US1127908A - Audiometer. - Google Patents

Description

.T. M. MGGALLIE.

AUDIOMETER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 3, 1912.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

Ima/Mo came;

J. M. MGCALLIR AUDIOMETER.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 3, 1912.

. Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- HHIHIIHIIIIIIIIMINIH;

J. M. MGCALLIE.

AUDIOMETER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 3, 1912.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 3.

a& mn w m m M W e m JOSEPH M. MCCALLIE, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

AUDIOMETER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Application filed May 3, 1912. Serial No. 694,!392.

To all 'whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, JosErH M. MCCALLIE of Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have .invented certain new and useful Improvements in Audiometers, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawngs.

The invention relates more particularly to improvements in audiometers such as shown and described in my prior Letters Patent -No. 862,50l, granted August Gth, 1907, which is especially adapted to test the acuteness of the human hearing, and to enable comparisons with results in individual cases with a predetermined standard.

An object of the invention is to provide an audioneter of the above character with a sound-emitting device which consists of 'a sonorous body which may be vibrated by a striker, in which the blow of the striker is uniforn.

`A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the blows of the striker may be varied individually; or a series of varying blows may be produced,

` or a series of uniform' blows may be maintained, of any degree of intensity within the limits of adjustnent.

These and other objects will in part be obvious, and will in part be here'inafter more fully described.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration oneembodiment of the' invention, Figure I, is a perspective View of an audiometer embodyin my improvements. Fig. II is a top plan View of the same. Fig. III, is a bottom plan view of the cover and the parts carried* thereby. Fig. IV, is a sectional View on the lines IV. IV, of Fig.

II. Fig. V, is a sectional View on the line,

V, V, of Figs. II, and IV.

Referring in detail to the drawin s,'the audiometer as herein illustrated conssts of a main casing 1, which is formed with a base 2, and a cover 3, which may be Secured by suitable screws 4, to the main or bodv portion of the casing. Said' casing is preferably mounted .on a sound-deadening felt mat 5.

The cover is formed with an extension (i.

' which is located centrally thereof,.and said drical valve 8. This valve, as herein shown,

is forned integral with a stem 9, to which s attached a hand wheel or actuating disk 10. The valve is held in place by a washer 11, which 'is attached to the end of the valve by a screw 12. A spring 13, ay be interposed between the Washer 11, and the outer face of the extension 6, to maintain the valve in any desired adjisted position. A passage 14, connects the cylindrical valve chamber 7, with the interior of the main casing 1. A plate 15, is Secured by screws 10, to the under face of the cover, and said plate 15, is provided with a triangular port or passage 17, (see Fig. III), which registers with the passage 14, leading to the cy lindrical valve chamber. A slide 18, is mounted in a suitable guideway formed in the un der face of the cover, and is held in place by the plate 16. The slide is formed on its upper face with a rack 19', which is engaged by a pinion 20. Said pinion 20, is carried by a' short shaft 21, which is jouraled in a sleeve carried by the cover, and an actuating disk 22, is Secured to the outer end of the shaft 21, by a screw Said actuating disk is forned with -a sei-rated portion 24, whereby said actuating disk may be readily turned. Said disk is also provided with a smooth surface 25 which is provided with a scale 26, see Fig. I. A

-pointer 27, Secured by suitable screws to the cover, is dsposed adjac nt the scale 26.'

and serves as a means for determining the position of the actuatng disk. By manipulating the said disk, the shaft 21, will be turned, and this shaft will cause the slide 18, to more or less cover the port 17.` In other words by the nanipulation of the slide 18. the port 17, may be progressively covered or uncovered.

The extension 6, is provided with passages or ports 28, and 29, which lead from the cylindrical chanber 7, controlled by the cylindrical valve 8. These passages 28, and

29, connect with nipples 30, and '31, to which may be renovably attached the rubber tubing of 'the usual binaural device. These parts are in the main similar to those shown and described in connection with my prior patent, and further description thereof, or themanner of using the same, is not thought necessary. A

The sound-emitting device consists of a sonorous piece of metal 32, which as herein shown is n the form of a bell. The bell is which nay be of rubber or the like.

through the insulating material, and a bracket 38, is threaded on to said'screw'and clanps the bell against the insulating material.`

The bracket 38, is provided with an overhanging extension 39, to which is clamped 'an adjustable arm 40. The striker. 41, as

herein shown, is L-shaped, and is so disposed relative to' the bell that the free end 42, may strike the bell adjacent its outer rim. The striker is pivotally supported between suitable ears 43, carried by the arm 40, the pivotal support being indicated at 44. The Vertical-arm of the strikeris provided, on What may be termed its front face, with a lug 61, on which a finger 45, is mounted upon a. transverse hinge (32, so as' to be capable of turnng upwardly, but stopped by contact with the end of the lug 61, from turning downwardly, below the horizontal, which is its normal position, as indicated in Fg. IV. A stop or guard 63, mounted beneath the ears 43, limits the up-' ward movement of the finger 45. striker nay also be provided with an overhanging. and rearwardly projecting arm 64, which may be bent int any desired relation to the other parts, to vary the momentum'of the striker, or determine its normal position of rest.

Located so as to engage the finger 45, is a star-shaped pinion 46, which consists of a central head 47, and outwardly projecting spacedarms 48. .When this pinion is rotated, the arms one after another will strike the finger 45, carried by the striker, and will swing'the end of the strikea away from the bell. As soon asvthe arm of the pinion passes, or slips of from the finge: carried by the 'striker, the weight of said striker will cause the same to strike the bell land -swing'back to normal position.

'The -operating pinion 46, is rigidly secured on the inner end of a short shaft 40, which extends through the casng and is journaled in a' suitable bearing 50, carried by the casing.- The outer end of the shaft v is provided with an actuating disk 51,

whereby said shaft'may be turned. Said disk 51, is formed with a serrated portion, and also with a s'mooth portion, on which may be placed -a scale 52. A p'ointer 53, carried by the cas'ing,' coperates with the 'scale to indicate the position of the arms of the star-shaped .pinion carried thereby;

The'

- The carriage 'for the bell and its striker is attached to a shaft 54, in such a manner that the shaft may be freely turned, but-at the same time the longitudinal movement Said shaft is formed `with a thread 55,'

which coperates with a thread formed in a sleeve 56, carried by the casing. said shaft on its outer end is provided with an actuating disk 57, which is formed with a serrated portion 58, and a smooth portion 59, carrying a scale. A suitable pointer 60, is carried by the casing, and coperates with the scale, in order to indicate by' any de sired scale, the position of the sti'iker relative to its actuating'device.

In the operation of my device, the sound vibrations are created within the chamber 'of 'the inclosed casing 1, by the rotation of the actuating disk 51, which causes the starshaped pinion 46, carried thereby to Swing the striker away from the bell and release the former, so that it may swing by' g-avity into contact With the bell. It will be readily understood that when the finger 45, is in a predetermined position relative to the Contacting arm 48, of the actuating pinion, the said striker will be swu'g a uniform distance' away from the bell, and that the force of, the strikr against the bell for eachsti-oke Will be uniform, and, therefore, the' sound vibrations will be of uniform intensit hen it is desiredto change the intensity of the vibrations, the actuating device 57, may be turned so as to move the bell and striker, and consequentlythe finger 45, toward or from the actuating star-shaped pinion 46. This .adjustment of the fingeiwith relation to the Contacting arms 48, of said pinion, varies the distance that tiu striker is swung away from the bell, before ,being released by said arm, and the force of the blow against the 'bell will thereby be varied, and consequently the intensity of the sound will be varied. The finger may be progressively adjusted, to produce a series of varying blows, or maintained in any given osition to' produce' a series of blows of uni orm intensity. v

- The purpose of hinging the finger 45, is to obviate inju-y through the turning of the star pinion 46,.in the Wrong direction, as in 'such case the hinge will permit the finger to turn upward during the passage *of the' arms 48. The stop* 63, however,

limits this upward movement of the finger 45, and prevents it from being thi-own backward into a position from which it could not rea'dily drop back again into its normal place.

It will be obvious, that I have provided a sound-emitting device, whereby the intensity of the Vibrations 'ofethe sonorous i justing means, to denote the extent ofsaid metal may be maintained uniform for any given series, and wherein said device may be so adjusted as to vary the intensity.

The tubular connections are` made with the binaural device in the usual manner, and the sound from the chamber in the 'main casing may be directed either to the right or left ear. or both, by the manipulating of the actuating disk or hand wheel 10, so as to vary the position of the cylindrical valve 8. If the valv' is turned so asto close the passage 28, then the sound will pass entirely through the passage 29, while, on the other hand, when the passage' 29. is

closed, the sound will be delivered through. the passage 28. Again. if the valve is positioned as shown in Fig. V, both the passages 28, and 29. are in communication` with the main chamber of the casing. When it is desired to vary the size of the passage leading from the main chamber to the cylindrical valve chamber, the actuating disk 99, may be turned so as to progressively shut ofl` or close the port 17, connecting these two passages.

lt is obvious that minor changes in -the details of the Construction and the arrangement ofparts may be made, without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

In the particular embodiment shown, the

hell and its striker are mounted together upon a common support, so that the adjusting movement of the striker is attended by'- aetual movement of the bell. While this organization is convenient, I of course do not limit my broader clai thei-eto, as obviously it may be varied wit iout affecting the under-lying principle of operation.

Having ths described my invention, I claim:

1. In an audiometer, the combination With a casing providing a substantially closed sound chamber, of a sonorous body mounted therein: means, extending through the wall of said chamber and adapted to actiate said striker from without, to intermittentlystrike said sonorous body and produce sound vih-ations within said chamber; means to ada just the operative blow of said striking means; and means, communicatng with the sound chamber and constituting a passage i'm' the discharge of said sound vibrations -therefron I 2. In an audiometer, the combnatomwth a casing providing a sound chamber of a sonorous bodymounted therein; means extending through the wall of said chamber and adapted to be actuated from without, to intermittently strike said sonorous body ehanber: mea ns-to adjust the operative blow of said strkng means;` a scale on sad adadjustment; and means constituting a paswall of the chamber and adaptd' to be actui ated from without to intermittently strike said sonorous body and produce sound vibrations withinsaid chamber, said means including a device for producing sound vibrations of substantially a determined intensity.

4. In an audiometer, the combination, with a .casing providing a substantially closed sound chamber; of a sonorous body mounted thei-ein; a striker therefor; and means extending through the wall of the chambe", and adapted to be actuated from without, for intermittently swinging said striker to a determined extent. I r

5. In an audiometer, the combination, with a casing providing a substantially closed sound chamber: of a sonorous body mounted therein, a striker therefor, means extending through the wall of the ehamber, and adapted to be aetuated from without, for inter-mittently swinging said striker to a determned extent; and means whereby the position of the striker relative to the actuating de'viee may be varied for varying the intensityof the sound vibrations.

6. In an audiometer, the combination, with a casing providing a substantially closed sound chamber; of a sonorous body mounted therein; a striker for vibrating said sonorous body; an actuating device for said striker; and means for adjusting` said sonorous body and striker relatively to the actuating devioe, whereby the stroke of the striker may be varied.

7 In an audiometer, the combination, with a easing providing a substantially closed sound ehamber; of a sonorous body mount- -ed theren; a striker for vbratng said sonoi-ous body; an aetuating deVice for said striker; and means for adjusting said sonorous body and striker relative to the actuating deviee, whereby the stroke of the striker may be varied, said means including a threaded shaft and eoperating sleeve, whereby 'the parts may be held in adjusted positions. t

' 8. In an audiometer, the combination, with a easing providing a substantially closed sound ehamber; of a sonorous body mounted therein; astriker for vibrating said sonorous body; an` 'actuating device for said striker; means for adjusting said sonorous body and striker relative to the actuating device, and thereby vary the stroke of the striker, said means including a threaded shaft and coperating sleeve, whereby the parts may be held in adjusted positions; and a scale for indicating said various adjustments.

9. In an acoumeter the combination with a casing providing a substantially closed sound chamber, of a sonorous body mounted therein, means extending through the wall of said chamber and adapted to be actuated from without to intermittently strike said sonorous body and produce sound V-ibrations v within said chamber, means to adjust the operative relation of said sonorous body and striker, means eommunicating. with said sound chamber and constituting a passageway for the discharge of said sound vibratons therefrom, and a plurality of sound way. v

10. In an ac'oumeter the combination with a casng providing the sound chamber,'of a sonorous body mounted therein, means eX- tending through the wall of said chamber discharge ports in the wall of said passagemames adjustment; means constitutin'g a passageway for the discharge of sound vibrations from said sound chamber, and' a plurality of sound discharge 'ports in the wall of said passageway.

In testimony whe'eof, I 'have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- Vana, this twenty-seventh day of April,

' JOSEPH M. MCCALLIE.

witnesses: v

JAMES flrBELL, -E. L; FmmToN;

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