Mobile Acoustic Sensing for Breathing and Body-Motion Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies require specialized hardware for monitoring physiological movements such as breathing and cardiac movements, which is a barrier to widespread adoption, especially in areas without landlines.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a mobile device with integrated or externally connectable speaker and microphone to generate and sense sound signals, processing these signals to detect breathing and motion, employing modulation and demodulation techniques to overcome reverberation and directionality issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If specialized hardware circuitry and antennas are used for radio location or ranging application, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces specialized radio location hardware (hardware circuitry and antennas) with acoustic sensing using a mobile device's microphone. The system uses sound waves to detect physiological movements like breathing and cardiac movements, substituting a complex electromagnetic system with a simpler acoustic system that leverages existing mobile device components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables mobile devices to perform multiple functions - not only communication but also physiological monitoring. By using the mobile device's existing speaker and microphone for bio-motion detection, the system makes the device universal, capable of both communication and health monitoring without requiring specialized equipment.
2Measurement precision
If specialized equipment is required for monitoring physiological movements, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the mobile device to monitor itself and the user automatically. The system uses the device's own speaker to emit sound waves and its microphone to detect reflections, requiring no external specialized equipment. The monitoring happens automatically in the background, making the operation self-service and highly accessible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of communication device and physiological monitor into a single integrated system. The mobile device combines its speaker and microphone into a unified bio-motion detection system, eliminating the need for separate specialized monitoring equipment and making the technology accessible to everyone with a smartphone.
3Device complexity
If sound signals are used for detecting physiological movement, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to reverberation and directionality issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces signal processing algorithms as an intermediary between the raw acoustic signal and the final measurement. The system uses modulation and demodulation techniques, along with digital signal processing, to extract precise physiological movement information from the reflected sound waves, compensating for reverberation and directionality issues through computational methods.
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 efficient and effective monitoring of breathing and motion without specialized equipment, facilitating sleep disorder diagnosis and management using smartphones and other portable devices.
Implementation Method 1
control producing, via a speaker coupled to an electronic processing device, a sound signal in a vicinity that includes a user
Implementation Method 2
control sensing, via a microphone coupled to the electronic processing device, a sound signal reflected from the user
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices provide physiological movement detection with active sound generation. In some versions, a processor may detect breathing and/or gross body motion. The processor may control producing, via a speaker coupled to the processor, a sound signal in a user's vicinity. The processor may control sensing, via a microphone coupled to the processor, a reflected sound signal. This reflected sound signal is a reflection of the sound signal from the user. The processor may process the reflected sound, such as by a demodulation technique. The processor may detect breathing from the processed reflected sound signal. The sound signal may be produced as a series of tone pairs in a frame of slots or as a phase-continuous repeated waveform having changing frequencies (e.g., triangular or ramp sawtooth). Evaluation of detected movement information may determine sleep states or scoring, fatigue indications, subject recognition, chronic disease monitoring/prediction, and other output parameters.