Control circuit

• US 4,701,958 A
• Filed: 05/06/1985
• Issued: 10/20/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Viennatone GmbH
• Original Assignee: Viennatone GmbH
• Inventors: Neth, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Rubinson, Gene Z.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/730,488
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 381/68, 381/120, 381/121, 381/68.1, 381/68.2, 381/68.4, 381/68.6, 381/69, 179/107 R, 179/107 E, 179/107 FD, 323/255, 323/259, 330/279
• US Class Current: 381/321
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3005 in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/356 Amplitude, e.g. amplitude shift or compression

Abstract

An automatic gain control circuit for an output signal of a magnetic earpiece of a hearing aid, which comprises a voltage source, an output amplifier stage having an input connected to the voltage source and an output connected to the magnetic earpiece, the earpiece having a working winding connected between the amplifier stage output and the voltage source, and a control loop for automatic gain control. The control loop includes a rectifier and an additional winding connected in series with the working winding of the earpiece, the windings constituting an autotransformer, the additional winding connecting the rectifier to the output of the amplifier stage and the rectifier being connected to the input of the amplifier stage.

Claims

1. An automatic gain control circuit for an output signal of a magnetic earpiece of a hearing aid, which comprises

(a) a voltage source,

(b) an output amplifier stage having an input connected to the voltage source and an output connected to the magnetic earpiece,

(1) the earpiece having a working winding connected between the amplifier stage output and the voltage source, and

(c) a control loop for automatic gain control, the control loop including

(1) a rectifier and

(2) an additional winding connected in series with the working winding of the earpiece, the windings constituting an autotransformer, the additional winding connecting the rectifier to the output of the amplifier stage and the rectifier being connected to the input of the amplifier stage.

2. The automatic gain control circuit of claim 1, further comprising a preamplifier stage having an input and an output, the rectifier being connected to the input of the preamplifier stage and the output of the preamplifier stage being connected to the input of the output amplifier stage.

3. The automatic gain control circuit of claim 1, wherein the earpiece has a center tap between the working and additional windings.

4. The automatic gain control circuit of claim 3, wherein the earpiece is built into a hearing aid to be worn on the head.

5. The automatic gain control circuit of claim 3, wherein the earpiece is a plug-in earpiece, and further comprising a pocket hearing aid component, and a connecting cable between the earpiece and the pocket hearing aid component, the connecting cable having a three-pole plug with a center pin at each end thereof, the center pin of the plug at one end of the cable being connected to the center tap of the earpiece and the center pin of the plug at the other end of the cable being connected to the output of the output stage amplifier.