Abstract
Human tympanic membrane vibration induced by sound is transmitted to a cochlea via auditory ossicles and stimulates an auditory nerve. Therefore, the detailed study of the tympanic membrane motion is necessary to elucidate mechanisms of human hearing. In the present study, the sound-induced vibration of tympanic membrane was measured by using a laser doppler vibrometer and the optical system of a surgical microscope in three normal hearing human subjects at six sound frequencies. The vibration was measured at the center of the tympanic membrane, the center of the area of the light reflex, the center of the opposite area of the light reflex, and the center of the area of the tens part. Experimental results show that the amplitude of the vibration at the center of the tympanic membrane is smaller than that of the other measuring points. This is important because it provides a crucial information to create better vibration models of the tympanic membrane.
