Method for operating a hearing apparatus, and hearing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10462584-B2
Application number	US-201815941106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2018
Priority date	Apr 3, 2017
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A method for operating a hearing apparatus that has a microphone for converting ambient sound into a microphone signal, involves a number of features being derived from the microphone signal. Three classifiers, which are implemented independently of one another for analyzing a respective assigned acoustic dimension, are each supplied with a specifically assigned selection from these features. The respective classifier is used to generate a respective piece of information about a manifestation of the acoustic dimension assigned to the classifier. At least one of the at least three pieces of information about the respective manifestation of the assigned acoustic dimension is then taken as a basis for altering a signal processing algorithm that is executed for the purpose of processing the microphone signal to produce an output signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a hearing apparatus having at least one microphone for converting ambient sound into a microphone signal, which comprises the steps of:
deriving a plurality of features from the microphone signal or an input signal formed from the microphone signal;
supplying the features to at least three classifiers, the classifiers being implemented independently of one another for analyzing a respectively assigned acoustic dimension, each of the classifiers being supplied with a specifically assigned selection of the features;
generating, via a respective classifier, a respective piece of information about a manifestation of the respectively assigned acoustic dimension assigned to the respective classifier, the respective piece of information is a probability value regarding an occurrence of the respectively assigned acoustic dimension; and
taking at least one of at least three pieces of information about the manifestation of the respectively assigned acoustic dimension as a basis for altering at least one signal processing algorithm that is executed for processing the microphone signal or the input signal to produce an output signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises supplying at least two of the at least three classifiers with a different selection of the features.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein only the features that are relevant to an analysis of the respectively assigned acoustic dimension are supplied together with an appropriately assigned selection to the respective classifier.

4. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises using a specific analysis algorithm for evaluating the features supplied to each of the classifiers.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least three acoustic dimensions are used including vehicle, music and speech.

6. The method according to claim 5 , which further comprises:
assigning a vehicle acoustic dimension at least the features of the level of the background noise, the spectral focus of the background noise and the stationarity;
assigning a music acoustic dimension the features of the onset content, the tonality and the level of the background noise; and
assigning a speech acoustic dimension the features of the onset content and the 4-hertz envelope modulation.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the features of signal level, 4-hertz envelope modulation, onset content, level of a background noise, spectral focus of the background noise, stationarity, tonality, and wind activity are derived from the microphone signal or the input signal.

8. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises taking into consideration a specifically assigned temporal stabilization for each of the classifiers.

9. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises altering the signal processing algorithm on a basis of at least two of the at least three pieces of information about the manifestation of the respectively assigned acoustic dimension.

10. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises supplying the information of the classifiers to a joint evaluation, wherein the joint evaluation is taken as a basis for ascertaining a dominant hearing situation, and wherein a respective signal processing algorithm is adapted to suit a dominant hearing situation.

11. The method according to claim 10 , which further comprises ascertaining at least one subsituation having lower dominance in comparison with the dominant hearing situation, and a respective subsituation is taken into consideration when the signal processing algorithm is altered.

12. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises:
using a plurality of signal processing algorithms for processing the microphone signal; and
assigning each of the signal processing algorithms at least one of the classifiers, and at least one parameter of each of the signal processing algorithms is altered on a basis of information about the manifestation of an applicable acoustic dimension that is output by the classifier assigned thereto.

13. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises supplying at least one of the classifiers with a piece of state information that is produced independently of the microphone signal or the input signal and that is additionally taken into consideration for evaluating the respectively assigned acoustic dimension.

14. A hearing apparatus, comprising:
at least one microphone for converting ambient sound into a microphone signal; and
a signal processor, in which at least three classifiers are implemented independently of one another for analyzing a respectively assigned acoustic dimension, said signal processor programmed to:
derive a plurality of features from the microphone signal or an input signal formed from the microphone signal;
supplying the features to said at least three classifiers, each of said classifiers being supplied with a specifically assigned selection of the features;
generating, via a respective classifier, a respective piece of information about a manifestation of the respectively assigned acoustic dimension assigned to said respective classifier, the respective piece of information is a probability value regarding an occurrence of the respectively assigned acoustic dimension; and
taking at least one of at least three pieces of information about the manifestation of the respectively assigned acoustic dimension as a basis for altering at least one signal processing algorithm that is executed for processing the microphone signal or the input signal to produce an output signal.

Assignees

• Sivantos Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Aubreville Marc
• Lugger Marko

Classifications

• H04R25/507

  implemented by neural network or fuzzy logic · CPC title

• G10L25/84

  for discriminating voice from noise · CPC title

• G10L25/81

  for discriminating voice from music · CPC title

• H04R2225/39

  Aspects relating to automatic logging of sound environment parameters and the performance of the hearing aid during use, e.g. histogram logging, or of user selected programs or settings in the hearing aid, e.g. usage logging · CPC title

• H04R25/00

  Electric hearing aids · CPC title