143 results about "Digital hearing aid" patented technology

A multi-channel digital hearing instrument is provided that includes a microphone, an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter, a sound processor, a digital-to-analog (D / A) converter and a speaker. The microphone receives an acoustical signal and generates an analog audio signal. The A / D converter converts the analog audio signal into a digital audio signal. The sound processor includes channel processing circuitry that filters the digital audio signal into a plurality of frequency band-limited audio signals and that provides an automatic gain control function that permits quieter sounds to be amplified at a higher gain than louder sounds and may be configured to the dynamic hearing range of a particular hearing instrument user. The D / A converter converts the output from the sound processor into an analog audio output signal. The speaker converts the analog audio output signal into an acoustical output signal that is directed into the ear canal of the hearing instrument user.

The invention provides a digital hearing-aid unequal-width sub-band automatic gain control method. The method includes: designing an unequal-width analysis filter bank according to human ear auditory characteristics, conducting segment processing to input acoustical signals, filtering each segment acoustical signal by using the analysis filter bank to obtain signals of various sub-bands, counting input signal sound pressure level inside the various sub-bands, conducting sub-band automatic gain adjustment according to the sub-band signal sound pressure level, finally using a synthesizing filter bank to synthesize adjusted sub-band signals to obtain system output signals. According to the digital hearing-aid unequal-width sub-band automatic gain control method, noise and voice signals are isolated out through the sub-band filter bank, and thus the gains of noise frequency ranges and the voice signals are respectively controlled, and the roles of noise suppression and signal-to-noise ratio improvement are played. Compared with a traditional equal-width sub-band filter bank partition method, an unequal-width filter bank sub-band partition method used by the digital hearing-aid unequal-width sub-band automatic gain control method coincides with the human ear auditory characteristics. On the premise of obtaining the same effect, the amount of sub-bands need parting and the calculated amount are reduced. In addition, the digital hearing-aid unequal-width sub-band automatic gain control method is achieved totally by a software program with no need of adding an additional hardware circuit, thereby saving the cost, weight and size of a product.

A digital hearing aid is disclosed in the present disclosure. The digital hearing aid comprises a body hung behind an ear and a sound transmitting device for receiving and outputting sound that is placed within an auricle and extends into an external auditory canal. The body and the sound transmitting device are connected and fixed together via a connecting device. The connecting device is formed of a material and a structure which are bendable, extendable and capable of maintaining the bending deformation, and the connecting device is preformed into a shape of an ear hook. In this way, the present disclosure can have the advantages of both the behind-the-ear hearing aid and the complete-in-canal hearing aid and is adaptive to the shape of the auricle and the facial structure so as to meet the demands of people in different growth stages or of different people.