• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
• /
• v.35 no.11C
• /
• pp.911-916
• /
• 2010

This paper proposes a new algorithm to cancel the acoustic feedback and noise signals in digital hearing aids. The proposed algorithm combines the feedback canceller to remove acoustic feedback signals and the noise canceller to reduce background noises. The feedback canceller is implemented by normal adaptive FIR filter, and the noise canceller is implemented by using the Wiener solution in frequency domain. This noise canceller has the transfer function presented by the power spectral density of signals. To verify the performances of the proposed algorithm, the simulations were carried out for the system. As the results of simulations, it was proved that we can advance 10.85dB output SNR on the average for the forward path gain of 0dB, and 11.04dB output SNR on the average for the forward path gain of 6dB, in the case of using the proposed algorithm.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
• /
• v.17 no.11
• /
• pp.3064-3082
• /
• 2023

During the last decade, several Electronic Orientation Aids devices have been proposed to solve the autonomy problems of visually impaired people. When hearing is considered the primary sense for Visually Impaired people (VI) and it is generally loaded with the environment, the use of tactile sense can be considered a solution to transmit directional information. This paper presents a new wearable haptic system based on four motors implemented in shoes, while six directions can be played. This study aims to introduce an interface design and investigate an appropriate means of spatial information delivery through haptic sense. The first experiment of the proposed system was performed with 15 users in an indoor environment. The results showed that the users were able to recognize, with high accuracy, the directions displayed on their feet. The second experiment was conducted in an outdoor environment with five blindfolded users who were guided along 120 meters. The users, guided only by the haptic system, successfully reached their destinations. The potential of tactile-foot stimulation to help VI understand Electronic Orientation Aids (EOA) instructions was discussed, and future challenges were defined.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.24-33
• /
• 2013

To enhance the speech perception of hearing aid users in noisy environment, most hearing aid devices adopt various beamforming algorithms such as the first-order differential microphone (DM1) and the two-stage directional microphone (DM2) algorithms that maintain sounds from the direction of the interlocutor and reduce the ambient sounds from the other directions. However, these conventional algorithms represent poor directionality ability in low frequency area. Therefore, to enhance the speech perception of hearing aid uses in low frequency range, our group had suggested a fractional delay subtraction and integration (FDSI) algorithm and estimated its theoretical performance using computer simulation in previous article. In this study, we performed a KEMAR test in non-reverberant room that compares the performance of DM1, DM2, broadband beamforming (BBF), and proposed FDSI algorithms using several objective indices such as a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement, a segmental SNR (seg-SNR) improvement, a perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ), and an Itakura-Saito measure (IS). Experimental results showed that the performance of the FDSI algorithm was -3.26-7.16 dB in SNR improvement, -1.94-5.41 dB in segSNR improvement, 1.49-2.79 in PESQ, and 0.79-3.59 in IS, which demonstrated that the FDSI algorithm showed the highest improvement of SNR and segSNR, and the lowest IS. We believe that the proposed FDSI algorithm has a potential as a beamformer for digital hearing aid devices.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.121-126
• /
• 2017

A technique for producing the ear shell for a hearing aid using DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) image and a 3D printing was studied. It is a new application method, and is an application technique that can improve the safety and infection of hearing aid users and can reduce the production time and process stages. In this study, the effects on the shape surface were examined before and after the printing of the ear shell using a 3D printer based on the values obtained from the raw data of the DICOM images at the volumes of 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, and 2.0 mm, respectively. Before the printing, relative relationship was compared with respect to the STL (STereoLithography) file structure; and after the printing, the intervals of the layered structure of the ear shell shape surface were compared by magnifying them using a microscope. For the STL file structure, the numbers of triangular vertices, more than five intersecting points, and maximum intersecting points were large in the order of 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, and 2.0 mm, respectively; and the triangular structure was densely distributed in the order of the bending, angle, and crest regions depending on the sinuosity of the external auditory meatus shape. As for the ear shell shape surface examined by the digital microscope, the interval of the layered structure was thick in the order of 2.0 mm, 1.0 mm, and 0.5 mm. For the STL surface structure mentioned above, the intersecting STL triangular structure was denser as the sinuosity of the 3D ear shell shape became more irregular and the volume of the raw data decreased.

• Proceedings of the Acoustical Society of Korea Conference
• /
• autumn
• /
• pp.235-238
• /
• 2004

대부분의 보청기 이용자들은 자신이 장애를 겪고 있다는 사실이 알려지는 것을 꺼린다. 따라서 보청기 사용자들은 귀 바깥쪽으로 들어 나지 않는 귓속형(ITE type) 보청기를 선호한다. 하지만, 이러한 귓속형 보청기를 제작하는 것은 쉬운 일이 아니다. 보청기의 각각 부품들만을 볼 때는 그 크기가 소형이지만, 부품 모두를 귀속에 넣는다고 한다면, 공간의 확보는 꼭 필요한 사항이다. 또한 보청기는 하나의 칩(chip)에 부품이 전선(wire)을 통해 납땜이 되는 구조이다. 이는 전선의 단락을 유발할 뿐만 아니라 칩과 전선이 쉽게 떨어지며, 잦은 납Eoa 작업으로 인해 열적으로 칩의 파손까지도 일으킨다. 이를 보안하고자 여기에서는 보청기 소형화 방법으로 PCB(Printed Circuit Board)를 제시하였다. PCB 를 사용함으로써 전선의 사용을 최소화하고, 부품과 PCB 와의 직접적인 결합으로 인해 보다 견고한 보청기 제작을 목표로 하였다. 아울러 PCB 를 통한 부품의 실장으로 기존의 수작업이던 보청기 제작을 자동화와 제작 시간의 단축이라는 이점을 얻을 수 있다.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.18-25
• /
• 2018

In this paper, we present a low-power implementation of the multi-channel hearing aid system using a general-purpose DSP chip. The system includes an acoustic amplification algorithm based on Wide Dynamic Range Compression (WDRC), an adaptive howling canceller, and a single-channel noise reduction algorithm. To achieve a low-power implementation, each algorithm is re-constructed in forms of integer program, and the integer program is converted to the assembly program using BelaSigna(R) 250 instructions. Through experiments using the implementation system, the performance of each processing algorithm was confirmed in real-time. Also, the clock of the implementation system was measured, and it was confirmed that the entire signal processing blocks can be performed in real time at about 7.02MHz system clock.

• Proceedings of the Acoustical Society of Korea Conference
• /
• spring
• /
• pp.137-140
• /
• 1999

본 논문에서는 디지털 보청기의 자동보정법을 제안하고 이를 이용하여 구현한 보정시스템에 대하여 기술한다. 일반적으로 난청환자의 청각 손실은 전 주파수를 걸쳐 일정하게 발생하는 것이 아니라, 고음 또는 저음 등 일부 특정 주파수 대역의 청각특성의 이득이 다른 주파수에 비해 상대적으로 낮아져서 생기는 현상이다. 그러나 현재까지의 보청기는 이와 같은 청각 손실을 가지고 있는 환자들에 대하여 전 주파수 대역의 음압을 동일 비율로 높여주는 문제가 있다. 이와 같은 보청기로 보정하게 되면, 주파수 대역별 균형이 맞지 않기 때문에 소리가 변형되어 들리게 되고, 명료도 또한 떨어지게 된다. 또한, 기존의 아날로그보청기는 생산공정 중에 잡음 피크 제거, 리미터 조정, 이득 조정(GC) 등의 작업을 수동으로 수행하게 되는데, 이는 작업공정이 복잡하고 개개인에 청각특성에 맞는 정확한 보정이 불가능한 문제점을 안고있다. 이와 같은 문제점을 해결하기 위하여 제안한 자동보정 시스템은 각 주파수 대역별 최적화된 파라미터를 자동적으로 찾아서 입력하므로 보다 정확하고 신속한 보정이 가능하게 된다. 이 시스템은 외부 IC 콘트를 장치인 Hl-PRO를 이용하여 PC 환경 하에서Visual Basic으로 구현하였으며 시스템의 출력값을 측정하여 검토한 결과 구현한 자동보정법이 유효함을 확인할 수 있었다.