EP1052880A2 - Digital hearing aid microphone - Google Patents
Digital hearing aid microphone Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1052880A2 EP1052880A2 EP99306409A EP99306409A EP1052880A2 EP 1052880 A2 EP1052880 A2 EP 1052880A2 EP 99306409 A EP99306409 A EP 99306409A EP 99306409 A EP99306409 A EP 99306409A EP 1052880 A2 EP1052880 A2 EP 1052880A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- microphone
- hearing aid
- housing
- analog
- digital
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Electric hearing aids
- H04R25/50—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
- H04R25/505—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics using digital signal processing
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R2410/00—Microphones
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a digital hearing aid microphone having an analog-to-digital converter within the integral housing of the microphone.
- an analog signal from the microphone is converted into a digital signal prior to being amplified. Because a digital signal is less susceptible to noise than an analog signal, the digital signal is less likely to pick up noise through the hearing aid.
- the analog signal from the microphone remains susceptible to noise between the microphone and the analog-to-digital converter.
- U.S. Patent No. 5,796,848 discloses a hearing aid with an additional housing surrounding both an operating microphone and an analog-to-digital converter.
- the additional housing shields the hearing aid from high-frequency electromagnetic signals.
- the hearing aid disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,796,848 thus requires a hearing aid housing, an operating microphone with an integral housing and an additional shielding housing surrounding both the operating microphone and the analog-to-digital converter.
- U.S. Patent No. 5,796,848 refers to the use of the semiconductor microphone disclosed in German Utility Model 8910743.8 in its digital hearing aid. A copy of German Utility Model 8910743.8 and its translation is enclosed herewith.
- the microphone disclosed in German Utility Model 8910743.8 comprises a transducer motor acoustically coupled to an integral housing, as shown in Figure 2. Accordingly, U.S. Patent No. 5,796,848 discloses an additional shielding housing surrounding an operative microphone having a sigma-delta modulator monolithically integrated on the semiconductor component part of the microphone, placed within a hearing aid housing.
- the present invention relates to a microphone comprising an integral housing and an analog-to-digital converter within the integral housing.
- an additional shielding housing as required by U.S. Patent No. 5,796,848, is not necessary to shield the output of the microphone from unwanted interference or noise.
- Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the microphone assembly of the present invention.
- a hearing aid used to correct a hearing impairment typically comprises a microphone, an amplifier and a receiver.
- the microphone receives sound and converts the sound to an electrical signal, which is amplified by the amplifier and converted back to sound by the receiver.
- a hearing aid microphone, generally designated 10, is illustrated in Figure 1.
- the microphone 10 comprises a housing 12 having an inlet tube 14 extending outwardly from a wall 16 of the housing 12.
- the inlet tube 14 receives sound and communicates the received sound into the microphone 10.
- a diaphragm 18 in the microphone 10 defines a front volume 10a and a back volume lOb.
- the diaphragm 10 vibrates in response to the sound, resulting in an electrical signal.
- the electrical signal is converted to a digital signal by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 20 within the housing 12 of the microphone 10.
- the digital signal is transmitted out of the microphone.
- A/D analog-to-digital
Landscapes
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Neurosurgery (AREA)
- Otolaryngology (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)
- Measurement Of Mechanical Vibrations Or Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
- Analogue/Digital Conversion (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention is directed to an improved digital hearing aid
microphone with an analog-to-digital converter placed within the integral housing
of the microphone.
Description
The present invention relates to a digital hearing aid microphone having
an analog-to-digital converter within the integral housing of the microphone.
In a conventional digital hearing aid microphone, an analog signal from
the microphone is converted into a digital signal prior to being amplified. Because
a digital signal is less susceptible to noise than an analog signal, the digital signal
is less likely to pick up noise through the hearing aid. The analog signal from the
microphone, however, remains susceptible to noise between the microphone and
the analog-to-digital converter.
U.S. Patent No. 5,796,848 discloses a hearing aid with an additional
housing surrounding both an operating microphone and an analog-to-digital
converter. The additional housing shields the hearing aid from high-frequency
electromagnetic signals. The hearing aid disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,796,848
thus requires a hearing aid housing, an operating microphone with an integral
housing and an additional shielding housing surrounding both the operating
microphone and the analog-to-digital converter. In particular, U.S. Patent No.
5,796,848 refers to the use of the semiconductor microphone disclosed in German
Utility Model 8910743.8 in its digital hearing aid. A copy of German Utility
Model 8910743.8 and its translation is enclosed herewith. The microphone
disclosed in German Utility Model 8910743.8 comprises a transducer motor
acoustically coupled to an integral housing, as shown in Figure 2. Accordingly,
U.S. Patent No. 5,796,848 discloses an additional shielding housing surrounding
an operative microphone having a sigma-delta modulator monolithically integrated
on the semiconductor component part of the microphone, placed within a hearing
aid housing.
The present invention relates to a microphone comprising an integral
housing and an analog-to-digital converter within the integral housing. By placing
the analog-to-digital converter within the integral housing, an additional shielding
housing, as required by U.S. Patent No. 5,796,848, is not necessary to shield the
output of the microphone from unwanted interference or noise.
Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the microphone assembly of the
present invention.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different
forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a
preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present
disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the
invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the
embodiment illustrated.
A hearing aid used to correct a hearing impairment typically comprises
a microphone, an amplifier and a receiver. The microphone receives sound and
converts the sound to an electrical signal, which is amplified by the amplifier and
converted back to sound by the receiver. A hearing aid microphone, generally
designated 10, is illustrated in Figure 1. The microphone 10 comprises a housing
12 having an inlet tube 14 extending outwardly from a wall 16 of the housing 12.
The inlet tube 14 receives sound and communicates the received sound into the
microphone 10. A diaphragm 18 in the microphone 10 defines a front volume 10a
and a back volume lOb. The diaphragm 10 vibrates in response to the sound,
resulting in an electrical signal. The electrical signal is converted to a digital
signal by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 20 within the housing 12 of the
microphone 10. The digital signal is transmitted out of the microphone.
While the specific embodiment has been illustrated and described,
numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the
spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of
the accompanying Claims.
Claims (1)
- A hearing aid microphone comprising:an integral housing; andan analog-to-digital converter within said integral housing.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US10341598P | 1998-10-07 | 1998-10-07 | |
| US103415P | 1998-10-07 | ||
| US35267799A | 1999-07-14 | 1999-07-14 | |
| US352677 | 1999-07-14 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| EP1052880A2 true EP1052880A2 (en) | 2000-11-15 |
| EP1052880A3 EP1052880A3 (en) | 2001-10-24 |
Family
ID=26800437
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP99306409A Withdrawn EP1052880A3 (en) | 1998-10-07 | 1999-08-13 | Digital hearing aid microphone |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP1052880A3 (en) |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2002062101A1 (en) * | 2001-02-02 | 2002-08-08 | Soniontech A/S | Microphone unit with internal a/d converter |
| US7072482B2 (en) | 2002-09-06 | 2006-07-04 | Sonion Nederland B.V. | Microphone with improved sound inlet port |
| US7415121B2 (en) | 2004-10-29 | 2008-08-19 | Sonion Nederland B.V. | Microphone with internal damping |
| USRE40781E1 (en) | 2001-05-31 | 2009-06-23 | Pulse Mems Aps | Method of providing a hydrophobic layer and condenser microphone having such a layer |
| US7630504B2 (en) | 2003-11-24 | 2009-12-08 | Epcos Ag | Microphone comprising integral multi-level quantizer and single-bit conversion means |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7065224B2 (en) | 2001-09-28 | 2006-06-20 | Sonionmicrotronic Nederland B.V. | Microphone for a hearing aid or listening device with improved internal damping and foreign material protection |
Family Cites Families (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS6427396A (en) * | 1988-07-08 | 1989-01-30 | Sony Corp | Microphone equipment |
| DE19545760C1 (en) * | 1995-12-07 | 1997-02-20 | Siemens Audiologische Technik | Digital hearing aid |
| GB2319922B (en) * | 1996-11-27 | 2000-05-03 | Sony Uk Ltd | Microphone |
-
1999
- 1999-08-13 EP EP99306409A patent/EP1052880A3/en not_active Withdrawn
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2002062101A1 (en) * | 2001-02-02 | 2002-08-08 | Soniontech A/S | Microphone unit with internal a/d converter |
| US8649528B2 (en) | 2001-02-02 | 2014-02-11 | Techtronic A/S | Microphone unit with internal A/D converter |
| USRE40781E1 (en) | 2001-05-31 | 2009-06-23 | Pulse Mems Aps | Method of providing a hydrophobic layer and condenser microphone having such a layer |
| US7072482B2 (en) | 2002-09-06 | 2006-07-04 | Sonion Nederland B.V. | Microphone with improved sound inlet port |
| US7630504B2 (en) | 2003-11-24 | 2009-12-08 | Epcos Ag | Microphone comprising integral multi-level quantizer and single-bit conversion means |
| US7415121B2 (en) | 2004-10-29 | 2008-08-19 | Sonion Nederland B.V. | Microphone with internal damping |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP1052880A3 (en) | 2001-10-24 |
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| STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
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| 18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 20020425 |