Patent classifications
H04R25/552
Wireless Sound Tranmission System and Method
A method for providing sound to at least one user, in which audio signals are captured and transformed into audio data that is transmitted to at least one receiver unit; audio signals are generated from the received audio data and the hearing of the user(s) stimulated thereby; wherein the audio data is transmitted as audio data packets in separate slots of a TDMA frame structure, wherein the transmission unit and the receiver unit(s) are synchronized to form a wireless network, wherein each TDMA frame structure has at least one listening slot during which the synchronized network members do not transmit data and at least one network members listens, and wherein control data is transmitted from an external control device according to a sequence pattern selected according to the duration and periodicity of the listening slot(s) to be received by the at least one synchronized network member during said listening slot(s).
USER INTERFACE CONTROL OF MULTIPLE PARAMETERS FOR A HEARING ASSISTANCE DEVICE
Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for a user interface control to allow control of multiple parameters from a single control for a hearing assistance device. One aspect of the present subject matter relates to hearing assistance device for a wearer, including a housing, hearing assistance electronics housed in the housing, and a tinnitus therapy generator housed in the housing. A user interface control is connected to the electronics and the generator, and the control is configured to sense input from the wearer and provide for selection and adjustment of operational parameters for the electronics and the generator based on the sensed input. Other aspects are provided without departing from the scope of the present subject matter.
BINAURAL HEARING AID SYSTEM
In a binaural hearing aid system audio signals are transmitted between an antenna facility of a left ITE hearing aid and an antenna facility of a right ITE hearing aid. Binaural beam forming is based on a natural directivity of the pinna and/or based on a head shadowing effect. Each antenna facility has an antenna arrangement with a coil core made of magnetically permeable material, and extending along a longitudinal axis, a further electric hearing aid component, which emits electromagnetic interference radiation, and an at least partially planar shield made of magnetically permeable material. The shield is arranged between the antenna arrangement and the further hearing aid component transversely to the longitudinal axis of the coil core and the shield is arranged at a distance of 50 to 150 micrometers from the coil core, preferably 75 to 100 micrometers.
AUTOMATED SCANNING FOR HEARING AID PARAMETERS
A hearing aid system is provided that facilitates adjustment of signal processing parameters θ of the hearing aid system with minimum user intervention, wherein the hearing aid system is capable of calculating signal processing parameters θ for evaluation of the user when the user has entered an input, e.g. using a smartwatch, to this effect. The evaluation takes place for a certain time period and in the event that the user has entered a consent input indicating that he or she is pleased with the set θ of signal processing parameters under evaluation, the hearing aid system continues processing with those signal processing parameters; and if the user is not pleased with the signal processing parameters θ under evaluation, the hearing aid system calculates another set {circumflex over (θ)} of signal processing parameters for evaluation of the user.
HEARING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM
There is provided a hearing assistance system, comprising an audio streaming device, a first hearing device for stimulating a first ear of a user, and a second hearing device for stimulating a second ear of the user, the audio streaming device comprising an audio input interface for receiving an input stereo audio signal, a unit for analyzing the input stereo audio signal in order to determine at least one azimuthal localization cue by comparing the two channels of the stereo signal, a unit for processing the input stereo audio signal in order to produce an output stereo audio signal, and a unit for supplying one channel of the output stereo audio signal to the first hearing device and for supplying the other channel of the output stereo audio signal to the second hearing device.
HEARING ASSISTANCE DEVICE EAR-TO-EAR COMMUNICATION USING AN INTERMEDIATE DEVICE
Disclosed herein, among other things, are systems and methods for relaying wireless communication from ear-to-ear for hearing assistance devices using an intermediate device. One aspect of the present subject matter includes a method of using a first hearing assistance device in a first ear of a wearer to communicate with a second hearing assistance device in a second ear of the wearer using wireless communication, and determining whether quality of the communication between the devices has fallen below a programmable threshold such that communication can be improved by relaying the communication using an external intermediary device such as a smart phone. One method of determining the quality is to monitor a number of retransmissions that are used to maintain communication between the left and right devices.
HEARING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM COMPRISING AN EEG-RECORDING AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM
A hearing assistance system comprises an input unit for providing electric input sound signals u.sub.i, each representing sound signals U.sub.i from a multitude n.sub.u of sound sources S.sub.i, an electroencephalography (EEG) system for recording activity of the auditory system of the user's brain and providing a multitude n.sub.y of EEG signals y.sub.j, and a source selection processing unit receiving said electric input sound signals u.sub.i and said EEG signals y.sub.j, and in dependence thereof configured to provide a source selection signal Ŝ.sub.x indicative of the sound source S.sub.x that the user currently pays attention to using a selective algorithm that determines a sparse model to select the most relevant EEG electrodes and time intervals based on minimizing a cost function measuring the correlation between the individual sound sources and the EEG signals, and to determine the source selection signal Ŝ.sub.x based on the cost functions obtained for said multitude of sound sources.
AUDIO SYNCHRONIZATION FOR HEARING DEVICES
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for audio synchronization for hearing devices. An audio packet is received from a host device at a first hearing device configured to be worn in a first ear of a wearer, the audio packet compatible with a wireless low energy digital communication protocol, and the audio packet is received from the host device at a second hearing device configured to be worn in a second ear of the wearer. Upon one or more programmable conditions, a synchronization packet is sent from the first hearing device to the second hearing device. An acknowledgment packet is sent from the second hearing device to the first hearing device upon receipt of the synchronization packet, and a first transducer at the first hearing device and a second transducer at the second hearing device are unmuted to deliver synchronized audio to the first ear and to the second ear.
Multifunctional earphone system for sports activities
A multifunctional earphone system for sports activities is described which comprises the following: a first apparatus configured to be carried in one of a user's ears, the first apparatus comprising a first data communication unit and a first loudspeaker, and a second apparatus configured to be carried in the user's other ear, the second apparatus comprising a second data communication unit and a second loudspeaker, wherein at least one of the first apparatus and the second apparatus comprises a sensor unit and a data processing unit, wherein the data processing unit is configured to generate performance data based on measurement data acquired by the sensor unit, wherein the first apparatus further comprises a signal processing unit configured to generate a binaural audio signal based on the performance data, the binaural audio signal comprising a first signal part to be output by the first loudspeaker and a second signal part to be output by the second loudspeaker, and wherein the first data communication unit is configured to communicate the second signal part of the binaural audio signal to the second data communication unit. Furthermore, a method is described.
Signal processing in a hearing device
A method of defining and setting a nonlinear signal processing of a hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, by machine learning is provided. The hearing device being 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 method comprising providing at least one electric input signal representing at least one input sound signal from an environment of a hearing device user, determining a normal-hearing representation of said at least one electric input signal based on a normal-hearing auditory model, determining a hearing-impaired representation of said at least one electric input signal based on a hearing-impaired auditory model, determining optimised training parameters by machine learning, where determining optimised training parameters comprises iteratively adjusting the training parameters, and comparing the normal-hearing representation with the hearing-impaired representation to determine a degree of matching between the normal-hearing representation and the hearing-impaired representation, until the degree of matching fulfils predetermined requirements, and, when the degree of matching fulfils the predetermined requirements, determining corresponding signal processing parameters of the hearing device based on the optimised training parameters. A hearing device is further provided.