Method for automatically setting a signal processing parameter of a hearing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11750990-B2
Application number	US-202117172296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2021
Priority date	Feb 10, 2020
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A method for automatically setting at least one signal processing parameter of a hearing device. The immediate surroundings of the hearing device are examined for the presence of at least one node of a wireless communication network. Characteristic information of a detected node is ascertained for a node that has been found to be present and the characteristic information for the detected node is compared with a first dataset of first characteristic information that was respectively stored beforehand for nodes that are marked as known. The comparison results are used to characterize the node that has been detected as present as a known node or as an unknown node on the basis of the characteristic information. The ascertained characteristic information of the detected node is used as a basis for setting the at least one parameter for the signal processing of the hearing device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of automatically setting at least one parameter for signal processing in a hearing device, the method comprising:
examining immediate surroundings of the hearing device for a presence of at least one node of a wireless communication network, wherein a node that is detected as being present is a detected node;
ascertaining characteristic information of the detected node;
comparing the characteristic information of the detected node with a first dataset of first characteristic information respectively stored beforehand for nodes that are marked as known, and concluding whether the detected node is a known node or an unknown node;
using the characteristic information of the detected node as a basis for setting the at least one parameter for the signal processing of the hearing device;
if the node detected as present is determined to be a known node based on the characteristic information then the at least one parameter of the signal processing of the hearing device is set on the basis of second characteristic information that is dependent on the known node and was stored in a second dataset beforehand on the basis of the known node;
defining a plurality of known electronic surroundings that respectively exist as a result of a simultaneous presence of a number of specific known nodes;
using the second characteristic information defined for at least one of the electronic surroundings as the setting of the parameter of the signal processing of the hearing device, and storing the setting in the second dataset;
performing an analysis with regard to a presence of one of the known electronic surroundings defined beforehand; and
if one of the known electronic surroundings defined beforehand is present, using the applicable second characteristic information as a basis for setting the parameter for the signal processing of the hearing device.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises storing first characteristic information in reference to an identification of the respective node in the first dataset for a number of nodes of at least one first wireless communication network that are not yet marked as known, and thereby marking the respective node as a known node.

3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises, if the detected node is not determined to be a known node based on the characteristic information, performing an acoustic analysis of the immediate surroundings of the hearing device.

4. The method according to claim 3 , which comprises setting the at least one parameter of the signal processing of the hearing device on a basis of the acoustic analysis of the immediate surroundings of the hearing device.

5. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises performing at least a portion of the step of examining the immediate surroundings of the hearing device for the presence of the at least one node of the wireless communication network by an auxiliary apparatus associable with the hearing device.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the auxiliary apparatus used is a cell phone.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the examining step comprises searching for a node of a wireless communication network, the node being selected from the group consisting of a WLAN router, a cell phone, a computer, a consumer electronics device, a smart home device, and a home communications system.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the examining step comprises examining the immediate surroundings of the hearing device by checking an existing wireless signal connection and/or issuing a request to make a wireless signal connection.

9. The method according to claim 8 , which comprises examining the immediate surroundings for a WLAN signal connection and/or a Bluetooth signal connection.

10. The method according to claim 7 , which comprises ascertaining a signal strength of a wireless signal connection and using the signal strength for assessing the presence of the at least one node.

11. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises:
generating a sensor signal independently of possible nodes of a wireless communication network; and
using the sensor signal for setting the at least one parameter of the signal processing of the hearing device.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the step of generating the sensor signal comprises generating a position signal.

13. A system having a hearing device, wherein the system is configured for performing the method according to claim 1 .

14. The system according to claim 13 , further comprising an auxiliary apparatus associable with the hearing device and configured for examining the immediate surroundings of the hearing device for the presence of the at least one node of the wireless communication network.

15. The system according to claim 14 , wherein said auxiliary apparatus is a smart phone configured for communication with the hearing device.

16. A method of automatically setting at least one parameter for signal processing in a hearing device, the method comprising:
examining immediate surroundings of the hearing device for a presence of at least one node of a wireless communication network, wherein a node that is detected as being present is a detected node;
ascertaining characteristic information of the detected node;
comparing the characteristic information of the detected node with a first dataset of first characteristic information respectively stored beforehand for nodes that are marked as known, and concluding whether the detected node is a known node or an unknown node; and

using the characteristic information of the detected node as a basis for setting the at least one parameter for the signal processing of the hearing device, wherein the characteristic information used for setting the at least one parameter of the signal processing of the hearing device is metadata of the detected node that are provided by the node.

17. The method according to claim 16 , which comprises analyzing the metadata for a possible type and/or a possible location of the node by way of a comparison against a database and/or by artificial intelligence.

18. The method according to claim 16 , which comprises performing at least a portion of the step of examining the immediate surroundings of the hearing device with an auxiliary apparatus associable with the hearing device, and analyzing the metadata with the auxiliary apparatus or transferring the metadata to a cloud server for analysis.

Assignees

• Sivantos Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Kukla Christoph
• Schoen Sven

Classifications

• H04R25/70 Primary

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

• H04R25/505 Primary

  using digital signal processing · CPC title

• H04R25/554

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

• H04R25/55 Primary

  using an external connection, either wireless or wired · CPC title

• H04R2430/00

  Signal processing covered by H04R, not provided for in its groups · CPC title