Hearing device comprising an own voice detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10142745-B2
Application number	US-201715821365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2017
Priority date	Nov 24, 2016
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, adapted for being arranged at least partly on a user's head or at least partly implanted in a user's head is provided. The hearing device comprises an own voice detector comprising first and second signal strength detectors for providing signal strength estimates of first and second electric input signals. The own voice detector comprises a comparison unit operationally coupled to the first and second signal strength detectors and configured to compare the signal strength estimates of the first and second electric input signals and to provide an indication of the difference between said signal strength estimates; and a control unit for providing an own voice detection signal indicative of a user's own voice being present or not present in the current sound in the environment of the user, the own voice detection signal being dependent on said signal strength comparison measure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hearing device adapted for being arranged at least partly on a user's head or at least partly implanted in a user's head, the hearing device comprising
an input unit for providing a multitude of electric input signals representing sound in the environment of the user,
a signal processing unit providing a processed signal based on one or more of said multitude of electric input signals, and
an output unit comprising an output transducer for converting said processed signal or a signal originating therefrom to a stimulus perceivable by said user as sound;
the input unit comprising
at least one first input transducer for picking up a sound signal from the environment and providing respective at least one first electric input signal, and a first signal strength detector for providing a first signal strength estimate of the at least one first electric input signal, the at least one first input transducer being located on the head, away from the ear canal of the user;
a second input transducer for picking up a sound signal from the environment and providing a second electric input signal, and a second signal strength detector for providing a second signal strength estimate of the second electric input signal, the second input transducer being located at or in an ear canal of the user, the hearing device further comprising

an own voice detector comprising
a comparison unit operationally coupled to the first and second signal strength detectors and configured to compare the first and second signal strength estimates, and to provide a signal strength comparison measure indicative of the difference between said signal strength estimates; and
a control unit for providing an own voice detection signal indicative of a user's own voice being present or not present in the current sound in the environment of the user, the own voice detection signal being dependent on said signal strength comparison measure.

2. A hearing device according to claim 1 wherein the at least one first input transducer comprises two first input transducers.

3. A hearing device according to claim 1 wherein
the signal strength comparison measure comprises an algebraic difference between the first and second signal strengths, and
the own voice detection signal is taken to be indicative of a user's own voice being present, when the signal strength at the second input transducer is 2.5 dB or higher than the signal strength at the at least one first input transducer.

4. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising
an analysis filter bank to provide a signal in a time-frequency representation comprising a number of frequency sub-bands.

5. A hearing device according to claim 4 wherein said signal strength comparison measure is based on a difference between the first and second signal strength estimates in a number of frequency sub-bands, wherein the first and second signal strength estimates are weighted on a frequency band level.

6. A hearing device according to claim 4 configured to provide that a, possibly customized, preferred frequency range comprising one or more frequency bands providing maximum difference in signal strength between the first and second input transducers is weighted higher than other frequency bands in the signal strength comparison measure.

7. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a modulation detector for providing a measure of modulation of a current electric input signal, and wherein the own voice detection signal is dependent on said measure of modulation in addition to said signal strength comparison measure.

8. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a beamformer filtering unit configured to receive said at least one first electric input signal(s) and said second electric input signal and to provide a spatially filtered signal in dependence thereof.

9. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a pre-defined and/or adaptively updated own voice beamformer focused on the user's mouth.

10. A hearing device according to claim 9 wherein the hearing device is configured so that said own voice beamformer, at least in a specific mode of operation of the hearing device, is activated and ready to provide an estimate of the user's own voice for transmission to another device, or in other modes, where a user's own voice is requested.

11. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising an analysis unit for analyzing a user's own voice and for identifying characteristics thereof.

12. A hearing device according to claim 1 constituting or comprising a hearing aid, a headset, an ear protection device or a combination thereof.

13. A hearing device according to claim 12 comprising a part, the ITE part, comprising a loudspeaker and said second input transducer, wherein the ITE part is adapted for being located at or in an ear canal of the user and a part, the BTE-part, comprising a housing adapted for being located behind or at an ear of the user, where a first input transducer is located.

14. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a controllable vent exhibiting a controllable vent size, wherein the hearing device is configured to use the own voice detector to control a vent size of the hearing device.

15. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a voice interface configured to detect a specific voice activation word or phrase or sound.

16. A hearing device according to claim 15 configured to allow a user to activate and/or deactivate one or more specific modes of operation, of the hearing device via the voice interface.

17. A hearing device, wherein according to claim 16 configured to implement a selectable voice command mode of operation activated via the voice interface, where the user's voice is transmitted to a voice interface of another device and activating a voice interface of the other device.

18. A binaural hearing system comprising first and second hearing devices according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second hearing devices comprises antenna and transceiver circuitry allowing a communication link between them to be to established.

19. A method of detecting a user's own voice in a hearing device, the method comprising
providing a multitude of electric input signals representing sound in the environment of the user, including
providing at least one first electric input signal from at least one first input transducer located on the head, away from the ear canal of the user; and
providing a second electric input signal from a second input transducer located at or in an ear canal of the user;

providing a processed signal based on one or more of said multitude of electric input signals, and
converting said processed signal or a signal originating therefrom to a stimulus perceivable by said user as sound;
providing a first signal strength estimate of the at least one first electric input signal;
providing a second signal strength estimate of the second electric input signal;
comparing the first and second signal strength estimates, and providing a signal strength comparison measure indicative of the difference between said first and second signal strength estimates; and
providing an own voice detection signal indicative of a user's own voice being present or not present in the current sound in the environment of the user, the own voice detection signal being dependent on said signal strength comparison measure.

20. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon an application storing a processor-executable program

Assignees

• Oticon As

Inventors

• Petersen Svend Oscar
• Thule Anders

Classifications

• H04R25/70

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

• H04R25/552 Primary

  Binaural · CPC title

• H04R25/50

  Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics · CPC title

• H04R25/407

  Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers · CPC title

• H04R25/305 Primary

  Self-monitoring or self-testing · CPC title