Switching structures for hearing aid

• US 7,369,671 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Bren, Mark A., Sacha, Mike K., Roberts, Randall W., Peterson, Timothy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dabney; Phylesha L
• Application Number:
  US10/244,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20040052392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,059 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/324, 381327-328, 381/331
• US Class Current: 381/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/50 Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/603 of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements

Abstract

A hearing aid is provided with a a programmable, signal processing circuit electrically connecting an input system to an output system, a magnetic field sensor, and a selection circuit connected to the magnetic sensor. The selection circuit may be adapted to control at least one of the input system, output system, and the signal processing circuit, where the selection circuit in conjunction with the magnetic field is configured to select the system or circuit to control based a magnetic field strength received at the magnetic field sensor being one of at least three levels of magnetic field strength.

Claims

1. A hearing aid, comprising:

an input system;

an output system;

a programmable, signal processing system electrically connecting the input system to the output system;

a magnetic field sensor; and

a selection circuit connected to the magnetic field sensor, the selection circuit structured to control at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, wherein the selection circuit and the magnetic field sensor are configured to determine three different magnetic field strengths such that each one of the three different magnetic field strengths corresponds to a different one of the input system, the output system, and the signal processing system and to select one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system based on a determination that a magnetic field sensed at the magnetic field sensor has one of the three different magnetic field strengths, the three different magnetic field strengths being in a range greater than or equal to a minimum magnetic field strength detectable by the magnetic field sensor.

2. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the selection circuit is adapted to receive an electrical signal from the magnetic sensor and supply a programming signal to the signal processing circuit.

3. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field sensor is a full bridge circuit.

4. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field sensor is adapted to receive a pulsed power supply.

5. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the selection circuit is connected to the input system and sends a control signal to the input system based on a signal received from the magnetic field sensor.

6. The hearing aid of claim 5, wherein the input system includes a first input and a second input, and the input system activates one of the first input and the second input based on the control signal.

7. The hearing aid of claim 6, wherein the first input is an omni-directional microphone, and wherein the second input is a telecoil.

8. The hearing aid of claim 5, wherein the input system includes an input signal filter and the input system selectively bypasses the filter based on the control signal.

9. The hearing aid of claim 6, wherein the first input is an omni-directional microphone, and wherein the second input is a directional microphone.

10. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field sensor includes a threshold circuit that blocks signals below a threshold value.

11. The hearing aid of claim 10, wherein the threshold circuit includes an output electrically connected to the selection circuit.

12. The hearing aid of claim 10, wherein the magnetic field sensor includes a threshold control that sets the threshold value.

13. The hearing aid of claim 10, wherein the magnetic field sensor includes an amplifier and a low pass filter before the threshold circuit.

14. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the selection circuit is connected to the signal processing circuit and sends a control signal and a programming signal to the signal processing circuit based on a signal received from the magnetic field sensor.

15. The hearing aid of claim 14, wherein the signal processing circuit is adapted to be programmed by the programming signal.

16. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the selection circuit is connected to the output system and sends a control signal to the output system based on a signal received from the magnetic field sensor.

17. The hearing aid of claim 16, wherein the output system includes an output signal filter and the output system bypasses the filter based on the control signal.

18. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the selection circuit is adapted to receive an electrical signal from the magnetic sensor and select operational parameters for the signal processing circuit.

19. The hearing aid of claim 18, wherein the selection circuit includes a logic element.

20. The hearing aid of claim 18, wherein the selection circuit includes a NAND gate having a first input connected to a power supply and a second input connected a magnetic field sensing switch.

21. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein one of the three different magnetic field strengths is the minimum magnetic field strength detectable by the magnetic field sensor.

22. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein one of the three different magnetic field strengths is a variance from one of the other two different magnetic field strengths.

23. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the selection circuit and the magnetic field sensor are configured to determine a fourth magnetic field strength to automatically turn off the hearing aid.

24. A hearing aid, comprising:

an input system;

an output system;

a programmable, signal processing circuit electrically connecting the input system to the output system;

a magnetic field sensor; and

a selection circuit connected to the magnetic sensor and at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, the selection circuit being adapted to control the at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, wherein the input system includes a first input and a second input, and the input system activates one of the first input and the second input based on the control signal, wherein the first input is an omni-directional microphone, and wherein the second input is a directional microphone.

25. A hearing aid, comprising:

an input system;

an output system;

a programmable, signal processing circuit electrically connecting the input system to the output system;

a magnetic field sensor; and

a selection circuit connected to the magnetic sensor and at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, the selection circuit being adapted to control the at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, wherein the magnetic field sensor includes a threshold circuit that blocks signals below a threshold value, wherein the threshold circuit includes an output electrically connected to the selection circuit.

26. A hearing aid, comprising:

an input system;

an output system;

a programmable, signal processing circuit electrically connecting the input system to the output system;

a magnetic field sensor; and

a selection circuit connected to the magnetic sensor and at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, the selection circuit being adapted to control the at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, wherein the magnetic field sensor includes a threshold circuit that blocks signals below a threshold value, wherein the magnetic field sensor includes a threshold control that sets the threshold value.

27. A hearing aid, comprising:

an input system;

an output system;

a programmable, signal processing circuit electrically connecting the input system to the output system;

a magnetic field sensor; and

a selection circuit connected to the magnetic sensor and at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, the selection circuit being adapted to control the at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, wherein the magnetic field sensor includes a threshold circuit that blocks signals below a threshold value, wherein the magnetic field sensor includes an amplifier and a low pass filter before the threshold circuit.

28. A hearing aid, comprising:

an input system;

an output system;

a programmable, signal processing circuit electrically connecting the input system to the output system;

a magnetic field sensor; and

a selection circuit connected to the magnetic sensor and at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, the selection circuit being adapted to control the at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, wherein the selection circuit is connected to the output system and sends a control signal to the output system based on a signal received from the magnetic field sensor, wherein the output system includes an output signal filter and the output system bypasses the filter based on the control signal.

29. A hearing aid, comprising:

an input system;

an output system;

a programmable, signal processing circuit electrically connecting the input system to the output system;

a magnetic field sensor; and

a selection circuit connected to the magnetic sensor and at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, the selection circuit being adapted to control the at least one of the input system, output system and the signal processing system, wherein the selection circuit is adapted to receive an electrical signal from the magnetic sensor and select operational parameters for the signal processing circuit, wherein the selection circuit includes a NAND gate having a first input connected to a power supply and a second input connected a magnetic field sensing switch.