Showing papers on "Digital hearing aid published in 2003"

Evaluation of the noise reduction system in a commercial digital hearing aid.

Abstract: We evaluated the effectiveness of a noise reduction system implemented in a commercial digital multichannel compression hearing aid. Eight experienced hearing aid wearers with moderate sensorineural hearing loss were fitted bilaterally according to the manufacturer's fitting guidelines. After a 3-month period of regular use of two programs, one with and one without the noise reduction system, speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) were measured in four types of background noise, including steady noise, and noises with spectral and/or temporal dips. SRTs were very similar with and without the noise reduction system; in both cases, SRTs were markedly lower than for unaided listening. SRTs were lower for the noises with dips than for the steady noise, especially for the aided conditions, indicating that amplification can help to 'listen in the dips'. Ratings of sound quality and listening comfort in the aided conditions were uniformly high and very similar with and without the noise reduction system.

Use of a loudness model for hearing aid fitting. V. On-line gain control in a digital hearing aid.

Abstract: Many researchers have proposed that hearing aids should process sounds so as to restore loudness perception to ‘normal’. We describe how a model for predicting loudness for people with cochlear hearing loss can be implemented in a digital hearing aid so as to calculate the frequency-dependent gains that would be required to achieve that goal. It is assumed that the input signal is processed using brief segments or ‘frames’. For each frame, the spectrum is calculated, usually via a fast Fourier transform (FFT). From the spectrum, an excitation pattern is calculated for a normal ear and for the impaired ear of the patient. The loudness model is then used to calculate the gain required at the centre frequency of each channel in the aid, so as to match the specific loudness in the normal and impaired ears. The whole process is repeated for each successive frame, with overlap of frames and with smoothing of the gain changes across frames. We describe both an ‘exact’ model, which prescribes a ‘curvilinear’ comp...

Digital hearing aid battery conservation method and apparatus

Abstract: A digital hearing aid adjusts power to a processor or other modules to conserve battery life. The digital hearing aid receives and measures audio signals from an environment. If a magnitude of the audio signals is less than a predetermined threshold, the digital hearing aid starts a timer. If the audio signals are below the threshold for a predetermined period as measured by the timer, the digital hearing aid adjusts power to the processor or other modules. The digital hearing aid may also adjust clock rates and sampling rates of the processor. If the digital hearing aid detects audio signals above the threshold, the digital hearing aid restores power to the processor or other modules.

Hearing aid device or hearing device system with a clock generator

Abstract: Due to the clocked mode of operation, electromagnetic interference signals originate from digital hearing aid device or hearing device systems with the clock frequency and its harmonics. These can disrupt the wireless signal transmission between the hearing aid device or hearing device system and a further device. To prevent these disruptions, the invention provides a jitter unit that is connected with the clock generator and causes frequency oscillations in the clock signal. The interference signals caused by the clock signal are thereby lowered with respect to their amplitudes, whereby an interference-free signal transmission is enabled between a transmitting and/or receiving unit connected with a hearing aid device and an external device.

Hearing aid for increasing voice recognition through voice frequency downshift and/or voice substitution

Abstract: There is provided a digital hearing aid for increasing recognition of a voice in an ear. The hearing aid features a body member which is sized and configured to be engaged to the ear. A microphone is engaged to the body member for receiving an analog signal that defines the voice. Furthermore, a microchip is implanted within the body member for converting the analog signal from the microphone into a digital signal. This microchip is operative to modulate the digital signal by reducing a frequency thereof below a prescribed frequency level. The microchip is additionally operative to reconvert the digital signal back into the analog signal for delivery into the ear below the prescribed frequency level, hence increasing the recognition of the voice in the ear.

Full digital hearing-aid

Abstract: The utility model relates to a full digital hearing-aid A shell body (1) is provided with programming holes (2), a battery chamber (3), a loudspeaker (4) and a microphone (5), and each port of a digital signal processor (6) arranged inside the shell body is respectively connected with the microphone (5), the loudspeaker (4) and a programmer, wherein, a battery arranged inside the battery is connected with the loudspeaker (4), the digital signal processor (6) and the programmer The utility model has the advantages of comfortable wearing, convenient use and favorable effect of hearing loss compensation

Digital hearing aid device

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital hearing aid device which can obtain certain hearing aid effect even in case of change of noise environment and suppress unsteady environment noise at the same time when high-sound-quality processing by band expansion is applied to a narrow-band sound signal SOLUTION: The device has an analog/digital conversion part 11, a band-pass filter part 12 which divides a digital sound signal into a plurality of bands and outputs digital sound signals of the respective bands, a noise level calculation part 13 which calculates the noise levels of the divided bands, an amplification characteristic calculation part 14 which calculates amplification characteristics of the respective bands according to the calculated noise levels, a nonlinear amplification part 15 which suppresses the noise signals of the respective bands and also nonlinearly amplifies the digital sound signals of the respective bands according to the calculated amplification characteristics of the respective bands, an adder 16 which adds and outputs the amplified digital sound signals of the respective bands, and a digital/analog conversion part 17 which converts the addition signal into an analog sound signal

Power Consumption of Digital Hearing Aid Computations Using Customized Numerical Representations

Abstract: POWER CONSUMPTION OF DIGITAL HEARING AID COMPUTATIONS USING CUSTOMIZED NUMERICAL REPRESENTATIONS

Assessment of the effects of noise suppression in digital hearing aids

Abstract: The effect of a new digital hearing aid (Beltone-Lumina D71HP) with noise suppression was evaluated in comparison to analog hearing aids. The study comprised of 10 patients that were wearing the instruments for two periods of 1 month. For one period, the noise-suppression system was switched on and switched off for the other period in random order. The performance was evaluated by speech in noise tests (SPIN tests) and by the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire. Results showed significant improvements compared to analog instruments. The effect of the noise-suppression system on speech understanding in noise was small, but the positive effect was confirmed by the APHAB questionnaire for the background noise (BN) category.