Microphone Directivity Control for Weak Coronary Sound Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in detecting relatively weak heart sounds, such as stenosis sounds in coronary arteries, due to their low intensity, making it difficult to diagnose conditions like coronary artery disease.
Innovation Solution
A sound detection system with multiple microphones and an information processing device that adjusts microphone directivities and combines delay amounts to enhance sensitivity at specific body positions, using amplitude and phase analysis to specify and amplify weak sounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional single sensor or simple multi-sensor detection is used, then the device complexity is low, but the detection sensitivity for weak sounds is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the detection task into multiple stages: first detecting strong reference sounds (I sound, II sound) to identify valve closure positions, then using this information to control the directivity of microphones for subsequent detection of weak stenosis sounds. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high detection sensitivity without requiring all microphones to operate at maximum sensitivity simultaneously, thus managing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of strong heart sounds (I sound and II sound) to determine the positions of heart valves before detecting the weak stenosis sounds. This preliminary action provides spatial and temporal reference information that guides the subsequent directivity control of microphones, enabling more effective detection of weak sounds without requiring the microphones to be continuously adjusted at full sensitivity.
2Measurement precision
If the directivity of microphones is controlled to increase sensitivity for specific positions, then the detection sensitivity for weak sounds improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the detected strong heart sounds (I sound, II sound) to control the directivity of microphones. The positions and timings of these strong sounds provide feedback information about valve locations, which is then used to adjust microphone directivity patterns to focus on regions where weak stenosis sounds are likely to occur. This feedback mechanism enables adaptive directivity control without requiring complex external guidance systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the directivity parameters of microphones based on the detected positions of heart valves. By adjusting the directional characteristics (parameters) of microphones to focus on specific spatial regions where stenosis sounds are expected, the system achieves enhanced detection sensitivity. This parameter change is driven by the spatial-temporal information obtained from preliminary detection of strong valve closure sounds.
3Measurement precision
If multiple microphones are used with directivity control, then the detection sensitivity for weak stenosis sounds increases, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases due to signal processing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection and analysis of strong heart sounds to establish reference timing and spatial information before attempting to detect weak stenosis sounds. This preliminary action creates a temporal and spatial framework that simplifies the subsequent detection process by providing known reference points against which weak signals can be compared and localized.
Solution Approach 2:
The strong heart sounds (I sound, II sound) act as intermediaries that facilitate the detection of weak stenosis sounds. By first detecting these strong reference sounds, the system obtains spatial and temporal information that serves as a mediator to guide the detection and analysis of the much weaker stenosis sounds, making the overall detection process more manageable despite the complexity of using multiple microphones.
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
The system significantly increases the detection sensitivity for weak sounds within the body, allowing for accurate identification of stenosis sounds in coronary arteries, facilitating early diagnosis of coronary artery diseases.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of microphones each configured to detect a sound inside a living body and output a sound signal generated based on the detected sound
Implementation Method 2
the control unit controls directivities of the plurality of microphones to increase a sensitivity with respect to the second position
Data Source
AI summary
A sound detection system includes a plurality of microphones each configured to detect a sound inside a living body and output a sound signal generated based on the detected sound; and an information processing device that includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire the sound signal from each of the plurality of microphones, a control unit, and an output unit, the control unit specifies a first position that is a position of a prescribed living body site based on the sound signals acquired by the acquisition unit, estimates a second position that is in a prescribed relative positional relation with the first position, and controls directivities of the plurality of microphones to increase a sensitivity with respect to the second position, and the output unit outputs information generated based on the sound signals acquired by the acquisition unit in which the directivities of the plurality of microphones are controlled.