Computer models of hearing aid transducers for integrated circuit design

Electronic circuit modeling using computer-based simulation tools is well established and device models are available for common electronic components. However, acoustic models of audio transducers for use during integrated circuit design are not readily available. This causes difficulty for designers of audio amplifiers, and increases the uncertainties of a successful silicon integration of a circuit design. This paper reports on a technique for the creation of electroacoustic models of hearing aid microphones and receivers that can be connected to an amplifier under design, and incorporated into PSPICE simulations. Verification of the technique and models was performed by comparing measured frequency response data with graphs created by PSPICE modeling. The conclusions were that the method developed for creating these models, and the models themselves, were accurate enough to be used for acoustic simulations of frequency response performance during amplifier design, and gave results comparable to data obtained from breadboard measurements of the same circuits.