Implementation of a Signal Processor with Intelligibility for Hearing Aid Devices

Abstract

Hearing loss victims suffer from loss of hearing at specific bands of the frequency spectrum. We designed a programmable filter that can compensate for hearing losses at different frequency bands. We design the circuit using operational amplifiers and resistor-capacitor banks. The circuit has programmable parameters that control the gain at different frequency bandwidths. The design is minimalistic and optimized on silicon area and power dissipation. The filter developed could be programmed to provide gains on three bands of the hearing spectrum. The circuit was realized from the transfer function and experimentally simulated for its frequency response. The results indicated that the filter behaved as expected, and could be customized using the programmable parameters. However this does not solve the eminent “cocktail-party effect”, hence the continuum of this project will include the introduction of multiple microphones to improve the signal to noise ratio by taking advantage of the spatial locality of noise.