METHOD FOR PREPARING AN AUDIOGRAM OF A TEST SUBJECT BY USE OF A HEARING INSTRUMENT

Abstract

A method for preparing an audiogram of a test subject by use of a hearing instrument. A sound signal is recorded in an auditory canal of the test subject at least partially closed by the hearing instrument by a first electroacoustic input transducer of the hearing instrument. A first input signal is generated therefrom. A test sound is generated by an electroacoustic output transducer of the hearing instrument and output into the auditory canal of the test subject at least partially closed by the hearing instrument. A hearing threshold of the test subject at at least one test frequency is ascertained on a basis of a reaction of the test subject to the test sound and by use of the first input signal.

Claims

1. A method for preparing an audiogram of a test subject by means of a hearing instrument, which comprises the steps of: recording a sound signal in an auditory canal of the test subject at least partially closed by the hearing instrument by a first electroacoustic input transducer of the hearing instrument; generating a first input signal from the sound signal; generating a test sound by an electroacoustic output transducer of the hearing instrument; outputting the test sound into the auditory canal of the test subject at least partially closed by the hearing instrument; and ascertaining a hearing threshold of the test subject at at least one test frequency on a basis of a reaction of the test subject to the test sound and by means of the first input signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the test sound has a defined first signal contribution at the at least one test frequency; a second signal contribution of the sound signal in the auditory canal at the at least one test frequency is ascertained on a basis of the first input signal; and at least the second signal contribution is taken into consideration for an ascertainment of the hearing threshold in the at least one test subject.

3. The method according to claim 2, which further comprises: generating a correction signal for an active occlusion suppression on a basis of the first input signal; generating a correction sound by the electroacoustic output transducer of the hearing instrument on a basis of the correction signal to compensate for a structure-borne sound in the sound signal of the auditory canal; and outputting the correction sound into the auditory canal of the test subject at least partially closed by the hearing instrument.

4. The method according to claim 3, which further comprises: generating and outputting the correction sound as a broadband sound signal; and ascertaining a residual noise signal not filtered by the active occlusion suppression as the second signal contribution on a basis of the first input signal.

5. The method according to claim 4, which further comprises: recording an ambient sound of the hearing instrument by a second electroacoustic input transducer of the hearing instrument; generating a second input signal from the ambient sound; and carrying out active noise suppression in addition to the output of the test sound on a basis of the second input signal by the electroacoustic output transducer of the hearing instrument.

6. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises concentrating the active noise suppression on a frequency range around the at least one test frequency.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the active occlusion suppression by the correction signal takes place in a broadband manner.

8. A hearing system, comprising: a hearing instrument, containing: a first electroacoustic input transducer, being configured, when said hearing instrument is worn as intended by a test subject, to record a sound signal in an auditory canal of the test subject, and to generate a first input signal from the sound signal; an electroacoustic output transducer configured to generate a test sound, and, when the hearing instrument is worn as intended, to output the test sound into the auditory canal of the test subject; and a controller configured to register a reaction of the test subject to the test sound and to ascertain a hearing threshold of the test subject at at least one test frequency on a basis of the reaction of the test subject to the test sound and by means of the first input signal.

9. The hearing system according to claim 8, wherein: said hearing instrument is configured as a hearing aid, and further contains a second electroacoustic input transducer, which is configured to record an ambient sound of said hearing aid, and to generate a second input signal from the ambient sound; and said controller is configured to generate an output signal on a basis of the second input signal and supply the output signal to said electroacoustic output transducer for conversion into an output sound signal.

10. The hearing system according to claim 9, wherein said controller is configured to carry out active noise suppression on a basis of the second input signal by means of said electroacoustic output transducer in addition to the output of the test sound.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0035] The FIGURE of the drawing is a sectional view of a hearing instrument, which closes an auditory canal, and by means of which a hearing threshold of a user can be ascertained according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] Referring now to the FIGURE of the drawing in detail 1 thereof, there is shown schematically and not true to scale, a sectional illustration of a hearing instrument 1, which is configured in the present case as a hearing aid 2. The hearing aid 2 is inserted into an auditory canal 4 and is seated fixedly in its position due to pressure on the skin at the auditory canal 4. The auditory canal 4 is substantially closed in relation to the surroundings 6 in this way, so that even a low proportion of an ambient sound 8 enters the auditory canal 4 past the hearing aid 2—via an incomplete closure of the auditory canal 4 as a result of a seat of the hearing aid 2 not applied exactly in the auditory canal 4—and through the thin skin parts at the entry of the auditory canal 4.

[0037] The hearing aid 2 has a first electroacoustic input transducer 10 and a second electroacoustic input transducer 12, which are provided in the present case as a first and second microphone 14 and 16, and an electroacoustic output transducer 18, which is provided as a loudspeaker 20. The first microphone 14 and the loudspeaker 20 are directed into the auditory canal 4 when the hearing aid 2 is worn as intended and the second microphone 16 is directed toward the free surroundings 6 of the hearing aid 2.

[0038] The first microphone is configured to record a sound signal 22 in the auditory canal 4 and to generate a first input signal 24 therefrom, which is supplied to a control device 26. The second microphone 16 is configured to generate a second input signal 28 from the ambient sound 8, which is also supplied to the control device 28. In particular, the hearing aid 2 can also have a further electroacoustic input transducer (not shown) oriented toward the free surroundings 6, which is configured to generate a further input signal from the ambient sound 8.

[0039] In normal operation of the hearing aid 2, the second input signal (and possibly said further input signal) is processed specifically by frequency band in the control device 26 and in particular amplified, and an output signal 30 is generated therefrom, which is supplied to the loudspeaker 20. For this purpose, the control device 26 can in particular have a signal processor (not shown) and a working memory addressable by the signal processor. The loudspeaker 20 generates an output sound signal (not shown) from the output signal 30. A hearing impairment of a user of the hearing aid 2 is taken into consideration here for the generation of the output signal 30 by the control device 26 in that, inter alia, a frequency band-specific amplification takes place according to the audiological requirements of the user to compensate for his hearing impairment. For this purpose, an audiogram is required in the hearing aid 2 as the information of these audiological requirements.

[0040] Such an audiogram, which indicates the hearing threshold of the user for individual frequencies, is typically prepared at an audiologist or an acoustician, which the user seeks out for this purpose.

[0041] However, the hearing aid 2 is configured by several special features described hereinafter so that an audiogram can also be prepared with the aid of the hearing aid 2, or an already existing audiogram (and an audiogram preferably stored in a nonvolatile memory of the hearing aid 2, in particular also for use in running operation) can be updated for some frequencies.

[0042] To be able to ascertain a hearing threshold of the user (and thus to be able to use it for an audiogram) by means of the hearing aid 2, the hearing aid 2 is advantageously designed to suppress interfering noises, which could make a measurement of a hearing threshold more difficult (“inconclusive result”) or could also corrupt it (incorrect result), and which typically do not occur to a noteworthy extent in the surroundings specifically configured for such measurements at an audiologist or acoustician.

[0043] A test sound 32 is output by the electroacoustic output transducer 18, which is generated by corresponding contributions in the output signal 30 converted by the electroacoustic output transducer 18. The test sound 32 has a defined first signal contribution 34 in the range of a test frequency here, for which the hearing threshold is to be ascertained. The test sound 32 having the first signal contribution 34 propagates here through the auditory canal 4 to the eardrum 36 of the user and is perceived by the user depending on the sound level of the first signal contribution 34. For a measurement of the hearing threshold at the test frequency, the first signal contribution 34 is varied here (thus, for example, continuously increased from a non-perceptible starting value, or continuously decreased from a well perceptible starting value), so that the user can convey a change of his perception (test sound becomes audible or becomes inaudible).

[0044] This can take place, for example, by means of a corresponding speech input via the second electroacoustic input transducer 12, wherein the second input signal 28 is to be analyzed during the output of the test sound 32 for such a speech input. It is also possible to carry out a user input by means of a smart phone, a tablet PC (both not shown), or the like, which is preferably wirelessly connected to the hearing aid 2, wherein in particular a correspondingly configured app can be used for the input and also for the selection of test frequencies or the like.

[0045] In order that the measurement of the hearing threshold is not made more difficult or corrupted by external interference noises 36 in the ambient sound 8, which propagate via the schematically shown sound path 38 in the auditory canal 4 (and thus further to the eardrum 35 of the user), the external interference noises 36 are compensated via an ANC, in that, on the basis of the second input signal 28 generated by the second electroacoustic input transducer 12 (which does detect the ambient sound 8 and thus the external interference noises 36), a compensation signal (not shown) is generated in the control device 26, which is incorporated into the output signal 30. The compensation signal is generated in phase and amplitude here in such a way that the associated signal contributions in the output sound signal generated by the loudspeaker 20 compensate as completely as possible for the components of the external interference noises 36 which are propagated via the sound path 38 in the auditory canal 4.

[0046] Furthermore, a second signal contribution 40 in the sound signal 22 in the auditory canal 4 is ascertained by means of the first electroacoustic input transducer 10 at the test frequency of the test sound 32. This is carried out with the goal of suppressing a structure-borne sound 42 penetrating into the auditory canal 4 by way of an active occlusion suppression. The component of structure-borne sound 4 in the sound signal 22 can be detected by the first input signal 24 generated by the first electroacoustic input transducer 10, so that, in dependence on the detected structure-borne sound 42, a correction signal (not shown) can be generated, which is incorporated in the output signal 30. The output sound signal correspondingly generated by the electroacoustic output transducer 18 then contains a correction sound, which compensates for the structure-borne sound 42 as completely as possible. A detection of the structure-borne sound 42 can preferably take place chronologically separated from an output of the test sound 32, so that, for example, shortly before such an output, the structure-borne sound 42 to be compensated is ascertained, and a corresponding compensation takes place by means of the correction sound during the output of the test sound. The output sound signal generated by the electroacoustic output transducer 18 can thus detect the test sound 32 and contributions of the active occlusion suppression to compensate for the structure-borne sound 42 in the sound signal 22 in the auditory canal 4 and contributions of an ANC to compensate for the external interference noises 36 in the ambient sound 8.

[0047] Alternatively thereto, the structure-borne sound 42 can also take place (not shown) during the output of the test sound 32. In this case, the second signal contribution 40 of the sound signal 22 in the auditory canal 4 also contains the first signal contribution 34 of the test sound 32 at the test frequency. The second signal contribution 40 can then be used to set the first signal contribution 34 in the test sound 32 so that a desired sound level occurs in each case at the eardrum 35 in the range of the test frequency as the sum signal made up of structure-borne sound 42 and first signal contribution 32. The second signal contribution 34 is thus used here for a direct correction of the first signal contribution 32 in the test sound 32.

[0048] Although the invention was illustrated and described in more detail by the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not thus restricted by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without leaving the scope of protection of the invention.

[0049] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: [0050] 1 hearing instrument [0051] 2 hearing aid [0052] 4 auditory canal [0053] 6 free surroundings [0054] 8 ambient sound [0055] 10 first electroacoustic input transducer [0056] 12 second electroacoustic input transducer [0057] 14 first microphone [0058] 16 second microphone [0059] 18 electroacoustic output transducer [0060] 20 loudspeaker [0061] 22 sound signal [0062] 24 first input signal [0063] 26 control device [0064] 28 second input signal [0065] 30 output signal [0066] 32 test sound [0067] 34 first signal contribution [0068] 35 eardrum [0069] 36 external interference noises [0070] 38 sound path [0071] 40 second signal contribution [0072] 42 structure-borne sound