Sonova Ag

Phonak Ag

Manuela Feilner

Hans-Ueli Roeck

Hilmar Meier

Michael Boretzki

Nadim El Guindi

Harald Krueger

Nina Stumpf

Niklas Ignasiak

Anna M Parker

Nicholas Ohs

Amre El-Hoiydi

Harald Kruger

Andi Vonlanthen

Marc Secall

Stephan Gehring

Elmar Fichtl

Francois Callias

Silvia Allegro-Baumann

Sascha Korl

Ivo Spieler

Claudio Santelli

Hubert Lechner

Martin Kuster

Hans-Ueli Röck

Evgeny Murtola

Alexander Markus

Arnaud Brielmann

Andrea Brueckner

Anahi Balbi

François Callias

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 method of providing an alert for a user by a hearing device configured to be worn at an ear of the user includes providing user-related data including information about at least one of the user, an ambient environment of the user, or a property of the hearing device worn by the user; characterized by providing vehicle-related data associated with at least one vehicle in a vicinity of the user, the vehicle-related data including information about a property of the vehicle; determining, based on the user-related data and the vehicle-related data, a relevance measure indicative of a probability that the user is endangered by the vehicle; and controlling an operation of the hearing device depending on the relevance measure, the operation alerting the user about the vehicle.

Hearing system, hearing device and method for providing an alert for a user

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

A method for adjusting a hearing device () adapted to be worn behind an ear () comprises: determining a cymba angle () between a cartilage () above the cymba () of the ear () and a viewing direction () of the user; estimating a tilt angle () of the hearing device () with respect to the viewing direction () from the cymba angle (); and adjusting a beam former direction () of a beam former () of the hearing device (), such that the beam former direction () is aligned with the viewing direction ().

Beam former calibration of a hearing device

An illustrative method is disclosed for determining potential partner devices for a hearing device worn by a user, wherein the hearing device is adapted for establishing a data communication connection with other devices with a data communication interface and for receiving an audio data stream from the other devices via the data communication interface. The method includes generating context data from sensor data recorded by the hearing device; inputting the context data into a machine learning algorithm, which has been trained with historical context data to classify potential partner devices; and outputting at least one classification by the machine learning algorithm, the classification classifying the potential partner devices and indicating whether the user expects a data communication connection with the potential partner devices.

Pairing of hearing devices with machine learning algorithm

Systems and methods for controlling hearing devices are disclosed. Each hearing device is worn by a user, the hearing devices being communicatively interconnected with each other for data exchange to form a hearing device system. A method includes acquiring a sound signal of each user with a microphone of the hearing device of the user; determining from the sound signal a speaker signal, which indicates, whether the user is a speaking user; determining a priority score for each user from the speaker signal of the user; outputting sound signals from speaking users to the users via the hearing devices of the users, such that sound signals from speaking users with a priority score smaller than a threshold are muted.

Prioritization of speakers in a hearing device system

Systems and methods for controlling hearing devices are disclosed. Each hearing device is worn by a user, the users of the hearing devices having a conversation and the hearing devices being communicatively interconnected with each other for data exchange to form a hearing device system. A method includes acquiring a sound signal of each user with a microphone of the hearing device of the user; acquiring spatial information of each user; determining conversation patterns from the spatial information acquired for all users; determining conversation groups from the conversation patterns; outputting the sound signals from the users with a hearing device, such that sound signals from users of a conversation group that the user of the hearing device is a member of are output to the user and that sound signals from users of conversations groups of which the user is not a member are muted.

Grouping of hearing device users based on spatial sensor input

A method for the broadcasting of sound to persons () with mobile hearing systems () at a meeting with a speaker () and with an audiovisual system (), the audiovisual system having a computer (), a screen () and a microphone (). The method comprises the steps: receiving first data from a first mobile hearing system () which is carried by a first person (), wherein the first data reference an image () of the first person (); receiving second data from a second mobile hearing system () which is carried by a second person (), wherein the second data reference an image () of the second person (); depicting the image () of the first person () and the image () of the second person () on the screen () for perception by the speaker (); selecting a person () by the speaker () by choosing one of the depicted images (); generating a speech signal by recording speech of the speaker () with the microphone (); wireless transmission of the speech signal to the mobile hearing system () of the selected person (); and presentation of the speech signal by a loudspeaker of the mobile hearing system () for perception by the selected person ().

Method for providing sound to persons during a talk and system for performing the method

A method for providing feedback of an own voice loudness of a user of a hearing device comprises: extracting an own voice signal of the user from an audio signal acquired with a microphone of the hearing device; determining a sound level of the own voice signal from the audio signal; determining an acoustic situation of the user; determining at least one of a minimal threshold and a maximal threshold for the sound level of the own voice signal from the acoustic situation of the user; and notifying the user, when the sound level is at least one of lower than the minimal threshold and higher than the maximal threshold.

Providing feedback of an own voice loudness of a user of a hearing device

Systems and methods for hearing devices with proactive power management are provided. Various embodiments dynamically adapt power consumption to the preferences, needs, and behavior of the hearing device user such that the hearing device provides function until the hearing device can be recharged. Moreover, some embodiments exploit the trend of more intelligent devices and machine learning to create dynamic power management schedules which can be temporarily implemented to create an optimal blend of performance versus battery life while minimizing perception of the feature or performance reduction to the user. Moreover, the dynamic nature of the power management used in various embodiments can account for battery degradation, updated firmware, and/or other factors that may impact battery life as the hearing device ages.

Hearing devices with proactive power management

A method of providing hearing assistance to a at least one user wearing at least one receiver hearing assistance device from at least one audio transmission device worn by a another user, involving: automatically pairing and connecting the audio transmission device with the receiver hearing assistance device to form an ad-hoc network for exchanging network and/or control information, estimating at least one of an angular direction of the audio transmission device with regard to a viewing direction of the user of the receiver hearing assistance device and an angular direction of the receiver hearing assistance device with regard to a viewing direction of the user of the audio transmission device, admitting the audio transmission device to a wireless local acoustic area network for exchanging audio signals only if, as a predefined admission rule, the transmission device is within a field of view of one of the users.

Hearing assistance method

A method for operating a hearing system including a hearing device, a camera and an auxiliary device, the method including the steps of providing an input signal to the hearing device, capturing an image or a sequence of images of at least sections of a surrounding of a user wearing the hearing device, processing the image or the sequence of images in the auxiliary device) for obtaining consolidated data of a sound source being important for the user, transmitting the consolidated data to the hearing device, generating an output signal in the hearing device by processing the audio signal and by taking into account the consolidated data, and feeding the output signal to an output transducer of the hearing device. Thereby, a hearing system having improved capabilities is obtained.

Method for operating a hearing system as well as a hearing system

Method of controlling a hearing instrument comprising at least one hearing device, the method comprising determination of an acoustic environment at least partially by means of calculating the complex coherence of signals from either a pressure microphone and a particle velocity transducer; a pair of pressure microphones in a single hearing device; or a pair of pressure microphones, one situated in each of a pair of hearing devices. This enables finer determination of acoustic environments, thus improving the hearing experience for the wearer of the hearing instrument. The invention further relates to a corresponding hearing instrument.

Method of controlling a hearing instrument

The method for operating a hearing system comprising at least one hearing device; at least one signal processing unit; at least one user control by means of which at least one audio processing parameter of said signal processing unit is adjustable; and a sensor unit; comprises the steps of An improved automatic adaptation of the audio processing properties of the hearing system the hearing system user's preference can be achieved.

Growing community of inventors

Herrliberg, Switzerland

Manuela Feilner