DSPBehind-the-Ear (BTE) and In-the-Ear (ITE) digital hearing aidsAfter the release of the HD-10, Tateno’s team wanted to continue pursuing the development of digital hearing aids to produce a BTE model. But due to the difference in size between a body-type model and a BTE model, the latter required a much smaller circuit. It would also inevitably have less power due to the smaller battery it could house. They needed a specialized DSP.“Back in those days,” he recalls, “Japanese semiconductor manufacturers focused on products suitable for mass production. It was difficult for them to develop ICs to be produced in small quantities for hearing aids.”Eventually, the team succeeded in procuring a supply of DSPs designed specially for hearing aids from a US venture business. With this DSP, they proceeded to develop digital BTE and ITE hearing aids. These were introduced as the HB-D1 and HI-D1/HI-D2, respectively, in 1999.These digital BTE and ITE hearing aids were eight years in their making since the HD-10. But room for improvement remained. The DSPs for hearing aids available at the time weren’t really designed to be programmed by product engineers. Engineers could only select a sound processing program that would best suit their purpose from a number of pre-installed programs. Fine tuning wasn’t possible."WE WANTED FREEDOM IN OUR PROGRAMMING." This capability emerged with the Rionet Rosé series released in 2009, with access to a power-efficient DSP small enough to fit inside a hearing aid. It offered significant latitude in terms of programmability. “This heightened freedom in programming and made it possible to easily adjust our products. It became much easier for us to make hearing aids that customers would find highly satisfying because they met their individual needs.”Since then, Rion has expanded its lineup of hearing aid products around the Rionet Rosé series. In 2017, it released the Rionet series. Our transition from analog to digital and all of the subsequent evolution have been driven by our engineers’ commitment to “improving ease of hearing with hearing aids by incorporating any means available.”[HB-D1] (1999)This was a digital BTE hearing aid introduced in 1999 after Rion gained ac-cess to a supply of DSPs developed specically for hearing aids by a US ven-ture business named Sonic Innovations Inc. The HB-D1 won recognition for its ease of use and user-friendly display, as well as its overall design virtues. It won the Good Design Award in 2000.Rionet Rosé (2009)Introduced in 2009, this digital hearing aid is based on an open platform DSP that gives Rion exibility in programing the device. Rionet Rosé incorporates SSS (Sound Spectrum Shaping) capability, a proprietary Rion technology that allows adjustments of sound contrast on the hearing aid unit.99Makoto TatenoDirector of Technical Development Center. Joined Rion in 1981. He has been involved in hearing aid-related work since his fourth year with the company. After engaging in work related to re-search on the early detection and early education of children with hearing impairment, he was in-volved in the design and development of the HD-10. Subsequently, he has been involved in the development of equipment used in schools for the deaf and a project to develop ICs for hearing aids.What is a DSP?DSP is an initialism for Digital Signal Processor, a device for processing sound based on calculations of sound data converted into digital format (digital signals) using an AD con-verter. It’s analogous to what a CPU does in a computer. For example, it can change the amplication between small and loud sounds, reduce noise, and suppress the feedback that is likely to occur in hearing aids.
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