GOALI: Micro-Power Multi-Phase MEMS Hearing Aid

本提案解决了与最先进的助听器相关的两个主要问题：缺乏相位/方向性，以及定向助听器如何利用基于微机械和MEMS的麦克风和扬声器来提高可靠性和易用性。本方案探讨了多相/多麦克风定向助听器与片上MEMS麦克风的集成与应用。这将减小麦克风的尺寸和间距，为数字助听器的相位/方向性使用新的信号处理方法，延长电池寿命，并将减小尺寸。另一个主要的好处是通过利用纳米级器件和自适应混合信号微电子来改善噪声抑制和方向性。本课题旨在开展超低功耗多相数字助听器芯片系统的新型校企合作研究。该提案的目标是高风险/高增益的研究，重点关注微/纳米ic， MEMS和多相阵列数字助听器信号处理面临的基本问题。该项目的长期路线图具有强大的潜力，可以影响许多尚未由工业界开展的研究领域。这项研究的协同性质将为创新的产学研合作教育项目带来新的发展，并在大学和工业之间直接转移新的科学技术。从技术角度来看，该项目将为数字助听器带来新的超低功耗微级音频收发器，其目标是降低尺寸和功耗。

0652136KiaeiThis proposal addresses two major problems associated with state-of-the-art hearing aids:lack of phase/directionality and how directional hearing aids can utilize micro-machined and MEMS based microphones and loudspeakers for higher reliability and ease of operation. The proposal addresses integration and application of multi-phase/multi-microphone directional hearing aids with on-chip MEMS microphones. This will reduce the microphone size and spacing, use new signal processing methods for phase/directionality for the digital hearing aid, extend battery-life, and will reduce size. Another major benefit will be improved noise suppression and directionality by utilizing nano-scale devices and adaptive mixed-signal microelectronics. This proposal is aimed at developing new university-industry collaborative research on ultra-low power multi-phase digital hearing aid systems on a chip. The proposal targets high-risk/high-gain research focused at the fundamental issues facing micro/nano ICs, MEMS, and signal processing for multi-phase array digital hearing aids. The long term road map for this project has the strong potential to impact many research areas that are not being carried out by industry. The synergetic nature of this research will enable new developments for an innovative collaborative industry-university educational program as well as the direct transfer of fundamentally new science and technology between university and industry. From the technology perspective, this project will lead to new ultra-low power micro-level audio transceivers on a chip for the digital hearing aid with aggressive goals to reduce the size and power.