US 11,445,942 B2 · Acoustic otoscope

Abstract

An acoustic otoscope generates volume change excitations of either a trapezoidal or sinusoidal waveforms which are coupled into a sealed ear canal using a speculum tip. The change in volume results in a pressure change, for which a pressure measurement is taken during the volume change excitation interval. In one example, a trapezoidal time-domain volume change is presented, and a pressure measurement waveform is stored, the pressure measurement waveform thereafter examined to find a change of slope point in time, after which the pressure measurement waveform is scaled to be equal to the volume change waveform at that same point in time, a difference between scaled pressure measurement and volume excitation is formed, and examined for peak value prior to the earlier determined change in slope point in time.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An acoustic otoscope comprising:

(i) a speculum tip for coupling to an ear canal;
(ii) a pressure sensor coupled to the speculum tip for estimation of pressure in the speculum tip and providing one or more pressure sensor measurements;
(iii) an excitation source for generation of dynamic volume or pressure, wherein the excitation source is coupled to the speculum tip for generation of the dynamic volume or pressure in the ear canal;
and
(iv) a controller coupled to the excitation source, wherein the controller is configured to receive the one or more pressure sensor measurements, to compare an excitation source input waveform with a pressure measurement output waveform, and to output an effusion metric based at least in part a comparison of the excitation source input waveform with the pressure measurement output waveform.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Acoustic otoscope

Life of this patent

Acoustic otoscope

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21