Hearing aids help to alleviate the problems caused by sensorineural hearing loss, which predominantly stems from injury to the cochlea. In doing so, they work by amplifying sound, to counterbalance the loss in auditory sensitivity. The hearing aid, housed in an acrylic mold and powered by a battery, uses a series of components to accomplish this feat. A microphone, computer chip, amplifier, and speaker are all instrumental in providing reprieve to those suffering from hearing-impairment.
The microphone is a type of transducer, which converts energy from one form to another. In this component, the energy is converted from sound waves into electrical energy. This is accomplished with a thin piece of material, called a diaphragm, which vibrates once struck by sound waves.
Following the conversion of sound waves to electrical energy in the microphone, the energy is sent to the computer chip in order to be evaluated. The majority of hearing aids sold in America and western European countries are digital aids, which contain miniature computer chips. Acting as the intelligence of the hearing aid, the chip calculates the necessary remedial measures, according to the applicable prescription from the Audiologist. Following, it sends this information to the amplifier which will carry out the orders.
Once the amplifier receives the signal, its job is to give the electrical energy a boost in power. This is necessary for two reasons. First, it takes more energy to move a speaker cone back and forth than it does to move the diaphragm in the microphone. Second, the hearing-impaired person requires an additional increase in the overall power in order to distinguish sound. To achieve this result, the amplifier utilizes its transistor, powered by the hearing aid's battery, to magnify the electrical energy.
Following the work of the amplifier, the speaker finishes the job by transducing the energy in a reverse manner as the microphone. The speaker will take the amplified electrical energy and convert it to sound waves. This is accomplished by when the electrical current pushes an electromagnet back and forth, with pulses in the current causing a vibration. This vibration then manifests in audible sound waves.
In closing, hearing aids can breathe new life into someone previously unable to hear a large part of the world around them. This is accomplished by the different components of the aid, working together to produce a boosted auditory signal. To do this, the initial sound waves are converted into electrical energy, computed and boosted, and transferred back into a stronger sound wave.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://articlepile.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites