Mrudul Hearing Aids: Digital Hearing World

Mar 3
12:24

2016

PankajKadam

PankajKadam

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The fundamental difference between analog and digital bernafon hearing aids is that in the digital hearing aid, the audio signal is converted to a sequence of discrete samples, processed digitally, and then converted back to an analog signal.

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An important first step in developing the field of digital audio was that of developing a device for converting analog audio signals to digital form and then converting the digital signal back to analog form. It should come as no surprise that this crucial first step in digital audio was taken at Bell Laboratories,Mrudul Hearing Aids: Digital Hearing World Articles which has pioneered so many other major advances in science and engineering. What may come as a surprise, however, is when and why this work was done.

When digital signal processing in hearing aids is used, a number of very interesting phenomena occur. The conventional wisdom goes something like this:

 

The acoustic signal is converted to its electrical analog at the microphone stage of the digital hearing aids system. After this conversion, a frequency filter is introduced to reduce possible distortion of the input signal. The signal is then "sampled" a given number of times per second. Normally, the sampling rate is 10,000 times per second, or greater.

 

The analog signal is then converted to its digital equivalent by the analog to digital (A/D) converter. Each samples receives a digital code. Binary numbers (O and 1) are used to represent the digital value of each sample. Following the digitization of the signal, the digital representations are processed by a central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessor. The digital values can be multiplied, divided, added, subtracted and grouped in defined ways. In the microprocessor are various algorithms. An algorithm is a system of instructions that operates in a manner determined by a set of mathematical rules and equations. If the algorithm is a dedicated one, it performs a specific task relative to the processing of the input signal. For example, one algorithm may control the frequency response of the instrument, another may control loudness growth, a third may function to enhance the speech signal in a background of noise, etc. After the microprocessor has performed its tasks, the digitized signal must be converted back to its analog equivalent. This is accomplished at the digital to analog (D/A) conversion stage. When the digitized signal is converted to its analog stage, it is frequency filtered again, to prevent signal distortion. It is then amplified in the conventional manner and submitted to the receiver (speaker) of the hearing aid. (Note: For some of the more recent DSP systems, the D/A conversion does not require a separate circuit. Rather, it uses the hearing aid receiver to accomplish digital to analog conversion. This process is referred to as a Direct Digital Drive.