JP2723780B2 - Auditory function test equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hearing function testing apparatus for testing a frequency function of a hearing function testing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an examination of the frequency selection ability of the auditory sense has been carried out by one method.
The auditory system filter is estimated from the pure tone detection threshold values under four or more types of notch noise for the pure tone of the type, and the sharpness and the dynamic range of the filter are obtained. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a typical apparatus for testing the frequency selection ability using a conventional hearing function testing apparatus, and FIG. 8 shows the frequency axis shape of the test sound of the apparatus.

[0003] In Fig. 7, reference numeral 10b denotes control means, 20b denotes a signal generator for synthesizing a test sound, that is, a ratio of notch noise to sound pressure of a detected sound, and 30 denotes a variable gain amplifier which is synthesized by the signal generator 20b. Adjust the output sound pressure of the inspection sound signal. 40 is a test sound output means, 50 is a reaction detecting means constituted by a push button or the like for detecting a reaction of the subject to the test sound, and 60b is a condition of the output test sound and detected by the reaction detecting means 50 for the condition. This is a reaction tally unit that stores the reaction of the subject. Reference numeral 70 denotes an auditory filter estimating unit that estimates the auditory filter based on the test sound conditions stored in the response tallying unit 60b and the response thereto. Reference numeral 80 denotes a recording unit for recording the inspection results and the inspection conditions, 90 denotes a display unit for displaying the inspection results and the inspection conditions, and 100 denotes an operation unit by which an inspector operates the apparatus. Signal generator 20b
Represents a noise source 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d that generates four notch noises having the same center frequency as the detected sound and different notch frequency widths, a switch 120 for switching the connection of the noise sources 110a to 110d, a pure tone And a variable gain amplifier 140 for adjusting the sound pressure of the detected sound signal generated by the detected sound generating means 130, and a signal adder 150. The reaction tallying unit 60b has four storage units 160 and a switch 170 for switching the connection between the storage units 160. The auditory system filter estimating unit 70 has an objective function setting unit 180 and an optimization method calculating unit 190.

[0004] In the conventional auditory function testing apparatus configured as described above, the noise source 110 generates a notch noise as shown in FIG. The control means 10b selects the notch noise by switching the switch 120 in accordance with a preset reference, and the sound pressure of the detected sound signal generated by the detected sound generating means 130 as shown in FIG. The gain of the variable gain amplifier 140 is controlled so as to have a specified ratio with respect to the noise sound pressure. The signal adder 150 adds the signals of the notch noise and the detected sound to synthesize a test sound as shown in FIG. Control means 10
b controls the gain of the variable gain amplifier 30 so that the sound pressure of the test sound synthesized by the signal generation unit 20b becomes a specified sound pressure. The test sound output means 40 converts the electric signal into an acoustic signal and presents it to the subject. The response of the subject to the detected sound is
It is detected by the reaction detecting means 50. Based on the response of the subject, the control means 10b measures the type of the notch noise and the detection threshold value of the detection sound under four types of notch noise load conditions by changing the ratio of the detection sound signal and the sound pressure of the notch noise. I do. The control means 10b is a switch 1
By switching 70, the response of the subject detected by the response detection unit 50 for each type of notch noise is stored in the storage units 160a and 160 corresponding to the noise sources 110a to 110d.
b, 160c, and 160d. The objective function setting means 180 substitutes the type and measured value of the notch noise stored in the storage means 170 for the variables of the model function of the auditory filter, and sets the objective function shown in (Equation 1). The optimization method calculation means 190 measures the subject's frequency selection ability by calculating, by the optimization method, the coefficients of the filter representing the sharpness and the dynamic range that minimize the objective function set by the objective function setting means 180. .

[0005]

(Equation 1)

[0006]

However, in the above configuration, since the sharpness and the dynamic range of the auditory system filter are estimated by the optimization method, four or more types of notch noise are required. Therefore, since the measurement time is long, it is difficult to perform an examination on a subject such as an elderly person who is difficult to perform an examination with long-term tension. In addition, because of the adoption of the optimization method, the amount of calculation is large and display of inspection results,
There was a problem that it took time to record.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to perform an examination even on a subject who is difficult to perform an examination with a long period of tension and to measure the frequency selection ability with a small amount of calculation. It is intended to provide a device.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a first means of the auditory function testing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a noise source for generating two kinds of notch noise, a sound pressure of the notch noise and a sound pressure of a detected sound. A signal generating unit that generates a test sound by adjusting the ratio of the notch noise, a storage unit that stores a detection threshold value of a test subject's detection sound for each type of notch noise, and detection of a detection sound under two types of notch noise load conditions Calculating means for calculating the difference between the threshold values;
Provided with a judging means for judging that inspection is impossible when a detection threshold value of a detection sound under a notch noise load condition with a narrow notch width is smaller than a detection sound detection threshold value under a notch noise load condition with a wide notch width It is.

A second means of the hearing function testing apparatus of the present invention is a noise source for generating two kinds of notch noises, and a signal generating section for adjusting the ratio of the sound pressure between the notch noise and the detected sound to generate a test sound. And storage means for storing a detection threshold value of the detection sound of the subject for each type of notch noise, and a notch noise normalized by a difference between the detection threshold value of the detection sound under two types of notch noise load conditions and the frequency of the detection sound And a calculating means for calculating the width of the notch on the frequency axis and the size of the angle of the triangle.

[0010]

According to the above-mentioned first means, the detection threshold value of the detection sound under two notch noise load conditions is measured, and the difference between the detection threshold values of the detection sound under both conditions is calculated as the frequency selection ability. Therefore, the measurement time is shortened, so that it is possible to perform measurement even on a subject who is difficult to test with long-term tension, and the amount of calculation is greatly reduced.

According to the above-mentioned second means, the detection threshold value of the detection sound under two notch noise load conditions is measured,
The value obtained by normalizing the difference between the cut-off frequency of the notch noise and the frequency of the detected sound with the frequency of the detected sound is the horizontal axis, and both the measured values are on the coordinate axis with the vertical axis being the detection threshold of the detected sound under both conditions. Calculates the size of the angle of the triangle formed by the vertical line drawn down to the coordinate axis from the connecting line segment and both measured values as frequency selection ability, so that the measurement time is shortened and even for subjects who are difficult to test with long-term tension Measurements can be made, the amount of calculation is greatly reduced, and compatibility between devices can be maintained.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of an auditory function testing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the measurement results of the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given to the same components or portions as those in FIG. 7, and thus description thereof will be omitted, and only different portions will be described. The signal generation unit 20b in FIG. 7 is replaced with the signal generation unit 20a in FIG.
In FIG. 1, the configuration is the same as that of FIG. 7 except that the reaction totalizing unit 60a is replaced with the auditory filter estimating unit 70 of FIG. The signal generation unit 20a includes a noise source 210 that generates two notch noises.
a, 210b, a switch 220 for switching the connection of the noise sources 210a-b, a detection sound generation means 230 for generating a detection sound signal obtained by modulating a pure sound in a pulse shape, and a detection sound generation means 23
It has a variable gain amplifier 240 for adjusting the sound pressure of the detected sound signal generated at 0 and a signal adder 250. The reaction totalizing unit 60a has a switch 270 for switching the connection between the two storage units 260a and 260b and the storage units 260a and 260b. The Δp calculating unit 280 calculates Δp shown in FIG. 3, that is, Δp calculating means 290a for calculating the difference between the measured values under two types of notch noise load conditions, and Δp calculated by the Δp calculating means 290a. A measurement value determination unit 295 for determining the validity, and a Δp calculation unit 29
The display unit 80 and the recording unit 9 display the Δp calculated at 0a and the determination result determined by the measured value determination unit 295.
Output to 0.

The operation of the auditory function testing apparatus of this embodiment configured as described above will now be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be described according to. First, the switch 220 is connected to the noise source 210a, and the switch 270 is connected to the storage unit 260a according to the inspection start command signal from the operation unit 100 and the control signal from the control unit 10a (step 5).
00). Next, the detected sound obtained by amplifying the signal generated by the detected sound generating means 230 by the variable gain amplifier 240 and the notch noise generated by the noise source 210a are combined by the signal adder 250. A test sound obtained by amplifying the signal generated by the signal generation unit 20a by the variable gain amplifier 30 is output from the test sound output unit 40, and presentation to the subject is started.
The reaction of the subject is detected by the reaction detection means 50, and the detection threshold of the detected sound is measured (step 510). Control means 1
The frequency width of the notch included in the notch noise generated by the noise source 210a is stored in the storage means 260a by the input signal from 0a (step 520), and the detection threshold value of the detected sound is stored in the storage means 260a (step 530). .
Next, the switch 220 is connected to the noise source 210b and the switch 270 is connected to the storage means 260b according to the control signal from the control means 10a (step 540). Next, the detected sound obtained by amplifying the signal generated by the detected sound generating means 230 by the variable gain amplifier 240 and the notch noise generated by the noise source 210b are combined by the signal adder 250. The test sound, which is obtained by amplifying the signal generated by the signal generation unit 20a by the variable gain amplifier 30, is output to the test sound output unit 40.
And output to the subject. Reaction detection means 5
The response of the subject is detected based on 0, and the detection threshold of the detected sound is measured (step 550). The frequency width of the notch included in the notch noise generated by the noise source 210b is stored in the storage means 260b by the input signal from the control means 10a (step 560), and the detection threshold value of the detected sound is stored in the storage means 2
60b (step 570). Next, the Δp calculation means 290a compares the frequency width of the notch noise stored in the storage means 260a and 260b (step 580). If the frequency width stored in the storage means 260a is larger than the frequency width stored in the storage means 260b, a value obtained by subtracting the measurement value stored in the storage means 260a from the measurement value stored in the storage means 260b is referred to as FIG. (Step 590). If the frequency width stored in the storage means 260a is smaller than the frequency width stored in the storage means 260b in step 580, a value obtained by subtracting the measurement value stored in the storage means 260b from the measurement value stored in the storage means 260a Is Δp as shown in FIG. 3 (step 600). Next, the measured value determining means 295 calculates the Δp calculated by the Δp calculating means 290a.
Is compared with 0 (step 610). If Δp is 0 or more, Δp is recorded by the recording means 80 or displayed by the display means 90 (step 630), and the inspection is terminated (step 640). If in step 610 Δ
If p is less than 0, it is determined that the inspection is impossible, and a signal indicating that the inspection is impossible and Δp are output from the Δp calculation unit 280 and recorded by the recording unit 80 or displayed by the display unit 90 (step 630), and the inspection is terminated. (Step 640).

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a part of a second embodiment of the auditory function testing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the measurement results of the second embodiment. In the configuration of the second embodiment, the description of the same components or portions as those of the first embodiment will be omitted, and only different portions will be described. The Δp calculation unit 280 of FIG.
The configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the angle θ calculation unit 300 is replaced. The angle θ calculation unit 300
Δf / fc shown in FIG. 6, ie, Δf / fc calculating means 310 for calculating the frequency width of the notch included in the notch noise normalized by the detected sound frequency, Δp shown in FIG. 6, ie, two types of notch noise load conditions It has Δp calculation means 290b for calculating the difference between the measured values below, and angle θ calculation means 330 for calculating the angle θ shown in FIG.

The operation of the auditory function testing apparatus of this embodiment configured as described above will now be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be described according to. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the same operations as those of FIG. First, similarly to the first embodiment, the switch 220 is connected to the noise source 210a by the control signal from the control unit 10a, and the switch 27 is turned on.
0 is connected to the storage means 260a (step 500).
The signal generated by the signal generation unit 20a is
The test sound amplified by 0 is output from the test sound output means 40, and presented to the subject. The reaction of the subject is detected by the reaction detection means 50, and the detection threshold of the detected sound is measured (step 510). The cutoff frequency of the notch included in the notch noise generated by the noise source 210a is stored in the storage means 260a in accordance with the input signal from the control means 10a (step 720), and the detection threshold value of the detected sound is stored in the storage means 26.
0a (step 530). Next, the control means 10
The switch 220 causes the noise source 2
10b, and the switch 270 is connected to the storage means 260b (step 540). A test sound obtained by amplifying the signal generated by the signal generation unit 20a by the variable gain amplifier 30 is output from the test sound output unit 40, and presentation to the subject is started. The reaction of the subject is detected by the reaction detecting means 50,
The detection threshold of the inspection sound is measured (step 550). The cutoff frequency of the notch included in the notch noise generated by the noise source 210b is stored in the storage means 260b in accordance with the input signal from the control means 10a (step 760), and the detection threshold value of the detected sound is stored in the storage means 260b (step) 5
70). Next, the Δf / fc calculation means 310 stores the data in the storage means 26.
0a and the absolute value of the difference between the cutoff frequency of the notch and the detected sound frequency stored in the storage means 260b, respectively, is divided by the detected sound frequency, and the difference between the two values is Δf / fc as shown in FIG. (Step 770), and the absolute value of the difference between the measured value stored in the storage means 260a by the Δp calculating means 290b and the measured value stored in the storage means 260b is set to Δp as shown in FIG. 6 (Step 780). The angle θ calculating means 330 calculates an angle θ as shown in FIG. 6 from Δf / fc obtained by the Δf / fc calculating means 310 and Δp obtained by the Δp calculating means 290b (step 790). ), Recording by the recording means 80, or displaying by the display means 90 (step 63).
0), the inspection ends (step 640).

As described above, according to the two embodiments of the present invention, a signal generation unit having two noise sources, a switch, a detection sound generation unit, a variable gain amplifier, and a signal adder, and two storage units By providing a reaction totalizing unit having a switch and a Δp calculating unit or an angle θ calculating unit, it is possible to measure even a subject who is difficult to test with long-term tension and reduce the amount of calculation. .

In the two embodiments of the present invention, the signal generating section 20a and the reaction totalizing section 60a are as shown in FIG. 1, but they may be realized by software.

In the two embodiments of the present invention, the frequency width or cutoff frequency of the notch of the notch noise is stored in the storage means 160 or 260 by the control means 10a.
However, it may be output to the Δp calculation unit or the angle θ calculation unit.

In the two embodiments of the present invention, the frequency width or cutoff frequency of the notch of the notch noise is stored in the storage means 160 or 260 by the control means 10a.
However, the notch frequency width or cutoff frequency may be recorded in advance in the Δp calculation unit or the angle θ calculation unit.

The noise source 2 in FIG.
The notch frequency width of the notch noise generated by 10a is set to 0, but other values may be used.

In the first embodiment, the Δp calculating section 280 provided with the measured value judging means is shown. The value may be calculated.

In the second embodiment, the angle θ calculator 30
At 0, the absolute value of the difference between the detection thresholds of the detected sound was calculated by the Δp calculation unit 290b. However, as in the first embodiment, the difference between the detection thresholds of the detected sound may be calculated, and the measurement value determination unit may be provided. .

In the second embodiment, the angle θ calculator 30
Although the angle θ is calculated by the angle θ calculation means 330 at 0, the ratio between Δp and Δf / fc may be calculated.

[0025]

As is clear from the above description, according to the auditory function testing apparatus of the present invention, the detection threshold value of the detected sound under the two notch noise load conditions is measured, and the frequency selection ability is determined based on both conditions. A coordinate axis with the horizontal axis representing the difference between the measured values below, or the difference between the cutoff frequency of the notch noise and the frequency of the detected sound, and the measured value under both conditions being the vertical axis. Calculates the angle of the triangle formed by the line connecting the two measured values and the perpendicular drawn from the two axes to the coordinate axis, so that the measurement time is shortened and it is difficult to test with long-term tension Can be measured, and the amount of calculation of the test result of the frequency selection ability can be greatly reduced, and the practical effect is extremely large.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of an auditory function test apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a measurement result of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the hearing function testing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example of a measurement result of the example.

FIG. 7 is a configuration block diagram of a conventional auditory function test apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a frequency axis shape of a test sound of a conventional hearing function test apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Control means 20 Signal generation part 30, 140, 240 Variable gain amplifier 40 Test sound output means 50 Reaction detection means 60 Reaction summation part 70 Auditory filter estimation part 80 Display means 90 Recording means 100 Operating means 110, 210 Noise source 120, 170, 220, 270 Switch 130, 230 Detected sound generating means 150, 250 Signal adder 160, 260 Storage means 180 Objective function setting means 190 Optimization method calculating means 280 Δp calculating section 290 Δp calculating means 295 Measured value determining means 300 Angle θ calculation section 310 Δf / fc calculation means 330 Angle θ calculation means

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A signal generator for generating an inspection sound comprising two types of notch noise and a detection sound by changing a ratio of a sound pressure of the detection sound to a sound pressure of the notch noise, and outputting the inspection sound to a subject. Test sound output means for performing
Detection threshold detection means for detecting a detection threshold of the detection sound under the load condition of each type of notch noise; and calculation means for calculating a difference between the two types of detection thresholds detected by the detection threshold detection means. Hearing function testing device. 2. A signal generator for generating an inspection sound comprising two types of notch noise and a detection sound by changing a ratio of a sound pressure of the detection sound to a sound pressure of the notch noise, and outputting the inspection sound to a subject. Test sound output means for performing
Detection threshold detection means for detecting a detection threshold of the detection sound under the load condition of each type of notch noise, and a difference between a cutoff frequency of the notch noise and a frequency of the detection sound is normalized by a frequency of the detection sound. A line segment connecting the detection threshold values of the respective detection sounds under the two types of notch noise load conditions on a two-dimensional plane with the value obtained as the horizontal axis and the detection threshold value as the vertical axis, and A hearing function testing device comprising: a calculating means for calculating a size of a corner of a triangle formed by a perpendicular drawn on a coordinate axis or a ratio of two sides sandwiching a right angle of the triangle. 3. Inspection is impossible if the detection threshold value of the detected sound under the notch noise load condition whose notch width is smaller than the other is less than the detection threshold value of the detection sound under the notch noise load condition whose notch width is wider than the other. The auditory function testing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a determination means for performing a determination.