Remote Hearing Aid Adjustment via Video Audiometry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing and adapting hearing aids require patients to be present in a specialist's office, limiting accessibility for those with mobility issues or living in remote areas, and existing technologies do not enable remote adjustment of hearing aids despite allowing remote audiometry tests.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses video conferencing and internet connectivity to perform audiometry tests and adjust hearing aids remotely, allowing patients to connect from home or medical centers, with data transmission for amplification settings and corrective verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If audiometry tests and hearing aid adjustments are performed in a specialist's office, then measurement precision and professional supervision are ensured, but patient accessibility and convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system comprising a remote interface device, communication network, and specialist's office equipment that mediates between the patient and the specialist. This allows the specialist to perform audiometry tests and adjust hearing aids remotely while maintaining measurement precision, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement accuracy and patient accessibility.
2Ease of operation
If remote audiometry tests are performed via Internet, then patient accessibility improves, but the ability to adjust hearing aids remotely deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal system that performs multiple functions through the same remote interface: conducting audiometry tests, transmitting results, and adjusting hearing aid parameters. This multi-functional approach enables both audiometry and hearing aid adjustment to be performed remotely, resolving the contradiction between accessibility improvement and adjustment capability limitation.
3Ease of operation
If a remote interface device is provided in the patient's home, then patient convenience improves, but device complexity and infrastructure requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the hearing aid system into separate functional modules: a hearing aid unit, a remote interface device, and a specialist's office system. This segmentation allows the remote interface device to be relatively simple while maintaining overall system functionality, reducing the complexity burden on individual components and making home deployment more feasible.
Data Source
AI summary
System and method for remotely obtaining audiometric measurements and adjusting hearing aids via the Internet, using telematic means such as video conferencing and e-mail to establish a remote connection between the patient who may be at home, in a medical center or in a pharmacy and a hearing aid specialist at an audiometry laboratory or clinic, whereby the specialist remotely provides the patient with instructions for carrying out an audiometry test and, depending on the results, subsequently transmits adjustment signals via the Internet to the patient's hearing aid which is connected to a computer to which the patient has access.