METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE IMPROVED PERCEPTION OF ONE'S OWN VOICE

Abstract

A hearing aid device and a method for operating the hearing aid device. The hearing aid device has an acousto-electrical transducer, a signal processing unit, an electro-acoustic transducer and a unit for recognizing a wearer's own voice. The hearing aid device detects and recognizes the wearer's own voice by way of the recognition unit and, when the wearer's own voice has been detected, operates the signal processing unit with a modified signal processing parameter that is modified such that the sound of the wearer's own voice is improved.

Claims

1. A hearing aid device, comprising: an acousto-electrical transducer configured to receive an audio signal and to convert the audio signal into an electrical audio signal; a signal processing unit connected to said first acousto-electrical transducer, said signal processing unit being configured to process the electrical audio signal and to output a processed electrical audio signal; a recognition unit for quickly recognizing a hearing aid wearer's own voice, said recognition unit, upon recognizing the wearer's own voice, operating said signal processing unit with a modified signal processing parameter that is modified to improve a sound perception of the wearer's own voice; said signal processing unit processing the electrical audio signal differently in two parallel signal processing paths to generate an output signal of a first signal processing path and an output signal of a second signal processing path and mixing the output signal of the first signal processing path and the output signal of the second signal processing path in dependence on recognizing the wearer's own voice to form the processed electrical audio signal; and an electro-acoustic transducer connected to said signal processing unit and configured to convert the processed electrical audio signal into an acoustic signal.

2. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein said recognition unit for recognizing the wearer's own voice is configured to recognize the wearer's own voice within a period of a single sound.

3. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, which further comprises a unit for automatic gain control, and wherein the modified signal processing parameter is a signal processing parameter of the automatic gain control selected from the group consisting of gain, compression factor, knee of a compression curve and time constant.

4. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, which further comprises a unit for interference noise suppression, and wherein the modified signal processing parameter specifies an intensity of an interference noise suppression.

5. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, which further comprises a unit for active occlusion suppression, and wherein the modified signal processing parameter specifies an intensity of an active occlusion suppression.

6. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the modified signal processing parameter is provided for influencing a characteristic of the acousto-electrical transducer.

7. The hearing aid device according to claim 6, wherein recognizing the wearer's own voice is represented by a binary value and the signal processing unit is configured to cross-fade an input signal of the electro-acoustic transducer between an output signal of the first signal processing path and an output signal of the second signal processing path in dependence on the binary value.

8. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid device is configured to carry out signal processing in a multiplicity of disjoint or only partially overlapping frequency bands, and wherein the modified signal processing parameter is used only in a subset of the multiplicity of frequency bands.

9. The hearing aid device according to claim 8, wherein said recognition unit for recognizing the wearer's own voice is configured to recognize the wearer's voice in one of the multiplicity of frequency bands and to cause said signal processing unit to operate in the one frequency band with a signal processing parameter modified so as to improve the sound of the wearer's own voice.

10. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein said signal processing unit is configured to change the modified signal processing parameter to another value when said recognition unit for recognizing the wearer's own voice no longer recognizes the wearer's own voice.

11. A method of improving a perception of a wearer's own voice on a hearing aid device, the hearing aid device having an acousto-electrical transducer, a signal processor, an electro-acoustic transducer, and a recognition unit for recognizing a wearer's own voice, the method comprising: recognizing the wearer's own voice by way of the recognition unit for recognizing the wearer's own voice within a period of a single sound; when the wearer's own voice is detected, modifying a signal processing parameter to improve the sound of the wearer's own voice in the electro-acoustic transducer; processing an electrical audio signal with the signal processing unit in parallel on a first signal processing path with the modified signal processing parameter to form a first output signal; and on a second signal processing path with a second value for the signal processing parameter to form a second output signal; and mixing the first and second output signals with the signal processing unit to form a third output signal in dependence on whether or not the wearer's own voice has been recognized; transmitting the third output signal to the electro-acoustic transducer; and converting the third output signal to an acoustic signal by the electro-acoustic transducer.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein recognizing the wearer's own voice is represented by a binary value and the signal processing unit cross-fades the signal present at the electro-acoustic transducer between the output signal of the first signal path and the output signal of the second signal path in dependence on the binary value.

13. The method according to claim 11, which comprises carrying out signal processing in a multiplicity of disjoint or only partially overlapping frequency bands, and using the modified signal processing parameter only in a subset of the multiplicity of frequency bands.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0047] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a hearing aid device according to the invention; and

[0048] FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic flowchart of an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown the basic structure of a hearing aid device 100 according to the invention. One or more microphones, also called acousto-electrical transducers 2, are installed in a hearing aid device housing 10, 20. The microphones pick up the sound or acoustic signals from the environment. The hearing aid device can be in principle a behind-the-ear (BTE) or in-the-ear (ITE) device. The microphones 2 are acousto-electrical transducers 2 for converting the sound into first electrical audio signals. A signal processing unit or signal processing unit (SPU) 3 which is also arranged in the hearing aid device housing 10, 20 processes the first audio signals. The output signal of the signal processing unit 3 is transferred to a loudspeaker or receiver 4 which outputs an acoustic signal. In the case of an HdO hearing aid device, the sound is transferred, if necessary, via an acoustic tube which is fixed by means of otoplasty in the ear canal, to the eardrum of the wearer of the device. However, another electro-mechanical transducer is also conceivable such as, for example, a bone conduction receiver. The hearing aid device 100 and particularly the signal processing unit 3 are supplied with energy by a battery 5, which is also integrated into the hearing aid device housing 10, 20.

[0050] The hearing aid device 100 also has a facility 6 for recognizing the wearer's own voice. The facility 6 for recognizing the wearer's own voice can be designed as separate unit and for this purpose can obtain first audio signals of one or more acousto-electrical transducers 2 via a signal link from the signal processing unit 3. It could also be designed as a separate unit outside the hearing aid device 100 and have a wire-connected or wireless signal link to the latter, the hearing aid device 100 and the facility 6 having corresponding transmission facilities in this case.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment of the hearing aid device according to the invention, the facility 6 for recognizing the wearer's own voice is implemented in the signal processing unit 3, however, as a separate circuit or also in the form of executed program instructions.

[0052] In a preferred embodiment of the hearing aid device 100 according to the invention, the facility 6 for recognizing the wearer's own voice is able to recognize the voice within a short time, that is to say within the period of a single sound or even more quickly, for example within less than 100 ms or 50 ms. This is only possible if the hearing aid device utilizes characteristics of the voice which are particularly rapidly recognizable.

[0053] For example, it is possible that the hearing aid device 100 has an acousto-electrical transducer 2 which is arranged in the hearing aid device in such a manner that it preferably picks up solid-borne sound from a wall of the ear canal, for example is arranged in the wall of the housing 20 or in direct contact therewith. If sound energy occurs here with predetermined minimum amplitude within a predetermined frequency range, this is with a high probability the wearer's voice which is recognized quickly in this manner.

[0054] It is also conceivable that the direction of the sound source or a symmetry is utilized. Thus, a direction can be determined by means of a number of acousto-electrical transducers 2 from which it is concluded that it is the wearer's voice when the direction corresponds to a predetermined direction and exceeds a predetermined minimum amplitude.

[0055] It is also possible that the hearing aid device 100 is part of a binaural hearing aid device system. It then has a communication facility in order to receive an audio signal via a signal link with another hearing aid device 100 of the system. The wearer's own voice can also be recognized quickly by finding a predetermined similarity or correlation of an audio signal from an acousto-electrical transducer 2 and the received audio signal and simultaneous transgression of a predetermined minimum amplitude.

[0056] Other methods for quickly recognizing the wearer's own voice and also logical combinations of said or corresponding methods are also conceivable.

[0057] The hearing aid device 100 is also designed to operate in the signal processing unit 3 with a signal processing parameter modified in such a manner that the sound of the wearer's own voice is improved.

[0058] On recognizing the wearer's own voice, the signal processing unit 3 can load and use a changed set of parameters into registers in the processing of the audio signals. If the facility 6 is designed for recognizing the wearer's own voice separately, it can signal a corresponding change to the signal processing unit 3 via the signal link or convey a set of parameters.

[0059] An improvement can be achieved, for example, in that the hearing aid device according to the invention has in the signal processor a facility for automatic gain control. To improve the sound sensation, it is then possible to change or reduce, for example, a gain, a compression factor as change parameter, to move a knee in a compression curve or to enlarge or change a time constant for a control rate.

[0060] The change is implemented immediately following the recognition of the wearer's own voice within maximally 1 ms, 10 ms or 50 ms. The delay can occur mainly due to the fact that a change in a filter setting only becomes effective when several samples have passed through the filter while a change in the gain becomes effective within the time of a sample passing through the signal processor.

[0061] If the hearing aid device has a facility for the suppression of interference noise, it is also conceivable, for the improvement of the sound, to change as signal processing parameter its intensity, for example to reduce it, in order to avoid artifacts due to the wearer's own voice.

[0062] It is also possible that the hearing aid device has a facility for active occlusion suppression. An occlusion is particularly unpleasant when the wearer himself is speaking. To improve this, the hearing aid device can increase the intensity of the occlusion suppression as changed signal processing parameter, for example, in this case.

[0063] In one conceivable embodiment of the hearing aid device according to the invention, a characteristic of the acousto-electrical transducer 2 can be influenced as a modified signal processing parameter. For example, an omnidirectional sensitivity can be set.

[0064] It is also conceivable that the hearing aid device 100 is designed to operate the signal processing unit 3 in parallel on a first signal processing path with the modified signal processing parameter and on the second signal processing path with a second value for the signal processing parameter. For example, the signal processing unit 3 can process the audio signals of the acousto-electrical transducers in parallel with two processes or in two channels, in each case with different parameter settings or programs. The signal processing unit 3 is then able, by means of a mixer or a corresponding algorithm, to add the result of the signal processing paths weighted with a mixing parameter or mix it in another manner. Thus, a smooth transition can be executed on recognizing the wearer's own voice, which irritates the wearer less.

[0065] In particular when the recognition is implemented not as a softer value in the sense of a fuzzy logic but is specified by a binary value, it is possible that by means of a mixing parameter changing with time, gentle cross-fading can be achieved between a first hearing situation and a hearing situation or hearing setting optimized for the wearer's own voice.

[0066] The hearing aid device 100 is preferably designed to carry out signal processing in a multiplicity of disjoint or only partially overlapping frequency bands, wherein the modified signal processing parameter is used only in a subset of the multiplicity of frequency bands. For a frequency-dependent adaptation of the gain, hearing aid devices usually divide the audio signal or signals of the acousto-electrical transducers 2 in the signal processor 3, e.g., by means of a filter bank or an FFT, into a multiplicity of disjoint or only partially overlapping frequency bands. The wearer's own voice is normally perceived by the solid-borne sound transmission mainly in lower frequency ranges so that it is sufficient if a signal processing parameter is adapted only in some of the multiplicity of frequency bands in order to improve the sound of the wearer's own voice.

[0067] In this context, it is also conceivable that the facility 6 for recognizing the wearer's own voice is only executed on one or some of the frequency bands in order to recognize the wearer's own voice. Thus, for example, the computing load can be reduced or the reliability of the recognition can be increased.

[0068] Finally, the hearing aid device according to the invention is designed, in the case that the wearer's own voice is no longer recognized, to return back into the previous hearing program or to set a hearing program adapted to another situation. In this context, it is conceivable that, in the case of a facility for quickly recognizing, the change also occurs again quickly, for example 50 ms or 100 ms at the most, that is to say the hearing aid device is designed to switch over quickly in the case of a change of words and then to provide both a pleasant sound of the wearer's own voice and to provide for an undisturbed perception of the voice of the other speaker in a conversation, i.e., the collocutor.

[0069] FIG. 2 represents a diagrammatic flowchart of one embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0070] In a step S10, the wearer's own voice is recognized within the period of a single sound by way of the facility 6. That is, the term “quickly,” in this context is intended to mean within the period of a single sound or within 1 ms, 10 ms or no more than 50 ms.

[0071] In a step S20, one or more signal processing parameters are changed by the hearing aid device 100 or the facility 6 or the signal processing unit 3 when the wearer's own voice has been recognized, in such a manner that the sound of the wearer's own voice is improved. The various possibilities for the method for sound improvement have already been explained in the preceding discussion relating to the hearing aid device 100.

[0072] In a conceivable step S30, one or more signal processing parameters are changed again by the hearing aid device 100 or the facility 6 or the signal processing unit 3 when the wearer's own voice is no longer recognized, so that an original hearing setting is established again or a changed hearing setting is set for a new hearing situation.

[0073] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in greater detail by the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not restricted by the examples disclosed and other variations can be derived by the expert without departing from the scope of the invention.