Phonak Ag

Asulab S.a.

Werner Hottinger

Joseph Maisano

Fridolin Wiget

A predetermined characteristic of amplification in dependency of the direction (&thgr;) from which acoustical signals are received at two spaced apart acoustical/electrical transducers ( ) is formed in that repetitively a mutual delay signal (A ) is determined from the output signals of the transducers and according to the reception delay at the transducers, one (S ) of the output signals is filtered, thereby the filtering transfer characteristic is controlled in dependency of the mutual delay signal (A ). The output signal of the filtering ( ) is exploited as electrical reception signal (S ).

Method for electronically beam forming acoustical signals and acoustical sensor apparatus

So as to shape the spatial amplification characteristic of an acoustical to electrical converter arrangement at least two sub-arrangements (I, II) of converters are provided, generating different spatial amplification characteristics. Frequency domain converted signals ({tilde over (S)} ) which are proportional to the output signals of the sub-arrangement are compared in a unit ( ) on respective spectral frequencies (f ) and there is generated at the output of the comparing unit ( ) a binary spectral comparison result signal (A ). Signals ({tilde over (S)} ) which are as well proportional to the output signals of the sub-arrangements (I, II) are fed to a switching unit ( ). For each spectral frequency (f ) the control signal from unit , as a binary spectral signal, controls the spectral amplitude of which of the two input signals ({tilde over (S)} ) is passed to the output (A ) of the switching unit and of the arrangement.

Method for shaping the spatial reception amplification characteristic of a converter arrangement and converter arrangement

A processing circuit is provided for signals (S.sub.1, S.sub.2) supplied by two transducers measuring a physical quantity parameter in a differential mode and delivering a signal representative of this parameter. This processing circuit essentially comprises a first counter for counting within a measurement period an integer N.sub.1 of periods T.sub.1 of the signal S.sub.1, a second counter for counting within this period of measurement an integer N.sub.2 of periods T.sub.2 of the signal S.sub.2, and a logic circuit to deliver a signal S.sub.m representative of the difference between the interval N.sub.1 .multidot.T.sub.1 and the interval N.sub.2 .multidot.T.sub.2, this signal being representative of the value of the physical parameter. The circuit is useful for measuring acceleration, force, pressure or temperature.

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Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Werner Hottinger