System and method for validation of hearing aids for infants using a speech signal
AssigneeInteracoustics A/S
InventorsSøren Laugesen, Bue Kristensen
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Abstract
A system for validation of a hearing aid performance, especially in small children is disclosed. The validation of the performance of hearing aids after having being fitted to a small child who is not able to subjectively provide responses to sounds presented to the child via the hearing aids, is instead done in an objective manner, by using a naturally occurring signal, which has been modulated in order to create an ASSR evoking speech stimulus which is not considered as noise by a hearing aid.
Claims21
A method for performing a validation mode of a hearing test for a person incapable of providing active intentional responses, said method comprising:
- arranging one or more electrodes on the scalp of the person;
- recording and/or receiving a recording of a naturally occurring sound provided as naturally occurring speech from a human person;
- generating from said recording of the natural occurring sound, an amplitude and/or frequency modulation of said recording as a generated sound stimulus by
- filtering said recording of the naturally occurring sound into a plurality of frequency sub-bands,
- amplitude and/or frequency modulating each of said plurality of frequency sub-bands, where an amplitude and/or frequency modulation factor for one or more of said plurality of sub-bands is set to 0, so as to leave said respective sub-band unmodified when generating said sound stimulus, and
- combining said amplitude and/or frequency modulated sub-bands to form said sound stimulus;
- transmitting the generated sound stimulus into the ear of the person;
- and
- receiving a response signal from said one or more electrodes.
A diagnostic device configured to perform at least a validation mode of a hearing test for a person incapable of providing active intentional responses, said diagnostic device comprising:
- a recording processor configured to receive a response signal from one or more electrodes arranged on the scalp of the person;
- a control unit configured to control the mode of operation of said diagnostic device;
- and
- a signal generator configured to transmit a generated stimulus to said sound emitting device,
- wherein, in a validation mode of operation said diagnostic device is configured to
- record and/or receive a recording of a naturally occurring sound provided as naturally occurring speech from a human person,
- input said recording of the natural occurring sound to said signal generator to generate a sound stimulus, and
- transmit the generated sound stimulus into the ear of the person;
- wherein said signal generator is configured to generate from said recording of the natural occurring sound, an amplitude and/or frequency modulation of said recording as said generated sound stimulus by
- filtering said recording of the naturally occurring sound into a plurality of frequency sub-bands,
- amplitude and/or frequency modulating each of said plurality of frequency sub-bands, where an amplitude and/or frequency modulation factor for one or more of said plurality of sub-bands is set to 0, so as to leave said respective sub-band unmodified when generating said sound stimulus, and
- combining said amplitude and/or frequency modulated sub-bands to form said sound stimulus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.