Oticon A/s

Nels Hede Rohde

Michael Syskind Pedersen

Jesper Bruun Jensen

Thomas Bentsen

Anders Brødløs Olsen

Svend Oscar Petersen

Asger Heidemann Andersen

Michael Smed Kristensen

Sigurdur Sigurdsson

Angela Josupeit

Jan Mark De Haan

Meng Guo

Svend Feldt

Martin Kuriger

Mojtaba Farmani

Anders Meng

Mikkel Grønbech

Sudershan Yalgalwadi Sreepadarao

Andreas Thelander Bertelsen

Bernhard Kuenzle

David Thorn Blix

Anders Vinther Olsen

Stefan Gram

Gusztáv Lõcsei

Søren Vørnle Nielsen

Rene Poulsen

Vasudha Sathyapriyan

Thomas Jensen

Mark Ruvald Pedersen

Peter Mølgaard Sørensen

Mikkel Bo Rasmussen

Nimrod Bogdanovski

Terri Ives

Nicolas Le Goff

Susanna Løve Callaway

A hearing system comprises at least one hearing aid (HA) configured to be worn by a user at or in an ear of the user, and an external, portable processing device (EPD). The at least one hearing aid comprises a) at least one HA-input transducer for providing at least one HA-electric input signal representing sound in the environment of the hearing aid; b) a configurable noise reduction system for reducing noise in the at least one HA-electric input signal or in a signal originating therefrom based on a resulting set of noise reduction parameters; c) a noise reduction controller configured to determine a local set of noise reduction parameters; and d) a data receiver configured to receive data via a communication link from the external processing device. The external processing device comprises A) at least one EPD-input transducer for providing at least one EPD-electric input signal representing sound in the environment of the external processing device; B) a parameter estimator for providing an external set of noise reduction parameters configured to reduce noise in the at least one EPD-electric input signal, or in the at least one HA-electric input signal, or in a signal originating therefrom; and C) a data transmitter configured to transmit data, including said external set of noise reduction parameters, via said communication link to the hearing aid. The noise reduction controller is configured to determine said resulting set of noise reduction parameters based on said local set of noise reduction parameters, or on said external set of noise reduction parameters, or on a mixture thereof, in dependence of a noise reduction control signal. A hearing aid and a method of operating a hearing system is further disclosed.

Hearing system comprising a hearing aid and an external processing device

A method, at a hearing aid, including receiving a wireless signal including a succession of frames including a first frame including first encoded audio samples and determining a first codec, performing an error check based on the first frame, and in accordance with a determination that the first frame fails to pass the error check, performing a test.

Hearing aid and method of performing bit error concealment

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 device, e.g. a hearing aid, is configured to be arranged at least partly on a user's head or at least partly implanted in a user's head. The hearing device comprises a) at least one input transducer for picking up an input sound signal from the environment and providing at least one electric input signal representing said input sound signal; b) a signal processor connected to the at least one input transducer, the signal processor being configured to analyze the electric input signal and to provide a transmit control signal in dependence thereof; c) a memory buffer, e.g. a cyclic buffer, for storing a current time segment of a certain duration of said at least one electric input signal, or a processed version thereof; and a transmitter for transmitting at least a part of said time segment, or a processed version thereof, to an external device in dependence of said transmit control signal.

Hearing device comprising a transmitter

A hearing device comprises an input transducer comprising a microphone for providing an electric input signal representative of sound in the environment of the hearing device, a pre-processor for processing electric input signal and providing a multitude of feature vectors, each being representative of a time segment thereof, a neural network processor adapted to implement a neural network for implementing a detector configured to provide an output indicative of a characteristic property of the at least one electric input signal, the neural network being configured to receive said multitude of feature vectors as input vectors and to provide corresponding output vectors representative of said output of said detector in dependence of said input vectors. The hearing device further comprises a transceiver comprising a transmitter and a receiver for establishing a communication link to another part or device or server, at least in a particular adaptation-mode of operation, and a selector for—in said particular adaptation—mode of operation—routing said feature vectors to said transmitter for transmission to said another part or device or server, and—in a normal mode of operation—to route said feature vectors to said neural network processor for use as inputs to said neural network, a neural network controller connected to said neural network processor for—in said particular adaptation-mode of operation—receiving optimized node parameters, and to apply said optimized node parameters to said nodes of said neural network to thereby implement an optimized neural network in said neural network processor, wherein the optimized node parameters have been selected among a multitude of sets of node parameters for respective candidate neural networks according to a predefined criterion in dependence of said feature vectors. A method of selecting optimized parameters for a neural network for use in a portable hearing device is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids or headsets, or similar, e.g. wearable, devices.

Hearing device comprising a detector and a trained neural network

A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid or a headset, configured to be worn at or in an ear of a user, the hearing device comprising at least one input transducer for converting a sound in an environment of the hearing device to at least one electric input signal representing said sound; an own voice detector configured to estimate whether or not, or with what probability, said sound originates from the voice of the user, and to provide an own voice control signal indicative thereof, a face mask detector configured to estimate whether or not, or with what probability, said user wears a face mask while speaking, and to provide face mask control signal indicative thereof. A method of operating a hearing device is further disclosed. Thereby an improved hearing aid or headset may be provided.

Hearing device comprising an own voice processor

A hearing aid system comprises a hearing aid, and a portable auxiliary device' adapted to establish a communication link between them. The hearing aid comprises a microphone providing an electric input signal, a signal processor, and an output unit. The auxiliary device comprises a microphone providing an auxiliary electric input signal, and a user control interface allowing a user to initiate a specific calibration mode of operation of the hearing aid system. The signal processor of the hearing aid is configured to receive corresponding time segments of said electric input signal and said auxiliary electric input signal to provide an estimate of an acoustic transfer function from said microphone of said auxiliary device to said microphone of said hearing aid. A method of operating a hearing aid system is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in various applications related to own voice detection and estimation.

Hearing aid system for estimating acoustic transfer functions

A hearing system configured to be located at or in the head of a user, comprises a) at least two microphones providing at least two electric input signals, b) an own voice detector, c) access to a database (O, H) comprising c1) relative or absolute own voice transfer function(s), and corresponding c2) absolute or relative acoustic transfer functions for a multitude of test-persons, d) a processor connectable to the at least two microphones, to the own voice detector, and to the database. The processor is configured A) to estimate an own voice relative transfer function for sound from the user's mouth to at least one of the at least two microphones, and B) to estimate personalized relative or absolute head related acoustic transfer functions from at least one spatial location other than the user's mouth to at least one of the microphones of the hearing system in dependence of the estimated own voice relative transfer function(s) and the database (O, H). The hearing system further comprises e) a beamformer configured to receive the at least two electric input signals, or processed versions thereof, and to determine personalized beamformer weights based on the personalized relative or absolute head related acoustic transfer functions or impulse responses. A method of determining personalized beamformer coefficients (w) is further disclosed.

Hearing system comprising a personalized beamformer

A hearing aid comprises an input unit providing an electric input signal representing sound, a wake word detector configured identifying a particular wake word based on said electric input signal, and providing a wake word control signal indicative of whether, or with what probability, the wake word is detected, or an own voice detector estimating whether, or with what probability, the electric input signal originates from the voice of the user and providing an own voice control signal indicative thereof, transceiver circuitry establishing a communication link to another hearing aid allowing the transmission and/or reception of the electric input signal to/from the other hearing aid, and a pre-processor controlling the transceiver circuitry in dependence of the wake word control signal or the own voice control signal. A binaural hearing aid system and a method of operating a hearing aid are further disclosed.

Hearing aid comprising binaural processing and a binaural hearing aid system

A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, is configured to be arranged at least partly on a user's head or at least partly implanted in a user's head. The hearing device comprises a) at least one input transducer for picking up an input sound signal from the environment and providing at least one electric input signal representing said input sound signal; b) a signal processor providing a processed signal based on one or more of said at least one electric input signals; c) an output unit for converting said processed signal or a signal originating therefrom to stimuli perceivable by said user as sound; d) a keyword spotting system comprising d1) a keyword detector configured to detect a limited number of predefined keywords or phrases or sounds in said at least one electric input signal or in a signal derived therefrom, and to provide a keyword indicator of whether or not, or with what probability, said keywords or phrases or sounds are detected, and d2) an own voice detector for providing an own voice indicator estimating whether or not, or with what probability, a given input sound signal originates from the voice of the user of the hearing device. The hearing device further comprises e) a controller configured to provide an own-voice-keyword indicator of whether or not or with what probability a given one of said keywords or phrases or sounds is currently detected and spoken by said user, said own-voice-keyword indicator being dependent on said keyword indicator and said own voice indicator.

Hearing device comprising a keyword detector and an own voice detector and/or a transmitter

A hearing device comprises an input transducer comprising a microphone for providing an electric input signal representative of sound in the environment of the hearing device, a pre-processor for processing electric input signal and providing a multitude of feature vectors, each being representative of a time segment thereof, a neural network processor adapted to implement a neural network for implementing a detector configured to provide an output indicative of a characteristic property of the at least one electric input signal, the neural network being configured to receive said multitude of feature vectors as input vectors and to provide corresponding output vectors representative of said output of said detector in dependence of said input vectors. The hearing device further comprises a transceiver comprising a transmitter and a receiver for establishing a communication link to another part or device or server, at least in a particular adaptation-mode of operation, and a selector for&#x2014;in said particular adaptation-mode of operation&#x2014;routing said feature vectors to said transmitter for transmission to said another part or device or server, and&#x2014;in a normal mode of operation&#x2014;to route said feature vectors to said neural network processor for use as inputs to said neural network, a neural network controller connected to said neural network processor for&#x2014;in said particular adaptation-mode of operation&#x2014;receiving optimized node parameters, and to apply said optimized node parameters to said nodes of said neural network to thereby implement an optimized neural network in said neural network processor, wherein the optimized node parameters have been selected among a multitude of sets of node parameters for respective candidate neural networks according to a predefined criterion in dependence of said feature vectors. A method of selecting optimized parameters for a neural network for use in a portable hearing device is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids or headsets, or similar, e.g. wearable, devices.

A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, is configured to be worn by a user at or in an ear or to be fully or partially implanted in the head at an ear of the user. The hearing device comprises a) an input unit for providing at least one electric input signal in a time frequency representation k, m, where k and m are frequency and time indices, respectively, and k represents a frequency channel, the at least one electric input signal being representative of sound and comprising target signal components and noise components; and b) a signal processor comprising b1) an SNR estimator for providing a target signal-to-noise ratio estimate for said at least one electric input signal in said time frequency representation; and b2) an SNR-to-gain converter for converting said target signal-to-noise ratio estimate to respective gain values in said time frequency representation. The signal processor comprises a neural network, wherein the weights of the neural network have been trained with a plurality of training signals. A method of operating a hearing aid is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in audio devices, such as hearing aids, headsets, mobile telephones, etc., operating in noisy acoustic environments.

Growing community of inventors

Smørum, Denmark

Nels Hede Rohde