Wheezing Detection Control for Shorter Pulmonary Sound Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheezing detection devices require prolonged measurement times, making it difficult for non-medical users to determine sufficient measurement duration and maintain subjects in a resting state, especially for infants, and fail to promptly detect wheezing when it occurs frequently.
Innovation Solution
A wheezing detection device with a controller that ends pulmonary sound measurement after a predetermined time period or upon detecting wheezing, and includes features to identify invalid or valid signal periods to ensure reliable detection within a shorter timeframe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If measurement time for pulmonary sound is extended to improve wheezing detection accuracy, then detection reliability is improved, but user burden and subject burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors pulmonary sound during measurement and provides feedback by detecting wheezing in real-time. When wheezing is detected, the system automatically terminates the measurement, creating a closed-loop control that adapts the measurement duration to the actual detection needs, thereby improving reliability without unnecessarily extending measurement time
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement time is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system adjusts the measurement duration based on the detected condition - terminating early when wheezing is detected or when sufficient data is collected. This dynamic approach optimizes the balance between detection reliability and minimizing user/subject burden
2Measurement precision
If measurement time for pulmonary sound is extended to capture sufficient signal, then detection accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system collects just enough pulmonary sound signal to achieve sufficient detection accuracy rather than continuously measuring. By using partial action (stopping measurement when adequate data is obtained), the system avoids excessive power consumption while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement system automatically determines when sufficient signal has been collected and terminates measurement independently. This self-service mechanism ensures that power consumption is minimized while still achieving the required detection accuracy without needing external intervention to extend or terminate measurement
3Reliability
If measurement time is extended to ensure sufficient pulmonary sound signal, then detection reliability is improved, but time loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary monitoring of pulmonary sound characteristics during measurement to assess whether sufficient signal has been collected. This preliminary assessment allows the system to terminate measurement early when adequate data is obtained, reducing time loss while maintaining detection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously evaluates the quality and quantity of collected pulmonary sound signal and uses this feedback to determine when measurement can be terminated. This real-time feedback mechanism ensures that measurement time is minimized while still achieving sufficient signal for reliable wheezing detection
4Speed
If continuous monitoring is performed to detect wheezing early, then detection speed is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and focuses specifically on detecting wheezing characteristics from the pulmonary sound signal rather than analyzing all aspects of the sound continuously. By taking out only the essential wheezing detection function, the system achieves fast detection speed while keeping processing complexity manageable
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 early detection of wheezing, reduces user and subject burden, and conserves power by terminating measurement when wheezing is detected or the predetermined time is reached, ensuring high reliability of results.
Implementation Method 1
A device has been known that can utilize a microphone to extract pulmonary sounds as electrical signals
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a wheezing detection device, including: a wheezing determiner that performs processing of determining whether wheezing is included in the pulmonary sound of the subject, based on the signal of the pulmonary sound that is measured by a sound measurer after an instruction for starting wheezing detection processing is issued; and a controller that ends measurement of the signal of the pulmonary sound performed by the sound measurer and reports a result of the processing, in a case where an elapsed time period from a measurement start time point of the signal, which is firstly measured by the sound measurer after the instruction is issued, reaches a predetermined time period set in advance, or in a case where it is determined by the wheezing determiner that wheezing is included in the pulmonary sound of the subject.