A telephone handset to improve the intelligibility of speech using a magnetostrictive coil

摘要

A method of improving the indelibility of speech for a person having a hearing impairment is disclosed. The method comprises utilizing a passive electrical device (39) connected in series with an audio speaker (33) and a hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil (200). The passive electrical device (39) includes an inductor wound about a magnetostrictive core. A telephone handset (30) contains the audio speaker (33), passive electrical device (39) and the hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil (200). The magnetostrictive core, due to its non-linear transfer function, causes harmonic distortion of the speech audio signal, effectively shifting frequency components of the speech to above the band of frequencies that the hearing impaired person has difficulties with. These shifted frequencies combined with the original speech improves intelligibility, allowing greater comprehension of what is being said over the telephone to the user.