Method And System For Acquiring Loudness Level Information

• US 20100030101A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University of Pittsburgh of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
• Original Assignee: University of Pittsburgh of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
• Inventors: Pratt, Sheila, Durrant, John D.
• Application Number:
  US12/479,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20100030101A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/559
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/04 Babies, e.g. for SIDS detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/06 Children, e.g. for attention deficit diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1104 induced by stimuli or drugs; A61B5/1102 takes precedence; investigating medicinal preparations G01N33/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/121 evaluating hearing capacity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/38 Acoustic or auditory stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/398 Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for acquiring hearing threshold values in a subject comprising providing a sound to the subject; providing a monitor for monitoring a movement response by the subject; monitoring the movement response by the subject to the sound; and progressively reducing the volume of the sound until no movement response by the subject to the sound occurs. The present invention further relates to methods and systems for acquiring loudness level information for a subject comprising providing a sound to a subject having a sensation level; providing a first sound to the subject having a sensational level; providing a monitor for monitoring a movement response by the subject; monitoring the movement response by the subject to the sound; and determining an elapsed reaction time between the sound and the movement response by the subject to the sound.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring hearing threshold values in a subject comprising:

providing a sound to the subject;

providing a monitor for monitoring a movement response by the subject;

monitoring the movement response by the subject to the sound; and

progressively reducing the volume of the sound until no movement response by the subject to the sound occurs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the movement response by the subject to the sound comprises monitoring head turn response of the subject.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the movement response by the subject to the sound comprises monitoring eye response of the subject.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the monitor comprises providing a mechanical rate monitor to the subject.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the monitor comprises providing a video image monitor to the subject.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the video image monitor comprises:

an imaging device for providing a video image of the subject; and

a processor running software adapted to detect the movement response of the subject by evaluating the video image of the subject.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the monitor comprises providing an electrophysiological recording instrument.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the electrophysiological recording instrument is an electromyograph.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the electrophysiological recording instrument is an electrooculograph.

10. A method for acquiring loudness level information for a subject comprising:

providing a first sound to the subject having a sensation level;

providing a monitor for monitoring a movement response by the subject;

monitoring the movement response by the subject to the first sound; and

determining an elapsed reaction time between the first sound and the movement response by the subject to the first sound.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising correlating the elapsed reaction time to the sensation level of the first sound.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a second sound to the subject having a sensation level, monitoring the movement response by the subject to the second sound, determining an elapsed reaction time between the second sound and the movement response by the subject to the second sound, correlating the elapsed reaction time to the sensation level of the second sound, and determining a rate of change between the elapsed reaction time to the first sound and the elapsed reaction time to the second sound.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a loudness parameter based on the elapsed reaction time.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring the movement response by the subject to the first sound comprises monitoring head turn response of the subject.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the movement response by the subject to the second sound comprises monitoring head turn response of the subject.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring the movement response by the subject to the first sound comprises monitoring eye response of the subject.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the movement response by the subject to the second sound comprises monitoring eye response of the subject.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the monitor comprises providing a mechanical rate monitor to the subject.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the monitor comprises providing a video image monitor to the subject.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the video image monitor comprises:

an imaging device for providing a video image of the subject; and

a processor running software adapted to detect the movement response of the subject by evaluating the video image of the subject.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the monitor comprises providing an electrophysiological recording instrument.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the electrophysiological recording instrument is an electromyograph.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the electrophysiological recording instrument is an electrooculograph.

24. A system for acquiring hearing threshold values in a subject comprising:

one or more loudspeakers adapted to provide sounds having progressively reduced volume; and

a monitor associated with the subject to track movement response by the subject to the sounds.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the monitor comprises a mechanical rate sensor mounted on the subject to track movement of the subject.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the monitor comprises:

an imaging device for providing a video image of the subject; and

a processor running software adapted to detect the movement response of the subject by evaluating the video image of the subject.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the movement response by the subject to the sounds is head turn response of the subject.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the movement response by the subject to the sounds is eye response of the subject.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the monitor comprises an electrophysiological recording instrument.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the electrophysiological recording instrument is an electromyograph.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the electrophysiological recording instrument is an electrooculograph.