179results about "Details for specific frequency response" patented technology

A silicon-based transducer assembly coupled to a movable structure in a hearing instrument. The transducer assembly includes at least one microphone chip and an ASIC having multiple integrated components such as any combination of a DSP, an A / D converter, an amplifier, a filter, or a wireless interface. The movable structure may be a battery access door, a volume dial, a switch, or a touch pad. A protection strip can be disposed across the battery access door to prevent debris from clogging the silicon-based transducer assembly. The transducer assembly may also include an array of microphone chips to achieve adaptive beam steering or directionality. When equipped with a wireless interface, the hearing instrument wirelessly communicates with another hearing instrument or with a network.

According to the first aspect of the invention, a hearing instrument with at least one microphone and signal processing comprises at least two receivers having a different frequency response. At least a first one of the receivers is placed outside the ear canal, for example in a behind-the-ear component. According to the second aspect of the invention, a hearing instrument comprising a behind-the-ear component and an external component for being placed in the user's ear canal or in the user's ear as well as a connection link between the behind-the-ear component and the external component is provided, where the connection link is reversibly pluggable to the behind-the-ear component and / or the in-the-ear-canal component and has a length that is reversibly adjustable. The hearing instrument also comprises fixation means for reversibly fixing the adjusted length of the connection link. A hearing instrument according to the third aspect comprises a fixation means separate from the in-the-ear-canal component. The fixation means may be positioned in the ear canal and rest therein. The in-the-ear-canal component may be connected to the fixation means and detached therefrom when the same is already in the ear canal. A hearing instrument according to the fourth aspect of the invention comprises an in-the-ear-canal component to be placed in a user's ear canal and fixation means for fixing it in the ear canal. The fixation means comprise an outer shell which is shaped to fit (i.e. custom shaped to fit the specific user's ear geometry) in the user's ear canal and a mounting structure for holding the in-the-ear-canal component. The outer shell is preferably resilient, i.e. has an elasticity allowing temporal deformation.

A method of optimizing the audio performance of an earpiece and the resultant device are provided. The disclosed earpiece combines at least two drivers within a single earpiece. If a pair of drivers is used, each driver has a discrete sound delivery tube. If more than two drivers are used, preferably the outputs from the two lower frequency drivers are merged into a single sound delivery tube while the output from the third driver is maintained in a separate, discrete sound tube. To compensate for the inherent phase shift of the earpiece the lengths of the sound delivery tubes, and thus driver offset, are regulated. Further audio performance optimization can be achieved through an iterative process of measuring the performance of the earpiece and making further, minor adjustments to the sound delivery tube lengths. The sound delivery tubes can include transition regions. The earpiece is configured to use removable / replaceable eartips. Acoustic filters can be interposed between one or both driver outputs and the earpiece output.

An occluding hearing aid having anti-occlusion effect techniques combined with at least one improvement which, in the preferred embodiment, includes enhancement of acoustic output in the lower-midrange and bass frequency regions, typically between substantially 40 and 500 Hz, which regions are crucial for natural reproduction of multimedia sound and music but are not optimally processed, and generally not provided at all, in prior art hearing aids in order to avoid exacerbation of the occlusion effect. In specific embodiments, the hearing aid of the present invention includes primary or first microphone exposed to external sound plus a secondary or second microphone exposed to sound within an ear canal, in which a signal produced by the secondary microphone is applied as negative feedback to an input of a non-gain controlling signal process and amplifier driving a hearing aid receiver (transducer), whereby, it has been determined by the present inventor, the occlusion effect may be substantially canceled. The hearing aid further comprises at least one of ten combinational improvements each providing substantial performance benefits over known techniques and devices.

A hearing aid having two physically separate receivers, one for outputting low frequency (LF) acoustic sounds and another for outputting high frequency (HF) acoustic sounds. The LF receiver's output port is connected to a tube in which the HF receiver is inserted. The LF acoustic sounds either flow around the HF receiver, which include standoffs to space the HF receiver away from the inner tube wall, or through a channel in the HF receiver. At the output of the HF receiver, the LF and HF acoustic sounds are combined to form an acoustic signal that is transmitted to the ear canal. The LF receiver can be optimized for compliance, distortion, resonance frequency, and output. Its orientation is selected for reducing the overall size of the hearing aid. The HF receiver is smaller and placed far away from any microphone(s), reducing feedback effects, and may have a cylindrical or rectangular shape.

An In The Ear (ITE) microphone improves the acoustic response of a Behind The Ear (BTE) Implantable Cochlear Stimulation (ICS) system during telephone use. An acoustic seal provided by holding a telephone earpiece against the ear provides improved coupling of low frequency (up to about 1 KHz) sound waves, sufficient to overcome losses due to the near field acoustic characteristics common to telephones. In a preferred embodiment, the ITE microphone is connected to a removable ear hook of the BTE ICS system by a short bendable stalk.

A hearing aid and a receiver for use therein, the receiver being tip-mountable in a chamber of a housing. The back chamber of the receiver is acoustically connected to the chamber of the housing. The receiver is a dual-diaphragm receiver providing no or very little vibrations, whereby the receiver is fixedly but removably mounted to the housing. Electrical connections are provided between the receiver and housing using solderless, biasing electrical contacts, whereby removal of the receiver is facilitated.

The hearing device comprises an ear-piece (1) which is designed to be worn at least partially in an ear canal of a user of the hearing device. The ear-piece (1) comprises a vent passage (3) connecting the ear canal with the atmosphere. The vent passage (3) has an inner opening (8) towards the ear-canal and an outer opening (9) towards the atmosphere. The ear-piece (1) further comprises a vent extension (4). The vent extension (4) is a protrusion extending the vent passage (3) beyond the body (2) of the ear-piece (1). The vent extension (4) is adapted for abutting on a surface of the body of the user and is thereby inconspicuous and / or contributes thereby to retention. A method for manufacturing such a hearing device is also disclosed.

An earphone assembly for an in-ear listening device and method for filtering a portion of an audible sound output are disclosed. An earphone comprises a housing configured to receive a nozzle, a plurality of drivers each having an acoustical output disposed within the housing, and an elongated passageway disposed within the housing configured to filter at least an audible portion of a sound wave output from at least one of the plurality of drivers. The method comprises providing an elongated passageway to provide an increased path length and connecting an output of the at least one driver to the elongated passageway to configure the sound output to be received within the elongated passageway to acoustically filter a portion of the sound output from the at least one driver.

A method of optimizing the audio performance of an earpiece and the resultant device are provided. The disclosed earpiece combines at least two drivers within a single earpiece. If a pair of drivers is used, each driver has a discrete sound delivery tube. If more than two drivers are used, preferably the outputs from the two lower frequency drivers are merged into a single sound delivery tube while the output from the third driver is maintained in a separate, discrete sound tube. To compensate for the inherent phase shift of the earpiece the lengths of the sound delivery tubes, and thus driver offset, are regulated. Further audio performance optimization can be achieved through an iterative process of measuring the performance of the earpiece and making further, minor adjustments to the sound delivery tube lengths. The sound delivery tubes can include transition regions. The earpiece is configured to use removable / replaceable eartips. Acoustic filters can be interposed between one or both driver outputs and the earpiece output.

A hearing aid (10) having an active occlusion reduction system (50) that counteracts occluded sounds generated within the volume (24) of the ear canal (20) that is not blocked when the hearing aid (10), or an ear piece thereof, is inserted into the ear canal (20) and an AOR transducer (44, 52) that has a flattened frequency response for low frequency portions of the occlusion sounds to enable a wide range of frequency response by the active occlusion reduction system (50). The low frequency portions of the occlusion sounds may be in the range of 10-100 Hz.

A multi-driver in-ear monitor for use with either a recorded or a live audio source is provided. If a pair of drivers is used, each driver has an individual sound delivery tube. If three drivers are used, the outputs from two of the drivers are merged into a single sound delivery tube while the output from the third driver is maintained in a separate, discrete sound tube. The sound delivery tubes remain separate throughout the end portion of the earpiece. The earpiece tip is configured to be fitted with any of a variety of sleeves (e.g., foam sleeves, flanged sleeves, etc.), thus allowing the in-ear monitor to be easily tailored to comfortably fit within any of a variety of ear canals. Due to the size constraints of such an earpiece, the sound delivery tubes include a transition region. Acoustic filters (i.e., dampers) can be interposed between one or both driver outputs and the earpiece output.

A removable bezel (122) for use with an audio device (120) to enhance operation with a hearing aid (102). The removable bezel (122) has an electromagnetic coil (132) that is coupled to the audio output (124, 304, 404, 406) of the audio device. The electromagnetic coil (132) is either inductively coupled to an acoustic transducer (124) within the audio device (120) or by a direct electrical connection (314). The electromagnetic coil (132) has multiple turns and provides an enhanced magnetic field to a “T-Coil” magnetic pick up (112) within most conventional hearing aids (102). A cellular phone (104) is an example of an audio device used with the present invention. A method for use of the removable bezel (122) is also provided.

A hearing aid comprises a microphone that receives incident sound waves from one or more sources external to the hearing aid, and converts the sound waves into electronic signals; a circuit that amplifies the electronic signals; a receiver that converts the amplified electronic signals into amplified sound waves; and a tuned resonant cavity between the microphone and the at least one external sound source. At least one parameter of the tuned resonant cavity is selected to modify the frequency response of the incident sound waves that are received by the microphone. In particular, the geometry of one or more openings through which sound waves enter the chamber, the geometry of the chamber itself, and / or the geometry of one or more openings through which sound waves exit the chamber, are selected to condition the incident sound waves by modifying the frequency response of the audio signal prior to the signal being received at the microphone.

According to the first aspect of the invention, a hearing instrument with at least one microphone and signal processing comprises at least two receivers having a different frequency response. At least a first one of the receivers is placed outside the ear canal, for example in a behind-the-ear component. According to the second aspect of the invention, a hearing instrument comprising a behind-the-ear component and an external component for being placed in the user's ear canal or in the user's ear as well as a connection link between the behind-the-ear component and the external component is provided, where the connection link is reversibly pluggable to the behind-the-ear component and / or the in-the-ear-canal component and has a length that is reversibly adjustable. The hearing instrument also comprises fixation means for reversibly fixing the adjusted length of the connection link. A hearing instrument according to the third aspect comprises a fixation means separate from the in-the-ear-canal component. The fixation means may be positioned in the ear canal and rest therein. The in-the-ear-canal component may be connected to the fixation means and detached therefrom when the same is already in the ear canal.

A hearing aid includes a receiver with a receiver housing, the receiver having a sound port opening, and being configured to be placed at least partly in an ear canal of a user, and a sound tube acoustically connected to the sound port opening of the receiver, the sound tube having a longitudinal extension in at least two directions, wherein the sound tube has a total length of at least 16 mm. A hearing aid includes a behind the ear (BTE) unit configured to process sound and generate an electrical signal, an earpiece, and a signal conductor configured to communicate the electrical signal to the earpiece, wherein the earpiece comprises a receiver that is configured to convert the electrical signal into a sound signal, and wherein the earpiece further comprises a sound tube that is coupled to a sound port opening at the receiver, the sound tube having a longitudinal extension in at least two directions.

At least a partial seal between a housing of a hearing instrument and an ear canal is provided. First signals are received from an internal microphone disposed in the ear canal. Second signals are received from an external microphone disposed outside of the ear canal. A condition of the at least a partial seal is determined, and when the condition of the at least a partial seal indicates a leak, one or more of the level and the spectrum of the first signals is adjusted to compensate for the leak and producing first adjusted signal. A first amount of the first adjusted signals is blended with a second amount of the second signals to produce a blended signal, the first amount and the second amount selected based upon a level of noise.

A multi-driver in-ear monitor for use with either a recorded or a live audio source is provided. If a pair of drivers is used, each driver has an individual sound delivery tube. If three drivers are used, the outputs from two of the drivers are merged into a single sound delivery tube while the output from the third driver is maintained in a separate, discrete sound tube. The sound delivery tubes remain separate throughout the end portion of the earpiece. The earpiece tip is configured to be fitted with any of a variety of sleeves (e.g., foam sleeves, flanged sleeves, etc.), thus allowing the in-ear monitor to be easily tailored to comfortably fit within any of a variety of ear canals. Due to the size constraints of such an earpiece, the sound delivery tubes include a transition region. Acoustic filters (i.e., dampers) can be interposed between one or both driver outputs and the earpiece output.

An earphone includes: a loudspeaker unit; a sound conductive tube which is connected to a front surface having a diaphragm included in the loudspeaker unit, and has a hole through which a sound generated from the loudspeaker unit is emitted; a housing which is connected to a back surface of the loudspeaker unit so that a space is formed between the housing and the back surface of the loudspeaker unit, and has a first air hole connecting the space to external air; a first braking part which closes a sound hole of the loudspeaker unit; and a second braking part which closes the first air hole.

An apparatus and method for tailoring the audio frequency response of a hearing aid or other ear piece by altering the physical characteristics of the device to more accurately compensate for a user's specific hearing loss attributes. The device has a bore formed within its ear piece shell which provides a passage for the transmission of sound from the speaker or receiver of the device toward the user's eardrum. The bore has a custom-designed shape to emphasize desired sound frequencies and therefore produce a predetermined frequency response of sound in combination with any frequency response changes of the device's circuitry.

An In The Ear (ITE) microphone improves the acoustic response of a Behind The Ear (BTE) Implantable Cochlear Stimulation (ICS) system during telephone use. An acoustic seal provided by holding a telephone earpiece against the ear provides improved coupling of low frequency (up to about 1 KHz) sound waves, sufficient to overcome losses due to the near field acoustic characteristics common to telephones. In a preferred embodiment, the ITE microphone is connected to a removable ear hook of the BTE ICS system by a short bendable stalk.

A headphone structure for adjusting audio frequencies is provided, which comprises a front housing, a rear housing, a sound-producing unit in the front housing and an elastic ear-contacting body sleeving the front housing. The front housing has at least one slot or recess, and the elastic ear-contacting body sleeves the front housing to form at least one gap. The headphone structure for adjusting audio frequencies of the present invention has better results for the adjustment of bass frequencies. In addition, the headphone structure of the present invention is not complicated and is easy to manufacture. The headphone structure of the present invention can be applied to various types of headphone, such as in-ear headphones and circumaural headphones.

A hearing aid comprises a microphone that receives incident sound waves from one or more sources external to the hearing aid, and converts the sound waves into electronic signals; a circuit that amplifies the electronic signals; a receiver that converts the amplified electronic signals into amplified sound waves; and a tuned resonant cavity between the microphone and the at least one external sound source. At least one parameter of the tuned resonant cavity is selected to modify the frequency response of the incident sound waves that are received by the microphone. In particular, the geometry of one or more openings through which sound waves enter the chamber, the geometry of the chamber itself, and / or the geometry of one or more openings through which sound waves exit the chamber, are selected to condition the incident sound waves by modifying the frequency response of the audio signal prior to the signal being received at the microphone.

An audio system includes a headset and a portable computing device. The headset includes a first speaker and a first microphone, a second speaker, a second microphone and a processing unit. The first microphone and the second microphone output a first signal and a second signal, respectively. The processing unit combines the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal into a third electrical signal, and communicates the third electrical signal to a portable computing device through an output channel. The portable computing device preferably includes an application that separates the third electrical signal into the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal. The application compensates the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal for a hearing loss of an individual.

A hearing aid having hearing loss-compensating components, active occlusion reduction components, a vent, a tuned piston, and a flexible surround. The piston and the surround combination are assembled on the faceplate and cover the outside end of the vent that is situated on the faceplate. The piston and the surround combination minimize the adverse effects of walk-induced head vibrations.

A silicon-based transducer assembly coupled to a movable structure in a hearing instrument. The transducer assembly includes at least one microphone chip and an ASIC having multiple integrated components such as any combination of a DSP, an A / D converter, an amplifier, a filter, or a wireless interface. The movable structure may be a battery access door, a volume dial, a switch, or a touch pad. A protection strip can be disposed across the battery access door to prevent debris from clogging the silicon-based transducer assembly. The transducer assembly may also include an array of microphone chips to achieve adaptive beam steering or directionality. When equipped with a wireless interface, the hearing instrument wirelessly communicates with another hearing instrument or with a network.