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EP-4531655-B1 - SYSTEM FOR FASTENING, TO THE HEAD OF A USER, AUDIOMETRIC TRANSDUCERS AND THE CONFIGURABLE CALIBRATION SYSTEM THEREOF

EP4531655B1EP 4531655 B1EP4531655 B1EP 4531655B1EP-4531655-B1

Inventors

  • WALLAERT, Nicolas Paul Patrice

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20230530

Claims (13)

  1. Method for calibrating an audiometric transducer device for air stimulation and vibratory stimulation attached to the user's head for performing audiometry by emitting signals at frequencies below 20 kHz in the direction of the head, comprising at least one vibratory transducer of the bone conduction vibrator type and an air stimulation apparatus provided with at least one transducer, in a pair of headphones or in the form of an auditory insert, the calibration method consisting of : - Placement of the bone conduction vibrator(s) on the patient's head; - fitting the air conduction headphone/inserts to the patient; - selection of the following parameters: • one or more tests to be carried out using air stimulation or vibratory stimulation and, for each of these tests • the ear(s) to be tested, • the presence or absence of contralateral masking; - selection of the type of transducer used and their positioning; - modification of the transducer calibration according to the transducer and the parameters selected, by applying a global frequency weighting to the signals; - generation by the transducers of frequency signals, constituting the stimuli for vibratory and/or aerial stimulation.
  2. A method of calibrating an audiometric transducer device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the vibratory transducer is placed on at least one location of the head selected from the following: - the forehead or on the median axis of the skull; - the mastoid; - a zone covering a cartilaginous portion of the head.
  3. Method of calibrating an audiometric transducer device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that : - when stimulation by vibratory transducer takes place on the forehead, the frequency weighting applied is between [-10 and +20] dB; - when stimulation by vibratory transducer takes place on a mastoid, the frequency weighting applied is between [-20 and +10] dB; - when stimulation by vibratory transducer takes place over an area covering a cartilaginous portion of the head, the frequency weighting applied is between [-40 and 0] dB.
  4. Method for calibrating an audiometric transducer device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the additional frequency weighting applied is virtually zero, i.e., between [-5; 5] dB if contralateral masking is performed via the air stimulation device placed on the contralateral ear only, and the test ear is unoccluded.
  5. Method for calibrating an audiometric transducer device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the frequency weighting applied is between [-30; +10] dB if contralateral masking is performed via the air stimulation device placed simultaneously on both ears and the vibratory transducer is positioned on the forehead, on the mastoid(s) or on a zone covering a cartilaginous portion of the head.
  6. System for attaching transducers to the head of a user for performing audiometry using air stimulation by air conduction and vibratory stimulation by bone conduction or by conduction in soft cartilaginous tissues, characterized in that it comprises support systems (1, 10, 20, 24) for two audiometric transducers (21) for air stimulation, each of which can be positioned at one of the auditory pinnae or the external acoustic meatus, and at least one audiometric transducer (3, 13, 23) for bone stimulation, which can be positioned onto at least one desired stimulation zone selected from one of the mastoids of the skull, the forehead, and a zone covering a cartilaginous portion of the head.
  7. Fixing system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the support system comprises a combination of first support system (20) for the audiometric transducers (21) for air stimulation and second support system (1, 10) for the audiometric transducers for vibration stimulation (3, 13).
  8. Fixing system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the first support system (20) of the audiometric transducers (21) for air stimulation and the second support system (24) of the audiometric transducers (23) for vibration stimulation are connected to each other.
  9. Fixation system according to one of claims 7 to 8, characterized in that the second support system for the audiometric transducer or transducers (3) in vibratory stimulation consist of a headband (1) which can be positioned above or below the auricles.
  10. Fixation system according to one of claims 7 to 8, characterized in that the second support system for the audiometric transducer or transducers (13) in vibratory stimulation consist of a semirigid hoop (10) surrounding the nape of the neck and the ends of which are provided with flexible tips (14) placed above the auricular pinnae.
  11. Fixation system according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the first support system for the audiometric transducers (21) for air stimulation consist of a headset comprising an upper headband (20) equipped with means for adjusting its length and earphones (21) placed on the auricular pinnae or in the external auditory canal.
  12. A fastening system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the headband (20) comprises, either in the vicinity of each earphone (21), or at its base, one or more branches (24) extending in the direction of the vibratory stimulation zones (for example, mastoid bone, forehead, soft tissues) to which an audiometric transducer (23) is attached for vibratory stimulation.
  13. Fixing system according to one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that the transducers (21, 3, 13, 23) are fixed to their support systems (20, 2, 12, 22) via fixing means whose position is adjustable relative to said support systems (20, 2, 12, 22).

Description

The present invention relates to the field of auditory stimulation systems usable in audiometry for performing hearing tests. More specifically, it relates first to a method for calibrating an audiometric transducer device for air and vibration stimulation attached to the user's head for audiometry, and second to a system for securing the various devices, vibrators, and earphones used in clinical audiometry to bilaterally test a patient's hearing using air and vibration stimulation, without moving the headset during the examination. In other words, it concerns a system for attaching transducers to the user's head for air and bone conduction audiometry, as well as a method for calibrating the vibration transducer(s) to enable their use with such a fastening system. Finally, the fixing system makes it possible to certainly eliminate the contribution of an air stimulation emanating from the vibrator occurring in the high frequencies when one only wishes to test vibratory conduction. A pure-tone audiogram, the quintessential hearing test, comprises two types of audiometry that allow for a sufficiently precise assessment of a person's auditory system: air-stimulation audiometry, which tests all the structures of the ear (outer, middle, and inner ear), and vibration-stimulation audiometry, which directly tests the inner ear using vibrations. Performing both of these tests is essential to determine the type of hearing loss (sensorineural, conductive, or mixed). Generally, this type of audiogram is performed manually by an operator using an audiometer connected to a binaural headset for air stimulation and a monaural headset for vibration stimulation using exclusively bone conduction (placed on the forehead or mastoid bone). In some cases, contralateral masking of the untested ear is necessary to eliminate the possibility of erroneous responses, for example, in the case of a significant interaural difference, or in the case of vibration stimulation where transcranial transfer is virtually nil. To perform the tests, the operator places each headset on the patient's head either successively when masking is not required, or both headsets simultaneously when ear masking is necessary. Contralateral is necessary for the vibration stimulation test. In the present invention, as will be seen in more detail below, a comfortable attachment and fixation system is provided, which allows for the correct and easy positioning on the head of all the transducers necessary for performing binaural audiometry in air and/or vibration stimulation without repositioning of the transducers and without human intervention. Patent applications WO 2008/139404 A1 (KOEKEMOER, 2008-11-20 ), US 2015/358745 A1 (RIX ET AL, 2015-12-10 ) And JP S56 139740 A (YAMASHITA ET AL, 1981-10-31 ) are relevant to understanding the framework of the invention. The choice of positioning of the transducer vibrator in vibratory stimulation and/or the type of headset used in air stimulation impose a particular requirement for the calibration of the transducers, due to a modification of the occlusion of the ear induced by the cohabitation between the different transducers since, unlike existing solutions, there is simultaneous wearing of the transducers of the air and vibratory stimulation on the ear being tested. The invention therefore relates to a calibration method for an audiometric transducer device for air and vibration stimulation attached to the user's head for performing audiometry by emitting signals at frequencies below 20 kHz towards the head, comprising at least one bone conduction vibrator-type vibration transducer and an air stimulation device equipped with at least one transducer, in a headset or in the form of a hearing insert, the calibration method consisting of: the placement of the bone conduction vibrator(s) on the patient's head; the fitting of the helmet / air conduction inserts on the patient; The selection of the following parameters: ● one or more tests to be performed from among the air stimulation or vibratory stimulation tests and, for each of said tests,● the ear(s) to be tested,● the presence or absence of contralateral masking; the selection of the type of transducer used and their positioning; the modification of the calibration of the transducers according to the transducer and the selected parameters, by applying an overall frequency weighting of the signals; the generation by the transducers of frequency signals, constituting the stimuli of the vibratory and/or airborne stimulation. The principle of frequency weighting is that a modification of the sound intensity value, which depends on the frequency, is applied to a given value. Noise is measured in dB, with 0 dB representing the threshold of audibility. For example, if the measurement gives an unweighted value of dB for different frequencies (e.g., 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz...), with a frequency weighting of 10 dB at 1000 Hz, 20 dB at... At 2000Hz, and 30dB at 4000Hz, the intensity