Acoustic method for calibration of audiometric bone vibrators

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Acoustics

Background:

• Standard calibration of audiometric bone vibrators relies on artificial mastoids, which simulate human head impedance.
• The necessity of accurately simulating head impedance for calibration is questioned.
• Bone vibrators produce both mechanical and acoustic outputs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate an acoustic coupler for calibrating audiometric bone vibrators.
• To explore the use of acoustic signals as a proxy for vibratory stimulus.
• To offer a repeatable measurement method independent of complex impedance matching.

Main Methods:

• Development of an acoustic coupler for audiometric bone vibrators.
• Validation of the acoustic coupler's performance.
• Determination of the transfer function between acoustic sound pressure and mechanical force.

Main Results:

• The acoustic coupler provides a repeatable measurement of bone vibrator output.
• The acoustic signal is proportional to the mechanical force delivered.
• The transfer function allows acoustic signals to proxy the vibratory stimulus.

Conclusions:

• An acoustic coupler offers a viable and potentially simpler alternative for audiometric bone vibrator calibration.
• This method allows for repeatable measurements related to hearing thresholds.
• Utilizing the acoustic output simplifies the calibration process.