METHOD FOR ADAPTING A PLURALITY OF SIGNAL PROCESSING PARAMETERS OF A HEARING INSTRUMENT IN A HEARING SYSTEM

Abstract

A method for adapting signal processing parameters of a hearing instrument of a hearing system. A number of acoustic indicators (IndA) for a temporary environmental situation of a user of the hearing instrument is ascertained from an input signal generated by a transducer. A first sensor ascertains a number of peripheral indicators (IndP) for the existing temporary environmental situation. Based on the acoustic and peripheral indicators (IndA, IndP) the system determines whether the existing temporary environmental situation falls into a known class of temporary environmental situations. If it does not, a new class is defined with the respective ascertained acoustic and peripheral indicator(s) (IndA, IndP), and the plurality of signal processing parameters are assigned a corresponding plurality of parameter values, according to which the first input signal is to be processed to form the output signal upon the future existence of a temporary environmental situation from the new class.

Claims

1. A method for adapting a plurality of signal processing parameters of a hearing instrument of a hearing system, the method comprising: processing a first input signal, which is generated by a first input transducer of the hearing instrument from an ambient sound, to form an output signal, and converting the output signal by an output transducer of the hearing instrument into an output sound signal; determining, based on the first input signal, a number of acoustic indicators for an existing temporary environmental situation of a user of the hearing instrument; determining, based on at least one first sensor of the hearing system, a number of peripheral indicators for the existing temporary environmental situation; on a basis of one or more of the acoustic indicators and on a basis of one or more of the peripheral indicators, ascertaining whether the existing temporary environmental situation falls in a class from a plurality of known classes for temporary environmental situations; and when the existing temporary environmental situation does not fall into any of the known classes for temporary environmental situations: defining a new class for temporary environmental situations, the new class being characterized by the respectively ascertained acoustic indicators and peripheral indicators; and assigning to the plurality of signal processing parameters a corresponding plurality of parameter values, according to which the first input signal is to be processed to form the output signal upon a later existence of a temporary environmental situation from the new class.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises ascertaining at least one acoustic indicator selected from the group consisting of: a hearing situation; a characteristic variable for a speech component and/or an own speech activity of the user in the ambient sound; a characteristic variable for a noise component in the ambient sound; a characteristic variable for tonal signals in the ambient sound; and a characteristic variable for a directionality in the ambient sound.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises ascertaining at least one peripheral indicator selected from the group consisting of: a cardiovascular characteristic variable, and/or a movement state of the user; a position of the user; a body temperature of the user; and a characteristic variable for a stress perception of the user.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first sensor for ascertaining the at least one peripheral indicator is a sensor selected from the group consisting of: a photoplethysmography sensor; an acceleration sensor; a GPS receiver; a thermometer; a bioimpedance sensor; a sensor of electrodermal activity; and an altimeter.

5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, before a new class is defined, directing a confirmation inquiry to the user by an operating device of the hearing system, and defining the new class when the inquiry is confirmed by the user.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of defining the new class comprises ascertaining a similarity value of the new class with at least one existing class, and assigning the plurality of parameter values for the new class on a basis of the similarity value and on a basis of the plurality of parameter values of the at least one existing class.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of defining the new class comprises: transferring the ascertained acoustic and peripheral indicators by way of a communication device of the hearing system to a computing system that is separate from the hearing system and that has a database in which a plurality of class definitions are stored; and assigning the plurality of parameter values for the new class by the computing system on the basis of the ascertained acoustic and peripheral indicators and on the basis of the class definitions.

8. The method according to claim 7, which comprises: transmitting additional audiological and/or biometric data of the user to the computing system; wherein further audiological and/or biometric data, associated with each class definition, of a person assigned to the respective class definition are stored in the database; and additionally assigning the plurality of parameter values for the new class by the computing system on a basis of the audiological and/or biometric data of the user and on a basis of the audiological and/or biometric data of the persons assigned to the respective class definitions.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of defining the new class comprises: assigning respective preliminary parameter values and processing the first input signal with the preliminary parameter values for the plurality of signal processing parameters to form the output signal; supplying the output sound signal corresponding to the output signal thus generated to a sense of hearing of the user; and directing a confirmation inquiry to the user and, upon receiving a confirmation, establishing and assigning the preliminary parameters as the plurality of parameter values for the definition of the new class.

10. The method according to claim 9, which comprises: upon receiving a rejection of the confirmation inquiry, directing an inquiry with respect to a change of a parameter value for a specific one of the signal processing parameters to the user; and changing said parameter value for the specific signal processing parameter based on a corresponding input of the user.

11. A hearing system, comprising: a hearing instrument having at least one input transducer, a signal processing unit, and an output transducer; said at least one input transducer being configured to generate an input signal from an ambient sound; said signal processing unit being configured to process the input signal according to a plurality of signal processing parameters to form an output signal; said output transducer being configured to convert the output signal into an output sound signal; and a first sensor configured to ascertain a number of peripheral indicators for an existing temporary environmental situation of a user of the hearing instrument; and wherein the hearing system is configured to adapt the plurality of signal processing parameters by performing the method according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0047] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a hearing system having a hearing aid and a smart phone, which is configured to acquire a general situation in the daily routine of a user; and

[0048] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the sequence of a method to define signal processing parameters for the hearing aid depending on the acquired situation by means of the hearing system shown in FIG. 1.

[0049] Parts and variables corresponding to one another are provided with the same reference signs and symbols throughout the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0050] Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, in particular, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a schematic diagram of a hearing system 1, which includes a hearing instrument 2 and an auxiliary device 4. The hearing instrument 2 is designed in the present case as a hearing aid 6, and accordingly has a first electroacoustic input transducer 8, a second electroacoustic input transducer 9, a signal processing unit 12 connected to both said input transducers 8, 10, and an electroacoustic output transducer 14 connected to the signal processing unit 12. The first and the second electroacoustic input transducer are provided here by a first microphone 9 and a second microphone 11, respectively, and the electroacoustic output transducer 14 is provided by a loudspeaker 13. The first and second microphones 9, 11 are configured to generate a first input signal 16 or a second input signal 17, respectively, from an ambient sound 15. The first input signal 16 and the second input signal 17 are processed in the signal processing unit 12 to form an output signal 18, which is converted by the loudspeaker 13 into an output sound signal 20. In the processing of the two input signals 16, 17 in the signal processing unit 12, in particular a hearing loss of a user (not shown in greater detail) of the hearing aid 6 can be taken into consideration in that the hearing loss is at least partially compensated for by a frequency band-dependent amplification and/or compression of the input signals 16, 17. For this purpose, individual signal processing parameters for the processing of the first and the second input signal 16, 17 are set to corresponding parameter values in the signal processing unit 12 in a dependence still to be described on external conditions

[0051] Furthermore, the hearing aid 6 has, as a first sensor 21, a PPG sensor 22, which is also connected to the signal processing unit 12. The PPG sensor 22 is configured in particular to measure a heart rate and/or a blood pressure of the user. The hearing aid 6 additionally has in the present exemplary embodiment, as a further sensor 23, an acceleration sensor 24, which is also connected to the signal processing unit 12, and by means of which a movement change of the user of the hearing aid 6 can be acquired. A movement of the user can thus also be acquired by an integration of the acceleration in the signal processing unit 12.

[0052] In a way still to be described, said signal processing parameters for the processing of the two input signals 16, 17 are set in dependence on external conditions to corresponding parameter values. In particular, it is to be made possible for the user here to define such dependencies on the external conditions, thus a relationship between the conditions and the corresponding assignment of parameter values for the signal processing parameters, himself according to his individual requirements. In particular the auxiliary device 4, designed in the present case as a smart phone 25, is used for this purpose, which is connectable via a Bluetooth connection 26 to the hearing aid 6. For this purpose, the hearing aid 6 and the smart phone 25 each have correspondingly configured transceiver devices (not shown in greater detail in FIG. 1) (for example antennas) for establishing said Bluetooth connection 26. The smart phone 25 additionally has a processor unit 28 for processing steps described hereinafter, and a touchscreen 30, by means of which user inputs can be performed by the wearer of the hearing aid 6 or the system 1 via a corresponding application. In addition, the smart phone 25 has a GPS sensor 31, which is connected to the processor unit 28 and is to be used as a further sensor for the acquisition of the external conditions.

[0053] FIG. 2 schematically shows in a block diagram the sequence of a method, by means of which the signal processing parameters of the hearing aid 6 according to FIG. 1 are assigned individual parameter values in dependence on external conditions. On the basis of the first input signal 16 and the second input signal 17, initially acoustic indicators IndA are obtained by an analysis of said signals in the signal processing unit 12, which permit conclusions about the external conditions such as hearing situation or also environment in general. For this purpose, the two input signals 16, 17 are preferably decomposed into individual frequency bands. The acoustic indicators can preferably directly comprise a hearing situation here, or also a characteristic variable for a speech component, for an ego speech activity of the user, for a noise component, or for tonal signals in the ambient sound. Furthermore, the directionality of sound signals of individual sound sources in the ambient sound is preferably also used by means of directional microphonics (by corresponding processing of the two input signals 16, 17), which is in particular advantageous for a recognition of the existing hearing situation.

[0054] Furthermore, peripheral indicators IndP are then also acquired by means of the first sensor 21 and the further sensor 23. The first sensor 21, designed as a PPG sensor 22, acquires in this case as peripheral indicators IndP at least one cardiovascular characteristic variable 32 of the user, thus, for example, a blood pressure and/or a pulse rate. The further sensor 23, designed as an acceleration sensor 24, acquires as a further peripheral indicator IndP movement changes of the user, due to which in particular conclusions are possible about physical activity 34, for example sporting activity or also physical work. The corresponding peripheral indicator IndP can also be given here by a more detailed evaluation of the acquired movement changes with respect to the precise type of the physical activity (see above). In addition, a position 36 of the user can be acquired by the GPS sensor 31 of the smart phone 25 as a further peripheral indicator IndP.

[0055] The acoustic indicators IndA and the peripheral indicators IndP define a temporary environmental situation 38 here. This temporary environmental situation 38 in particular represents a characterization of the external conditions according to the entirety of its acquired features. It is not checked on the basis of the acoustic indicators IndA and the peripheral indicators IndP whether the existing temporary environmental situation 38 falls in a previously defined class 40 for temporary environmental situations. Such classes 40 for temporary environmental situations can be understood here in particular as an expansion of the concept of the hearing situation to nonacoustic features (acquired in the present case on the basis of the peripheral indicators IndP) for a further differentiation.

[0056] The check as to whether the existing temporary environmental situation 38 falls into one of said classes 40 can also take place in a cascaded manner, in that, for example, solely a hearing situation 42 is initially ascertained on the basis of the acoustic indicators IndA, which can be given, however, by several of the classes 40 for temporary environmental situations, and it is subsequently checked on the basis of the peripheral indicators IndP whether the existing temporary environmental situation 38 can be assigned to one of the relevant classes 40 for the existing hearing situation 42.

[0057] Each individual one of the classes 40 for temporary environmental situations is characterized here, on the one hand, on the basis of the relevant acoustic and peripheral indicators IndA, IndP, wherein preferably a distance and/or similarity measure is also defined, so that for acoustic and peripheral indicators IndA, IndP existing at a given point in time, it can be ascertained on the basis of the distance or similarity measure with respect to the corresponding indicators of the predefined classes 40 in which class 40 the corresponding temporary environmental situation 38 existing at the point in time falls. Such a distance or similarity measure can also be defined for continuous indicators, for example, on the basis of corresponding intervals for the values of the respective indicators; a distance measure in a high-dimensional vector space is also conceivable in this case (a class is then preferably defined via a base vector having individual values of the respective indicators as vector entries).

[0058] On the other hand, each class 40 also comprises an assignment of a plurality of parameter values 44 to the corresponding signal processing parameters 46 of the signal processing unit 12. This means: The signal processing parameters 46, according to which the two input signals 16, 17 are processed to form the output signal 20 in the signal processing unit 12, are set as a function of the presently existing class 40 for temporary environmental situations (identified on the basis of the acoustic and peripheral indicators IndA, IndP) to respective parameter values 44, which were defined or established beforehand for the present class 40.

[0059] If it is now however established on the basis of the acoustic indicators IndA and the peripheral indicators IndP (for example via a distance or similarity measure, see above) that the currently existing temporary environmental situation 38 does not fall into any of the known classes 40, a new such class 40a is thus defined. For the definition, the currently existing values of the acoustic and peripheral indicators IndA, IndP are used here. On the one hand, the definition can take place automatically. On the other hand, a first confirmation inquiry 48 can also be output to the user via the touch screen 30 of the smart phone 25 as to whether this user wishes a definition of a new class 40a for temporary environmental situations, and the definition can be performed upon the confirmation of the inquiry (for example, the user can reject the first confirmation inquiry 48 if the current situation does not represent a repeating temporary environmental situation with a high level of certainty).

[0060] If a new class 40a for temporary environmental situations is now defined, an assignment of the corresponding parameter values 44a for the associated signal processing parameters 46 also takes place. This assignment can take place, on the one hand, on the basis of an acoustic analysis of the surroundings (thus by means of the input signals 16, 17) or on the basis of an ascertained hearing situation 42, wherein if necessary the user can perform fine tuning via the touch screen 30.

[0061] In particular, a test operation of the signal processing using preliminary parameter values can be carried out for this purpose, and a second confirmation inquiry 49 can be output to the user. Upon a confirmation, the preliminary parameter values are established for the definition of the new class 40a. Upon a rejection, the user can adapt individual signal processing parameters 46, for example by successive inquiries by the hearing system.

[0062] However, the parameter values 44a for the new class 40a can also be obtained in that, on the basis of the acoustic and peripheral indicators IndA, IndP for the currently existing temporary environmental situation 38, a similarity value 50 to other classes 40 for temporary environmental situations is formed (preferably in each case with respect to a reference vector of the relevant class having corresponding indicator values). On the basis of the similarity value 50, a most similar class 40b (or also a second-most similar class, etc.) to the existing temporary environmental situation 38 can then be determined. The parameter values 44a of the new class 40a can then be obtained on the basis of the parameter values 44 of the most similar class 40b. The above-mentioned test operation having preliminary parameter values and the second confirmation inquiry 49 can also be carried out here.

[0063] In particular, the similarity value 50 can also already be used here for the recognition of the new class 40a. For example, this can take place in such a way that for the existing temporary environmental situation 38, the similarity value 50 is ascertained with respect to all known classes 40. If the greatest similarity value 50 is above a predetermined limiting value (with suitable norming, this limiting value is to be selected close to 1), by definition the existing temporary environmental situation 38 falls into the known class 40. However, if the similarity value 50 having the existing temporary environmental situation 38 does not reach the limiting value for any of the known classes 40, the new class 40a is thus defined accordingly, wherein for the parameter values 44a, those of the most similar class 40b (the class having the greatest similarity value 50) can be used and can be suitably modified by the user if necessary.

[0064] The assignment of the parameter values 44a of the new class 40a can also take place in that the acoustic and peripheral indicators IndA, IndP are transferred to a computing system 52 having a database (not shown in greater detail), which can be provided, for example, by a cloud server. A large number of class definitions 54 for temporary environmental situations, as were already carried out for other persons (in particular by this person himself) are stored in said database. In particular, the respective indicators IndA, IndP and the associated parameter values 44 are thus stored here for the individual class definitions 54, thus for the definitions of classes 40 for temporary environmental situations performed for or by other persons. On the basis of the stored class definitions 54, a suitable set of parameter values 44a for the new class 40a can be ascertained by a computing unit 56 connected to the database of the computing system 52, which as part of the computing system 52 can also be implemented on the physical infrastructure of the cloud server, and transferred back to the hearing system 1. The selection of these suitable parameter values 44a can in particular also take place here in a similar manner as described above on the basis of a similarity measure, wherein the similarity of the existing temporary environmental situation is now checked with respect to the stored class definitions.

[0065] In particular, however, for the individual class definitions 54, audiological data (for example an audiogram) and/or biometric data (e.g., age, sex, relevant illnesses, etc.) of the respective persons can also be stored, for whom the class definitions 54 were performed. Corresponding audiological and/or biometric data of the user of the hearing instrument 2 are then also to be transferred to the database of the computing system 52 for the ascertainment of the parameter values 44a of the new class 40a; these data can preferably be stored in the smart phone 25, by means of which the transfer of said data and in principle also the acoustic and peripheral indicators can take place.

[0066] The above-mentioned test operation using preliminary parameter values and the second confirmation inquiry 49 can also be initially carried out here for the final determination of the parameter values 44a for the definition of the new class 40a.

[0067] 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.

[0068] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: [0069] 1 hearing system [0070] 2 hearing instrument, hearing device [0071] 4 auxiliary device [0072] 6 hearing aid [0073] 8 first (electroacoustic) input transducer [0074] 9 first microphone [0075] 10 second (electroacoustic) input transducer [0076] 11 second microphone [0077] 12 signal processing unit [0078] 13 loudspeaker [0079] 14 (electroacoustic) output transducer [0080] 15 ambient sound [0081] 16 first input signal [0082] 17 second input signal [0083] 18 output signal [0084] 20 output sound signal [0085] 21 first sensor [0086] 22 PPG sensor [0087] 23 further sensor [0088] 24 acceleration sensor [0089] 25 smart phone [0090] 26 Bluetooth connection [0091] 28 processor unit [0092] 30 touchscreen [0093] 31 GPS sensor [0094] 32 cardiovascular characteristic variable [0095] 34 physical activity [0096] 36 position [0097] 38 temporary environmental situation [0098] 40 class for temporary environmental situations [0099] 40a new class (for temporary environmental situations) [0100] 42 hearing situation [0101] 44 parameter values [0102] 44a parameter values (of the new class) [0103] 46 signal processing parameters [0104] 48 first confirmation inquiry [0105] 49 second confirmation inquiry [0106] 50 similarity value [0107] 52 computing system [0108] 54 class definition [0109] 56 computing unit [0110] IndA acoustic indicators [0111] IndP peripheral indicators