JPH0450011B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a multifunctional wireless/wired stethoscope,
In particular, the sound detected by the chest piece is captured by the input means, and the sound is converted into an electrical sound signal and then amplified and output, or further outputted as a communication radio wave signal by the transmitter, thereby recording the sound. -Relates to a multifunctional wireless/wired stethoscope that enables playback and collective auscultation.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional stethoscope consists of several types of chest pieces attached to a turret, an ear tip that a doctor inserts into the ear canal, and a tube that acoustically communicates the turret and the ear tip. Generally, ear tips are provided in pairs for both ears, and are required to have sufficient hardness and elasticity in order to reduce interference from external noise.

Moreover, most conventional electric stethoscopes are used for personal use and are often large in volume.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

By the way, conventional stethoscopes detect peristalsis, pulsation, and vibrations of the patient's body, that is, various parts of the inner surface of the subject, as weak sounds through a chest piece equipped with a waveform, flat diaphragm, or bell. In order to effectively assist in diagnosis, we must rely on many years of experience and keen intuition. In addition, in order to prevent interference from external noises, a large earpiece, which is more hard than elastic, must be pushed into the ear canal, making it unavoidable to feel uncomfortable when using a stethoscope. There is. Furthermore, because conventional stethoscopes can only be used by one person at a time, it takes time and effort in clinical practice, and it also takes time and effort in medical examinations conducted in the presence of several doctors. As a result, the pain caused to sick people who are generally in low physical strength cannot be ignored.

Next, conventional electric stethoscopes can make weak sounds clear by converting the sound detected by the chest piece into an electrical sound signal using a microphone etc. and amplifying it, but for personal use It is no different from a conventional stethoscope in that it allows many people to auscultate at the same time,
Recording and reproducing devices generally have a large volume, making them inconvenient to use and transport.

This invention was made against the background of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it amplifies the voice detected through the chest piece to make it clearer, and it can also be heard through a headphone or speaker, making it ideal for group clinical training or witnessing. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional wireless/wired stethoscope that allows examination to be carried out easily and at the same time enables the investigation of pathology or storage as a medical record by recording audio.

[Means to solve the problem]

A multifunctional wireless/wired auscultation device having a chest piece for detecting sounds from inside a subject, the device comprising: a housing means; a radio wave transmitter electrically located within the housing means to transmit radio waves; means; wired transmission means electrically provided within the housing means for transmitting a wired signal; power source means provided within the housing means for supplying power to the radio wave transmission means and the wired transmission means; a flexible material; an audio frequency guiding means formed in a Y-shape in the housing means and receiving sound from the chest piece; an audio frequency guide means electrically connected to the radio wave transmitting means and the wired transmission means, the sound being picked up from the chest piece; a plurality of microphones that convert the information into electrical signals; a stem portion having a through hole formed in the stem portion;
a plurality of orifices communicating with the through hole;
A chest piece composed of a diaphragm and a bell-shaped body, which is connected to a conduit made of a flexible three-way pipe through a hollow connecting part and a tubular connecting end; A main body formed with a circular section in the longitudinal direction using relief grooves for a plurality of fingers, a flat surface having an relief groove in the center and an relief groove opening formed inside the body, and a flat surface having an relief groove opening formed in the center; a power switch provided on the main body for turning off, a plurality of remote control switches provided on the main body, receiving the radio signal and the wired signal;
a radio/recorder set connected to the remote control switch for recording and playback, and a plurality of electrical sockets provided on the main body and electrically connected to the remote control switch and the radio/recorder set; further comprising: an input means built into the housing and extending to the conduit for receiving vibration sound, converting it into an electrical audio signal, and inputting the signal; and amplified electricity. an amplification/transmission section having an output means for outputting an audio signal; and a power supply section that is also built in the housing and supplies power to the amplification/transmission section, and is provided in the amplification/transmission section. In addition to interposing an output adjustment means in the output means,
The output means can select one of wired output and wireless output, and is connected to various reproduction and recording means and used for reproducing and recording vibrational sound waves inside the subject. The gist is a functional wireless/wired auscultation device.

The input means of the amplification/transmission section is characterized by being at least one microphone provided within the conduit.

The output means of the amplification/transmission section is electrically connected to the transmission section, the antenna section, and the amplification section that further converts the electrical audio signal amplified by the amplification section into a communication radio wave signal and transmits it by wireless output. It is characterized by being an output terminal for wired output of a recording jack, headphone (speaker) jack, etc.

[Effect]

In the multifunctional wireless/wired stethoscope according to the present invention, vibrational sound waves detected through the chest piece are introduced into the conduit or sleeve, captured by input means such as a microphone, and converted into electrical audio signals. and is input to the amplification section. The amplification section is equipped with a power supply section and is electrically connected to the input means, and the electrical audio signal amplified by the transmission section is transmitted as a communication sound wave signal by a wire antenna, so that it can be remotely received by a reception device. In addition to being capable of playback and recording, by providing multiple output terminals, signals can be output to multiple headsets, speakers, oscilloscopes, etc. at the same time.

Further, by attaching an output adjusting means to the amplifying section, the magnitude of the output can be adjusted.

〔Example〕

Two preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 explain the first embodiment, and the multifunctional wireless/wired stethoscope disclosed in the first embodiment includes a housing 10, microphones 20, 20 as input means. , a condition 30, and a chest piece.

The housing 10 has a flat hollow cylindrical shape and a truncated cone shape with a housing body 11 having a plurality of depressions on one narrow side of the housing 10 so as to be easily gripped with one hand. hand,
An upper cover 12 whose lower end is locked to the upper end of the housing body 11 via a locking means, and an upper cover 12 which has an oval flat plate shape and is aligned and removably locked to the lower end of the housing body 11. Lower cover 13
It is made up of.

The housing main body 11 has a horizontal upper end surface 111 at its upper end portion, and
By protruding the diameter-reduced outer circumferential wall and providing the locking means on the outer circumferential surface, the upper cover 12 can be fixed as described above.
is attached to the upper end of the housing main body 11, and the locking means thereof may be, for example, forming a protrusion on the entire circumference or a part of the outer circumferential wall surface, and a corresponding protrusion on the inner circumferential wall surface of the upper cover 12. There is a method of recessing a locking groove (not shown), but such locking means is well known and will not be described in detail. In addition, the lower cover 13
The locking means for locking the housing body 11 to the housing body 11 is the same as that for the upper cover 12, and the present invention allows the housing 10 to be easily and quickly assembled or disassembled by such a locking means.

The upper end surface 111 of the housing main body 11 is opened in the center as a vertically elongated rounded slot 112 to accommodate the microphone 2 fitted into the conduit 30.
Electrical cords 141 and 142 from 0 and 20 are drawn into the housing body 11 through this slot 112.

Lower cover 1 attached to housing body 11
3 is attached with a recording jack 18, a headphone (speaker) jack 19, and a wire antenna 201, and the lower cover 13 is removably attached, so that the dry battery that serves as the power supply section 15 can be replaced. It's becoming easier to do.

The conduit 30 is a hollow trifurcated tube made of a flexible material, arranged in an inverted Y direction, and has its lower portion covered by the upper cover 12 and abuts against the upper end surface 111 of the housing body 11. It has two lower openings 31, 31 at its two lower ends, and an upper opening 32 at its upper end.
have. Inside these lower openings 31, 31,
The microphones 20, 20 are fitted from below, and the vibrational sound waves inside the patient's body detected by the chest piece 40 are introduced into the conduit 30 through the upper opening 32, so that the vibrational sound waves are transmitted to the microphones 20, 20. I am starting to understand this more and more.

The chest piece 40, as shown in FIG.
A hollow connecting part 4 with a diaphragm 41 for bass sounds on one side and a bell 42 for treble sounds on the other side.
3, and a tubular connecting end 44 projects downward from the center of the lower end of the connecting part 43.

Therefore, the chest piece 40 connects the lower end of its connecting end 44 to the upper end opening 3 of the conduit 30.
2, it becomes integrally connected to the housing 10, and the conduit 30
Since the chest piece 40 is made of a flexible material, the direction of the chest piece 40 can be easily changed with a finger, and either the diaphragm 41 or the bell 42 can be brought into contact with the patient's body.

In FIG. 2 and FIGS. 4 to 6, a printed circuit board 14 and a power supply section 15 are built in the housing main body 11, and this power supply section 15
A power switch 16 (see FIG. 3) is provided for the power switch 16 (see FIG. 3). Although a normal dry battery is used for the power supply unit 15, direct current power may be directly input to the circuit on the printed circuit board 14 via an adapter, or a rechargeable dry battery may be built into the housing body 11 and used while being charged. Both are possible.

On the printed circuit board 14, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an amplifying section 140 and a transmitting section 141 are provided.

The amplification section 140 includes a preamplifier 211, a low-pass filter 212, a main amplifier 213, and further includes:
Although an output adjustment means is provided between the bass pass filter 212 and the main amplifier 213,
In this embodiment, a variable resistor is employed as the output adjustment means, and its adjustment knob is connected to the output adjustment knob 2.
03. In this amplification section 140, as mentioned above, the microphone 20, which is a type of input means for the amplification section 140, receives the weak vibrational sound waves inside the patient's body that are detected by the chest piece and guided to the condate. Since it is converted into an electrical audio signal, it can be input to the amplification section 140. The vibrating sound waves converted into electrical audio signals are first input to a preamplifier 211 where they are initially amplified.The high frequency range, which is the main cause of noise, is cut out by a bass pass filter 212, and then the output adjustment knob 203 is input. Main amplifier 2
13, is amplified, and is sent to recording jack 1.
8. The signal is output from the headphone (speaker) jack 19 by wire to the outside. As shown in FIG. 3, the power switch 16 is provided on one narrow side of the housing 10, and as shown in FIGS.
The signal is supplied to or stopped being supplied to the microphone 20, the preamplifier 211 of the amplifying section 140, and the main amplifier 213 via the .

The receiving section 141 is composed of a wire antenna 201, a transmitting switch 202, and an oscillating circuit 204. The wire antenna 201 has the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and the transmitting switch 202 has the configuration shown in FIG. is provided below the housing 10. The oscillation circuit 204 converts the electrical audio signal from which the high frequency range has been removed through the bass pass filter 212 of the amplifying section 140 into a communication radio signal.
Wireless output is performed from the wire antenna 201.

Now, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings.

In FIG. 4, FIG. 1, and FIG. 3, before using the multifunctional wireless/wired stethoscope of the present invention, a headphone 50 and a speaker 52 for clinical practice by a group or a medical examination attended by several doctors are used.
The electrical cord 51 is connected to the headphone (speaker) jack 19 via a plug. As mentioned above, this headphone (speaker) jack 1
9 is electrically connected to the amplifier section on the printed circuit board 14, so when the power switch 16 is turned on, power is supplied from the power supply section 15 to the amplifier section, and the multifunctional wireless/wired stethoscope of the present invention is activated. It becomes available for use.

To use this multifunctional wireless/wired stethoscope, after grasping the housing 10 with one hand, rotate the chest piece 40 with your fingers as necessary to place the diaphragm 4 on the part of the patient's body that you wish to auscultate.
1 or bell 42 are brought into contact. The vibration sound waves detected by the chest piece 40 are transmitted to the connecting end 44
The signal is then introduced into the conduit 30 via the microphones 20, 20, where it is converted into an electrical audio signal and input into the amplification section. The electrical audio signal input to the amplifier section is amplified, noise removed, output adjusted,
After going through the process of amplification, it is output by wire to the outside through the headphone (speaker) jack 19, so when an intern or a doctor performs auscultation through the headphone 50 or speaker 52, it is also necessary to record the audio for diagnostic treatment and medical records. In this case, voice recording can be easily performed by connecting the electric cord 61 of the recorder 60 to the recording jack 18 with a plug.

Furthermore, if the transmitter switch 202 of the housing 10 is turned on and the doctor or intern carries a wireless pocket-type receiver, auscultation or its practice can be performed without the hassle of connecting the electric cords 51 and 61. .

Additionally, this wireless auscultation can also be used when conducting group clinical training at a slightly distant location or when it is necessary to protect patient privacy.

The multi-functional wireless/wired stethoscope of the present invention has, in addition to the above-mentioned features, a recording jack.
8 or headphone (speaker) jack 19
By connecting an oscilloscope 90 or an oscilloscope 100 via a voice control device 80, which is a type of interface, the vibration sound waves detected from the patient's body can be displayed as visual diagnostic data.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view thereof. Seventh of these
8, most of the members and electric circuits centering on the housing body 11 and the chest piece 40 are shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 according to the first embodiment.
It is the same as shown in the figure.

The sleeve 31' is a member corresponding to the conduit of the first embodiment, and has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape, and has a lower opening 311 and an upper opening 311' at both ends.
have. A three-way hole 312 is provided in the approximately central axis of the sleeve 31', and
One hole drilled in the vertical direction is a communicating hole 312.
2.

An insertion hole 44 is formed in the connecting part 43 at the center of the chest piece 40, and the sleeve 31' is inserted into the insertion hole 44. When the sleeve 31' is inserted into the insertion hole 44, the microphone 20 is The lower opening 311 of the sleeve 31' and the microphone 20' are fitted into the upper opening 311' of the sleeve 31', and the sleeve 31' is sandwiched between the lower screw cap 181 and the upper screw cap 182. 181 is connected to the upper end of the lower upper cover 12, and the upper screw cap 182 is only loosely fitted into the insertion hole 44 of the chest piece 40.
The chest piece 40 is rotatably connected to the sleeve 31' and the upper cover 12.

Introductory holes 412 and 413 are provided protruding from the insertion holes 44 of the diaphragm 41 and bell 42 of the chest piece 40, respectively, so as to coincide with the communication holes 3122 opened on the outer periphery of the sleeve 31'. Therefore, the vibration sound waves detected by pressing the diaphragm 41 or the bell 42 against the patient's body pass through the introduction holes 412, 413 and the communication hole 3122, and then enter the three-way hole 3 of the sleeve 31'.
At the same time, the microphone 20,
The sound is received at 20' and converted into an electrical audio signal.
This electrical audio signal is input to the above-mentioned amplification section through electrical cords a and b, and the microphone 20'
The electric cord b is drawn into the upper cover 12 through the through hole 313.

By the way, the introduction holes 412 and 413 of the diaphragm 41 and the bell 42 are connected to the communication hole 3 of the sleeve 31'.
Since the point that coincides with 122 cannot be seen from the outside, one or more spring holes are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 31' that are 180 degrees apart from the communication hole 3122 of the diaphragm 41,
One or more locking holes 411 are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the fitting hole 44 at an angle corresponding to each introduction hole 412, 413, respectively, and a small steel ball 314 and a coil spring 316 are pushed into the spring hole. By applying elastic force, each introduction hole 412, 413 is connected to the communication hole 31.
22, the chest piece 40 is automatically locked at the matching position.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, this invention guides vibrational sound waves that are too weak for the chest piece to detect and that change in various ways to the microphone using a conduit.
Since the signal is converted into an electrical audio signal and amplified by an amplifier so that it can be auscultated using a headphone or speaker, clearer and more reliable auscultation can be performed. In addition, by recording and playing back as necessary, you can perform more detailed auscultation and record it, and at the same time, you can listen to a single auscultation at the same time during an examination conducted by multiple doctors or during clinical training conducted by many interns. Effective auscultation or education can be performed, and the pain caused to the patient can be reduced. Furthermore, since it is possible to auscultate wirelessly by using the transmitter, it is very convenient, and if the patient is received at a slightly distant place, the patient's privacy can be protected from the large number of interns.

In addition, the electrical audio signal can also be applied to an oscilloscope or oscilloscope via the interface, providing a visual diagnostic data that can be further analyzed and saved as a medical record.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partially sectional perspective view thereof, Fig. 3 is a side view thereof, and Fig. 4 illustrates various usage modes thereof. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the electric circuit, FIG. 6 is an electric circuit diagram, and FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a cross-sectional view of the main parts showing the second embodiment of the present invention. 8 are side views showing the chest piece and sleeve portion in cross section. Main symbols in the drawings, 10...Housing, 11
...Housing body, 12...Top cover, 13...
...Lower cover, 18...Recording jack, 19...Headphone (speaker) jack, 20, 20'
... Microphone, 30 ... Condate, 31
...Lower end opening, 32... Upper end opening, 31'... Sleeve, 40... Chest piece, 41... Diaphragm, 42... Bell.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A multifunctional wireless/wired auscultation device with a chest piece for detecting sounds from inside a subject, the device comprising: a housing means; electrically installed within the housing means; , radio wave transmitting means for transmitting radio waves; wired transmission means electrically provided within the housing means and transmitting wired signals; provided within the housing means and supplying power to the radio wave transmitting means and the wired transmitting means. power supply means; audio frequency guide means made of a flexible material and formed in a Y-shape in the housing means for receiving sound from the chest piece; electrically connected to the radio wave transmission means and the wired transmission means; a plurality of microphones that convert sound picked up from the chest piece into electrical signals; a mandrel having a through hole formed in the mandrel;
a plurality of orifices communicating with the through hole;
A chest piece composed of a diaphragm and a bell-shaped body, which is connected to a conduit made of a flexible three-way pipe through a hollow connecting part and a tubular connecting end; A main body formed with a circular section in the longitudinal direction using relief grooves for a plurality of fingers, a flat surface having an relief groove in the center and an relief groove opening formed inside the body, and a flat surface having an relief groove opening formed in the center; a power switch provided on the main body for turning off, a plurality of remote control switches provided on the main body, receiving the radio signal and the wired signal;
a radio/recorder set connected to the remote control switch for recording and playback, and a plurality of electrical sockets provided on the main body and electrically connected to the remote control switch and the radio/recorder set; further comprising: an input means built in the housing and extending to the conduit for receiving the vibration sound, converting it into an electrical audio signal and inputting it; and an amplified electrical sound signal. an amplification/transmission section having an output means for outputting an audio signal; and a power supply section that is also built in the housing and supplies power to the amplification/transmission section, and is provided in the amplification/transmission section. In addition to interposing an output adjustment means in the output means,
The output means can select one of wired output and wireless output, and is connected to various reproduction and recording means and used for reproducing and recording vibrational sound waves inside the subject. Functional wireless/wired auscultation device. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the input means of the amplification/transmission section is at least one microphone provided within the conduit. 3 The output means of the amplification/transmission section is electrically connected to the transmission section, the antenna section, and the amplification section that further converts the electrical audio signal amplified by the amplification section into a communication radio wave signal and transmits it by wireless output. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output terminal is a wired output terminal of a recording jack, a headphone (speaker) jack, or the like. 4 The above-mentioned housing has the above-mentioned amplification/transmission section and power supply section built into a flat cylindrical housing main body, and has an upper cover into which the above-mentioned conduit is integrally inserted at the upper end of the housing main body, and a lower end thereof has an upper cover into which the above-mentioned conduit is integrally inserted. It has a removable lower cover, and on its side, there is an on/off switch for the power supply section that can be operated from the outside, and an output adjustment means for the output means of the amplification/transmission section, and the lower cover is equipped with a headphone. 4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an output terminal such as a (speaker) jack and an antenna. 5 The above-mentioned conduit is a Y-shaped trifurcated tube made of a flexible material, and its upper open end is connected to the chest piece so as to communicate internally, and its lower two open ends are integrated into the housing body by an upper cover. While holding it so that it fits,
Claims 1 and 2 are characterized in that one or more input means are fitted into the lower two opening ends.
4. The apparatus according to any one of paragraphs 4 and 4. 6. The above-mentioned conduit is a sleeve having a hollow cylindrical shape and having a communication hole that communicates with the inside and outside in the radial direction at approximately the center of the longitudinal peripheral wall, and is inserted into the connecting part between the diaphragm and the bell-shaped body of the chest piece. A hole is opened, the sleeve is inserted into the chest piece, and the chest piece is rotatably supported by screw caps that fit both ends of the sleeve, so that by rotating the chest piece, the communicating hole can be opened. Claim 1, characterized in that the vibration wavelength is divided into high and low frequencies and introduced into the sleeve in alignment with either the diaphragm side or the bell-shaped body side. equipment. 7 The above-mentioned sleeve is provided between its outer periphery and the inner periphery of the insertion hole of the chest piece. 7. The device according to claim 6, further comprising positioning means for locking.