Mobile Hearing Correction With Direct Audio Streaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile phone-based hearing aids are not suitable for real-time sound picking and amplification due to time lag caused by sound signals traversing storage elements and application processors, making them unsuitable for hearing impaired individuals.
Innovation Solution
A mobile phone-based hearing loss correction system with a microphone unit, speaker unit, and inbuilt application processor that directly streams environmental sound signals for real-time amplification and background noise suppression without using storage elements, utilizing multiple frequency bands for filtering and processing sound signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing mobile phone based hearing aids process sound signals through storage elements and application processors, then the device can provide hearing support functionality, but time lag occurs between picking up sound signal and delivering it to user
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful intermediate processing steps (storage elements and application processors) from the audio signal path. By directly connecting the microphone to the headphone through a dedicated audio processing route, the system eliminates the time lag caused by conventional mobile phone audio processing while preserving hearing support functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a direct audio processing pathway that acts as an intermediary channel between the microphone and headphone. This dedicated route bypasses the standard mobile phone audio stack, enabling real-time processing without the delays introduced by conventional storage and application processing layers.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom hearing aid devices are custom fit and moulded to the ear canal of each individual user, then hearing correction is optimized for the user, but the device becomes expensive and time consuming to make
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the mobile phone as a universal platform that can be deployed to any user without custom manufacturing. The digital hearing correction algorithms and software can be customized and updated remotely, eliminating the need for physical custom fitting while maintaining personalized hearing correction capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the mobile phone into a universal hearing aid platform that serves multiple functions (hearing correction, noise cancellation, amplification) through software. This eliminates the need for separate custom-manufactured hearing aids for each user, as the same device can be adapted to individual needs through programmable processing.
3Reliability
If custom hearing aid devices include both sound outlet and vent openings, then hearing function is improved, but the tip of the hearing aid becomes large and takes up valuable space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the venting and sound outlet functions from the physical hearing aid tip to the digital processing domain. By implementing electronic venting and sound routing through software, the system maintains hearing function without requiring physical openings in the hearing aid tip, thus eliminating the space constraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical venting system with digital signal processing. Instead of requiring physical vent openings in the hearing aid tip, the system uses software-based processing to achieve the same acoustic effects, eliminating the need for additional physical space in the device.
Data Source
AI summary
A hearing loss correction system which is mobile compatible and comprises of a mechanism, wherein the mobile device module when in the OFF condition is used as a hearing assistive and amplification device. The hearing loss correction system comprises a microphone unit, a speaker unit and a mobile phone inbuilt application processor to operatively connect the microphone unit with the speaker unit for recording environmental sound signal though the microphone unit and storage free direct streaming of said recorded sound signal to the speaker unit upon real time amplification and background noise suppression.