Wind noise insensitive hearing aid

• US 7,181,030 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2003
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Karsten Bo, Petersen, Kim Spetzler, Rasmussen, Frank Engel, Frederiksen, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US10/501,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20050041825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 381/57, 381/91, 381/92, 381/122, 381/123, 381355-361, 381/312, 381/313, 381/317, 381/322, 381/328, 381/320, 381/321, 381/330
• US Class Current: 381/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/07 Mechanical or electrical reduction of wind noise generated by wind passing a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/402 using contructional means
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers

Abstract

The invention concerns a hearing aid with at least one primary sound to electric converting transducer converting sounds in the environment into electrical signals and a signal processing unit for amplifying the electrical signal according to the needs of the user and an electrical to sound transducer for receiving the amplified electrical signal and delivering a sound signal to the ear wherein at least one further sound to electrical transducer is provided. The said further transducer has a sensitivity to wind noise which is smaller than the sensitivity to wind noise of the primary transducer and further the signal processing unit has means for detecting the level of wind noise in the signal from the primary sound to electric converting transducer. According to the invention also selecting means are provided for selecting the signal to be amplified from either the primary—or the at least one further sound to electrical transducer.

Claims

1. Hearing aid with a primary sound-to-electric converting transducer converting environmental sounds into electrical signals, a signal processing unit for amplifying the electrical signals according to needs of a user, a primary electrical-to-sound transducer for receiving the amplified electrical signal and delivering a sound signal to the user'"'"'s ear, a further sound-to-electrical transducer which has a sensitivity to wind noise which is smaller than the sensitivity to wind noise of the primary transducer, the reduced wind noise sensitivity of the further transducer being provided by placing a sound inlet opening of said further transducer at a wind protected location on a casing of the hearing aid where wind exposure is low and no means for wind protection is provided, and the signal processing unit having means for detecting the level of wind noise in the signal from the primary sound-to-electric converting transducer, and means for selecting the signal to be amplified from either the primary transducer or the further sound-to-electrical transducer.