Audiometer with interchangeable transducer

• US 7,793,545 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Benson Medical Instruments Company
• Original Assignee: Benson Medical Instruments Company
• Inventors: Mayou, David P., Burr, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAINT SURIN, JACQUES M
• Application Number:
  US11/867,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20090090165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 735/85, 73/18.2, 600/559, 381/23.1, 381/58, 381/60, 381/312, 381/314, 381/323, 702/57
• US Class Current: 73/585
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/121 evaluating hearing capacity

Abstract

An audiometer including a processor controlled test signal generator is adjustable so as to produce a uniform output signal when coupled with a transducer load. Each transducer set to be used with the test signal generator includes recordable indicia in written or electronic form, upon which correction values for adjusting the electronic signal output of the audiometer module to produce a desired sound output from the each transducer in the transducer set. When the transducer set is connected to the audiometer module, the correction values are either retrieved automatically from the electronic indicia, which may be an EEPROM, or are input to the processor manually by a user through an interface such as a keyboard. These correction values are then used by the processor to dynamically adjust the output of the audiometer to correct for sound output response deviation of each transducer in the transducer set.

Claims

1. An audiometer for testing the hearing of a test subject, the audiometer comprising:

an audiometer module including a test signal generator and a processor with associated memory and control logic operably coupled to the test signal generator, wherein the processor controls the test signal generator to generate an electronic test signal having a first signal magnitude, wherein the processor further controls the test signal generator to adjust the first signal magnitude to a second signal magnitude in proportion to a transducer correction value and to deliver the electronic test signal with the second signal magnitude at an output of the audiometer module;

a transducer communicatively coupled to the output of the audiometer module, wherein the transducer generates a sound signal having a desired magnitude when the electronic test signal having the second signal magnitude is delivered to the transducer, wherein the transducer further comprises a data storage structure, and wherein the transducer correction value is stored by the data storage structure; and

an interface selectively couplable with the processor for delivering the transducer correction factor to the processor.

2. The audiometer of claim 1, wherein the data storage structure is electronic memory.

3. The audiometer of claim 2, wherein the electronic memory is an EEPROM chip.

4. The audiometer of claim 1, wherein the data storage structure comprises printed indicia attached to the transducer.

5. The audiometer of claim 1, wherein the processor controls the test signal generator to generate a plurality of test signals, each of the test signals having a separate transducer correction value associated therewith, and wherein each of the separate transducer correction values is stored by the data storage structure.

6. The audiometer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a keyboard communicatively coupled to the processor.

7. The audiometer of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a personal computer communicatively coupled to the processor.

8. The audiometer of claim 1, wherein the data storage structure is electronic memory and wherein the interface comprises a one-wire interface controller.

9. A method for calibrating an audiometer and a transducer, the audiometer including a test signal generator and a processor, wherein the processor controls the test signal generator to generate a plurality of electronic test signals each having a first signal magnitude, wherein the processor further controls the test signal generator to adjust the first signal magnitude of each test signal to a second signal magnitude in proportion to a corresponding transducer correction value and to deliver the test signals to an input of the transducer at the second signal magnitude, the method comprising:

applying each one of a plurality of input signals to the input of the transducer, each of the input signals having a signal frequency corresponding to a signal frequency of one of the test signals;

determining a target signal magnitude for each of the plurality of input signals that results in a desired magnitude of sound output from the transducer;

for each of the plurality of input signals, determining a transducer correction value for the audiometer that results in the corresponding test signal having a second signal magnitude equal to the target signal magnitude determined for the input signal;

storing the transducer correction values in a data storage structure associated with the transducer; and

delivering the stored transducer correction values to the audiometer.

10. An audiometer for testing the hearing of a test subject, the audiometer comprising:

an audiometer module including means for generating a plurality of test signals, each test signal having a discrete frequency, and means for controlling the means for generating test signals, wherein the means for controlling includes means for adjusting each of the test signals to a predetermined magnitude according to a plurality of transducer correction values, each transducer correction value corresponding to one of the test signals;

a transducer for converting the test signals to sound signals communicatively coupled to the audiometer module, wherein when each test signal is delivered to the transducer at the predetermined magnitude, the transducer generates a sound signal having a desired signal magnitude, the transducer further including means for storing the transducer correction values in coded form; and

means for communicating the transducer correction values stored in coded form to the means for controlling of the audiometer module.

11. The audiometer of claim 10, wherein the means for storing the transducer correction values includes electronic memory.

12. The audiometer of claim 11, wherein the electronic memory is an EEPROM chip.

13. The audiometer of claim 10, wherein the means for storing the transducer correction values comprises indicia attached to the transducer.

14. The audiometer of claim 10, wherein the means for communicating the transducer correction values includes a keyboard.

15. The audiometer of claim 10, wherein the means for communicating the transducer correction values includes a personal computer.

16. The audiometer of claim 10, wherein the means for storing the transducer correction values is electronic memory and wherein the means for communicating the transducer correction values includes a one-wire interface controller.

17. A method of calibrating an audiometer and transducer, the audiometer comprising a test signal generator and a processor controlling the test signal generator, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of transducer correction values in a data storage structure associated with the transducer;

retrieving the transducer correction values from the transducer using a controller associated with the audiometer and delivering the retrieved transducer correction values to the processor;

generating a test signal with the test signal generator; and

using the processor to adjust a magnitude of the test signal according to at least one of the transducer correction values.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of storing the plurality of correction values in a data storage structure associated with the transducer includes writing the correction values to an EEPROM.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of storing the plurality of correction values in a data storage structure associated with the transducer includes inscribing the correction values on a label or tag.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining the plurality of transducer correction values for the transducer using a sound level meter.