In the ear auxiliary microphone for behind the ear hearing prosthetic

摘要

An In The Ear (ITE) microphone improves the acoustic response of a Behind The Ear (BTE) Implantable Cochlear Stimulation (ICS) system during telephone use. The microphone includes means for adjusting the position of the microphone to receive sound waves through a port. An acoustic seal provided by holding a telephone earpiece against the ear provides improved coupling of low frequency (up to about 1 KHz) sound waves, sufficient to overcome losses due to the near field acoustic characteristics common to telephones. In an exemplary embodiment, the ITE microphone is connected to a removable ear hook of the BTE ICS system by a short bendable stalk.