Oticon A/s

Bernafon Ag

Meng Guo

Bernhard Kuenzle

Martin Kuriger

Jesper Bruun Jensen

Anders Meng

Mojtaba Farmani

Michael Syskind Pedersen

Mikkel Grønbech

Sudershan Yalgalwadi Sreepadarao

Svend Oscar Petersen

Bernhard Künzle

Karsten Bo Rasmussen

Thomas Bo Elmedyb

Troels Holm Pedersen

Kenneth Rueskov Møller

Nels Hede Rohde

Thomas Behrens

Jan Mark De Haan

Thomas Kaulberg

Peter Sommer

Anders Thule

Richard Heusdens

Richard C Hendriks

Kim Spetzler Petersen

Kim Tilgaard Petersen

Stefan Gram

Sudershan Ys

Mikkel Bo Rasmussen

Thomas Jensen

Susanna Løve Callaway

Jamal Amini

Nicolas Le Goff

Terri Ives

Nimrod Bogdanovski

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 comprises a) at least one input transducer for providing at least one electric input signal representing said sound; b) an output transducer for providing stimuli perceivable to the user as sound; c) a feedback control system configured to minimize feedback from said output transducer to said at least one input transducer, and to at least provide a feedback corrected version of said at least one electric input signal; and d) an audio signal processor configured to apply one or more processing algorithms to said feedback corrected version of said at least one electric input signal, and to provide a processed signal in dependence thereof. The feedback control system is based on a machine learning model receiving input data at least representing said at least one electric input signal; and said processed signal; and providing said feedback corrected version of the at least one electric input signal as an output. A method of training a machine learning model is further disclosed.

Hearing device comprising a feedback control system

A hearing aid includes a forward path for processing sound from the user's environment. The forward path includes a) a first microphone providing a first electric input signal representing sound as received at the first microphone, the first microphone being located away from an ear canal of the user, b) an audio signal processor for processing the first electric input signal, or a signal or signals originating therefrom, and for providing a processed signal, c) an output transducer for providing stimuli perceivable as sound to the user in dependence of the processed signal, and d) a second microphone configured to provide a second electric input signal representing sound received at the second microphone, the second microphone being located at or in the user's ear canal, and e) a feature extractor for extracting acoustic characteristics of the user's ear from the second electric input signal, or a signal originating therefrom.

Hearing device comprising an input transducer in the ear

A hearing aid adapted for being worn by a user at or in an ear of the user comprises a) at least one input transducer for converting sound in an environment around the user to at least one electric input signal representing said sound; b) an output transducer for converting a processed output signal provided in dependence of said at least one electric input signal to stimuli perceivable to the user as sound; c) a feedback control system comprising an adaptive filer, the feedback control system being configured to provide an adaptively determined estimate (*(n)) of a current feedback path ((n)) from said output transducer to said at least one input transducer in dependence of c1) said at least one electric input signal, c2) said processed output signal, and c3) an adaptive algorithm. The hearing aid further comprises d) a database comprising a multitude (M) of previously determined candidate feedback paths (); and e) a controller configured to identify a change in the current feedback path ((n)) based on the adaptively determined estimate (*(n)) of the current feedback path and at least one of said multitude of previously determined candidate feedback paths (). A method of operating a hearing aid is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids, e.g. binaural hearing aid systems or headsets, or speakerphones, or combinations thereof.

A hearing aid includes a forward path including a) an input transducer proving an electric input signal, b) a hearing aid processor, and c) an output transducer. The hearing aid further includes d) a feedback control system having d1) a feedback path estimator including an adaptive filter configured to provide an estimate of a current feedback path from the output transducer to at least one input transducer, the feedback path estimator being controllable via a feedback estimation control input, and d2) a combination unit in the forward path configured to subtract the estimate (v') of the current feedback path signal (v) from a signal of the forward path (y) to provide a feedback corrected signal (e), and e) a detector for providing the feedback estimation control input in dependence of an offset control signal indicative of an offset in the electric input signal or a signal originating therefrom.

Hearing aid comprising a feedback control system

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 device comprises a forward path comprising an input transducer providing at an electric input signal representative of environment sound, a signal processor for processing said at least one electric input signal and providing a processed signal, and a loudspeaker connected to a speaker sound outlet providing an output sound to an eardrum of the user in dependence of said processed signal. The hearing device comprises an ITE-part adapted for being located in an ear canal of the user, an active emission canceller providing an electric sound cancelling signal, and an environment facing loudspeaker providing an output sound to the environment. The electric sound cancelling signal is determined in dependence of said processed signal to attenuate sound leaked from the speaker sound outlet to the environment when played by the environment facing loudspeaker. The environment facing loudspeaker has a sound outlet on an environment facing surface of the ITE-part.

Hearing device comprising an active emission canceller

A hearing aid is configured to be worn in and/or at an ear of a user, and comprises a) an input transducer for converting an input sound to an electric input signal representing sound, h) an output transducer for converting a processed electric output signal to an output sound, c) a signal processor operationally coupled to the input and output transducers and configured to apply a forward gain to the electric input signal or a signal originating therefrom, wherein the input transducer, the signal processor and the output transducer forming part of a forward path of the hearing aid. The hearing aid further comprises d) a feedback control system for compensating for acoustic or mechanical feedback of an external feedback path from the output transducer to the input transducer, wherein the feedback control system comprises i) a feedback estimation unit for providing a feedback estimate signal of said external feedback path, ii) a combination unit located in the forward path for combining the electric input signal or a signal derived therefrom and the feedback signal detected by said estimation unit, to provide a resulting feedback corrected signal, iii) a correlation detection unit configured to determine a correlation measure between said feedback corrected signal and said output signal, said correlation detection unit further configured to provide a processed version of said correlation measure.

Feedback control using a correlation measure

A hearing aid configured to be worn at, and/or in, an ear of a user, comprises a forward path for processing sound from the environment of the user. The forward path comprises a) at least one first microphone providing at least one first electric input signal representing said sound as received at the respective at least one first microphones, said at least one first microphone being located away from a first ear canal of the user, b) an audio signal processor for processing said at least one first electric input signal, or a signal or signals originating therefrom, and for providing a processed signal, c) an output transducer for providing stimuli perceivable as sound to the user in dependence of said processed signal, and d) at least one second microphone connected to said audio signal processor, the at least one second microphone being configured to provide at least one second electric input signal representing said sound as received at the at least one second microphone, the at least one second microphone being located at or in said first ear canal of the user, and e) a feature extractor for extracting acoustic characteristics of said ear of the user from said at least one second electric input signal, or a signal originating therefrom. The hearing aid is configured to include said acoustic characteristics in the processed signal. The invention may e.g. provide improved sound localization in hearing aids.

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 device includes a feedback control system that applies an adaptive filtering algorithm. The adaptive algorithm provides a filter control signal to adaptively control filter coefficients based on first and second algorithm input signals of a forward path. The feedback control system further includes first and second transform units for transforming the first and second algorithm input signals to the transform domain, and an inverse transform unit to convert an estimate of the current feedback path in the transformed domain to a time domain estimate, and a combination unit in the forward path to subtract the estimate of the current feedback signal from a signal of the forward path to provide a feedback corrected signal.

Hearing device comprising a delayless adaptive filter

In a method of fitting of a hearing device having an input transducer and an output transducer, the method includes executing a fitting application on a graphical user interface of an external device in communication with the hearing device, detecting by measuring reactions of the user to picked-up sound, performing acoustic feedback measurements as a background process without a user's involvement, assessing the probability of a correct physical fit based on the position of the inserted hearing device, assessing feedback risk based on the correct physical fit assessment and the acoustic feedback measurements, and fine tuning fitting parameter of the hearing device based on the result of at least one of the detected reactions of the user, acoustic feedback measurements and saved, within the fitting application, personal information of the user.

Method and system of fitting a hearing device

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.

A hearing aid is configured to be worn in and/or at an ear of a user, and comprises a) an input transducer for converting an input sound to an electric input signal representing sound, b) an output transducer for converting a processed electric output signal to an output sound, c) a signal processor operationally coupled to the input and output transducers and configured to apply a forward gain to the electric input signal or a signal originating therefrom, wherein the input transducer, the signal processor and the output transducer forming part of a forward path of the hearing aid. The hearing aid further comprises d) a feedback control system for compensating for acoustic or mechanical feedback of an external feedback path from the output transducer to the input transducer, wherein the feedback control system comprises i) a feedback estimation unit for providing a feedback estimate signal of said external feedback path, ii) a combination unit located in the forward path for combining the electric input signal or a signal derived therefrom and the feedback signal detected by said estimation unit, to provide a resulting feedback corrected signal, iii) a correlation detection unit configured to determine a correlation measure between said feedback corrected signal and said output signal, said correlation detection unit further configured to provide a processed version of said correlation measure.

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Smørum, Denmark

Meng Guo