IN THE BACKYARDCartilage conduction hearing aids augment hearing by inducing vibrations in the cartilage of the ear.One of the key technologies in the development of this hearing aid is BA-S type vibrator.The advantages offered by this transducer can be applied elsewhere in various spheres of society.In this report, we’ll consider its potential.14Developed for cartilage conduction hearing aids“The BA-S type vibrator originally developed by Rion has features not offered by conventional transducers,” says Shinichi Ishikawa of the R&D Department of Rion’s Technical Devel-opment Center. Various types of trans-ducers are available. The BA-S type vibrator elevates conventional balanced armature (BA / electromagnetic drive) transducers to unprecedented heights. It’s characterized by low power con-sumption and the capacity to produce strong vibrations for its size.The BA-S type vibrator was original-ly developed for cartilage conduction hearing aids. “Due to their poor power efficiency, conventional transducers had poor battery life,” says Ishikawa. “They were also bulky and couldn’t be assembled into compact hearing aids. They needed a certain mass to achieve the desired power output. That’s why Rion decided to develop a transducer that could be used to create a cartilage conduction hearing aid that users would find comfortable to wear.” At the beginning of development, piezoelectric transducers were used for About the BA-S type vibratorOriginally developed by Rion for use in cartilage conduction hearing aids, the BAS type vibrator offers as major features its lower power consumption and greater freedom in design compared to the BA type. It can be produced in various sizes and varying excitation performance depending on the application. Interview and article by Noriaki Okamoto and photo by Yuki AkabaShinichi IshikawaS&V Sensor Development Group, R&D Department, Technical Development Center. Joined Rion in 2012. Working in the acoustics and vibration field, he has been involved in the development of transducers and earphones used in cordless audiometers. He has also overseen the design, development, and prototyping of transducers.On the Front Lines of Technology The Unknown Technology Underlying the Development of ResonatorsExciters: Supporting Industries and Our Future
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