METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IN-THE-EAR HEARING AID WITH CAPACITIVE SENSOR
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for a wearer having an ear canal, comprising:
- an in-the-ear housing adapted to fit in the wearer'"'"'s ear canal, the housing having an outer surface;
hearing assistance electronics disposed within the housing;
capacitive sensing electronics connected to the hearing assistance electronics; and
a first capacitive sensor including a first sensing electrode positioned on or near the outer surface of the housing, the sensing electrode connected to the capacitive sensing electronics,wherein the capacitive sensing electronics is adapted to measure a change in capacitance associated with a motion of a finger or hand proximal to the first sensing electrode and to provide a signal to the hearing assistance electronics, the hearing assistance electronics configured to perform at least one operation based on the signal.
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Abstract
Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for an in-the-ear hearing aid with a capacitive sensor. The present subject matter includes various approaches to improved control of an in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid with capacitive sensors. In various embodiments, the capacitive sensor serves as a capacitive switch or a plurality of capacitive switches that can be used together to support or perform one or more functions.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for a wearer having an ear canal, comprising:
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an in-the-ear housing adapted to fit in the wearer'"'"'s ear canal, the housing having an outer surface; hearing assistance electronics disposed within the housing; capacitive sensing electronics connected to the hearing assistance electronics; and a first capacitive sensor including a first sensing electrode positioned on or near the outer surface of the housing, the sensing electrode connected to the capacitive sensing electronics, wherein the capacitive sensing electronics is adapted to measure a change in capacitance associated with a motion of a finger or hand proximal to the first sensing electrode and to provide a signal to the hearing assistance electronics, the hearing assistance electronics configured to perform at least one operation based on the signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for operating an in-the-ear hearing aid, comprising:
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measuring a change in capacitance associated with a motion proximal a first sensing electrode of a first capacitive sensor, the first sensing electrode positioned on or near an outer surface of a housing of the hearing aid; and controlling at least one operation of the hearing aid based on the measured change in the capacitance. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification