Hearing aid

• US 8,107,660 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoshita, Hiroyoshi, Ueda, Yasushi, Imamura, Yasushi, Inoshita, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): DABNEY, PHYLESHA LARVINIA
• Application Number:
  US13/131,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20110249840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/314, 381/315, 381/316, 381/328, 381/329
• US Class Current: 381/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/453 electronically

Abstract

A hearing aid includes: a sound collection unit configured to collect a surrounding sound; a sound output unit configured to output a sound; and a main body having a shape that can be attached to an ear. The main body includes: a hearing aid processing unit configured to perform hearing aid processing for the surrounding sound collected by the sound collection unit; an attaching determination unit configured to determine whether the main body is attached to the ear based on the surrounding sound; a specific sound generation unit configured to generate a predetermined signal; and a selection unit configured to select one of the sound subjected to the hearing aid processing by the hearing aid processing unit and the sound generated by the specific sound generation unit based on a determination result of the attaching determination unit and to output the selected sound to the sound output unit.

Claims

1. A hearing aid comprising:

a sound collection unit configured to collect a surrounding sound;

a sound output unit configured to output a sound; and

a main body having a shape attachable to an ear,

wherein the main body comprises;

a hearing aid processing unit configured to perform hearing aid processing for the surrounding sound collected by the sound collection unit;

an attaching determination unit configured to determine whether the main body is attached to the ear based on the surrounding sound;

a specific sound generation unit configured to generate a predetermined signal; and

a selection unit configured to select one of a sound subjected to the hearing aid processing by the hearing aid processing unit and a sound generated by the specific sound generation unit based on a determination result of the attaching determination unit, and to output the selected sound to the sound output unit,

wherein the selection unit is configured to;

select the sound generated by the specific sound generation unit, and output the sound to the sound output unit, until the attaching determination unit determines that the main body is attached to the ear since power of the main body has been turned on; and

select the sound subjected to the hearing aid processing by the hearing aid processing unit, and output the selected sound to said sound output unit, after it is determined that the main body is attached to the ear.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined signal comprises at least one of a sound of a single frequency, a voice, and music.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1,

wherein the specific sound generation unit generates at least one of a signal of a voice and music indicating that the main body is attached to the ear, together with a signal of a sound of a single frequency.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined signal is a frequency signal in an audible band.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined signal is a frequency signal in an inaudible band.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 1,

wherein the attaching determination unit determines that the main body is attached to the ear when a signal level of a signal contained in the surrounding sound collected by the sound collection unit and having a same frequency band as the signal generated by the specific sound generation unit becomes larger than a first threshold value and then continues to be smaller than a second threshold value for a predetermined time period.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 1,

wherein the attaching determination unit sets a level of the sound output by the specific sound generation unit larger than a level of the surrounding sound collected by the sound collection unit, and informs the specific sound generation unit of information of a difference between the level of the sound output by the specific sound generation unit and an initial sound pressure level.