Lung Sound Analysis Using Pause-Phase Noise Exclusion

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing lung sound analysis systems struggle to accurately diagnose heart failure in non-specialist settings due to the inclusion of noise during the pause phase of breathing, which can erroneously detect abnormalities in lung sounds.

Innovation Solution

A lung sound analysis system that identifies the pause phase in breathing cycles and separates the time-series acoustic signals into periods of inspiration and expiration, allowing for accurate detection of abnormalities in lung sounds during active breathing phases.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the lung sounds are divided into two (first-half inspiration period and latter-half expiration period), then the abnormality detection can be performed on each phase, but the pause phase noise is erroneously detected as abnormality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveabnormality detection accuracyVSAvoiddiagnosis reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The breathing cycle is segmented into three distinct phases: inspiratory phase, expiratory phase, and pause phase. This three-phase segmentation allows the system to identify and exclude the pause phase from abnormality detection, thereby preventing noise during the pause phase from being erroneously detected as lung sound abnormalities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The pause phase is extracted and separated from the lung sound analysis process. By identifying the pause phase as a distinct period and excluding it from the abnormality detection process, the system removes the source of erroneous noise detection while maintaining accurate detection of actual lung sound abnormalities during the inspiratory and expiratory phases.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If automatic determination of adventitious sounds is performed, then non-specialists can obtain diagnosis results, but noise during pause phase causes erroneous detection

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of use for non-specialistsVSAvoidabnormality detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The breathing cycle is segmented into three distinct phases: inspiratory phase, expiratory phase, and pause phase. This three-phase segmentation allows the system to identify and exclude the pause phase from abnormality detection, thereby preventing noise during the pause phase from being erroneously detected as lung sound abnormalities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The pause phase is extracted and separated from the lung sound analysis process. By identifying the pause phase as a distinct period and excluding it from the abnormality detection process, the system removes the source of erroneous noise detection while maintaining accurate detection of actual lung sound abnormalities during the inspiratory and expiratory phases.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS20260026773A1Lung sound analysis system

Publication Date: 2026.01.29 NEC CORP

AI summary

A lung sound analysis system includes an acquisition means for acquiring time-series acoustic signals including lung sounds of a subject who is a heart failure patient, a determination means for determining a pause phase of breathing of the subject, a dividing means for dividing the time-series acoustic signals into those in a period of the pause phase of breathing of the subject and those in a period other than the pause phase, according to a result of the determination, and a detection means for detecting abnormality in the lung sounds from the time-series acoustic signals in the period other than the pause phase after the division. The system supports medical decision making for healthcare professionals monitoring heart failure patients.