Product category:
Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: AMI Semiconductor | Subject: BelaSigna 200
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 21 April 2005
DSP-based audio helps the hard of
hearing
AMI Semiconductor's BelaSigna 200 DSP-based audio system has been selected by Phonak Communications for the SmartLink SX.
AMI Semiconductor's BelaSigna 200 DSP-based audio system has been selected by Phonak Communications for the SmartLink SX, a leading-edge communication device that offers hearing aid wearers excellent speech clarity in adverse listening situations and enables them to communicate easily through mobile phones and other Bluetooth-compatible devices Even with the best hearing instruments, most hearing impaired people notice that they have difficulty hearing in certain situations such as using (cell) phones, watching television, during a business meeting or in a restaurant
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 19 Jan 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Using a wireless communication system (FM system) makes communication in all these situations much easier.
Such a system consists of a handheld microphone (SmartLink SX) that picks up the sound as close as possible to the source and a miniaturised receiver (MicroLink) that is clicked on the hearing instrument.
Advanced sound processing algorithms developed by Phonak, including a revolutionary digital beamformer, work with the AMIS BelaSigna 200 chip to remove noise and deliver clear speech to hearing aid wearers.
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Through built-in microphones, audio inputs, and a Bluetooth link, the highly compact SmartLink receives and processes audio signals and transmits them to the user's hearing aid using Phonak's industry-leading MicroLink technology.
"AMI Semiconductor's BelaSigna 200 provided the software flexibility and processing power we needed, all on one tightly-integrated chip that consumes very little power", Evert Dijkstra, Director of Business Development at Phonak Communications.
"That versatility made it easier for us to optimise the performance of SmartLink through our development process, and the result is a product that sets new standards for communication clarity".
The single-chip, ultraminiature BelaSigna 200 interfaces seamlessly with wireless devices and consumes only a few milliamps of current at 1.8V.
It contains a DSP core, stereo codec, memory, power management, and a highly efficient, hardware-based WOLA filterbank coprocessor, which greatly reduces power consumption and chip size while providing low group delay and adjustable parameters for easy integration into a wide range of designs.
"We are delighted to have BelaSigna 200 selected by Phonak, a recognised innovator in wireless audio products for the hearing impaired", said Christine King, President and CEO of AMI Semiconductor.
"SmartLink is a real advance for hearing aid wearers - especially those who want to communicate through the latest wireless communication devices - and it's an excellent match with our technology".
"No other chip offers the DSP processing power of BelaSigna 200 at such low current consumption".
"We look forward to seeing other innovative wireless audio products developed by Phonak on the BelaSigna 200 platform".
The announcement comes on the heels of the opening of a new AMIS business unit focused on medical and wireless products.
The new unit is committed to the development of DSP, wireless and ultra-low-power precision analogue technology to produce a robust line of ASIC and standard products for implantable and other medical devices.
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