DE2262352A1 - HEARING MONITOR FOR TODDLERS - Google Patents

Description

D ^r . hy ii. Borlion Field

Dipl.Ing. H. Qk ¹ irifeld Pel ·., '.Fanwöite

δ Cologne 41, P.O. Box 410149 2262352

Universitätsstrasse 31

Cologne, _{December 4th} , 1972

"VIENNATONE Hearing Aids" production company m.b.H. in

Vienna, Austria)

Ear tester for toddlers

More and more doctors, children's clinics, kindergartens and similar institutions are going over to the to take hearing measurements for children entrusted to them. Purpose of this to be carried out on children up to about 3 years of age Measurements are to detect congenital or already acquired hearing damage as early as possible, with the help of Surgical or technical corrections to enable these children to receive appropriate speech training; because only one child hearing can also learn to speak. The earliest possible detection of hearing damage is therefore essential for the normal mental Development of the child is extremely important.

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The hearing test usually takes the form of a

"Distraction Tests" ahead. The child is sitting on your lap the mother or - with slightly older children - alone in his cot. In order to irritate the child too much with the test, give him a suitable toy (doll, teddy bear, dice, etc.). Is the child busy with the toy? so from a short distance (approx. 5 - 1 m) he hears tones of different height and volume through a loudspeaker leaked. A child with normal hearing will most certainly be able to by turning their head in the direction of the Sound sources try to locate them and at the same time indicate that they have heard the relevant signal.

To carry out such tests, the

A number of devices have become known in recent years. They essentially all consist of a loudspeaker with an or built-in tone generator. On the outside of the housing there are various switches or buttons for selecting the pitch and the volume. Usually 4-6 fixed frequencies can be presented in 2-3 volume levels. the Power is usually supplied by batteries.

However, all devices that have become known so far have a number of disadvantages:

The devices are relatively large and must be held in the hand by the test person. Turn the child

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head, so it is not sure whether it is due to the test tone or simply became aware of the examiner, who is holding an object unknown to the child in his hand. These Uncertainty exists all the more as the test is carried out several times on the right and left in order to achieve a certain level of security should, with the examiner constantly having to walk around the child.

It may be that the child does not react to the sinus tone offered to him, simply because it is such a tone - which are rare in nature - does not know. In addition, children with hearing loss may only respond to a few Frequencies react, but not to others, since the hearing loss is usually not the same for all frequencies. The result this makes the test unsafe.

The operation of these known devices is despite the restrictions on a few frequencies and. Volume levels not easy. The previously known devices are as a result the required effort so expensive that this is one it is desirable to have the widest possible dissemination of these hearing tests opposes. "·

The purpose of the invention is therefore to provide a toddler hearing tester to 'create that avoids the listed technical and practical defects and beyond that as far as possible is cheap to manufacture. ',

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According to the invention, this is achieved through the following construction details:

A simple multivibrator is used to generate the tone, which generates a sliding tone, the covers a spectrum in the range of the most important speech frequencies (approx. 400 - 5000 Hz). As a result, all controls fall to switch the pitch away. In addition, the repeating glide tone is somewhat similar to that The chirping of a bird so that the child will react much sooner than to a pure sine tone.

This tone generator, due to its simple circuitry and the omission of all operating elements, is very can be made small, is played simultaneously with a

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Speaker, structurally combined. This structure is / at the right Arranged side of child. On the left side there is an outwardly identical, but otherwise empty Housing a second loudspeaker. Switching the two loudspeakers, switching on / off and selecting the volume are carried out by a small remote control unit that the auditor holds in his hand and that is connected to the main unit a cable several meters long is connected.

The advantages of this arrangement are obvious: The tester is out because of the remote control moved into the child's field of vision. By using

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from two loudspeakers the sound can either be right or on the left are offered in different volume, without that the examiner leaves his place. So the child does not go through the pacing of the strangers during the test Distracted person.

In a further embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, it would be conceivable to connect the cable to the remote control unit by a known metar channel Replace radio remote control. Although this increases the effort, the flexibility of the test facility is still increased greater.

The use of a sliding tone leads to very simple electrical circuits, which can be switched over by eliminating any switching devices. can be set up very small, so that the whole device is very inconspicuous. It has to be beneficial to the practice proved _e the color of the speaker enclosure different from, hold and u ^ n switch in the remote control unit to mark accordingly :.

Further- ^ feat it has been found to be advantageous to treat oneself on two levels of intensity and; this to about 40: and IQ dB z ». Imgem * Subconsciously e “You know, to the highest. Accuracy comes one. s, ® sete schnel.1 τ * η $ e.tofa, Qhi

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times or there is a suspicion of hearing impairment that then have to be examined more closely in detail. That The device according to the invention is therefore also very well suited for series examinations.

In the drawing, the device is shown in its application. The toddler, whose hearing is to be subjected to a functional test, lies on a table 1 and loudspeakers 2 and 3 are arranged on both sides of his head, one of these loudspeaker housings also containing the tone generator and the feed batteries (which are also distributed over both housings could), as long as the device is not designed for mains connection; in the latter case, a mains connection part is also accommodated in one of the two housings 2 and 3, respectively. The remote control device 4, which is controlled by finger pressure, is connected to the housing 2 via a cable 5 several meters long and the latter via a cable 6 to the housing 3 in such a way that, depending on the position tea, the control switch to be operated by thumb pressure left or right loudspeaker emits the sliding test or the device is completely switched off. The volume can be adjusted for the case that »in itself with. two & auts.täxkepege3 & are satisfied, can also be set by simple push-button control. Of course, an i would also be possible by using a potentiometer od.

Claims (7)

η »* 7 · ~ Patent claims: 1y hearing tester for toddlers in the dem A test tone is offered to test subjects via loudspeaker, thereby characterized in that the device delivers a test tone of sliding frequency, the frequency of at least the main speech range is passed over and presented over two loudspeakers, which by means of a remote switching device, expediently one with the loudspeakers over one more Meter long cable is connected, can optionally be seeded. 2. Hearing tester according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the speaker housings, which are preferably of the same shape and size, contains the loudspeaker and the complete ¹ circuit of the tone generator and, in the case of a battery-powered device, also contains the batteries. 3. hearing tester according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the remote switching device has a switch for the loudspeaker, which is also an on / off switch for the device, and a selector switch for preferably two volume levels contains. 4. * hearing tester according to claim 3, characterized in that the volume levels are preferably sound 309827/0402 Z262352 pressures of 40 and 70 dB correspond. 5. Hearing tester according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the tone spectrum of the test tone runs automatically about twice per second will. 6. Hearing tester according to one of the claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the device is equipped with a radio remote control. 7. hearing tester according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the two loudspeaker housings are marked in different colors in order to be clearly identified by a corresponding marking on the remote control unit Allow identification of the loudspeaker that is switched on. Ί09877 / 0402