Heart Sound Signal Processing Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for processing heart sound signals often rely on filtering, which may not effectively separate and amplify or attenuate specific components independently, leading to loss of signal information and inability to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant noise.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that segment heart sound cycles, select a template based on signal-to-noise ratio, subtract the template from individual cycles to extract components, and allow independent amplification or attenuation of these components using inverse Fourier transforms, enabling preservation and manipulation of all signal components for improved diagnosis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If filtering is applied to reduce noise energy in heart sound signals, then the signal-to-noise ratio is improved, but signal information is lost and components above 200 Hz are removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the heart sound signal into distinct components: periodic heart sound signals and aperiodic noise components. By segmenting the signal rather than filtering it, the system can process each component separately while preserving all original signal information, including high-frequency components above 200 Hz that carry diagnostic value.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the aperiodic noise components from the heart sound signal using statistical processing and template matching. This extraction allows the system to separate noise from signal without removing any valid signal components, enabling independent manipulation of noise and signal while preserving complete signal information for diagnosis.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If filtering is used to separate noise from signal, then noise reduction is achieved, but the ability to independently amplify or attenuate specific components is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the signal into periodic heart sound components and aperiodic noise components, enabling independent control of each. The system can separately amplify, attenuate, or eliminate specific components (such as respiratory noise or ambient noise) while preserving other diagnostic components, providing versatile adaptation for different diagnostic needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic processing where the system can adaptively adjust the amplification and attenuation of different signal components in real-time. The processing tuners allow dynamic modification of component gains based on diagnostic requirements, enabling flexible adaptation rather than static filtering.
3Device complexity
If conventional filtering is applied to heart sound signals, then processing is simplified, but the complexity of independently controlling multiple signal components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the signal processing into distinct functional modules: segmenter for dividing the signal, selector for identifying templates, difference generator for extracting components, and amplifiers for independent control. This modular segmentation simplifies the overall processing architecture while enabling easy and independent control of each component through dedicated interfaces.
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
Enables independent control over signal components, allowing for enhanced signal processing that maintains all information-bearing parts of the heart sound signal, improving diagnostic accuracy by separating and manipulating relevant and irrelevant noise components.
Implementation Method 1
a segmenter for segmenting a signal representative of heart sounds into individual heart sound cycles
Implementation Method 2
a difference generator for subtracting the template from a cycle for obtaining an extracted component
Implementation Method 3
an amplifier with amplification means with independent amplification control means for controlling their gains independently, for amplifying a concatenated inverse Fourier transform of the extracted signals
Implementation Method 4
a combiner for combining the amplified signals for outputting a combined signal
Data Source
AI summary
A device for independently and controllably amplifying components of the heart sound signals without removing any component of the signal by filtering. With such a device all the signal components that carry information are still available and can be useful to a user. Filtering may however be applied to very high frequency signals, compared to the signal of interest, that are totally unrelated to the heart sounds.