COMPUTER CONTROLLED METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUDIOMETRIC SCREENING

• US 3,808,354 A
• Filed: 12/13/1972
• Issued: 04/30/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mack J. Preslar, Michael D. Feezor
• Original Assignee: Mack J. Preslar, Michael D. Feezor
• Inventors: Feezor, Michael D., Preslar, Mack J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Claffy, Kathleen H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leaheey, Jon Bradford
• Application Number:
  US05/314,816
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 179/1N 181/.5G
• US Class Current: 73/585
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/121 evaluating hearing capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A plurality of what may be locally or geographically remote and separated hearing test centers each include precision programmed automatic audiometer means adapted to test the hearing of a single or plural number of individuals and audiometric data generation means adapted to transmit hearing test data by conventional telephone lines or other long distance linkage on a remote basis, and by direct wired connection on a local basis to a data processing center, there to be processed, evaluated and stored. Through the method of computer processing, storage, and retrieval, and local or remote communication of the test data, provision is made for screening the hearing of either single or plural individuals on a computer controlled and large scale basis.

Claims

1. An audiometer system adapted for computer control and simultaneous audiometric data recording for a singular or plural number of patients comprising, in combination:

a. a preselected number of audiometric patient test stations having at each station right and left earphones and a two position patient actuated switch;

b. programmably controllable right-left earphone switching means for each station connected to receive an audio signal and selectively dIrect the same to the right or left earphone at said station;

c. a programmably controllable signal source adapted to provide for each station and in some predetermined order a series of tone signals arranged in a fixed repeatable sequence, each tone signal in the series being of a selected aduio frequency, amplitude and period of duration;

d. a programmably controllable continuous control voltage source for each station productive of a ramp voltage wave controllable as to ascending and descending direction and representing a control voltage having maximum and minimum values when moved without interruption in either direction, said control voltage source being connected to a respective said two position switch and being adapted such that the direction of said ramp voltage wave may be interrupted and reversed in direction by the position of said two position switch at the selected station and the magnitude of the ramp voltage wave may be regulated in coordination with the particular patient'"'"''"'"'s thresholds in said earphones;

e. programmably controllable circuit attenuator means for each station connected to said signal source to receive said tone signals and to said control voltage source to receive said ramp voltage wave, said attenuator means being adapted to generate therefrom for each respective station an audio output test signal having precisely controlled gain qualities in proportion to said control voltage and at the selected said frequency, said earphone switching means for each respective station being connected to receive said test signal;

f. pre-programmed control logic circuit means connected to programmably control said signal source, voltage source and earphone switching means for all the selected stations, said logic circuit means being connected to receive local commands under local manual control and remote commands under computer control from a supervisory and data collection station, whereby upon local manual actuation of a selection station, said signal and voltage sources for the selected station produce said tone signals and voltage wave and said earphone switch means switches under computer supervision wherein said patient at each such station hears first in one siad earphone and then in the other said series of signals and during the hearing of each tone signal in each respective earhpone the patient is enabled to move said two position switch to a first position when said tone signal is first heard and to a second position when said tone signal is lost to hearing and by so positioning said two position switch said patient is able to control both the direction of said voltage wave and the level achieved in each direction;

g. voltage developing means connected to each respective said voltage source and adapted to develop a voltage envelope for each respective patient which envelope directly corresponds to the earphone signal heard as determined by when and at what audio levels the said patient operates said two position switch;

h. analog to digital converter means adapted to convert said voltage envelope to digital data suited to be communicated remotely;

i. means for communicating said digital data in a recoverable form through a communicating medium to a said data collecting and supervisory computer station;

j. a collecting and supervisory computer station including means at said computer station to reconvert the communicated digital data into a form suited to a digital computer having storage, memory and printer means; and

k. a digital computer at said computer station having storage memory and printer means and programmed to initiate and supervise said control logic circuit means and to receive and print out the data received therefrom whereby for each patient tested there is derived an audiometric test result in printed form in decibel loss terms proportional to the respective voltage envelope for the patient as determined by the manner in which the patient actuates said two position switch.

2. A system as cLaimed in claim 1 including at each test site having a said test station, means for measuring cross talk between each respective pair of earphones, said cross talk measuring means connected to said digital computer and said computer being programmed whereby upon the presence of excessive cross talk at any selected said test station the test results therefrom may be aborted.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 including at each test site having a said test station, means for measuring harmonic distortion, said harmonic distortion measuring means being connected to said digital computer and said computer being programmed whereby upon the presence of excessive harmonic distortion at any selected said test station the test results therefrom may be aborted.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1 includng at each test site having a said test station, means for measuring ambient noise, said ambient noise measuring means being connected to said digital computer and said computer being programmed whereby upon the presence of excessive ambient noise at any selected said test station the test results therefrom may be aborted.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1 including at each test site having a said test station, means for measuring the relation of the respective voltage envelope and earphone sound pressure, said sound pressure measuring means being connected to said digital computer and said computer being programmed whereby upon the presence of inaccurate sound pressure at any selected test said station the test results therefrom may be aborted.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1 including at each test site having a said test station, means for measuring cross talk, harmonic distortion, ambient noise and sound pressure, said measuring means being connected to said digital computer and said computer being programmed whereby upon the presence of excessive said cross talk, harmonic distortion, ambient noise or inaccurate sound pressure at any selected said test station the test results therefrom may be aborted.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1 including at each test site having said test station, card reader means connected to transmit information therefrom to said computer and identify each patient in reference to a particular test station.

8. A system as claimed in claim 6 including at each test site having a said test station, card reader means connected to transmit information therefrom to said computer and identify each patient in reference to a particular test station.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 wherein each said test station comprises one of a plural group of test stations having a common test site and common said logic circuit means and said computer is adapted to simultaneously supervise and record data from all said test stations at said common test site.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said test station comprises one of a plural group of test stations having a common test site and a common said logic circuit means and said computer is adapted to simultaneously supervise and record data from all said test stations at said common test site.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said common test site constitutes one of a plurality of geographically widespread test sites and all said test sites are simultaneously supervised and in data communication with said computer.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said test station and said computer are located and closely connected at a common test site.

13. In an audiometer system as claimed in claim 1 including for eah said signal source at each said test station tone interruptor circuit means connected to interrupt and convert ssaid continuous tone signals into pulse form.

14. In an audiometer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control logic circuit includes for each test site having a said test station, manually operated reset circuitry means adapted to cause said tone signal sequence to be independently reset for each test site to a predetermined starting conditioN.

15. In an audiometer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system includes a plurality of said logic circuit means at a plurality of test sites and said computer is adapted to simultaneously reset all of said logic circuits to cause the respective said tone signal sequence to be reset for all such circuits.

16. In an audiometer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said right-left earphone switching means, signal source, voltage source, attenuator means and logic circuit means at each test site having a said test station comprise solid state components thereby adapting the same to function without mechanical motion.

17. In an audiometer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said signal source at each test site having a said test station comprises a voltage controlled oscillator and each corresponding said logic circuit means precisely controls the amount of voltage supplied said oscillator to control the corresponding said tone signal frequency.

18. In an audiometer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said circuit attenuator mans for each test site having a said test station incorporates circuitry for computing a signal representing the logarithm of said tone signal, for combining such logarithm signal and said ramp voltage wave, to produce the anti-log of such combination and from such anti-log to produce said tone signal.

19. In an audiometer system as claimed in claim 1 including ramp voltage wave conditioning circuit means adapted to cause the instantaneous slope of said ramp voltage wave to be steep at the onset of each said tone signal presentation and to continuously decrease said ramp voltage slope to a relatively gradual slope at the conclusion of each said tone signal.

20. In an audiometer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said logic circuit means for each test site having a said test station is programmed to cause said tone signal sequence to be heard through said earphone switching means first in one of said earphones and then in the other of said earphones.

21. In an audiometer means system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said logic circuit means at each test site having a said test station includes cross talk circuit means connected to said earphones and adapted to selectively prevent one of said earphones from conducting a signal when the other of said earphones is being utilized for testing.

22. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said voltage source comprises a linear ramp wave generator and said output test signal is in linear proportion to said control voltage.

23. A system as claimed in claim 1 including for each said signal source at each test station tone circuit circuit means connected to interrupt and convert said continuous tone signals into pulse form, wherein said control logic circuit includes for each test site having a said test station, manually operated reset circuitry means adapted to cause said tone signal sequence to be independently reset for each test site to a predetermined starting condition, wherein said system includes a plurality of said logic circuit means at a plurality of test and and said computer is adapted to simultaneously rest all of said logic circuits to cause the respective said tone signal sequence to be reset for all such circuits, wherein each said signal source at each test site having a said test station comprises a voltage controlled oscillator and each corresponding said logic circuit means precisely controls the amount of voltage supplied said oscillator to control the corresponding said tone signal frequency, wherein each said circuit attenuator means for each test site having a said test station incorporates circuitry for computing a signal representing the logarithm of said tone signal, for combining such logarithm signal and said ramp voltage wave, to produce the anti-log of such combination and from such anti-log to produce said tone signal, ramp voltage wave conditioning circuit means adapted to cause the instantaneous slope of said ramp voltage waVe to be steep at the onset of each said tone signal presentation and to continuously decrease said ramp voltage slope to a relatively gradual slope at the conclusion of each said tone signal, each said logic circuit means for each test site having said test station being programmed to cause said tone signal sequence to be heard through said earphone switching means first in one of said earphones and then in the other of said earphones, wherein each said logic circuit means at each test site having a said test station includes cross talk circuit means connected to said earphones and adapted to selectively prevent one of said earphones from conducting a signal when the other of said earphones is being utilized for testing.

24. The method of audiometric testing, comprising the steps:

a. assembling a selected number of patients at a predetermined number of test sites;

b. at each test site assigning each patient to a test location equipped with a pair of earphones and a two position switch;

c. connecting said earphones through an earphone selector switch to a local programmed signal source providing in some predetermined order under program control a series of tone signals arranged in a fixed repeatable sequence, each tone signal in the series being of a selected audio frequency, amplitude and period of duration;

d. connecting said two position switch to an electronic attenuator control having a connection to the signal source and being in the nature of a positive-negative amplifier controlled in direction by the position of said two position switch such that when the respective switch for such test location is in a first position the incoming tone tends to be positively amplified in a smoothly increasing manner until it reaches some predetermined maximum level unless the said patient switch before such maximum level is achieved is caused to assume a second position in which event the tone tends to be negatively amplified in a smoothly decreasing manner until it reaches some predetermined minimum level unless said patient switch before such minimum level is achieved is caused to be returned to said first switch position, said maximum level being below a predetermined threshold for the subject and said minimum level being at or below a normally inaudible threshold for the subject;

e. under program control operating said signal source and earphone selector switch while each said patient is allowed to move said two position switch to said first position when a selected tone frequency is first heard and to the second position when that frequency is lost to hearing;

f. during the test developing in said attenuator control, detecting and recording a voltage envelope for each patient the magnitude of which corresponds to the earphone levels heard as determined by when and at what amplification levels the respective said patient operates said two position switch;

g. converting said voltage envelope to digital data suited to be communicated to a computer;

h. communicating said digital data in a recoverable form through a communicating medium to a data collecting and supervisory computer station;

i. at said computer station reconverting the communicated digital data into a form suited to a digital computer having storage, memory and printer means; and

j. utilizing a digital computer at said computer station, receiving and printing out the data received whereby for each patient at each said test station there is derived an audiometric test result in printed form in decibel loss terms proportional to the respective voltage envelope for the suhject as determined by the manner in which the subject actuates said two position switch.

25. The method of claim 24 including the step of interrupting each said tone signal to form the same into pulses.

26. The method of claim 24 including the step of computer monitoring the cross talk between the earphones and aborting the test results in the presence of excessive cross talk.

27. The method of claIm 24 including the step of computer monitoring the harmonic distortion at the test site and aborting the test results in the presence of excessive harmonic distortion.

28. The method of claim 24 including the step of computer monitoring the ambient noise at the test site and aborting the test results in the presence of excessive ambient noise.

29. The method of claim 24 including the step of computer monitoring the relation of the respective voltage envelope and earphone sound pressure and aborting the test results in the presence of excessive sound pressure.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein said patients and sites are plural in number and including locating said sites at geographically widespread locations and linking each site to a central said computer through a long distance communication medium.

31. The method of claim 30 including the step of utilizing long distance telephone lines for said communication medium.

32. The method of claim 24 wherein said patients are plural in number, said number of sites constitutes a single site and including the step of locating said computer at said single site.