Disposable Hearing Test Card Using Pressure-Activated Buttons
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hearing tests require scheduling, expensive equipment, and professional administration, making them inaccessible and costly for self-assessment, especially for gradual hearing loss detection.
Innovation Solution
A disposable, low-cost hearing self-test device using a sound processor, speaker, battery, and sound card in a cardboard box with pressure-activated buttons, allowing users to self-test their hearing by playing digital audio renditions of words at a pre-defined volume, with results indicating potential hearing issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If specialized hearing test equipment is used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable hearing test card made from inexpensive materials including a cardboard housing, printed circuit board, speaker, and battery. This disposable approach eliminates the need for expensive, complex specialized equipment while maintaining adequate measurement precision for detecting hearing loss through word recognition testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a simplified copy of the traditional hearing test methodology, replicating the core function of assessing hearing ability through word recognition using a speaker and response mechanism, but implemented through low-cost electronic components rather than expensive specialized equipment.
2Measurement precision
If professional administration is required, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing test card is designed for self-administration by the user. The user inserts the card into a reader, activates the battery, presses buttons to indicate heard words, and receives immediate results without requiring professional administration. This self-service approach maintains measurement precision while dramatically improving ease of operation and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides immediate feedback to the user through the display showing which words were correctly identified and the overall hearing assessment result. This immediate feedback mechanism allows users to understand their hearing status without requiring professional interpretation, enhancing both ease of operation and measurement precision.
3Ease of manufacture
If disposable low-cost device is used, then ease of manufacture and cost are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functional components into a single integrated hearing test card: the housing contains the speaker, battery, printed circuit board with pressure-sensitive buttons, and display all in one unit. This consolidation simplifies manufacturing by reducing the number of separate components needed while maintaining functional completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into distinct functional modules: the housing structure, the electronic circuit board with integrated components, the battery compartment, and the display interface. This modular segmentation facilitates ease of manufacture by allowing each component to be produced and assembled independently, reducing overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy, affordable, and accessible self-testing for hearing loss, reducing the need for professional appointments and providing early detection of hearing problems, including mild to moderate losses, while being environmentally friendly and reusable.
Implementation Method 1
The speaker is electronically connected to the sound processor... causes the speaker to play the digital audio rendition at the sound volume
Implementation Method 2
N pressure-activated word buttons electronically connected to the sound processor correspond to the N words
Data Source
AI summary
A method and device for self-testing a user's hearing. The disposable hearing test device includes a cardboard box containing a sound card with a sound processor, a speaker, and a battery. The sound processor includes a memory containing a digital audio rendition of each of N (e.g. 10) words, and N pressure-activated word buttons. The box has N word pressure regions, each of which when pressed activates a corresponding word button and causes the sound processor to play an audio version of one of the words. The user activates the battery and presses each of the pressure regions in turn, causing the words to be played at a pre-determined volume via the speaker. The user then counts the number of correctly recognized words and if the number is less than a threshold, the user is informed of a possible hearing problem.