Acoustic sealing analysis system

• US 9,113,267 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ST Case1Tech, LLC
• Original Assignee: Personics Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Usher, John, Keady, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US14/054,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20150092948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 381/58, 381/60, 381/56, 381/312, 381/74, 381/23.1, 381/328, 455/570, 455/114.2, 455/575.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/15 Determination of the acoustic seal of ear moulds or ear tips of hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence

Abstract

A test signal emitted by an earpiece is compared against the acoustic signal to determine if a sealing section of the earpiece is sealed properly. The degree of acoustic sealing is used to adjust the attenuation level of a sealing section of the earpiece or alert the user that the sealing section of the seal status.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a sealing section configured to seal a user'"'"'s orifice, where the sealing section is configured to produce an acoustic seal between a first side of the sealing section and a second side of the sealing section;

a transducer configured to emit a test signal incident on the first side of the sealing section; and

a microphone configured to measure an acoustic signal incident on the first side of the sealing section, where the acoustic signal includes the test signal emitted from the transducer where the acoustic signal is compared to the test signal to determine if the sealing section is sealed.

2. The device according to claim 1, where the acoustic signal is compared to the test signal by calculating at least one of the cross correlation, the correlation and the coherence of the signals.

3. The device of claim 1, where the orifice is an ear canal and where the sealing section is configured to reduce acoustic energy passing through the sealing section between the first side of the sealing section and the second side of the sealing section when the sealing section is sealed.

4. The device of claim 1, further including a processor operatively coupled to the transducer and operatively coupled to the microphone where the processor has been configured to compare the test signal to the acoustic signal to determine if the sealing section is sealed.

5. The device of claim 2 where the sealing section has passed a sealing test when the cross-correlation is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

6. The device according to claim 5 where the threshold corresponds to an attenuation level of the sealing section.

7. The device according to claim 5 where an indication is provided to the user indicating the sealing section is improperly sealed if the cross-correlation is not equal to or greater than the threshold value.

8. A method of detecting sealing integrity of an earpiece comprising the steps of:

providing a test signal;

generating an acoustic signal corresponding to the test signal incident on an ear canal side of a sealing section;

converting the acoustic signal incident on a first side of the sealing section to an electrical signal; and

comparing the test signal to the electrical signal where the earpiece is sealed correctly when the comparison between the test signal and the electrical signal is above a threshold value.

9. The method of claim 8, where the step of comparing the test signal to the electrical signal includes calculating at least one of a cross-correlation, a correlation, and a coherence value between the two signals.

10. The method of claim 9 further including a step of using a single frequency tone to test sealing integrity of the earpiece.

11. The method according to claim 10, where the single frequency tone is less than 200 Hz.

12. The method of claim 11 further including a step of filtering the electrical signal with a low pass filter having a cut-off frequency less than or equal to 10 Hertz greater than the single frequency tone for testing sealing integrity.

13. The method of claim 9 further including the steps of:

testing the sealing integrity of the earpiece when the sealing section is initially inserted in an ear canal of a user; and

periodically testing the sealing integrity of the earpiece while in use by the user.

14. The method of claim 13 where the step of periodically testing the sealing integrity of the earpiece further includes the steps of:

initiating a first timing sequence;

comparing a time of the first timing sequence against a first predetermined time period;

retrieving audio content from a signal buffer when the time of the first timing sequence is greater than the first predetermined time period;

initiating a second timing sequence for a second predetermined time period;

calculating the RMS of the audio content;

comparing the RMS of the audio content to a RMS threshold where the test signal is mixed with the audio content for providing a modified test signal if the audio content RMS is less than the RMS threshold;

emitting the modified test signal; and

resetting the first and the second timing sequence.

15. The method of claim 14 where the step of calculating audio content RMS further includes a step of filtering the audio content with a low pass filter.

16. The method of claim 14 further including the steps of:

periodically retrieving audio content from the signal buffer after the second timing sequence has been initiated;

calculating the RMS of the audio content;

comparing the RMS of the audio content to a RMS threshold where the test signal is mixed with the audio content for providing a modified test signal if the audio content RMS is less than the RMS threshold;

emitting the modified test signal; and

resetting the first and the second timing sequence.

17. The method of claim 15 further including the steps of:

comparing a time of the second timing sequence against a second predetermined time period;

mixing the test signal with audio content for providing a modified test signal when the time of the second timing sequence is greater than the second predetermined time period;

emitting the modified test signal; and

resetting the first and the second timing sequence.

18. A method of adjusting attenuation of an earpiece comprising the steps of:

relating cross-correlation of a test signal and a measured acoustic signal in an ear canal of a user to an attenuation level of a sealing section of the earpiece;

comparing the attenuation level of the sealing section of the earpiece to a minimum attenuation value; and

adjusting a pressure of the sealing section to meet the minimum attenuation value.

19. The method of claim 18 further including a step of increasing the pressure of the sealing section to raise the attenuation level of the sealing section of the earpiece.

20. The method of claim 18 further including a step of decreasing the pressure of the sealing section such that the attenuation level of the sealing section is equal to or greater than the minimum attenuation level to improve comfort to the user of the earpiece.

21. The method of claim 18 further including a step of limiting the sealing section to a predetermined maximum pressure level.

22. The method of claim 18 further including a step of adjusting the sealing section to meet the minimum attenuation level as a background noise level changes.

23. The method of claim 18 further including a step of adjusting the minimum attenuation level by the Ear-Canal Sound Level of the earphone device.

24. The method of claim 18 further including a step of adjusting the minimum attenuation level by the level of audio content reproduced with the earphone device.