60results about "Deaf amplification systems" patented technology

A method for processing audio signals optimizes the listening experience for hearing impaired individuals to feel stigmatized by requiring them to employ special hearing-impaired equipment. A user actuated controller controls a mixture of a preferred audio signal and a remaining audio signal across a range sufficiently wide enough to encompass all individuals. The preferred audio is recorded and maintained separate from all remaining audio and delivered to the listener in a manner that maintains the separateness of the preferred audio and the remaining audio. The user actuated controller includes the capability of automatically maintaining the listener established ratio in the face of changes in the audio signal. The user actuated controller enables the user to specify a range about the ratio in which the audio may vary, which permits the listener to expand the audio across a continuous range to whatever dynamic range his hearing can accommodate. The controller automatically adjusts to changes in incoming audio. The controller can react to relatively slowly moving changes or prevent short bursts of sound in the remaining audio from modifying the signal levels. The combination of the above aspects provides a heretofore not possible listening experience that can accommodate the listening desires of all listeners. The combination of the ability to control the ratio of preferred audio to remaining audio and to specify the dynamic range about the ratio in which the audio may vary, coupled with the ability of the controller to automatically adjust the signal levels in response to sudden changes in incoming audio, provides a powerful user capability that truly optimizes the listening experience for any listener.

A method of identifies an appropriate wireless communication channel in an audio receiving device, that comprises 1) a wireless receiver receiving an audio signal on a particular transmission channel selected among a predefined number of possible transmission channels, and 2) a microphone for picking up a sound in the environment of the audio receiving device. The method comprises a) selecting a channel as the receiving channel among a predefined number of possible transmission channels; b) analyzing the received signal received and the signal picked up by the microphone; c) determining whether a predefined criterion concerning the degree of similarity of the received signal and the signal picked up by the microphone is fulfilled; d) KEEPING the channel as the receiving channel, if the predefined criterion is fulfilled; and e) CHANGING the receiving channel to another channel if the predefined criterion is NOT fulfilled.

A system consisting of interconnectible, hearing-assistive, portable “units” which can address communication problems that persons who are hard of hearing experience in many social settings (such as while dining out with friends in a noisy restaurant). The system allows each unit operator to share multiple audio input signals coming into any of the connected units with the other participants using the system. The operator is also able to selectively amplify one or more of the incoming audio signals (such as from the voices of one or more of the participants) while blocking out or turning down another (such as from background music). The units are capable of integrating audio signals with video, word processing and internet data. An innovative method for improving communication for persons who are hard of hearing in public and private settings is also claimed.

A method for processing audio signals optimizes the listening experience for hearing impaired listeners, as well as non-hearing impaired listeners, without forcing hearing impaired individuals to feel stigmatized by requiring them to employ special hearing-impaired equipment. A user actuated controller controls a mixture of a preferred audio signal and a remaining audio signal across a range sufficiently wide enough to encompass all individuals. The preferred audio is recorded and maintained separate from all remaining audio and delivered to the listener in a manner that maintains the separateness of the preferred audio and the remaining audio. The user actuated controller includes the capability of automatically maintaining the listener established ratio in the face of changes in the audio signal. The user actuated controller enables the user to specify a range about the ratio in which the audio may vary, which permits the listener to expand the audio across a continuous range to whatever dynamic range his hearing can accommodate. The controller automatically adjusts to changes in incoming audio. The controller can react to relatively slowly moving changes or prevent short bursts of sound in the remaining audio from modifying the signal levels. The combination of the above aspects provides a heretofore not possible listening experience that can accommodate the listening desires of all listeners. The combination of the ability to control the ratio of preferred audio to remaining audio and to specify the dynamic range about the ratio in which the audio may vary, coupled with the ability of the controller to automatically adjust the signal levels in response to sudden changes in incoming audio, provides a powerful user capability that truly optimizes the listening experience for any listener.

A audio enhancement system and method of use with a sound system for producing primary sound from at least one main loudspeaker located at a main position. The audio enhancement system comprises at least one wireless transmitter, time delay circuitry, and plural augmented sound producing subsystems. Each sound subsystem is a portable unit arranged to be carried by a person located remote from the main loudspeaker and includes a wireless receiver and an associated transduce device, e.g., a pair of stereo headphones. The transmitter broadcasts an electrical signal which is representative of the electrical input signal provided to the main loudspeaker. The broadcast signal is receiver by the receiver and is demodulated and amplified to drive the transducer so that it produces augmented sound substantially in synchronism with the sound arriving from the main loudspeaker. To achieve that end the time delay circuitry delays the electrical signal which is provided to the transducer for a predetermined period of time corresponding generally to the time period it takes for the primary sound to propagate through the air from the main loudspeaker to the remote location at which the person is located.

The purpose is to provide a cellular phone attachment for a hearing-impaired person. The attachment is adapted to be used as a hearing aid for catching a voice sound issued from the conversation partners when the hearing-impaired person makes conversation to his or her partners through the cellular phone. The attachment is constructed of: a microphone disposed closely adjacent to a receiver opening of the cellular phone in use; a bone conduction speaker adapted to be brought into contact with a portion of the person's head; a main body portion provided with an amplifier and a battery; and, a fitting means for mounting each of the microphone, the bone conduction speaker and the main body portion on the cellular phone.

A system for assisting a hearing impaired user is presented. The system includes a transmitter to transmit data representing audio intended to be heard by a hearing impaired person, the transmitter paired with at least one intended receiver. The transmitter includes: an analogue-to-digital converter to convert an analogue audio signal into digitally represented audio data, and a transmitter to transmit the digitally represented audio data in a radio signal on an active channel selected from a plurality of channels. The system also includes a receiver to receive data representing audio to be heard by the hearing impaired person, the receiver paired with the transmitter device. The receiver includes a receiver to receive the radio signal containing the digitally represented audio data, the radio signal being received from the transmitter on the active channel, and a digital-to-analogue converter to convert the digitally represented audio data into an analogue audio signal.

A system for assisting a hearing impaired user is presented. The system includes a transmitter to transmit data representing audio intended to be heard by a hearing impaired person, the transmitter paired with at least one intended receiver. The transmitter includes: an analogue-to-digital converter to convert an analogue audio signal into digitally represented audio data, and a transmitter to transmit the digitally represented audio data in a radio signal on an active channel selected from a plurality of channels. The system also includes a receiver to receive data representing audio to be heard by the hearing impaired person, the receiver paired with the transmitter device. The receiver includes a receiver to receive the radio signal containing the digitally represented audio data, the radio signal being received from the transmitter on the active channel, and a digital-to-analogue converter to convert the digitally represented audio data into an analogue audio signal.

The invention relates to a hearing aid device and method, in particular to the hearing aid device and method for separating and positioning sound sources in noise environments. The hearing aid device comprises a microphone array, a sound source position displayer, a sound source separating and positioning module, a signal collector, an analog signal amplifier and a sound source selection keyboard. The sound source separating and positioning module adopts a cross-correlation method to process the collected microphone signals to obtain eight initial positions of the sound sources relative to the microphone array, the collected microphone signals are processed through a blind source separation method based on space search to obtain sound sources containing voices of a talker and other persons, a user selects out the sound sources containing voices of the talker through the sound source selection keyboard and computes the accurate position of the talker relative to the microphone array according to the selected sound source, and the position of the sound source is displayed in the sound source position displayer. By means of the hearing aid device and method, voice signals of two persons involving in the conversations in the noise environments can be separated automatically, and a positioning function of a sound signal source is added. Furthermore, the hearing aid device and method for separating and positioning sound sources in noise environments are convenient to use.

Systems and methods for wireless communication can include a first unit configured to synchronously transmit a first digital audio packet redundantly in at least a first dedicated slot and a second dedicated slot over a time period, and a second unit configured to receive wireless transmissions from the first unit. In certain embodiments, the second unit does not listen for a transmission in the second dedicated slot if the first digital audio packet is received in the first dedicated slot. In certain embodiments, the units are encoded with a group code that identifies group members, such that the units only receive data packets transmitted by group members with the same group code.

A system for providing hearing assistance to at least one user, having at least one audio signal source; a transmission unit with a digital transmitter for wirelessly transmitting audio signals as data packets to a frame structure from the audio signal source; at least one ear-worn receiver unit for receiving the transmitted audio signals and a hearing stimulating mechanism, the receiver unit having a digital transceiver adapted to listen, and optionally transmit, during part of each frame and to sleep during the remainder of the frame; wherein the receiver unit has a capacitor for supplying current to the transceiver during listening or transmission operation, and a controlled current source including a control unit for controlling current flowing to the transceiver and the capacitor a manner preventing changes in the current flowing to the transceiver and the capacitor caused by the transceiver switching between sleeping and listening / transmission operation and vice versa.

The invention discloses a recording data training method, a multi-track audio surrounding method and a recording data training device, and belongs to the field of audio processing. The recording data training method comprises the following steps: according to an hearing environment of a user, modeling to obtain a virtual hearing model; according to physiological data of the head of the user, modeling to obtain a virtual dummy head model; calculating to obtain interaural time difference (ITD) corresponding to direct waves of each sound track; calculating to obtain interaural latency difference (ILD) corresponding to direct waves of each sound track. The multi-track audio surrounding method comprises the following steps: obtaining original multi-track audio content; according to the ITD and the ILD obtained by the recording data training method, performing conversion on sound data of each sound track in the multi-track audio content to obtain left channel data and right channel data which correspond to each sound track; mixing the left sound channel data corresponding to each sound track into target left channel data and mixing right sound channel data corresponding to each sound track into target right sound channel data to generate stereo audio content.

A method for providing sound to at least one user, in which audio signals are captured and transformed into audio data that is transmitted to at least one receiver unit; audio signals are generated from the received audio data and the hearing of the user(s) stimulated thereby; wherein the audio data is transmitted as audio data packets in separate slots of a TDMA frame structure, wherein the transmission unit and the receiver unit(s) are synchronized to form a wireless network, wherein each TDMA frame structure has at least one listening slot during which the synchronized network members do not transmit data and at least one network members listens, and wherein control data is transmitted from an external control device according to a sequence pattern selected according to the duration and periodicity of the listening slot(s) to be received by the at least one synchronized network member during said listening slot(s).

Systems and methods for wireless communication can include a first unit configured to synchronously transmit a first digital audio packet redundantly in at least a first dedicated slot and a second dedicated slot over a time period, and a second unit configured to receive wireless transmissions from the first unit. In certain embodiments, the second unit does not listen for a transmission in the second dedicated slot if the first digital audio packet is received in the first dedicated slot. In certain embodiments, the units are encoded with a group code that identifies group members, such that the units only receive data packets transmitted by group members with the same group code.

A system and method for improving sound quality for subjects with impaired hearing by applying a lowpass filter and a set of mid- to high-frequency narrowband filters to a signal. A set of narrowband filters are applied to sounds so that the impaired ear is stimulated to respond in a manner more similar to that of a healthy ear at low to moderate sound levels, for which intelligibility is high. Information falling outside of the set of narrowband filters is “discarded” or filtered out, which preserves the representation of the information in the narrowbands. Because energy at frequencies between the narrowband filters is discarded, the sound spectrum is significantly changed, resulting in a clearer sound that is more natural and higher in intelligibility than conventional sounds or sound processing techniques.

The invention discloses an analog front-end circuit with low power consumption for medical equipment. The analog front-end circuit comprises an automatic gain control (AGC) loop (10) with low power consumption and high precision and a second-order three-bit quantitative Sigma-Delta analog to digital converter (ADC) (20), wherein the AGC loop (10) is used for adjusting a microphone signal to a reasonable signal amplitude range; and the second-order three-bit quantitative Sigma-Delta ADC (20) is used for converting an analog signal to a digital code and outputting the digital code to a DSP (digital signal processor) for processing. With the adoption of three-level comparison, the mixed analog-digital AGC loop and a single-chip full integration of the second-order three-bit quantitative Sigma-Delta ADC, the analog front-end circuit with low power consumption for the medical equipment can be realized. The analog front-end circuit has the advantages of high precision, strong configurability and low power consumption in the entire circuit, and is applied to the systems of the medical equipment.

The present invention provides a sound processing device, sound processing method, and program. The sound processing device includes a background noise estimation unit configured to estimate a background noise of an input signal, a noise suppression unit configured to suppress the background noise of the input signal based on a result obtained by estimating the background noise, a feature quantity calculation unit configured to calculate a feature quantity based on the input signal in which the background noise is suppressed, and a consonant detection unit configured to detect a consonant from the input signal based on the feature quantity.

A mobile microphone assembly (10) has at least one microphone (40, 42) for generating an audio signal output (52) from sound impinging on the least one microphone, an acceleration sensor (48) for sensing the acceleration acting on the microphone assembly with regard to three orthogonal axes and for providing for an acceleration signal according to the sensed acceleration, and a control unit (50) for judging, by analyzing the acceleration signal, whether there is a drop-down event of the microphone assembly and for interrupting the audio signal output during a drop-down event.

A hearing-assist system for use in a venue in which ambient sounds contain dialogue as well as other components which comprises circuitry inserted in a signal path between a program source feed in a program occurring in the venue and a hearing-assist unit worn by a user in that venue which reduces psychoacoustic conflict and interference between sound which is ambient in the venue and sound heard by the user via the hearing-assist unit.

A method of identifies an appropriate wireless communication channel in an audio receiving device, that comprises 1) a wireless receiver receiving an audio signal on a particular transmission channel selected among a predefined number of possible transmission channels, and 2) a microphone for picking up a sound in the environment of the audio receiving device. The method comprises a) selecting a channel as the receiving channel among a predefined number of possible transmission channels; b) analyzing the received signal received and the signal picked up by the microphone; c) determining whether a predefined criterion concerning the degree of similarity of the received signal and the signal picked up by the microphone is fulfilled; d) KEEPING the channel as the receiving channel, if the predefined criterion is fulfilled; and e) CHANGING the receiving channel to another channel if the predefined criterion is NOT fulfilled.

Hearing system comprising a hearing device and an FM receiver, the FM receiver being adapted to be operationally connected to the hearing device and to communicate wirelessly with an FM transmitter on an FM channel, the hearing device comprising memory storing configuration data indicating the FM channel and transferring means for transferring the stored configuration data to the FM receiver, the hearing system further comprising a configurator adapted to configure the FM receiver to use the indicated FM channel for communicating wirelessly with the FM transmitter. The hearing system further comprises a detector adapted to detect whether the FM receiver is operationally connected to the hearing device, and the transferring means further is adapted to transfer the stored configuration data to the FM receiver in response to the FM receiver going from not being operationally connected to being operationally connected to the hearing device.

The present invention relates to hearing aid with various changes of shapes, more particularly to free hearing aid providing multi-shape and multi-function. The components of hearing aid-ear tip, shell, faceplate cover, faceplate, and battery room cover etc.-that are standardized suitably to various sizes of many people is produced on a large scale, and a coupling production that can combine and separate components of hearing aid easily changes the form of the hearing aid variously. Also, because only the replacement of battery room cover transforms the volume of a battery room, battery capacity of various sizes can be used.

The invention relates to a collective optimal listening gain system and a collective optimal listening implementation method. The system comprises at least one miniature microphone and a plurality ofsound amplifying devices which are in wireless connection with the miniature microphones; the multiple sound amplifying devices are uniformly arranged above an optimal listening space at intervals; sound outlets correspond to all regions in the optimal listening space; and a plurality of sound absorption bodies are arranged above the optimal listening space. The method comprises the following steps that sound is collected by the miniature microphones and are converted into an electric signal to be wirelessly sent to the multiple sound amplifying devices; and the multiple sound amplifying devices correspondingly transmit sound waves to all the regions of the optimal listening space, meanwhile, the sound absorption bodies are used for absorbing ambient noise and whistle tones generated by the multiple sound amplifying devices, so that the whole optimal listening space forms a uniformly-propagating sound field. According to the system and the method, the uniformly-propagated sound field can be formed in the whole optimal listening space, and the highest-quality sound can be heard at any point of the optimal listening space; and a teacher can conduct teaching or tutoring at any place of a classroom as long as the teacher wears the miniature microphone.

Hearing system comprising a hearing device and an FM receiver, the FM receiver being adapted to be operationally connected to the hearing device and to communicate wirelessly with an FM transmitter on an FM channel, the hearing device comprising memory storing configuration data indicating the FM channel and transferring means for transferring the stored configuration data to the FM receiver, the hearing system further comprising a configurator adapted to configure the FM receiver to use the indicated FM channel for communicating wirelessly with the FM transmitter. The hearing system further comprises a detector adapted to detect whether the FM receiver is operationally connected to the hearing device, and the transferring means further is adapted to transfer the stored configuration data to the FM receiver in response to the FM receiver going from not being operationally connected to being operationally connected to the hearing device.

Improvement to a sound system for an elevator system and method for implementing the sound system for an elevator. The elevator sound system is improved by replacing at least one loudspeaker to be used in the sound system with a plate-like electrostatic actuator producing a directed sound field. The patent application also contains an independent claim for a method for implementing a sound system for an elevator.

A method of identifies an appropriate wireless communication channel in an audio receiving device, that comprises 1) a wireless receiver receiving an audio signal on a particular transmission channel selected among a predefined number of possible transmission channels, and 2) a microphone for picking up a sound in the environment of the audio receiving device. The method comprises a) selecting a channel as the receiving channel among a predefined number of possible transmission channels; b) analyzing the received signal received and the signal picked up by the microphone; c) determining whether a predefined criterion concerning the degree of similarity of the received signal and the signal picked up by the microphone is fulfilled; d) KEEPING the channel as the receiving channel, if the predefined criterion is fulfilled; and e) CHANGING the receiving channel to another channel if the predefined criterion is NOT fulfilled.

A radio receiving system to compensate for hearing loss comprises a receiver, a sound reproduction device, and a hearing loss compensator. The receiver is generally located in the cockpit of an aircraft. The receiver receives radio frequency transmissions and converts the transmissions into audio frequency electrical signals. The sound reproduction device converts audio frequency electrical signals into audible sounds and generally includes one or two speakers to be positioned in close proximity to a pilot's ears. The hearing loss compensator provides audio frequency electrical signal gain at a plurality of frequencies and may include programmable electrical circuitry and memory elements. The programmable electrical circuitry may adjust the electrical signal gain at each of the plurality of frequencies and the memory elements may store settings for the gain at each of the plurality of frequencies. Settings for various age groups, gender-specific settings, or individual pilot settings may be stored in the memory elements.

The invention relates to an audio transmission device intended for co-action with a hearing aid provided with a loop listener for application in a lift for the purpose of converting a first audio signal originating from one or more audio sources in the lift, including the lift communication system, to a magnetic field suitable for receiving on the hearing aid, comprising a power supply connection, a first audio input connection intended for the purpose of receiving the first audio signal, an induction loop amplifier intended for the purpose of amplifying the first audio signal and a loop antenna which is coupled to the induction loop amplifier and intended for the purpose of generating the magnetic field.

A system for providing hearing assistance to at least one user, having at least one audio signal source; a transmission unit with a digital transmitter for wirelessly transmitting audio signals as data packets to a frame structure from the audio signal source; at least one ear-worn receiver unit for receiving the transmitted audio signals and a hearing stimulating mechanism, the receiver unit having a digital transceiver adapted to listen, and optionally transmit, during part of each frame and to sleep during the remainder of the frame; wherein the receiver unit has a capacitor for supplying current to the transceiver during listening or transmission operation, and a controlled current source including a control unit for controlling current flowing to the transceiver and the capacitor a manner preventing changes in the current flowing to the transceiver and the capacitor caused by the transceiver switching between sleeping and listening / transmission operation and vice versa.