Hearing Aid Components Research Articles

Wear Characteristics of Medical Hearing-Aid Components and Friction Reduction Mechanisms

The wear characteristics of a hearing-aid battery assembly, which consist of an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styren (ABS) button cell compartment and a stainless steel bracket with the locking knob, have been studied in the current work to predict its lifespan in service. The main failure mechanism is the worn-out of the cell compartment by the locking knob when changing the battery. Its wear rate is determined by the relationship between knob geometry and corresponding pressure distribution on the worn surface. Due to the third-body entrapment, the wear rate is highly influenced by the presence of the debris, and fortunately, it can be reduced by applying microsurface texture onto the knob. Experiments are conducted here to validate the wear reduction mechanism.

The effectiveness of commercial desiccants and uncooked rice in removing moisture from hearing aids

Objective: In many low- and middle-income countries, the availability of hearing technology is limited, with few options for hearing aid repairs. Minimising moisture damage to hearing aid electronics improves function and longevity; however, desiccants that absorb moisture from hearing aid components are unavailable in many regions. This study compared the effectiveness of uncooked white rice and seven commercial silica gel desiccants in removing moisture from hearing aids. Design: Relative humidity measurements in a test chamber were obtained from a water-saturated BTE hearing aid prior to and after placement in uncooked white rice and seven different silica gel desiccants. Study sample: Two BTE hearing aids, seven silica gel desiccants and white rice comprised the study sample. Results: All desiccants and the white rice were effective in removing moisture from hearing aids, with Hal Hen Super Dri Aid showing the largest mean reduction in relative humidity. Based on analysis of covariance results, white rice was statistically similar to several of the commercial desiccants. Conclusions: White rice shows promise as an effective alternative to commercial desiccants in reducing moisture in hearing aids when silica gel products are unavailable. As this study was conducted in a relatively dry region, additional research may be needed.

The master hearing aid.

As early as the 1930s the term Master Hearing Aid (MHA) described a device used in the fitting of hearing aids. In their original form, the MHA was a desktop system that allowed for simulated or actual adjustment of hearing aid components that resulted in a changed hearing aid response. Over the years the MHA saw many embodiments and contributed to a number of rationales for the fitting of hearing aids. During these same years, the MHA was viewed by many as an inappropriate means of demonstrating hearing aids; the audio quality of the desktop systems was often superior to the hearing aids themselves. These opinions and the evolution of the MHA have molded the modern perception of hearing aids and the techniques used in the fitting of hearing aids. This article reports on a history of the MHA and its influence on the fitting of hearing aids.

METHOD TO MANUFACTURE A HEARING AID WITH INDIRECT LASER EXPOSURE

To further automate the manufacture of hearing aid component parts that are in part produced with a rapid prototyping method, a laser beam for curing material is generated by a laser, and a workpiece support that can be directly exposed by the laser is provided. The laser beam is deflected by an optic device so that the workpiece support can be indirectly exposed with the laser. Material can thereby be more easily applied in undercuts of workpiece blanks that form the basis of the hearing aid component parts.

A study on evaluation strategies in dimensional X-ray computed tomography by estimation of measurement uncertainties

Computed tomography has entered the industrial world in 1980’s as a technique for non-destructive testing and has nowadays become a revolutionary tool for dimensional metrology, suitable for actual/nominal comparison and verification of geometrical and dimensional tolerances. This paper evaluates measurement results using different measuring strategies applied in different inspection software packages for volume and surface data analysis. The strategy influence is determined by calculating the measurement uncertainty. This investigation includes measurements of two industrial items, an aluminium pipe connector and a plastic toggle, a hearing aid component. These are measured using a commercial CT scanner. Traceability is transferred using tactile and optical coordinate measuring machines, which are used to produce reference measurements. Results show that measurements of diameter for both parts resulted in smaller systematic errors compared to distance and height measurements. It was found that uncertainties of all measurands evaluated on surface data were generally greater compared to measurements performed on volume data.

METHOD FOR ADAPTIVE CONSTRUCTION OF A SMALL CIC HEARING INSTRUMENT

A small hearing aid is provided which fits completely in an ear canal of a user wherein a shell as an outer housing of the hearing aid is shaped to closely surround components of the hearing aid to provide a gap between the hearing canal inner walls and the shell to allow flow of air when the hearing aid is mounted in the ear by a mounting element connected to the shell. The mounting element is provided with at least one aperture to allow the air flow. In a fabricating method, an image of the shell is shrunk to closely surround the hearing aid components while maintaining a shape of the ear canal to assure a custom fit.

Innovative Technology in Hearing Instruments

Hearing instrument technology research is almost entirely focused on the projected needs of the consumer market in the developed world. However, two thirds of the world's population with hearing impairment live in developing countries and this proportion will increase in future, given present demographic trends. In developing regions, amplification and other hearing health needs may differ from those in industrialized nations, for cultural, health, or economic reasons. World Health Organization estimates indicate that at present only a small percentage of individuals in developing countries who are in need of amplification have access to hearing aid provision. New technologies, such as trainable hearing aids, advanced noise reduction algorithms, feedback reduction circuitry, nano coatings for hearing aid components, and innovative power options, may offer considerable potential benefits, both for individuals with hearing impairment in developing countries and for those who provide hearing health care services in these regions. This article considers the possible supporting role of innovative hearing instrument technologies in the provision of affordable hearing health care services in developing countries and highlights the need for research that considers the requirements of the majority of the world population in need of hearing instrument provision.

SELF FORMING IN-THE-EAR HEARING AID WITH CONICAL STENT

A hearing aid body is provided that contains electronic hearing aid components and that is attachable to the user's body outside the ear canal. A conduit connects the hearing aid body to the flexible plug. The conduit enables sound emitted by the hearing aid to travel via the conduit to the flexible plug so that the user's able to hear a sound that is amplified by the hearing aid and received by the plug via the conduit. The conduit can be a flexible hollow tube or an electronic conduit that transmit electrical signals between the hearing aid and the plug. A stent embedded in the plug is provided, the stent having a first smaller diameter at a temperature below body temperature and being expandable to a second greater diameter when subjected to the user's body temperature, such as the temperature in the ear canal of a user.

Combined Electric and Acoustic Stimulation: Successful Treatment Option for Partial Deafness

Combined Electric and Acoustic Stimulation: Successful Treatment Option for Partial Deafness

Method and apparatus for a wireless hearing aid antenna

One aspect relates to a hearing aid having a housing with a face plate to which a handle is connected. Additionally, an at least partially coiled antenna is located proximal to the face plate. Another aspect relates to an apparatus comprised of a means for locating hearing aid components in a housing, a means for inserting and removing the hearing aid with a handle, a means for connecting the handle to the housing, and a means for integrating an antenna with the handle, wherein the antenna is located proximal to the housing. Another aspect relates to a method of making a hearing aid, including connecting an antenna to a handle and connecting the handle to the hearing aid, wherein the antenna is located proximate to the hearing aid housing.

Ear insert for a hearing aid

Feedbacks in hearing aids are to be attenuated and avoided in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The invention thus proposes producing a hearing aid component at least partially from a material comprising a plurality of Helmholtz resonators ( 8 ). An otoplastic ( 2 ) can be produced from a material of this type for example, thus enabling high frequency sound which leaks out of a ventilation bore ( 5 ) in the otoplastic ( 2 ) and which leads to feedback, to be attenuated in the otoplastic ( 2 ).

One-size-fits-all uni-ear hearing instrument

A one-size-fits-all uni-hearing aid is described which is adapted to fit into either ear of an ear canal of a user to a depth proximal to the tympanic membrane. The hearing aid is comprised of two half shells joined together to house the hearing aid components. The joined shells secure a flexible tip at the distal end of the shell.

Hearing aid and a method for operating a hearing aid

A hearing aid comprising a housing with a connector enabling an external device to be connected thereto is provided. The connector includes a set of closely spaced electrical terminals operatively connected to at least one internal hearing aid component. The hearing aid also comprises detecting means adapted for determining whether an external device is connected or unconnected to the hearing aid, and the hearing aid is adapted for keeping the set of closely spaced electrical terminals at a substantially equal electrical potential during at least a part of the time periods wherein an external device is unconnected. A method of operating a hearing aid and a program comprising code adapted for operating a hearing aid is also provided.

Signal Processing in High-End Hearing Aids: State of the Art, Challenges, and Future Trends

The development of hearing aids incorporates two aspects, namely, the audiological and the technical point of view. The former focuses on items like the recruitment phenomenon, the speech intelligibility of hearing-impaired persons, or just on the question of hearing comfort. Concerning these subjects, different algorithms intending to improve the hearing ability are presented in this paper. These are automatic gain controls, directional microphones, and noise reduction algorithms. Besides the audiological point of view, there are several purely technical problems which have to be solved. An important one is the acoustic feedback. Another instance is the proper automatic control of all hearing aid components by means of a classification unit. In addition to an overview of state-of-the-art algorithms, this paper focuses on future trends.

Hearing aid having digital damping

A hearing aid is set forth that includes one or more hearing aid components that introduce an undesired undamped peak into the frequency response of the hearing aid. An electronic damping filter is utilized to compensate for the undamped peak. The electronic damping filter has a notch filter response that includes an inverse peak across the frequency range of the undamped peak thereby electronically damping the frequency response so that the hearing aid output is generally unaffected by the undesired characteristics of the inverse peak. The electronic damping filter may be programmable to vary the magnitude and/or shift the frequency of the inverse peak. A method is set forth that exploits this programmability and allows the same circuit topology to be used in two different hearing aids respectively having two different undamped peaks. A further method allows handling two or more peaks.

Hearing aid construction with electronic components encapsulated in soft polymeric body

A hearing aid instrument of the in-the-ear type (and preferably CIC) provides a plate member with electronic hearing aid components mounted thereto. The plate member is preferably of a harder material such as hard plastic. A soft polymeric body is bonded to the plate member and encapsulates preferably a plurality of the electronic hearing aid components. The body is soft and is shaped to conform to the ear canal of the user. The soft polymeric body and encapsulated electronic hearing aid components define a soft structure compliant to the ear canal during use and that is substantially solid and free of void spaces between at least some of the components and the ear canal. This combination of soft compliant structure and encapsulated electronic hearing aid components addresses problems of peripheral leakage, poor fit, pivotal displacement that occurs with jaw motion and internal cross talk of components housed in prior art hollow type hearing aids.

Articulated hearing device

A hearing device (10) having highly articulated, non-contiguous parts and adapted for placement within the ear canal (20) includes a receiver module (40) for delivering acoustic signals within close proximity to the tympanic membrane (26), a main module (12) containing all hearing aid components except the receiver, and a connector (50) that routes amplified electrical signals from the main module (12) to the receiver module (40). The connector (50) fits in the cartilaginous area (28) of the ear canal (20) and is articulated with both the receiver module (40) and main module (12) to permit independent movement of the receiver module (40) while the hearing device (10) is inserted or removed and during various jaw movements, such as chewing, yawning and talking.

Adjusting the geometry of implantable hearing aid components to human temporal bone. I: Electromechanical transducer

Prerequisite to implantation of a piezoelectrical transducer of an implantable hearing aid is a shape allowing its implantation into human mastoid and middle ear. To approach this problem, a consecutive series of six transducer prototypes was created in an iterative process. Their functional geometry was evaluated in 50 human temporal bones. A shape for a functioning transducer was found which will enable implantation in 78% of the cases examined (confidence interval: 61.5%-89.2%). It will allow simultaneous implantation of the transducer into the mastoid and microphone, which is situated transmastoidal in the posterior wall of the ear canal. Furthermore, the transducer may be coupled to the ossicular chain or the perilymph.

Cosmetically disguised hearing aid

A hearing aid designed to be affixed to a pair of eyeglasses used by the wearer or suspended from an ear mold that is lodged in the ear of the wearer is disclosed. The hearing aid is cosmetically disguised and may be worn by either males or females. The hearing aid comprises a hemispherically shaped ornamental outer shell that covers all of the components and circuitry of a conventional hearing aid. The hearing aid components are housed inside a casing. Preferably, the hearing aid uses a rotatable clasp to mount to the wearer's eyeglass frames or earlobe. In an alternative embodiment, the hearing aid does not mount to the wearer's eyeglasses. In a first preferred embodiment, a clasp secures the hearing aid to the wearer's eyeglasses. In a second preferred embodiment, a clip mounts the hearing aid to the wearer's eyeglass frames. In a third preferred embodiment, a cable tie mounts the hearing aid to the eyeglass frames through width adjustment slots in a projecting tab. A volume control knob, tone controls, battery access door and a rotatable clasp or deflectable clip protrude from the rear surface of the casing. The outer shell gives the hearing aid the appearance of an earring or an eyeglass tether mount. The outer shell of my hearing aid may be quickly exchanged with any of several other ornamental shells to give the earring or eyeglass tether mount the desired coloration and shape.

Programming device for hearing aids and/or hearing aid components

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