Abstract: A hearing aid employs a permanent built-in rechargeable storage cell or battery, and a solar cell or other photo cell which powers the electronics of the hearing aid and recharges the storage cell. Favorably, a thin film amorphous silicon cell is employed, and is affixed onto an outward-facing surface of the aid. The photocell is connected in parallel with the storage cell and is of sufficient power capacity to power the amplifier and recharge the storage cell under average ambient light conditions. The storage cell is favorably of sufficient capacity to power the amplifier for at least several hours under darkness conditions.

Abstract: A programmable patient controlled master hearing aid is disclosed which consists of a hearing aid test module, an operator's console and a patient's console, both of which are microprocessor based, and all of which are interconnected to provide a testing apparatus which is used by the patient to select electronic components to be imployed in a hearing aid. The testing device has selectable electronic components that match the components which will be used in the hearing aid which the patient selects as best assisting or addressing the patient's hearing loss. The patient is located in the center of a sound field created by multiple speakers which accurately reproduce both pre-recorded environmental background sounds and pre-recorded or live "target-stimuli" such as speech. Thus surrounded by a simulation of real-world listening situations, the patient initially selects a hearing aid shell assembly which comfortably fits in the patient's ear.

Abstract: An automatic focusing system for a camera apparatus utilizes a two-dimensional photosensitive array to determine image sharpness as a function of the image information sensed in both the rows and columns of individual photosensitive pixel elements. A transfer function may be imposed upon the electronic information signal derived from the two-dimensional photoresponsive array or, alternatively, upon the incident scene light to the two-dimensional photoresponsive array to centerweight the focus condition determining signal where the principle subject will be most likely framed.

Abstract: A hearing aid having a comparator or comparators which compare speech sound signals obtained by a first transducer with reference voltage(s) as slice level(s) formed from a standard voltage and which output time series square wave containing frequency information according to the relations of amplitude between the speech sound signals and the slice level(s).The time series square wave is output as mechanical vibrations, which is easy to adjust the level for hearing impaired persons having a narrow dynamic range.Comparators may be provided for both positive and negative sides and may be divided into plural numbers in order to raise the identification score and information content.

Abstract: A hearing aid has a housing which includes electronic components such as a microphone, amplifier, power source and receiver, as well as suitable structure for mounting and retaining those components. The housing is inserted in a cavity in a shell. The exterior of the shell is matched to the shape of the auditory canal of the user. The cavity of the shell in which the housing is received tapers to a smallest diameter at a sound discharge end of the shell. The housing also has a smallest diameter at this location. A releasable latch is disposed in the region of the smallest diameter for holding said housing in place within the shell during use, but permitting removal of the housing for repair or replacement without damaging the shell.

Abstract: A notch filter as disclosed which is adaptable to notching out a background siren from voice communications from an emergency vehicle. Two embodiments are disclosed. In the first embodiment, a frequency lock loop tracks the fundamental frequency of an electronic siren. The siren fundamental frequency is then notched out from voice transmissions using a notch filter. In the preferred transmissions using a notch filter. In the preferred embodiment, a digital ramp is generated by a first digital signal processor. This signal is input to an amplifier and a speaker thus producing an electronic siren. The digital ramp is also input to a second digital signal processor which notches out the fundamental frequency and odd harmonics thereof from the digital ramp thus acting as a comb notch filter. Analog voice is digitized by way of an analog to digital converter and input to the second digital signal processor.

Abstract: A battery source of dc voltage continuously energizes digital circuitry for controlling operation of analog signal processing circuitry including a microphone preamplifier, an automatic gain control amplifier, a bandpass section and an output buffer driving audio reproducing equipment. The analog signal processing circuitry is energized on select command from the battery source through a switched on power supply. Automatic operation of the gain control amplifier may be disabled and the bandpass section by-passed in response to other select commands.

Abstract: A hearing aid system comprises a hearing aid that is programmable so as to have optimum electro-acoustic characteristics for the patient and acoustic environment in which it is used. Selected optimum parameter values are programmed into an electronically erasable, programmable read only memory (EEPROM) which supplies coefficients to a programmable filter and amplitude limiter in the hearing aid so as to cause the hearing aid to adjust automatically to the optimum set of parameter values for the speech level, room reverberation, and type of background noise then obtaining. The programmable filter may be a digital equivalent of a tapped delay line in which each delayed sample is multiplied by a weighting coefficient and the sum of the weighted samples generates a desired electro-acoustic characteristic. Alternatively, the programmable filter may be a tapped analog delay line in which the sum of the weighted outputs of the taps generates the desired characteristics.

Abstract: Improvements in a moving-coil loudspeaker system of the type incorporating motional feedback. An accelerometer mounted on the loudspeaker coil to develop the feedback signal is enclosed within an air-tight shield can to avoid low-frequency instability. High-frequency stability is enhanced by various means including use of a "trumpet" shaped speaker cone, an inverted (concave) dust cap, and theta-dependent cone variations such as providing clusters of holes through the speaker cone to alter the propagation of sound waves radially in selected sectors of the cone. Also disclosed is the use of weights placed on the loudspeaker coil in selected locations circumferentially with respect to the accelerometer to minimize instability effects.

Abstract: A speaker system and assembly achieves a high fidelity sound reproduction by causing acoustical waves emanating from juxtaposed and co-axially positioned first and second speakers, which produce respective mid-range and treble frequencies, to reach a listener simultaneously.

Abstract: An audio arrangement includes a thin speaker/transducer positioned within a portable housing wherein the speaker cavity is dimensioned to move the resonant frequency of the speaker/housing combination up to approximately the free-air cutoff frequency of the speaker/tranducer. The resulting response then falls off at about 6 db/octave below that point. An amplifier having gain increasing at 6 db/octave is placed in the signal input path for creating an essentially flat frequency response in the normally desired audio range.

Abstract: This invention relates in general to a method and apparatus for identifying specific medical conditions from detected stethoscopic sounds. More particularly, the invention relates to the processing of such sounds electronically and the display of the time-variations of the spectral composition of such sounds. The invention is embodied in an accessory package designed to enable a host computer to perform computerized stethoscopic analysis.

Abstract: Cabling (10) is provided for interconnecting amplifier (12) having a positive side (14) and a return side (16) to a load (18) having a positive side (20) and a return side (22). The cabling comprises a first open circuited conductor (24) having a first end (26) connected to a selected one of the amplifier positive side (14) and the amplifier return side (16) and having a second end (28) extending towards and terminating free from connection to the load (18). A second open circuited conductor (30) is provided which has a first end (32) connected to a respective one of the load positive side (20) and the load return side (22), said respective one being of a different polarity than the polarity of the selected one of the amplifier positive side (14) and amplifier return side (16) to which the first open circuited conductor (24) is connected and having a second end (34) extending towards and terminating free from connection to the amplifier (12).

Abstract: An automatic focusing device for use with a solid-state self-scanned image sensor having a rectangular light detecting area for scanning an object image and converting the same to a video signal, including a focus detecting means, a driver means and a control means. The focus detecting means produces a focus signal from the video signal. The driver means moves a focusing lens group in an image-forming lens system in one direction or the other along its optical axis in increments or steps each equal to a predetermined small distance .DELTA.x. The control means is responsive to the focus signal for controlling the driver means to bring the lens group into a position in which a maximum focus signal is produced. Even after the lens group has been brought into the properly focused position, the control means controls the focus detecting means to generate a focus signal and resumes the focusing process when the generated focus signal varies beyond a certain value.

Abstract: A hearing aid having signal compression characteristics that adapt to the environment of the sound field in which it is operative in which an automatic gain control signal processor is responsive to the magnitude, duration and frequency of the signals in a sound field to control a compression amplifier so that the gain thereof is proportional to said signals.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel camera apparatus which can be discretely split into two parts; a lens barrel unit and a lens-barrel-support unit which allows the lens barrel unit to freely turn its direction. A built-in angular rate detector detects a swinging movement of the lens barrel unit, whereas a position detector detects a position relationship between the lens barrel unit and the support unit. An operator unit storing programs controls a drive operation of an actuator that generates a specific amount of torque between the lens barrel unit and the support unit to reduce an output from a system controller unit so that swinging symptom of video picture caused by the swinging movement of the video camera can be eliminated.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus comprises a charge transfer type of image sensor having electrodes which can form a plurality of potential wells in each picture element of the photo-receiving surface including a plurality of picture elements; and a control circuit having a mode in that the electrodes are controlled so as to respectively form only one potential well in each of the picture element when storing charges and to sequentially read out the charges in each potential well, and a mode in that the electrodes are controlled so as to respectively form a plurality of potential wells in each of the picture elements when storing charges and to mix the charges in a predetermined plurality of potential wells and to sequentially read out them.

Abstract: A hand held speaker designed for use with a puppet and an ordinary cassette player, to give any puppet a voice.The device comprises a speaker uniquely enclosed in a fabric cover and attached to a four component telephone cable assembly. This assembly has an in-line, rotary off-on switch and both a speaker plug and a remote control plug.It is separate from, and can be used with, any puppet. It is to be held in the user's palm, inside the puppet, as the puppet is manipulated. The in-line, rotary on-off switch allows the puppet voice to be stopped or started at will, to allow the user to speak.The device is particularly designed for use by an unskilled person or child, for the purpose of presenting a puppet performance easily and in a natural manner.

Abstract: A signal control apparatus includes a circuit (26) for bearing a first characteristic to an original signal and outputting it as a first signal; a circuit (28) for bearing a second characteristic to the original signal and outputting it as a second signal; an adder circuit (30; 50) for adding the first and second signal with a variable proportion therebetween; and a control circuit (38) for controlling the variable proportion in accordance with the original signal in order to vary the output signal characteristic continuously.

Abstract: A solid state image sensor comprising a plurality of photosensors (8A) including a plurality of avalanche photodiodes (12A) arranged at least in the form of a one-dimensional array and delivering pulse signals each representing the number of photons incident to each of the photosensors; counters (10A) connected to the respective photosensors (8A) to count the pulse signals and hold the count value as a video output; a reset circuit (5) for resetting the counters (10A) to the initial states at a predetermined frequency; and a scanning circuit (14) for sequentially reading out the count value in the counters (10A). The counter (10A) counts the number of photons subjected to photoelectric conversion by the photodiode (12A) so that the video signal is directly derived in the form of a digital signal and thus the video signal with a high S/N ratio is obtained.