Hearing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9843873-B2
Application number	US-201615266094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2016
Priority date	May 20, 2014
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A hearing device comprising a first and a second input sound transducers, a processing unit, and an output sound transducer. The first transducer is configured to be arranged in an ear canal or in the ear of the user, to receive acoustical sound signals from the environment and to generate first electrical acoustic signals from the received acoustical sound signals. The second transducer is configured to be arranged behind a pinna or on, behind or at the ear of the user, to receive acoustical sound signals from the environment and to generate second electrical acoustic signals from the received acoustical sound signals. The processing unit is configured to process the first and second electrical acoustic signals and apply a direction dependent gain. The output sound transducer is configured generate acoustical output sound signals in accordance with the applied direction dependent gain.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hearing device configured to be worn in, on, behind, and/or at an ear of a user comprising
a first input sound transducer configured to be arranged in an ear canal or in the ear of the user, to receive acoustical sound signals from the environment and to generate first electrical acoustic signals based on the received acoustical sound signals;
a second input sound transducer configured to be arranged behind a pinna or on/behind or at the ear of the user, to receive acoustical sound signals from the environment and to generate second electrical acoustic signals based on the received acoustical sound signals;
a filter-bank configured to filter each electrical acoustic signal into a number of frequency channels each comprising an electrical sub-band acoustic signal;
a processing unit configured to

determine a level of sound for each electrical sub-band acoustic signal,
determine a level difference between a first electrical sub-band acoustic signal and a second electrical sub-band acoustic signal in at least a part of the frequency channels,
determine whether the level of the first electrical sub-band acoustic signal or the level of the second electrical sub-band acoustic signal is higher,
convert the level difference in a direction-dependent gain that is configured
to amplify the electrical acoustic signal for generating an electrical output acoustical signal, if the level of the first electrical sub-band acoustic signal is higher than the level of the second electrical sub-band acoustic signal or a combination of the first electrical sub-band acoustic signal for generating an electrical output acoustic signal and the second electrical sub-band acoustic signal, and/or
to attenuate the electrical acoustic signal for generating an electrical output acoustical signal, if the level of the first electrical sub-band acoustic signal is lower than the level of the second electrical sub-band acoustic signal or a combination of the first electrical sub-band acoustic signal and the second electrical sub-band acoustic signal for generating an electrical output acoustic signal; and
an output sound transducer configured to be arranged in the ear canal of the user, wherein the output sound transducer is configured to generate an acoustical output sound signal based on the electrical output acoustical signal.

2. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to limit the value of the level difference to a threshold value of level difference.

3. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first and second input sound transducers and the output sound transducer are arranged in same horizontal plane; and
the processing unit is configured to use a first feedback path between the output transducer and first input transducer, and a second feedback path between the output transducer and the second input transducer to determine a distance or delay or phase difference between the first input transducer and the second input sound transducer.

4. The hearing device according to claim 3 , wherein the processing unit is configured to select a directional filter optimized for the directionality in lower frequencies based on the distance between the first input sound transducer and second input sound transducer or time delay or phase difference between the microphone signals.

5. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to determine feedback frequency channels that do not fulfil a feedback stability criterion and to determine non-feedback frequency channels that do fulfil a feedback stability criterion or to determine feedback frequency prone channels and non-feedback frequency channels not prone to feedback corresponding to predetermined data comprising feedback and non-feedback frequency channel information.

6. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to apply the direction-dependent gain to second electrical sub-band acoustic signals or to a weighted sum of the first electrical sub-band acoustic signal and the second electrical sub-band acoustic signal from feedback frequency channels and first electrical sub-band acoustic signals from non-feedback frequency channels in order to generate the electrical output sound signal.

7. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to apply the direction-dependent gain if the level difference is higher than a minimum threshold value.

8. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to apply the direction dependent gain to amplify if the level difference is higher than a first minimum threshold value.

9. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to apply the direction dependent gain to attenuate if the level difference is higher than a second minimum threshold value.

10. The hearing device according to claim 9 , wherein the first minimum threshold value and second minimum threshold value is selected from same value or different values.

11. The hearing device according to claim 8 , wherein the first minimum threshold value is same for different frequency channels or different for at least two frequency channels.

12. The hearing device according to claim 9 , wherein the second minimum threshold value is same for different frequency channels or different for at least two frequency channels.

13. The hearing device according to claim 8 , wherein the first minimum threshold value corresponding to a frequency channel is a function of frequency specific amplification that is based on a hearing loss profile of the user.

14. The hearing device according to claim 9 , wherein the second minimum threshold value corresponding to a frequency channel is a function of frequency specific amplification that is based on a hearing loss profile of the user.

15. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to apply the direction dependent gain in combination with the frequency specific amplification that is based on a hearing loss profile of the user.

16. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the hearing device is a hearing aid.

Assignees

• Oticon As

Inventors

• Pedersen Michael Syskind
• Kaulberg Thomas
• Thule Anders
• Munk Steen Michael
• Rasmussen Karsten Bo

Classifications

• H04R25/453 Primary

  electronically · CPC title

• H04R25/353

  Frequency, e.g. frequency shift or compression · CPC title

• H04R25/407

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

• H04R2430/03

  Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing · CPC title

• H04R25/405

  by combining a plurality of transducers · CPC title