panel element that is mounted directly on the aircraft fuselage structure. The wall element includes a rigid lightweight composite panel having a core arranged between two cover layers, and an outer layer arranged adjacent and spaced away from one of the cover layers. The core and the cover layers of the composite panel are air permeable in a direction through the thickness of the panel, while the outer layer is non-air-permeable and is relatively soft and flexible. The outer layer is connected to the composite panel preferably only along the perimeter edge thereof. The non-permeable outer layer faces the aircraft cabin space, while the permeable composite panel is mounted on the fuselage structure. With this structure, acoustic vibrations of the fuselage, to which the wall element is attached, are attenuated and do not result in substantial noise radiation from the outer layer into the cabin.

Distributed optical fibre sensor measures vibration, as a concurrent function of position along each of a plurality of sensing optical fibres, from properties of probe light backscattered within the sensing optical fibres. The sensor includes a light-pulse-generating probe light source, a detector, an optical switch. The sensor is arranged to control the optical switch such that all of the sensing optical fibres can be used concurrently to detect acoustic vibration, and an analyser is arranged to determine vibration, as a concurrent function of position along each of the sensing optical fibres, from the detected backscattered probe light.

The present invention provides a resonator for attenuating acoustic vibration from an air intake passage. The resonator includes a neck, a resonator chamber, a piston-type member, and an actuator. The neck is attached between the air passage and the resonator chamber. The neck has two overlapping portions allowing the neck to extend within the resonator chamber. The piston-type member is located within the resonator chamber and is translated by the actuator to change the volume of the resonator and the neck length. By changing the volume and neck length of the resonator, the frequency attenuated by the resonator can be adjusted.

An apparatus is disclosed as part of a system for tracking and confirming delivery of a medicinal dose to a user. The apparatus includes a detector. The detector is secured to and communicatively coupled to the user and is capable of detecting a current flow through the user's body. The current flow is produced when the user makes contact with the apparatus. The apparatus includes at least two contact areas connected to a power source where a circuit and, hence, a current path is completed through the user's body as the user makes contact with the apparatus. The current flow is detected by the detector, which is coupled to the user. Also disclosed is an apparatus for tracking and confirming delivery of a medicinal dose to a user where the apparatus includes an acoustic detector. Upon loading the dose into a chamber an acoustic vibration is generated. The vibration is detected and correlated with a current flow that is produced when the user makes contact with the apparatus. The combined event of vibration detection and current flow detection confirms that the dose is loaded and the user is in contact with the apparatus and ready to receive the dose.

An audio system comprises, according to one aspect of the invention, an audio frequency actuator coupled to a body so as to cause the body to radiate sound when an audio signal is supplied to the actuator by a controller, and an acoustic sensor coupled to said body or to an adjacent body so as to sense acoustic vibrations in said body, the sensor being connected to the controller, whereby the controller is arranged to change the audio signal supplied to the actuator according to the vibrations sensed by the sensor. Another aspect provides an audio system comprising an audio frequency actuator coupled to a body so as to cause the body to radiate sound when an audio signal is supplied to the actuator by a controller, and an acoustic sensor coupled to said body or to an adjacent body so as to sense acoustic vibrations in said body, the sensor being connected to the controller, whereby the controller is arranged to detect predetermined characteristics of the sensed acoustic vibrations and to output an alerting signal in response thereto.

There is disclosed a process and apparatus for carrying out plasma electrolytic oxidation of metals and alloys, forming ceramic coatings on surfaces thereof at a rate of 2-10 microns per minute. The process comprises the use of high-frequency current pulses of a certain form and having a given frequency range, combined with the generation of acoustic vibrations in a sonic frequency range in the electrolyte, the frequency ranges of the current pulses and the acoustic vibrations being overlapping. The process makes it possible to introduce ultra-disperse powders into the electrolyte, with the acoustic vibrations helping to form a stable hydrosol, and to create coatings with set properties. The process makes it possible to produce dense hard microcrystalline ceramic coatings of thickness up to 150 microns. The coatings are characterised by reduced specific thickness of an external porous layer (less than 14% of the total coating thickness) and low roughness of the oxidised surface, Ra 0.6-2.1 microns.