• Author Author: dougw
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Special Project with Cypress PSoC6 BLE kit +  Honeywell Pressure Sensor

dougw

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This project is about building an interesting medical application project around Honeywell pressure sensors and a Cypress PSoC6 BLE Kit.

I am partnered with on this project. He will be doing most of the heavy lifting now that he has recieved a PSoC6 BLE Kit from . Thanks .

Our project aims to use a Honeywell pressure sensor to measure shock waves that could damage ears. The project will also experiment with different types of ear protection to see how effective they are in attenuating the over pressure associated with shockwaves.

To create a realistic test platform, I 3D printed a headform with cavities around the ear locations. These cavities can hold very realistic biofidelic ears. These ears will allow ear plugs to fit properly.

The pressure sensor can be mounted inside where the ear drum would be.

The pressure sensor measures gage pressure so the ambient port will need a tube to a location unaffected by the shockwave. Probably some heat-shrink tubing will be adequate.image

The pressure sensor will be read by the PSoC6, which will also display data on its e-ink display.

The shockwaves will be generated by a paintball gun shooting compressed air.

This preliminary video shows the apparatus and how it all works:

 

Here is a chart that puts sound levels and their damage potential in perspective:

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I will add links to blog when he has some progress to report on measuring pressure.

 

Relevant Links:

Need Someone for a Project: Cypress PSoc6 BLE kit +  Honeywell Pressure Sensor Shield

https://www.element14.com/community/roadTests/1862/l/cypress-psoc-6-ble-pioneer-kit-cy8ckit-062-ble#comment-117223

Solve Your IoT problems with the New Cypress PSoC 6 MCU: Purpose-Built for the IoT

http://www.cypress.com/documentation/development-kitsboards/psoc-6-ble-pioneer-kit

https://uk.farnell.com/honeywell/sek002/eval-kit-board-mount-pressure/dp/2849208?st=honeywell%20abp

https://sensing.honeywell.com/sensors/humidity-sensors/HIH8000-series

https://sensing.honeywell.com/hih8000-datasheet-009075-7-en.pdf

https://sensing.honeywell.com/ABPDRRT005PG2A5-amplified-board-mount-pressure-sensors

https://sensing.honeywell.com/honeywell-sensing-basic-board-mount-pressure-abp-series-datasheet-2305128-e-en.pdf

https://sensing.honeywell.com/honeywell-sensing-basic-board-mount-pressure-abp-series-installation-instructions-32305127…

 

Convert Sound Level to Pressure

Convert Pascals to PSI

Parents

  • What a great medical application.  Human safety, including hearing protection is a important field, which an area that should benefit from the development of sensors.  Given the wide range of environmental conditions that can damage hearing, I would have thought that a wider frequency range, like from a microphone, would have been a better choice of a sensor for these experiments.  I do look forward to following your progress through this blog series.

     

    Best of luck!

    Gene 

  • in reply to genebren

    Good point Gene. Chronic prolonged exposure to loud sound will definitely damage hearing even though when measured as a pressure loud sounds seem to be very low pressure. For example a .357 magnum gunshot is about 164 dB, but is still significantly less than 1 psi of overpressure (170 dB). Sounds at this level and above are definitely of concern for hearing damage, but only very specialized (very expensive) microphones will operate at these levels. I will add an interesting list of sounds to the blog to put it in perspective.

    I actually popped an eardrum once. I was trying to do 3.5 somersaults off a 3 meter diving board. When I realized I wasn't going to quite make the last rotation, I turned sideways to avoid a belly flop and my ear hit the water first. To me it was the loudest sound possible to hear as it ruptured my ear drum and filled my ear with high pressure water. It takes about 195 dB (16 psi) to rupture an eardrum. Getting out of the water I was so disoriented, and my balance so messed up, I could hardly walk. The prognosis for that ear recovering was very poor and I still couldn't hear much 3 months later when I went for a medical checkup. The ear doctor poked around and pulled out a giant scab ..... and suddenly I could hear perfectly - actually well above normal. That was a serendipitous, euphoric experience that enabled decades of participation in sports at a much higher level.

    And it is still working - yesterday I scored a goal and 2 assists playing hockey with guys half my age, and I'm still batting over 700 in softball - playoffs start tomorrow in the dome.

  • in reply to dougw

    Wow! That dive must have been a scary thing as you realized you were in trouble.  Good news on how your recovery went.  And even better news that you are staying active at this level of performance.  Play on!

     

    Gene

Comment Children
  • in reply to genebren

    I wasn't scared during the dive - I was practicing all kinds of dives and thought I knew how to prevent injury if they didn't go perfectly. I never considered my ears. Young, foolish and invincible .... until reality hits. It can be very depressing. I have been very fortunate several times to still be alive and healthy, but every brush with disaster brings a little more wisdom. I've been on a diving board lots of times since the accident, but I never expose my ears to a direct impact anymore....