Phonak Ag

Sonova Ag

Brunner, Christian

Hans-Ueli Roeck

Manuela Feilner

Stefan Launer

Nadim El Guindi

Hilmar Meier

Michael Boretzki

Nina Stumpf

Ivo Hasler

Anne Thielen

Silvia Allegro-Baumann

Stefan Daniel Menzl

Herbert Bächler

Silvia Allegro

Sahba Aazami

Philipp Schneider

Niklas Ignasiak

Nicholas Ohs

Franziska Pfisterer

Anna M Parker

Christoph Widmer

Rainer Platz

Christian Frei

Konstantin Silberzahn

Markus Mueller

Markus Leuthold

Fethi Cherigui

Volker Kühnel

Hubert Lechner

Julia Seiter

Hans Leysieffer

Andi Vonlanthen

Guillermo A Calle

Erich Dittli

Marc Secall

Erwin Kuipers

Alfred Stirnemann

Stephan Gehring

Francois Callias

Bernd Waldmann

Raoul Glatt

Micha Knaus

Nicola Schmitt

Manuel Weibel

Volker Kuehnel

Markus Muller

Christian Frei-Krumme

Michael Eckardt

Kathrin Vuille-Dit-Bille

Rolf Laich

Christian Landolt

Ruedi Suter

Nail Cadalli

Maxi Susanne Moritz

Silvia Allegro Baumann

Reto Kurmann

Evgeny Murtola

Joachim Thiemann

Samuel Bucher

Philip Schneider

Marcel Ubezio

Christian Reus

Pete Jones

Michael Kramer

Patrick Bachler

Christian Brunner

Jonas Hoegberg

Markus MÜLLER

Lakshmi Mishra

François Callias

Patrick Bächler

An illustrative hearing system may be configured to receive, from a motion sensor included in a hearing device configured to be worn by a user, motion data representative of motion of the user while the user wears the hearing device and an output signal generated by a heart rate sensor in contact with the user. The hearing system may be further configured to determine, based the motion data, a heart rate probability distribution function and to determine, based on the output signal and the heart rate probability distribution function, a heart rate value for the user.

Hearing device-based systems and methods for determining a heart rate value

An illustrative hearing system may be configured to receive, from an inertial sensor included in a hearing device configured to be worn by a user, inertial sensor data representative of at least one of motion of the hearing device or orientation of the hearing device. The hearing system may further be configured to determine, based on the inertial sensor data, an activity state of the user and to determine, based on the activity state, a cardiorespiratory quality index representative of a quality level of a measurement of a cardiorespiratory property of the user.

Hearing device-based systems and methods for determining a quality index for a cardiorespiratory measurement

A processing chip for processing audio signals using at least one deep neural network (DNN) in a hearing device comprises a first compute unit having a hardware architecture adapted for processing one or more convolutional neural network layers of the at least one DNN, a second compute unit having hardware architecture adapted for processing one or more recurring neural network layers of the at least DNN, a control unit for directing the first and second compute units when to compute a respective layer of the at least one DNN, a shared memory unit of storing data to be processed in respective layers of the at least one DNN, and a data bus system for providing access to the shared memory unit for each of the first and the second compute unit.

Processing chip for processing audio signals using at least one deep neural network in a hearing device

A hearing device configured to be worn at an ear of a user may include a sensor unit configured to provide sensor data, the sensor unit comprising a sound detector configured to provide sound data included in the sensor data; and a processor configured to determine a physiological parameter from the sensor data, the physiological parameter indicative of a physiological property of the user. The processor is configured to determine whether the physiological parameter fulfills a condition, and provide, depending on whether the physiological parameter fulfills the condition, output data based on the sensor data.

Hearing device for providing physiological information, and method of its operation

An illustrative hearing system may be configured to cause an emitting device included in a hearing device to emit an output signal while the hearing device is at least partially positioned within an ear canal of a user and cause a sensor positioned outside the ear canal to attempt to detect the output signal. The sensor may be configured to output sensor data representative of one or more signals detected by the sensor during a time period corresponding to the emitting of the output signal by the emitting device. The hearing system may further be configured to determine, based on the sensor data, a quality metric for an optical measurement performed or to be performed by an optical measurement device included in the hearing device.

Hearing device, hearing device-based systems and methods for determining a quality metric for an optical measurement

An in-ear hearing device includes a light source configured to emit light, a photodetector configured to detect the emitted light after the emitted light passes through tissue of a subject, a spout; an audio receiver configured to deliver a sound to the subject through the spout, and a dome configured to conform to a shape of a subject's ear canal when the hearing device is in the ear canal. An output of the light source and an input of the photodetector are separated by the dome, and the dome absorbs and/or reflects at least part of the emitted light. The photodetector may be a forward biased photodiode. The sensor device can be realized with power levels, circuitry components, and in package sizes, of hearing devices.

Hearing device with optical sensor at spout

Hearing device including a housing worn at a user's ear; a movement detector providing movement data indicating movement of the housing; and a processor identifying, based on the movement data, movement features in a sequence. The movement features represent movement activity by the user. The processor determines a temporal characteristic of the sequence of movement features and/or an amplitude characteristic of the movement data associated with a movement feature in the sequence. A method of operating the hearing device, and a computer-readable medium storing instructions to perform the method. The processor controls maintaining a data record representing the temporal characteristic and/or the amplitude characteristic determined at a plurality of times; determines a deviation measure indicating deviation between the data record and the temporal characteristic and/or the amplitude characteristic determined at a time later than the plurality of times; and controls operation of the hearing device depending on the deviation measure.

Hearing device for identifying a sequence of movement features, and method of its operation

A hearing device configured to be worn at an ear of a user may include a sensor unit configured to provide sensor data, the sensor unit comprising a biometric sensor configured to provide biometric data included in the sensor data; and a processor configured to determine a physiological parameter from the sensor data, the physiological parameter indicative of a physiological property of the user. The processor is configured to determine whether the physiological parameter fulfills a condition, and provide, depending on whether the physiological parameter fulfills the condition, output data based on the sensor data, the output data including at least part of the biometric data and/or information derived from at least part of the biometric data different from the physiological parameter.

An automatic audio transcription method comprises: sending an audio stream and an identifier of the audio stream from a microphone device to an audio support server and to at least one hearing aid system comprising a hearing aid and a portable device connected to the hearing aid; playing the audio stream with the hearing aid; registering the at least one hearing aid system at the audio support server by sending the identifier from the hearing aid system to the audio support server; transcribing the audio stream into a text stream; sending the text stream from the audio support server to the portable device associated with the identifier of the audio stream; and displaying the text stream with the portable device.

Online automatic audio transcription for hearing aid users

The disclosure relates to a hearing device comprising a housing surrounding a venting channel comprising a valve member moveable relative to the venting channel between different positions comprising a first valve position and a second valve position, an actuator configured to provide an actuation force with a direction and a magnitude acting on the valve member, and a controller a controller configured to provide a first control signal controlling the actuator to provide the actuation force in a first direction, and to provide a second control signal controlling the actuator to provide the actuation force in a second direction. The disclosure further relates to a method of operating such a hearing device.

Hearing device comprising an active vent and method for its operation

The disclosed technology relates to conversation between a wireless communication device with a hearing device user. Based on the context of an initiated conversation, an initiating module within the hearing device can send a listening initiator to a speech recognition module within the hearing device, which can use the listening initiator to determine keywords that are potentially applicable in that a context. The speech recognition module within the hearing device can determine whether keywords associated with the context of a conversation are spoken by the user. Accordingly, the hearing device does not need a large vocabulary speech recognition module or computation resources equivalent to a laptop or desktop, which saves power and resources and makes a hearing device integrated keyword detection useful for different contexts.

Hearing device user communicating with a wireless communication device

The disclosed technology comprises a non-metallic rechargeable battery casing for a hearing device. For example, the battery casing comprises a polymer or plastic that encapsulates the battery chemistry (e.g., Li-Ion). The battery design has no additional metallic layers or metallic casing; rather, the battery is comprised of non-metallic lid, non-metallic can, and the battery chemistry is inside the non-metallic lid and can.

Rechargeable battery with non-metallic casing for a hearing device

A hearing aid, including an inertial sensor for detecting movement of the hearing aid, and a power mode controller connected to the inertial sensor through a threshold comparison unit and adapted to switch the hearing aid off or into a low power mode if the threshold comparison unit detects that a characteristic of a signal including information on the movement detected by the inertial sensor is below a certain threshold. Also, a method for controlling a power mode of a hearing aid.

Hearing aid and method for controlling a power mode thereof

The disclosure relates to a method of operating a hearing system comprising a first hearing device configured to be worn at a first ear of a user, and a second hearing device configured to be worn at a second ear of the user. The disclosure further relates to a hearing system and a hearing device of the hearing system.

Method for operating a hearing system and hearing system comprising two hearing devices

An exemplary hearing system that is configured to assist a user in hearing includes a behind-the-ear (BTE) component that includes a power source and an in-the-ear (ITE) component configured to fit at least partially within an ear canal of the user. The ITE component may include a microphone arranged so as to face outside of the ear canal of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user, a vent opening configured to ventilate the ear canal of the user to an environment outside of the ear canal, a receiver configured to provide an audio signal to the user based on an input audio signal detected by the microphone, and at least one of active noise control circuitry configured to reduce at least one of environmental noise entering the ear canal through the vent opening and occlusion and an active vent configured to control the vent opening.

Hearing systems and methods for operating a hearing system

Growing community of inventors

Hombrechtikon, Switzerland

Hans-Ueli Roeck