Sleep Apnea Sound Analysis for Home Screening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing sleep apnea syndrome require patients to visit hospitals, which is costly, time-consuming, and inefficient, limiting the number of patients that can be examined simultaneously, and often delayed due to the need for in-person data acquisition and analysis.
Innovation Solution
A sleep apnea syndrome testing apparatus that uses a sound pickup device to collect sound signals during sleep and analyzes them to detect characteristic sounds indicative of apneic states, allowing for home-based testing and determining the presence of apneic episodes without the need for extensive equipment or hospital visits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a patient visits a hospital for close examination of sleep apnea syndrome, then accurate diagnosis can be obtained, but the patient bears high costs, time burden, and physical burden from sensor equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses sound signals as a copy or alternative representation of breathing patterns, replacing the need for direct sensor attachment to the patient's body. The sound pickup device captures acoustic information that correlates with respiratory states, enabling diagnosis without physical sensor burden while maintaining diagnostic capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical sensor system with an acoustic field-based detection system. Instead of using mechanical or electrical sensors attached to the patient, the system uses sound waves to detect breathing patterns, thereby eliminating the physical burden of sensor equipment while preserving the ability to measure respiratory parameters
2Measurement precision
If a hospital conducts close examination of sleep apnea syndrome, then accurate data can be collected, but the number of patients that can be examined at a time is limited, reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The sound-based detection method creates a scalable diagnostic system where multiple patients can be examined simultaneously using identical acoustic detection equipment, unlike sensor-based systems that require individualized setup and processing for each patient
Solution Approach 2:
The sound pickup device and analysis system serve multiple patients simultaneously with the same equipment configuration, making the diagnostic system universal and scalable. The system can process sound signals from different patients without requiring specialized setup for each individual, thereby increasing examination throughput
3Measurement precision
If traditional sleep apnea syndrome examination methods are used, then comprehensive data analysis can be performed, but the process is time-consuming and delays diagnosis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential diagnostic information from sound signals - specifically the presence or absence of characteristic sounds indicating apneic events - rather than analyzing comprehensive physiological data. This extraction of key features enables rapid diagnosis while maintaining accuracy for screening purposes
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial analysis by focusing specifically on detecting characteristic sounds associated with apnea events rather than conducting a complete physiological assessment. This partial action approach provides sufficient diagnostic information for screening while significantly reducing the time required compared to comprehensive examination methods
Data Source
AI summary
A sleep apnea syndrome testing apparatus includes: an analyzing unit that analyzes every unit time a sound signal resulting from a subject during sleep; a determining unit that determines whether a unit time of the sound signal includes a breath sound or a characteristic sound produced when a patient with sleep apnea syndrome recovers from an apneic state into a breathing state, and the determining unit that determines that the sleep state of the subject in the unit time is any one of “breathing restored state,”“state with breathing,” and “state without breathing;” a storage unit in which a sleep state of the subject in each unit time is stored; and a detecting unit that detects an apneic state of the subject if a history of the sleep states of the subject indicates at least a transition from the “state without breathing” to the “breathing restored state.”