Patent Application
20230301502
This disclosure relates generally to medical devices and more specifically to an apparatus for performing a medical examination of a patient's pharynx or a patient's ear.
The administering of medical services may involve a physician using one or more common physician tools such as an otoscope for ear examination or an ophthalmoscope for examining a patient's eyes. A physician may also make use of a light and a tongue depressor to examine a patient's throat or a thermometer to take the patient's temperature. Alternatively a physician may use an otoscope to examine a patient's ear, ear canal, or eardrum. Such tools are generally available to a physician and can be employed when meeting with a patient for an in-person consultation. For remote patient consultation, the physician may be hampered by being unable to visually examine the affected area using one or more of the above-mentioned common physician tools. Even for in-person consultation, a physician my prefer not to perform examinations that require close contact with a patient for fear of contracting a virus or other illness from the patient.
In accordance with one disclosed aspect there is provided an apparatus for performing a medical examination of a patient's pharynx. The apparatus includes a mounting interface configured to mechanically couple to a smartphone, the smartphone including a camera and an illuminator. The apparatus also includes a depressor blade including a proximal end configured to demountably attach to the mounting interface, the depressor blade being configured to displace the patient's tongue to provide access for illumination of the pharynx by the illuminator. The illumination facilitates capture of an image of the pharynx by the camera. The apparatus also includes a temperature sensor disposed on the depressor blade for generating a temperature signal representing a temperature in the pharynx. The apparatus further includes a signal interface disposed within the mounting interface, the signal interface being configured to receive and transmit the temperature signal to the smartphone.
The depressor blade may include a signal connector located at the proximal end of the depressor blade, the signal connector being connected via a signal line to the temperature sensor, the signal connector being configured to connect to a corresponding interface connector on the mounting interface.
The signal connector and the interface connector may include one of corresponding Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector types, or a printed circuit board edge connector and corresponding socket connector.
The mounting interface may include a socket configured to receive and guide the proximal end of the depressor blade to cause the signal connector to connect to the interface connector.
The temperature sensor may be distally disposed proximate an underside of the depressor blade to facilitate thermal contact with the patient's tongue while the depressor blade displaces the patient's tongue.
The signal interface may include an electrical circuit for receiving the temperature signal and generating data representing the temperature signal, and a wireless transmitter for transmitting the data representing the temperature signal to the smartphone.
The signal interface may further include a power source operable to supply operating current to the electrical circuit and the wireless transmitter.
The mounting interface may be configured to mechanically couple to the smartphone such as to provide an unobstructed field of view for the illuminator and the camera.
The mounting interface may be configured to mechanically couple to the smartphone by one of magnetically coupling to the smartphone, one or more attachment features configured to clip the mounting interface to the smartphone, or an integrated smartphone case configured to receive and retain a smartphone.
The depressor blade may include a single-use depressor blade that is discarded after use.
The temperature sensor may be sealingly embedded within the depressor blade to facilitate cleaning for reuse of the depressor blade after being used to depress a patient's tongue.
At least a portion of the depressor blade may include one of a light transmissive material for transmitting at least a portion of the illumination to the pharynx, or one or more optical fibers extending along the depressor blade for transmitting at least a portion of the illumination to the pharynx.
The depressor blade may further include an attachment area configured to hold a pharyngeal swab for taking a sample from the pharynx of the patient.
The swab may include one of a pH test strip for sensing a pH associated with the pharynx, or a swab for taking a sample for sensing a pathogen within the pharynx.
A pharyngeal examination system may include the apparatus above and may further include a smartphone apparatus, the smartphone apparatus including a computer readable memory for storing program codes for directing a processor of the smartphone to execute functions on the smartphone to receive and display a temperature associated with the temperature signal transmitted by the apparatus.
The program codes may further direct the processor to generate a record associating the temperature with image data representing a captured image of the pharynx.
The program codes may further direct the processor to store the record in a data storage location accessible by the smartphone.
The program codes may further direct the processor to retrieve a plurality of records including image data and associated temperatures captured over a period of time, and display a series of views of the pharynx over the period of time for documenting a progression of a condition associated with the patient's pharynx.
The data storage location memory may include a remote storage location accessible via a data network.
The program codes may further direct the processor to stream image data over a data network for viewing by a remotely located health care worker.
In accordance with one disclosed aspect there is provided an apparatus for use with a smartphone for performing a medical examination of a patient's ear, the smartphone including a camera and an illuminator. The apparatus includes a mounting interface configured to mechanically couple to the smartphone. The apparatus also includes an otoscope attachment including a proximal end configured to demountably attach to the mounting interface, the otoscope attachment terminating in a speculum shaped for insertion into the patient's ear and including one or more optical elements disposed and configured to direct illumination provided by the illuminator of the smartphone into the ear and to capture and direct light back to the camera of the smartphone for producing an image of the ear. The apparatus further includes a temperature sensor distally disposed on the speculum for generating a temperature signal representing a temperature in the ear and a signal interface disposed within the mounting interface, the signal interface being configured to receive and transmit the temperature signal to the smartphone.
The otoscope attachment may include a signal connector located at the proximal end, the signal connector being connected via a signal line to the temperature sensor, the signal connector being configured to connect to a corresponding interface connector on the mounting interface.
The signal connector and the interface connector may include one of corresponding Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector types, or a printed circuit board edge connector and corresponding socket connector.
The mounting interface may include a socket configured to receive and guide the proximal end of the otoscope attachment to cause the signal connector to connect to the interface connector.
The temperature sensor may be distally disposed proximate an underside of the speculum to facilitate thermal contact with the patient's ear.
The signal interface may include an electrical circuit for receiving the temperature signal and generating data representing the temperature signal, and a wireless transmitter for transmitting the data representing the temperature signal to the smartphone.
The signal interface may further include a power source operable to supply operating current to the electrical circuit and the wireless transmitter.
The mounting interface may be configured to mechanically couple to the smartphone such that illumination generated by the illuminator of the smartphone is directed into the ear via the one or more optical elements and light captured by the one or more optical elements is directed toward the camera of the smartphone.
The mounting interface may be configured to mechanically couple to the smartphone by one of magnetically coupling to the smartphone, one or more attachment features configured to clip the mounting interface to the smartphone, or an integrated smartphone case configured to receive and retain a smartphone.
The otoscope attachment may include a single-use speculum cover that may be discarded after use.
The temperature sensor may be sealingly embedded within a tip of the speculum.
In accordance with another disclosed aspect, an ear examination system includes the apparatus above and a smartphone apparatus, the smartphone apparatus including a computer readable memory for storing program codes for directing a processor of the smartphone to execute functions on the smartphone to receive and display a temperature associated with the temperature signal transmitted by the apparatus.
The program codes may further direct the processor to generate a record associating the temperature with image data representing a captured image of the ear.
The program codes may further direct the processor to store the record in a data storage location accessible by the smartphone.
The program codes may further direct the processor to retrieve a plurality of records including image data and associated temperatures captured over a period of time, and display a series of views of the ear over the period of time for documenting a progression of a condition associated with the patient's ear.
The data storage location memory may include a remote storage location accessible via a data network.
The program codes may further direct the processor to stream image data over a data network for viewing by a remotely located health care worker.
Other aspects and features will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific disclosed embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
In drawings which illustrate disclosed embodiments,
Referring to
In the embodiment shown in
The apparatus 100 also includes a depressor blade 112, which has a proximal end 114 configured to demountably attach to the mounting interface 102. Referring to
Referring to
In the embodiment shown in
Still referring to
Referring to
Referring to
A block diagram of a typical smartphone processor circuit is shown generally at 300 in
The processor circuit 300 further includes a RF baseband radio 320 and antenna 322 for connecting to a mobile telecommunications network. The RF baseband radio 320 may be configured to provide data communications using any of a variety of communications standards including 2G, 3G, 4G, and/or 5G or any other communications standards. The processor circuit 300 also includes a wireless radio 324 and antenna 326 for connecting to local networks such as an IEEE 804.11 Wi-Fi local network. The wireless radio 324 may also provide for connections via other wireless links or protocols, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, or near-field communication. The processor circuit 300 further optionally includes an illumination driver 328, which may be selectively actuated by the microprocessor 302 to supply operating current to the illuminator 110.
The processor circuit 300 further includes an audio processor 330, a microphone 332, and a speaker 334. The audio processor 330 receives and processes audio input signals from the microphone 332 and produces audio outputs at the speaker 334. The processor circuit 300 also includes a video/image processor 336 connected to the camera 108 (and the camera 108′ if provided). The video/image processor 336 receives and processes image and/or video signals from the camera 108. The display 304, input device 306, memory 310, RF baseband radio 320, wireless radio 324, illumination driver 328, audio processor 330, and video/image processor 336 are all in communication with the microprocessor 302.
Operation of the apparatus 100 during a consultation session between a patient 404 and a physician 412 is described with reference to
Referring to
The smartphone process 500 begins at block 502 when the patient 404 launches the control application. Block 502 directs the microprocessor 302 to determine whether the patient has launched the control application, for example by determining whether an application initiation icon has been pressed on the touch screen display 304. If at block 502 the control application has not been launched, the microprocessor 302 is directed to repeat block 502. If at block 502 the control application has been launched the microprocessor 302 is directed to block 504. Block 504 directs the microprocessor 302 to execute the codes stored in the storage location 314 of the memory 310, which causes the control application to be displayed on the display 304 of the smartphone 104.
The process 500 then continues at block 506, which directs the microprocessor 302 to initiate a consultation session with a physician 412. In the embodiment shown, the physician 412 is remotely located and has access to a laptop computer 414 with a connection to a network 402 such as the internet. Block 506 directs the microprocessor 302 to use the wireless radio 324 or the RF baseband radio 320 to connect to the network 402 to establish a consultation session with the physician 412. In one embodiment the consultation session may facilitate voice and/or video communication with the physician 412 via the smartphone 104.
The patient 404 is then directed to insert the depressor blade 112 into their mouth and to cause the distal end 122 of the depressor blade to depress the tongue. The physician 412 may provide instructions via the voice and/or video link. Alternatively, the patient 404 may be prompted to insert the depressor blade 112 by the control application running on the smartphone 104. The process 500 then continues at block 508, which directs the microprocessor 302 to cause the illumination driver 328 to activate the illuminator 110. The depressor blade 112 displaces the patient's tongue downwardly thus facilitating illumination of the pharynx by the illuminator 110.
Block 510 then directs the microprocessor 302 to cause the camera 108 to capture images of the illuminated pharyngeal area, which are processed through the video/image processor 336. In one embodiment the captured images may be live streamed over the network 402 to the physician's computer 414 and displayed at 416 on a display 418 of the laptop. Block 510 may also direct the microprocessor 302 to store the images in the data storage location 316 of the memory 310. In some embodiments the images may be streamed as a series of time separated still images. In other embodiments a video stream of images may be streamed over the network 402. In this case, the physician 412 may direct the patient 404 to change the disposition and orientation of the apparatus 100 to better capture relevant areas of the patient's pharynx. The images are displayed at 416 on the display 418 of the physician's computer 414 and the physician 412 is able to view the condition of the patient's pharynx for purposes of making a diagnosis or determining the effect of pervious treatment.
At block 514, once the physician 412 has concluded the examination, the microprocessor 302 may be directed to deactivate the illuminator and camera. In one embodiment block 514 may be executed in response to user input received from the patient 404 at the input device 306.
The process 500 then continues at block 516, which directs the microprocessor 302 to transmit an instruction to the apparatus 100 to initiate a temperature measurement. Block 516 is shown as following block 514 in
Still referring to
Block 536 then directs the microcontroller 158 to encode the digital temperature signal into a suitable digital data format for transmission via the wireless transmitter 160. The process then continues at block 538, which directs the microcontroller 158 to transmit the digital temperature signal to the smartphone 104 for receipt by the wireless radio 324.
The process 500 implemented on the smartphone 104 then continues at block 518, which directs the microprocessor 302 of the smartphone 104 to determine whether a temperature signal has been received at the wireless radio 324. If the temperature signal has not yet been received, block 518 directs the microprocessor 302 back to repeat block 518. If at block 518, the temperature signal has been received, the microprocessor 302 is directed to block 520 which directs the microprocessor 302 to cause the RF baseband radio 320 of the wireless radio 324 to transmit the temperature represented by the temperature signal to the physician's computer 414 via the network 402.
Referring back to
While the processes 500 and 530 have been described with reference to a remote physician 412, in some embodiments the physician and patient 404 may be engaged in an in-person consultation. In this case, the communications between the smartphone 104 and the physician's computer 414 may be conducted via a local network rather than over the internet. Alternatively the smartphone 104 may connect to the physician's computer 414 using Bluetooth or another wireless communication medium.
In another embodiment, the examination performed by the patient 404 may be completed in advance of the consultation session with the physician 412. In this case, the images and temperature measurement data may be stored in the data storage location 316 of the memory 310 on the smartphone 104 and uploaded to the physician's computer 414 over the network 402. Alternatively, the images and temperature measurement data may be stored in a remote storage location 422 in communication with the network 402, which can be accessed by the smartphone 104 or the physician 412 via the physician's computer 414. Image and temperature readings may be stored in the cloud storage location 422 as a record that associates the temperature with image data representing a captured image of the pharynx. Additional metadata such as the date and time, a patient name or identifier, and other data may be stored as part of the record to facilitate later review by the physician 412 of patient 404. The remote storage location may be implemented using a cloud storage service.
In one embodiment the smartphone 104 and/or the physician's computer 414 may be configured by program codes to retrieve a plurality of records including image data and associated temperatures captured over a period of time from the cloud storage location 422 and to display a series of views of the pharynx over the period of time for documenting a progression of a condition associated with the patient's pharynx.
While embodiments are described herein with reference to the processor circuit architecture 200 shown in
Referring to
The apparatus 600 further includes an otoscope attachment 604, which in
The otoscope attachment 604 terminates in a speculum 608, which is shaped for insertion into a patient's ear. The otoscope attachment 604 includes one or more optical elements 610 disposed and configured to direct illumination provided by the illuminator 110 of the smartphone 104 into the patient's ear. The one or more optical elements 610 also capture and direct light back to the cameras 108 and 108′ of the smartphone 104 for generating one or more images of the ear. The speculum 608 is sized to permit sufficient insertion to permit images of the patient's ear canal and/or eardrum to be captured. The speculum 608 may be covered by a single-use speculum cover (not shown) or the entire speculum portion may be removable.
The otoscope attachment 604 further includes a temperature sensor 612 distally disposed on the speculum 608. The temperature sensor 612 is shown in partly cut-away view in
The otoscope attachment 604 includes a signal connector 616 located at the proximal end 606. The signal connector 616 is connected via a signal line 618 to the temperature sensor 612. The signal connector 616 is configured to connect to a corresponding interface connector on the mounting interface, as described above in connection with the tongue depressor embodiment.
In operation of the apparatus 600, the smartphone process 500 may be implemented as shown in
The above disclosed embodiments have the advantage of relying on the use of the smartphone 104 to provide illumination and imaging for performing the medical examination. This has the advantage of reducing the cost of the mounting interface 102 and 602. The temperature sensors 118 and 612 provide additional information on the patient's condition at the same time the examination is being performed.
While specific embodiments have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative only and not as limiting the disclosed embodiments as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63322515 | Mar 2022 | US |
