Hearing aid with automatic mode change capabilities
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A hearing aid comprising:
- a casing configured to fit behind an ear of a user'"'"'s head;
a first proximity sensor associated with the casing and configured to generate a first signal that is proportional to a proximity of the casing to the ear; and
a processor coupled to the first proximity sensor and configured to select an operating mode from a plurality of operating modes in response to the first signal.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A hearing aid includes a casing configured to fit behind an ear of a user'"'"'s head and against a side of the user'"'"'s head. The hearing aid further includes a first proximity sensor associated with the casing and configured to generate a first signal that is proportional to a proximity of the casing to the ear and includes a processor coupled to the first proximity sensor and configured to select an operating mode from a plurality of operating modes in response to the first signal.
25 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A hearing aid comprising:
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a casing configured to fit behind an ear of a user'"'"'s head; a first proximity sensor associated with the casing and configured to generate a first signal that is proportional to a proximity of the casing to the ear; and a processor coupled to the first proximity sensor and configured to select an operating mode from a plurality of operating modes in response to the first signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid comprising:
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a casing having a substantially symmetrical shape relative to an axis, the casing having a first surface configured to fit a curvature of a back portion of an ear of a user'"'"'s head and a second shaped surface configured to fit against a side of the user'"'"'s head; one or more sensors associated with the casing and configured to produce a respective one or more signals proportional to a proximity of the ear or the user'"'"'s head; and a controller within the casing and coupled to the one or more sensors, the controller configured to control an operating state of the BTE hearing aid in response to at least one of the one or more signals. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method comprising:
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detecting a first proximity of a hearing aid to an ear of a user'"'"'s head using a first proximity sensor associated with a casing of the hearing aid; automatically activating a processor of the hearing aid in response to detecting the first proximity; detecting a second proximity of the hearing aid to a side of the user'"'"'s head using a second proximity sensor associated with the casing; and automatically selecting an operational mode of a plurality of operational modes of the hearing aid in response to detecting the second proximity. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification