Method for operating a binaural hearing system and binaural hearing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9456286-B2
Application number	US-201214431385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2012
Priority date	Sep 28, 2012
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

The present invention proposes a method for operating a binaural hearing system with two hearing devices ( 1, 1 ′) operationally interconnected by means of a bidirectional link ( 8 ) which improves hearing perception in windy listening situations. The method comprises determining the level of wind noise present at each of the two hearing devices ( 1, 1 ′) and sending the audio signal picked-up at the first hearing device ( 1 ) to the second hearing device ( 1 ′) via the link ( 8 ) and then providing an output signal derived from the received signal to the electrical-to-mechanical output converter ( 3 ′) of the second hearing device ( 1 ′) if the level of wind noise at the second hearing device ( 1 ′) exceeds the level of wind noise at the first hearing device ( 1 ) by a pre-set threshold value. Furthermore, a binaural hearing system capable of performing such a method is given.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a binaural hearing system comprising a first and a second hearing device ( 1 , 1 ′) operationally interconnected by means of a bidirectional link ( 8 ) and each having a microphone arrangement ( 2 , 2 ′) and an electrical-to-mechanical output converter ( 3 , 3 ′), the method comprising the steps of:
capturing a first audio signal with the microphone arrangement ( 2 ) of the first hearing device ( 1 ) being worn at one ear of a user;
capturing a second audio signal with the microphone arrangement ( 2 ′) of the second hearing device ( 1 ′) being worn at the other ear of the user;
determining a level of a first wind noise based on the first audio signal;
determining a level of a second wind noise based on the second audio signal;
sending
an ancillary signal derived from the first audio signal from the first hearing device ( 1 ) to the second hearing device ( 1 ′) if the level of the second wind noise exceeds the level of the first wind noise by a pre-set threshold value (Th min ), or
an ancillary signal derived from the second audio signal from the second hearing device ( 1 ′) to the first hearing device ( 1 ) if the level of the first wind noise exceeds the level of the second wind noise by the pre-set threshold value (Th min ); and

providing
a mixture of a first output signal derived from the ancillary signal and of a second output signal derived from the first audio signal to the electrical-to-mechanical output converter ( 3 ) of the first hearing device ( 1 ) if the level of the first wind noise exceeds the level of the second wind noise by a pre-set threshold value (Th min ), or
a mixture of a first output signal derived from the ancillary signal and of a second output signal derived from the second audio signal to the electrical-to-mechanical output converter ( 3 ′) of the second hearing device ( 1 ′) if the level of the second wind noise exceeds the level of the first wind noise by a pre-set threshold value (Th min ),
wherein low-pass filtering is applied to derive the ancillary signal and/or the first output signal, and wherein high-pass filtering is applied to derive the second output signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cut-off frequency of the low-pass filtering is consistent with the cut-off frequency of the high-pass filtering, for instance both being selectable within the range between 1 kHz and 2 kHz, more particularly within the range between 1 kHz and 1.5 kHz, even more particularly within the range between 1 kHz and 1.2 kHz.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cut-off frequency of the low-pass filtering and/or of the high-pass filtering and/or a maximum attenuation (A max ) of the low-pass filtering and/or of the high-pass filtering are configured when fitting the binaural hearing system to the needs of the user.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cut-off frequency of the low-pass filtering and/or of the high-pass filtering and/or a maximum attenuation (A max ) of the low-pass filtering and/or of the high-pass filtering are adjusted in dependence of the level of the first wind noise and/or the level of the second wind noise.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first output signal and the second output signal are weighted in dependence of the level of the first wind noise and/or the level of the second wind noise.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the level of the first wind noise and the level of the second wind noise are determined individually for different frequency sub-bands, thus yielding a plurality of sub-band levels of the first and second wind noise.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the ancillary signal is derived from selected frequency sub-bands of the first or second audio signal, respectively, dependent on either the sub-band levels of the first or second wind noise, respectively, or dependent on both the sub-band levels of the first and second wind noise.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the level of the first wind noise is sent from the first hearing device ( 1 ) to the second hearing device ( 2 ) only if the level of the first wind noise exceeds a pre-defined minimum value.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the level of the first or second wind noise, respectively, is based on a signal from a single microphone (M 1 , M 1 ′) of the first or second microphone arrangement ( 2 , 2 ′), respectively, or on a beamformed signal derived from multiple microphones (M 1 , M 2 ; M 1 ′, M 2 ′) of the first or second microphone arrangement ( 2 , 2 ′), respectively.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a monaural wind noise reduction scheme is employed by the first and/or second hearing device ( 1 , 1 ′) when not receiving the ancillary signal from the other hearing device ( 1 ′, 1 ).

11. A binaural hearing system comprising a first hearing device ( 1 ) to be worn at one ear of a user and a second hearing device ( 1 ′) to be worn at the other ear of the user, the two hearing devices ( 1 , 1 ′) being operationally interconnectable by means of a bidirectional link ( 8 ) and both comprising a microphone arrangement ( 2 , 2 ′) and an electrical-to-mechanical output converter ( 3 , 3 ′), the system further comprising:
wind noise estimation means ( 4 , 4 ′, 5 , 5 ′) for determining a level of a first wind noise based on an output signal of the microphone arrangement ( 2 ) of the first hearing device ( 1 ) and for determining a level of a second wind noise based on an output signal of the microphone arrangement ( 2 ′) of the second hearing device ( 1 ′); and
controlling means configured to send
an ancillary signal derived from the first audio signal from the first hearing device ( 1 ) to the second hearing device ( 1 ′) via the link ( 8 ) and providing a first output signal derived from the ancillary signal to the electrical-to-mechanical output converter ( 3 ) of the first hearing device ( 1 ) if the level of the first wind noise exceeds the level of the second wind noise by a pre-set threshold value (Th min ), or
an ancillary signal derived from the second audio signal from the second hearing device ( 1 ′) to the first hearing device ( 1 ) via the link ( 8 ) and providing a first output signal derived from the ancillary signal to the electrical-to-mechanical output converter ( 3 ′) of the second hearing device ( 1 ′) if the level of the second wind noise exceeds the level of the first wind noise by the pre-set threshold value (Th min );

combining means ( 13 , 13 ′) configured to provide
a mixture of a first output signal derived from the ancillary signal and of a second output signal derived from the first audio signal to the electrical-to-mechanical output converter ( 3 ) of the first hearing device ( 1 ) if the level of the first wind noise exceeds the level of the second wind noise by a pre-set threshold value (Th min ), or
a mixture of a first output signal derived from the ancillary signal and of a second output signal derived from the second audio signal to the electrical-to-mechanical output converter ( 3 ′) of the second hearing device ( 1 ′) if the level of the second wind noise exceeds the level of the first wind noise by a pre-set threshold value (Th min );

at least one low-pass filter ( 11 , 11 ′, 12 , 12 ′) arranged to derive ancillary signal and/or the first output signal; and
a high-pass ( 10 , 10 ′) filter arranged to derive the second output signal.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the cut-off frequency of the at least one low-pass filter ( 11 , 11 ′, 12 , 12 ′) is consistent with the cut-off frequency of the high-pass filter ( 10 , 10 ′), for instance both being selectable within the range between 1 kHz and 2 kHz, more particular

Assignees

• Phonak Ag
• Sonova Ag

Inventors

• Kuhnel Volker
• Derleth Ralph Peter
• Lamon Raphael
• Reich Alexander

Classifications

• H04R25/552 Primary

  Binaural · CPC title

• H04R25/407

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

• H04R25/554

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

• H04R2225/41

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