Ear Canal Acoustic Cough Detection With Fewer False Positives
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing health monitoring devices, such as those used for detecting coughing, are susceptible to external noise and often require additional hardware, making them costly, obtrusive, and unreliable for early illness detection.
Innovation Solution
Audioplethysmography using active acoustic sensing within a user's ear canal to detect coughing through acoustic signal modulation by muscle movements, isolating the signal from external noise and enabling accurate cough detection without additional hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If passive acoustic sensing is used to detect user actions, then the device can operate without active components, but the detection precision and reliability are insufficient due to ambient noise and limited sensitivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an acoustic wave generator as an intermediary component that emits acoustic waves into the environment. These waves serve as a mediator between the device and the user's body, enabling the acoustic sensor to detect body movements through the modulation of reflected acoustic waves rather than relying on direct passive acoustic sensing, thereby improving detection precision while maintaining device complexity at an acceptable level
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces passive acoustic sensing (mechanical sound wave detection) with an active acoustic sensing system that uses generated acoustic waves. This substitution enables more reliable and precise detection of user actions by using the interaction between generated acoustic waves and body movements, overcoming the limitations of passive sensing in noisy environments
2Reliability
If active acoustic sensing with acoustic wave generation is implemented, then detection reliability improves, but the device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the acoustic sensor serve multiple functions: it both generates acoustic waves (when paired with the acoustic wave generator) and detects reflected acoustic waves to determine user actions. This multi-functionality improves detection reliability while avoiding the need for completely separate transmission and reception systems, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The acoustic wave generator acts as an intermediary that enables reliable detection by providing a controlled acoustic field. This intermediary component allows the system to overcome environmental noise and improve detection reliability through active sensing, while its integration with existing sensor components keeps the overall device complexity manageable
3Measurement precision
If the acoustic sensor continuously monitors for user actions, then detection accuracy is maintained, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by generating acoustic waves only when needed for detection cycles rather than continuously. The acoustic wave generator emits acoustic waves in periodic intervals, and the acoustic sensor processes reflections during these intervals, maintaining detection accuracy while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuity of useful action by ensuring that during each active sensing interval, the acoustic sensor continuously processes reflected waves to detect user actions. This approach maintains high detection accuracy during operational periods while allowing power consumption to be reduced during intervals when acoustic waves are not being generated
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides accurate and reliable cough detection, distinguishing between user and external sources, while being unobtrusive and cost-effective, thus improving health monitoring accessibility and user experience.
Implementation Method 1
a set of one or more acoustic sensors configured to detect, in real-time, a user action of the user based on the acoustic waves
Implementation Method 2
the acoustic sensor and the processor of the electronic device may be used to detect and identify a variety of user actions
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques and apparatuses are described for performing user-focused coughing detection using active acoustic sensing. During active acoustic sensing, a hearable (102) transmits and receives an acoustic signal, which propagates within a user's (106) ear canal (114). This acoustic signal can be modulated by muscle movements caused by the user (106) coughing. As the acoustic signal propagates within the user's (106) ear canal (114), it is substantially isolated from external environmental noise. As such, active acoustic sensing can perform user-focused coughing detection (112). With user-focused coughing detection (112), the hearable (102) can accurately detect when the user (106) coughs while substantially preventing the generation of false positives caused by another person coughing in proximity to the user (106) and/or the hearable (102). Accurate and reliable coughing detection that can discriminate between the user and another outside source can be useful for health monitoring and enabling early detection of an illness.