Patent ID: 9008325
Filing Date: 2015-04-14
Classification: H04R

Abstract:
1. A method for acoustically fitting a hearing instrument positioned in an ear canal, the hearing instrument comprising a tip and a sound tube comprising an end at the tip of the hearing instrument, comprising: measuring the sound pressure level at a predetermined distance from the end of the sound tube of the hearing instrument positioned in the ear canal; measuring the sound pressure level at the predetermined distance from the end of the sound tube of the hearing instrument positioned in a test coupler; in response to measuring the sound pressure level in the ear canal and the test coupler, determining a measured real-ear-to-coupler difference at the predetermined distance from the end of the hearing instrument sound tube, where determining comprises calculating the difference between the measured sound pressure level in the ear canal and the measured sound pressure level in the test coupler; simulating the sound pressure level at the predetermined distance from a model of a hearing instrument positioned in a model of the ear canal, where the ear canal model comprises a length and a diameter; simulating the sound pressure level at the predetermined distance from the model of a hearing instrument positioned in a model of the test coupler; in response to simulating the sound pressure level in the ear canal and the test coupler, determining a simulated real-ear-to-coupler difference at the predetermined distance from the model of a hearing instrument, where determining comprises calculating the difference between the simulated sound pressure level in the ear canal and the simulated sound pressure level in the test coupler; optimizing the model of the ear canal, comprising simulating the sound pressure level at the eardrum generated by a model of the hearing instrument in the model of the ear canal comprising the optimized values of length and/or diameter; and determining the optimized simulated real-ear-to-coupler difference at the eardrum, where determining comprises calculating the difference between the optimized simulated sound pressure level and the simulated sound pressure level in the test coupler.