Handheld low voltage testing device

• US 20040059250A1
• Filed: 09/23/2002
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brainscope SPV LLC
• Original Assignee: Viasys Healthcare Incorporated (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Causevic, Elvir, Causevic, Eldar, Krohn, Randall J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,866,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/559
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/121 evaluating hearing capacity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/38 Acoustic or auditory stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2503 for measuring voltage only, e.g. digital volt meters (DVM's) G01R19/2506 - G01R19/257 take precedence

Abstract

A portable hand-held electrical testing device including a processor housed within an enclosure. The processor is configured to operate on commands by a user to process sub-microvolt electrical signals received through an input/output interface. The input/output interface includes a capacitive coupled amplifier with adjustable gain settings. Onboard memory linked to the processor stores processing data and instructions. A display device is mounted to said enclosure and is operatively connected to the processor to display processing results in real time.

Claims

1. A sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device, comprising:

a portable hand-held enclosure;

a processor housed by said enclosure;

a memory operatively coupled to said processor, said memory storing one or more operating instructions;

a display device mounted to said enclosure, said display device being operatively connected to said processor;

an multi-channel input-output interface operatively coupled to said processor, said multi-channel input-output interface configured to receive external sub-microvolt electrical signals; and

wherein said processor is configured to utilize said one or more operating instructions to perform one or more tests on signals received from said multi-channel input-output interface, and to display results of said one or more tests on said display device.

2. The sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device of claim 1 further including:

a bi-directional communications channel operatively connected to said multi-channel input-output interface and to said processor to communicate said external electrical signals.

3. The sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device of claim 2 wherein said bi-directional communications channel has a 20-bit signal resolution.

4. The sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device of claim 2 wherein said mutli-channel input-output interface includes one or more input channels;

a plurality of electrical shock protection components coupled between said at least one input channel and said bi-directional communications channel;

a switching network coupled between each of said plurality of electrical shock protection components and said bi-directional communications channel, said switching network configured to selectively couple one of said plurality of electrodes to said bi-directional communications channel; and

a differential operational amplifier coupled between said switching network and said bi-directional communications channel, said differential operational amplifier having an adjustable gain setting.

5. The sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device of claim 4 wherein said differential operational amplifier is coupled between said switching network and said bi-directional communications channel by one or more capacitors.

6. The sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device of claim 4 wherein said mutli-channel input-output interface includes a common mode cancellation amplifier configured to reduce signal noise levels in said electrical signals.

7. The sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device of claim 1 wherein said multi-channel input-output interface includes an otoacoustic emission testing interface and an auditory brain stem testing interface;

and

wherein said processor is configured with said one or more stored operating instructions for auditory tests selected from the group comprising otoacoustic emission test procedures, auditory brainstem response test procedures, and combinations thereof for a test subject.

8. The sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device of claim 1 wherein said multi-channel input-output interface includes an vibration testing interface;

and

wherein said processor is configured to utilize said one or more stored operating instructions to extract vibration information from said signals.

9. The sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device of claim 1 wherein said multi-channel input-output interface includes an alcohol intoximeter interface;

and

wherein said processor is configured to utilize said one or more stored operating instructions for calculating alcohol levels from said signals.

10. The sub-microvolt electrical signal testing device of claim 1 further including said processor having an internal memory, said processor configured to utilize said internal memory to execute said one or more operating instructions, whereby signal noise levels from external bus access are reduced.

11. An auditory screening device, comprising:

a portable hand-held enclosure;

a processor housed by said enclosure, said processor configured with a computer program operated on command by a user, said computer program producing auditory tests selected from the group comprising otoacoustic emission (OAE) test procedures, auditory brainstem response (ABR) test procedures, and combinations thereof for a test subject;

a display device mounted to said enclosure, said display device being operatively connected to said processor, said display device displaying the results of the selected test in real time;

an otoacoustic emission testing interface operatively coupled to said processor; and

an auditory brain stem testing interface operatively coupled to said processor.

12. The auditory screening device of claim 11 including said processor having an internal memory, said processor configured to utilize said internal memory to execute said computer program, whereby signal noise levels from external bus access are reduced.

13. The auditory screening device of claim 11 wherein said otoacoustic emission testing interface comprises:

at least one output channel configured to receive signals from said processor;

at least one transducer operatively connected to said at least one output channel;

at least one differential operational amplifier coupled between said at least one output channel and said at least one transducer; and

wherein said at least one transducer is adapted to convert said received signals into acoustic signals selected from the group comprising pure tones, chirps, clicks, and sine waveforms audible to a human ear.

14. The auditory screening device of claim 11 wherein said auditory brain stem testing interface comprising:

a plurality of electrodes, each of said electrodes adapted to receive external electrical signals;

a bi-directional communications channel operatively connected to said plurality of electrodes and to said processor to communicate said external electrical signals;

a plurality of electrical shock protection components coupled between each of said plurality of electrodes and said bi-directional communications channel;

a switching network coupled between each of said plurality of electrical shock protection components and said bi-directional communications channel, said switching network configured to selectively couple one of said plurality of electrodes to said bi-directional communications channel; and

a differential operational amplifier coupled between said switching network and said bi-directional communications channel, said differential operational amplifier having an adjustable gain setting.

15. An otoacoustic emission testing interface comprising:

at least one output channel;

at least one transducer operatively connected to said at least one output channel;

at least one differential operational amplifier coupled between said at least one output channel and said at least one transducer; and

wherein said at least one transducer is adapted to produce acoustic signals selected from the group comprising pure tones, chirps, clicks, and sine waveforms to a human ear.

16. The otoacoustic emission testing interface of claim 15 further comprising at least one electrical shock protection component coupled between said at least one output channel and said at least one transducer.

17. The otoacoustic emission testing interface of claim 15 further comprising:

at least one input channel;

at least one microphone operatively connected to said at least one input channel to receive signals from a human ear; and

at least one dual-stage amplifier coupled between said at least one input channel and said at least one microphone, said dual-stage amplifier configured to provide linear amplification to said received signals.

18. The otoacoustic emission testing interface of claim 16 further comprising at least one electrical shock protection component coupled between said at least one input channel and said at least one microphone.

19. An auditory brain stem testing interface comprising:

a plurality of electrodes, each of said electrodes adapted to receive external electrical signals;

a bi-directional communications channel operatively connected to said plurality of electrodes;

a plurality of electrical shock protection components coupled between each of said plurality of electrodes and said bi-directional communications channel;

a switching network coupled between each of said plurality of electrical shock protection components and said bi-directional communications channel, said switching network configured to selectively couple one of said plurality of electrodes to said bi-directional communications channel; and

a differential operational amplifier coupled between said switching network and said bi-directional communications channel, said differential operational amplifier having an adjustable gain setting.

20. The auditory brain stem testing interface of claim 19 wherein said plurality of electrical shock protection components includes at least one surge suppression component.

21. The auditory brain stem testing interface of claim 19 further comprising a common mode cancellation amplifier coupled between said switching network and said differential operational amplifier, said common mode cancellation amplifier configured to reduce signal noise levels between said plurality of electrodes and said bi-directional communications channel.

22. The auditory brain stem testing interface of claim 19 wherein said differential operational amplifier is configured with a first gain setting to amplify a signal from one of said plurality of electrodes, and said differential operational amplifier is configured with a second gain setting to facilitate impedance testing of said plurality of electrodes.

23. The auditory brain stem testing interface of claim 22 wherein said switching network is further configured to select between said first gains setting and said second gain setting on said differential operational amplifier.