Siemens Audiologische Technik Gmbh

Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

University of Ottawa

Siemens Corporation

Sivantos Pte. Ltd.

Volkmar Hamacher

Eghart Fischer

Justinian Rosca

Henning Puder

Torsten Niederdränk

Tom Weidner

Radu Victor Balan

Ulrich Kornagel

Georg-Erwin Arndt

Frank Wagner

Inga Holube

Birger Kollmeier

Joachim Eggers

Volker Hohmann

Esfandiar Grafenberg

Thomas Hopf

Thomas Hies

Tyseer Aboulnasr

Matthias Wesselkamp

Liang Hong

Christian Giguère

Thomas Wittkop

Wail Gueaieb

Luc Lamarche

Arthur Giesner

Eghard Fischer

Birger Prof Kollmeier

A method for operating a hearing aid in a hearing aid system where the hearing aid is continuously learnable for the particular user. A sound environment classification system is provided for tracking and defining sound environment classes relevant to the user. In an ongoing learning process, the classes are redefined based on new environments to which the hearing aid is subjected by the user.

Fully learning classification system and method for hearing aids

It should be possible to quickly and effectively adjust a hearing aid even in the high-frequency range above 8 kHz. For this purpose it is provided that an open-loop gain measurement is carried out in the upper frequency range and a maximum amplification or a frequency-dependent maximum amplification curve is fixed. This maximum amplification in the high-frequency range should not be exceeded. The hearing aid wearer can then optionally select one of a plurality of amplification curves located there below. In the low-frequency range a conventional amplification adjustment is carried out for example by a prescriptive audiogram-based formula. A hybrid adjustment procedure that is easy to carry out is thereby provided for the entire frequency range.

Method for adjusting a hearing aid with high-frequency amplification

Fine customization of a hearing aid to the individual hearing environments and habits of a user are to be simplified and improved. To this end, when the hearing aid is turned on or when the hearing aid is switched to a particular operating mode, neither the value most recently valid for the parameter prior to turning off or switching to a different operating mode nor the parameter value transferred to the hearing aid at the beginning of programming is set. Rather, from the changes to the value of the parameter taking place during operation of the hearing aid a new start value is ascertained and stored, which value is then set automatically after turning on or switching mode.

Hearing aid with adaptive start values for apparatus

A hearing aid wearer's own voice frequently leads to artifacts and response errors in various hearing aid algorithms. It is provided that the user's own voice to be detected by a special analysis device, and the hearing aid algorithms can be controlled as a function of detection. This can be achieved by providing a microphone in the auditory channel whose signal level is compared with that of an external microphone. This allows some form of control, e.g., the automatic gain control of a hearing aid to be 'frozen', in the presence of the hearing aid wearer's own voice.

Hearing apparatus and a method for own-voice detection

Hearing aids with microphone and telephone coil are to be made simpler and more convenient. For this purpose it is provided to use an adaptive filter to compensate acoustic and electromagnetic feedback. In order to allow for the propagation delay differences, a delay element is connected downstream of the telephone coil. The microphone and telephone coil signals can be individually weighted with the factors a and b so that mixed mode is also possible.

Hearing and apparatus with compensation of acoustic and electromagnetic feedback signals

A hearing device is to be developed for hearing device wearers who speak different national languages. For this purpose, pro-vision is made to equip a hearing device with a storage facility for storing first data which is characteristic of a first language and a processing facility for processing an input signal. At least second data, which is characteristic of a second language, can be stored in the storage facility. The input signal can thus alternatively be processed as a function of the first or the second data. By way of example, the interference noise suppression or the microphone configuration can hereby be adjusted in a language-dependent manner.

Hearing aid

Concurrent signal paths going pass a hearing aid bring about interferences in the auditory canal. These interferences are compensated by estimating an interfering signal from the input signal disturbed by interference from a microphone and applying to the interfering signal a transfer function, with which the concurrent acoustic signal path is simulated, thereby forming an interfering output signal, and combining a usable output signal from a signal-processing device with the interfering output signal. In this way, a noise suppression by directional microphone switching configurations can be made possible when concurrent signal paths do not make such directional microphone switching possible by conventional approaches.

Hearing aid with noise suppression, and operating method therefor

For improving the directionality of a hearing aid having a microphone system formed by two or more microphones without in the process creating an increase in the microphone noise that the hearing aid wearer finds to be disturbing, the microphone system is adjusted statically or adaptively taking into account the individual rest hearing threshold and/or taking into account the individual masking threshold for the microphone noise that is produced by the microphone system. The greatest possible extent of directionality thus can be allowed, without the hearing aid wearer in the process finding the microphone noise that is produced by the microphone system to be disturbing.

Hearing aid, method, and programmer for adjusting the directional characteristic dependent on the rest hearing threshold or masking threshold

The correct recognition of the auditory situation 'television' often poses a problem for hearing aid devices with automatic situation recognition, since a plurality of real situations are simulated by the television audio signal. To correctly recognize the situation 'television', the invention therefore provides to detect a line signal with a particular line signal frequency output by the television device, and given the existence of such a line signal to automatically implement the auditory situation &#x201c;television&#x201d;.

Hearing aid device with automatic situation recognition

For a hearing-impaired person provided with a hearing aid device with which sound acquisition ensues outside of the auditory canals of the person, the localization capability with regard to a signal source is lost. To compensate the information loss that occurs due to the acquisition of an acoustic signal outside of the auditory canals, in the signal processing in the hearing aid device of an acoustic input signal acquired by at least one microphone of the hearing aid device, the transfer function of the head or of the external ear is taken into account between the position at which the microphone is located and a position in the auditory canal of the hearing device user. The natural location capability of a person to localize a signal source in space thus is not lost given treatment with a hearing aid device that is not worn in the auditory canal.

Hearing aid device, and operating and adjustment methods therefor, with microphone disposed outside of the auditory canal

An adjustment of hearing device systems is achieved by an interactive adaptation that is undertaken during the operation. A classifier recognizes various auditory situations and starts interactive adaptation procedures, in the framework of which various settings are to be evaluated. Only settings that fit the auditory situation are thereby offered. As a result of the evaluations, an optimal hearing aid settings results for the respective auditory situation.

Method to adjust an auditory system and corresponding auditory system

An adaptive differential microphone array method comprises receiving a signal, estimating a measured signal spectral covariance matrix of the signal, and estimating a direction of arrival of the signal based on the measured signal spectral covariance matrix of the signal. The method further comprises determining a fractional delay, and applying a differential microphone array filter to the signal based on the direction of arrival and the fractional delay.

System and method for adaptive multi-sensor arrays

A hearing aid is provided that avoids disturbing acoustic effects caused by on, off, or switchover events. The signal processing in the hearing aid is switched in sliding fashion from a first operating condition into a second operating condition. According to the invention, both operating conditions are simultaneously present in the hearing aid during the switching event. The sliding transition ensues by a parallel signal processing in at least two signal paths of the hearing aid, whereby a signal that results from the first operating condition and a signal that results from the second operating condition are added in changing weighting.

Method for the operation of a hearing aid as well as a hearing aid

In a hearing aid having an oscillation detector and a method for establishing the presence of oscillations in a hearing aid, sinusoidal input signals of the microphone can be detected, and so oscillations that are present can also be detected. To this end, the number of digitized sample values in consecutive periods of the input signal is determined, and a long-term average value Nand a short-term average value Nare formed from these numbers. When Nand Nare essentially identical, the presence of oscillations is detected.

Hearing aid with an oscillation detector, and method for detecting feedback in a hearing aid

For reducing feedback-conditioned oscillations in a hearing aid device, microphone signals of a first microphone and of a distanced, second microphone are compared to one another. When oscillations are detected at the same frequency in both microphone signals, these oscillations are determined to be useful (non-feedback) tonal signals. Oscillations that are only present in one of the microphone signals, in contrast, are feedback-conditioned and are suppressed using suitable measures.

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Neunkirchen am Brand, Germany

Volkmar Hamacher