In-the-ear hearing aid with directional microphone system

• US 6,389,142 B1
• Filed: 03/31/1998
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Micro Ear Technology Incorporated (Starkey Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hagen, Lawrence T., Preves, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Application Number:
  US09/052,631
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 381/23.1, 381/92, 381/122, 381/312, 381/313, 381/320, 381/321, 381/356, 381/315
• US Class Current: 381/313
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/53 Hearing aid for unilateral hearing impairment using Contralateral Routing Of Signals [CROS]
• 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 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/005 Microphone arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/006 Microphone matching

Abstract

Apparatus for use as an in-the-ear hearing aid. The apparatus includes a housing having a shell and a face plate, wherein the shell is molded to custom fit a hearing aid wearer'"'"'s ear. A first non-directional microphone system is included having a first output signal representative of the sound received. A second non-directional microphone system is included having a second output signal representative of the sound received. A switch mechanism is included having an operator extending through the housing for switching the in-the-ear hearing aid between a non-directional mode and a directional mode. In the directional mode, the microphone system is adjustable to account for component tolerances. The switched directional/non directional microphone feature is employed in a custom in-the-ear Contralateral Routing of Signals (CROS) or Bilateral Routing of Signals (BiCROS) two instrument hearing aid system.

Claims

1. An in-the-ear hearing aid system, comprising:

a first instrument and a second instrument, each of said instruments having a shell molded to custom fit a different one of a hearing aid wearer'"'"'s ear, wherein said first instrument is placed in said wearer'"'"'s worse hearing ear and said second instrument is placed in said wearer'"'"'s better hearing ear, said first instrument further comprising;

a first non-directional microphone system having a first inlet opening in a face plate for receiving sound and having a first output signal representative of the sound received;

a second non-directional microphone system having a second inlet opening in said face plate for receiving sound and having a second output signal representative of the sound received;

switch means having an operator extending through the first instrument for switching said first instrument between a non-directional mode and a directional mode; and

connecting means for transmitting a signal from said first instrument to said second instrument.

2. The hearing aid system of claim 1, wherein the switch has an open position and a closed position, and wherein when the switch is in the closed position, the first instrument operates in the directional mode.

3. The hearing aid system of claim 2, wherein when the switch is in the open position, the first instrument operates in the non-directional mode.

4. The hearing aid system of claim 2, further comprising means for summing, selectively coupled to the first non-directional microphone system and the second nondirectional microphone having a summed output signal representative of the sum of the first output signal and the second output signal.

5. The hearing aid system of claim 4, wherein when the first instrument is in the directional mode, a directional output signal has a polar directivity pattern representative of the summed output signal;

and wherein the means for summing further comprises means for adjusting the polar directivity pattern of the summed output signal between a cardioid polar directivity pattern and a super cardioid polar directivity pattern.

6. The hearing aid system of claim 5, wherein the means for adjusting the polar directivity pattern includes:

an inverting amplifier coupled to the second microphone system; and

an adjustable phase delay coupled to the inverting amplifier.

7. The hearing aid system of claim 6, wherein the adjustable phase delay includes an adjustable low pass filter having an adjustable capacitor.

8. The hearing aid system of claim 6, wherein the means for adjusting the polar directivity further includes an adjustable amplifier coupled to the second microphone system.

9. The hearing aid system of claim 8, wherein the adjustable amplifier includes an adjustable potentiometer.

10. The hearing aid system of claim 1, wherein the first inlet opening and second inlet opening are relatively close together.

11. The hearing aid system of claim 1, wherein the first inlet opening and second inlet opening are less than ½

inch apart.

12. The hearing aid system of claim 11, wherein the first inlet opening and second inlet opening are located in approximately the same plane which is generally horizontal to the ground when the in-the-ear hearing aid is located in a wearer'"'"'s ear.

13. The hearing aid system of claim 1, wherein said connecting means further comprises a hard wired connection.

14. The hearing aid system of claim 1, wherein said connecting means further comprises a radio frequency (RF) transmission.

15. The hearing aid system of claim 1, wherein said connecting means further comprises an induction transmission.

16. Apparatus for use as a Bilateral Routing Of Signals (BiCROS) type in-the-ear hearing aid, the apparatus comprising:

a first instrument and a second instrument, each said instrument having a shell molded to custom fit a hearing aid wearer'"'"'s ear, wherein said first instrument is placed in said wearer'"'"'s worst hearing ear and said second instrument is placed in said wearer'"'"'s better hearing ear, said first instrument and said second instrument each having;

a first non-directional microphone system having a first inlet opening in a face plate for receiving sound and having a first output signal representative of the sound received;

a second non-directional microphone system having a second inlet opening in said face plate for receiving sound and having a second output signal representative of the sound received;

switch means having an operator extending through the first instrument for switching said first instrument and said second instrument between a non-directional mode and a directional mode; and

connecting means for transmitting a signal from said first instrument to said second instrument.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the switch has an open position and a closed position, and wherein when the switch is in the closed position, the in-the-ear hearing aid operates in a directional mode.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein when the switch is in an open position, the hearing aid operates in a non-directional mode.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for summing, selectively coupled to the first non-directional microphone system and the second nondirectional microphone having a summed output signal representative of the sum of the first output signal and the second output signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein when the hearing aid is in the directional mode, the output signal has a polar directivity pattern representative of the summed output signal;

and wherein the means for summing further comprises means for adjusting the polar directivity pattern of the summed output signal to account for component tolerances.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for adjusting the polar directivity pattern includes:

an inverting amplifier coupled to the second microphone system; and

an adjustable phase delay coupled to the inverting amplifier.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the adjustable phase delay includes an adjustable low pass filter having an adjustable capacitor.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for adjusting the polar directivity further includes an adjustable amplifier coupled to the second microphone system.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the adjustable amplifier includes an adjustable potentiometer.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first inlet opening and second inlet opening are relatively close together.

26. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first inlet opening and second inlet opening are less than ½

inch apart.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first inlet opening and second inlet opening are located in approximately the same plane which is generally horizontal to the ground when the in-the-ear hearing aid is located in a wearer'"'"'s ear.

28. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said connecting means further comprises a hard wired connection.

29. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said connecting means further comprises a radio frequency (RF) transmission.

30. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said connecting means further comprises an induction transmission.

31. A hearing aid system, comprising:

an in-the-ear, first instrument and a second instrument, the first instrument having a shell molded to custom fit a worse one of a hearing aid wearer'"'"'s ears, the shell including a face plate, the second instrument is associated with a better one of the wearer'"'"'s ears, the first instrument having a non-directional mode and a directional mode and including;

a first non-directional microphone system having a first inlet opening in the face plate for receiving sound and having a first output signal representative of the sound received;

a second non-directional microphone system having a second inlet opening in the face plate for receiving sound and having a second output signal representative of the sound received;

a switch connected to the first instrument for switching the first instrument between the non-directional mode and the directional mode; and

the system further including a signal connector between the first instrument and the second instrument for transmitting a signal from the first instrument to the second instrument.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the signal connector includes a transmitter in the first instrument, a receiver in the second instrument, and a signal path between the transmitter and the receiver.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the signal connector includes a transmitter in the second instrument and a receiver in the first instrument, whereby the system provides Bilateral Routing Of Signals (BiCROS).

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the signal connector is a hard wire connection.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the second instrument includes a shell molded to custom fit the better one of the hearing aid wearer'"'"'s ears.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the second instrument has a directional mode and a non-directional mode and includes:

a second face plate;

a third non-directional microphone system having a third inlet opening in the second face plate for receiving sound and having a third output signal representative of the sound received;

a fourth non-directional microphone system having a fourth inlet opening in the second face plate for receiving sound and having a fourth output signal representative of the sound received; and

a second switch connected to the second instrument for switching the second instrument between the non-directional mode and the directional mode.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the switch has an open position and a closed position, and wherein when the switch is in the closed position, the in-the-ear first instrument is in the directional mode using the first output signal and the second output signal.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the first instrument includes a summing circuit, in the directional mode the switch connects both the first output signal and the second output signal to the summing circuit, and the summing circuit produces a summed signal.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein when the switch is in the open position, the hearing aid operates in the non-directional mode using one signal from one of the first microphone or the second microphone.

40. The system of claim 31, wherein the switch includes an operator extending outside the shell such that the operator of the switch is manually accessible.

41. The system of claim 31, wherein the first inlet opening and second inlet opening are located in approximately a same plane that is generally horizontal to the ground when the first instrument is located in a wearer'"'"'s ear.

42. The system of claim 31, wherein the signal connector includes one of a radio frequency transmission or an induction transmission.