Hearing system, hearing device and method for providing an alert for a user

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11856367-B2
Application number	US-202117508385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2021
Priority date	Nov 23, 2020
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

A method of providing an alert for a user by a hearing device configured to be worn at an ear of the user includes providing user-related data including information about at least one of the user, an ambient environment of the user, or a property of the hearing device worn by the user; characterized by providing vehicle-related data associated with at least one vehicle in a vicinity of the user, the vehicle-related data including information about a property of the vehicle; determining, based on the user-related data and the vehicle-related data, a relevance measure indicative of a probability that the user is endangered by the vehicle; and controlling an operation of the hearing device depending on the relevance measure, the operation alerting the user about the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing an alert for a user by a hearing device configured to be worn at an ear of the user, the method comprising:
providing user-related data including information about at least one of the user, an ambient environment of the user, or a property of the hearing device worn by the user;
providing first vehicle-related data associated with a first vehicle in a vicinity of the user, the first vehicle-related data including information about a property of the first vehicle;
providing second vehicle-related data associated with a second vehicle in the vicinity of the user, the second vehicle-related data including information about a property of the second vehicle;
determining, based on the user-related data and the first vehicle-related data, a first relevance measure indicative of a probability that the user is endangered by the first vehicle;
determining, based on the user-related data and the second vehicle-related data, a second relevance measure indicative of a probability that the user is endangered by the second vehicle;
determining, based on the first relevance measure and the second relevance measure, a prioritization measure indicating which of the first vehicle and the second vehicle is prioritized for providing alerts to the user, the prioritization measure based on one or more intrinsic properties of a vehicle including at least one of a type of the vehicle or a magnitude of harm associated with a mass of the vehicle; and
controlling an operation of the hearing device depending on the prioritization measure, the operation alerting the user about at least one of the first vehicle or the second vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user-related data comprises at least one of:
data indicative of a property detected at least one of on the user or in an ambient environment of the user by a detector included in the hearing device;
data indicative of a property of an audio signal outputted to the user by an audio transducer included in the hearing device; or
data indicative of an effective size of a venting channel included in the hearing device, the venting channel configured to provide for venting between an inner region of an ear canal of the ear and an ambient environment outside the ear canal depending on the effective size.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising
determining whether at least one of the user-related data or the first vehicle-related data fulfills a condition, wherein the first relevance measure is determined depending on the condition being fulfilled, wherein the condition is customizable during operating of at least one of the hearing device or an electronic device configured to be communicatively coupled to the hearing device.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the condition is customizable by at least one of:
data provided via a user interface; or
data communicated from a data source distant from the user.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the operation comprises at least one of:
modifying, before an audio signal is outputted to the user by an audio transducer included in the hearing device, a property of the outputted audio signal;
adjusting an effective size of a venting channel included in the hearing device, the venting channel configured to provide for venting between an inner region of an ear canal of the ear and an ambient environment outside the ear canal depending on the effective size;
initiate outputting an audio signal to the user by an audio transducer included in the hearing device; or
initiate a vibration of the hearing device evoking a tactile perception by the user.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the hearing device is configured to receive an audio signal communicated from an external audio source; and
when the audio signal is outputted to the user by an audio transducer included in the hearing device, the operation comprises at least one of:
reducing a volume level of the outputted audio signal;
outputting an audio signal representative of a sound detected in an ambient environment of the user;
outputting a warning notification to the user; or
terminating outputting the audio signal to the user.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the operation comprises at least one of:
modifying, before an audio signal is outputted to the user by an audio transducer included in the hearing device, a directivity of the outputted audio signal such that the directivity points toward at least one of a location of the first vehicle, a moving direction of the first vehicle, or an itinerary of the first vehicle;
modifying, before an audio signal is outputted to the user by an audio transducer included in the hearing device, at least one of a volume level of the outputted audio signal or a volume level of a sound feature contained in the outputted audio signal, the sound feature representing a sound emitted by the first vehicle in the vicinity of the user, depending on at least one of a distance of the first vehicle to the user, a type of the first vehicle, a speed of the first vehicle, or a direction from which the first vehicle is approaching the user;
modifying, before an audio signal is outputted to the user by an audio transducer included in the hearing device, a frequency of a sound feature contained in the outputted audio signal, the sound feature representing a sound emitted by the first vehicle in the vicinity of the user;
attenuating, before an audio signal is outputted to the user by an audio transducer included in the hearing device, a volume level of a first sound feature contained in the audio signal relative to a volume level of a second sound feature contained in the audio signal, the second sound feature representing a sound emitted by the first vehicle in the vicinity of the user; or
superimposing, before an audio signal containing a first sound feature is outputted to the user by an audio transducer included in the hearing device, a second sound feature to the audio signal, the second sound feature suitable to attract the user's attention away from the first sound feature when perceiving the outputted audio signal.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the operation is a first operation, the method further comprising:
controlling a second operation of the hearing device depending on the first relevance measure, the second operation alerting the user about the first vehicle,
wherein the first operation is selected to be controlled when the first relevance measure is determined to have a first value, and the second operation is selected to be controlled when the first relevance measure is determined to have a second value, wherein the first value is indicative of a smaller probability that the user is endangered by the first vehicle than the second value.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user-related data comprises at least one of movement data indicative of a movement of the user, physiological data indicative of a physiological property of the user, or sound data indicative of a detected sound, the method further comprising
determining a probability that the user is aware of the first vehicle based on the user-related data, wherein the first relevance measure is determined depending on the probability that the user is aware of the first vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising determining a level of fatigue of the user based on the user-related data, wherein the probability that the user is aware of the first vehicle is determined depending on the level of fatigue.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle-related data comprises at least o

Assignees

• Sonova Ag

Inventors

• Feilner Manuela
• Markus Alexander

Classifications

• H04R25/505 Primary

  using digital signal processing · CPC title

• G06F3/165

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• G08B7/06

  using electric transmission {, e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources} · CPC title

• H04R25/02

  adapted to be supported entirely by ear · CPC title

• H04R25/48

  using constructional means for obtaining a desired frequency response (H04R25/652 takes precedence) · CPC title