Sonova Ag

Other

Nadim El Guindi

Nina Stumpf

Hans-Ueli Roeck

Ullrich Sigwanz

Manuela Feilner

Anne Thielen

Nicholas Ohs

Anna M Parker

Niklas Ignasiak

Hilmar Meier

Ivo Hasler

Stefan Launer

Daniel Lucas-Hirtz

Harald Krueger

Andreas Breitenmoser

Thomas Wessel

Julia Seiter

Philipp Schneider

Ivo Spieler

Michael Eckardt

Reto Kurmann

Evgeny Murtola

Joachim Thiemann

Nathalie Leuthold

Mareike Carstens

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

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

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

The disclosed technology generally relates to a hearing device configured to adjust its settings when it detects the hearing device user is experiencing stress related to the hearing device applying a processing scheme. The hearing device can use vital signs of the hearing device user to determine whether a user is stressed. The hearing device can also determine whether the user has become stressed as a result of applied setting or an applied processing scheme of the hearing device based on a change in the vital sign of the hearing device user. The disclosed technology also includes a method for reducing stressing when using a hearing device.

Stress and hearing device performance

An exemplary hearing device configured to be worn by a user includes a microphone and a processor. The microphone detects an audio signal. The processor is configured to determine that the audio signal includes own voice content representative of a voice of the user and determine that an environmental noise level within the audio signal is below a threshold The processor is further configured to apply, based on the environmental noise level being below the threshold, a biomarker feature analysis heuristic to the own voice content.

Systems and methods for biomarker analysis on 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

A hearing device configured to be worn at a head of a user. The hearing device includes a vibration sensor to detect a vibration conducted through the user's head to the hearing device and to output a vibration signal including information about the vibration. At least part of the vibration can be caused by an own voice activity of the user. A method of operating the hearing device allows a reliable own voice detection at rather low processing effort. The processor determines a presence of an own voice characteristic in the vibration signal at a vibration frequency associated with the own voice characteristic and identifies the own voice activity based on an identification criterion including the presence of the own voice characteristic in the vibration signal at the associated vibration frequency. The own voice characteristic indicative of part of the vibration can be caused by the own voice activity.

Hearing device for own voice detection and method of operating a hearing device

According to some embodiments, a hearing device (e.g., a HI) configured to detect own voice comprises two or more microphones configured to detect a voice, and a motion detection device or component, wherein the hearing device is configured to determine the direction of arrival (DOA) of the voice detected by the microphones of the hearing device, wherein the hearing device is configured to determine whether there is movement of the hearing device using the motion detection device or component, and wherein, if it is determined that the DOA of the voice detected by the microphones of the hearing device is from the front of a user of the hearing device and said detected voice remains stable, and there is movement detected by the motion detection device or component, the hearing device is configured to conclude that the voice detected by the hearing device is own voice.

Own voice detection in hearing instrument devices

The disclosed technology generally relates to a hearing device configured adjust the tap detection sensitivity on based on context. The disclosed technology can determine a context for a hearing device based on sound received at the hearing device (e.g., determine loud environment) or a wireless communication signal from an external device received at the hearing device (e.g., receive a message that phone call is incoming); adjust a tapping sensitivity threshold of the hearing device based on the context; detect a tap of the hearing device based on the adjusted sensitivity threshold; and modify a setting of the hearing device (e.g., reduce volume based on a tap) or transmitting instructions to the external device based on detecting the tap. The hearing device can be a hearing aid.

Context dependent tapping for hearing devices

An exemplary hearing device includes a first sensor, a second sensor, an audio processing component, and a power management processor. The power management processor may be configured to determine, while the hearing device is in a first low power mode, that the first sensor detects a first state change associated with the hearing device, direct, based on the first sensor detecting the first state change, the hearing device to enter a second low power mode in which the second sensor is active and the audio processing component is inactive, determine, while the hearing device is in the second low power mode, that the second sensor detects a second state change associated with the hearing device, and direct, based on the second sensor detecting the second state change, the hearing device to enter a full power mode in which the audio processing component is active.

Hearing devices and methods for implementing automatic sensor-based on/off control of a hearing device

The disclosed technology generally relates to adaptive tap control for a hearing device. In some implementations, the disclosed technology includes a hearing device configured to detect tapping of the hearing device based on learned tapping parameters. To learn an individual's tapping parameters for a hearing device, the disclosed technology can use a method that includes providing a tap task to a hearing device user; detecting a single tap or multiple taps in response to providing the tap task to the hearing device user; determining tap detection parameters associated with the single or multiple taps; and providing adjusted tap detection parameters for the hearing device based on the determined tap parameters. The hearing device can use the adjusted tap detection parameters to control the hearing device or perform operations by tap control.

Adaptive tapping for hearing devices

The disclosed technology relates to a hearing device configured to reduce audio artifacts related to electromagnetic interference between a transceiver and a T-coil. The hearing device can include a T-coil configured to receive audio signal; a processor configured to communicate with a transceiver, to process the EM inductive audio signal, and to provide a processed audio signal to a transducer. The processor can communicate with a memory to access instructions that include operations to: determine that the hearing device is receiving the EM inductive audio signal from the T-coil; determine that a noise associated with EM interference and the T-coil is anticipated based on the notification from the transceiver; and determine whether to apply a filter to the processed audio signal based on a sound level of the processed audio signal being below a masking threshold during a duration of the noise.

Reducing noise for a hearing device

An exemplary hearing device is configured to selectively connect to a remote audio source configured to provide remote audio content. The hearing device operates in a first audio rendering mode in which the processor provides the user with a first audio signal based on a first combination of at least one of the ambient audio content detected by a microphone and the remote audio content. The hearing device determines, while operating in the first audio rendering mode and based on the accelerometer data, a movement of the user. The hearing device determines, based on the movement of the user, whether to switch from operating in the first audio rendering mode to operating in a second audio rendering mode in which the processor provides the user with a second audio signal based on a second combination of at least one of the ambient audio content and the remote audio content.

Accelerometer-based selection of an audio source for a hearing device

A hearing device configured to be worn by a user includes a microphone, an accelerometer, and a processor. The microphone detects an audio signal. The accelerometer outputs accelerometer data associated with the hearing device. The processor is configured to 1) identify a music feature of the audio signal, the music feature indicating that the audio signal includes music content, 2) identify a movement feature of the accelerometer data, the movement feature representative of movement by the user while the microphone detects the audio signal, 3) determine a similarity measure between the music feature and the movement feature, and 4) perform, based on the similarity measure, an operation with respect to a sound processing program executable by the processor.

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Zurich, Switzerland

Nadim El Guindi