Oticon A/s

Mojtaba Farmani

Michael Syskind Pedersen

Meng Guo

Anders Meng

Jesper Bruun Jensen

Martin Kuriger

Mikkel Grønbech

Sudershan Yalgalwadi Sreepadarao

Jan Mark De Haan

Nels Hede Rohde

Andreas Thelander Bertelsen

Bernhard Kuenzle

Pauli Minnaar

Claus Forup Corlin Jespersgaard

Angela Josupeit

Sigurdur Sigurdsson

Matias Tofteby Bach

Anders Vinther Olsen

Gusztáv Lõcsei

Karsten Bonke

Justyna Walaszek

Thomas Kaulberg

Peter Sommer

Kim Tilgaard Petersen

Stefan Gram

Sudershan Ys

Thomas Jensen

Nimrod Bogdanovski

Mikkel Bo Rasmussen

Terri Ives

Nicolas Le Goff

Susanna Løve Callaway

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 binaural hearing aid system includes first and second hearing aids configured to be worn by a user at or in respective first and second ears of the user, each of the first and second hearing aids including: at least one input transducer configured to pick up a sound at the at least one input transducer and to convert the sound to at least one electric input signal representative of the sound, the sound at the at least one input transducer including a mixture of a target signal and noise; a controller for evaluating the sound at the at least one input transducer and providing a control signal indicative of a property of the sound; a transceiver configured to establish a communication link between the first and second hearing aids allowing the exchange of the control signal between the first and second hearing aids; a transmitter for establishing an audio link for transmitting the at least one electric input signal, or a processed version thereof, to another device. The controller is configured to: transmit the locally provided control signal to, and receive a corresponding remotely provided control signal from the opposite hearing aid via the communication link, and to compare the locally provided and the remotely provided control signals and to provide a comparison control signal in dependence thereof, and to transmit the at least one electric input signal, or a processed version thereof, to the another device via the audio link in dependence of the comparison control signal.

Binaural hearing aid system and a hearing aid comprising own voice estimation

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.

Hearing device 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 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 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

The present disclosure regards a hearing device configured to receive acoustical sound signals and to generate output sound signals comprising spatial cues.

Hearing system

A hearing system comprising a) a multitude M of microphones, M&#x2265;2, adapted for picking up sound from the environment and to provide corresponding electric input signals r(n), m=1, . . . , M, n representing time, r(n) comprising a mixture of a target sound signal propagated via an acoustic propagation channel and possible additive noise signals v(n); b) a transceiver configured to receive a wirelessly transmitted version of the target sound signal and providing an essentially noise-free target signal s(n); c) a signal processor configured to estimate a direction-of-arrival of the target sound signal relative to the user based on c1) a signal model for a received sound signal rat microphone m through the acoustic propagation channel, wherein the macoustic propagation channel subjects the essentially noise-free target signal s(n) to an attenuation &#x3b1;and a delay D; c2) a maximum likelihood methodology; and c3) relative transfer functions drepresenting direction-dependent filtering effects of the head and torso of the user in the form of direction-dependent acoustic transfer functions from each of M&#x2212;1 of said M microphones (m=1, . . . , M, m&#x2260;j) to a reference microphone (m=j) among said M microphones, wherein it is assumed that the attenuation &#x3b1;is frequency independent whereas the delay Dmay be frequency dependent. The application further relates to a method. Embodiments of the disclosure may e.g. be useful in applications such as binaural hearing systems, e.g. binaural hearing aids systems.

Method of localizing a sound source, a hearing device, and a hearing system

A hearing aid system comprising a pair of hearing devices, e.g. hearing aids, worn at the ears of a user receives a target signal generated by a target signal source and transmitted through an acoustic channel to microphones of the hearing aid system. Due to (potential) additive environmental noise, a noisy acoustic signal is received at the microphones of the hearing system. An essentially noise-free version of the target signal is simultaneously transmitted to the hearing devices of the hearing system via a wireless connection. Based on a sound propagation model of the acoustic propagation channel from the target sound source to the microphones of the hearing aid system, and on relative transfer functions representing direction-dependent filtering effects of the head and torso of the user in the form of direction-dependent acoustic transfer functions from a microphone on one side of the head, to a microphone on the other side of the head, a direction-of-arrival (DoA) of the target sound signal relative to the user is determined using a maximum likelihood approach.

Binaural hearing system configured to localize a sound source

The problem of estimating the direction to one or more sound sources of interest relative to a user wearing a pair of hearing devices, e.g. hearing aids, is dealt with. A target signal is generated by a target signal source and transmitted through an acoustic channel to a microphone of a hearing system. Due to additive environmental noise, a noisy acoustic signal is received at the microphones of the hearing system. An essentially noise-free version of the target signal is transmitted to the hearing devices of the hearing system via a wireless connection. Each of the hearing devices comprises a signal processing unit comprising a sound propagation model of the acoustic propagation channel from the target sound source to the hearing device when worn by the user. The sound propagation model is configured to be used for estimating a direction-of-arrival of the target sound signal relative to the user.

Hearing device and a hearing system configured to localize a sound source

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Smørum, Denmark

Mojtaba Farmani