Instrumentation and Procedure for Characterisation and Optimisation of the RF Link of Hearing Aids (COLHA)

• Research unit: INNOSUISSE
• Project number: 9035.1;10 PFIW-IW

Short description (English)

Instrumentation and Procedure for Characterisation and Optimisation of the RF Link of Hearing Aids (COLHA)

Abstract (English)

The main goal of this project is the development of a head and upper body hardware phantom that is used to characterise wireless links of communication devices integrated into hearing instruments. This phantom will be the first one to include a detailed model of the ear canals and pinnae. New tissue simulation materials are required, which precisely model the electric and magnetic body properties over a broad frequency range. These materials have to be stable when moulded and they have to offer long-term consistency of physical properties over a broad temperature range. The development of reference antennas will be another essential topic that will be investigated in this project. These antennas are necessary to assess the accuracy of the phantom and to validate future antenna developments. In addition, a detailed calibration and measurement process will be defined on the basis of these antennas. The outcomes of this project will be essential for the industrial partner to simplify current measurement procedures and therefore to reduce time to market of new products. Furthermore, it will allow assessing the performance of wireless communication links in a reproducible way, without the necessity of having to go through extensive field tests.