• Introduction
• This project is about measuring the noise that people are exposed to in their living habitats especially at the work places and even in the homes. So many people are at the present having hearing problems not because they were born with them but because they have developed them owing to the noise around them. If a sound reaches 85 dB or stronger, it can cause permanent damage. The amount of time you listen to a sound affects how much damage it will cause. The calmer the sound, the more you can hear it out securely. If the sound is very quiet, it will not cause damage even if you listen to it for a very long time. This project is thus trying to figure out how much noise people are exposed to and how far the noises can affect the hearing of people. The project will measure the noise level using a noise dosimeter and try to see whether there are any remedies to the problem.
• Identification of Product Need
• The project is very important because to can help in so many areas. Thus, in order to come up with the best results that can be used to make a viable conclusion, the instrument to be used must be accurate. aA researcher should try to measure all the standards that are required to make the project successful. For instance, the tool to be used should not be heavy and should have the necessary computing capability to measure and compute the type of noise, where it is coming from, and how much of it a person is exposed to.
Evaluating public exposure has been a step taken by several western countries but in places as America, the effects of industrialization still put the citizens at a great risk (Fortner & Blaskovich, 2012). It is thus important that measurements are done on the sound pressure levels especially at urban environments to come up with estimation models for locations that are used for residence. This can aid the concerned agencies to bring these noises to bay. This then makes the noise dosimeter to be very important to this area.
This is also due to the fact that most U.S data depends entirely on estimates that are as old as 40 years without looking at the changes that have been done on the industrial area as well as other areas that contribute to high noise levels. The other reason that calls for recent data includes the fact that evaluation of the risk of NIHL (Noise-induced hearing loss) comes from high levels of noise settings and that the speech intelligibility reduction as well as non-auditory effects caused by noise occur at lower noise levels such as 45 to 55 dBA; much lower than the noise level that causes NIHL that is approximately more than 85 dBA. This also means that variant frequency spectra may consequently lean-to health challenges. This is basically why there is need for new and standardized data collected using standard tools and equipment. Otherwise, there is no valid conclusion that can be reached.
Figure 1: Damage Levels
Figure 2: the different types of noise
• Requirements Specification
• The product should have some standards that are very essential to the project. For instance, its engineering requirements should be very specific so that every step could go as planned. The following table specifies the requirements both in the market and engineering that are to be used for selecting the product as well as justifying it.
• This project is meant when a study is conducted; it should be able to give the best results. In order to achieve this, the person who is taking the study should ensure that the equipment used is the most fitting. For instance, an industrial hygienist will be interested in the workers’ noise exposure as a weighted average TWA or as a Daily Dose. In either of these, it is very important that the worker complies with the regulations that are set by relevant authorities. The other requirement is that the person who is conducting the study should be familiar with how the equipment is used. The work of a study using a dosimeter will not be on how to reduce the noise but to know how much noise a person is exposed to in a day or a given period. The work of reducing noise is for the plants’ engineering staff.
• Dosimeters are small enough to be worn by a worker who can go anywhere, and it can help measure the noise level exposure not only in the work place but in every other area that the person goes (Tsihrintzis, 2014). In fact, the aim of measuring noise is not only to know the level of noise in the work place but general exposure to noise by a person. Thus, this can be a better option because it is light, and it can be carried anywhere the person goes.
• The dosimeter microphone has a very short cable that can be clipped to a helmet or shirt. The body of the unit can also be clipped to a belt or can be inserted into the pocket. Its output can be 8-hr TWA or dose which is mostly expressed as 100 percent. It also translates into the regulated total permitted daily exposure with an average degree of 90 dBA for 8 hr. there are times when the dosimeter can be used to indicate events that go beyond 110 dBA or even 140 dBA that occurs. This usually corresponds to the accumulated TWA and the current sound pressure degrees. There are some dosimeters that do not have any display or buttons and they are thus very secure as they cannot be easily tampered with. When they are being put into use, they normally work hand in hand with a computer or a similar device so that the dosimeter can be set up and data downloaded. There are also some units of a dosimeter that show projected dose or TWA for the assessment that are shorter than 8 hr. in case the data is not indicated directly, then it can be calculated. In fact, dosimeters are preferred because they easily give results .
Table 1: Requirement specifications
The table below show the Relevant coursework and its relevance
Table2: Relevant Coursework
• evidence of research performed for standards that are pertinent to the design
• The project will use a noise dosimeter to measure noise. However, in order to ensure that it is standard the first criteria to be used is to check its ability to measure the A-weight weighted decibel of DB degrees to mimic all the frequency sensitivity of the ear of a person. LEQ (T) is also used to measure over time denoted as T, Night Noise Level (LDN, an LEQ(24) which have a 10 dB penalty applied to levels between 10 PM and 7 AM. These are used to account for potential sleep disruption during those hours due to noise. All the standards had to measure more than once to ensure that they are correct and up to date. In addition, the settings and calibration of the dosimeters were also tested to ensure that the dosimeter is working according to expectations.
• A patent can be defined as an exclusive right given by the government of a country to an inventor or any product or service, and the inventor is enabled to prevent others from making, selling or even using the product of his or her invention in that country during the life of that patent. There can be times when the invention cannot stand on its own, and thus it can be subject to any prior rights that may have related inventions. It is offered to an individual who has invented something and not a company or an organization because it is not possible that the whole organization invented it.
• Patents thus can be said to be protection for prior inventions that meet certain requirements such as novelty, non-obviousness and utility. The United States of America government offers patent to any products, processes or designs for 20 years. Market testing is very important before lastly deciding to file the invention with the patent and trademark office, which should be no later than one year after the description of the invention is published.
• For our product, it is very essential to test and be sure that the product is working as expected. A noise measuring dosimeter has many different parts that perform different functions. The whole design has been tested and confirmed that the parts are working to offer a researcher with reliable information. The patent number in each case is registered to indicate the official process of registration. In addition, as engineers we are sure that the design we have chosen and the devices we are using have been tested and they are officially allowed to work in the industry.
• For instance, the selective suppression of audio emitted from an audio source is a patent that gives our device the limit of sound it can emit, especially when giving alerts. The device is not to offer any interference to other people during the research, and it is only the researchers who should get the alerts. Thus, the device has a system that controls its sound system allowing the researcher to be within the law as they conduct their research. The second patent that was researched is about hearing systems, hearing devices and methods of operating and maintaining a hearing device. The device in question here is to be used in measuring noise. This means that the device should have the ability to collect noise to classify it, and to send alerts. The other one is for methods for deploying hearing instrument fitting software and hearing instrument adaptation. This concerns the way the device is made to work. It ranges from the type of power the device uses, the alert type fitted to it, the way it is operated and even the software installed that enables it to interpret the type of noise collected. On the other hand, the Hearing protection device with integrated audiometric testing is specifically for the alert systems.
MWE (Memphis Wannabe Engineer) has been able to know that the device we are using is fully tested and that they are accepted by the government. At least, we are able to know that what we are using is legal and we cannot get into any trouble by using the noise measurement dosimeter. In summary, the patents make our search legal and thus reliable.
PATENT NO.
TITLE
1
10019979
Selective suppression of audio emitted from an audio source
2
US8032079B2
Hearing system, hearing device and method of operating and method of maintaining a hearing device
3
EP2030420A4
Personal sound system
4
US7945065B2
Method for deploying hearing instrument fitting software, and hearing instrument adapted therefor
5
9,895,088
Hearing protection device with integrated audiometric testing
6
EP2227042B1
System and method for sharing network resources between hearing devices
Table 3: Patent Search Table
Copyright Title
Copyright Number
Date
321Q tinnitus masker protocol
TX0003601431
1993
Microtek’s 321Q sleep unit electronic breakthrough.
TX0003601447
1992
Microtek Medical, Inc. 321Q tinnitus masker technical monograph.
TX0003601432
1992
MK-1 audio dosimeter: operating manual.
TX0000996825
1982
Table 4: Copyright Search Table
• Impact of the project from a global, economic, environmental and societal perspective.
This project has potential significant impact on the environmental, economy and even society. This is a project that can help globally. In the first place, if the project is completed and desired results acquired, there could be a strong market for the dosimeter could have got a very good market. This is because it will be used by many researchers to measure and compute the noise levels in their various environments. Environmentally, the project will help reduce noise both in work places and in homes. This means that noise pollution will be a thing of the past. This is because when the standards are high, the relevant bodies will be forced to take a step. In terms societal, the people who are in society will be helped not to get hearing impairments. This is because when the noise levels will be too high, there will be a need to reduce them and thus, people will not be affected. Thus, this project will be of great benefit to different bodies not only individuals but also companies and even countries.
• Concept Development
There are a number of concepts that allow the product to be selected; the concepts are divided into five groups and each of them gives a given specification
User Interface. Under the user interface, the dosimeter will use switches. The switches will be turn on when the dosimeter is on and when it is not working, they can be turned off. This will help in a number of ways among these managing power. There will also be a keypad that will be used to operate the dosimeter. The keypad will have different keys that have different functions used to lead the researchers using the dosimeter. It also has a voice that provides alerts to the researcher when the sound has reached a certain degree. The alert can also tell the researcher if there is anything that needs to be done, such as if the noise degree needs to be stored or sent to an app in the phone to wait for computation.
Alert Output. This looks at how the product will send a signal to the researcher. The dosimeter will send alerts by use of vibrating ringtones or using light signals. Similarly, the product can send alerts to the researcher through a text message. The intention of this concept s to ensure that the researcher knows when there is any alert that needs to be known.
Connectivity: The dosimeter will best be used when it is hard wired. On the other hand, it can use a Micro SD Card or even a small USB. Connectivity ensures that the product is connected to the phone app where it can be read by the researcher.
Power: the dosimeter will use AC Power, a battery or solar power. The intent of power is to ensure that the products active throughout the research period and that it does not go off.
Size: the dosimeter should be small such as pocket sized so that it can be carried easily. On the other hand, it can be earpiece sized so that it can be fixed to the Its shape has to be flexible so that it can be carried with ease. Lastly, the product can be notebook sized so that it cannot give the researcher a hard time having to carry it.
This information was summarized in the table below;