EARPLUG SEALING TEST

• US 20090122996A1
• Filed: 11/11/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Source Of Sound, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Source Of Sound, Ltd.
• Inventors: Klein, Nir, Butbul, Yaakov
• Granted Patent: US 8,804,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/15 Determination of the acoustic seal of ear moulds or ear tips of hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308

Abstract

Methods and system for a sealing test comprising the steps of: sealing a predefined volume of gas; sampling a predefined frequency range, whereby there is no need to inject a predefined sound wave while sampling the predefined frequency range; and determining whether the predefined volume of gas is sealed or unsealed according to the sampled frequency range.

Claims

1. A method for performing a sealing test comprising the steps of:

sealing a predefined volume of gas;

sampling a predefined frequency range, whereby there is no need to inject a predefined sound wave while sampling the predefined frequency range; and

determining whether the predefined volume of gas is sealed or unsealed according to the sampled frequency range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented using an electronic earplug, the gas is air, and whereby the electronic earplug comprises a microphone coupled to a sound tube, and a sealing element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the predefined volume of air is in the ear canal.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether the predefined volume air is sealed or unsealed further comprises the step of comparing the sampled frequency range with a typical frequency response of a sealed volume of air.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether the predefined volume of air is sealed or unsealed further comprises the step of comparing the sampled frequency range with a typical frequency response of an unsealed volume of air.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether the predefined volume of air is sealed or unsealed further comprises the step of searching for a distinguishable frequency response in the low frequency region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas is air.

8. An electronic earplug comprising:

a microphone, a sealing element, and means for performing automatic sealing test without injecting a predefined sound wave into the ear canal for performing the automatic sealing test.

9. The electronic earplug of claim 8, wherein the frequency response sampled by the microphone in the low frequencies region is different for a sealed and unsealed ear canal.

10. The electronic earplug of claim 8, wherein a sealed earplug features a distinguishable frequency response approximately in the region of 5-30 Hz.

11. The electronic earplug of claim 8, wherein the microphone is coupled to a sound tube.

12. The electronic earplug of claim 11, wherein the sound tube is directed towards the eardrum.

13. A device comprising:

a microphone, a sealing element, a storage element operative to store data characterizing a frequency response of a sealed volume of gas, and a processing unit operative to analyze samples received from the microphone and to determine whether the volume of gas in which the microphone is operating in is sealed.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the microphone is coupled to a sound tube.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the sound tube is directed towards the eardrum.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the microphone is coupled to a sound tube and wherein the device is an electronic earplug.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the gas is air and the sealed volume of air is in the ear canal.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein a sealed electronic earplug features a distinguishable frequency response approximately in the region of 5-30 Hz.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein the gas is air, the sealed volume of air is in the ear canal, and the frequency response sampled by the microphone in the low frequencies region is different for a sealed and unsealed ear canal.

20. The device of claim 13, wherein the device does not comprise a speaker.

21. The device of claim 13, wherein the device further comprises a speaker, and the processing unit does not operate the speaker while analyzing the samples received from the microphone for determine whether the volume of gas in which the microphone is operating in is sealed.

22. The device of claim 13, wherein the device is a sealing device.

23. The device of claim 22, further comprising a speaker, and wherein the device is an earphone or a headphone.

24. The device of claim 13, wherein the processing unit determines, without injecting a specific sound wave into the volume of gas, whether the volume of gas in which microphone is operating in is sealed.