High performance micromachined microphones for hearing aids

用于助听器的高性能微机械麦克风

基本信息

批准号：
8034250
负责人：
Caesar Theodore Garcia
金额：
$ 38.87万
依托单位：
SILICON AUDIO, INC.
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2008
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2008-07-07 至 2013-02-28
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Overall, client satisfaction with hearing-aid systems is very low. Today, only 2 percent of Americans wear a hearing aid, while it is believe that at least 10 percent of Americans could benefit from a hearing assistive device. Innovations at the microphone level have a direct positive impact on hearing aid performance. This work is focused on commercializing a new type of MEMS microphone that will set a new benchmark with respect to the combination of high fidelity and small size. A revolutionary approach is taken in which interference of light is used to detect sound. The system combines optical and mechanical elements fabricated on silicon with semiconductor lasers and optoelectronics to form a robust capsule consistent in size with the smallest microphones demonstrated to date, but with fidelity rivaled only by microphones 100x larger in size. With ultra-low noise microphones, hearing aid system developers will be able to integrate more advanced algorithms aimed at solving a long-standing problem for hearing aid users known as the "cocktail party" problem. Binaural signal processing is another hearing aid technology that will benefit from high fidelity microphone capsules with well matched dynamics. A microphone able to meet the demands of these applications is likely to have a broad impact on the hearing health community. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: High performance micro machined microphones for hearing aids Relevance this innovation is in support of the NIDCD mission to support efforts to create and refine devices that may replace or substitute for lost and impaired sensory and communication functions. Despite the growing importance of hearing assistive devices to the public and user dissatisfaction with such devices, relatively few commercial innovations have resulted to address this challenge. This innovation seeks to make a substantial contribution in this area.

描述（由申请人提供）：总体而言，客户对助听系统的满意度非常低。如今，只有 2% 的美国人佩戴助听器，但据信至少 10% 的美国人可以从助听器中受益。麦克风层面的创新对助听器性能产生直接的积极影响。这项工作的重点是新型 MEMS 麦克风的商业化，该麦克风将在高保真度和小尺寸的组合方面树立新的基准。采用了一种革命性的方法，利用光的干涉来检测声音。该系统将硅上制造的光学和机械元件与半导体激光器和光电器件相结合，形成一个坚固的拾音头，其尺寸与迄今为止展示的最小麦克风一致，但保真度只有尺寸大 100 倍的麦克风才能媲美。借助超低噪声麦克风，助听器系统开发人员将能够集成更先进的算法，旨在解决助听器用户长期存在的问题，即“鸡尾酒会”问题。双耳信号处理是另一种助听器技术，它将受益于具有良好匹配动态的高保真麦克风胶囊。能够满足这些应用需求的麦克风可能会对听力健康界产生广泛的影响。公共卫生相关性：用于助听器的高性能微加工麦克风相关性这项创新是为了支持 NIDCD 的使命，即支持创建和改进可以替代或替代丢失和受损的感觉和通信功能的设备的努力。尽管听力辅助设备对公众越来越重要，并且用户对此类设备不满意，但解决这一挑战的商业创新相对较少。这项创新力求在这一领域做出重大贡献。