JP6266249B2 - Measuring system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a measurement system that measures an acoustic device such as a hearing aid.

  Patent Document 1 describes an electronic device such as a mobile phone that transmits air conduction sound and bone conduction sound to a user (user). Patent Document 1 describes that air conduction sound is sound that is transmitted to the eardrum through the ear canal through the vibration of air that is caused by the vibration of an object, and is transmitted to the user's auditory nerve by the vibration of the eardrum. Has been. Patent Document 1 describes that bone conduction sound is sound transmitted to the user's auditory nerve via a part of the user's body (for example, cartilage in the outer ear) that contacts a vibrating object. Yes.

  In the telephone set described in Patent Document 1, it is described that a short plate-like vibrating body made of a piezoelectric bimorph and a flexible material is attached to the outer surface of a housing via an elastic member. Further, in Patent Document 1, when a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric bimorph of the vibrating body, the vibrating body vibrates due to expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric material in the longitudinal direction, and when the user brings the vibrating body into contact with the auricle, It is described that the air conduction sound and the bone conduction sound are transmitted to the user.

JP 2005-348193 A

  By the way, the inventor differs from the telephone described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 in that the air conduction sound generated by vibrating the vibration transmitting member arranged in the acoustic device with the vibrating body and the vibration transmitting member vibrating are human bodies. We are developing acoustic devices such as hearing aids that transmit sound using vibration sound (bone conduction sound), which is a sound component transmitted by contact with the ear pinna.

  However, no measurement method has been established for the above-described acoustic device that transmits sound to the user by bringing the vibrating body into contact with the human auricle. In general, characteristics of acoustic devices such as bone-conducting hearing aids are indicated by the level of force generated in a bone-conducting vibrator (vibrating body) that is clamped to a mechanical coupler (artificial mastoid) when a certain input sound pressure is applied. . Therefore, it was impossible to measure the air conduction radiation component in the ear canal due to vibration and the vibration component transmitted through the cartilage of the ear. Similarly, there is no system capable of measuring the measurement items defined in the standard of a conventional hearing aid or the like.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention made in view of the above problems is to provide a measurement system capable of measuring characteristics of an acoustic device that transmits sound to a user by bringing a vibrating body into contact with a human auricle. .

In order to solve the above problems, a measurement system according to the present invention
Microphone collects sounds by the vibration of the vibrating body is transmitted to the auricle of the user, the sound collected by the microphone unit, a measuring system for evaluating the acoustic equipment to convey to the user,
A speaker unit;
Imitating the ears of the human body, and an ear mold part having an artificial pinna with which the vibrating body of the acoustic device is brought into contact ;
A vibration sound detection unit that is arranged on the side opposite to the side on which the vibrating body abuts on the artificial pinna, and detects vibration propagated to the artificial pinna ;
An anechoic space that houses the speaker unit, the ear mold unit, and the vibration sound detector;
It is characterized by providing.

  According to the measurement system of the present invention, it is possible to measure the characteristics of an acoustic device that transmits sound to the user by bringing the vibrating body into contact with the human ear.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the measurement system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic of the audio equipment which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a partial detail view of the ear mold part of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the detail of the structure in the anechoic space part 80 of a measurement system. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the principal part of the measurement part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the phase relationship of the output of the vibration detection element of FIG. 5, and the output of a microphone. It is a figure which shows an example of an application screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a measurement result screen. It is a figure which shows another example of a measurement result screen. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the measurement system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 11 is a partial detail view of the measurement system of FIG. 10. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the measurement system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a measurement system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The measurement system 10 according to the present embodiment includes an acoustic device mounting unit 20, a measurement unit 200, an anechoic space unit 80, and speaker units 91 and 92. In FIG. 1, only the speaker unit 91 of the speaker units 91 and 92 is illustrated. The audio device mounting unit 20 includes an ear mold unit 50 supported by the base 30 and a holding unit 70 that holds the audio device 1 to be measured. The acoustic device 1 includes a vibrating body, and transmits the sound to the user by bringing the vibrating body into contact with a human auricle. For example, the acoustic device 1 is a hearing aid or a mobile phone such as a smartphone having a rectangular panel larger than a human ear on the surface of a rectangular casing, and the panel vibrates as a vibrating body. The anechoic space portion 80 is a space portion having no reflected sound and configured by an anechoic box or the like. Inside the anechoic space portion 80, the speaker portion 91, the speaker portion 92, and the audio equipment mounting portion 20 are accommodated.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the acoustic device 1 and sound transmission in the present invention. In FIG. 2, an example in which the acoustic device 1 is a hearing aid 1 is illustrated. When the acoustic device 1 is the hearing aid 1, the acoustic device 1 includes the microphone unit 20a in addition to the vibrating body 10a. The microphone unit 20a collects sound from the speaker units 91 and 92, and the vibrating body 10a amplifies the sound collected by the microphone unit 20a and transmits the sound to the user by vibration. In FIG. 2, only the speaker unit 91 is shown, and the speaker unit 92 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sound from the speaker portions 91 and 92 arrives directly at the eardrum through the ear canal from a portion not covered by the vibrating body 10a (path I). In addition, air conduction sound due to vibration of the vibrating body 10a arrives at the eardrum through the ear canal (path II). Further, at least the inner wall of the ear canal vibrates due to the vibration of the vibrating body 10a, and air conduction sound (radiation sound of the ear canal) due to the vibration of the ear canal reaches the eardrum (path III). Further, the vibration sound of the vibrating body 10a arrives directly at the auditory nerve without passing through the eardrum (path IV). A part of the air conduction sound generated from the vibrating body 10a escapes to the outside (path V).

  Next, the configuration of the audio equipment mounting unit 20 to which the audio equipment 1 is mounted will be described. The ear mold part 50 imitates an ear of a human body, and includes an artificial auricle 51 and an artificial external auditory canal part 52 coupled to the artificial auricle 51. The artificial external ear canal portion 52 has an artificial external ear canal 53 formed at the center. The ear mold 50 is supported by the base 30 via a support member 54 at the peripheral edge of the artificial external ear canal 52.

  The ear mold 50 is made of, for example, a material similar to the material of an average artificial auricle used for HATS (Head And Torso Simulator) of human body models, KEMAR (a name of electronic mannequin for acoustic research of Knowles), for example, And made of a material conforming to IEC60318-7. This material can be formed of a material such as rubber having a hardness of 35 to 55, for example. The hardness of the rubber may be softer, for example, about 15 to 30 Shore hardness, which is softer than Shore hardness 35. These may be measured in accordance with, for example, international rubber hardness (IRHD • M method) in conformity with JIS K 6253 or ISO 48. As a hardness measurement system, a fully automatic type IRHD / M method micro size international rubber hardness meter GS680 manufactured by Teclock Co., Ltd. is preferably used. In consideration of the variation in the hardness of the ear depending on the age, the ear mold portion 50 may be prepared by roughly preparing two to three types of different hardness, and replacing them.

  The thickness of the artificial external auditory canal 52, that is, the length of the artificial external auditory canal 53 corresponds to the length to the human eardrum (cochlea), and is appropriately set within a range of 20 mm to 40 mm, for example. In the present embodiment, the length of the artificial external ear canal 53 is approximately 30 mm.

  In the ear mold 50, a vibration sound detection unit 55 is disposed so as to be positioned in the periphery of the opening of the artificial external ear canal 53 on the end surface of the artificial external ear canal 52 on the side opposite to the artificial pinna 51 side. The vibration sound detection unit 55 detects the amount of vibration transmitted through the artificial external ear canal unit 52 when the vibrating body of the acoustic device 1 is applied to the ear mold unit 50. That is, when the vibration body of the acoustic device 1 is pressed against the human ear, the vibration sound detection unit 55 directly vibrates the inner ear and vibrates the sound component to be heard without going through the eardrum. The corresponding vibration amount is detected. Here, the vibration sound is a sound transmitted to the user's auditory nerve via a part of the user's body (for example, cartilage of the outer ear) that contacts the vibrating object. The vibration sound detection unit 55 may have, for example, a flat output characteristic in a measurement frequency range (for example, 0.1 kHz to 30 kHz) of the acoustic device 1, and vibration that can be accurately measured even with light and fine vibrations. The detection element 56 is configured. As such a vibration detection element 56, for example, a vibration pickup such as a piezoelectric acceleration pickup, for example, a vibration pickup PV-08A manufactured by Rion Corporation can be used.

  FIG. 3A is a plan view of the ear mold 50 as viewed from the base 30 side. 3A illustrates the case where the ring-shaped vibration detection element 56 is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the opening of the artificial external ear canal 53. However, the number of the vibration detection elements 56 is not limited to one, and a plurality of vibration detection elements 56 may be provided. It may be. When a plurality of vibration detection elements 56 are arranged, they may be arranged at appropriate intervals around the artificial ear canal 53, or two arc-shaped vibration detections surrounding the opening periphery of the artificial ear canal 53. The element 56 may be disposed. In FIG. 3A, the artificial external auditory canal portion 52 has a rectangular shape, but the artificial external auditory canal portion 52 may have an arbitrary shape.

  Furthermore, an air conduction sound detection unit 60 is disposed in the ear mold unit 50. The air conduction sound detection unit 60 measures the sound pressure of the sound propagated through the artificial external ear canal 53. That is, the air conduction sound detection unit 60 hears air directly through the eardrum due to vibration of the vibration body of the acoustic device 1 when the vibration body of the acoustic device 1 is pressed against a human ear. The sound pressure corresponding to the sound and the sound pressure corresponding to the air conduction sound in which the inside of the ear canal vibrates due to the vibration of the vibrating body of the acoustic device 1 and the ear itself is heard via the eardrum are measured. The air conduction sound is a sound transmitted to the auditory nerve of the user by the vibration of the air caused by the vibration of the object being transmitted to the eardrum through the ear canal. Furthermore, when a sound source different from the acoustic device 1 exists, the air conduction sound detection unit 60 also measures the sound pressure of the direct sound from the sound source.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line bb of FIG. 3A, the air conduction sound detection unit 60 starts from the outer wall (peripheral wall of the hole) of the artificial external ear canal 53 with a ring-shaped vibration detection element 56. The microphone part 62 hold | maintained at the tube member 61 extended through this opening part is provided. For example, the microphone unit 62 includes a measurement capacitor microphone that has a flat output characteristic in the measurement frequency range of the acoustic device 1 and has a low self-noise level. As such a microphone unit 62, for example, a condenser microphone UC-53A manufactured by Rion Co., Ltd. can be used. The microphone unit 62 may be arranged such that the sound pressure detection surface substantially coincides with the end surface of the artificial external ear canal unit 52. Note that the microphone unit 62 may be arranged in a floating state from the outer wall of the artificial ear canal 53, for example, by being supported by the artificial ear canal unit 52 or the base 30.

  Next, the holding unit 70 will be described. The holding unit 70 includes a support unit 71 that supports the audio device 1. The support portion 71 is an axis y1 parallel to the y axis in a direction in which the acoustic device 1 (in FIG. 1, only the vibrating body 10a of the acoustic device 1 is schematically shown) is pressed against the ear mold portion 50. Is attached to one end portion of the arm portion 72 so as to be rotatable and adjustable. The other end of the arm portion 72 is coupled to a movement adjusting portion 73 provided on the base 30. The movement adjusting unit 73 moves the arm unit 72 in the direction parallel to the x axis perpendicular to the y axis, the vertical direction x1 of the acoustic device 1 supported by the support unit 71, and the z axis perpendicular to the y axis and the x axis. Are configured to be movable and adjustable in a direction z1 in which the acoustic device 1 is pressed against the ear-shaped portion 50 in a direction parallel to the direction.

  As a result, the acoustic device 1 supported by the support portion 71 adjusts the support portion 71 around the axis y1 or adjusts the movement of the arm portion 72 in the z1 direction. The pressing force with respect to the mold part 50 is adjusted. In the present embodiment, the pressing force is adjusted in the range of 0N to 10N. Of course, in addition to the axis y1, the support portion 71 may be configured to be rotatable about another axis.

  In the case of 0N, for example, not only when the ear mold part 50 is in contact but not pressed, it can be held away from the ear mold part 50 by 1 cm so that measurement can be performed at each separation distance. It may be. As a result, the degree of attenuation due to the distance of the air conduction sound can also be measured by the microphone unit 62, and convenience as a measurement system is improved.

  Further, by adjusting the movement of the arm unit 72 in the x1 direction, the contact posture of the acoustic device 1 with respect to the ear mold unit 50 is such that the vibrating body covers a part of the ear mold unit 50 as shown in FIG. Adjusted to The arm portion 72 is configured to be movable and adjustable in a direction parallel to the y-axis, or is configured to be rotatable and adjustable around an axis parallel to the x-axis and the z-axis, so that the ear-shaped portion 50 can be adjusted. The acoustic device 1 may be configured to be adjustable to various contact postures. Note that the vibrating body is not limited to one that covers a wide range of ears such as a panel, but an acoustic device having protrusions and corners that transmit vibration only to a part of the ear mold portion 50, for example, a part of the tragus. However, it can be a measurement object of the present invention.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of the configuration of the anechoic space portion 80 of the measurement system 10 according to the first embodiment. Specifically, the positional relationship between the speaker portions 91 and 92 and the ear-shaped portion 50 is not shown. Details of the configuration of the reverberation space 80 will be shown. 4A and 4B show the z-axis direction and the y-axis direction, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the anechoic space portion 80 includes a plurality of wedge-shaped sound absorbing layers 81, and constitutes a space where there is no reflected sound or very little reflected sound. The anechoic space 80 includes a connection hole 82 for connection to the outside. The connection hole 82 is used for connection with the measurement unit 200. As shown in FIG. 4A, the speaker unit 92 is provided on the side surface of the anechoic space 80 in the negative y-axis direction (the front direction of the human face). That is, the speaker unit 92 is arranged at a position where the angle is 0 ° with respect to the ear-shaped unit 50 when the front direction of the virtual person provided with the ear-shaped unit 50 is set to an angle of 0 °. That is, the speaker unit 92 is used to emit sound from the front direction of the face. The speaker unit 92 is connected to a test sound presentation unit 700 (described later) of the measurement unit 200 and emits a sound presented by the test sound presentation unit 700.

  4B, the speaker unit 91 is provided on the side surface of the anechoic space 80 in the positive z-axis direction (the front direction of the artificial auricle 51). That is, the speaker unit 91 is disposed at a position where the angle is 90 ° with respect to the ear unit 50 when the front surface of the virtual human equipped with the ear unit 50 is set to an angle of 0 °. That is, the speaker unit 91 is used to emit a sound from the side direction of the face (front direction of the ear). The speaker unit 91 is connected to a test sound presentation unit 700 (described later) of the measurement unit 200 and emits a sound presented by the test sound presentation unit 700.

  Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the measurement system 10 includes a hemispherical model 57 that imitates the half of the head of the human body (one side part), and the artificial auricle 51 is a hemispherical model. 57 is detachably provided. By providing the hemispherical model 57, it is possible to more faithfully reproduce the reflection of sound by the head of the human body. The hemispherical model 57 is configured to be detachable with respect to any of the left and right ear molds. In FIG. 4, the artificial auricle 51 is an ear shape imitating the right ear, but is not limited thereto, and may be an ear shape imitating a human left ear.

  Next, the configuration of the measurement unit 200 in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of the measurement unit 200. In the present embodiment, the vibration amount and the sound pressure transmitted through the ear mold part 50 due to the vibration of the acoustic device 1 to be measured, that is, the sensory sound pressure obtained by synthesizing the vibration sound and the air conduction sound is measured. A sensitivity adjustment unit 300, a signal processing unit 400, a PC (personal computer) 500, a printer 600, and a test sound presentation unit 700 are provided.

  Outputs of the vibration detection element 56 and the microphone unit 62 are supplied to the sensitivity adjustment unit 300. The sensitivity adjustment unit 300 includes a variable gain amplification circuit 301 that adjusts the amplitude of the output of the vibration detection element 56 and a variable gain amplification circuit 302 that adjusts the amplitude of the output of the microphone unit 62. Then, the amplitude of the analog input signal corresponding to each circuit is independently adjusted to a required amplitude manually or automatically. Thereby, the error of the sensitivity of the vibration detection element 56 and the sensitivity of the microphone unit 62 is corrected. Note that the variable gain amplifier circuits 301 and 302 are configured so that the amplitude of the input signal can be adjusted within a range of ± 50 dB, for example.

  The output of the sensitivity adjustment unit 300 is input to the signal processing unit 400. The signal processing unit 400 includes an A / D conversion unit 410, a frequency characteristic adjustment unit 420, a phase adjustment unit 430, an output synthesis unit 440, a frequency analysis unit 450, a storage unit 460, and a signal processing control unit 470. The A / D conversion unit 410 converts an output of the variable gain amplification circuit 301 into a digital signal, an A / D conversion circuit (A / D) 411, and an A / D that converts the output of the variable gain amplification circuit 302 into a digital signal. A conversion circuit (A / D) 412. Then, an analog input signal corresponding to each circuit is converted into a digital signal. The A / D conversion circuits 411 and 412 can handle, for example, 16 bits or more and 96 dB or more in terms of dynamic range. The A / D conversion circuits 411 and 412 can be configured so that the dynamic range can be changed.

  The output of the A / D conversion unit 410 is supplied to the frequency characteristic adjustment unit 420. The frequency characteristic adjustment unit 420 includes an equalizer (EQ) 421 that adjusts a frequency characteristic of a detection signal by the vibration detection element 56 that is an output of the A / D conversion circuit 411 and a microphone unit 62 that is an output of the A / D conversion circuit 412. And an equalizer (EQ) 422 for adjusting the frequency characteristics of the detection signal. And the frequency characteristic of each input signal is adjusted independently to the frequency characteristic close | similar to the human auditory sense by manual or automatic. Note that the equalizers 421 and 422 are composed of, for example, a multiband graphical equalizer, a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, and the like. Note that the arrangement order of the equalizer (EQ) and the A / D conversion circuit may be reversed.

  The output of the frequency characteristic adjustment unit 420 is supplied to the phase adjustment unit 430. The phase adjustment unit 430 includes a variable delay circuit 431 that adjusts the phase of a detection signal by the vibration detection element 56 that is an output of the equalizer 421. That is, the speed of sound transmitted through the material of the ear mold 50 and the speed of sound transmitted through the flesh and bones of the human body are not exactly the same, so the phase relationship between the output of the vibration detecting element 56 and the output of the microphone 62 is particularly high. It is assumed that the deviation from the human ear increases.

  As described above, when the phase relationship between the output of the vibration detecting element 56 and the output of the microphone unit 62 is greatly deviated, the amplitude peak or dip at a value different from the actual value at the time of synthesis of both outputs by the output synthesis unit 440 described later. May appear or the composite output may increase or decrease. For example, when the transmission speed of the sound detected by the microphone unit 62 is delayed by 0.2 ms with respect to the transmission speed of the vibration detected by the vibration detection element 56, the combined output of both due to the sine wave vibration of 2 kHz is shown in FIG. As shown in (a). On the other hand, the combined output when there is no deviation between the transmission speeds of both is as shown in FIG. 6B, and an amplitude peak or dip appears at a timing that does not occur originally. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, a thick line indicates a vibration detection waveform at the vibration detection element 56, a thin line indicates a sound pressure detection waveform at the microphone unit 62, and a broken line indicates a combined output waveform. .

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the phase of the detection signal by the vibration detection element 56 that is the output of the equalizer 421 is adjusted within a predetermined range by the variable delay circuit 431 according to the measurement frequency range of the acoustic device 1 to be measured. . For example, when the measurement frequency range of the acoustic device 1 is 100 Hz to 10 kHz, the variable delay circuit 431 uses the vibration detection element 56 in a range of about ± 10 ms (corresponding to ± 100 Hz) and at least smaller than 0.1 ms (corresponding to 10 kHz). Adjust the phase of the detection signal. Even in the case of the human ear, a phase shift occurs between the vibration sound and the air conduction sound. Therefore, the phase adjustment by the variable delay circuit 431 means that the phases of the detection signals of both the vibration detection element 56 and the microphone unit 62 are matched. It does not mean that it means that both phases are matched to the actual audibility of the ear.

  The output of the phase adjustment unit 430 is supplied to the output synthesis unit 440. The output synthesizing unit 440 synthesizes the detection signal from the vibration detecting element 56 phase-adjusted by the variable delay circuit 431 and the detection signal from the microphone unit 62 that has passed through the phase adjusting unit 430. Thus, the vibration amount and sound pressure transmitted by the vibration of the acoustic device 1 to be measured, that is, the sound pressure of the synthesized sound obtained by synthesizing the vibration sound and the air conduction sound (sensory sound pressure) can be obtained by approximating the human body. It becomes possible.

  The synthesized output of the output synthesis unit 440 is input to the frequency analysis unit 450. The frequency analysis unit 450 includes an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) 451 that performs frequency analysis on the synthesized output from the output synthesis unit 440. As a result, power spectrum data corresponding to the synthesized sound (air + vib) obtained by synthesizing the vibration sound (vib) and the air conduction sound (air) is obtained from the FFT 451.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the frequency analysis unit 450 outputs a signal before being synthesized by the output synthesis unit 440, that is, a detection signal from the vibration detection element 56 that has passed through the phase adjustment unit 430 and a detection signal from the microphone unit 62. FFT 452 and 453 for frequency analysis are provided. Thereby, power spectrum data corresponding to the vibration sound (vib) is obtained from the FFT 452, and power spectrum data corresponding to the air conduction sound (air) is obtained from the FFT 453.

  Note that FFT 451 to 453 are set with analysis points of frequency components (power spectrum) according to the measurement frequency range of the acoustic device 1. For example, when the measurement frequency range of the acoustic device 1 is 100 Hz to 10 kHz, the frequency component of each point obtained by dividing the interval in the logarithmic graph of the measurement frequency range into 100 to 2000 is analyzed.

  Outputs of the FFTs 451 to 453 are stored in the storage unit 460. The storage unit 460 has a capacity larger than a double buffer capable of holding a plurality of pieces of analysis data (power spectrum data) obtained by the FFTs 451 to 453. And it can comprise so that the newest data can always be transmitted at the data transmission request timing from PC500 mentioned later.

  The signal processing control unit 470 is connected to the PC 500 via an interface connection cable 510 such as a LAN, USB, RS-232C, SCSI, or PC card. Based on a command from the PC 500, the operation of each unit of the signal processing unit 400 is controlled. The signal processing unit 400 can be configured as software executed on any suitable processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or can be configured by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).

  The PC 500 has an evaluation application that presents the acoustic characteristics of the acoustic device 1 by the measurement system 10. The evaluation application is downloaded via, for example, a CD-ROM or a network and stored in the storage unit 520. Further, the PC 500 executes the evaluation application by the control unit 530. For example, the PC 500 displays an application screen based on the evaluation application on the display unit 540. Further, a command is transmitted to the signal processing unit 400 based on information input via the application screen. The PC 500 receives a command response and data from the signal processing unit 400, performs predetermined processing based on the received data, and displays the measurement result on the application screen. Further, if necessary, the measurement result is output to the printer 600 and printed.

  In FIG. 5, the sensitivity adjustment unit 300 and the signal processing unit 400 are mounted on the base 30 of the audio equipment mounting unit 20, for example, and the PC 500 and the printer 600 are installed away from the base 30 to perform signal processing. The unit 400 and the PC 500 can be connected via the connection cable 510.

  The test sound presentation unit 700 uses a test signal generation unit (not shown) to generate a single frequency sine wave signal (pure tone), a pure tone sweep signal, a multi-sine wave, a tremor (wobble tone), band noise (band noise), etc. Is generated. Then, the test sound presenting unit 700 presents the test sound by the speaker unit 91 or the speaker unit 92. Alternatively, the test sound presenting unit 700 can connect the test sound to the external terminal of the audio device 1 instead of the speaker unit 91 or the speaker unit 92 and can input the test sound as an input signal to the audio device 1. Yes.

  The test sound presentation unit 700 adjusts the sound to be presented based on the head-related transfer function and presents the sound. Here, the head-related transfer function represents a change in sound caused by a part of the human body (such as the auricle, head, and shoulder) as a transfer function. The head-related transfer function differs depending on the direction of sound. Therefore, for example, a head-related transfer function differs between a sound from the direction of 0 ° (sound from the speaker unit 92) and a sound from the direction of 90 ° (sound from the speaker unit 91). Therefore, the test sound presenting unit 700 adjusts and presents the sound presented to the speaker unit 91 and the speaker unit 92 by an equalizer (not shown) based on the head-related transfer function, and the adjusted sound is presented to the speaker unit 91 and The output is made to the speaker unit 92. The head-related transfer functions corresponding to 0 ° and 90 ° are stored in advance in the storage unit 520 or the like.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an application screen displayed on the display unit 540. The application screen shown in FIG. 7 includes a setting menu 541, a test sound menu 542, a recording menu 543, an analysis menu 544, a reproduction menu 545, and a hearing aid standard measurement menu 546. The setting menu 541 allows the user to set the sensor of the measurement system 10, calibrate the entire measuring instrument including the speaker unit and the microphone, read setting information that has been adjusted and stored in the past, and the phase difference between the air conduction sound and the vibration sound. Also, the setting of synthesis, the setting of equalization, and the currently adjusted setting information are stored.

  Further, the test sound menu 542 allows the user to select any one of the speaker unit 91 (“speaker 1”), the speaker unit 92 (“speaker 2”), and the audio device 1 as the test sound output destination. The type of test sound can be set to either pure tone or pure tone sweep. Further, the user can adjust the frequency, time length, amplitude, and sound pressure related to the test sound. When the type of test sound is set to pure tone sweep, the start frequency and end frequency can be set. Furthermore, it is also possible to read an audio file such as a WAVE format as a test sound.

  Further, the recording menu 543 allows the user to save (record) the measurement results in a predetermined storage destination, and to store the measurement results with a predetermined file name header. The analysis menu 544 allows the user to read data recorded in the past and perform various analyses. Further, the playback menu 545 allows the user to play the air conduction sound, the vibration sound, or the synthesized sound thereof among the sounds emitted by the acoustic device 1. The hearing aid standard measurement menu 546 allows the user to automatically perform all the measurements related to the hearing aid standard items.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a measurement result screen displayed on the display unit 540. The measurement result screen shown in FIG. 8 is an example of a standard measurement item for a hearing aid. In FIG. 8, a sound pressure of 90 dB, which is a predetermined sound pressure, is output from the speaker unit 91, and the output sound from the acoustic device 1 is synthesized from the detection value of the air conduction sound detection unit 60 and the detection value of the vibration sound detection unit 55. The frequency characteristics (power spectrum data) of the synthesized sound to be displayed are displayed. The measurement result screen of FIG. 8 shows the power spectrum data of each frequency and the output sound pressures at 500 Hz and 1600 Hz as representative values.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to measure the characteristics of the acoustic device 1 that transmits the sound to the user by bringing the vibrating body into contact with the human auricle, and in particular, it is possible to measure the standard measurement items of the hearing aid. .

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of the measurement result screen displayed on the display unit 540. The measurement result screen shown in FIG. 9 shows spectrum data representing the degree of amplification (maximum acoustic gain) of the output sound output from the acoustic device 1 with respect to the input sound for each frequency. In the measurement result screen of FIG. 9, the maximum acoustic gains related to the air conduction sound (air) detected by the air conduction sound detection unit 60 and the vibration sound (vib) detected by the vibration sound detection unit 55 are displayed. In the measurement result screen of FIG. 9, the maximum acoustic gain at 1600 Hz is displayed as a representative value. By displaying the air conduction sound and the vibration sound separately in this way, the degree of the air conduction sound transmission efficiency and the vibration sound transmission efficiency can be evaluated. For example, the degree of performance related to vibration sound is more important for conductive hearing loss, but by separately presenting characteristics related to air conduction sound and vibration sound, characteristics related to vibration sound of audio equipment 1 Evaluation can be performed more appropriately.

  As described above, on the measurement result screen, the air conduction sound and the vibration sound, or the synthesized sound thereof are displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only one of the air conduction sound or the vibration sound is displayed. It may be displayed. Such display switching is performed by performing only necessary display by using the function of the evaluation software of the PC 500 and hiding unnecessary items.

  In the present embodiment, the speaker portions 91 and 92 are arranged at the positions of 0 ° and 90 °, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be set to any other angle. For example, the speaker units 91 and 92 may be arranged at positions of 180 ° and 270 °. That is, the speaker units 91 and 92 are positioned at any of 0 °, 90 °, 180 °, or 270 ° when the angle of the front of the virtual human equipped with the ear mold unit 50 is 0 °. It may be arranged. In this case, the system stores the head-related transfer function corresponding to the case where the angle is 0 °, 90 °, 180 °, or 270 ° in the storage unit 520 or the like. The test sound presenting unit 700 adjusts and presents the sound presented to the speaker unit 91 and the speaker unit 92 by an equalizer (not shown) based on the head-related transfer function, and the adjusted sound is presented to the speaker unit 91 and The output is made to the speaker unit 92. By doing in this way, the directivity of the characteristic of the audio equipment 1 can be evaluated.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the measurement system 110. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a measurement system 110 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The measurement system 110 according to the present embodiment is different from the acoustic device mounting unit 20 in the first embodiment in the configuration of the acoustic device mounting unit 120, and the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, in FIG. 10, illustration of the measurement part 200 shown in 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted. The acoustic equipment mounting unit 120 includes a human head model 130 and a pair of ear molds 131 provided corresponding to the left and right sides. The head model 130 is made of ATS, KEMAR, or the like. The ear model 131 of the head model 130 is detachable from the head model 130.

  The ear mold 131 imitates an ear of a human body. As shown in a side view removed from the head model 130 in FIG. 11A, an artificial ear similar to the ear mold 50 of the first embodiment is used. And an artificial external ear canal part 134 coupled to the artificial auricle 132 and having an artificial external auditory canal 133 formed thereon. In the artificial external ear canal unit 134, a vibration sound detection unit 135 including a vibration detection element is disposed around the opening of the artificial external ear canal 133, as in the ear mold unit 50 of the first embodiment. In addition, an air conduction sound detection unit 136 having a microphone at the center is provided on the mounting portion of the ear model 131 of the head model 130, as shown in a side view with the ear model 131 removed in FIG. Has been placed. The air conduction sound detection unit 136 is arranged so as to measure the sound pressure of the sound propagated through the artificial external ear canal 133 of the ear mold 131 when the ear mold 131 is attached to the head model 130. Note that the air conduction sound detection unit 136 may be arranged on the ear mold part 131 side in the same manner as the ear mold part 50 of the first embodiment. The vibration detection element 56 constituting the vibration sound detection unit 135 and the microphone part 62 constituting the air conduction sound detection unit 136 are connected to the measurement unit 200 as in the first embodiment.

  According to the measurement system 110 according to the present embodiment, a measurement result similar to that of the measurement system 10 according to the first embodiment can be obtained. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the ear device 131 for vibration detection is detachably attached to the human head model 130 and the acoustic device 1 is evaluated, the actual use in consideration of the influence of the head is considered. Evaluation according to the mode is possible.

(Third embodiment)
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The third embodiment is generally different from the second embodiment in that the human head model 130 rotates.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a measurement system 210 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The measurement system 210 according to the present embodiment is different from the acoustic equipment mounting portion 120 in the second embodiment in that the human head model 130 rotates, and the other configurations are the same as those in the second embodiment. is there.

  The measurement system 210 according to the present embodiment includes a rotating shaft 141 and a knob 142 for the rotating shaft 141. The rotating shaft 141 is provided through the center of the head model 130. The rotating shaft 141 is fixed to the head model 130. When the rotating shaft 141 rotates, the head model 130 also rotates about the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft 141 extends to the outside of the anechoic space 80 and is configured to be rotatable from the outside of the anechoic space 80. The rotating shaft 141 is preferably made of metal such as SUS so as not to be easily deformed, but may be made of resin.

  The knob 142 is provided at an end portion extending from the anechoic space portion 80 of the rotating shaft 141. The knob 141 is provided with an angle display (0 ° to 360 °) similar to a protractor so that the rotation angle from 0 ° is visible. When the knob 141 is rotated by the operator's operation, the head model 130 is rotated by the rotation of the rotating shaft 141. By rotating the head model 130, the relative angle between the head model 130 and the speaker units 91 and 92 can be arbitrarily changed. Therefore, according to the measurement system of the third embodiment, the directivity of the characteristics of the acoustic device 1 can be evaluated in more detail by emitting sound from the speaker units 91 and 92 from an arbitrary angle.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the rotating shaft 141 penetrates the head model 130 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The rotating shaft 141 does not need to penetrate the head model 130, and in this case, it extends to an arbitrary place inside the head model 130.

  The rotating shaft 141 may be a cavity. In this case, signal wiring for the vibration sound detection unit 135, the air conduction sound detection unit 136, and the like may be accommodated in the hollow portion.

  In the present embodiment, the head model 130 is rotated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the speaker units 91 and 92 may be rotated with respect to the head model 130. In this case as well, the relative angle between the speaker units 91 and 92 and the head model 130 can be arbitrarily changed, and the directivity of the characteristics of the acoustic device 1 can be evaluated in more detail.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations and modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each means, each member, each step, etc. can be rearranged so that there is no logical contradiction, and a plurality of means, members, etc. can be combined or divided into one. Is possible.

1 Audio equipment (Hearing aid)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Measurement system 10a Vibrating body 20a Microphone part 20 Acoustic equipment mounting part 30 Base 31 Analog digital conversion part 32 Signal processing part 33 Digital analog conversion part 34 Piezoelectric amplifier 50 Ear part 51 Artificial auricle 52 Artificial ear canal part 53 Artificial ear canal 54 Support member 55 Vibration sound detection unit 56 Vibration detection element 57 Hemispherical model 60 Air conduction sound detection unit 61 Tube member 62 Microphone unit 70 Holding unit 71 Support unit 72 Arm unit 73 Movement adjustment unit 80 Anechoic space unit 81 Wedge type sound absorption layer 82 Connection hole 91, 92 Speaker unit 110, 210 Measurement system 120 Audio equipment mounting unit 130 Head model 131 Ear mold unit 132 Artificial auricle 133 Artificial ear canal 134 Artificial ear canal unit 135 Vibration sound detection unit 136 Air conduction sound detection unit 141 Rotating shaft 142 Knob 200 Measuring section 300 Adjustment unit 301, 302 Variable gain amplification circuit 400 Signal processing unit 410 A / D conversion unit 411, 412 A / D conversion circuit 420 Frequency characteristic adjustment unit 421 Equalizer 430 Phase adjustment unit 431 Variable delay circuit 440 Output synthesis unit 450 Frequency analysis unit 450 451-453 FFT
460 Storage unit 470 Signal processing control unit 500 PC
510 connection cable 520 storage unit 530 control unit 540 display unit 541 setting menu 542 test sound menu 543 recording menu 544 analysis menu 545 reproduction menu 546 hearing aid standard measurement menu 600 printer 700 test sound presentation unit

Claims (13)

The microphone system collects sound, and the vibration of the vibrating body is transmitted to the user's auricle, whereby the measurement system evaluates an acoustic device that conveys the sound collected by the microphone unit to the user,
A speaker unit;
Imitating the ears of the human body, and an ear mold part having an artificial pinna with which the vibrating body of the acoustic device is brought into contact;
A vibration sound detection unit that is arranged on the side opposite to the side on which the vibrating body abuts on the artificial pinna, and detects vibration propagated to the artificial pinna;
An anechoic space that houses the speaker unit, the ear mold unit, and the vibration sound detector;
Measuring system. The microphone system collects sound, and the vibration of the vibrating body is transmitted to the user's auricle, whereby the measurement system evaluates an acoustic device that conveys the sound collected by the microphone unit to the user,
A speaker unit;
Imitating the ears of a human body, an ear mold comprising an artificial auricle against which a vibrating body of the acoustic device abuts, and an artificial external ear canal coupled to the artificial auricle;
An air conduction sound detection unit that is disposed at a terminal portion of the artificial ear canal part and detects an air conduction sound newly generated by the vibration of the artificial ear canal part;
An anechoic space that houses the speaker unit, the ear mold unit, and the air conduction sound detection unit;
Measuring system.   The measurement system according to claim 2, wherein the air conduction sound detection unit measures air conduction sound generated by vibration of the vibrating body in addition to air conduction sound newly generated by vibration of the artificial external ear canal part. It is further equipped with a head model that imitates the human head,
A pair of the ear mold portions are provided corresponding to the left and right sides,
Each of the ear mold parts is detachable with respect to the left and right of the head model.
The measurement system according to claim 1. It is further equipped with a hemispherical model that imitates the half of the human head,
The ear mold part is detachable from the hemispherical model,
The measurement system according to claim 1. The measurement system according to claim 5, wherein the hemispherical model is detachable with respect to any of the left and right ear molds. The speaker unit
When the front angle of the virtual person including the ear mold part is 0 ° with respect to the ear mold part, the angle is at any position of 0 °, 90 °, 180 °, or 270 °. The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement system is arranged. The measurement system according to claim 7, wherein a head-related transfer function corresponding to any of the angles of 0 °, 90 °, 180 °, or 270 ° is stored. The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein a sound having a predetermined sound pressure is output from the speaker unit, and a frequency characteristic of a measurement value by the vibration sound detecting unit at the predetermined sound pressure can be displayed. The measurement system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a sound having a predetermined sound pressure is output from the speaker unit, and a frequency characteristic of a measurement value by the air conduction sound detection unit at the predetermined sound pressure can be displayed. A sound of a predetermined sound pressure is output from the speaker unit, and the detection value of the air conduction sound detection unit at the predetermined sound pressure and the side of the artificial auricle on which the vibrating body comes into contact are arranged, The measurement system according to claim 3, wherein a frequency characteristic of a synthesized sound synthesized from a detection value of a vibration sound detection unit that detects vibration propagated to the artificial pinna can be displayed.   The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the ear mold part is made of a material compliant with IEC60318-7. The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the vibration sound detection unit includes one or a plurality of vibration detection elements.

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