Method for operating a hearing device, and hearing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11190883-B2
Application number	US-202017018260-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2020
Priority date	Sep 11, 2019
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

A method for operating a hearing device is specified. The hearing device has at least one microphone that picks up an input sound signal and converts it into an electrical input signal. The hearing device has a signal processing section that modifies the electrical input signal on the basis of an audiogram of a user and thereby generates a first electrical output signal. The hearing device has an active noise reduction system that generates a second electrical output signal in order to reject a noise component. The hearing device has a receiver that converts the first electrical output signal and the second electrical output signal into an output sound signal, for output to the user. The active noise reduction system is operated in parallel with the signal processing section. A corresponding hearing device is programmed to perform the method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a hearing device having at least one microphone, a signal processing section, an active noise reduction system, a delay unit, and a receiver, which comprises the steps of:
picking up an input sound signal, via the at least one microphone, and converting the input sound signal into an electrical input signal;
modifying, via the signal processing section, the electrical input signal on a basis of an audiogram of a user and thereby generating a first electrical output signal;
generating, via the active noise reduction system, a second electrical output signal in order to reject a noise component, wherein the active noise reduction system is operated in parallel with the signal processing section;
setting a time difference between the first electrical output signal and the second electrical output signal via the delay unit; and
converting, via the receiver, the first electrical output signal and the second electrical output signal into an output sound signal, for output to the user.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the active noise reduction system is an active noise cancellation system, an active occlusion reduction system or an ANC and AOR system.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the time difference is set in a range from 2 ms to 5 ms.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the hearing device has two modes of operation, namely a rejection mode, in which the active noise reduction system is activated, and a normal mode, in which the active noise reduction system is deactivated; and
the time difference of the delay unit is set such that a delay between the electrical input signal of the signal processing section and the first electrical output signal thereof is greater in the rejection mode than in the normal mode.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the hearing device has multiple modes of operation in which the signal processing section has a different processing time in each case; and
the time difference added by the delay unit is set on a basis of a mode of operation and hence on a basis of a respective processing time.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one microphone generates the electrical input signal that is forwarded both to the signal processing section and to the noise reduction system; and
the signal processing section generates the first electrical output signal and the noise reduction system generates the second electrical output signal on a basis of the electrical input signal.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one microphone is one of at least two external microphones including a first external microphone and a second external microphone; and
the external microphones generate electrical input signals including a first input signal and a second input signal, one of the first and second electrical input signals is forwarded to the signal processing section, while the other is forwarded to the noise reduction system.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hearing device has a further internal microphone that generates a further input signal that is supplied to the noise reduction system, which then generates the second electrical output signal on a basis of the further input signal from the further internal microphone.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical output signal and the second electrical output signal are combined with one another outside the signal processing section and the noise reduction system and are forwarded to the receiver, which finally generates and outputs the output sound signal.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the noise reduction system has an audio input by way of which the first electrical output signal of the signal processing section is routed to the noise reduction system;
the second electrical output signal is generated in the noise reduction system and combined with the first electrical output signal, so that the noise reduction system outputs a joint output signal for the signal processing section and the noise reduction system; and
the joint output signal is forwarded to the receiver, which finally generates and outputs the output sound signal.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processing section of the hearing device has a processing time of no more than 1 ms.

12. A method for operating a hearing device having at least one microphone, a signal processing section, an active noise reduction system and a receiver, which comprises the steps of:
picking up an input sound signal, via the at least one microphone, and converting the input sound signal into an electrical input signal;
modifying, via the signal processing section, the electrical input signal on a basis of an audiogram of a user and thereby generating a first electrical output signal, wherein the signal processing section of the hearing device has a processing time of no more than 2 ms;
generating, via the active noise reduction system, a second electrical output signal in order to reject a noise component, wherein the active noise reduction system is operated in parallel with the signal processing section; and
converting, via the receiver, the first electrical output signal and the second electrical output signal into an output sound signal, for output to the user.

13. A method for operating a hearing device having at least one microphone, a signal processing section, an active noise reduction system and a receiver, which comprises the steps of:
picking up an input sound signal, via the at least one microphone, and converting the input sound signal into an electrical input signal;
modifying, via the signal processing section, the electrical input signal on a basis of an audiogram of a user and thereby generating a first electrical output signal;
fully integrating a delay unit in the signal processing section, so that the electrical input signal is first modified and only then passes through the delay unit and is delayed, and is finally output as the first electrical output signal being a delayed output signal;
generating, via the active noise reduction system, a second electrical output signal in order to reject a noise component, wherein the active noise reduction system is operated in parallel with the signal processing section; and
converting, via the receiver, the first electrical output signal and the second electrical output signal into an output sound signal, for output to the user.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein:
the delay unit is split into a plurality of subunits, among which a first subunit is integrated in the signal processing section and another, second subunit is integrated in the noise reduction system; and
one of the subunits produces a firmly predefined time difference and the other subunit produces a time difference that is adjustable in a predefined range.

15. A hearing device, comprising:
at least one microphone;
a signal processing section;
an active noise reduction system; and
a receiver;
the hearing device configured to perform a method according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Sivantos Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Goekay Umut
• Naumann Frank
• Puder Henning

Classifications

• H04R2460/05

  Electronic compensation of the occlusion effect · CPC title

• H04R2460/01

  Hearing devices using active noise cancellation · CPC title

• G10K2210/1081

  Earphones, e.g. for telephones, ear protectors or headsets · CPC title

• H04R2225/025

  In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids · CPC title

• H04R25/505 Primary

  using digital signal processing · CPC title