Hearing Aid Connectivity to Consumer Electronics

助听器与消费电子产品的连接

• 批准号: 7480898
• 负责人: DANIEL S HEDIN
• 金额: $ 12.62万
• 依托单位: ADVANCED MEDICAL ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-04-01 至 2008-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7480898
• 关键词: Adoption; Adverse effects; American; Area; Cellular Phone; Consumption; Contracts; Coupling; Custom; Data; Devices; Ear; Electronics; Environment; Face; Gray unit of radiation dose; Hearing; Hearing Aids; Hearing Impaired Persons; Hybrids; Individual; Industry; Life; Link; Magnetism; Manufacturer Name; Medical Electronics; Methods; Minnesota; Music; Nature; Noise; Output; Pattern; Performance; Phase; Physiologic pulse; Power Sources; Pulse taking; Radio; Range; Rate; Research; Research Personnel; Resistance; Resources; Running; Signal Transduction; Simulate; Solutions; Source; Speed; Standards of Weights and Measures; Structure; System; Technology; Television; Universities; Wireless Technology; analog; base; design; digital; experience; hearing impairment; interest; miniaturize; novel; simulation; size; sound; transmission process

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project will apply novel ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless impulse radio technology to provide connectivity from consumer electronics devices directly to micro- behind-the-ear (micro-BTE) hearing aids. In hearing aids, capturing sound close to the source before it is combined with background noise offers better signal to noise ratio. In the case of consumer electronics devices, hearing aid users encounter difficulties with sound quality when using the integrated speakers of such devices. These devices often provide an audio output which offers a low noise signal. The proposed device will digitize this signal from the audio port before noise is added and transmit it digitally directly to the hearing aid. Existing methods to transmit audio signals to hearing aids from consumer electronics devices include Bluetooth, magnetic coupling (digital and analog), and FM. FM radios are prone to interference and distortion and are being replaced by digital wireless solutions. Bluetooth is too high of power to be directly integrated into hearing aids and so these solutions require larger batteries in modules external to the hearing aid. Magnetic coupling can be made low power but can only transmit for short distances. There are many reasons why previous connectivity systems have experienced poor adoption rates and most are related to the intermediate relay module found in current solutions. The proposed solution will be the first to eliminate this relay module allow direct long-range transmission to a micro BTE hearing aid. The proposed wireless technology will offer larger distances (15 ft.) than magnetic coupling solutions and lower power (<200uW) than all digital alternatives. This technology can be integrated directly into micro-BTE hearing aids. The transmitter module will also be miniaturized around a standard audio plug for a discrete (< 0.3 in3), easy to use device. Project Narrative More than 28 million Americans suffer from or face imminent hearing loss. The segments of hearing aid users that can receive the greatest benefit from the proposed technology are the estimated 10% of hearing-impaired persons suffering signal-to-noise-ratio loss. These individuals have a reduced ability to hear in acoustically noisy environments.

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目将应用新颖的超宽带（UWB）无线脉冲无线电技术，以直接提供消费电子设备的连通性，直接向微型落后（Micro-BTE）助听器。在助听器中，在将声音与背景噪声结合在一起之前，捕获声音靠近源可提供更好的信号与噪声比。对于消费电子设备，使用此类设备的集成扬声器时，助听器用户会遇到质量的困难。这些设备通常提供音频输出，该音频输出提供低噪声信号。提出的设备将在添加噪声之前从音频端口数字化该信号并将其直接传输到助听器。将音频信号传输到来自消费电子设备的助听器的现有方法包括蓝牙，磁耦合（数字和模拟）和FM。 FM收音机容易受到干扰和失真的影响，并被数字无线解决方案取代。蓝牙的功率太高，无法将其直接整合到助听器中，因此这些解决方案需要在助听器外部模块中更大的电池。磁性耦合可以使低功率变为低功率，但只能在短距离内传输。以前的连接系统的采用率较差的原因有很多，并且大多数与当前解决方案中的中间继电器模块有关。提出的解决方案将是第一个消除此继电器模块的解决方案，可以直接向微BTE助听器进行直接远程传输。所提出的无线技术将比磁耦合解决方案和低功率（<200UW）提供更大的距离（15英尺）。该技术可以直接集成到Micro-BTE助听器中。发射机模块还将在标准音频插头周围微型化，以供离散（<0.3 in3），易于使用的设备。项目叙述超过2800万美国人遭受或面临即将听力的损失。助听器用户的细分市场可以从拟议的技术中获得最大的收益，这是据估计，遭受信号到噪声比例损失的助听器受损的人中有10％。这些人在声学上嘈杂的环境中听到的能力降低。