Apparatus and methods for auditory conditioning
First Claim
1. Apparatus for enhancing an input signal representation of sound, comprising:
- input means for providing a signal in the audio frequency range in response to said input signal, said input means comprising;
an amplifier stage having a gain inversely related to the amplitude of said input signal, whereby said amplifier stage provides a compressed gain signal, said amplifier stage comprising;
a summing amplifier of the type that provides an output signal having an amplitude proportional to the sum of the amplitude of signals respectively applied to its inputs, said input signal being applied to a first input of said summing amplifier; and
an automatic level control circuit connected to the output of said summing amplifier and to a second input of said summing amplifier said automatic level control circuit having a gain inversely related to the signal provided by said summing amplifier;
an audio filter, connected to said input means, that provides a filtered audio signal, said audio filter having variable transmission characteristics;
output means, connected to said audio filter means, for providing an output signal in response to said filtered audio signal; and
control logic means for selecting said transmission characteristics and for causing an attenuation and equalization of said output signal in accordance with a stored program, said control logic means being operable to alternatively cause a coupling of at least one of said input signal and said compressed gain signal to said audio filter.
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Abstract
In one mode of operation, a signal representation of sound is provided to an audio filter that has transmission characteristics that are controlled by a microprocessor. The output of the audio filter is provided to similar left and right ear and a bone conduction processing circuits. Each of the processing circuits has an equalization filter that has transmission characteristics that are determined by the microprocessor. The outputs of the left and right ear and bone conduction processing circuits are connected to a left earphone, a right earphone and a bone transducer, respectively. The outputs of the processing circuits are in accordance with a program stored in a memory unit and are in accordance with plurality of procedures for assessment and training of a person'"'"'s listening ability. In another mode of operation, a voltage to frequency converter generates a voltage having a frequency in accordance with signals provided by a microprocessor. The output of the converter is connected through an attack/decay filter to the input of the processing circuits.
55 Citations
16 Claims
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1. Apparatus for enhancing an input signal representation of sound, comprising:
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input means for providing a signal in the audio frequency range in response to said input signal, said input means comprising; an amplifier stage having a gain inversely related to the amplitude of said input signal, whereby said amplifier stage provides a compressed gain signal, said amplifier stage comprising; a summing amplifier of the type that provides an output signal having an amplitude proportional to the sum of the amplitude of signals respectively applied to its inputs, said input signal being applied to a first input of said summing amplifier; and an automatic level control circuit connected to the output of said summing amplifier and to a second input of said summing amplifier said automatic level control circuit having a gain inversely related to the signal provided by said summing amplifier; an audio filter, connected to said input means, that provides a filtered audio signal, said audio filter having variable transmission characteristics; output means, connected to said audio filter means, for providing an output signal in response to said filtered audio signal; and control logic means for selecting said transmission characteristics and for causing an attenuation and equalization of said output signal in accordance with a stored program, said control logic means being operable to alternatively cause a coupling of at least one of said input signal and said compressed gain signal to said audio filter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification