Hearing device with brainwave dependent audio processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9432777-B2
Application number	US-201314048883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2013
Priority date	Oct 8, 2012
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A hearing device is adapted to be arranged on or at least partly implanted in an individual's head and comprises: an input unit providing an input audio signal; a signal processing circuit adapted to process the input audio signal; an output unit adapted to provide an audible signal to the individual; one or more electrodes adapted to detect electric brain potentials of the individual; and a brainwave measurement circuit adapted to determine one or more EEG signals from electric signals received from the one or more electrodes. The hearing device further comprises: a first spectrum analyzer determining first audio spectra; a reconstructor adapted to repeatedly reconstruct second audio spectra; a first correlator to determine coherence between the first and the second audio spectra; and a control unit adapted to alter said processing in dependence on the coherence.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hearing device adapted to be arranged on or at least partly implanted in an individual's head and comprising:
an input unit providing one or more input audio signals in an audible frequency range;
a signal processing circuit adapted to process at least one of said one or more input audio signals to provide a processed audio signal;
an output unit adapted to provide an audible signal to the individual in dependence on the processed audio signal;
one or more electrodes adapted to detect electric brain potentials of the individual;
a brainwave measurement circuit adapted to determine one or more EEG signals from electric signals received from the one or more electrodes;
a first spectrum analyzer adapted to repeatedly determine first spectra in the audible frequency range of at least one signal from the group of signals consisting of said one or more input audio signals and the audible signal;
a reconstructor adapted to repeatedly reconstruct second spectra in the audible frequency range from the one or more EEG signals;
a first coherence calculation unit adapted to repeatedly determine a first coherence between the first and the second spectra; and
a control unit adapted to alter said processing in dependence on the first coherence.

2. A hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the reconstructor is adapted to reconstruct the second spectra using reconstruction parameters determined during a preceding training session.

3. A hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is adapted to alter said processing in a manner suited to counteract a detected decrease in the first coherence.

4. A hearing device according to claim 1 and further comprising:
a second spectrum analyser adapted to repeatedly determine third spectra in the audible frequency range of at least one further signal from said group of signals; and
a second coherence calculation unit adapted to repeatedly determine a second coherence between the second and the third spectra,
wherein the control unit is adapted to alter said processing in dependence on the first and the second coherence.

5. A hearing device according to claim 4 , wherein
the control unit is adapted to alter said processing in a manner suited to increase the second coherence in dependence on the first coherence decreasing.

6. A hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is adapted to alter said processing by altering a transfer function of the signal processing circuit.

7. A hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the input unit comprises at least one input transducer arranged to receive an acoustic signal from the individual's surroundings and adapted to provide at least one of said one or more input audio signals in dependence on the acoustic signal.

8. A hearing device according to claim 7 , wherein
the at least one input transducer comprises at least one directional microphone, and wherein
the control unit is adapted to alter said processing by altering an acoustic directivity pattern of the input unit.

9. A hearing device according to claim 1 , and further adapted to confine amplification changes caused by said processing alterations to remain within a predetermined range.

10. A hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is adapted to reverse a previously made processing alteration in dependence on a predetermined event.

11. A hearing device according to claim 10 , wherein
said predetermined event comprises at least one of a change in said one or more input audio signals, a change in the second spectra, a decrease of the first coherence, a change in the third spectra, a decrease of the second coherence, activation of a user control and expiry of a predetermined time period.

12. A hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the input unit comprises a wired or wireless receiver adapted to provide at least one of said one or more input audio signal in dependence on a wireless or wired signal received from a further device.

13. A hearing device according to claim 1 wherein
the output unit comprises one or more of a vibrator, a loudspeaker, and one or more electrodes.

14. A method for controlling a hearing device adapted to be arranged on or at least partly implanted in an individual's head and comprising one or more electrodes adapted to detect electric brain potentials of the individual, the method comprising:
providing one or more input audio signals in an audible frequency range;
processing at least one of said one or more input audio signals to provide a processed audio signal;
providing an audible signal to the individual in dependence on the processed audio signal;
determining one or more EEG signals from electric signals received from the one or more electrodes;
repeatedly determining first spectra in the audible frequency range of at least one signal from the group of signals consisting of said one or more input audio signals and the audible signal;
repeatedly reconstructing second spectra in the audible frequency range from the one or more EEG signals;
repeatedly calculating with a coherence calculation unit a first coherence between the first and the second spectra; and
altering said processing in dependence on the first coherence.

15. A method according to claim 14 and further comprising:
in a training session wherein the one or more electrodes are arranged to detect electric brain potentials of the individual, providing a training audible signal to the individual;
determining one or more EEG signals from electric signals received from the one or more electrodes;
repeatedly determining fourth spectra in the audible frequency range of the training audible signal; and
determining reconstruction parameters in dependence on said one or more EEG signals and the fourth spectra, wherein said reconstruction is made using the reconstruction parameters.

16. A method according to claim 14 wherein
said processing is altered in a manner suited to increase the first coherence in dependence on the first coherence decreasing.

17. A hearing device configured to be arranged at least partly on an individual's head or at least partly implanted in an individual's head and comprising:
an input unit providing one or more input audio signals in an audible frequency range;
a signal processing circuit adapted to process at least one of said one or more input audio signals to provide a processed audio signal;
one or more electrodes adapted to detect electric brain potentials of the individual; and
a brainwave measurement circuit adapted to determine one or more brainwave signals from electric signals received from the electrode(s);
a model unit adapted to repeatedly determine a causal model providing a similarity measure indicating a degree of similarity of at least one of said one or more input audio signals or a processed version thereof and at least one of said one or more brainwave signals; and
a control unit adapted to alter said processing in dependence on the similarity measure, wherein
the causal model is a model of the transfer of an input audio signal to a brainwave signal and comprises a transfer function

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Assignees

• Oticon As

Inventors

• Lunner Thomas
• Gustafsson Fredrik

Classifications

• A61B5/68

  Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient · CPC title

• H04R2225/41

  Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest · CPC title

• H04R25/70 Primary

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

• A61B5/6815

  Ear · CPC title

• G06F3/015

  Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection · CPC title