Smartphone Heart Monitoring via Chest Motion Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heart monitoring technologies, such as ECG, are limited in providing early detection of cardiovascular issues and require bulky equipment, while existing portable solutions like BCG and SCG offer offline analysis and are not widely accessible.
Innovation Solution
A smartphone-based device with accelerometers measures chest motion along three axes, using signal processing algorithms like PCA and Savitzky-Golay smoothing to extract heart rate and condition data, allowing for real-time analysis and comparison with ECG signals, and can be deployed without additional hardware costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ECG is used for heart monitoring, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase due to external electrodes and signal amplifiers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electrical measurement system (ECG with electrodes and amplifiers) with a mechanical measurement system using accelerometers to detect chest vibrations. This substitution maintains measurement capability while eliminating the need for complex electrical components, external electrodes, and signal amplification hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses accelerometers to indirectly measure heart activity by detecting mechanical vibrations of the chest wall caused by cardiac motion. This creates a copied mechanical representation of heart function that can be analyzed to extract heart rate and rhythm information without directly measuring electrical signals.
2Ease of operation
If BCG or SCG devices are used for heart monitoring, then device portability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to offline analysis requirements and dedicated bulky equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-functional system where a single smartphone device serves both as the measurement platform (housing accelerometers) and the analysis platform (running signal processing algorithms). This integration eliminates the need for separate dedicated BCG/SCG equipment and enables real-time heart rate analysis, making the system both portable and precise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces signal processing algorithms as an intermediary between the raw accelerometer data and the final heart rate measurement. These algorithms (including FFT, wavelet transform, and peak detection) process the mechanical vibration signals to extract accurate cardiac information, bridging the gap between simple motion detection and precise heart rate measurement.
3Device complexity
If smartphone accelerometers are used to measure chest motion, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to breathing signal contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the breathing signal component from the accelerometer data through signal processing techniques. By identifying and separating the respiratory vibrations from the cardiac vibrations, the system isolates the heart-related signals, eliminating breathing contamination and improving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms in the signal processing pipeline where the processed signal information is used to refine the extraction of heart rate data. The system continuously analyzes the accelerometer output, identifies breathing patterns, and adjusts the signal processing parameters to maintain accurate heart rate measurement despite the presence of respiratory motion.
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 solution provides accurate, portable, and cost-effective heart condition monitoring, enabling early detection of cardiovascular issues and improving treatment outcomes by leveraging smartphone technology for widespread accessibility.
Implementation Method 1
The sensors comprise motion sensors, e.g. accelerometers and are arranged to measure acceleration in respective mutually orthogonal directions
Implementation Method 2
the processor may be arranged to remove the signal component due to breathing so that the heart condition can be accurately measured. For example the processor can be arranged to remove the breathing component using a smoothing algorithm, such as a Savitzky-Golay smoothing algorithm
Data Source
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AI summary
A mobile telecommunications device ( 1) arranged for monitoring the heart of a human or animal and comprising at least one sensor (2) for measuring an effect of heart function and producing a signal indicative of the effect, a processor (5) arranged to receive the signal and analyse it and to produce an output indicating a condition of the heart. A method of diagnosis of heart disease is also disclosed comprising measuring an effect of heart function using one or more sensors (2), and producing a signal indicative of the effect, using a processor (5) to receive the signal and analyse it and to produce an output indicating a condition of the heart.