Directional hearing aid

• US 5,737,430 A
• Filed: 10/16/1996
• Issued: 04/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bernard Widrow
• Original Assignee: Cardinal Sound Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Widrow, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, SINH N
• Application Number:
  US08/730,807
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 381/68, 381/68.1, 381/68.6, 381/68.2, 381/68.3, 381/151, 381/68.5, 381/183, 381/187, 381/25
• US Class Current: 381/313
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/405 by combining a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

Disclosed is a convenient way of mounting the microphone array and associated electronics of a hearing aid on the person, and providing a convenient wireless means for delivering the microphone signals to the ear, and providing a signal processing technique that yields sharp directivity at audio frequencies. The wearer positions her/his body to receive the desired signal and to attenuate surrounding background noise and multipath interference.

Claims

1. A directional hearing aid system including:

an electromagnetic acoustic transducer adapted to be worn in the ear by a user,

an array of spaced microphones for receiving sound and each generating electrical microphone signals representing the sound received by each microphone,

electronic means for receiving each of said electrical microphone signals from the microphone array and generating an output signal representing sound received from a selected direction while attenuating background noise and multipath interference,

an elongated package means extending across the chest of the user for mounting said array of spaced microphones and housing said electronic means,

a conductive neck encircling the neck of the user and secured to the package means at spaced locations to solely directly support the elongated package means and the microphone array substantially horizontally across the chest of the user so the user can position her/his body to receive sound from the selected direction with the back of the user'"'"'s body blocking sound to all of the microphones from the opposite direction, said neck loop connected to receive said output signal and generate magnetic fields responsive thereto, and

said electromagnetic acoustic transducer including a telecoil coupled to said magnetic fields for applying signals to said electromagnetic acoustic transducer to generate acoustic waves in said ear of the user.

2. A directional hearing aid as in claim 1 wherein said electronic means for generating output signal includes summing means for receiving and summing said electrical microphone output signals from all of the microphones in said array to provide summed signals and filter means for filtering the summed signals to limit the frequencies of the output signals to audio band frequencies.

3. A directional hearing aid system including an electromagnetic acoustic transducer worn in the ear of a user, comprising:

an elongated housing,

an array of spaced microphones mounted in said housing for receiving sound from a selected direction and each generating electrical microphone signals representing sound received by each of said microphones in said array,

electronic means mounted in said housing for receiving said electrical microphone signals from the microphone array and generating an output signal representing sound received from the selected direction while attenuating background noise and multipath interference,

a conductive loop secured to said elongated housing at spaced points for solely directly supporting said elongated housing, including said microphone array and said electronic means, in a fixed position across the chest of the user so the user can position her/his body to receive sound from said selected direction with the back of the user'"'"'s body blocking sound to all of said microphones from the opposite direction,

means for applying said output signal to said conductive loop to generate magnetic fields, and

coil means in said electromagnetic acoustic transducer for receiving said magnetic fields and for providing electrical signals representative of said magnetic fields to said acoustic transducer, said electromagnetic acoustic transducer generating acoustic signals in the ear of the user responsive to said electrical signals.

4. A directional hearing aid system including:

an electromagnetic acoustic transducer adapted to be worn by a user,

an array of three or more spaced microphones for receiving sound and each generating electrical microphone signals representing the sound,

electronic means for receiving said electrical microphone signals from the array of microphones and generating an output signal representing sound received from a direction in front of the user while attenuating background noise and multipath interference, said electronic means for generating an output signal including a single summing means for receiving and summing the electrical output signals from all of the microphones in the array of microphones to provide a summed signal and single filter means for filtering the summed signal to limit the frequencies of the summed signal to the audio band of frequencies,

elongated package means for supporting said array of spaced microphones and housing said electronic means,

means for supporting said elongated package means at spaced points in a fixed position on the chest of the user whereby the user can position her/his body to receive sound from said direction with the back of the user'"'"'s body blocking sound to each of said microphones from the rear of the user, and

said electromagnetic acoustic transducer serving to receive said summed signal and to generate acoustic waves in the ear of the user.