LANGUAGE-DEPENDENT ADJUSTMENT OF THE SIGNAL PROCESSING OF HEARING SYSTEMS

Abstract

Hearing systems have at least one hearing instrument which is parameterizable by means of a plurality of signal processing parameters. An initial setting of the signal processing parameters is performed in a test group of hearing systems and a final setting is derived after single or multiple changing of the parameter setting. A change vector in the parameter space is determined from the difference between the final setting and the initial setting. A language indicator characterizing a specific language is assigned to each change vector. From change vectors which are assigned to the same language or a language group a center of gravity of the change vectors in the parameter space is determined as the center of gravity of change. The center of gravity of change is used for a subsequent setting of the hearing systems in the test group or a further hearing system.

Claims

1. A method for setting the signal processing of hearing systems, wherein each of the hearing systems has at least one hearing instrument that is parameterizable by way of a plurality of signal processing parameters, the method comprising: carrying out an initial setting of the signal processing parameters in the hearing systems within a test group of the hearing systems; deriving a final setting of the signal processing parameters in each of the hearing systems within the test group through single or multiple changing of the parameter setting; determining a change vector in a parameter space defined by the signal processing parameters from a difference between the final setting and an initial setting of the signal processing parameters; assigning a language indicator characterizing a specific language to each change vector; from change vectors which are assigned in accordance with the associated language indicator to the same language or to a language group containing that language, determining a center of gravity of these change vectors in the parameter space as a center of gravity of change; and using the center of gravity of change for a subsequent setting of one of the hearing systems in the test group or a further hearing system.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises taking the center of gravity of change into account in the initial setting of a new hearing system.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises taking into account the center of gravity of change in a language-specific hearing program which is reversibly activatable automatically or on request of a user during the operation of the hearing system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of hearing programs that are respectively assigned to different languages are stored in the hearing system and are activatable alternately on request of a user or automatically during an operation of the hearing system, and wherein a center of gravity of change in each case specific to the respective language is taken into account.

5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises taking into account only those change vectors that are based on identical or similar initial settings or final settings of the signal processing in calculating the center of gravity of change.

6. The method according to claim 1, which comprises: assigning at least one indicator of a user characteristic to each change vector, and selecting the at least one indicator from the group consisting of: an indicator of a time period of an untreated hearing loss of the user before a use of a hearing system; an indicator of an age of the user; an indicator of a gender of the user; and an indicator of a musical training of the user; and taking into account only those change vectors which correspond to each assigned user characteristic in calculating the center of gravity of change.

7. The method according to claim 1, which comprises taking into account the center of gravity of change in a subsequent setting of one of the hearing systems in the test group or a further hearing system only the center of gravity of change does not fall below a minimum threshold.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the center of gravity of change is not taken into account in the subsequent setting if the amount of the center of gravity of change falls below a predefined minimum value.

9. The method according to claim 1, which comprises: determining a dispersion of the change vectors from which the center of gravity of change was calculated; and taking into account the center of gravity of change in a subsequent setting of one of the hearing systems in the test group or a further hearing system only if the dispersion does not exceed a predefined maximum value.

10. The method according to claim 1, which comprises: storing a respective initial setting, a respective final setting, and the language indicator in a central database for all hearing systems in the test group; and calculating the change vector in a cloud server for each hearing system in the test group.

11. The method according to claim 10, which comprises storing the respective initial setting, the respective final setting, and the language indicator in a data cloud.

12. The method according to claim 1, which comprises adopting a current setting of the signal processing parameters as the final setting for each hearing system in the test group if the current setting of the signal processing parameters undergoes no further modification over a predefined time period.

13. A device for setting the signal processing of hearing systems, wherein each hearing system has at least one hearing instrument that is parameterizable by way of a plurality of signal processing parameters, the device comprising: at least one adjustment unit for carrying out an initial setting of the signal processing parameters of each hearing system in a test group of the hearing systems, and for carrying out a final setting of the signal processing parameters of each hearing system in the test group through single or multiple changing of the signal processing parameters; an evaluation unit for determining a change vector in the parameter space defined by the signal processing parameters from the difference between the final setting and the initial setting of the signal processing parameters, wherein a language indicator characterizing a specific language is assigned to each change vector; said evaluation unit being configured to determine, from change vectors which are assigned in accordance with the associated language indicator to the same language or to a language group containing the language, a center of gravity of the change vectors in the parameter space as a center of gravity of change; and said adjustment unit, or a further adjustment unit of the device, being configured to use the center of gravity of change in a subsequent setting of one of the hearing systems in the test group or of a further hearing system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0082] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a hearing system having a hearing instrument which is parameterizable by means of a plurality of signal processing parameters, and having an assigned software application which has a data transmission connection to the hearing instrument for the remote control and configuration of the hearing instrument (operating app) and which is installed on a smartphone of the user of the hearing system; and

[0083] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a device for setting the signal processing of hearing systems.

[0084] Matching parts and variables are denoted with the same reference numbers throughout the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0085] Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, in particular, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a rough, schematic view of a hearing system 2 which is formed of a hearing instrument 4 and an associated software application (operating app 6).

[0086] The hearing instrument 2 is, by way of example, a hearing aid, i.e., a hearing device that is configured to support the hearing ability of a user with impaired hearing. In the embodiment shown here, the hearing instrument 2 is designed as a BTE device (BTE-behind the ear). It therefore comprises a housing 8 which is worn for its intended purpose behind an ear of a user, and an earpiece (indicated in dashed lines) which is inserted for its intended purpose into the auditory canal of the user. The hearing instrument 2 further comprises a sound tube (indicated in dashed lines) which mechanically connects the housing 8 to the earpiece.

[0087] Inside a housing 8, the hearing instrument 4 has the following components: [0088] at least one microphone 10 (in the example shown, two microphones 10) as an acoustoelectric input transducer, [0089] a loudspeaker also referred to as a receiver 12 as an electroacoustic output transducer, [0090] a (in particular digital) signal processor 14, and [0091] a battery 16.

[0092] The hearing instrument 4 further has a wireless communication device (not shown in detail) for the data exchange with the operating app 6, e.g. in the form of a Bluetooth transceiver.

[0093] During the normal operation of the hearing instrument 4, the microphones 10 in each case record an airborne sound from the environment of the hearing instrument 4. The microphones 10 convert the sound into an audio (input) signal I, i.e., into an electrical signal containing information relating to the recorded sound. The respective audio input signal I is fed within the hearing instrument 4 to the signal processor 14 which modifies this audio input signal I in order to support the hearing ability of the user, in particular amplifies it in a frequency-selective manner to compensate for a loss of hearing of the user. The function of the signal processor 14 is variably configurable by means of a multiplicity of signal processing parameters p.sub.i.

[0094] The signal processor 14 outputs the modified audio signal (audio output signal O) to the receiver 12. The audio output signal O is an electrical signal containing information relating to the processed and therefore modified sound. The receiver 12 converts the audio output signal O in turn into an airborne sound which is fed via a sound channel 18 to a tip 20 of the housing 8. The airborne sound output by the receiver 12 is fed from there by means of the sound tube to the earpiece and is emitted there into the auditory canal of the user.

[0095] The signal processor 14 and all further electrical or electronic components of the hearing instrument 4 are supplied from the battery 16 with a DC electric voltage referred to as the operating voltage U.

[0096] The operating app 6 is used, in particular, for the remote control and programming of the hearing instrument 4. During the operation of the hearing system 2, the operating app 6 is installed in executable form on an (in particular mobile) computer. In the example shown, this computer is a smartphone 22 of the user. The computer, in particular the smartphone 22, is itself not part of the hearing system 2, but is used by the operating app 6 only as an external resource for computing power, storage space and communication services. In particular, the operating app 6 accesses a wireless communication device (not shown in detail), in particular a Bluetooth transceiver, of the smartphone 22 in order to exchange data with the hearing instrument 4 via a wireless data communication connection 24. The operating app 6 further serves-using the smartphone 22also as a mediator for the data exchange between the hearing instrument 4 and the mobile radio network and the Internet, e.g. in order to use the hearing instrument 4 to make telephone calls and to load updates of the firmware of the hearing instrument 4 or configuration data (in particular values for the signal processing parameters p.sub.i) and run them on the hearing instrument 4.

[0097] FIG. 2 shows a device 30 for setting the signal processing of hearing systems 2, which are, for example, hearing systems 2 of the type shown in FIG. 1.

[0098] The device 30 comprises a first adjustment unit 32, a (setting) database 34, an evaluation unit 36, a (speech adjustment) database 38 and a second adjustment unit 40. In one preferred implementation, the adjustment units 32 and 40 and the evaluation unit 36 are implemented as cloud servers, and the databases 34 and 38 as cloud storage devices. The adjustment units 32 and 40 have a data transmission connection here via the Internet to the hearing systems 2 which are to be adjusted (in particular through the mediation of a mobile radio connection).

[0099] The first adjustment unit 26 has the function of an intrinsically conventional fitting station which performs an individual adjustment, independent from the (spoken or typically heard) language of the user, of the hearing systems 2 in a test group 42 according to the needs of the respective user. The test group 42 preferably comprises a statistically relevant number of hearing systems 2, e.g. several hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of hearing systems 2.

[0100] During the adjustment process (fitting process) carried out by the adjustment unit 32, the adjustment unit 32 creates a first parameter set of the signal processing parameters p.sub.i, referred to below as the initial setting P.sub.in, for each of the hearing systems 2 in the test group 42 on the basis of audiogram data which characterize the hearing ability of the user of the respective hearing system 2. The adjustment unit 32 uses, in particular, a conventional adjustment model, e.g. DSL I/O or NAL-NL2, for this purpose. Following the creation, the adjustment unit 32 transfers the initial setting P.sub.in to the respective hearing system 2 which configures its signal processing accordingly.

[0101] The user therefore begins to use the respective hearing system 2 in the test group 42 with the initial setting P.sub.in predefined by the adjustment unit 32. During a familiarization phase following the start of use, the initial setting P.sub.in is modified by the adjustment unit 32 in one or more fine adjustment steps on the basis of feedback from the user relating to hearing sensation problems and/or on the basis of listening comprehension tests. The modifications can either be predefined manually by an acoustician operating the adjustment unit 32, or can be determined automatically by the adjustment unit 32. In both cases, the adjustment unit 32 creates a parameter set containing the modified signal processing parameters p.sub.i in each fine adjustment step (intermediate setting) and transfers it to the respective hearing system 2 which in turn configures its signal processing accordingly. The adjustment unit 32 stores the number of fine adjustment steps for each hearing system 2 in the test group 42.

[0102] The adjustment unit 32 ends the familiarization phase when a predefined condition is met, e.g. when a predefined command is input by the user or acoustician, when a predefined time period has elapsed since the start of use, or after a predefined number of fine adjustment steps. It can further be provided that the adjustment unit 32 automatically ends the familiarization phase if no further fine adjustment is performed over a predefined time period (of e.g. two months). In all cases, at the end of the familiarization phase, the adjustment unit 32 stores the last-created intermediate setting as the final setting P.sub.end in the setting database 34 together with the associated initial setting P.sub.in, the number of fine adjustment steps and a language indicator, for each system 2 in the test group 42. The language indicator preferably characterizes the language which the user of the respective hearing system 2 predominantly speaks or hears. A listening comprehension test (e.g. an Oldenburg sentence test) is preferably carried out in each case by means of the adjustment unit 32 for each hearing system 2 at the start of use and at the end of the familiarization phase. In this case, the adjustment unit 32 determines the improvement in the listening comprehension of the user during the familiarization phase on the basis of the comparison of the test results, and similarly stores this information in the setting database 34.

[0103] Optionally, the adjustment unit 32 additionally records one or more of the following information elements for each hearing system 2 in the test group 42: [0104] age of the user [0105] gender of the user [0106] type and/or severity of the hearing loss [0107] untreated time period (i.e., time period of the existence of an untreated hearing loss before the start of use of the hearing system 2), [0108] musical training (and therefore implicitly training of the hearing).

[0109] The evaluation unit 36 determines language-specific centers of gravity of change <D> in the signal processing parameters p.sub.i, i.e., average changes in the signal processing parameters p.sub.i for individual languages or for language groups of similar languages, in a language-specific evaluation on the basis of these data stored in the setting database 34. The evaluation unit 36 preferably carries out this language-specific evaluation described in detail below for the first time when a predefined minimum number (e.g. 100) of final settings P.sub.end are stored in the setting database 34. The language-specific evaluation is preferably repeated according to predefined criteria (e.g. at regular time intervals or in each case following the storage of a predefined number of further final settings P.sub.end in the setting database 34). The language-specific evaluation is preferably always carried out with each repetition for all languages or language groups. Alternatively, this evaluation is carried out and repeated separately for different languages or different language groups.

[0110] For all stored final settings P.sub.end (and therefore for each hearing system 2 in the test group 42)or in any case for each stored final setting P.sub.end of the corresponding language or language groupthe evaluation unit 36 in each case determines a change vector D here which in each case reflects the difference between the associated values of the final setting P.sub.end and the initial setting P.sub.in for each signal processing parameter p.sub.i. The change vector D which is derived mathematically from the vector subtraction of the final setting P.sub.end and the initial setting P.sub.in (D=P.sub.endP.sub.in) therefore reflects the change which the signal processing parameters p.sub.i of the respective hearing system 2 have undergone during the familiarization phase. The evaluation module 36 preferably stores the determined change vectors D in the setting database 34 so that these change vectors D do not have to be determined once again when the language-specific evaluation is repeated.

[0111] In a following step of the language-specific evaluation, the evaluation unit 36 determines the centers of gravity of change Dfor the respective language or language group by means of averaging over the change vectors D determined for a specific language or language group. In certain design variants, it can be provided that the evaluation unit 36 uses all change vectors D stored for the respective language or language group in order to determine the center of gravity of change D. However, in order to improve the meaningfulness of the centers of gravity of change D, the evaluation unit 36 checks the relevant change vectors D in a quality check prior to the determination of the centers of gravity of change Dbased on at least the quality criteria specified below: [0112] the number of fine adjustments assigned to the respective change vector D exceeds a predefined limit value (of e.g. one fine adjustment); [0113] the improvement in the listening comprehension of the user assigned to the respective change vector D and determined if necessary through comparison of the test results from listening comprehension tests exceeds a predefined limit value during the familiarization phase.

[0114] In this case, the evaluation unit 36, in determining the center of gravity of change D, takes into account only those change vectors D which fulfil at least one of the checked quality criteria.

[0115] Similarly in order to improve the meaningfulness of the centers of gravity of change D, the evaluation unit 36 filters the change vectors D relevant to a specific language or language group according to at least one further filter criterion, for example: [0116] according to the position of the final setting P.sub.end or initial setting P.sub.in in the parameter space defined by the signal processing parameters p.sub.i, [0117] the age of the user, [0118] the gender of the user, [0119] the type and/or severity of the hearing loss, [0120] the untreated time period of the user, and/or [0121] the musical training of the user.

[0122] In this case, the evaluation unit 36, in determining the center of gravity of change D, takes into account only those change vectors D which fulfil the at least one filter criterion, i.e., for example: [0123] in terms of the position of the final setting P.sub.end or initial setting P.sub.in, are located in a specific region of the parameter space, [0124] are assigned to a specific age range, a specific gender, a specific degree of musical training and/or a specific type and/or severity of the hearing loss, and/or [0125] in terms of the untreated time period of the user, lie within a predefined range.

[0126] In this case, the evaluation unit 36 preferably determines different centers of gravity of change <D> which are assigned to different filter criteria, in particular to different regions of the parameter space, age groups, etc., for one and the same language or language group.

[0127] Similarly in order to improve the meaningfulness of the centers of gravity of change <D>, the evaluation unit 36 checks the determined centers of gravity of change <D>additionally or alternatively to the prior quality check described abovein a subsequent quality check, in order to establish: [0128] that the size of the respective center of gravity of change does not fall below a predefined minimum threshold, in particular by calculating the weighted amount |<D>|w described above of the respective center of gravity of change (D) and comparing it with a predefined threshold value, and/or [0129] that the dispersion (i.e., the statistical variance) of the change vectors D taken into account in determining the respective center of gravity of change Ddoes not exceed a predefined threshold value.

[0130] All determined centers of gravity of change Dwhich do not fulfil the checked quality criterion (or at least one of possibly both checked quality criteria) are rejected by the evaluation unit 36 (and are therefore not further stored or used). The remaining centers of gravity of change Dwhich fulfil the or each checked quality criterion in a subsequent quality check are stored by the evaluation unit 36 in the language adjustment database 38.

[0131] The second adjustment unit 40 is essentially identical to the first adjustment unit 32 and is used in the same way as the latter for the individual adjustment of the signal processing of new hearing systems 2 according to the needs of the respective user. It first creates-essentially in the same way as the adjustment unit 32an initial adjustment P.sub.in of the signal processing parameters p.sub.i of the respective hearing system 2 which it modifies in one or more fine adjustment steps to produce a final adjustment P.sub.end.

[0132] However, in contrast to the adjustment unit 32, the adjustment unit 40 takes into account the language spoken or heard by the user by selecting a suitable center of gravity of change D, if available, from the language adjustment database 38 on the basis of a language indicator and optionally further details relating to the user (such as e.g. age, gender, etc.). The adjustment unit 40 creates the initial setting P.sub.in here in the same way as the adjustment unit 32, in particular using the same conventional adjustment model, by determining a language-unspecific default setting for the signal processing parameters p.sub.i and modifying this default setting by the selected center of gravity of change D. The initial setting P.sub.in transferred in each case by the adjustment unit 40 to the assigned hearing instruments 2 is therefore already adjusted specifically to the language spoken or heard by the user, as a result of which an improved listening comprehension is achieved for the user even from the start of use.

[0133] In the implementation shown by way of example in FIG. 2, the adjustment units 32 and 40 and the evaluation unit 36 are designed in each case as a separate software and, if necessary, hardware unit. However, in further implementations of the invention, the adjustment units 32 and 40 can also be combined (together with or without the evaluation unit 36) in one software and, if necessary, hardware unit. In particular, the adjustment units 32 and 40 can be implemented as two different modes of operation of the same software and, if necessary, hardware unit. The databases 34 and 38 can also be implementedas shown in FIG. 2either as separate units or combined into one unit. A

[0134] Alternatively, the adjustment units 32 and/or 40 can also be divided up into a plurality of subunits as distributed systems. Such subunits of the adjustment units 32 and/or 40 can be implemented, for example, in fitting stations which are operated remotely from one another by different acousticians. Alternatively or additionally, subunits of the adjustment units 32 and/or 40 can also be implemented as components of the respective operating app 6 of the hearing systems 2. In this case, the initial adjustment P.sub.in and the final adjustment P.sub.end are therefore determined by the respective hearing system 2 itself. Furthermore, the database 34 or the database 38 can also be divided again into subunits.

[0135] In a further design variant, the adjustment unit 40 determines the language-adjusted final setting P.sub.end in the form of a hearing program which is reversibly activatable (and correspondingly deactivatable also) during the operation of the hearing system 2 through user action or through an automatic classification of hearing situations. The respective language-specifically suitable center of gravity of change Dinfluences the signal processing of the hearing system 2 only in the event of and during the activation of the hearing program concerned. In this case, the hearing system 2 can optionally also contain a plurality of hearing programs for different languages, with a facility to switch between them during the operation of the hearing system 2.

[0136] The adjustment of the signal processing of the hearing system 2 according to a specific language (or a plurality of languages in alternation) by means of the respective center of gravity of change Dcan also be performed here in the hearing system 2 itself during the live operation thereof.

[0137] Once more in an overview summary, the disclosure deals with a method and an associated device 30 for setting the signal processing of hearing systems 2, wherein each hearing system 2 in each case has at least one hearing instrument 4 which is parameterizable by means of a plurality of signal processing parameters p.sub.i. An initial setting P.sub.in of the signal processing parameters p.sub.i is performed here in each case in the hearing systems 2 in a test group 42 of hearing systems 2, from which a final setting P.sub.end of the signal processing parameters p.sub.i is derived through single or multiple changing of the parameter setting. A change vector D in the parameter space defined by the signal processing parameters p.sub.i is determined from the difference between the final setting P.sub.end and the initial setting P.sub.in of the signal processing parameters p.sub.i, wherein a language indicator characterizing a specific language is assigned to each change vector D. From change vectors D which are assigned to the same language or to a language group containing this language, a center of gravity of these change vectors D in the parameter space is determined as the center of gravity of change D. This center of gravity of change Dis used for a subsequent setting of one of the hearing systems 2 in the test group 42 or a further hearing system 2.

[0138] The invention is explained on the basis of the exemplary embodiments described above, but is in no way restricted thereto. Instead, further embodiments of the invention can be derived from the claims and the description above.

[0139] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: [0140] 2 Hearing system [0141] 4 Hearing instrument [0142] 6 Operating app [0143] 8 Housing [0144] 10 Microphone [0145] 12 Receiver [0146] 14 Signal processor [0147] 16 Battery [0148] 18 Sound channel [0149] 20 Tip [0150] 22 Smartphone [0151] 24 Data communication connection [0152] 30 Device [0153] 32 (First) adjustment unit [0154] 34 Setting database [0155] 36 Evaluation unit [0156] 38 Language adjustment database [0157] 40 (Second) adjustment unit [0158] 42 Test group [0159] DCenter of gravity of change [0160] p.sub.i Signal processing parameter [0161] D Change vector [0162] I Audio (input) signal [0163] O Audio (output) signal [0164] P.sub.end Final setting [0165] P.sub.in Initial setting [0166] U Operating voltage