Generating, rendering and outputting one or more audio signals that have one or more audio sequences and/or spectral modulations of an audio file including a plurality of audio-based user prompts in an audio interference processing system. An audio interference processing system and method incudes initiating an instance of an audio interference processing session, configuring one or more session parameters, rendering/outputting a training audio output to one or more transducers, rendering/outputting one or more audio discrimination and audio navigation signals to the one or more transducers, receiving two or more sensor inputs in response to rendering/outputting one or more audio discrimination and audio navigation signals to the one or more transducers, processing the two or more sensor inputs, and providing a feedback output to a user via one or more modalities.

A method operates a hearing aid, which has a sensor, a microphone, and a receiver. Breathing difficulties of a wearer are inferred on the basis of measurement data created by the sensor and a measure for a risk is determined based thereon. An activity helping the wearer is carried out depending on the measure. Furthermore, the hearing aid is configured for carrying out the method.

Generating, rendering and outputting one or more audio signals that have one or more audio sequences and/or spectral modulations of an audio file including a plurality of audio-based user prompts in an audio interference processing system. An audio interference processing system and method incudes initiating an instance of an audio interference processing session, configuring one or more session parameters, rendering/outputting a training audio output to one or more transducers, rendering/outputting one or more audio discrimination and audio navigation signals to the one or more transducers, receiving two or more sensor inputs in response to rendering/outputting one or more audio discrimination and audio navigation signals to the one or more transducers, processing the two or more sensor inputs, and providing a feedback output to a user via one or more modalities.

Provided is a sound output apparatus that is used by being worn in the vicinity of the ear of a listener and is capable of outputting sound over a wide frequency band. The sound output apparatus includes: a first sound generation unit configured to generate a low frequency band; a sound guiding unit with a hollow structure, having one end coupled to the first sound generation unit, and the other end as a sound emission unit including an open end; and a second sound generation unit that is disposed at a place closer to the sound emission unit than the first sound generation unit and generates a high frequency band. It is preferable that the sound guiding unit have a joint unit that takes in the sound from the second sound generation unit and a section from the joint unit to the sound emission unit have a low impedance.

An assistive listening device includes a set of microphones including an array arranged into pairs about a nominal listening axis with respective distinct intra-pair microphone spacings, and a pair of ear-worn loudspeakers. Audio circuitry performs arrayed-microphone short-time target cancellation processing including (1) applying short-time frequency transforms to convert time-domain audio input signals into frequency-domain signals for every short-time analysis frame, (2) calculating ratio masks from the frequency-domain signals of respective microphone pairs, wherein the calculation of a ratio mask includes a frequency domain subtraction of signal values of a microphone pair, (3) calculating a global ratio mask from the plurality of ratio masks, and (4) applying the global ratio mask, and inverse short-time frequency transforms, to selected ones of the frequency-domain signals, thereby generating audio output signals for driving the loudspeakers. The circuitry and processing may also be realized in a machine hearing device executing a human-computer interface application.

An apparatus for delivering audio signals to a user includes an air-conduction transducer and a bone-conduction transducer. The air-conduction transducer is configured to convert a component of the audio signals to air vibrations detectable by an ear of the user. The bone-conduction transducer is configured to convert another component of the audio signals to vibrations in a cranial bone of the user via direct contact with the user. The apparatus employs one or more filters to separate input audio signals to produce a high-frequency component, a mid-frequency component, and a low-frequency component. The mid- and low-frequency components are processed using compressors to reduce the dynamic range of the components, and then combined to produce a combined component. The combined component is delivered to the user through the bone-conduction transducer, and the high-frequency component is delivered to the user through the air-conduction transducer.

Provided is a sound output apparatus that is used by being worn in the vicinity of the ear of a listener and is capable of outputting sound over a wide frequency band.

The sound output apparatus includes: a first sound generation unit configured to generate a low frequency band; a sound guiding unit with a hollow structure, having one end coupled to the first sound generation unit, and the other end as a sound emission unit including an open end; and a second sound generation unit that is disposed at a place closer to the sound emission unit than the first sound generation unit and generates a high frequency band. It is preferable that the sound guiding unit have a joint unit that takes in the sound from the second sound generation unit and a section from the joint unit to the sound emission unit have a low impedance.

A method of providing a hearing instrument includes: providing at a manufacturer the hearing instrument with a firmware which comprises a plurality of selectable functional properties; distributing the hearing instrument from the manufacturer to a middleman, wherein the hearing instrument is configured to be programmed by a programming station at the middleman, wherein the programming station is configured for selecting at least one of the plurality of selectable functional properties according to an input from the middleman, wherein the programming station is also configured to program the firmware of the hearing instrument according to the selecting to provide a programmed hearing instrument; billing an end user for the programmed hearing instrument, wherein the billing reflects the selecting; and receiving, at the manufacturer, data regarding the selecting from the middleman.

Generating, rendering and outputting one or more audio signals that have one or more audio sequences and/or spectral modulations of an audio file including a plurality of audio-based user prompts in an audio interference processing system. An audio interference processing system and method includes initiating an instance of an audio interference processing session, configuring one or more session parameters, rendering/outputting a training audio output to one or more transducers, rendering/outputting one or more audio discrimination and audio navigation signals to the one or more transducers, receiving two or more sensor inputs in response to rendering/outputting one or more audio discrimination and audio navigation signals to the one or more transducers, processing the two or more sensor inputs, and providing a feedback output to a user via one or more modalities.

An assistive listening device includes a set of microphones including an array arranged into pairs about a nominal listening axis with respective distinct intra-pair microphone spacings, and a pair of ear-worn loudspeakers. Audio circuitry performs arrayed-microphone short-time target cancellation processing including (1) applying short-time frequency transforms to convert time-domain audio input signals into frequency-domain signals for every short-time analysis frame, (2) calculating ratio masks from the frequency-domain signals of respective microphone pairs, wherein the calculation of a ratio mask includes a frequency domain subtraction of signal values of a microphone pair, (3) calculating a global ratio mask from the plurality of ratio masks, and (4) applying the global ratio mask, and inverse short-time frequency transforms, to selected ones of the frequency-domain signals, thereby generating audio output signals for driving the loudspeakers. The circuitry and processing may also be realized in a machine hearing device executing a human-computer interface application.