WO2022058958A1

WO2022058958A1 - A portable device for screening of lung capacity

Info

Publication number: WO2022058958A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/058506
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Mathew
Original assignee: Glenmark Pharmaceutical Limited
Priority date: 2020-09-19
Filing date: 2021-09-17
Publication date: 2022-03-24

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of portable self-screening devices for determining lung capacity. The invention relates to easy to use portable device for screening of respiratory disorders such as asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Description

A PORTABLE DEVICE FOR SCREENING OF LUNG CAPACITY

PRIORITY DOCUMENT

This patent application claims priority to Indian Provisional Patent Application number 202021040647 (filed on Sept 19, 2020), the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of portable self-screening devices for determining lung capacity.

DEFINITIONS

As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicate otherwise.

The term “Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV)” refers to the volume of air a person can exhale during a forced breath.

FEV 1 - The term “FEV1” hereinafter refers to the amount of air forced out in one second after taking a deep breath.

The term “Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)” refers to a total amount of air exhaled during the FEV test.

These definitions are in addition to those expressed in the art.

BACKGROUND

The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.

Increasing levels of pollution, dust and chemical fumes in atmosphere has led to rise in abnormalities in lung function among people. The abnormalities in lung function cause respiratory impairment by increasing obstruction to airflow through the bronchi of the lungs. The symptoms of abnormal lung function are too slow to develop impairment and hence require regular tests for knowing one’s lung capacity. One of the most common methods of testing lung capacity is a spirometry test. Spirometry helps in determining, or evaluating, pulmonary function in terms of lung function parameters relating to the amount (volume) and/or speed (flow, or flow rate) of air that can be inhaled and exhaled, either forcedly or under normal breathing. Typically, the spirometry tests are performed at hospitals or at clinics. During the spirometry test, a user is asked first to inhale and then to exhale forcefully through a flowmonitoring device (e.g., through a tube or mouthpiece) that measures instantaneous flow and cumulative exhaled volume. However, the spirometry test is generally configured for clinical use and, therefore, is not useful for everyday screening of one’s exhaled volume of air i.e. lung function. Moreover, one needs to undergo several screenings to keep a check of one’s lung function, which involves several clinical or hospital visits and thus becomes a cumbersome task.

There is, therefore, a need for a portable device for screening of lung capacity that alleviates the above-mentioned drawbacks.

OBJECTS

Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device for screening of lung capacity.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device that facilitates a user with self-screening of the lung capacity.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device that has list of specialist doctors stored therein.

Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device that facilitates instant screening of lung capacity in subjects.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device that is easy to use for screening of lung capacity.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device for screening of lung capacity that does not require server or Internet connection.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device that is easy to use for screening of respiratory disorders such as asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device that is easy to use for screening of lung capacity in Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device that is easy to use for screening of lung capacity in respiratory disorders such as asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using Tiffeneau-Pinelli (T-P) Index. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100) for screening of lung capacity of user to detect respiratory disorders, the portable device (100) comprising:

(a) microphone (102);

(b) analyzing unit (104);

(c) evaluation unit (106) and

(d) display (108), wherein the lung capacity is calculated based on Tiffeneau-Pinelli (T-P) Index and wherein said portable device (100) does not require internet connection throughout the screening process.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100) for screening of lung capacity of user to detect respiratory disorders, wherein said portable device (100) require internet connection during installation of application and internet connection is not required post installation of application.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100), wherein said portable device (100) is selected from the group consisting of mobile computers such as laptops, netbooks, or tablet computers, mobile devices such as smartphones, global positioning devices, wearable devices or personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100), wherein the microphone (102) receives the sound of the forcefully exhaled air and generates a sound signal or pressure signal.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100), wherein the analysing unit (104) analyze the samples of the received sound signal or pressure signal.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100), wherein the evaluation unit (106) comprises of a repository (106A), a signal-conditioning unit (106B) and a crawler and extractor (106C).

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100), wherein the display (108) unit discloses result in any mode selected from colour, alphabatic, numeric or combination thereof.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100) for screening of lung capacity of user to detect respiratory disorders, wherein respiratory disorder is asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100) for screening of lung capacity of user to detect respiratory disorder, wherein respiratory disorder is Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable device (100) for screening of lung capacity of user to detect respiratory disorders, wherein said portable device (100) does not require server or internet connection.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for screening of lung capacity on a portable device (100), the method comprising:

Step 1 : The user forcefully exhales air into a microphone (102);

Step 2: The exhalations are recorded using the microphone (102) and then analyzed by the analyzing unit (104). The evaluation unit (106) is configured to cooperate with the analyzing unit (104) to receive the analyzed sound signals and pressure signals, and further configured to compute a Tiffeneau-Pinelli (T-P) Index ratio to determine user’s lung capacity;

Step 3: The display (108) unit discloses the results in any mode selected from colour, alphabatic, numeric or combination thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWING

A portable device for screening of lung capacity of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of the portable device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of an evaluation unit of the portable device of Figure 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 illustrates a graph depicting Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) in recorded exhalations of a user on the portable device of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 illustrates a graph depicting peak magnitude of each window of the graph of Figure 3, which represents the flow of air exhaled in liter/sec (L/s). LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS USED IN DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND DRAWING

100 - Portable device

102 - Microphone

104 - Analyzing unit

106 - Evaluation unit

106 A - Repository

106B - Signal-conditioning unit

106C - Crawler and extractor

108 - Display

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.

The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms "a,” "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, operations, elements and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Screening of lung function in subjects is a challenge. The lung capacity is deteoriated in respiratory disorders such as asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The existing screening methods are time consuming and require several visits to the clinic or hospital for screening and diagnosis. Thus, currently there is no proper self-screening method for screening of lung functioning to know the lung capacity. The present disclosure envisages a portable device for screening of lung capacity. The portable device for screening of lung capacity (hereinafter referred to as “device 100”) is described herein below with reference to Figure 1 through Figure 4.

Referring to Figure 1, the device 100 may comprise a microphone 102, an analyzing unit 104, an evaluation unit 106, and a display 108.

In an embodiment, the device 100 may be selected from the group consisting of mobile computers such as laptops, netbooks, or tablet computers, mobile devices such as smartphones, global positioning devices, wearable devices or personal digital assistants (PDAs), and electronic devices that output data to a screen via a display unit.

The device 100 may include a registration module (not shown in figures) and an authentication module (not shown in figures). The user associated with the device 100 may be configured to provide registration details to the registration module. In an embodiment, the registration details may be selected from the group consisting of, but not limited to, full name, address, email id, password, age and phone number. The registration details may be stored in a memory of the device 100.

Once the user is registered, the authentication module may facilitate the user to login to the system. The authentication module may be configured to receive login details from the registered user, and may be further configured to authenticate the user by comparing the received login details with the registration details pre-stored in its memory to allow the user to access the application. The login details may comprise email id and password of the registered user.

The device 100 may include a graphic user interface (GUI) configured to allow a user to enter demographic information related to the user after registration. The demographic information includes age, sex, weight, history of present condition of the user such as fever, runny nose, hoarse voice and wheeze etc. Upon entering the demographic information, the GUI allows the user first to inhale and then asks the user to exhale volume of air forcefully on the screen of the device 100 for a pre-determined amount of time. The user may hold the device 100 at one’s arm length while exhaling on the screen of the device 100.

The microphone 102 may be configured to receive the sound of the forcefully exhaled air and is further configured to generate a sound signal.

In an embodiment, the device 100 may have a pressure sensor embedded therein. The pressure sensor may be configured to sense pressure of forceful exhaled air impinging on the surface thereon. The pressure sensor may be further configured to generate a sensed pressure signal. The analyzing unit 104 may be configured to cooperate with the microphone 102 and the GUI to receive the demographic information associated with the user, the sound signal. The analyzing unit 104 may be further configured to analyze the samples of the received sound signals. For example, if the samples of sound signals are too low or too high to carry out the further analysis then the analyzing unit 104 will prompt the user to repeat the activity of forceful exhalation. If the samples of the sound signals are adequate, then the analyzing unit 104 will remove noise contained within the sound signals to generate analyzed signals.

In an embodiment, the device 100 will ask the user to provide three readings. Out of three readings, an average or the best reading will be considered for the analysis. In an embodiment, the evaluation unit 106 may be configured to cooperate with the analyzing unit 106 to receive the analyzed sound signals and pressure signals, and may be further configured to compute a Tiffeneau-Pinelli (T-P) Index ratio to determine user’s lung capacity by using the following formula:

Tiffeneau Pinelli Index = Total air exhaled in one second (FEV1)

Total air exhaled in one breath (FVC) where,

FEV1 - The amount of air forced out in one second after taking a deep breath, FVC - The total amount of air exhaled in one breath during the FEV test.

Referring to an embodiment of Figure 2, the evaluation unit 106 may include a repository 106 A, a signal-conditioning unit 106B and a crawler and extractor 106C. The repository 106A may be configured to store a table having pre-determined threshold ranges of the Tiffeneau-Pinelli (T-P) Index ratio and lung capacity classification corresponding to each of said ranges. The signal conditioning unit 106B may be configured to cooperate with the analyzing unit 104 to receive the analyzed signals, and may be further configured to process the received analyzed signals to determine values corresponding to FEV 1 and FEC and compute the T-P Index ratio based on the determined values of FEV1 and FEC. The crawler and extractor 106C may be configured cooperate with the repository 106 A and the signal conditioning unit 106B to crawl through the table of the repository 106A, and may be further configured to extract the lung capacity classification corresponding to the computed value of T-P Index ratio. The extracted lung capacity classification indicates whether the user is a diseased individual, a borderline individual or a normal individual. In an embodiment, the evaluation unit 106 employs red, amber and green (RAG) classification technique. For example, if the computed T-P Index value is less than 65%, then the evaluation unit 106 may identify the user as a diseased individual and the result may appear in red color on the display 108 of the portable device 100. If the computed T-P Index value is between the 65% to 70%, then the user may be identified as a borderline individual and the result may appear in amber color on the display 108 of the portable device 100. If the computed T-P Index value is above 70%, then the user may be identified as a normal individual, and the result may appear in green color on the display 108 of the portable device 100.

In an embodiment, the analyzing unit 104 and the evaluation unit 106 are implemented using one or more processor(s). The processor may be a general-purpose processor, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), and/or the like. The processor may be configured to retrieve data from and/or write data to the memory. The memory can be for example, a random access memory (RAM), a memory buffer, a hard drive, a database, an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a floppy disk, cloud storage, and/or so forth.

The present disclosure also envisages a method of analyzing blowing pattern of a subject to determine the lung capacity. The method comprises the following steps:

At Step 1 : The user forcefully exhales air into a microphone 102.

At Step 2: The exhalations are recorded at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz using the microphone 102 and then analyzed by dividing the signal into windows of size 0.1 seconds with a 50% overlap by the analyzing unit 104. Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) is performed on each window to find the power density spectrum. The peak magnitude of each window is plotted which represents the flow of air exhaled in Litres/s. The recorded signal typically produces the shape which may be displayed on a display 108 of the device 100 as shown in the Figures 3 and 4.

At Step 3 : The Tiffeneau-Pinelli (T-P) Index, which is the ratio of total air exhaled in one second (FEV1) and total air exhaled in one breath (FVC) may be calculated for each exhalation by the evaluation unit 106.

In an embodiment, the method includes storing in a database, sample models from lung capacity of plurality of users to further validate the Tiffeneau-Pinelli (T-P) Index ratio of the users.

In an embodiment, wherein the computed T-P Index value is less than 65%, then the evaluation unit 106 identifies the user as a diseased individual and the result appear in red color on the display 108 of the portable device 100. In an embodiment, wherein computed T-P Index value is between the 65% to 70%, then the user is identified as a borderline individual and the result appear in amber color on the display 108 of the portable device 100.

In an embodiment, wherein computed T-P Index value is above 70%, then the user is identified as a normal individual, and the result appear in green color on the display 108 of the portable device 100.

In an embodiment, upon determination of the user as a diseased individual the device 100 asks the user whether he/she wishes to see a specialist doctor. If the user accepts the request, the device 100 provides a list of specialist doctors in the proximity of the user.

The device 100 eliminates the need of frequent hospitals and clinic visits. The device 100 facilitates instant self-screening of the lung functioning and allows users to determine their lung capacity. The device 100 does not make the use of server or the internet for carrying out the analysis and for determining the Tiffeneau-Pinelli (T-P) Index.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

TECHNICAL ADVANCES AND ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a portable device for screening of lung capacity, that:

• facilitates a user with self-screening of the lung capacity;

• has list of specialist doctors stored therein;

• facilitates instant screening of lung capacity in subjects;

• is easy to use;

• can calculate Tiffeneau-Pinelli (T-P) index of subjects based on the captured blow volumes; and

• does not require server or Internet connection.

The disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration. The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully revealed the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

The numerical values mentioned for the various ling, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.

While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A portable device (100) for screening of lung capacity of user to detect respiratory disorders, the portable device (100) comprising:

(a) microphone (102);

(b) analysing unit (104);

(c) evaluation unit (106) and

2. A portable device (100) of claim 1 is selected from the group consisting of mobile computers such as laptops, netbooks, or tablet computers, mobile devices such as smartphones, global positioning devices, wearable devices or personal digital assistants (PDAs).

3. A portable device (100) of claim 1, wherein the microphone (102) receives the sound of the forcefully exhaled air and generates a sound signal or pressure signal.

4. A portable device (100) of claim 1, wherein the analysing unit (104) analyze the samples of the received sound signal or pressure signal.

5. A portable device (100) of claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit (106) comprises of a repository (106A), a signal-conditioning unit (106B) and a crawler and extractor (106C).

6. A portable device (100) of claim 1, wherein the display (108) unit discloses result in any mode selected from colour, alphabatic, numeric or combination thereof. A portable device (100) for screening of lung capacity of user to detect respiratory disorders of claim 1, wherein respiratory disorder is asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A portable device (100) for screening of lung capacity of user to detect respiratory disorders of claim 1, wherein respiratory disorder is Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID- 19). A portable device (100) of claim 1, wherein said portable device (100) require internet connection during installation of application and internet connection is not required post installation of application. method for screening of lung capacity on a portable device (100), the method comprising:

Step 1 : The user forcefully exhales air into a microphone (102);