Direction indicative hearing apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016100258-A1
Application number	US-201414505651-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 3, 2014
Priority date	Oct 3, 2014
Publication date	Apr 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A directional indicative hearing apparatus comprises or consists of a pair of hearing aids and an eyeglass frame having a bridge and a pair of temples for positioning the eyeglasses and hearing apparatus on an individual's head. The microphones are disposed in or on the temples together with a pair of vibrators and batteries for indicating whether the sound emanates from the right, the left or behind an individual. In addition, the apparatus includes a pair of LEDs for indicating if the sound is emanating from the right, the left or in front of the individual.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A directional indicative hearing apparatus comprising a pair of hearing aids each of which includes a microphone, and an eyeglass frame including a pair of temples for engaging the sides of an individual's head and wherein one of said hearing aids is disposed in or on each of said head engaging temples, a pair of vibrators with one of said vibrators displayed in or on each of said temples and a pair of LEDs disposed on a rear surface of said eyeglass frame with one of said LEDs on a left side of said frame and a second of said LEDs disposed on the right side of said frame, and a central processing unit (CPU) disposed between and operatively connected to each of said hearing aids, each of said vibrators, each of said LEDs and a direction indicator for sensing the direction of a sound emanation and wherein said CPU activates the vibrator and LED in or on the right temple when the sound emanates from the right, activates the left vibrator when the sound emanates from the individual's left and activates both vibrators when the sound emanates from behind the individual and illuminates both LEDs when the sound emanates from in front of the individual.

2 . The directional indicative hearing apparatus according to claim 1 , in which said CPU is disposed behind the head of the individual using the apparatus.

3 . The directional indicative hearing apparatus according to claim 2 , in which said direction indicator senses the signal strength of the detected sound and said CPU activates the vibrator and LEDs based on the signal strength.

4 . The directional indicative hearing apparatus according to claim 2 , in which said direction indicator senses and compares the loudness of the sound at each of the microphones and indicates the direction of the weakest sound.

5 . The directional indicative hearing apparatus according to claim 1 , which includes four microphones with two microphones in or on each of said temples with one microphone in a forward part of the temple and said second microphone in a rear portion of the temple behind the ear of the individual.

6 . A directional indicative hearing apparatus consisting of a pair of hearing aids each of which includes a microphone, and an eyeglass frame including a pair of temples for engaging the sides of an individual's head and wherein one of said hearing aids is disposed in or on each of said head engaging temples, a pair of vibrators with one of said vibrators displayed in or on each of said temples and a pair of LEDs disposed on a rear surface of said eyeglass frame with one of said LEDs on a left side of said frame and a second of said LEDs disposed on the right side of said frame, and a central processing unit (CPU) disposed between and operatively connected to each of said hearing aids, each of said vibrators, each of said LEDs and a direction indicator for sensing the direction of a sound emanation and wherein said CPU activates the vibrator and LED in or on the right temple when the sound emanates from the right, activates the left vibrator when the sound emanates from the individual's left and activates both vibrators when the sound emanates from behind the individual and illuminates both LEDs when the sound emanates from in front of the individual.

7 . A directional indicative hearing apparatus consisting of a pair of hearing aids each of which includes a microphone, and an eyeglass frame including a pair of temples for engaging the sides of an individual's head and wherein one of said hearing aids is disposed in or on each of said head engaging temples, a pair of vibrators with one of said vibrators displayed in or on each of said temples and a pair of LEDs disposed on a rear surface of said eyeglass frame with one of said LEDs on a left side of said frame and a second of said LEDs disposed on the right side of said frame, and a central processing unit (CPU) disposed between and operatively connected to each of said hearing aids, each of said vibrators, each of said LEDs and a direction indicator for sensing the direction of a sound emanation and wherein said CPU activates the vibrator and LED in or on the right temple when the sound emanates from the right, activates the left vibrator when the sound emanates from the individual's left and activates both vibrators when the sound emanates from behind the individual and illuminates both LEDs when the sound emanates from in front of the individual; and which includes four microphones with two microphones in or on each of said temples with one microphone in a forward part of the temple and said second microphone in a rear portion of the temple behind the ear of the individual.

8 . The directional indicative hearing apparatus according to claim 6 , which includes a wireless Bluetooth and microphone connected to the Bluetooth.

Assignees

• Univ Umm Al Qura

Inventors

• Bekri Mohamed Siraj Mohamed

Classifications

• H04R25/40 Primary

  Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic · CPC title

• H04R25/554

  using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils · CPC title

• H04R2430/20

  Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic (H04R2203/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R25/552

  Binaural · CPC title

• H04R2201/403

  Linear arrays of transducers · CPC title