Self-Guided Hearing Test Interface for Accurate Threshold Tuning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing tests for configuring hearing devices are cumbersome and time-consuming, typically requiring a user's presence at a hearing clinic, and there is a need for a more intuitive and efficient method to determine hearing loss parameters.
Innovation Solution
A user-performed hearing test method using an electronic device with a display and interface, allowing users to adjust test signals through input controls to determine and update test parameters, enabling self-testing and configuration of hearing devices without clinical intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If hearing tests are performed at a hearing clinic with professional personnel, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but loss of time and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables users to perform hearing tests themselves using a portable electronic device without requiring professional personnel or clinic facilities. The system provides automated guidance, signal generation, and threshold determination capabilities that allow individuals to conduct their own hearing assessments at home, eliminating the need to schedule and travel to clinic appointments while maintaining acceptable measurement accuracy through structured test protocols and real-time feedback mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional hearing test system that combines signal generation, parameter adjustment, user interaction, and result analysis into a single portable electronic device. This universal device can perform various hearing test functions (pure-tone audiometry, threshold determination, hearing aid verification) without requiring specialized clinic equipment or multiple different tools, thereby reducing both time loss and maintaining measurement precision across different test types.
2Measurement precision
If hearing tests are performed at a hearing clinic with professional personnel, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system empowers users to independently conduct hearing tests without requiring professional personnel presence. The electronic device provides automated instructions, real-time feedback, and guided procedures that enable individuals with no specialized training to perform accurate hearing assessments at home, dramatically improving accessibility and ease of operation while maintaining measurement precision through structured protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic device acts as an intermediary between the user and the hearing test process, providing automated guidance, signal control, and result interpretation. This intermediary system bridges the gap between complex audiometric procedures and user-friendly operation, allowing individuals to perform clinically-valid tests without needing to understand or manage the technical complexity themselves.
3Ease of operation
If users can adjust test signals during the hearing test, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback to users as they adjust test signal parameters, displaying immediate information about how adjustments affect the test presentation and their own hearing threshold determinations. This feedback mechanism guides users through the adjustment process, making the interface intuitive and easy to operate despite the underlying complexity of multiple adjustable parameters, while ensuring accurate hearing loss measurement.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device and a method for hearing test of a user is disclosed, the method comprising obtaining one or more first test parameters including a first primary test parameter; displaying a first user interface comprising a first primary user interface element according to the first primary test parameter; outputting a first primary test signal according to the first primary test parameter; while displaying the first user interface, detecting a first user input indicative of a request for change in the first primary test signal; determining a second primary test parameter according to the first user input indicative of a request for change in the first primary test signal; updating and displaying the first user interface according to the second primary test parameter; and outputting a second primary test signal according to the second primary test parameter.