Earhealth monitoring system and method II

• US 8,199,919 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Staton Techiya, LLC
• Original Assignee: Personics Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Goldstein, Steven W., Usher, John, Fligor, Brian, Keady, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELBIN, JESSE A
• Application Number:
  US11/928,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 381 56- 60, 381/71.6, 381/71.8, 381/72, 600/25, 600/559, 735/85, 736/45, 736/46
• US Class Current: 381/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 3/14 Measuring mean amplitude; Measuring mean power; Measuring time integral of power

Abstract

Methods of operating an audio device are provided. A method includes measuring sound pressure levels (SPL_ECM) for acoustic energy received by an ear canal microphone (ECM) during a time increment Δt; and calculating a SPL_Dose_Δt during the time increment Δt using SPL_ECM.

Claims

1. A method of operating an audio device configured to be inserted in an ear canal, the method comprising:

measuring first sound pressure levels (SPL_ECR) of an electrical drive signal directed to an ear canal receiver (ECR) of the audio device during a time period Δ

t having a plurality of samples;

simultaneously measuring second sound pressure levels (SPL_ECM) for acoustic energy received by an ear canal microphone (ECM) of the audio device during the time period Δ

t;

calculating a sound pressure level (SPL) dose (SPL_Dose<sub>Δ

t</sub>) during the time period Δ

t using the second sound pressure levels (SPL_ECM) of the ECM;

combining the SPL dose (SPL Dose<sub>Δ

t</sub>) with an SPL dose of a previous time period to form a total SPL dose (SPL Dose_total); and

modifying the electrical drive signal based on the first sound pressure levels (SPL_ECR) of the electrical drive signal and the total SPL dose, such that a value of the total SPL dose is maintained proximate to a SPL dose threshold over time.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

calculating a remaining duration time (Time_—

100%) for continuing operation of the ECR based on the second sound pressure levels (SPL_ECM).

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the total SPL dose to a threshold value and reading an action parameter from a readable memory when the total SPL dose is greater than the threshold value.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising:

performing an action associated with the action parameter, where the action includes at least one of modifying an operation of the audio device, modifying the electrical drive signal directed to the ECR, and sending a notification signal to a user.

5. The method according to claim 4, where modifying the operation of the audio device includes at least one of the following:

setting a time after which the audio device shuts down;

increasing a noise reduction ratio (NRR) of the audio device; and

activating active noise cancellation of non-ECR generated acoustic energy.

6. The method according to claim 4, where modifying the electrical drive signal directed to the ECR includes at least one of the following:

reducing a signal to noise ratio by reducing a magnitude of the electrical drive signal sent to the ECR;

chopping the electrical drive signal at a rate unnoticeable by the user, where the chopping reduces a total sound pressure level of an acoustic signal generated by the ECR; and

reducing frequencies in a spectral signature of the electrical drive signal and converting the result into a modified acoustic signal.

7. The method according to claim 4, where sending the notification signal to the user includes at least one of the following:

sending an acoustic voice notification;

sending an acoustic non-voice notification;

activating at least one indicator light; and

activating a vibratory warning system.

8. The method according to claim 2 where the time period Δ

t is an n-th time period, and

where the SPL dose (SPL_Dose<sub>Δ

t</sub>) is calculated using;

SPL Dose<sub>Δ

t</sub>=(Δ

t/Time_—

100%), where Time_—

100% has the form;

Time_—

100% (n)=T_c/(2^((SPL_ECM−

PSL)/ER)), where PSL is a permissible sound level, Tc is a critical time period and ER is an exchange rate.

9. The method according to claim 8, where the total SPL dose (SPL_Dose_total) is calculated by:

SPL_Dose_total=SPL Dose(n−

1)+SPL_Dose<sub>Δ

t</sub>,

where SPL_Dose(n−

1) is the total SPL Dose of the previous time period.