Hearing aid

• US 3,875,349 A
• Filed: 01/24/1973
• Issued: 04/01/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Heinz Ruegg
• Original Assignee: Heinz Ruegg
• Inventors: Ruegg, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Blakeslee, Ralph D.
• Application Number:
  US05/326,550
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 179/17R,17BC,17E,17H,17S,179,180,178,121D,1DM,17FD 181/23
• US Class Current: 381/313
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/183 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/402 using contructional means
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/456 mechanically

Abstract

A hearing aid for the hard of hearing incorporating a microphone system connected with an amplifier. The microphone system embodies a first microphone with approximately spherical-shaped sensitivity characteristics and a second microphone with directional sensitivity characteristics. The amplifier can be selectively connected with one or the other of both microphones.

Claims

1. An individual hearing aid for wearing by the hard of hearing, the hearing aid being transportable by the wearer and comprising amplifier means, a microphone system electrically coupled with said amplifier means, said microphone system comprising a first microphone having approximately spherical sensitivity chatacteristics and a second microphone with directed sensitivity characteristics, and means for selectively connecting the amplifier means with one or the other of both microphones.

2. A hearing aid for the hard of hearing comprising amplifier means, a microphone system electrically coupled with said amplifier means, said microphone system comprising a first microphone having approximately spherical sensitivity characteristics and a second microphone with directed sensitivity characteristics, means for selectively connecting the amplifier means with one or the other of both microphones, and further including a housing, a partition wall for subdividing the housing into two compartments, each of the microphones being arranged in a respective compartment of the housing, means defining a sound inlet opening which opens into one of the compartments and means defining two oppositely situated sound inlet openings opening into the other compartment.

3. The hearing aid as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the microphones has a diaphragm which can be placed into oscillation, and wherein said diaphragms are arranged substantially parallel to the partition wall.

4. The hearing aid as defined in claim 3, wherein for said other compartment one sound inlet opening is arranged at one side of the diaphragm which can be oscillated and the other sound inlet opening is arranged at the other side of said diaphragm of the associated microphone.

5. The hearing aid as defined in claim 4, wherein the sound inlet opening of said one compartment and said one sound inlet opening of the other compartment communicate with a common sound inlet funnel.

6. The hearing aid as defined in claim 5, wherein said other sound inlet opening possesses a greater sound absorption capacity than the remaining sound inlet openings.

7. The hearing aid as defined in claim 6, wherein both microphones are connected via a controlled reversing switch means with a threshold value amplifier constituting said amplifier means, and said threshold value amplifier upon exceeding a predetermined signal peak controls the reversing switch means for switching to said second microphone.

8. The hearing aid as defined in claim 1, wherein both microphones are connected via a controlled reversing switch means with a threshold value amplifier constituting said amplifier means, said threshold value amplifier upon exceeding a predetermined signal peak controlling the reversing switch means for switching from one of the microphones to the other of the microphones.

9. The hearing aid as defined in claim 8, wherein the reversing switch means normally connects the first microphone with said threshold value amplifier and in response to said threshold value amplifier exceeding a predetermineD signal peak connects the second microphone to said amplifier.

10. The hearing aid as defined in claim 1, wherein the hearing aid is a self-contained unit arranged for accommodation on the wearer.

11. The hearing aid as defined in claim 1, further comprising common housing means for accommodating at least the first and second microphones for positioning on the wearer.

12. The hearing aid as defined in claim 11, wherein said amplifier means is contained in said housing means.