Method and device for providing a multidimensional audiogram, and computer program for performing the method

Abstract

To provide a method and device for providing a multidimensional audiogram that can easily grasp the hearing ability for complex sounds that recognize speech vowels and musical sounds. [Solution] The system includes a processor and a memory connected to the processor, and the memory stores program instructions executed by the processor to output a pure tone audiogram relating to the hearing threshold of a subject measured in N frequency bands onto a first surface of a polyhedron, rearrange the N frequency bands into a frequency set including a plurality of elemental frequencies having a constant ratio relationship to define a plurality of overtone plates, calculate the standard deviation of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies at each of the plurality of overtone plates to calculate overtone plate instability, output the calculated overtone plate instability to a second surface of the polyhedron, calculate the average of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies at each of the plurality of overtone plates to calculate overtone plate hearing, and output the calculated overtone plate hearing to a third surface of the polyhedron.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a multidimensional audiogram, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for defining human hearing at the level of central nervous system auditory neurons and representing the defined hearing in three-dimensional or multi-dimensional space. [Background technology]

[0002] The process of sound transmission is the process by which mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy. Sound entering through the ear canal vibrates the eardrum, opening ion channels in the basilar membrane of the cochlea and generating action potentials that travel along the auditory nerve pathway to the temporal lobe auditory cortex, where auditory information is integrated and transmitted.

[0003] The harmonic template in the temporal lobe auditory cortex is an organization of auditory neurons (ANs) that are selective for harmonic structures. The harmonic template is the brain's mechanism for extracting biological sounds and integrating auditory information, analyzing music and complex vocal sounds.

[0004] A typical method for expressing a person's hearing ability to detect sound, that is, hearing ability, is the pure tone audiogram proposed by ISO8253. The ISO8253-based pure tone audiogram defines and expresses human hearing ability on a two-dimensional plane based on the frequency (X) axis and intensity (Y) axis. This two-dimensional pure tone audiogram has limitations in providing accurate hearing information at the AN level. For example, the anomaly level of firing pattern within (or between) harmonic groups in the temporal lobe auditory cortex is difficult to display on a two-dimensional pure-tone audiogram.

[0005] The degree of inharmonicity of firing patterns within a specific harmonic plate is an important factor in determining the volume of sensorineural tinnitus, the pitch strength of vowels and musical tones, etc. The ISO 8253-based pure tone audiogram already standardizes the X and Y axes as frequency and intensity indicators, respectively, making it difficult to display new hearing indicators such as firing pattern inharmonicity. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to solve the problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for providing a multidimensional audiogram that can easily grasp not only hearing ability for pure tones but also hearing ability for complex tones that recognize vowels and musical tones in speech sounds. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a device for providing a multidimensional audiogram, comprising a processor and a memory connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores program instructions to be executed by the processor to: output a pure-tone audiogram relating to the hearing thresholds of a subject, measured in N frequency bands (where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 15), to a first surface of a polyhedron; rearrange the N frequency bands into a frequency set including a plurality of elemental frequencies having a constant ratio relationship to define a plurality of overtone plates; calculate the standard deviation of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies at each of the plurality of overtone plates to calculate overtone plate instability; output the calculated overtone plate instability to a second surface of the polyhedron; calculate the average of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies at each of the plurality of overtone plates to calculate overtone plate hearing power; and output the calculated overtone plate hearing power to a third surface of the polyhedron.

[0008] The frequency set includes a fundamental frequency f0 and a frequency kf0 (where k is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) that is a constant multiple of the fundamental frequency f0.

[0009] The first plane is defined as a Z-axis plane of the first plane, with the horizontal axis being the fundamental frequency of each of the multiple overtone plates and the vertical axis being the size of the overtone plate instability of each of the multiple overtone plates, and the third plane is defined as a Z-axis plane of the first plane, with the horizontal axis being the overtone plate hearing power (dBHL) of each of the multiple overtone plates and the vertical axis being the size of the overtone plate instability at the overtone plate hearing power.

[0010] The magnitude of the harmonic plate instability is defined in dBzHL, which corresponds to a representative value of the hearing threshold at a number of elemental frequencies.

[0011] The program instructions may output one or more comparative index curves on the second or third plane to represent harmonic instability or chronic tinnitus intensity in the passive or active auditory system.

[0012] The comparative index curves may include a sine curve for representing harmonic plate instability in a direct alternating current (DC / AC) passive auditory system or a weak AC active auditory system, a Gaussian curve for representing harmonic plate instability in a strong AC active auditory system, and a Rayleigh curve for representing chronic tinnitus intensity in a strong AC active auditory system.

[0013] The program command may output the comparison index curve so that the peak of the comparison index curve is located in a dBzHL range of a preset range on the vertical axis of the second surface, and may output the calibration index curve so that the peak of the comparison index curve is located in a dBHL range of a preset range on the horizontal axis of the third surface.

[0014] The predetermined range of dBzHL intervals and the predetermined range of dBHL intervals are determined by the hearing thresholds collected from a plurality of chronic tinnitus subjects.

[0015] The program command can calculate an average of the harmonic plate instability for each of the different harmonic plates when there are different harmonic plates with equal harmonic plate hearing ability, and display the calculated average of the harmonic plate instability on the vertical axis of the third surface.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for providing a multidimensional audiogram, comprising a processor and a memory connected to the processor, the memory storing program instructions that are executed by the processor to output a pure-tone audiogram relating to the hearing thresholds of a subject measured in N frequency bands (where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 15) to a first surface of a polyhedron, rearrange the N frequency bands into a frequency set including a plurality of elemental frequencies having a constant ratio relationship to define a plurality of harmonic plates, calculate the standard deviation or average of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies for each of the plurality of harmonic plates, and output the calculated standard deviation or average to one or more surfaces or internal spaces of the polyhedron adjacent to the first surface.

[0017] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for testing a multidimensional audiogram using an apparatus having a processor and a memory, the method including the steps of: outputting a pure-tone audiogram relating to the hearing thresholds of a subject, measured in N frequency bands (where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 15), onto a first surface of a polyhedron; rearranging the N frequency bands into a frequency set including a plurality of elemental frequencies having a constant ratio relationship to define a plurality of harmonic plates; calculating the standard deviation of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies for each of the plurality of harmonic plates to calculate harmonic plate instability; outputting the calculated harmonic plate instability onto a second surface of the polyhedron; calculating the average of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies for each of the plurality of harmonic plates to calculate harmonic plate hearing power; and outputting the calculated harmonic plate hearing power onto a third surface of the polyhedron. According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program stored on a computer-readable recording medium for carrying out the above method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, by providing a multidimensional audiogram, it is possible to easily grasp not only the "hearing against pure tone" provided by ISO8253, but also the "hearing against complex tone" that recognizes speech vowels and musical tones, which has the advantage of being able to quickly and accurately estimate the severity level of sensorineural tinnitus. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a device for providing a multidimensional audiogram according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of N frequency bands. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a polyhedron for providing a multidimensional audiogram according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a polyhedron for providing a multidimensional audiogram according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram showing a result of rearranging N frequency bands into a frequency set having a constant ratio relationship according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram showing in detail a second surface of the polyhedron according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram showing in detail a third surface of the polyhedron according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram showing an example of projecting a comparison index curve according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the peak of the comparative index curve is located in the section of the vertical axis of 15 to 25 dBzHL on the second surface. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the peak of the comparative index curve is located in the section of the horizontal axis of 40 to 90 dBHL on the third surface. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying overtone plate hearing ability and overtone plate instability according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Although the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail, but it should be understood that this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific embodiments, and that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. The terms used in this specification are merely used to describe particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expressions include the plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood not to preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0021] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the components of the embodiments described with reference to each drawing are not limited to being applied only to that embodiment, but may be embodied to be included in other embodiments within the scope that maintains the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and that even if separate description is omitted, multiple embodiments may be embodied again in a single integrated embodiment.

[0022] In addition, when describing the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same or related reference numerals are used for the same components regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. When describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of the related known technology would unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device for providing a multidimensional audiogram according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus according to this embodiment includes a processor 100 and a memory 102 .

[0024] The processor 100 includes a CPU (central processing unit) that executes computer programs, as well as a virtual machine.

[0025] Memory 102 includes non-volatile storage devices such as fixed hard drives and removable storage devices, including CompactFlash units, USB memory sticks, etc. Memory 102 may also include volatile memory, such as various types of random access memory. The memory 102 contains: Provides multidimensional audiogram The program instructions for executing the command are stored.

[0026] The program instructions according to this embodiment output a pure tone audiogram relating to the hearing thresholds of a subject measured in N frequency bands (where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 15) onto a first face of a polyhedron.

[0027] According to this embodiment, hearing thresholds are measured for multiple frequency bands with a high resolution of 1 / 3 octave or higher from 250 Hz to 12,000 Hz, which are the main audible frequencies.

[0028] Preferably, the N frequency bands are 62, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the N frequency bands. The hearing thresholds for the N frequency bands are output as a pure tone audiogram on the first face of the polyhedron according to this embodiment.

[0029] 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating exemplary polyhedrons for providing multidimensional audiograms according to this embodiment. 3 and 4, the first plane is defined as the frequency band (Hz) on the X axis and the intensity (dBHL) on the Y axis.

[0030] The first panel displays a pure tone audiogram, where the X axis is frequency and the Y axis is intensity. Figure 4 shows the hearing thresholds for a pure tone with a fundamental frequency of 1,000 Hz on the first panel.

[0031] In this embodiment, a polyhedron is provided to display not only the hearing ability to pure tones at various frequencies, but also the hearing ability to complex tones in each frequency band.

[0032] In order to provide information such as the degree of speech pattern disharmony (harmonic board instability) within (between) a harmonic board AN group from multiple angles, the device of this embodiment rearranges N frequency bands into a frequency set including multiple elemental frequencies having a constant ratio relationship to define multiple harmonic boards, calculates the standard deviation of the hearing thresholds of the multiple elemental frequencies on each of the multiple harmonic boards, calculates the harmonic board instability, and outputs the calculated harmonic board instability to the second screen.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a result of rearranging N frequency bands into a frequency set having a constant ratio relationship according to this embodiment. In Figure 5, the N frequencies are rearranged into a frequency set {f0, 2f0, 3f0, 4f0} with a constant ratio relationship of 1:2:3:4, and harmonic plates with fundamental frequencies of 1,000 Hz or higher are assigned indices 01(Fz) to 19(Fz), while harmonic plates with fundamental frequencies of 1,000 Hz or lower are assigned indices -01(Fz) to -19(Fz).

[0034] According to this embodiment, for each harmonic plate, when the hearing thresholds of the four element frequencies f0, 2f0, 3f0, and 4f0 are designated as t1, t2, t3, and t4 in the frequency set {f0, 2f0, 3f0, 4f0} having a constant ratio relationship of 1:2:3:4, the standard deviations of t1, t2, t3, and t4 are defined as the "harmonic plate instability" or "speech pattern inharmonicity."

[0035] The harmonic plate instability according to this embodiment is denoted as σ(fn) (σ=sigma). The device according to this embodiment calculates the standard deviation of the hearing threshold of the elemental frequency for each overtone plate, calculates the overtone plate instability, and outputs the overtone plate instability for each overtone plate to the second surface. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second face of the polyhedron is defined as the Z-axis face of the first face.

[0036] FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the second face of the polyhedron according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6, the horizontal axis of the second plane is defined as the fundamental frequency (harmonic plate index) of each of the multiple harmonic plates, and the vertical axis is defined as the magnitude of harmonic plate instability of each of the multiple harmonic plates.

[0037] When there are 62 frequency bands, the horizontal axis displays the fundamental frequencies of each of the 38 harmonic plates, and the vertical axis displays the size of the harmonic plate instability, which is defined as the standard deviation of the hearing thresholds of the elemental frequencies at each harmonic plate.

[0038] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, for each overtone plate, when the hearing thresholds of the four element frequencies f0, 2f0, 3f0, and 4f0 are t1, t2, t3, and t4 in the frequency set {f0, 2f0, 3f0, 4f0} having a constant ratio relationship of 1:2:3:4, the value obtained by dividing (t1+t2+t3+t4) by 4, i.e., the average of the hearing thresholds, is defined as the "overtone plate hearing ability" or "overtone plate hearing capacity."

[0039] The device according to this embodiment calculates the average hearing threshold of the elemental frequencies for each harmonic, calculates the harmonic plate hearing power, and outputs the harmonic plate hearing power of each harmonic plate to the third plane.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the third surface of the polyhedron according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the third surface of the polyhedron has a horizontal axis defined as the harmonic plate hearing power (dBHL) of each of the plurality of harmonic plates, and a vertical axis defined as the standard deviation size of the harmonic plate hearing power. In the third plane, the vertical axis is defined as the speech time distance within (between) the harmonic plate AN group as a phase space.

[0041] According to this embodiment, the harmonic hearing power is defined as "μ(fz)" (μ=mu), and μ(fz) values ​​ranging from a minimum of -10 dBHL to a maximum of 120 dBHL can be displayed on the horizontal axis coordinate of the polyhedron surface. Here, the size of the harmonic plate instability and the size of the harmonic plate hearing are defined as dBzHL, which corresponds to the representative value (standard deviation) of the hearing threshold at a plurality of element frequencies.

[0042] According to this embodiment, dBzHL is defined as a representative value, such as the standard deviation of hearing thresholds in various frequency bands, which is different from dBHL, which indicates the size of the existing hearing threshold, and is used to represent audiograms for not only pure tones but also complex tones.

[0043] According to this embodiment, the second and third faces of the polyhedron are defined to include not only the outermost faces but also faces at a predetermined depth in the internal space.

[0044] According to this embodiment, when there are different overtone plates with the same overtone plate hearing ability, the average of the overtone plate instability for each of the different overtone plates is calculated, and the calculated average of the overtone plate instability is displayed on the vertical axis of the third surface. The horizontal axis of the third surface in this embodiment is defined as the overtone plate hearing power, not the overtone plate index, so that among the multiple overtone plates, there are overtone plates with the same overtone plate hearing power.

[0045] In such cases, the audiogram for complex sounds can be displayed from multiple angles by calculating the average harmonic plate instability of harmonic plates with the same harmonic plate hearing ability and displaying it on the vertical axis of the third panel.

[0046] According to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, by presenting at least one and up to three or more comparison index curves on the second and third faces of the polyhedron, the interpretability and comprehension of the subject's audiogram can be improved.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of projecting a comparative index curve according to this embodiment. FIG. 8(a) is a diagram showing a Gaussian curve output on the second surface, and FIG. 8(b) is a diagram showing a sine curve, a Gaussian curve, and a Rayleigh curve output on the third surface.

[0048] According to this embodiment, a sine curve or an arch curve is used as the first type of comparison index curve. This represents the stochastic locus of speech pattern incongruity within (and between) overtone AN groups in direct AC passive to weak AC active auditory systems.

[0049] The sinusoidal or arched passive locus Ĥ is defined by Equation 1 or 2 below, and the curve is projected onto the surface of a polyhedron or into the interior space of a polyhedron to provide a multidimensional audiogram.

[0050]

number

[0051]

number

[0052] According to this embodiment, a Gaussian curve is used as the second type of comparison index curve. This shows the stochastic locus of speech pattern incongruity within (and between) the overtone AN group in a strongly alternating active auditory system.

[0053] "Direct AC passive auditory system" refers to the electrophysiological characteristics and structure of the auditory nervous system of vertebrates (excluding humans), including primates. "Weak AC active auditory system" refers to the electrophysiological characteristics and structure of the human auditory nervous system in which various irreversible hearing losses have already occurred in a partial or wide frequency range within the audible frequency range. "Strong AC active audiometer" refers to the electrophysiological characteristics and structure of the human auditory nervous system in which various reversible hearing losses have already occurred in a partial or wide frequency range within the audible frequency range.

[0054] Gaussian active locus TIFF0007754403000004.tif6128 is defined by the following equation 3, and the curve is projected onto the surface of the polyhedron or the internal space of the polyhedron.

[0055]

number

[0056] The third type of comparative index curve, the Rayleigh curve, represents the stochastic trajectory of chronic tinnitus intensity in a strongly AC-active auditory system. Active locus of the Rayleigh curve TIFF0007754403000006.tif6128 is defined by the following equations 4 and 5, and the curve is projected onto the surface of a polyhedron or the internal space of a polyhedron.

[0057]

number

number

[0058] According to this embodiment, the vertices of the comparison index curve (sine curve, Gaussian curve, Rayleigh curve, etc.) are output within a predetermined interval on the second or third plane.

[0059] FIG. 9 shows the state where the peak of the comparison index curve is located in the section of the vertical axis of the second surface between 15 and 25 dBHL, and FIG. 10 shows the state where the peak of the comparison index curve is located in the section of the horizontal axis of the third surface between 40 and 90 dBHL.

[0060] 9 and 10, the interval where the peak of the comparative index curve is located is an index for evaluating chronic tinnitus and is determined in consideration of the average value for multiple chronic tinnitus patients. In other words, if the comparative index curve for a particular subject is located within this interval, the subject can be diagnosed as having a chronic tinnitus condition.

[0061] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a process for displaying the overtone plate hearing ability and the overtone plate instability according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, the device according to this embodiment receives N frequency bands and their hearing thresholds (step 1100), rearranges the N frequency bands in a constant multiple relationship, and defines a harmonic plate (Fz) (step 1102). Next, σ(fn) and μ(fz) are calculated for each harmonic (step 1104). The device according to this embodiment outputs σ(fn) of each harmonic plate to the vertical axis of the second surface of the polyhedron, and μ(fz) to the horizontal axis of the third surface of the polyhedron.

[0062] In addition, when showing the σ(fn) size at each μ(fz) on the vertical axis of the third surface, it is determined whether or not there are any harmonic plates with the same μ(fz) among the multiple harmonic plates (step 1106), and the average σ(fn) for different harmonic plates with the same μ(fz) is calculated (step 1108), and the calculated average is output on the vertical axis of the third surface.

[0063] The above-described embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, changes, and additions may be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications, changes, and additions should be considered to fall within the scope of the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 100 processors 102 memory

Claims

1. a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; The memory includes: outputting, onto a first face of a polyhedron, pure tone audiograms relating to hearing thresholds for the subject measured in N frequency bands (where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 15); rearrange the N frequency bands into a frequency set including a plurality of elemental frequencies having a constant ratio relationship to define a plurality of harmonic plates; calculating the standard deviation of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies for each of the plurality of harmonic plates to calculate harmonic plate instability; outputting the calculated harmonic plate instability to a second face of the polyhedron; Calculating the average of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies for each of the plurality of harmonic plates to calculate the harmonic plate hearing ability; The calculated harmonic plate hearing power is output to a third surface of the polyhedron.

10. An apparatus for providing a multidimensional audiogram, comprising: a processor configured to store program instructions that are executed by the processor;

2. 2. The device for providing a multidimensional audiogram according to claim 1, wherein the frequency set includes a fundamental frequency f0 and a constant multiple kf0 of the fundamental frequency (where k is a natural number greater than or equal to 2).

3. The first plane is defined as follows: the X axis is the frequency band (Hz), and the Y axis is the intensity (dBHL); The second surface is defined as a Z-axis surface of the first surface, the horizontal axis is defined as the fundamental frequency of each of the plurality of harmonic plates, and the vertical axis is defined as the size of the harmonic plate instability of each of the plurality of harmonic plates; The multidimensional audiogram providing device of claim 2, wherein the third plane is defined such that the horizontal axis represents the harmonic plate hearing power (dBHL) of each of the plurality of harmonic plates, and the vertical axis represents the size of harmonic plate instability at the harmonic plate hearing power.

4. 4. The apparatus for providing a multidimensional audiogram according to claim 3, wherein the magnitude of the harmonic plate instability is defined in dBzHL corresponding to representative values ​​of hearing thresholds at a plurality of elemental frequencies.

5. The program instruction 5. The device for providing a multidimensional audiogram according to claim 4, wherein one or more comparative index curves are output on the second or third plane to represent harmonic instability or chronic tinnitus intensity in a passive or active auditory system.

6. The comparative index curve is a sine curve to represent harmonic plate instability in a direct alternating current (DC / AC) passive hearing system or a weak AC active hearing system; Gaussian curves to represent harmonic plate instability in a strong alternating current (AC) active hearing system; and a Rayleigh curve for representing chronic tinnitus intensity in a strong alternating current (AC) active auditory system.

7. The program instruction outputting the comparison index curve so that the peak of the comparison index curve is located in a dBzHL section of a range preset on the vertical axis of the second surface; 6. The multidimensional audiogram providing device according to claim 5, wherein the comparison index curve is output so that the peak of the comparison index curve is located in a dBHL section of a preset range on the horizontal axis of the third plane.

8. The device for providing a multidimensional audiogram according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined range of dBzHL intervals and the predetermined range of dBHL intervals are determined by the hearing thresholds collected from a plurality of chronic tinnitus subjects.

9. The program instruction If there are different harmonic plates with the same harmonic plate hearing ability, calculate the average harmonic plate instability for each of the different harmonic plates; 4. The apparatus for providing a multidimensional audiogram according to claim 3, wherein the calculated average harmonic plate instability is displayed on the vertical axis of the third plane.

10. 1. A method for providing a multidimensional audiogram in a device comprising a processor and a memory, the method comprising: outputting, onto a first face of a polyhedron, pure-tone audiograms relating to hearing thresholds for a subject measured in N frequency bands (where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 15); rearrange the N frequency bands into a frequency set including a plurality of elemental frequencies having a constant ratio relationship to define a plurality of harmonic plates, and calculate the standard deviation of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies for each of the plurality of harmonic plates to calculate the harmonic plate instability; outputting the calculated harmonic plate instability to a second face of the polyhedron; calculating an average of the hearing thresholds of the plurality of elemental frequencies at each of the plurality of harmonic plates to calculate the harmonic plate hearing ability; and outputting the calculated harmonic plate hearing power to a third surface of the polyhedron.

11. A computer program stored on a computer-readable recording medium, characterized in that a CPU of the processor executes the computer program stored on the computer-readable recording medium to perform the method of claim 10.

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