Hearing assistive device comprising an attachment element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12439212-B2
Application number	US-202318187717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2023
Priority date	Mar 25, 2022
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A hearing assistive device comprises a multi-microphone system for providing a processed input signal. The multi-microphone system comprises a multitude of microphones for picking up sound from an environment; and a beamformer filter configured to. The hearing assistive device further comprises an attachment element configured to fix the hearing assistive device to the body or clothes of a person. The multi-microphone system is configurable to operate in at least two modes in dependence of a mode control signal, A) a directional mode and B) an omni-directional mode wherein said multi-microphone system is configured to provide said processed input signal as a substantially directional signal, and as a substantially omni-directional signal, respectively. The attachment element is configured to provide an electric signal indicative of a current state of the attachment element. The hearing assistive device further comprises a mode controller for providing said mode control signal in dependence of said electric signal indicative of a current state of the attachment element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hearing assistive device comprising:
a multi-microphone system for providing a processed input signal, the multi-microphone system comprising:
a multitude of microphones for picking up sound from an environment of the hearing assistive device, each of said multitude of microphones providing an electric input signal representing said sound;
a beamformer filter configured to receive said electric input signals, or signals originating therefrom, and to provide a spatially filtered signal in dependence of said electric input signals and fixed or adaptively determined beamformer weights;

an attachment element configured to fix the hearing assistive device to the body or clothes of a person, the attachment element being configured to be in different first, open and second, closed states; and
wherein the multi-microphone system is configurable to operate in at least two modes in dependence of a mode control signal, said at least two modes comprising:
a) a directional mode wherein said multi-microphone system is configured to provide said processed input signal as a directional signal,
b) an omni-directional mode wherein said multi-microphone system is configured to provide said processed input signal as a omni-directional signal; and

wherein the attachment element is configured to provide an electric signal indicative of a current state of the attachment element; and
wherein the hearing assistive device further comprises:
a mode controller for providing said mode control signal in dependence of said electric signal indicative of the current state of the attachment element;
wherein the attachment element in said first, open, state is configured to be attached to clothing or other body-worn items, and to enter said directional mode; and
wherein the attachment element in said second, closed, state is configured to be un-attached to clothing or other body-worn items, and to enter said omni-directional mode.

2. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 wherein the attachment element has a form of a clip comprising mutually movable first and second mechanical parts allowing the clip to grip and thereby to be attached to an item, and wherein the mutually movable first and second mechanical parts comprise respective first and second electrically conducting elements.

3. The hearing assistive device according to claim 2 , wherein said first and second mutually movable mechanical parts and hence said first and second electrically conductive elements are configured to be spatially separated from each other in said first, open, state and to be electrically connected in said second, closed, state, respectively.

4. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 wherein the mode controller is configured to bring the multi-microphone system into said directional mode when the attachment element is in said open state.

5. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 wherein the mode controller is configured to bring the multi-microphone system into said omni-directional mode when the attachment element is in said closed state.

6. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 comprising a housing wherein components of the hearing assistive device are enclosed.

7. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 adapted to provide that the attachment element is mounted on or integrated with a housing of the hearing assistive device.

8. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 comprising memory wherein beamformer weights of the beamformer filter, or parameters for determining such beamformer weights, are stored.

9. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 wherein the attachment element comprises a shirt clip configured to be attached to a shirt or other clothing or substrate worn by or attached to a user.

10. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 wherein the attachment element comprises first and second electrically conductive parts configured to be spatially separated from each other in said first, open state and to be electrically connected in said second, closed state, respectively.

11. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 comprising a transmitter for transmitting said processed input signal, or a signal originating therefrom, to another device.

12. The hearing assistive device according to claim 1 wherein the mode controller is configured to apply a delay in activation of a detected mode change.

13. The hearing system comprising a hearing assistive device according to claim 1 and a hearing aid, wherein
said hearing aid comprises a receiver configured to receive audio data from said hearing assistive device.

14. The hearing system according to claim 13 comprising a user interface allowing a user to influence functionality of the system, including to enter and/or leave a mode of operation.

15. The hearing system according to claim 13 wherein said hearing aid is constituted by or comprises an air-conduction type hearing aid, a bone-conduction type hearing aid, a cochlear implant type hearing aid, or a combination thereof.

16. A hearing assistive device comprising a processor for processing an input audio signal and providing a processed input signal, and an attachment element comprising first and second mutually movable mechanical parts allowing the attachment element to grip an item, the hearing assistive device being configured to control said processing in the hearing assistive device in dependence of the attachment element being in a first or second state determined by monitoring a current flowing through said first and second mutually movable mechanical parts.

17. The hearing assistive device according to claim 16 whereon the different first and second states of the attachment element refers to mechanical as well as electrical states and wherein the first state is a state where the attachment element is mechanically and electrically open due to its gripping around said item, and wherein the second is a state where the attachment element is mechanically and electrically closed.

18. The hearing assistive device according to claim 16 comprising a noise reduction system comprising a directional system forming part of said processor.

19. The hearing assistive device according to claim 16 wherein said processing includes one or more of:
switching between two modes operation of said directional system;
applying direction of interest to a voice activity detector, by selecting between
Own voice direction voice activity detector constraint in a shirt mode, and
Omni-directional voice activity detector, otherwise; and

switching between a multi-microphone-based noise reduction post filter of said noise reduction system in a shirt mode of operation and a single microphone-based noise reduction, or using directional information, in table mode of operation.

20. The hearing assistive device according to claim 19 wherein said switching between two modes operation of said directional system comprises one or more of
switching between a fixed target direction mode and an adaptive target direction estimation mode of operation;
switching between a directional mode of operation and a non-directional, termed omni-directional, mode of operation; and
switching between a near-field directional mode and far-field directional mode.

Assignees

• Oticon As

Inventors

• Pedersen Michael Syskind
• Scheel Carsten
• Bergmann Martin
• Bay Henrik
• Pedersen Morten
• Krogsgaard Bent
• Mikkelsen Jacob
• Gram Stefan
• De Haan Jan M
• Bertelsen Andreas Thelander

Classifications

• H04R2225/55

  Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange · CPC title

• H04R25/604

  of acoustic or vibrational transducers · CPC title

• H04R25/554

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

• H04R25/505

  using digital signal processing · CPC title

• H04R25/402

  using contructional means · CPC title