Multi-axis Heart Sound Sensor for Complete Cardiac Vibration Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current implantable medical devices (IMDs) for monitoring heart sounds typically use single-axis sensors, which may miss vital information as heart sound vibrations occur along multiple axes, leading to incomplete data and reduced signal quality.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a multi-axis heart sound sensor that produces electrical signals representative of heart sounds along at least two nonparallel axes, coupled with a controller circuit to measure and process these signals, providing enhanced signal-to-noise ratio and directional information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single-axis sensor is used to monitor heart sounds, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision and information completeness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from single-axis to multi-axis sensing by adding spatial dimensions to the measurement. The sensor assembly includes multiple sensing elements oriented along different axes (e.g., radial, longitudinal, transverse directions), enabling detection of heart sound vibrations in three-dimensional space. This dimensional expansion captures vibrations that occur along multiple directions simultaneously, improving measurement completeness without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor is divided into multiple independent sensing elements, each sensitive to vibrations along a specific axis. Instead of using one complex single-axis sensor, the patent employs multiple simpler sensing elements (accelerometers, piezoelectric sensors, or capacitive sensors) arranged in a multi-axis configuration. Each element captures vibrations in its specific directional sensitivity, and the combined output provides comprehensive heart sound information.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single-axis sensor is used, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the signal quality and information completeness worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds spatial dimensions to the sensing capability by incorporating multiple sensing elements oriented along different axes. This enables capture of heart sound vibrations occurring in multiple directions, preventing information loss that would occur with single-axis sensing. The multi-axis approach ensures that vibrations along any direction can be detected by at least one sensing element.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple sensing elements into a single integrated sensor assembly. Each sensing element is simple to manufacture individually, but their combination creates a comprehensive multi-axis sensor that captures complete heart sound information. The signals from multiple elements are processed together to provide enhanced signal quality and complete diagnostic information.
3Measurement precision
If multi-axis sensors are implemented, then the signal-to-noise ratio improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is segmented into multiple independent sensing elements, each capturing vibrations along a specific axis. This segmentation allows for selective processing of signals from different axes, enabling noise reduction techniques that exploit the directional characteristics of each sensing element. Vibrations detected by multiple elements can be combined coherently while random noise averages out, improving signal-to-noise ratio.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements signal processing that uses feedback from multiple sensing elements to enhance the desired heart sound signal while suppressing noise. By comparing signals from different axes and using adaptive processing, the system can identify and amplify coherent cardiac vibrations while attenuating incoherent noise, thereby improving signal-to-noise ratio through feedback-based signal enhancement.
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
This approach improves the detection and interpretation of heart sounds, allowing for better separation of cardiac vibrations from other noises and providing valuable directional information for diagnosing heart conditions like ischemia and heart failure, enhancing the management of heart disease.
Implementation Method 1
Heart sounds are associated with mechanical vibrations from activity of a patient's heart and the flow of blood through the heart
Implementation Method 2
an implantable multi-axis heart sound sensor, operable to produce, for each of at least two nonparallel axes, an electrical signal representative of at least one heart sound
Data Source
AI summary
A system to monitor heart sounds, such as to detect a worsening condition of heart failure decompensation. The system comprises a medical device that includes an implantable multi-axis heart sound sensor, operable to produce, for each of at least two nonparallel axes, an electrical signal representative of at least one heart sound, the heart sound associated with mechanical activity of a patient's heart. The device further includes a controller circuit coupled to the heart sound sensor. The controller circuit measures components of the heart sound that respectively correspond to each of the axes.