• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.272-278
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• 2011

Recently, the performance of binaural hearing aids is rapidly improved with the technology advancement of wireless communication, digital signal processing, and integrated circuit design. However, the previous hearing aids developer platforms can't be applied to binaural hearing aids developing, because it has no consideration for wireless communication and binaural hearing control. Also, the previous developer platforms are not easy to use for the algorithm development, because programming languages are limited. In this paper, we designed and implemented the open platform board for binaural hearing aids developing. The designed board can be programmed by general programming language and can be used wireless communication module. In order to verify the designed open platform board, we used the volume control algorithm using two open platform board. As a result of experiment, we verified the performance of designed and implemented open platform board that was successfully operated the binaural hearing control and the wireless communication.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.209-214
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• 2016

Binaural hearing aids with a voice transmitter have been widely used to enhance sound quality in noisy environment. However, this system has a limitation on sound-source localization. In this study, we investigated automatic directional-gain control method using geomagnetic sensors to provide directional information to binaural hearing aid user. The loudness gains of two hearing aids were differently controlled based on the directional information between a speaker position and a viewing direction of hearing aids user. This relative directional information was measured by two geomagnetic sensors on hearing aids user and a speaker. The results showed that the loudness gains were accurately controlled and could provide directional information based on the cue of interaural level differences.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.197-202
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• 2005

The cochlear implantation(CI) as an useful tool for aural rehabilitation in bilateral severe to profound hearing impairment. However, CI prefer to usually one ear in spite of bilateral hearing impaired. because of the various characteristics of hearing loss, the hearing conservation for the future possibility, and socioeconomic condition of hearing impaired person and their families. The unilateral CI has limitations such as a directional loss, a difficult speech understanding in noise and a neural plasticity. These limitations will be overcome by hearing aid(HA) which is familiar with hearing impairer. but HA fitting for bimodal-binaural hearing are difficult because the difference output characteristic of HA and CI. This study will be confirm realities of use of HA in unilateral cochlear implantee. For this goal, 25(m:f=10:15) child participated who are used to HA for 1 to 17 months. We had telephone interviews with their mother about use of HA, change of auditory performance and own voice. As the results, hearing threshold levels of unimplanted ear, the use of a appropriate HA, implanted and aided hearing threshold level(HTL) are must be considered for successful biomodal-binaural hearing. Especially, implanted and aided HTL should be very useful parameter for a prediction of HA effect and a criterion of selection for bilateral cochlear implantation.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.19-25
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• 2004

Hearing aids play an very important role in aural rehabilitation for hearing impaired person who could not be medically treated. Especially, hearing aids with dynamic range compression (level dependent frequency response: LDFR) method concentrated dynamic output range of receiver into the narrowing dynamic range of sensorineural hearing impaired person. Thus, if aided hearing threshold level is improved and uncomfortable loudness level rises, then the users of hearing aids are favored with extended dynamic range. This study aims to evaluate audiological benefits in dynamic range compression hearing aids. To achieve this, pure tone and speech audiometry were examined to 15 children and 3 adults with narrow dynamic range moderate-to-severe binaural sensorineural hearing loss.

• Proceedings of the KOR-BRONCHOESO Conference
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• 1978.06a
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• pp.9.2-9
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• 1978

Monaural and binaural hearing aid performance under quiet and noisy conditions were compared in regard to (1) the degree of hearing impairment, (2) the symmetry of pure tone audiogram, (3) the automatic gain control of the hearing aid. (4) hearing impairement with recruitment and, word discrimination ability. Performance using binaural hearing aids was consistently superior to that using monaural hearing aids. The results were as follows. 1. Speech detection thresholds were enhanced by a mean of 4.25dB when tested with danavox 747 PP stereo type hearing aid and by a mean of 4.12 dB when tested hearing aids connected seperately to the right and left ears. 2. Binaurally tested speech reception thresholds were superior to monaurally tested thresholds by a mean of 3.56dB when tested in quiet and by a mean of 5.56dB when tested in noise. 3. Binaurally tested word discrimination scores were also superior by a mean of 17.09% in quiet and by a mean 19.63% in noise. 4. Both SRT and word discrimination scores were performed best by subjects with moderately-severe impairement. The performance by one mildly impaired subject was the poorest of all performances. The levels of performance order were; moderately-severe loss, severe loss. moderate loss and mild loss. 5. The data obtained using AGC aids when compaired with that of linear amplification show that when AGC aids were worn in both ears. the results were very poor but when one AGC aid was worn in one ear and linear amplification in the other. the results were good. 6. The advantages of binaural hearing aids were obvious even in cases 1) with great diferences in hearing thresholds between right and left ears, 2) when the subject was unable to discriminate words without vision and. 3) when the subject had extreme recruitme t phenomenon.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.36 no.7C
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• pp.413-420
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• 2011

This paper proposes a new adaptive algorithm to cancel the acoustic feedback and noise signals in the binaural hearing aids. The convergence performances of the proposed algorithm are improved by updating coefficients of the feedback canceller after the speech signal is cancelled from the residual signal with dual microphones. The feedback canceller firstly cancels the feedback signal from the microphone signal, and then the noise canceller reduces the noise by the beamforming method. To assure that binaural hearing aids converge stably, the left-sided hearing aid only is converged firstly, next the right-sided hearing aid only is converged. To verify performances of the proposed algorithm, simulations were carried out for a speech. As the results of simulations, it was proved that we can advance 14.43dB SFR(Signal to Feedback Ratio) on the average for the feedback canceller, 10.19dB SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio) improvement on the average for the noise canceller, in case that this algorithm is used.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of a wireless transceiver that can be inserted into the ear canal. The wireless technology could minimize the cosmetic problems of patients, and it can be applied to binaural hearing aids for improving speech perception. In order to implement the ear canal insertable transceiver, simple finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations were carried out to determine the feasibility, and the hardware of the transceiver was implemented within the ear shell. The size of the implemented transceiver was only $7{\times}7mm$, and it could successfully transmit signals to external devices. In order to measure the radiation pattern, a simple RF phantom was used, and the maximum attenuation from the phantom was observed to be 23 dB when the reference antenna was placed at a distance of 2 m from the transmitter.