A device and method for the continuous monitoring of otoacoustic emissions (OAE) levels on an individual worker uses as a pair of earpieces each featuring an external microphone, an internal microphone and a pair of miniature receivers. An adaptive filtering noise rejection processing of the measured distortion product OAE (DPOAE) is used to further improve the Signal-to-Noise ratio in frequencies where passive isolation remains insufficient. The adaptive filtering noise rejection technique relies on a Normalized Least-Mean-Square (NLMS) algorithm that uses the ipsilateral external microphone and the contralateral internal microphone to reject the noise from the measured DPOAE signals for each in-ear OAE probe. A DPOAE signal extraction algorithm provides for an increase in results reliability on a greater dynamic range in DPOAE magnitudes than known methods of DPOAE signal extraction. The device and method is suitable for the continuous monitoring of workers' hearing capabilities in industrial noises up to 75 dB(A).

The application relates to a method for recording auditory steady-state responses responses of a person, the method comprising a) providing an acoustic stimulus signal to an ear of the person, b) recording the auditory steady-state responses of the person originating from said acoustic stimulus signal. The application further relates to a system. The object of the present application is to excite the auditory system with a signal capable of assessing the auditory systems ability to process speech. The problem is solved in that the acoustic stimulus signal comprises a speech-like stimulus provided as a combination of a series of frequency-specific stimuli, each having a specified (e.g. predetermined) frequency bandwidth, presentation rate, amplitude and amplitude-modulation. An advantage of the disclosure is that it allows a clinical assessment of the effect of a hearing device in a normal mode of operation, i.e. when processing speech stimuli. The invention may e.g. be used for diagnostic instruments for verifying the fitting of a hearing aid.

Presented herein are integrated techniques to address the perception of distracting sounds by a recipient's residual hearing during testing of a hearing prosthesis. More specifically, in accordance with embodiments presented herein, a first hearing prosthesis located at a first ear of a recipient is configured to selectively operate in a testing-assistance mode in order to support or supplement the testing of testing of the first hearing prosthesis or a second hearing prosthesis located at a second car of the recipient.

Disclosed is a method of controlling a personalized audio frequency equalizer by an audio device for outputting a sound source The method includes: a user's age grasping step of grasping a user's age by inquiring the user's age; a user's hearing ability measurement step of measuring, for each frequency, the minimum audible volume; a personalized equalizer creation step of creating the personalized equalizer using a system test user hearing data (HTUHD) that the user may hear when a volume having a system test frequency is outputted, and an application test user hearing data (STUHD), which is a value of volume that the user may hear, while increasing a volume having an application test frequency; and a sound source output step of outputting a sound source through the personalized equalizer created at the personalized equalizer creation step.

Various embodiments are described herein to reduce sound sensitivities, improve state regulation, and/or reduce auditory processing and social engagement deficits in individuals with such deficiencies by recruiting the anti-masking functions of the middle ear muscles in order to optimize the transfer function of the middle ear for the processing of human speech. In certain embodiments, an individual may be subjected to a training protocol comprising one or more training sessions. During each training session, acoustic stimuli are provided to a subject for a period of time, with or without accompanying visual stimulation. A user response may be determined, for example, before beginning the protocol, during a session, after a session, and/or upon completion of the protocol. Such user response may be employed to adjust the acoustic stimulation, and the adjusted acoustic stimulation may be provided to the subject during a subsequent training session (or at a subsequent time within the same training session). The training protocol may end after a predetermined number of training sessions or upon achieving a desired user response. The training session may be characterized by a fixed protocol during which continuous stimulation is presented for a fixed period of time or by an interactive protocol during which the stimulation presentation is dependent on the reactions of the subject.

A system and method of fitting an Electric Acoustic Stimulation (EAS) system of a patient that has binaural hearing is provided. The patient has an ipsilateral ear and a contralateral ear opposite the ipsilateral ear, with the EAS system associated with the ipsilateral ear of the patient. Stimulation parameters of the EAS system are developed unilaterally while taking into account hearing abilities of the contralateral ear. The EAS system is configured based on the developed stimulation parameters.

Presented herein are techniques for monitoring the insertion of an intra-cochlear stimulating assembly for the occurrence of one or more insertion stop conditions. The insertion stop conditions are detectable events indicating that movement of the stimulating assembly into a recipient's cochlea should be at least temporarily stopped. The insertion monitoring is based on objectively measured inner ear potentials, such as acoustically-evoked potentials.

An assembly and method for updating a display assembly of a control panel is disclosed with optimal uniform illumination. In some instances, embodiments include efficient and cost effective methods for upgrading display assemblies without having to completely overhaul the electrical, mechanical, or wiring components already existing within the control panel.

Embodiments generally relate to a method of assessing the hearing of a patient using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The method comprises receiving at least one response signal from an optode placed on a scalp of the patient, the response signal comprising fNIRS data generated by the optode and relating to an aural stimulation received by the patient; comparing at least one parameter of the at least one response signal to a predetermined parameter value; and determining an auditory response of a patient based on the at least one parameter of the at least one response signal.

Systems and methods are provided for performing phase-sensitive optical coherence tomographic (PS-OCT) measurements involving the vibrographic response of an acoustic stimulus. Detected signals are processed to provide sampled time-dependent vibrographic data characterizing a vibratory amplitude and phase response over one or more periods of the acoustic stimulus. The sampled time-dependent vibrographic data is processed to suppress the sinusoidal signal component associated with the acoustic stimulus, thereby providing a residual data associated with noise. The residual data is processed to obtain an estimate of the motion noise, and the motion noise is subtracted from the sampled time-dependent vibrographic data in order to provide noise-corrected vibrographic data. The noise-corrected vibrographic data can be processed to obtain one or more vibrographic measures and/or one or more images.