Hearing aid system, a hearing aid device and a method of operating a hearing aid system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10085099-B2
Application number	US-201514931792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2015
Priority date	Nov 3, 2015
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

The application relates to a hearing aid system comprising a hearing aid device comprising a configurable signal processing unit, a programming device configured to program the configurable signal processing unit, and a communication link allowing the exchange of data between the hearing aid device and the programming device. The application further relates to a method of programming configurable signal processing unit to provide an increased speech intelligibility by frequency lowering. The hearing aid system is configured to program the configurable signal processing unit of the hearing device according the claimed method. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of programming a configurable signal processing unit of a hearing aid device, the method comprising:
configuring the hearing aid device to make high frequency sound audible to a user by presenting high frequency content at lower frequencies by performing a frequency lowering process including
providing a frequency transposition algorithm in the hearing aid device where content from more than one upper-lying source frequency band is copied into a single lower lying destination frequency band;
providing a number of frequency transposition configurations, each comprising a specific combination of source regions and a destination region for use by said frequency transposition algorithm;
providing a weight parameter that specifies an amount of gain applied to a lowered signal; and
providing a prescription algorithm that selects an optimum frequency transposition configuration for an ear of the user taking the audiogram for the ear in question and an amplification capability of the hearing aid device in question into account.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:
providing that a bandwidth of each of the source and destination regions in a given frequency transposition configuration is denoted by an integer specifying the number of equivalent rectangular bandwidths (ERBs).

3. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:
providing a prescription algorithm that selects an optimum configuration for each ear of the user's ears taking the audiogram or the respective ears of the user and the amplification capability of the respective hearing aid devices into account.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:
providing a weight parameter that specifies the amount of gain applied to the lowered signal so that the level of the destination band is smaller than or equal to a predefined maximum level.

5. A method according to claim 1 comprising:
providing that the upper-lying source frequency bands are located above a threshold frequency and the lower lying destination frequency band is located below the threshold frequency, and wherein the threshold frequency corresponds to a maximum audible output frequency for a given user and a particular hearing aid device.

6. A method according to claim 1 , comprising:
providing that the frequency transposition configurations are arranged so that, on a logarithmic scale,
the destination region spans 3 equivalent rectangular bandwidths (ERBs); and
the specific combination of source regions together span 4 equivalent rectangular bandwidths (ERBs).

7. A hearing aid system comprising:
a hearing aid device comprising a configurable signal processing unit;
a programming device configured to program the configurable signal processing unit; and
a communication link allowing an exchange of data between the hearing aid device and the programming device, wherein
the hearing aid system is configured to program the configurable signal processing unit of the hearing device to make high frequency sound audible to a user by presenting high frequency content at lower frequencies by performing a frequency lowering process including:
providing a frequency transposition algorithm in the hearing aid device where content from more than one upper-lying source frequency band is copied into a single lower lying destination frequency band;

providing a number of frequency transposition configurations, each comprising a specific combination of source regions and a destination region for use by said frequency transposition algorithm;
providing a weight parameter that specifies an amount of gain applied to a lowered signal; and
providing a prescription algorithm that selects an optimum frequency transposition configuration for an ear of the user taking the audiogram for the ear in question and an amplification capability of the hearing aid device in question into account.

8. A hearing aid system according to claim 7 wherein the hearing aid device is or comprises a hearing aid.

9. A data processing system comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code for causing the processor to perform a method of programming a configurable signal processing unit of a hearing aid, the method comprising:
configuring the hearing aid device to make high frequency sound audible to a user by presenting high frequency content at lower frequencies by performing a frequency lowering process including
providing a frequency transposition algorithm in the hearing aid device where content from more than one upper-lying source frequency band is copied into a single lower lying destination frequency band;
providing a number of frequency transposition configurations, each comprising a specific combination of source regions and a destination region for use by said frequency transposition algorithm;
providing a weight parameter that specifies an amount of gain applied to a lowered signal; and
providing a prescription algorithm that selects an optimum frequency transposition configuration for an ear of the user taking the audiogram for the ear in question and an amplification capability of the hearing aid device in question into account.

Assignees

• Bernafon Ag
• Oticon As

Inventors

• Kuriger Martin
• Lesimple Christophe
• Hockley Neil
• Jespersgaard Claus Forup Corlin
• Christiansen Thomas Ulrich

Classifications

• H04R25/356

  Amplitude, e.g. amplitude shift or compression · CPC title

• H04R25/554

  using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils · CPC title

• H04R25/353

  Frequency, e.g. frequency shift or compression · CPC title

• H04R25/70 Primary

  Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting · CPC title

• H04R2225/55

  Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange · CPC title