Method of controlling a directional characteristic, and hearing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9398379-B2
Application number	US-201313870127-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2013
Priority date	Apr 25, 2012
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

A directional characteristic of a microphone facility of a hearing system is more reliably controlled. The method determines a first feature value in respect of speech in a first signal of a microphone facility assigned to a first direction and a second feature value in respect of speech in a second signal of the microphone facility assigned to a second direction. A control value is obtained from the difference of the two feature values. The directional characteristic of the microphone facility is controlled with this control value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a directional characteristic of a microphone facility of a hearing system having at least one hearing apparatus, the method which comprises:
determining a first feature value in respect of speech in a first signal of the microphone facility assigned to a first direction;
determining a second feature value in respect of speech in a second signal of the microphone facility assigned to a second direction;
obtaining a control value from the first and second feature values, wherein the step of obtaining the control value includes calculating a difference between the first and second feature values, calculating the minimum of the first and second feature values, and standardizing said calculated difference between the first and second feature values with said calculated minimum of the first and second feature values; and
controlling the directional characteristic of the microphone facility with the aid of the control value.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first direction is opposite the second direction.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one hearing apparatus is configured to be worn conventionally in or on an ear of a user, and the first direction points laterally sideways or forward in respect of the user.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first direction points to the left or forward in respect of the user.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second feature values represents a probability that speech is present in a respective signal of the microphone facility.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step of obtaining the control value comprises selecting from a freely selectable assignment set from the difference related to the minimum.

7. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises forming the directional characteristic by overlaying a directional signal and an omnidirectional signal of the microphone facility, to thereby weight the directional signal and the omnidirectional signal with the aid of the control value.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein a value of the directionality of the directional characteristic increases with an increasing control value based on the omnidirectionality.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hearing system includes the at least one hearing apparatus and a further hearing apparatus and a data link between the at least one hearing apparatus and the further hearing apparatus, and the method comprises selectively activating and/or deactivating the hearing system in dependence on the control value.

10. A hearing system, comprising:
at least one hearing apparatus having a microphone facility with a directional characteristic;
said microphone facility being configured to determine a first feature value in respect of speech in a first signal of the microphone facility assigned to a first direction and to determine a second feature value in respect of speech in a second signal of the microphone facility assigned to a second direction; and
a control device in said at least one hearing apparatus configured to receive signals representing the first and second feature values, to obtain from the first and second feature values a control value, and to control the directional characteristic of said microphone facility with the aid of the control value;
said control device configured to obtain the control value by calculating a difference between the first and second feature values, calculating the minimum of the first and second feature values, and standardizing said calculated difference between the first and second feature values with said calculated minimum of the first and second feature values.

Assignees

• Sivantos Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Aubreville Marc
• Fischer Eghart
• Wehr Stefan

Classifications

• H04R25/552

  Binaural · CPC title

• H04R3/005

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

• H03G3/32

  the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level · CPC title

• H04R25/40 Primary

  Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic · CPC title

• H04R25/407 Primary

  Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers · CPC title