Auscultation Attachment for Smart Device Telemedicine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stethoscopes are not suitable for remote diagnosis and telemedicine, particularly in rural areas, due to their complexity and high cost, as they require additional electronics for connectivity to smart devices.
Innovation Solution
An attachment device that holds an auscultation device near a smart device's microphone, allowing for recording and analysis of heart and breathing sounds using a mobile app with an AI algorithm, eliminating the need for extra electronics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If electronic stethoscopes are used to connect to smartphones, then remote diagnosis capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase due to electrical components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electronic components from the stethoscope itself and places them only in the smartphone. The stethoscope becomes a simple acoustic device that transmits sounds to the smartphone's microphone, eliminating complex electronics from the stethoscope while maintaining remote diagnosis capability through the smartphone's processing power and AI algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The smartphone acts as an intermediary device that bridges the simple acoustic stethoscope and the remote diagnosis system. The stethoscope captures sounds acoustically, the smartphone's microphone records them, and the smartphone's processor and AI algorithms analyze the data, enabling telemedicine without requiring electronic components in the stethoscope.
2Adaptability or versatility
If electronic stethoscopes are used for telemedicine, then remote patient monitoring is improved, but cost increases due to additional electronics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes expensive electronic components from the stethoscope manufacturing process and relocates them to the smartphone, which the patient or provider already possesses. This dramatically reduces stethoscope manufacturing costs while maintaining full telemedicine functionality through the smartphone's existing hardware and software capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The smartphone serves multiple functions: it acts as the electronic stethoscope receiver, the AI analysis engine, the data storage device, and the communication interface for remote consultation. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated expensive electronics in the stethoscope, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining comprehensive telemedicine capability.
3Device complexity
If conventional stethoscopes are used, then device simplicity is maintained, but remote diagnosis and telemedicine capabilities are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the simple acoustic stethoscope with the smartphone's recording and processing capabilities. The stethoscope maintains its mechanical simplicity for sound capture, while the smartphone provides the electronic functions needed for telemedicine, creating a hybrid system that achieves versatility without sacrificing the simplicity of the stethoscope component.
Solution Approach 2:
The smartphone serves as an intermediary that adds telemedicine capability to the conventional stethoscope. The stethoscope remains simple and acoustic, but the smartphone mediates between the acoustic input and the digital processing, enabling remote diagnosis while preserving the simplicity and reliability of the traditional stethoscope design.
Data Source
AI summary
An attachment device for holding an auscultation device near a smart device. The attachment device includes an interior compartment for receiving the smart device and a port for receiving the auscultation device. In use, the attachment device holds the microphone of the smart device adjacent to the auscultation device. The smart device records the heart or breathing sounds from the auscultation device, and a mobile application on the smart device classifies the sounds as normal or abnormal.