METHOD FOR OPERATING A BINAURAL HEARING DEVICE SYSTEM AND BINAURAL HEARING DEVICE SYSTEM

Abstract

A method for operating a binaural hearing device system having hearing devices assigned or to be assigned to left and right ears of a user and having microphones, includes capturing items of acoustic information using the hearing devices. The acoustic information items are evaluated for whether they contain music. It is ascertained whether two sources are detectable for the music. A spatial angle range, in which the respective source of the music is positioned, is ascertained with respect to a user viewing direction. If the respective spatial angle range of the two sources of the music is in a front half space relative to the viewing direction, a probability is increased that a situation of intentionally listening to music by the user is present. If a specified probability limiting value is exceeded, signal processing for the hearing devices is adapted with respect to the most natural possible music reproduction.

Claims

1. A method for operating a binaural hearing device system, the method comprising: providing a hearing device assigned or to be assigned to a left ear and a hearing device assigned or to be assigned to a right ear of a user, each respective hearing device having at least one microphone; using both of the hearing devices to capture items of acoustic information; evaluating the items of acoustic information as to whether the items of acoustic information contain music; ascertaining whether two sources can be detected for the music; ascertaining, with respect to a viewing direction of the user, a spatial angle range in which a respective source of the music is positioned; and upon the respective spatial angle range of the two sources of the music being in a front half space with respect to the viewing direction, increasing a probability of a presence of a situation of intentionally listening to music by the user, and upon exceeding a specified probability limiting value, adapting signal processing for both of the hearing devices with respect to a most natural possible reproduction of the music.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises ascertaining whether acoustic signals originating from the two sources are dissimilar to one another within a framework typical for music, and further increasing the probability that the situation of intentionally listening to music exists upon recognizing the dissimilarity.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises further increasing the probability that the situation of intentionally listening to music is present upon the respective spatial angle range of the sources of the music being in an angle range up to approximately +/−60° in relation to the viewing direction.

4. The method according to claim 3, which further comprises setting the angle range to be up to approximately +/−45°.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing each respective hearing device with two microphones, and ascertaining the respective spatial angle range of the two sources based on a time delay of a signal assigned to the music.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises ascertaining the respective spatial angle range of the two sources by scanning using directional sensitivity.

7. The method according to claim 6, which further comprises carrying out the scanning at a front half space.

8. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out binaural processing and evaluation of the items of information acquired by using both hearing devices with respect to the presence of the music and the spatial angle range of the respective source.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises monitoring whether the two sources only move within a specified permissible angle range relative to one another.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises excluding the presence of the situation of intentionally listening to music upon recognizing a movement for only one of the two sources.

11. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises ascertaining spectral differences between the music acquired by at least one of using the respective hearing device or for the respective source, leading to a conclusion of a type of music.

12. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises adapting the signal processing to the type of music.

13. A binaural hearing device system, comprising: a hearing device assigned or to be assigned to a left ear and a hearing device assigned or to be assigned to a right ear of a user; each respective hearing device having at least one microphone and a controller configured to carry out the method according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0042] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, plan view of a binaural hearing device system;

[0043] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a head of a user of the hearing device having the hearing device system in operation;

[0044] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of the hearing device system in an alternative exemplary embodiment of the operation; and

[0045] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of both hearing devices illustrating the operating method carried out thereby.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0046] Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in which parts and variables corresponding to one another are always provided with identical reference signs, and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a diagrammatically-illustrated binaural hearing device system 1. The system has two hearing devices 2 and 4. The hearing device 2 is assigned in intended operation—diagrammatically shown in FIG. 2 or 3—to a left ear 6 of a user 8. The hearing device 4 is accordingly assigned to the right ear 10 of the user 8. Each hearing device 2, 4 has a front microphone 12 and a rear microphone 14. In addition, both hearing devices 2 and 4 have a signal processor 16, a loudspeaker 18, a communication unit 20, and an energy source 22.

[0047] The signal processor 16 is configured to process ambient sound, which was acquired by using the microphones 12 and 14 and converted into microphone signals MS, in dependence on a hearing loss of the user 8, specifically to filter and amplify it depending on frequency, and to output it as an output signal AS at the loudspeaker 18. The latter in turn converts the output signal AS into sound to be output for the sense of hearing of the user 8.

[0048] In a binaural operation of the hearing device system 1, the two hearing devices 2 and 4 are in communication with one another. Specifically, both signal processors 16 transmit data with one another (indicated by a double arrow 24) by using the respective communication units 20. One of the signal processors 16 forms a “master” in this case, the other a “slave.” The two signal processors 16 thus also jointly form a controller of the hearing device system 1. The controller (usually the signal processor 16 functioning as the master) processes, among other things, the microphone signals MS of both hearing devices 2 and 4 to form a binaural directional microphone signal. Furthermore, the controller is configured to classify different hearing situations on the basis of the items of information contained in the microphone signals MS and to change the signal processing of the microphone signals MS in dependence on the classification, i.e., to adapt signal processing parameters. In addition, the signal processors 16, specifically the controller, are configured to carry out an operating method described in more detail hereinafter.

[0049] The controller ascertains whether music is contained in the ambient noises. However, to avoid the signal processing incorrectly being set to music, although music is only coincidentally contained in the ambient noises, the controller ascertains whether multiple sound sources for the music, indicated in this case by two loudspeaker boxes 26, are present in the surroundings of the user 8. Specifically, the controller ascertains whether the two loudspeaker boxes 26 are located in a front half space 28. The front half space 28 represents in this case the spatial area lying in a viewing direction 30 (see FIG. 2) in front of a frontal plane 32 intersecting the two ears 6 and 10.

[0050] According to an exemplary embodiment described on the basis of FIGS. 2 and 4, both signal processors 16 use a “detection stage 34” (see FIG. 4) for this purpose, which ascertains a so-called direction of arrival for the sound originating from the two loudspeaker boxes 26 in a known manner by using the two microphones 12 and 14. The respective direction of arrival is used in this case (in particular in the form of a vector) as a spatial angle range 36 (in relation to the viewing direction 30 as the zero degree direction), in which the respective loudspeaker box 26 is disposed. A classification of the current hearing situation takes place in parallel in a classification stage 38. It is ascertained in this case whether music is present. If this is the case and two different sound sources, thus each disposed in one spatial angle range 36, are acquired, it is checked in a fusion stage 40, in which the items of information of the classification stage 38 and the detection stage 34 are combined, whether both sound sources output the same music. If a sound source for the music recognized in the classification stage 38 is thus ascertained for each of the two hearing devices 2 and 4 within a spatial angle range 36 disposed in the front half space 28—which is established on the basis of the communication of both hearing devices 2 and 4 with one another (cf. FIG. 4)— the controller assumes in the fusion stage 40 that a situation having a stereo presentation of the music exists. The controller takes this as an indication to increase a probability value that a situation of intentionally listening to music is present. At sufficiently high probability (which is the case if it is only checked that the two sound sources are disposed in the front half space 28), the controller adapts parameters for the signal processing of music for a downstream processing stage 42. For example, the controller sets a so-called compression linearly and reduces a noise suppression.

[0051] In an optional variant, a stereo detection stage 44 is connected upstream from the fusion stage 40, in which it is ascertained whether both sound sources output sufficiently similar but not exactly the same sound signals, the latter is the case with a stereo presentation by using a stereo system having two loudspeaker boxes 26, if the output is not set to “mono.” In this variant, the probability value is increased further in relation to the above-described variant if such a stereo presentation is recognized. In this case, the probability value first reaches a limiting value, from which the parameters are changed for the signal processing of music, with this “additional” increase.

[0052] Additionally or alternatively, in an optional further variant the probability value is also increased if the two sound sources are not only in the front half space 28, but also in a narrow spatial range of 60° on both sides of the viewing direction 30.

[0053] Furthermore, the controller optionally does not switch over the signal processing between two parameter sets upon reaching the probability limiting value, but increasingly changes the parameters with increasing probability, so that a situation-dependent increasing change of the signal processing is implemented.

[0054] An alternative exemplary embodiment is shown in FIG. 3. Instead of the acquisition of the direction of arrival, a directional sensitivity of a binaural directional microphone is set in the detection stage 34 in such a way that multiple sectors 46 having sensitivity increased in relation to the other spatial areas are distributed like a fan in the front half space 28. A level value is acquired for each sector 46 and compared to those of the other sectors 46. An increased level value indicates a sound source in the area of the sector 46. For more precise locating, an interpolation is performed between the sectors 46 in an optional variant, so that a sound source disposed between two sectors 46 (indicated in FIG. 3 by the loudspeaker box 26 shown on the left) can be detected, more precisely its spatial angle range 36 can be bounded more narrowly.

[0055] The further procedure again corresponds to the preceding exemplary embodiments and possibly its variants.

[0056] The decision as to whether two sound sources are present for the music and the measures resulting therefrom, thus in particular the decision about the change of the signal processing parameters, is made in one variant of the above-described exemplary embodiments by the signal processor 16 functioning as the master and transmitted to the signal processor 16 functioning as the slave.

[0057] On the basis of the above-described procedure, the signal processing is first changed by the controller when two sound sources are recognized for the music, thus the two loudspeaker boxes 26 in this case. A misinterpretation and adaptation of the signal processing for music for cases in which, for example, only one sound source is present, for example in the case of an advertising speaker in a pedestrian zone or the like, is thus effectively avoided.

[0058] The subject matter of the invention is not restricted to the above-described exemplary embodiments. Rather, further embodiments of the invention can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the above description. In particular, the individual features of the invention described on the basis of the various exemplary embodiments and their embodiment variants can also be combined with one another in another way.

[0059] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0060] 1 hearing device system [0061] 2 hearing device [0062] 4 hearing device [0063] 6 ear [0064] 8 user [0065] 10 ear [0066] 12 microphone [0067] 14 microphone [0068] 16 signal processor [0069] 18 loudspeaker [0070] 20 communication unit [0071] 22 energy source [0072] 24 double arrow [0073] 26 loudspeaker box [0074] 28 half space [0075] 30 viewing direction [0076] 32 frontal plane [0077] 34 detection stage [0078] 36 spatial angle range [0079] 38 classification stage [0080] 40 fusion stage [0081] 42 processing stage [0082] 44 stereo detection stage [0083] 46 sector [0084] AS output signal [0085] MS microphone signal