Hearing device test system for non-expert user at home and non-clinical settings

• US 10,045,128 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: K/S HIMPP
• Original Assignee: iHEAR Medical, Inc. (Innerscope Hearing Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shennib, Adnan
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Norman
• Application Number:
  US14/990,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 381328, 381322, 381 60, 381312, 381329, 381324, 381315, 381317, 381 58, 381123, 381 231, 381 56, 180130, 180135, 180129, 455 413, 73585
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

A hearing device test system for use by a non-expert user may include a hearing device comprising a sound processor and a speaker and a portable test unit including a test microphone acoustically coupled to an exterior of the portable test unit via an acoustic calibration cavity. The portable test unit may include a coupler at an opening to the acoustic calibration cavity configured to receive the hearing device at least partially therein and the test microphone may be configured to produce a calibration signal input responsive to acoustic calibration stimuli provided by the speaker of the hearing device. The hearing device test system may also include a processor associated therewith and configured to measure a level of the calibration signal input.

Claims

1. A hearing device test system for use by a non-expert user, the hearing device test system comprising:

a hearing aid device comprising a sound processor and a speaker;

a portable test unit comprising a test microphone acoustically coupled to an exterior of the portable test unit via an acoustic calibration cavity, the test microphone configured to produce a calibration signal input responsive to acoustic calibration stimuli provided by the speaker of the hearing aid device, the portable test unit further comprising a coupler at an opening to the acoustic calibration cavity configured to receive the hearing aid device at least partially therein; and

a processor associated with the hearing device test system configured to measure a level of the calibration signal input and confirm a calibration of the hearing aid device if the level of the calibration signal input is within a range of acceptable reference levels for the hearing aid device.

2. The hearing device test system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to validate the calibration of the hearing aid device.

3. The hearing device test system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to validate the calibration using a calibration data stored in any of a remote server, a client computer, the hearing aid device, and the portable test unit.

4. The hearing device test system of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to adjust the calibration data based on the measured level of the calibration signal input.

5. The hearing device test system of claim 1, wherein the acoustic calibration cavity is configured to provide a controlled acoustic transfer function for the acoustic calibration stimuli.

6. The hearing device test system of claim 1, wherein the portable test unit comprises a sealing ring provided in the acoustic calibration cavity or at the opening to the acoustic calibration cavity.

7. The hearing device test system of claim 1 further comprising an interface configured for programming of the hearing aid device.

8. The hearing device test system of claim 1, wherein the acoustic calibration cavity is configured to accommodate the hearing aid device at least partially within.

9. The hearing device test system of claim 1, further comprising an acoustic adapter configured for coupling a different hearing aid device to the portable test unit, the acoustic adapter comprising a first portion defining an opening configured to receive the different hearing aid device and a second portion comprising another opening configured to acoustically couple the different hearing aid device to the acoustic calibration cavity.

10. The hearing device test system of claim 9, wherein the first opening is configured to accommodate the different hearing aid device at least partially therein, and wherein the acoustic adapter further comprises a microphone calibration vent passing through a body of the acoustic adapter.

11. The hearing device test system of claim 9, wherein the second portion of the acoustic adapter is shaped to at least partially fit within the acoustic calibration cavity.

12. The hearing device test system of claim 1, further comprising a pod, wherein the pod comprises a speaker configured to deliver an acoustic signal to a microphone of the hearing aid device.

13. The hearing device test system of claim 1, further comprising a computing device, wherein the portable test unit is communicatively coupled to the computing device, and wherein the computing device is configured to execute a hearing device test software application.

14. The hearing device test system of claim 13, wherein the processor is part of the computing device.

15. The hearing device test system of claim 1, wherein the portable test unit comprises an audio processing electronics configured to receive the calibration signal input and wherein the processor is integrated with the audio processing electronics, a separate processor of the portable test unit, or a processor of a computing device.

16. The hearing device test system of claim 1, further comprising a headphone comprising one or more earpieces configured to produce a hearing test calibration stimuli, and wherein the acoustic calibration cavity is configured to receive the any one of the one or more at least partially therein.

17. The hearing device test system of claim 1, a microphone calibration vent incorporated within the acoustic calibration cavity is configured to transmit the acoustic calibration stimuli to a microphone of the hearing aid device.

18. A portable test unit comprising:

an acoustic chamber defining an acoustic calibration cavity acoustically coupled to an exterior of the portable test unit, wherein the acoustic calibration cavity is configured to accommodate a hearing aid device or an acoustic adapter at least partially within;

a test microphone acoustically coupled to the acoustic calibration cavity, the test microphone configured to produce a calibration signal responsive to an acoustic calibration stimuli from the hearing aid device, wherein the hearing aid device comprises a speaker and a sound processor; and

a processor configured to receive the calibration signal and confirm a calibration of the hearing aid device if a level of the calibration signal is within a range of acceptable reference levels for the hearing aid device.

19. A method of checking a calibration of a hearing aid device, the method comprising:

acoustically coupling a hearing aid device to an acoustic calibration cavity of a portable test unit, wherein the hearing aid device comprises a sound processor and a speaker;

transmitting an acoustic calibration stimuli from the speaker of the hearing aid device to a test microphone within the portable test unit;

producing a calibration signal by the test microphone in response to the acoustic calibration stimuli;

transmitting the calibration signal to a processor associated with the portable test unit; and

comparing a level of the calibration signal to a range of reference levels; and

confirming a calibration of the hearing aid device if the level of the calibration signal is within the range of acceptable reference levels for the hearing aid device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein acoustically coupling the hearing aid device includes at least partially inserting the hearing aid device within the acoustic calibration cavity of the portable test unit.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein acoustically coupling the hearing aid device includes coupling an adapter to the acoustic calibration cavity of the portable test unit and at least partially inserting the hearing aid device within the adapter.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising accessing a remote server hosting any of a hearing device test software application and reference calibration levels.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising adjusting calibration data of the hearing aid device if the calibration of the hearing aid device is determined to be outside a reference calibration range, and storing the adjusted calibration data in memory of the hearing aid device.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

measuring a first signal level of the acoustic calibration stimuli in the acoustic calibration cavity;

validating the calibration of the hearing aid device by comparing the first signal level to the range of reference levels;

measuring a second signal level of an acoustic stimuli received by a microphone of the hearing aid device, wherein the acoustic stimuli is delivered to the microphone by a microphone calibration vent acoustically coupling the acoustic calibration cavity to the hearing aid device microphone; and

validating a functionality of the microphone of the hearing aid device by comparing the second signal level to a second range of reference levels.