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Published on: June 8, 2017
Microphone array based novel infant deafness detector.
Chinmayee Agnihotri1, S Thiyagarajan, Archana Kalyansundar
1Siemens Corporate Research and Technology - India, Bangalore - 560100, India. Chinmayee.Agnihotri@siemens.com
Summary
This study introduces an infant deafness detector using microphone arrays to improve evoked acoustic emissions (OAEs) testing. The technology enhances signal quality, leading to more accurate hearing capacity assessments in infants.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Audiology
- Signal Processing
Background:
- Infant hearing screening is crucial for early detection of deafness.
- Evoked Acoustic Emissions (OAEs) are a standard method for assessing infant hearing.
- Improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in OAE measurements is critical for diagnostic accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate an infant deafness detector unit utilizing microphone array technology.
- To enhance the sensitivity and specificity of OAE-based hearing tests.
- To demonstrate the superiority of microphone arrays over single microphones for OAE signal acquisition.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of a microphone array system for capturing low-level sound pressure values.
- Utilizing Texas Instruments' DSP6416 for sound stimulus generation, control, and signal processing.
- Application of a standard averaging technique for signal analysis.
Main Results:
- Microphone arrays significantly increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared to single microphones.
- Enhanced SNR leads to improved reproducibility of OAE responses.
- The developed system demonstrates improved sensitivity and specificity for infant hearing assessment.
Conclusions:
- Microphone array technology offers a substantial improvement for OAE-based infant deafness detection.
- The enhanced SNR and reproducibility facilitate more reliable hearing capacity evaluations.
- This approach represents a significant advancement in non-invasive infant audiological testing.
