Hearing assistance using active noise reduction
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a hearing aid with microphones having directional sensitivity, an active noise reduction (ANR) circuit, and an earphone that seals the ear, wherein the earphone and the ANR circuit in combination attenuate sounds reaching the ear canal through the hearing aid, resulting residual sounds being attenuated by a first amount, the microphones provide sounds that originate from a non-desired direction to the ear canal attenuated by a second amount relative to provided sounds that originate from a desired direction, anda second hearing aid with second microphones having directional sensitivity, a second active noise reduction (ANR) circuit, and a second earphone, wherein the earphone and the second earphone are arranged to point their respective microphones inward when worn, so lines through the microphones and the second microphones converge from one meter to two meters ahead of a user.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In general, in one aspect, a hearing aid has an ANR circuit and an ear tip that acoustically occludes the ear. Such a hearing aid provides greater gain to sounds than would be stable in the same hearing aid with a vented ear tip. The ear tip and the ANR circuit in combination attenuate sounds reaching the ear canal through the hearing aid to a first level. The hearing aid detects sounds arriving at a microphone, amplifies those sounds, and provides the amplified sounds to the ear canal at a second level and later in time than the same sounds arrive at the ear canal through the ear tip. The first level is at least 14 dB greater than the second level, such that the amplified sounds do not interact with the passive sounds to result in spectral combing.
5 Citations
12 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
- a hearing aid with microphones having directional sensitivity, an active noise reduction (ANR) circuit, and an earphone that seals the ear, wherein the earphone and the ANR circuit in combination attenuate sounds reaching the ear canal through the hearing aid, resulting residual sounds being attenuated by a first amount, the microphones provide sounds that originate from a non-desired direction to the ear canal attenuated by a second amount relative to provided sounds that originate from a desired direction, and
a second hearing aid with second microphones having directional sensitivity, a second active noise reduction (ANR) circuit, and a second earphone, wherein the earphone and the second earphone are arranged to point their respective microphones inward when worn, so lines through the microphones and the second microphones converge from one meter to two meters ahead of a user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- a hearing aid with microphones having directional sensitivity, an active noise reduction (ANR) circuit, and an earphone that seals the ear, wherein the earphone and the ANR circuit in combination attenuate sounds reaching the ear canal through the hearing aid, resulting residual sounds being attenuated by a first amount, the microphones provide sounds that originate from a non-desired direction to the ear canal attenuated by a second amount relative to provided sounds that originate from a desired direction, and
Specification