WO2001063757A2 - Portable equalizer with frequencies adjustable according to the user's hearing capacity - Google Patents

Portable equalizer with frequencies adjustable according to the user's hearing capacity Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2001063757A2
WO2001063757A2 PCT/IT2001/000074 IT0100074W WO0163757A2 WO 2001063757 A2 WO2001063757 A2 WO 2001063757A2 IT 0100074 W IT0100074 W IT 0100074W WO 0163757 A2 WO0163757 A2 WO 0163757A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
equalizer
frequency bands
hearing
audio output
new
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IT2001/000074
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2001063757A3 (en
Inventor
Alberto Illotti
Original Assignee
Alberto Illotti
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Alberto Illotti filed Critical Alberto Illotti
Priority to AU2001241023A priority Critical patent/AU2001241023A1/en
Publication of WO2001063757A2 publication Critical patent/WO2001063757A2/en
Publication of WO2001063757A3 publication Critical patent/WO2001063757A3/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03G—CONTROL OF AMPLIFICATION
    • H03G5/00—Tone control or bandwidth control in amplifiers
    • H03G5/02—Manually-operated control
    • H03G5/025—Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03G—CONTROL OF AMPLIFICATION
    • H03G5/00—Tone control or bandwidth control in amplifiers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R27/00—Public address systems
    • H04R27/02—Amplifying systems for the deaf

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns the sector of hearing aids and in particular it concerns the devices suitable for increasing sound perception in persons with impaired hearing.
  • This second category of patients mainly includes those persons who, though hearing rather satisfactorily in general, have a hearing deficiency only for some frequencies in the range of audible frequencies, for example high frequencies (4-8 KHz), medium frequencies (1-2 KHz) or low frequencies (250-500 Hz).
  • the subject of this patent is a portable equalizer with frequencies adjustable according to the user's hearing capacity.
  • the new portable equalizer substantially comprises a miniaturized equalization circuit, a series of adjusting potentiometers, an audio output and several audio inputs.
  • the equalization circuit is a circuit that modifies the incoming sound by amplifying or damping, emphasizing or attenuating each single frequency band in the range of audible frequencies.
  • the equalization circuit divides the outgoing sound into a series of frequency bands by means of band-pass filters and amplifies or damps each frequency band by means of a series of signal amplifiers.
  • the gain of each single amplifier, and therefore the emphasizing of each single frequency band are adjusted by an appropriate potentiometer.
  • the various potentiometers are adjusted in such a way as to balance the specific deficiencies in the hearing range of the single user.
  • the various frequency bands are mixed and conveyed to the audio output to which headphones or earpieces can be connected.
  • the audio inputs are constituted by outlets for the connection of sound sources like microphones, radios, television sets, telephones and similar equipment. These audio inputs are directly connected to the equalization circuit.
  • An "ON/OFF" switch and a battery complete the new portable equalizer.
  • the implicit and explicit advantages offered by the new portable equalizer are many: even the persons with partial hearing deficiencies will be able to hear completely, it is possible to define the gain or the attenuation for the various frequency bands, it is possible to adjust the general volume of the equalizer, anyone who has hearing deficiencies can carry out a personalized adjustment of the operation of the new equalizer according to his/her own specific needs, it is possible to connect any external sound source to the inputs and any appropriate device like headphones or earpieces to the output of the new equalizer.
  • the equipment may feature analogic or digital technology, even with the use of DSP (digital signal processor) technology.
  • Figure 1 shows the operation diagram of the new equalizer: the external sound, coming from (1) a microphone, a telephone, a television set, a radio or another source is conveyed to several filters (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f) that separate the various frequencies; these frequencies are emphasized or attenuated by appropriate amplifiers (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) set according to the needs and hearing deficiencies of the user; all the outputs of the amplifiers are mixed and conveyed to the connection (4) with a headphone or an earpiece.
  • Figure 2 shows the new portable equalizer; in this figure it is possible to observe the audio inputs (Al, A2) for generical sound sources or telephone, the audio output (B) for the headphones or earpieces, the "ON/OFF" switch (C) and the potentiometers (Dl, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6) for the adjustment of the emphasizing or damping of the various frequency bands. Therefore, with reference to the above description and the enclosed drawings, the following claims are put forth.

Abstract

The invention is a new portable equalizer with several audio inputs and one audio output, which separates the incoming audio signals into various predetermined frequency bands in the range of audible frequencies, emphasizes or attenuates each frequency band as set by the user according to his/her hearing deficiencies, mixes the emphasized or attenuated frequency bands and conveys them to the audio output. It can be provided with a specific input for the telephone connection instead of the handset. Thanks to this new equipment, even the persons with partial hearing deficiencies will be able to hear completely, it is possible to define the gain or the attenuation for the various frequency bands, it is possible to adjust the general volume of the equalizer, anyone who has hearing deficiencies can carry out a personalized adjustment of the operation of the new equalizer according to his/her own specific needs. The device may feature analogic or digital technology, even with the use of DSP (digital signal processor) technology.

Description

TITLE PORTABLE EQUALIZER WITH FREQUENCIES ADJUSTABLE ACCORDING TO THE USER'S HEARING CAPACITY
DESCRIPTION The present invention concerns the sector of hearing aids and in particular it concerns the devices suitable for increasing sound perception in persons with impaired hearing.
People with serious hearing deficiencies resort to the use of special devices that are inserted directly in the auditory meatus. On the other hand, people with moderate hearing deficiencies usually avoid the use of these special and expensive devices. This second category of patients mainly includes those persons who, though hearing rather satisfactorily in general, have a hearing deficiency only for some frequencies in the range of audible frequencies, for example high frequencies (4-8 KHz), medium frequencies (1-2 KHz) or low frequencies (250-500 Hz).
The subject of this patent is a portable equalizer with frequencies adjustable according to the user's hearing capacity.
The new portable equalizer substantially comprises a miniaturized equalization circuit, a series of adjusting potentiometers, an audio output and several audio inputs.
The equalization circuit is a circuit that modifies the incoming sound by amplifying or damping, emphasizing or attenuating each single frequency band in the range of audible frequencies. For this purpose the equalization circuit divides the outgoing sound into a series of frequency bands by means of band-pass filters and amplifies or damps each frequency band by means of a series of signal amplifiers. The gain of each single amplifier, and therefore the emphasizing of each single frequency band are adjusted by an appropriate potentiometer. The various potentiometers are adjusted in such a way as to balance the specific deficiencies in the hearing range of the single user.
Finally, the various frequency bands, once separated and emphasized, are mixed and conveyed to the audio output to which headphones or earpieces can be connected. The audio inputs are constituted by outlets for the connection of sound sources like microphones, radios, television sets, telephones and similar equipment. These audio inputs are directly connected to the equalization circuit. An "ON/OFF" switch and a battery complete the new portable equalizer. The implicit and explicit advantages offered by the new portable equalizer are many: even the persons with partial hearing deficiencies will be able to hear completely, it is possible to define the gain or the attenuation for the various frequency bands, it is possible to adjust the general volume of the equalizer, anyone who has hearing deficiencies can carry out a personalized adjustment of the operation of the new equalizer according to his/her own specific needs, it is possible to connect any external sound source to the inputs and any appropriate device like headphones or earpieces to the output of the new equalizer. The equipment may feature analogic or digital technology, even with the use of DSP (digital signal processor) technology.
The following is just an example among many of a practical embodiment of the invention in question, illustrated in the enclosed drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows the operation diagram of the new equalizer: the external sound, coming from (1) a microphone, a telephone, a television set, a radio or another source is conveyed to several filters (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f) that separate the various frequencies; these frequencies are emphasized or attenuated by appropriate amplifiers (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) set according to the needs and hearing deficiencies of the user; all the outputs of the amplifiers are mixed and conveyed to the connection (4) with a headphone or an earpiece.
Figure 2 shows the new portable equalizer; in this figure it is possible to observe the audio inputs (Al, A2) for generical sound sources or telephone, the audio output (B) for the headphones or earpieces, the "ON/OFF" switch (C) and the potentiometers (Dl, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6) for the adjustment of the emphasizing or damping of the various frequency bands. Therefore, with reference to the above description and the enclosed drawings, the following claims are put forth.

Claims

CLAIMS . Portable equalizer with several audio inputs and one audio output, characterized in that it divides the incoming audio signals into various predetermined frequency bands in the range of audible frequencies, emphasizes or attenuates each frequency band as set by the user according to his/her hearing deficiencies, mixes the emphasized or attenuated frequency bands and conveys them to the audio output. , Portable equalizer according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with a specific input for the telephone connection instead of the handset.
PCT/IT2001/000074 2000-02-23 2001-02-16 Portable equalizer with frequencies adjustable according to the user's hearing capacity WO2001063757A2 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2001241023A AU2001241023A1 (en) 2000-02-23 2001-02-16 Portable equalizer with frequencies adjustable according to the user's hearing capacity

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITPD20000047 IT1315397B1 (en) 2000-02-23 2000-02-23 PORTABLE EQUALIZER WITH ADJUSTABLE FREQUENCIES ACCORDING TO THE INDIVIDUAL'S HEARING CAPACITY.
ITPD2000A000047 2000-02-23

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001063757A2 true WO2001063757A2 (en) 2001-08-30
WO2001063757A3 WO2001063757A3 (en) 2002-03-21

Family

ID=11451834

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IT2001/000074 WO2001063757A2 (en) 2000-02-23 2001-02-16 Portable equalizer with frequencies adjustable according to the user's hearing capacity

Country Status (3)

Country Link
AU (1) AU2001241023A1 (en)
IT (1) IT1315397B1 (en)
WO (1) WO2001063757A2 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9307340B2 (en) 2010-05-06 2016-04-05 Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation Audio system equalization for portable media playback devices

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4396806A (en) * 1980-10-20 1983-08-02 Anderson Jared A Hearing aid amplifier
US4947432A (en) * 1986-02-03 1990-08-07 Topholm & Westermann Aps Programmable hearing aid
US5533120A (en) * 1994-02-01 1996-07-02 Tandy Corporation Acoustic feedback cancellation for equalized amplifying systems

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH08191340A (en) * 1995-01-09 1996-07-23 Nippon Telegr & Teleph Corp <Ntt> Telephone set with auditory characteristic compensation means
JPH08298699A (en) * 1995-04-25 1996-11-12 I C Denshi Kogyo Kk Hearing aid with characteristic adjusting function

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4396806A (en) * 1980-10-20 1983-08-02 Anderson Jared A Hearing aid amplifier
US4396806B1 (en) * 1980-10-20 1992-07-21 A Anderson Jared
US4396806B2 (en) * 1980-10-20 1998-06-02 A & L Ventures I Hearing aid amplifier
US4947432A (en) * 1986-02-03 1990-08-07 Topholm & Westermann Aps Programmable hearing aid
US4947432B1 (en) * 1986-02-03 1993-03-09 Programmable hearing aid
US5533120A (en) * 1994-02-01 1996-07-02 Tandy Corporation Acoustic feedback cancellation for equalized amplifying systems

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 1996, no. 11, 29 November 1996 (1996-11-29) & JP 08 191340 A (NIPPON TELEGR &TELEPH CORP <NTT>), 23 July 1996 (1996-07-23) *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 1997, no. 03, 31 March 1997 (1997-03-31) -& JP 08 298699 A (I C DENSHI KOGYO KK), 12 November 1996 (1996-11-12) *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9307340B2 (en) 2010-05-06 2016-04-05 Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation Audio system equalization for portable media playback devices

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2001241023A1 (en) 2001-09-03
IT1315397B1 (en) 2003-02-10
WO2001063757A3 (en) 2002-03-21
ITPD20000047A1 (en) 2001-08-23

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