A MEMS accelerometers based system for the measurement of lung sound delays

Lung mechanical properties can be non invasively assessed by analyzing the transmission of external sound trough the respiratory system. Currently such measurements are performed using electronic stethoscopes that, however, are very sensitive to ambient noise. A new system for the measurement of delay of sound propagation trough the respiratory system was implemented using miniaturized commercial accelerometers. A mechanical bench model was used to evaluate and test the system. Measurements demonstrate that such device could be used to provide suitable measurements of sound propagation delays as small as 0.5 ms.