Systems and methods for determining object proximity to a hearing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11082782-B2
Application number	US-201916668128-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2019
Priority date	Oct 30, 2019
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

An exemplary passive acoustic proximity detection system is configured to determine a first acoustic spectrum of a first signal representative of audio detected and output by a first microphone configured to be positioned at an ear canal entrance of a user. The detection system is further configured to determine a second acoustic spectrum of a second signal representative of audio detected and output by a second microphone configured to be located away from the ear canal entrance. Based on a comparison of the first acoustic spectrum and the second acoustic spectrum, the detection system is configured to generate a proximity indicator indicative of a proximity of an object to the first microphone. Based on the proximity indicator, the detection system is configured to select a signal processing program for execution by the passive acoustic detection system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hearing system associated with a first ear of a user, the hearing system comprising:
a first microphone configured to be positioned at an ear canal entrance of the first ear of the user and output a first signal representative of audio detected by the first microphone;
a second microphone disposed on a component of the hearing system configured to be located away from the ear canal entrance, the second microphone configured to output a second signal representative of audio detected by the second microphone; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the first and second microphones and configured to:
determine a first acoustic spectrum of the first signal output by the first microphone;
determine a second acoustic spectrum of the second signal output by the second microphone;
generate, based on a comparison of the first acoustic spectrum and the second acoustic spectrum, a proximity indicator indicative of a proximity of an object to the first microphone, the object including one or more of a mobile device, a telephone handset, a headphone, an earphone, or a hand; and
select, based on the proximity indicator, a signal processing program for execution by the processor.

2. The hearing system of claim 1 , further comprising a housing configured to house the processor, wherein:
the first microphone is configured to removably attach to the housing; and
the second microphone is disposed on the housing.

3. The hearing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a housing configured to house the processor; and
a headpiece separate from the housing and configured to house a coil used by the processor to wirelessly communicate with a cochlear implant;
wherein the second microphone is disposed on the headpiece.

4. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is implemented by a sound processor in a cochlear implant system.

5. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is implemented by a processor in a hearing device configured to acoustically present the audio to the user.

6. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the proximity indicator comprises:
determining a metric representative of a maximum of a ratio of a magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to a magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum; and
determining, based on the metric, the proximity indicator.

7. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the proximity indicator comprises:
determining a metric representative of a maximum of a ratio of a magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to a magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum subtracted by a mean of the ratio of the magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to the magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum; and
determining, based on the metric, the proximity indicator.

8. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the proximity indicator comprises:
determining a metric representative of a maximum of a ratio of a magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to a magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum subtracted by a minimum of the ratio of the magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to the magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum; and
determining, based on the metric, the proximity indicator.

9. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the proximity indicator comprises:
determining a metric representative of a mean of a time delay between the first and second signals; and
determining, based on the metric, the proximity indicator.

10. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the proximity indicator comprises:
determining a first metric representative of a maximum of a ratio of a magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to a magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum;
determining a second metric representative of a maximum of a ratio of a magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to a magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum subtracted by a mean of the ratio of the magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to the magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum;
determining a third metric representative of a maximum of a ratio of a magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to a magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum subtracted by a minimum of the ratio of the magnitude of the first acoustic spectrum to the magnitude of the second acoustic spectrum;
determining a fourth metric representative of a mean of a time delay between the first and second signals;
determining a maximum value of the first through fourth metrics; and
determining, based on the maximum value of the first through fourth metrics, the proximity indicator.

11. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the object emits the audio.

12. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the object does not emit the audio.

13. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to compensate for a difference in microphone sensitivity between the first microphone and the second microphone.

14. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the signal processing program for execution by the processor comprises:
determining that the proximity indicator is above a predetermined threshold; and
switching, in response to the determining that the proximity indicator is above the predetermined threshold, from executing a first signal processing program to executing a second signal processing program.

15. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to select, if the proximity indicator is above a predetermined threshold, a signal processing program that increases input from the first microphone more than the second microphone.

16. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to select, if the proximity indicator is below a predetermined threshold, a signal processing program that includes beamforming.

17. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the signal processing program for execution by the processor comprises modifying a parameter of a signal processing program already being executed by the processor.

18. A passive acoustic detection system comprising:
a memory storing instructions;
a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to:
determine a first acoustic spectrum of a first signal representative of audio detected and output by a first microphone configured to be positioned at an ear canal entrance of a first ear of a user;
determine a second acoustic spectrum of a second signal representative of audio detected and output by a second microphone configured to be located away from the ear canal entrance;
generate, based on a comparison of the first acoustic spectrum and the second acoustic spectrum, a proximity indicator indicative of a proximity of an object to the first microphone, the object including one or more of a mobile device, a telephone handset, a headphone, an earphone, or a hand; and
select, based on the proximity indicator, a signal processing program for execution by a hearing system associated with the user.

19. A method comprising:
determining, by a passive acoustic detection system, a first acoustic spectrum of a first signal representative of audio detected and output by a first microphone configured to be positioned at an ear canal entrance of a user;
determining, by the passive acoustic detection system, a second acoustic spectrum of a second signal representative of audio detected and output by a second microphone configured to be located away from the ear canal

Assignees

• Advanced Bionics Ag

Inventors

• Freed Daniel J

Classifications

• H04R25/505

  using digital signal processing · CPC title

• H04R2225/61

  Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning · CPC title

• H04R3/005 Primary

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• H04R25/606

  acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window · CPC title

• H04R25/604 Primary

  of acoustic or vibrational transducers · CPC title