Method of localizing a sound source, a hearing device, and a hearing system

    公开(公告)号:US10219083B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-02-26

    申请号:US15915734

    申请日:2018-03-08

    Applicant: Oticon A/S

    Abstract: A hearing system comprising a) a multitude M of microphones, M≥2, adapted for picking up sound from the environment and to provide corresponding electric input signals rm(n), m=1, . . . , M, n representing time, rm(n) comprising a mixture of a target sound signal propagated via an acoustic propagation channel and possible additive noise signals vm(n); b) a transceiver configured to receive a wirelessly transmitted version of the target sound signal and providing an essentially noise-free target signal s(n); c) a signal processor configured to estimate a direction-of-arrival of the target sound signal relative to the user based on c1) a signal model for a received sound signal rm at microphone m through the acoustic propagation channel, wherein the mth acoustic propagation channel subjects the essentially noise-free target signal s(n) to an attenuation αm and a delay Dm; c2) a maximum likelihood methodology; and c3) relative transfer functions dm representing direction-dependent filtering effects of the head and torso of the user in the form of direction-dependent acoustic transfer functions from each of M−1 of said M microphones (m=1, . . . , M, m≠j) to a reference microphone (m=j) among said M microphones, wherein it is assumed that the attenuation αm is frequency independent whereas the delay Dm may be frequency dependent. The application further relates to a method. Embodiments of the disclosure may e.g. be useful in applications such as binaural hearing systems, e.g. binaural hearing aids systems.

    Binaural hearing assistance system comprising binaural noise reduction

    公开(公告)号:US10123134B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-11-06

    申请号:US15340369

    申请日:2016-11-01

    Applicant: Oticon A/S

    Abstract: A binaural hearing assistance method and system comprising left and right hearing assistance devices and a user interface are provided. The left and right hearing assistance devices comprises a) at least two input units for providing a time-frequency representation of an input signal in a number of frequency bands and a number of time instances; and b) a multi-input unit noise reduction system comprising a multi-channel beamformer filtering unit operationally coupled to said at least two input units and configured to provide a beamformed signal. The binaural hearing assistance system is configured to allow a user to indicate a direction to or location of a target signal source relative to the user via said user interface.

    Method for selecting transmission direction in a binaural hearing aid

    公开(公告)号:US09980058B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-05-22

    申请号:US15204753

    申请日:2016-07-07

    Applicant: Oticon A/S

    Abstract: The disclosure relates to binaural hearing instruments and more particularly to reduction of processing time required in a binaural hearing aid system. According to the disclosure, there is provided a method comprising mono-directional transmission of data blocks comprising audio and/or information frames from one hearing instrument to the other hearing instrument or vice versa in a binaural hearing aid. According to the disclosure, the direction of transmission is determined by a quantity characterizing the presence of usable information content in the sound signal picked up by the hearing instruments of the binaural hearing aid. It is proposed to use one or more of local SNR, local voice activity detection indication, local level, local speech intelligibility estimate to determine the direction of transmission, although other quantities may be used.

    Hearing device with adaptive feedback-path estimation
    96.
    发明授权
    Hearing device with adaptive feedback-path estimation 有权
    具有自适应反馈路径估计的听力装置

    公开(公告)号:US09179224B2

    公开(公告)日:2015-11-03

    申请号:US14542067

    申请日:2014-11-14

    Applicant: Oticon A/S

    Abstract: A hearing device comprises a feedback-path estimation unit, which adaptively estimates a feedback path from an output transducer to an input transducer, and sets an adaptation-step size of an adaptive feedback-path estimation algorithm in dependence on an estimate of a background-noise spectrum. The feedback-path estimation unit provides an estimation-control signal for generating an acoustic feedback-path estimation signal having an level spectrum, which has at least one first frequency band with non-zero level and at least one second frequency band with zero level or with a non-zero level smaller than the level in the first frequency band and smaller than a background-noise level in the respective second frequency band. Background noise is detected in the second frequency band while the feedback-path estimation signal is provided. The background-noise level in the at least one first frequency band is estimated for obtaining the estimate of the background-noise spectrum. A corresponding method is described. The method is e.g. useful for estimating a feedback path during fitting of a hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, to a particular user's needs.

    Abstract translation: 听力装置包括反馈路径估计单元,其自适应地估计从输出换能器到输入换能器的反馈路径,并且根据背景音调估计的估计设置自适应反馈路径估计算法的自适应步长, 噪声谱。 反馈路径估计单元提供用于生成具有电平频谱的声反馈路径估计信号的估计控制信号,该电平频谱具有至少一个具有零电平的第一频带和至少一个具有零电平的第二频带, 具有小于第一频带中的电平的非零电平并且小于相应的第二频带中的背景噪声电平。 在提供反馈路径估计信号的同时,在第二频带中检测到背景噪声。 估计至少一个第一频带中的背景噪声电平以获得背景噪声谱的估计。 描述相应的方法。 该方法是例如 用于在安装听觉装置期间估计反馈路径,例如, 助听器,用于特定用户的需要。

    Hearing device comprising a detector and a trained neural network

    公开(公告)号:US12143775B2

    公开(公告)日:2024-11-12

    申请号:US17981648

    申请日:2022-11-07

    Applicant: Oticon A/S

    Abstract: A hearing device comprises an input transducer comprising a microphone for providing an electric input signal representative of sound in the environment of the hearing device, a pre-processor for processing electric input signal and providing a multitude of feature vectors, each being representative of a time segment thereof, a neural network processor adapted to implement a neural network for implementing a detector configured to provide an output indicative of a characteristic property of the at least one electric input signal, the neural network being configured to receive said multitude of feature vectors as input vectors and to provide corresponding output vectors representative of said output of said detector in dependence of said input vectors. The hearing device further comprises a transceiver comprising a transmitter and a receiver for establishing a communication link to another part or device or server, at least in a particular adaptation-mode of operation, and a selector for—in said particular adaptation—mode of operation—routing said feature vectors to said transmitter for transmission to said another part or device or server, and—in a normal mode of operation—to route said feature vectors to said neural network processor for use as inputs to said neural network, a neural network controller connected to said neural network processor for—in said particular adaptation-mode of operation—receiving optimized node parameters, and to apply said optimized node parameters to said nodes of said neural network to thereby implement an optimized neural network in said neural network processor, wherein the optimized node parameters have been selected among a multitude of sets of node parameters for respective candidate neural networks according to a predefined criterion in dependence of said feature vectors. A method of selecting optimized parameters for a neural network for use in a portable hearing device is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids or headsets, or similar, e.g. wearable, devices.

    Hearing device or system comprising a communication interface

    公开(公告)号:US11968500B2

    公开(公告)日:2024-04-23

    申请号:US17720744

    申请日:2022-04-14

    Applicant: Oticon A/S

    CPC classification number: H04R25/505 H04R25/40 H04R25/43 H04R25/554 H04R25/604

    Abstract: A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, comprises a) at least one input transducer for converting sound in the environment of the hearing device to respective at least one acoustically received electric input signal or signals representing said sound; b) a wireless receiver for receiving an audio signal from a wireless transmitter of a sound capturing device for picking up sound in said environment and providing a wirelessly received electric input signal representing said sound; and c) a processor configured c1) to receive said at least one acoustically received electric input signal or signals, or a processed version thereof; c2) to receive said wirelessly received electric input signal; and c3) to provide a processed signal. The processor comprises a signal predictor for estimating future values of said wirelessly received electric input signal in dependence of a multitude of past values of said signal, thereby providing a predicted signal. The hearing device further comprises d) an output transducer for presenting output stimuli perceivable as sound to the user in dependence of said processed signal from said processor, or a further processed version thereof. The processor is configured to provide said processed signal in dependence of the predicted signal or a processed version thereof 1) alone, or 2) mixed with said at least one acoustically received electric input signal or signals, or a processed version thereof. A hearing device comprising an earpiece and a separate audio processing device is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing devices in wireless communication with audio capture devices in an immediate environment of the user wearing the hearing device.

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