• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2007

In most of hearing aids, amplification algorithms are used to compensate hearing loss, noise and feedback reduction algorithms are used and to increase the perception of speeches contrast enhancement algorithms are used. However, acoustic masking effect is occurred between formants if contrast is enhanced excessively. To confirm the masking effect in speeches, the experiment are composed of 6 tests; test pure tone test, speech reception test, word recognition test, pure tone masking test, formant pure tone masking test and speech masking test, and for objective evaluation, LLR is introduced. As a result of normal hearing subjects and hearing impaired subjects, more making is occurred in hearing impaired subjects than normal hearing subjects when using pure tone, and in the speech masking test, speech reception is also lower in hearing impaired subjects than in normal hearing subjects. This means that acoustic masking effect rather than distortion influences speech perception. So it is required to check the characteristics of masking effect before wearing a hearing aid and to apply this characteristics to fitting curve.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.69-74
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• 2012

This paper shows the results about field operating digital hearing aids which protect the ears of the battle field soldiers from explosive sound and minimize the difficulty of mutual communication during the battle. The essence of the hearing aid is in its signal compression technology in which soft sound is amplified while rapidly increased explosive sound is attenuated. This nonlinear compression technology can be applied for the protection of the ears of the battle field soldiers. As a core part of the hearing aid, when a new DSP IC chip is launched, the modified firmware and fitting software is developed for adaption. Ezairo 5910 which was recently launched by DSP factory in Canada was used for the development of the firmware of the hearing aid.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.11
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• pp.63-66
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• 1997

With the advent of high speed digital signal processing chips, new digital techniques have been introduced to the hearing instrument. This advanced hearing instrument circuitry has led to the need or and the development of new fitting approach. A number of different fitting approaches have been developed over the past few years, yet there has been little agreement on which approach is the "best" or most appropriate to use. However, when we develop not only new hearing aid, but also its fitting method, the intensive subject-based clinical tests are necessarily accompanied. In this paper, we present an objective method to evaluate and predict the performance of hearing aids without the help of such subject-based tests. In the hearing impairment simulation (HIS) algorithm, a sensorineural hearing impairment model is established from auditory test data of the impaired subject being simulated. Also, in the hearing impairment simulation system the abnormal loudness relationships created by recruitment was transposed to the normal dynamic span of hearing. The nonlinear behavior of the loudness recruitment is defined using hearing loss unctions generated from the measurements. The recruitment simulation is validated by an experiment with two impaired listeners, who compared processed speech in the normal ear with unprocessed speech in the impaired ear. To assess the performance, the HIS algorithm was implemented in real-time using a floating-point DSP.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.72-79
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• 2021

Background and Objectives: The speech-in-noise test is typically performed using an audiometer. The results of the digit-in-noise recognition (DIN) test may be influenced by the flat frequency response of free-field audiometry and frequency of the hearing aid fit based on fitting rationale. This study aims to investigate the DIN test in unaided and aided conditions. Subjects and Methods: Thirty four adults with moderate and severe sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) participated in the study. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for 50% of the DIN test was obtained in the following two conditions: 1) the unaided condition, performed using an audiometer in a free field; and 2) aided condition, performed using a hearing aid with an unvented individual earmold that was fitted based on NAL-NL2. Results: There was a statistically significant elevation in the mean SNR for the severe SNHL group in both test conditions when compared with that of the moderate SNHL group. In both groups, the SNR for the aided condition was significantly lower than that of the unaided condition. Conclusions: Speech recognition in hearing-impaired patients can be realized by fitting hearing aids based on evidence-based fitting rationale rather than by measuring it using free-field audiometry measurement that is utilized in a routine clinic setup.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.60 no.5
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• pp.1055-1061
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• 2011

In this study, main parameters: aperture, first bend and second bend which express a structure of ear canal are extracted in order to modeling and manufacture the ready-made ear shells of hearing aids. The proposed parameter extraction method consists of 2 important algorithms, aperture detection and feature detection. In the aperture detection algorithm, aperture of 3-D scanned virtual ear impression and parameters relating to ear shell of hearing aid are determined. The feature detection algorithm detects first bend, second bend, and related parameters. Through these two algorithms, parameters for aperture, first bend, and second bend are extracted to model the ready-made ear shell of hearing aid. The values of these extracted parameters from 36 people's right ear impression are analyzed and measured statistically. As a result of the analysis, it has been found that it is possible to classify ready-made ear shell parameters by age and size. The ready-made ear shell parameters are classified 3-size for 20 years old and 2-size for 60 years olde. Using 3D rhino program, virtual ready-made ear shell is reconstructed by parameters of every type, and simulated to model it. A final product was produced by transferring simulation result with rapid prototyping system. The modeled ready-made ear shell is evaluated with the objective and subjective method. Objective method is the comparison volume ratio and overlapped volume ratio of ear impression from randomly chosen 18 people and ready-made ear shell. And subjective method is that the final product of ready-made ear shell is used by users and the satisfaction number drawn from well fitting and comfortable testing was evaluated. In the result of the evaluation, it has been found that volume ration is 70%, big and middle size ready-made ear shell products are possible, and the satisfaction number is high.

• Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.267-274
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• 2018

Objectives. Two main digital signal processing technologies inside the modern hearing aid to provide the best conditions for hearing aid users are directionality (DIR) and digital noise reduction (DNR) algorithms. There are various possible settings for these algorithms. The present study evaluates the effects of various DIR and DNR conditions (both separately and in combination) on listening comfort among hearing aid users. Methods. In 18 participants who received hearing aid fitting services from the Rehabilitation School of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences regularly, we applied acceptable noise level (ANL) as our subjective measure of listening comfort. We evaluated both of these under six different hearing aid conditions: omnidirectional-baseline, omnidirectional-broadband DNR, omnidirectional-multichannel DNR, directional, directional-broadband DNR, and directional-multichannel DNR. Results. The ANL results ranged from -3 dB to 14 dB in all conditions. The results show, among all conditions, both the omnidirectional-baseline condition and the omnidirectional-broadband DNR condition are the worst conditions for listening in noise. The DIR always reduces the amount of noise that patients received during testing. The DNR algorithm does not improve listening in noise significantly when compared with the DIR algorithms. Although both DNR and DIR algorithms yielded a lower ANL, the DIR algorithm was more effective than the DNR. Conclusion. The DIR and DNR technologies provide listening comfort in the presence of noise. Thus, user benefit depends on how the digital signal processing settings inside the hearing aid are adjusted.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.151-154
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• 2009

The external ear generates resonance gain because of anatomical characteristics. The ear canal resonance is influenced by the length and volume of the ear canal, the pinna, the concha cavity, the body trunk, and the speed of sound wave. This study is focus on the influence of the volume of ear canal. 17-healthy-adult (32 ears) were participated. They did not have any medical and ear disease history. The maximum resonance frequency of the ear canal was 2675 (${\pm}265$) Hz at azimuth $0^{\circ}$ and 2784 (${\pm}268$) Hz at azimuth $45^{\circ}$. The resonance gain was 18.1 (${\pm}3.9$) dB at azimuth $0^{\circ}$ and 17.9 (${\pm}3.8$) dB at azimuth $45^{\circ}$, respectively. The ear canal volume was 0.78 (${\pm}0.2$) cc and 1.32 (${\pm}0.8$) cc including static compliance. The ear canal resonance was changed depending on the ear canal volume. It was also statistically correlated at azimuth $0^{\circ}$ (p=0.038) and $45^{\circ}$ (p=0.013), respectively. The resonance gain was not correlated with the ear canal volume. The change of resonance frequency according to the ear canal volume will be useful information in the field of audiological rehabilitation especially for hearing aids fitting. In addition, we expected this study can provide the basic information for the study of the external ear resonance characteristics.

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

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.262-268
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• 2013

The performances of speech compression schemes appeared to be dependent on the response profiles to compressed stimuli and the features of individual languages to some extent. Although these response profiles were critical in comparing various compression outcomes, the related data were limited in number for Korean monosyllabic words. From the previous study, data from PNT (Preserving No Trait) compression was selected as a base set for comparison. In this study, the outcomes from PPT (Preserving Pitch Trait) and PTT (Preserving Time Trait) were analyzed under the same condition. Then, the properties of these three widely used representative compression schemes were quantitatively compared in normal hearing adults (N=20) for controlled Korean quintet digit sets (0 through 9). Results showed that PPT compression scheme exhibited the best perceptual performances for the Korean quintet digit sets in the final outcomes (PPT>PTT>PNT). The compression ratios of 50% performances were estimated as about 20%, 42%, and 44% for PPT, PTT, and PNT, respectively. The data indicated the influences of the salient psychoacoustic features of the three representative compressions on perceiving Korean monosyllabic digit words. This controlled procedure with monosyllabic quintet sets can evaluate efficiency and effectiveness of other compression schemes and may also contribute to diagnosing auditory processing disorders and fitting special hearing aids with compression issues.