Hand-held hearing screener apparatus

• US 20040171966A1
• Filed: 01/15/2004
• Published: 09/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interacoustics A/S (Interacoustics AS /Demant/)
• Original Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Inventors: Iseberg, Steven J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,452,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/559
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/12 Audiometering
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal

Abstract

A hearing screener apparatus is provided. In one embodiment, the hearing screener comprises a housing, a testing probe and one or microphones mounted with the testing probe. An elastic coupler may be used to suspend the testing probe from the housing. The testing probe may include a shaft and a removable probe tip mounted on the shaft. An ear tip is fitted onto an end of the removable probe tip. The ear tip may have a flexible flange arranged at its end to seal within the ear canal of the patient. The screener allows the testing probe to be manipulated about all axes and may have an isolation body or assembly that acts as the elastic coupler. The elastic coupler provides vibrational noise isolation due to movement of the patient and the user.

Claims

1. A hearing screener apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a testing probe operatively coupled to the housing; and

at least one microphone, the microphone having a noise floor substantially similar to an industry standard microphone when the housing is grasped by a user.

2. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one microphone is mounted with the testing probe.

3. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 2 wherein the testing probe is vibrationally isolated from the housing.

4. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 2 wherein the testing probe is elastically coupled to the housing.

5. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 4 further comprising an isolation body elastically coupled between the testing probe and the housing.

6. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an ear tip mounted on the testing probe for acoustically sealing the ear canal of a test subject.

7. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hearing screener performs DPOAE testing.

8. A hearing screener apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a testing probe operatively coupled to the housing; and

at least one microphone, the at least one microphone having a noise floor of at least approximately 15 dB lower when the housing is grasped by a user than when the testing probe is grasped by a user.

9. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 8 wherein the at least one microphone is mounted with the testing probe.

10. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 9 wherein the testing probe is vibrationally isolated from the housing.

11. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 9 wherein the testing probe is elastically coupled to the housing.

12. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 11 further comprising an isolation body elastically coupled between the testing probe and the housing.

13. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 8 further comprising an ear tip mounted on the testing probe for acoustically sealing the ear canal of a test subject.

14. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 8 wherein the hearing screener performs DPOAE testing.

15. A hearing screener apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a testing probe operatively coupled to the housing; and

at least one microphone mounted with the testing probe, the testing probe being coupled to the housing such that the at least one microphone is vibrationally isolated from the housing.

16. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 15 wherein the testing probe is elastically coupled to the housing.

17. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 15 wherein the testing probe is vibrationally isolated from the housing.

18. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 17 further comprising an isolation body elastically coupled between the testing probe and the housing.

19. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 15 further comprising an ear tip mounted on the testing probe for acoustically sealing the ear canal of a test subject.

20. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 15 wherein the hearing screener performs DPOAE testing.

21. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 15 wherein the at least one microphone has a noise floor substantially similar to an industry standard microphone when the housing is grasped by a user.

22. The hearing screener apparatus of claim 15 wherein the at least one microphone has a noise floor of at least approximately 15 dB lower when the housing is grasped by a user than when the testing probe is grasped by a user.