310 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, October 2020, Vol. 11, No.

10

Designe An Electrical System for Adjustable Hearing Aid

Based on Smartphone

Balsam S. Aziz1, Auns Q. H. Al-Neami2

1Post Grad. , 2Assist prof Biomedical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Al-Nahrain University,
Baghdad, Iraq

Abstracet
In this project we have designed an adjustable hearing aid by using android smartphone application
via Bluetooth connection for controlling the amplification process. Arduino Nano is used to execute all
commands and HC-06 Bluetooth module is used in this system. The Bluetooth connection transmit the data
to Arduino to provide digital outputs to the programmable gain amplifiers (PGA) and outputs the tone during
the tuning state. The final constructed hearing aid’s device was experimented on different set of people with
different hearing loss degree .The final test showed that the device could improve the hearing for people with
partial hearing problems.

Keywords: Smartphone application, PGA (Programmable Gain Amplifier), adjustable hearing aid,
Bluetooth module, Arduino Nano.

Introduction ear canal.[6]. Over the years, improvements in hearing

aids and hearing aid features have centered on the same
Hearing is one among the five sense of human
goal: improving user satisfaction with hearing aids by
being. A number of studies in the recent years has
improving comfort and speech recognition in noise. So
shown that the hearing aid benefits increases over the
that the introduction of digital wireless technology such
time after the initial fitting[1-3]. About 10% of the
as Bluetooth and newer methods of digital magnetic
world’s population suffers from hearing loss. For
transmission is expanding hearing aid fitting possibilities
these individuals, the most common amplification
and the way patients can connect to external devices.
choice is hearing and are potential users of hearing
Wireless technology is becoming integrated into hearing
aids. While some people are born with hearing problem
aids and other instrumentation used in the profession of
some others develop it as they grow. This problem can
audiology in many more shapes and forms [7].
occur as a result of disease, aging, injury from noise
or intake of certain medicines(N.I.D.C.D, 2010). Existing System
Digital hearing instruments [4], [5] uses advanced digital
signal processing like multichannel compression, Hearing aids are exactly same except the fact
multiple memories and intelligent signal processing, that the microphone, amplifier and loudspeaker are
which improves the performances of the hearing placed in a small plastic package which are usually worn
instruments and the satisfaction of the user. With the inside the ear canal or behind the ear. The hearing-
development of VLSI microelectronics technology, it is aids are of two types, Analog hearing-aids picks up
now possible to incorporate greater function modules the sound converts them and amplifies the current
of electronic circuits in a very small area, and hearing and converts it back to louder sound. The other
instruments now can be positioned completely inside the type is much more sophisticated digital hearing-aid. The
sound which is picked up is converted into a numerically
coded signal and then it refines and processes the signal
Corresponding author:
before converting it back to sound. This type of hearing-
Balsam S. Aziz
aids are mostly tuned so that they point up the sounds of
[email protected]
a particular frequency and to block the unwanted noises
 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, October 2020, Vol. 11, No. 10 311
with more efficiency, whilst the analog hearing-aids this proposed project. HC-06 Bluetooth module works
usually amplifies everything where the background on serial communication. The Android app is designed
noises will also be amplified. The digital hearing aid to send serial data to the Arduino via Bluetooth module
works by the combination of different techniques when a button is pressed on the app. The Arduino at the
very broadly referred to as DSP (digital signal other end (HA device) receives information’s data from
processing), including: Mic, Pre-amplifier, Anti-aliasing the android application via Bluetooth (TX and RX). The
filter, Microprocessor, A/D converter, Digital filters, Arduino provides digital outputs to the programmable
D/A converter and output. gain amplifiers (PGA) and outputs the tone during the
tuning state. The function of the Arduino is to provide the
Proposed System
tuning. Once the user connects the android application
The aim of the system is to build a low power, cost- to hearing aid device via Bluetooth, the application will
effective hearing aid that has tuning functionality that run and the user will select the frequency that he needs
allows the wearer to tune the amplification to his or her to be amplified according to the audiogram hearing loss
needs which adjusted wirelessly by using an application profile and the related filter’s band will pass only the
based on android smartphone via Bluetooth technology frequency of the specific band and attenuates the other
and keeping loud sounds within the range of comfort. band according to the user needs. The user will select the
This system’s device is a very easy user interface to gain that he needs from the application, the arduino will
keep operation quick and simple and saves all data to receive the gain’s information selection via Bluetooth
memory so that the device can be quickly powered up and outs it as a three-bit signal (G0-G1-G3) to controlled
and ready to use. The working of hearing aid’s device is gain op-amp (PGA) to be amplified. During tuning, the
as follow: Firstly, the tuning state; patient with a specific digital op-amps (PGA) that are not being tuned have
hearing loss pattern can adjust the amplification function their gains set at zero so only the specific bandpasses.
of the specific frequency by the hearing aid application After the user tuning is complete, the gains are recorded
in the android smartphone and programmable gain to EEPROM and the HA device is ready to use.
amplifier (PGA) that are programmed with Arduino.
Android Application
The tuning state is done very easy on a smart phone’s
application with Bluetooth technology. After the uHear is an android app that has been developed
patient’s satisfaction, all the tuning data will be saved to using MIT App Inventor for pairing the smartphone
memory so that the device can be powered and ready to with the developed system. MIT App inventor is an
use. Secondly, after the tuning state, a signal picked up open source web-based application used for Android
by the microphone first goes through a pre-amp stage. Application development[8].
The signal then progresses to the filter stage where it
Arduino IDE for uploading application sketches to
goes through four parallel filters that divide the signal
the Arduino is as follow:
into four frequency ranges. The filtered signal is also
passed to the gain-controlled stage where the signals The Arduino IDE for generate tone and no tone
are amplified based on tuning settings provided by the (mute) for the specific frequency band using tone
Arduino. The signal finally enters the output stage where function (int pin number , Freq Hz, delay) as in figure
it passes through a summer and the modified signal can (1(a)) and for reseting all setting gains to zero as in
be heard with a pair of ear phones. figure (1(b))
Performance analysis of the proposed system

The Arduino Nano serves as the control center for

312 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, October 2020, Vol. 11, No. 10

Figure (1). (a) Arduino IDE for Generate Tone and No Tone, (b) Arduino IDE for All- Reset Function
Arduino IDE for increasing –Decreasing gain according to patient’s need as in figure (2). Where a two conditions
(if-break) is made, one for increasing gain and the other for decreasing gain then save gain function is used to save
setting to EEPROM.

Figure (2). Arduino IDE for gain setting

 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, October 2020, Vol. 11, No. 10 313
Programmable Gain Amplifier (PGA)

For programming the PGA with arduino, firstly these three-bit digital outputs(G0-G1-G2) must be defined with
Arduino IDE using for loop. On startup after Bluetooth connection, the EEPROM will be checked if there were a
previous setting, outputs it and if not or want to start a new tune set all gain to zero and set gains from application as
explained previously in 3.2 android application as in figure (3 (a,b))

Figur (3). (a). Arduino IDE for PGA , (b) Save Gain and Set Gain Function Code

Results and Duscussion 1)Female- 60years old

The proposed system is used to perform the •Type of hearing loss: Bilateral sensory HL
implementation of a programmable hearing aid device
controlled by application using Android smart phone •Degree of hearing loss: (Right ear) mild to moderate
via Bluetooth. The final hardware is experimented on and mild (Left ear)
3 people, their results were presented and discussed.
•Occupation: House keeper
Audiograms of patients have been taken for
experimentation to correct the hearing loss of patients •Aided side : Left side
using programmable hearing aid with smartphone
application. Losses can be corrected by varying the gain The (PGA) gain selection relation state with the
factor of the particular frequency band of filter at which number of pressing button that the patient do is shown
losses occur by using the application. The HA’s device in figure (4).
circuit was experimented on 3 patients with different
(age, gender, degree of hearing loss).
314 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, October 2020, Vol. 11, No. 10

Figure (4). LT6910-2 gain selection relation state with the number of pressing button

With 500 Hz (30 dB) HL ,the patient press four •Degree of hearing loss: (Right ear) slight loss to
times until she get hearing and restore normal hearing mild and mild (Left ear)
with (20dB).
•Occupation: Soldier
With 1000 Hz (30dB) HL, the patient press five
times until she gets hearing and restore normal hearing •Aided side : Right side
with (15dB). •Improvement: The same steps that have been
With 2000 Hz (40dB) HL, the patient press six mentioned in the first case are also will be followed in
times until she gets hearing and restore normal hearing each next case .
with (10dB). With 500 Hz (25 dB) HL ,the patient press three
The unaided-aided of the female’s audiogram is times until he gets hearing and restore normal hearing
shown in figure (5 (a)). with (20dB).

Male -32 years old With 1000 Hz (30dB) HL, the patient press five
times until he gets hearing and restore normal hearing
•Type of hearing loss: Bilateral sensory HL with (15dB).

With 2000 Hz (30dB) HL, the patient press five

times until he gets hearing and restore normal hearing
with (15dB).
 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, October 2020, Vol. 11, No. 10 315
The unaided-aided male’s audiogram is shown in figure (5(b))

Figure (5). (a) The Unaided-Aided Female’s Audiogram, (b) The Unaided-Aided Male 1’s Audiogram

Conclusion scientific research ministries in Iraq

It can be seen clearly that a Smartphone’s application Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they
programmable Hearing aid (HA) will have a bright have no conflict of interest.
future. It should be continued and developed in the future
as it has a huge potential to improve its performance, Funding: Self-funding
reliability and safety. The best part for using android
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