SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN APPLIED FORCE INDICATION

• US 20150160090A1
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Inventors: Iseberg, Steve, Zdenek, Jerrold, Collins, James, Gudmundsen, Gail
• Granted Patent: US 9,989,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/123 subjective methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/02 by hydraulic or pneumatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 27/002 Calibrating, i.e. establishing true relation between transducer output value and value to be measured, zeroing, linearising or span error determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power

Abstract

Certain embodiments provide a system and method for measurement of the force applied to a bone-conduction oscillator during application to a subject, resolving the measured force relative to a pre-determined criteria, and providing an indication to the user to specify whether an external force applied to an applied force indication system coupled with a bone-conduction oscillator is within a pre-determined acceptable range. A mechanical arrangement is prescribed which allows the full extent of the force applied to be represented onto the pressure measurement apparatus. The system and apparatus may be applied onto or integrated into bone-conduction oscillators.

Claims

1. A system for measurement of an external force applied on a bone-conduction oscillator comprising:

a housing operable to receive the external force, the housing comprising an attachment mechanism operable to provide an unrestricted coupling of the housing one or more of with or within the bone-conduction oscillator;

a force measurement device operable to measure a pressure in response to the received external force; and

a microcontroller operable to;

determine an equivalent force measurement based on the measured pressure, and

determine whether the equivalent force measurement is acceptable based on a pre-determined acceptable equivalent force measurement value.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the force measurement comprises:

a bladder comprising a sealed area, the bladder operable to compress in response to the received external force; and

a sensor operable to measure a pressure of the sealed area.

3. The system according to claim 2, comprising an indicator operable to provide an applied force indication based on the determination of whether the equivalent force measurement is acceptable.

4. The system according to claim 1, comprising an indicator operable to provide an applied force indication based on the determination of whether the equivalent force measurement is acceptable.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the applied force indication system is disposed within a housing of the bone-conduction oscillator.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the housing is movably coupled to the bone-conduction oscillator by the attachment mechanism, and wherein the attachment mechanism comprises:

at least two slots in the housing, and

a pin extending through each of the at least two slots into a corresponding detent in the bone-conduction oscillator.

7. The system according to claim 1, comprising a calibration switch configured to initiate an applied force calibration process upon activation.

8. The system according to claim 4, wherein the indicator comprises:

a first light emitting diode that is activated when the equivalent force measurement is below the predetermined acceptable equivalent force measurement value,

a second light emitting diode that is activated when the equivalent force measurement is above the predetermined acceptable equivalent force measurement value, and

a third light emitting diode that is activated when the equivalent force measurement is one or more of equal to or within the predetermined acceptable equivalent force measurement value.

9. The system according to claim 8, comprising a housing having a window that provides viewing access to the indicator.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the pre-determined acceptable equivalent force measurement value is a range.

11. The system according to claim 1, comprising a pushbutton and a switch, the pushbutton interacting with the switch to power-on and power-off the applied force indication system.

12. The system according to claim 1, comprising a circuit board and a battery,

wherein the circuit board electrically connects the microcontroller with the sensor and the indicator, and

wherein the battery is disposed on the circuit board and provides power to the microcontroller, the sensor, and the indicator.

13. A method for measuring an external force applied on a bone-conduction oscillator comprising:

receiving the external force at a housing of an applied force indication system, wherein the housing is unrestrictedly coupled, by an attachment mechanism, one or more of with or within the bone-conduction oscillator;

measuring, by a force measurement device of the applied force indication system, a pressure in response to the received external force;

determining, by a processor, an equivalent force measurement based on the measured pressure; and

determining, by the processor, whether the equivalent force measurement is acceptable based on a pre-determined acceptable equivalent force measurement value.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the force measurement device is a bladder, and wherein a sensor of the applied force indication system measures the pressure of an area sealed within the bladder when the received external force causes the bladder to compress.

15. The method according to claim 14, comprising providing, by the processor, an applied force indication based on the determination of whether the equivalent force measurement is acceptable.

16. The method according to claim 13, comprising providing, by the processor, the applied force indication based on the determination of whether the equivalent force measurement is acceptable.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the applied force indication system is integrated within a housing of the bone-conduction oscillator.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the applied force indication system is coupled to a housing of a bone-conduction oscillator.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the pre-determined acceptable equivalent force measurement value is a range.

20. The method according to claim 13, comprising communicating the measured pressure to the processor of one or more of an audiometer or auditory brainstem response (ABR) equipment,

wherein the processor of the one or more of the audiometer or the auditory brainstem response (ABR) equipment determines the equivalent force measurement and provides bone conduction stimuli based on the equivalent force measurement and the pre-determined acceptable equivalent force measurement value.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon, a computer program having at least one code section, the at least one code section being executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform steps comprising:

receiving a pressure measurement from a force measurement device of an applied force indication system in response to an external force received at a housing of the applied force indication system, the housing unrestrictedly coupled by an attachment mechanism one or more of with or within a bone-conduction oscillator;

determining an equivalent force measurement based on the measured pressure; and

determining whether the equivalent force measurement is acceptable based on a pre-determined acceptable equivalent force measurement value.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the force measurement device is a bladder, and wherein the pressure measurement corresponds with a pressure of an area sealed within the bladder when the received external force causes the bladder to compress.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 22, comprising providing an applied force indication based on the determination of whether the equivalent force measurement is acceptable.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 21, comprising providing an applied force indication based on the determination of whether the equivalent force measurement is acceptable.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the applied force indication system is one or more of coupled to or integrated with the bone-conduction oscillator.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the pre-determined acceptable equivalent force measurement value is a range.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 21, comprising receiving an input to initiate an applied force calibration process.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 21, comprising providing bone conduction stimuli based on the equivalent force measurement and the pre-determined acceptable equivalent force measurement value.