A Novel Ear Camera for Making Custom-Fit Hearing Devices

用于制作定制助听器的新颖耳部摄像头

基本信息

  • 批准号:
    6582404
  • 负责人:
  • 金额:
    $ 9.52万
  • 依托单位:
  • 依托单位国家:
    美国
  • 项目类别:
  • 财政年份:
    2002
  • 资助国家:
    美国
  • 起止时间:
    2002-12-15 至 2003-06-14
  • 项目状态:
    已结题

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): More than 28 million Americans suffer from some type of hearing impairment, according to the statistics from National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD). It is estimated that over 260 million people are hearing impaired worldwide. Based upon the huge population involved, the hearing impairment is the number one disability in today's world. Fortunately, many of these people can benefit from the use of hearing aid devices. However, hearing aids cannot work for everyone. Those who can be helped need to be carefully fitted in order to gain the enhanced hearing functionality. Current manufacturing process of custom-fit shells of hearing aids is highly labor-intensive and manual process and quality control of the fitting/performance of hearing aids is difficult. The custom-fitting process starts with taking ear impression of a patient at the office of an audiologist or dispenser. There are 8000 hearing aid dispensers' throughput the United States, many can make a ear impression for a fee. The impression is then shipped to manufacturer's laboratory. Each shell has to be custom-made by skilled technicians using manual operations. The quality and consistency of the fitting vary significantly with technician's skill level. A typical process of producing a shell takes about 40 minutes from start to finish. Major drawbacks of manual process include: Speed: manual and lengthy fabrication process and not scalable for mass production; Delay: The mailing of physical impressions from dispensers to manufacturers takes several days to deliver. Quality: lack of consistency of quality, resulting in high level of re-make and return of products (currently the typical return rate is very high (25%)); and shortage of skilled worker and long training time. Genex Technologies, Inc (GENEX) proposes herein a SBIR project to develop a novel Three Dimensional (3D) Ear Camera technology that promises to eliminate traditional physical ear impressions, thus revolutionizes current custom-fit hearing aid fabrication process and brings audiologists into a new era of "digital audiology". The technical objective of this SBIR effort is to investigate the feasibility of a miniature, non-contact, lowcost, handheld 3D camera that enables audiologists to acquire multiple 3D images of external ear (auricle) and era canal, and to produce complete 3D digital ear model that serves as a "digital ear impression". The digital ear impression data is then sent instantly to manufacture's lab via Intemet, reducing dramatically the delivery time. The digital impressions enable the hearing aid manufacturers to take advantages of the latest breakthrough of computer-aided-design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) technologies and product mass customization hearing aid device within one-day time frame. Even including the quality insurance, electronics calibration, and shipping back the hearing-aid device, the entire process making custom-fit hearing aid devices would be shorted from weeks to few days. More importantly, the digital impression technology to be developed herein would improve the quality of fit, thus enhance the hearing functionality for impaired people.
描述(由申请人提供):根据国家耳聋和沟通障碍研究所(NIDCD)的统计数据,超过2800万美国人患有某种类型的听力障碍。据估计,全世界有超过2.6亿人听力受损。基于涉及的庞大人口,听力障碍是当今世界的头号残疾。幸运的是,这些人中的许多人可以从使用助听器中受益。但是,助听器并不适合所有人。那些可以得到帮助的人需要仔细安装,以获得增强的听力功能。助听器的定制适配外壳的当前制造过程是高度劳动密集型的手动过程,并且助听器的适配/性能的质量控制是困难的。定制装配过程开始于在听力学家或分配器的办公室为患者取耳模。美国有8000个助听器分发器,许多人可以付费制作耳模。然后将印模运送到制造商的实验室。每个外壳都必须由熟练的技术人员使用手工操作定制。装配的质量和一致性随技术人员的技能水平而显著变化。生产一个外壳的典型过程从开始到结束大约需要40分钟。手动过程的主要缺点包括:速度:手动和冗长的制造过程,并且无法大规模生产;延迟:从分配器到制造商的物理印模的邮寄需要几天时间才能交付。质量:质量缺乏一致性,导致产品的重新制造和退货率很高(目前的典型退货率非常高(25%));技术工人短缺,培训时间长。Genex Technologies,Inc(GENEX)在此提出了一个SBIR项目,以开发一种新的三维(3D)耳摄像机技术,该技术有望消除传统的物理耳印,从而彻底改变当前的定制助听器制造过程,并将听力学家带入“数字听力学”的新时代。SBIR的技术目标是研究一种微型、非接触、低成本的手持式3D相机的可行性,该相机使听力学家能够获得外耳(耳廓)和外耳道的多个3D图像,并产生完整的3D数字耳模型,作为“数字耳模”。数字耳模数据通过互联网立即发送到制造商的实验室,大大缩短了交付时间。数字化的印象使助听器制造商能够利用计算机辅助设计(CAD)和计算机辅助制造(CAM)技术的最新突破,并在一天的时间内生产大规模定制的助听器设备。即使包括质量保险,电子校准和运回助听器设备,制造定制助听器设备的整个过程也将从几周缩短到几天。更重要的是,本文所开发的数字印模技术将提高适配质量,从而增强受损人群的听力功能。

项目成果

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{{ truncateString('PING ZHUANG', 18)}}的其他基金

Hearing Aids:Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing
助听器:计算​​机辅助设计与制造
  • 批准号:
    6735580
  • 财政年份:
    2002
  • 资助金额:
    $ 9.52万
  • 项目类别:
Custom Hearing Instruments by Computer-Aided Design
通过计算机辅助设计定制助听器
  • 批准号:
    6549324
  • 财政年份:
    2002
  • 资助金额:
    $ 9.52万
  • 项目类别:
3D Image Guided Patient System for Stereotactic Radioth.
用于立体定向放射的 3D 图像引导患者系统。
  • 批准号:
    6443147
  • 财政年份:
    2002
  • 资助金额:
    $ 9.52万
  • 项目类别:
Hearing Aids:Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing
助听器:计算​​机辅助设计与制造
  • 批准号:
    6845712
  • 财政年份:
    2002
  • 资助金额:
    $ 9.52万
  • 项目类别:
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