HEARING AID

• US 20110135128A1
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ura, Takefumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,731,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/453 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/50 Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics

Abstract

There is provided a hearing aid that reduces a possibility of loss. The hearing aid of the present invention includes a microphone 101 configured to collect sound; a hearing aid processing unit 102 configured to perform hearing aid processing to an input signal from the microphone 101; a speaker 103 configured to output a signal processed by the hearing aid processing unit 102 to the outside; and a drop detection unit 104 configured to detect drop by reference to the input signal from the microphone 101.

Claims

1. A hearing aid comprising:

a microphone;

a hearing aid processing unit configured to perform hearing aid processing to a signal corresponding to sound collected by the microphone, and produce an output signal;

a speaker configured to output sound generated from the output signal to an outside; and

a drop detection unit configured to analyze a characteristic of the signal corresponding to the sound collected by the microphone and detect drop of the hearing aid,

wherein the drop detection unit comprises;

an impulsive sound detection unit configured to detect impulsive sound due to the drop of the hearing aid via the microphone; and

a audio feedback detection unit that detects audio feedback sound caused by the microphone and the speaker; and

wherein the drop detection unit analyzes a signal of the impulsive sound detected by the impulsive sound detection unit and a signal of audio feedback detected by the audio feedback detection unit, and detects the drop of the hearing aid.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1,

wherein the drop detection unit comprises a drop determination unit configured to determine whether the hearing aid is dropped, based on a relationship between a detection time of the impulsive sound detected by the impulsive sound detection unit and a detection time of the audio feedback detected by the audio feedback detection unit.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 1,

wherein said hearing aid comprises a plurality of microphones, and

wherein the drop detection unit comprises a directivity synthesis unit configured to perform directivity synthesis processing to a signal of impulsive sound collected by the plurality of microphones.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1,

wherein the hearing aid processing unit produces warning sound from the signal of audio feedback in a case in which the drop detection unit detects the drop of the hearing aid.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 5,

wherein the hearing aid processing unit amplifies a gain of audio feedback.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 5,

wherein the hearing aid processing unit changes the gain of audio feedback with elapse of time.

8. The hearing aid according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notification unit configured to notify a user of the drop of the hearing aid according to a detection result of the drop detection unit.

9. The hearing aid according to claim 8,

wherein the notification unit notifies the user of the drop of the hearing aid via the speaker.

10. The hearing aid according to claim 8,

wherein the notification unit notifies the user of the drop of the hearing aid by light.

11. The hearing aid according to claim 8,

wherein the notification unit notifies the user of the drop of the hearing aid by vibrations.

12. The hearing aid according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit information indicating the drop of the hearing aid to another device according to a detection result of the drop detection unit.

2. (canceled)