Portable hand-held tympanometer
First Claim
1. A portable hand-held auditory instrument comprising a casing, a speculum on said casing and including means to sealably engage the canal of an ear being examined, means in the speculum for emitting signals into the ear canal, means in the speculum to receive the signals reflected back through the canal by a tympanic membrane, a pressure transducer in the speculum;
- and means in the casing for introducing variable positive and negative pressures into the canal while said signals are being transmitted and received, wherein the last-mentioned means includes a rolling diaphragm pump of the type having a moving piston and a flexible rolling diaphragm connected to said piston and to a cover plate to define a pressure chamber.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A portable, hand-held tympanometer that has the capability of performing the tympanometry and of displaying and storing the test results all within the hand-held instrument. A separate unit that is not in any way attached to the tympanometer during the testing is provided to print the test results and to recharge the tympanometer battery. The tympanometer has a body portion and a head portion to which a speculum is attached, the speculum being adapted to engage the canal of the ear being examined in sealed relation thereto. A speaker in the speculum transmits acoustic signals into the ear canal and a microphone in the speculum receives the signals that are reflected back through the canal by the tympanic membrane. A pressure transducer is located in the head portion of the tympanometer, and a miniature pump located in the body portion operates to introduce a range of pressures into the ear canal while the acoustic signals are being transmitted and received. The tympanometer also includes a liquid crystal display in the head portion which indicates the admittance of the tympanic membrane as determined by the speaker and microphone.
72 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A portable hand-held auditory instrument comprising a casing, a speculum on said casing and including means to sealably engage the canal of an ear being examined, means in the speculum for emitting signals into the ear canal, means in the speculum to receive the signals reflected back through the canal by a tympanic membrane, a pressure transducer in the speculum;
- and means in the casing for introducing variable positive and negative pressures into the canal while said signals are being transmitted and received, wherein the last-mentioned means includes a rolling diaphragm pump of the type having a moving piston and a flexible rolling diaphragm connected to said piston and to a cover plate to define a pressure chamber.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A portable hand-held tympanometer comprising a unitary casing which consists of a head-and-handle portion and a speculum integral with the casing head-and-handle portion;
- the speculum including means to engage in sealed relation the canal of an ear being examined;
means in the speculum for transmitting acoustic signals into the ear canal;
means in the speculum for receiving acoustic signals reflected back through the canal by the tympanic membrane at the inner end of the canal;
a pressure transducer in the speculum;
pump means in the casing head-and-handle portion for introducing variable pressures into the ear canal while said auditory signals are being transmitted and received; and
information display means situated on the casing head-and-handle portion for indicating the admittance of the tympanic membrane as determined by the signal transmitting and receiving means and the pressure transducer. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- the speculum including means to engage in sealed relation the canal of an ear being examined;
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17. A self-contained, portable, hand-held tympanometer comprising a casing that includes a combined handle-and-head portion and a speculum integral with the casing handle-and-head portion, the speculum including means to enter the canal of an ear being examined;
- a pliable removable tip at a distal end of the speculum for effecting sealing engagment between the speculum and the ear canal;
means in the speculum for transmitting acoustic signals into the ear canal;
means in the speculum for receiving acoustic signals reflected back through the canal by the tympanic membrane at the inner end of the canal;
a pressure transducer in the speculum;
pump means in the casing head-and-handle portion for introducing variable pressures into the ear canal while said acoustic signals are being transmitted and received; and
information display means situated on the casing head-and-handle portion for indicating the admittance of the tympanic membrane as determined by the signal transmitting and receiving means and the pressure transducer. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
- a pliable removable tip at a distal end of the speculum for effecting sealing engagment between the speculum and the ear canal;
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26. A portable, hand-held tympanometer comprising a hand-holdable casing;
- a speculum integral with said casing and including means for entering the canal of an ear being examined;
a pliable tip at a distal end of the speculum for effecting sealing engagement between the speculum and the ear canal;
means in the speculum for transmitting signals into the ear canal;
means in the speculum for receiving signals reflected back through the canal by the tympanic membrane at the inner end of the canal;
a pressure transducer in the speculum;
pump means in the casing for introducing variable pressures into the ear canal while said signals are being transmitted and received;
wherein the pump means include a piston and means for sensing the position of the piston; and
information display means on said casing for indicating the admittance of the tympanic membrane as determined by the signal transmitting and receiving means and the pressure transducer. - View Dependent Claims (27)
- a speculum integral with said casing and including means for entering the canal of an ear being examined;
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28. A portable, hand-held tympanometer comprising a body portion and a head portion connected to the body portion;
- a speculum connected to the head portion, the speculum being adapted to enter the canal of the ear being examined;
a pliable, removable tip at a distal end of the speculum for effecting sealing engagement between the speculum and the ear canal;
a first transducer means in the speculum for transmitting acoustic signals into the ear canal;
a second transducer means in the speculum for receiving the acoustic signals that are reflected back through the canal by the tympanic membrane at the inner end of the canal;
a pressure transducer in the speculum;
a pump in the body portion for introducing a range of pressures into the ear canal through the pressure transducer while said acoustic signals are being transmitted and received;
information display means in the head portion for indicating the admittance of the tympanic membrane as determined by the signal transmitting and receiving means and the pressure transducer;
means in the body portion for storing the information displayed by the information display means; and
circuit means in the tympanometer body portion and head portion for processing signals from the transducers and controlling the pump and display means. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
- a speculum connected to the head portion, the speculum being adapted to enter the canal of the ear being examined;
Specification