Ear Canal with Ear Drum

R2026b

Acoustic impedance of human ear canal and ear drum

Since R2026b

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  • Ear Canal with Ear Drum block

Libraries:
Simscape Acoustics / Applications / Human Ear

Description

Add-On Required: This feature requires the Simscape Acoustics add-on.

This block simulates a human ear canal, including the ear drum, as defined in the IEC 60318-4 standard [1]. The block models the ear canal as a tube-shaped cavity using the Cylindrical Tube With Thermoviscous Losses Using Foster Network block. The block optionally models the concha, or outer pinna cavity, as another tube-shaped cavity. The block models the ear drum impedance, which includes partial canal length, identically to the Ear Drum Impedance block using the same equivalent circuit [2]. The figure shows the equivalent circuit of the block as a Simscape model with all components included.

Equivalent circuit to the Ear Canal with Ear Drum block as a Simscape model.

Table 2 of the reference lists the default values for each inertance, compliance, and resistance component. The block measures pressure across the C5 compliance component and volume velocity through the C5 compliance component. Enable the pressure and volume velocity outputs using the Output pressure across C5 and Output volume velocity through C5 parameters, respectively.

Examples

New
Model Ear Canal

Model Ear Canal

Model the acoustic response of an ear canal using Simscape™ Acoustics.

Ports

Output

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Physical signal output port for the pressure measurement.

Dependencies

To enable this port, set Output pressure across C5 to on.

Physical signal output port for the volume velocity measurement.

Dependencies

To enable this port, set Output volume velocity through C5 to on.

Conserving

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Input acoustic terminal of the ear canal.

Parameters

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Concha Parameters

Option to include the concha model in the ear canal with ear drum equivalent circuit.

Length of the concha in meters.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Include concha to on.

Radius of the concha in meters.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Include concha to on.

Canal Parameters

Length of the ear canal in meters.

Radius of the ear canal in meters.

Ear Drum Parameters

Inertance value of the L1 inertance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Inertance value of the L2 inertance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Inertance value of the L3 inertance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Inertance value of the L4 inertance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Inertance value of the L5 inertance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Compliance value of the C1 compliance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Compliance value of the C2 compliance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Compliance value of the C3 compliance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Compliance value of the C4 compliance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Compliance value of the C5 compliance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Resistance value of the R2 resistance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Resistance value of the R4 resistance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Additional Damping

Option to include the R1 acoustic resistance component in the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Resistance value of the R1 resistance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Include R1 to on.

Option to include the R3 acoustic resistance component in the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Resistance value of the R3 resistance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Include R3 to on.

Option to include the R5 acoustic resistance component in the ear drum equivalent circuit. Including R5 significantly reduces the resonance of the model at 13.5 kHz.

Resistance value of the R5 resistance component of the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Include R5 to on.

Optional Outputs

Option to output the pressure measured across the C5 acoustic compliance component in the ear drum equivalent circuit.

Option to output the volume velocity measured through the C5 acoustic compliance component in the ear drum equivalent circuit.

References

[1] IEC 60318-4:2010. "Electroacoustics — Simulators of human head and ear - Part 4: Occluded-ear simulator for the measurement of earphones coupled to the ear by means of ear inserts." International Electrotechnical Commission.

[2] Gazzola, C., V. Zega, A. Corigliano, P. Lotton, and M. Melon. “Lumped-Parameters Equivalent Circuit for Piezoelectric MEMS Speakers Modeling.” Proceedings of the 10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum 2023, January 17, 2024, 6307–14. https://doi.org/10.61782/fa.2023.0485.

Version History

Introduced in R2026b

See Also