Wireless Cardiac Sensor with Integrated ECG and Audio Transducers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cardiac monitoring equipment is costly, difficult to use in non-clinical environments, and limited by short monitoring periods, making it unsuitable for lay users and home use due to complex sensor placement and tangling issues.
Innovation Solution
A wireless cardiac sensor with integrated ECG and audio transducers, allowing self-application with one hand, and a Bluetooth transceiver for data transmission to personal electronic devices, providing easy, cost-effective, and reliable cardiac monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional cardiac monitoring equipment is used, then cardiac monitoring capability is provided, but the equipment is costly and difficult to use in non-clinical environments
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional cardiac monitoring system is segmented into separate functional components: a simple wireless sensor unit for data acquisition and a smartphone for data processing and display. This segmentation allows the sensor to be minimal and easy to use, while the complex processing functions are offloaded to the smartphone, resolving the contradiction between ease of use and monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A smartphone application serves as an intermediary between the simple wireless sensor and the user. The app handles complex tasks such as ECG analysis, heart rate calculation, and data visualization, allowing the physical sensor itself to remain simple and easy to operate while providing comprehensive monitoring functionality.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used for cardiac monitoring, then monitoring accuracy is improved, but sensor placement becomes difficult and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensing functions (ECG electrodes, audio transducer for heart sounds, accelerometer for motion detection) are merged into a single integrated wireless sensor unit. This consolidation maintains comprehensive monitoring accuracy while simplifying application to just one location on the chest, eliminating the need for multiple separate sensor placements.
Solution Approach 2:
The wireless sensor unit is designed as a multi-functional device that performs ECG monitoring, heart sound detection, and motion tracking simultaneously. This universal design achieves comprehensive cardiac monitoring accuracy through multiple sensors while requiring placement at only one anatomical location, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and placement ease.
3Reliability
If sensor cables are used for cardiac monitoring, then continuous data transmission is achieved, but cables become tangled and damaged reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The cable connection is extracted and replaced with a wireless Bluetooth communication link between the sensor and smartphone. This eliminates the physical cable that causes tangling and damage, thereby improving reliability while maintaining continuous data transmission capability through wireless protocols.
4Duration of action of moving object
If continuous monitoring is limited to short periods, then equipment cost is reduced, but monitoring effectiveness for long-term cardiac conditions is diminished
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service continuous monitoring by the patient themselves using a familiar smartphone device. The smartphone's existing battery, processing capabilities, and connectivity are leveraged to provide extended monitoring duration without requiring a dedicated complex monitoring system, thus extending monitoring duration while avoiding increased system complexity.
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 lay users to conduct effective cardiac monitoring at home with reduced equipment complexity and extended monitoring periods, improving accessibility and reliability by eliminating tangled wires and providing continuous data analysis.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor includes an audio transducer and ECG electrodes to simultaneously capture heart sound and ECG data
Implementation Method 2
The audio transducer includes a sensor that, together with ECG transducer electrodes, may be positioned on a front surface of a wireless cardiac sensor housing
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless cardiac sensor is provided. The sensor may be utilized by a patient, on themselves, in an at home or other non-clinical environment. A sensor housing contains ECG electrodes and an audio transducer to simultaneously capture heart sound and ECG data with a single device. The ECG electrodes may be positioned on opposite sides of, and preferably adjacent to, an audio transducer sensor, for placement against a user's chest. The wireless cardiac sensor may include a button on a surface opposite the ECG electrodes and audio sensor, facilitating one-handed operation by a patient. The sensor transmits acquired data to a personal electronic device, such as a smartphone, via a wireless communication link. The personal electronic device may in turn transmit data to a centralized server and/or health care provider devices, via a wide area network.