Oticon A/s

Bernafon Ag

Martin Kuriger

Meng Guo

Bernhard Kuenzle

Mojtaba Farmani

Anders Meng

Mikkel Grønbech

Sudershan Yalgalwadi Sreepadarao

Nels Hede Rohde

Morten Christophersen

Christophe Lesimple

Claus Forup Corlin Jespersgaard

Thomas Ulrich Christiansen

Neil Hockley

Hongyan Sun

Kim Tilgaard Petersen

Stefan Gram

Sudershan Ys

Susanna Løve Callaway

Nicolas Le Goff

Terri Ives

Kamilla Angelo

Nimrod Bogdanovski

Thomas Jensen

Mikkel Bo Rasmussen

Sudershan Yagalwadi Sreepadarao

A hearing aid configured to be worn by a user, the hearing aid comprising a user interface allowing the user to control functionality of the hearing aid, and a feedback sensor for repeatedly providing a feedback signal indicative of a current estimate of feedback from an output transducer to an input transducer of the hearing aid, wherein the user interface is based on changes to the current estimate of the feedback path, e.g. provided by the user. A method of operating a hearing aid is further disclosed. Thereby an alternative user interface for a hearing aid may be provided. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids or headsets, or a combination thereof.

Hearing aid comprising a user interface

A hearing aid and a method performed by a hearing aid including at least one microphone unit, an accelerometer unit, and a processor. The method performed by the hearing aid includes generating a processed microphone signal including attenuating the microphone signal in accordance with an attenuation value; wherein the attenuation value is based on a measure of correlation between a microphone signal from the microphone unit and an acceleration signal from the accelerometer unit. The hearing aid instantly reduces noise arising from mechanical handling of the hearing aid based on input from the microphone unit and the accelerometer unit.

Hearing aid having a sensor

A hearing aid comprises a forward path comprising an input transducer an electric input signals representing a sound comprising target signal components and background noise, a hearing aid processor for providing a processed signal in dependence of said at least one electric input signal and for providing a processed output signal in dependence thereof, and an output transducer for providing stimuli perceivable as sound to the user in dependence of said processed signal. The forward path provides a frequency dependent intended forward path transfer function. The hearing aid further comprises a feedback path estimator configured to provide a current frequency dependent estimate of a feedback path transfer function of a feedback path from the output transducer to the input transducer, and a current feedback path estimate in dependence of the current estimate of the feedback path transfer function and of the processed signal, and a combination unit in the forward path configured to subtract the current feedback path estimate from a signal of the forward path to provide a feedback corrected signal. The hearing aid may further comprise a noise estimator configured to provide a current frequency dependent noise estimate representing a background noise level in the at least one electric input signal, an open loop transfer function estimator configured to provide a frequency dependent estimate of a current open loop transfer function in dependence of the intended forward path transfer function and the current estimate of the feedback transfer function, and a confidence level estimator configured to provide a current frequency dependent estimate of a confidence level of the current estimate of the feedback transfer function in dependence of a current estimate of open loop gain and optionally the current noise estimate. The hearing aid may be configured to control processing in the hearing aid in a frequency band k in dependence of said current estimate of the open loop transfer function and/or the current estimate of the feedback path transfer function, if the current estimate of the confidence level fulfils a confidence criterion in said frequency band k. A method of operating a hearing aid is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used to assess a risk of acoustic feedback in a hearing aid.

Hearing aid comprising an open loop gain estimator

A hearing aid includes an input unit, an output unit, a signal processing unit connected to said input unit and output unit, where the input unit, the signal processing unit and the output unit are forming part of a forward path of the hearing aid, where the signal processing unit is configured to apply a forward gain to the at least one electric input signal or a signal originating therefrom. The hearing aid further includes a feedback control unit configured to reduce a risk of howl due to acoustic, electrical, and/or mechanical feedback of an external feedback path from the output unit to the input unit of said hearing aid, where the hearing aid is configured to receive motion data characterising movement and/or acceleration and/or orientation and/or position of the hearing aid to control processing.

Motion data based signal processing

A hearing aid includes an input unit, an output unit, a signal processing unit connected to the input unit and output unit, where the input unit, the signal processing unit and the output unit form part of a forward path of the hearing aid, where the signal processing unit is configured to apply a forward gain to the at least one electric input signal or a signal originating therefrom. The hearing aid further includes a feedback reduction unit configured to reduce risk of howl due to acoustic, electrical, and/or mechanical feedback of an external feedback path from the output unit to the input unit. The feedback reduction unit is configured to modulate the forward gain in time to provide that the forward gain exhibits an increased or unchanged forward gain in one or more first time periods and a reduced forward gain in one or more second time periods.

Feedback elimination in a hearing aid

A hearing aid includes a feedback control system for handling external feedback from an output transducer to an input transducer. The feedback control system includes an open loop gain estimator for providing an instant open loop gain estimate; an adaptive filter configured to provide a current estimate of the feedback path transfer function; a feedback change estimator configured to provide an instant estimate of the feedback path transfer function in dependence of the forward path transfer function, the instant open loop gain estimate; and an adaptive filter controller for providing an update transfer function estimate for the adaptive filter in dependence of the instant estimate of the feedback path transfer function. The hearing aid is configured to use the update transfer function estimate in the adaptive filter to update the current estimate of the feedback path transfer function. A method of detecting a sudden change in a feedback/echo path is further disclosed.

Hearing aid comprising a feedback control system

A hearing device comprises an input transducer providing an input gain G, a signal processor comprising a compressor for determining a frequency and level dependent desired compressor gain Gto compensate for a hearing impairment of the user, and to provide a resulting compressor gain G', and an output transducer for providing output stimuli perceivable as sound for the user based on a processed signal, the output transducer providing an output gain, G. A resulting forward path gain G&#x2032; is defined in a logarithmic representation as G+G&#x2032;+G. The hearing device further comprises a loop gain estimator for continuously estimating a current loop gain &#x394;L(n), configured to provide a loop gain estimate within a predefined number of feedback loop delays after a feedback buildup has started, and a loop gain controller for dynamically controlling said resulting forward path gain G&#x2032; in dependence of said estimate of said current loop gain &#x394;L(n). A resulting loop gain, LG&#x2032;, is determined as a sum of the resulting forward path gain G&#x2032; and a feedback gain H when given in a logarithmic representation. The loop gain controller is configured to provide that the resulting loop gain is limited to stay below a predefined value.

Hearing device comprising a loop gain limiter

A method of conducting a fitting session for fitting a hearing device to a hearing device user's needs is provided. The method comprises Steps Sto Sare configured to be automatically performed as background processes. Thereby a simplified scheme for fitting a hearing device to a user's needs may be provided.

Method of fitting a hearing device to a user's needs, a programming device, and a hearing system

A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, comprises The feedback detector is configured to determine the first and second indications of current feedback, respectively, based on said electric input signal or a processed version thereof and&#x2014;optionally&#x2014;on a current open loop magnitude of a feedback loop defined by said forward path and said external feedback path. The first and second indications of current feedback are generated with first and second time constants, respectively, where the first time constant is larger than the second time constant. The application further relates to a method of estimating feedback in a hearing device.

Feedback detector and a hearing device comprising a feedback detector

A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, comprises a forward path for processing an electric signal representing sound including a) an input unit for receiving or providing an electric input signal representing sound, b) a signal processing unit, c) an output transducer for generating stimuli perceivable as sound to a user, d) a feedback detection unit configured to detect feedback or evaluate a risk of feedback via an acoustic or mechanical or electrical feedback path from said output transducer to said input unit and comprising d1) a magnitude and phase analysis unit for repeatedly determining magnitude, Mag, and phase, Phase, of said electric input signal and further parameters based thereon, and d2) a feedback conditions and detection unit configured to check criteria for magnitude and phase feedback condition, respectively, based on said values, and to provide a feedback detection signal indicative of feedback or a risk of feedback.

Hearing device comprising a feedback detection unit

The application relates to a method of reducing reverberation in an audio processing device and to an audio processing device. The object of the present application is to provide an alternative method of reducing noise, e.g. reverberation, in a sound signal. The method comprises the steps of a) providing a time variant electric input signal representative of a sound; b) providing a logarithmic representation of said electric input signal; c) providing a predefined statistical model of the likelihood that a specific slope of the logarithmic representation of the electric input signal is due to reverberation; d) identifying time instances of the electric input signal being reverberant according to the statistical model; and e) applying an attenuation to the time instances identified as reverberant. This has the advantage of providing an enhanced sound signal. The invention may e.g. be used for enhancing noisy, e.g. reverberant, signals.

Method of reducing noise in an audio processing device

The application relates to a hearing aid system comprising a hearing aid device comprising a configurable signal processing unit, a programming device configured to program the configurable signal processing unit, and a communication link allowing the exchange of data between the hearing aid device and the programming device. The application further relates to a method of programming configurable signal processing unit to provide an increased speech intelligibility by frequency lowering. The hearing aid system is configured to program the configurable signal processing unit of the hearing device according the claimed method. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids.

Hearing aid system, a hearing aid device and a method of operating a hearing aid system

A method of programming a configurable signal processing unit of a hearing aid device comprises A purpose of the disclosure is to provide an improved audibility of high frequency sound for users with severe-to-profound hearing losses.

Growing community of inventors

Berne, Switzerland

Martin Kuriger