Universal Fragmented Wideband Tympanometry Without Air Pumps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wideband tympanometry techniques require tympanometry specific components like air pumps and pump regulators, which are expensive, bulky, and unsuitable for consumer-grade audio devices, limiting their widespread use.
Innovation Solution
Fragmented wideband tympanometry techniques generate absorbance measurements based on consistent pressure measurements during a fragment of the evaluation time period, eliminating the need for tympanometry specific components by using pressure sensors and audio devices without air pumps, enabling hearing impairment evaluation across various audio devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If wideband tympanometry techniques use tympanometry specific components like air pumps and pump regulators, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the tympanometry-specific components (air pumps, pump regulators) from the measurement system. Instead of using these dedicated components, the invention uses a general-purpose audio device with a pressure sensor to perform wideband tympanometry measurements, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the audio device universal by enabling it to perform both audio playback and tympanometry measurements. The same audio device that plays music or other audio content can also function as a tympanometry measurement device, eliminating the need for separate specialized components
2Measurement precision
If wideband tympanometry techniques use tympanometry specific components like air pumps, then measurement precision is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, specialized tympanometry components with inexpensive, mass-produced audio device components. The audio device and pressure sensor are much cheaper than dedicated air pump systems, making the technology economically viable for widespread adoption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical air pump system with an acoustic-based measurement approach. Instead of mechanically pressurizing the ear canal with pumps, the system uses audio frequency signals and pressure sensing to infer middle ear function, eliminating the need for mechanical compression devices
3Measurement precision
If wideband tympanometry techniques use air pumps and pump regulators, then measurement precision is improved, but portability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the heavy air pump and regulator components from the system, retaining only the essential pressure sensor and audio device. This extraction of unnecessary mass enables portable, even wireless, implementation of tympanometry measurements
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 accurate hearing impairment assessment without costly tympanometry components, allowing ubiquitous evaluation of hearing function using consumer-grade audio devices.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure sensor operable to measure air pressure in the external acoustic canal of the user over the evaluation time period
Implementation Method 2
an audio device operable to obtain audio data indicative of a sound absorbance characteristics of a middle ear system of a user
Data Source
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AI summary
Various embodiments of the present disclosure disclose various tympanometry techniques. A tympanometry curve is generated for a user based at least in part on audio data indicative of a sound absorbance associated with a middle ear (ME) system over a fragment of an evaluation time period. A curve-pressure pair including the tympanometry curve and a correlating pressure measurement is generated and utilized to identify historical data indicative of a plurality of historical curve-pressure pairs with similar pressure measurements to the correlating pressure measurement. A performance metric is generated for the ME system of the user based at least in part on a comparison between the tympanometry curve and the historical data.