Patent ID: 7529577

Claim:
A method for locating foreign objects on an internal surface of an ear canal and/or ear, the method comprising the steps of: inserting a light-emitting distal portion of a probe into the ear canal to a location adjacent a tympanic membrane, directing light from the distal portion of the probe to illuminate at least one point of the internal circumferential surface of the ear and/or ear canal, receiving light reflected from the illuminated surface and directing the received light to at least one light sensitive element to generate an output, analyzing the output with respect to spectral composition of the light received at the light sensitive element and identifying foreign objects based on the spectral composition of the received light, analyzing the output to determine a distance from the probe to the internal surface of the canal at points of the circumference, obtaining position data concerning the spatial position and rotation of the distal end of the probe during motion of the probe from a first location to a second location, generating a data model of the internal surface of the canal on the basis of the retrieved position and distance data, and wherein any foreign object identified is omitted from the data model, and the data for a particular surface of the ear canal is generated through extrapolation using data from the surrounding wall parts.