VIRTUAL ELECTROACOUSTIC AUDIOMETRY FOR UNAIDED, SIMULATED AIDED, AND AIDED HEARING EVALUATION

摘要

Digital filtering (18) of one or more signal sources according toselected models and digitally controlled signal processing parameters,including audio sources, spatializing coordinates, acoustic boundaries,signals representing one or more simulated hearing aids, and individual-ized body/external ear transfer functions synthesizes a simulated three-dimensional acoustic condition for presentation to hearing-impaired per-son (20) for objective and subjective hearing evaluation via an intra-canal prosthesis (22) that is positioned in the ear canal (21), and thatincorporates a microphone probe to measure in-the-ear-canal responsesat a common reference point near the tympanic membrane (26) duringunaided, simulated aided, and aided hearing evaluation. A virtual elec-troacoustic audiometer (19) computes the electroacoustic parameters ofa hearing aid based on the results of the unaided audiometric evalu-ation and reference measurements that included the acoustic responsenear the tympanic membrane. The system then synthesizes acousticsignals reflecting the combined selection of audio signal model, spatial-ization model, acoustic boundaries model, as well as computed hearingaid model in the case of simulated aided condition.