公开(公告)号：US11245993B2

公开(公告)日：2022-02-08

申请号：US16785167

申请日：2020-02-07

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Asger Heidemann Andersen ,  Jesper Jensen ,  Michael Syskind Pedersen ,  Nels Hede Rohde ,  Anders Brødløs Olsen ,  Michael Smed Kristensen ,  Thomas Bentsen ,  Andreas Thelander Bertelsen

IPC: G06N3/08 ,  G10L25/51 ,  H04R25/00

Abstract: A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, is configured to be worn by a user at or in an ear or to be fully or partially implanted in the head at an ear of the user. The hearing device comprises a) an input unit for providing at least one electric input signal in a time frequency representation k, m, where k and m are frequency and time indices, respectively, and k represents a frequency channel, the at least one electric input signal being representative of sound and comprising target signal components and noise components; and b) a signal processor comprising b1) an SNR estimator for providing a target signal-to-noise ratio estimate for said at least one electric input signal in said time frequency representation; and b2) an SNR-to-gain converter for converting said target signal-to-noise ratio estimate to respective gain values in said time frequency representation. The signal processor comprises a neural network, wherein the weights of the neural network have been trained with a plurality of training signals. A method of operating a hearing aid is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in audio devices, such as hearing aids, headsets, mobile telephones, etc., operating in noisy acoustic environments.

公开(公告)号：US10580437B2

公开(公告)日：2020-03-03

申请号：US15714260

申请日：2017-09-25

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Jesper Jensen ,  Michael Syskind Pedersen

IPC: G10L25/78 ,  G10L25/84 ,  H04R3/00 ,  G10L25/21 ,  G10L25/90 ,  H04R25/00 ,  G10L21/0216

Abstract: A voice activity detection unit is configured to receive at least two electric input signals in a number of frequency bands and a number of time instances, k and m being frequency band and time indices, respectively, (k, m) defining a specific time-frequency tile of said electric input signal. The voice activity detection unit is configured to provide a resulting voice activity detection estimate comprising one or more parameters indicative of whether or not a given time-frequency tile contains or to what extent it comprises a target speech signal. The voice activity detection unit comprises a) a first detector for analyzing the time-frequency representation of the electric input signals and identifying spectro-spatial characteristics of said electric input signals, and b) and is configured for providing said resulting voice activity detection estimate in dependence of said spectro-spatial characteristics. The invention may be used in hearing aids, table microphones, speakerphones, etc.

公开(公告)号：US10176821B2

公开(公告)日：2019-01-08

申请号：US15445472

申请日：2017-02-28

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Jesper Jensen ,  Jan Mark De Haan ,  Asger Heidemann Andersen

IPC: G10L21/02 ,  G10L21/0232 ,  G10L21/038 ,  G10L25/06 ,  G10L25/60 ,  A61N1/378 ,  H04R25/00

Abstract: A monaural intrusive speech intelligibility predictor unit comprises: first and second input units for providing time-frequency representations s(k,m) and x(k,m) of noise-free and noisy and/or processed versions of a target signal, respectively, k being a frequency bin index, k=1, 2, . . . , K, and m being a time index; first and second envelope extraction units for providing time-frequency sub-band representations of the signals sj(m) and xj(m), j being a frequency sub-band index, j=1, 2, . . . , J; first and second time-frequency segment division units for dividing the time-frequency sub-band representations sj(m) and xj(m) into time-frequency segments Sm and Xm corresponding to a number N of successive samples of the sub-band signals; an intermediate speech intelligibility calculation unit adapted for providing intermediate speech intelligibility coefficients dm estimating an intelligibility of said time-frequency segment Xm, based on said time-frequency segments Sm and Xm or normalized and/or transformed versions {tilde over (S)}m, and {tilde over (X)}m thereof; and a final monaural speech intelligibility calculation unit for calculating a final monaural speech intelligibility predictor d estimating an intelligibility of said noisy and/or processed version x of the target signal by combining said intermediate speech intelligibility coefficients dm, or a transformed version thereof, over time. A hearing aid comprises a monaural, intrusive intelligibility predictor unit, and a configurable signal processor adapted to control or influence the processing of one or more electric input signals representing environment sound to maximize the final speech intelligibility predictor d. A binaural hearing aid system comprises first and second hearing aids.

公开(公告)号：US10070231B2

公开(公告)日：2018-09-04

申请号：US14449372

申请日：2014-08-01

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Jesper Jensen ,  Jesper Bünsow Boldt

IPC: H04R25/00

Abstract: The present disclosure regards a hearing device comprising a power source, electric circuitry, a loudspeaker, at least one microphone for sound from an acoustic environment, and at least one wireless receiver for wirelessly received sound signals. The microphone is configured to generate an environment sound signal. The wireless receiver is configured generate a source sound signal. The electric circuitry is configured to estimate at least one parameter of an impulse response from the location of the origin of the wirelessly received signal to the location of a user of the hearing device in dependence on the source sound signal and the environment sound signal. The electric circuitry is further configured to process the environment sound signal in dependence on the estimated at least one impulse-response parameter, thereby generating an output sound signal. The output sound signal is processed into sound by the loudspeaker.

公开(公告)号：US09992587B2

公开(公告)日：2018-06-05

申请号：US15669020

申请日：2017-08-04

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Mojtaba Farmani ,  Michael Syskind Pedersen ,  Jesper Jensen

IPC: H04R5/00 ,  H04R25/00

CPC classification number: H04R25/552 ,  G10L21/0216 ,  H04R25/405 ,  H04R25/407 ,  H04R25/505 ,  H04R25/554 ,  H04S2420/01

Abstract: A hearing aid system comprising a pair of hearing devices, e.g. hearing aids, worn at the ears of a user receives a target signal generated by a target signal source and transmitted through an acoustic channel to microphones of the hearing aid system. Due to (potential) additive environmental noise, a noisy acoustic signal is received at the microphones of the hearing system. An essentially noise-free version of the target signal is simultaneously transmitted to the hearing devices of the hearing system via a wireless connection. Based on a sound propagation model of the acoustic propagation channel from the target sound source to the microphones of the hearing aid system, and on relative transfer functions representing direction-dependent filtering effects of the head and torso of the user in the form of direction-dependent acoustic transfer functions from a microphone on one side of the head, to a microphone on the other side of the head, a direction-of-arrival (DoA) of the target sound signal relative to the user is determined using a maximum likelihood approach.

公开(公告)号：US09949040B2

公开(公告)日：2018-04-17

申请号：US15170261

申请日：2016-06-01

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Martin Bergmann ,  Jesper Jensen ,  Thomas Gleerup ,  Ole Fogh Olsen

IPC: H04R25/00

CPC classification number: H04R25/407 ,  H04R25/43 ,  H04R25/505 ,  H04R25/552 ,  H04R25/554 ,  H04R25/558 ,  H04R2225/55 ,  H04R2430/20 ,  H04R2460/01 ,  H04R2460/03

Abstract: The application relates to: A hearing system comprising first and second hearing aid systems, each being configured to be worn by first and second persons and adapted to exchange audio data between them. The application further relates to a method of operating a hearing system. The object of the present application is to provide improved perception of a (target) sound source for a wearer of a hearing device (e.g. a hearing aid or a headset) in a difficult listening situation. The problem is solved in that each of the first and second hearing aid systems comprising an input unit for providing a multitude of electric input signals representing sound in the environment of the hearing aid system; a beamformer unit for spatially filtering the electric input signals; antenna and transceiver circuitry allowing a wireless communication link between the first and second hearing aid systems to be established to allow the exchange of said audio data between them; and a control unit for controlling the beamformer unit and the antenna and transceiver circuitry; wherein the control unit—at least in a dedicated partner mode of operation of the hearing aid system—is arranged to configure the beamformer unit to retrieve an own voice signal of the person wearing the hearing aid system from the electric input signals, and to transmit the own voice signal to the other hearing aid system via the antenna and transceiver circuitry. This has the advantage of eliminating the need for a partner microphone while still providing a boost in SNR of a target speaker. The invention may e.g. be used for the hearing aids, head sets, active ear protection devices or combinations thereof.

公开(公告)号：US09516430B2

公开(公告)日：2016-12-06

申请号：US14677261

申请日：2015-04-02

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Jesper Jensen ,  Michael Syskind Pedersen ,  Jan Mark De Haan

IPC: H04R25/00 ,  G10L25/78

CPC classification number: H04R25/552 ,  G10L25/78 ,  H04R25/405 ,  H04R25/407 ,  H04R25/554 ,  H04R25/558 ,  H04R2225/43 ,  H04R2225/61 ,  H04R2430/20

Abstract: A binaural hearing assistance system includes left and right hearing assistance devices, and a user interface. 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.

Abstract translation: 双耳助听系统包括左右助听装置和用户界面。 左和右助听装置包括：a）至少两个输入单元，用于在多个频带和多个时间实例中提供输入信号的时间频率表示; 以及b）多输入单元噪声降低系统，其包括可操作地耦合到所述至少两个输入单元并被配置为提供波束形成信号的多通道波束成形器滤波单元。 双耳助听系统被配置为允许用户经由所述用户界面指示目标信号源相对于用户的方向或位置。

公开(公告)号：US12225351B2

公开(公告)日：2025-02-11

申请号：US17575968

申请日：2022-01-14

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Adel Zahedi ,  Michael Syskind Pedersen ,  Thomas Ulrich Christiansen ,  Lars Bramsløw ,  Jesper Jensen

IPC: H04R25/00 ,  G10L25/78

Abstract: A hearing device adapted for being worn at or in an ear of a user, comprises a) an input unit comprising at last two input transducers each for converting sound around said hearing device to an electric input signal representing said sound, thereby providing at least two electric input signals; b) a beamformer filter comprising a minimum processing beamformer defined by optimized beamformer weights, the beamformer filter being configured to provide a filtered signal in dependence of said at least two electric input signals and said optimized beamformer weights; c) a reference signal representing sound around said hearing device; d) a performance criterion for said minimum processing beamformer. The minimum processing beamformer is a beamformer that provides the filtered signal with as little modification as possible in terms of a selected distance measure compared to said reference signal, while still fulfilling said performance criterion. The optimized beamformer weights are adaptively determined in dependence of said at least two electric input signals, said reference signal, said distance measure, and said performance criterion. A method of operating a hearing device is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids or headsets.

公开(公告)号：US20240422481A1

公开(公告)日：2024-12-19

申请号：US18819829

申请日：2024-08-29

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Michael Syskind Pedersen ,  Jesper Jensen ,  Christian Asp Mogensen

IPC: H04R25/00

Abstract: A hearing aid adapted for being worn by a user comprises at least two microphones, providing respective at least two electric input signals representing sound; a filter bank converting the at least two electric input signals into signals as a function of time and frequency; a directional system connected to said at least two microphones and being configured to provide a filtered signal in dependence of said at least two electric input signals and fixed or adaptively updated beamformer weights. At least one direction to a target sound source is defined as a target direction. For each frequency band, one of said at least two microphones is selected as a reference microphone, thereby providing a reference input signal for each frequency band. The reference microphone for a given frequency band may be selected in dependence of directional data related to directional characteristics of the at least two microphones.

公开(公告)号：US11991499B2

公开(公告)日：2024-05-21

申请号：US17522275

申请日：2021-11-09

Applicant: Oticon A/S

Inventor： Poul Hoang ,  Jan M. De Haan ,  Michael Syskind Pedersen ,  Jesper Jensen

IPC: H04R25/00 ,  G06F16/61 ,  G06N20/00

CPC classification number: H04R25/407 ,  G06N20/00 ,  H04R25/405 ,  H04R25/505 ,  G06F16/61 ,  H04R2225/51

Abstract: A hearing aid microphone system includes M microphones providing corresponding electric input signals. Environmental sound at a given microphone includes a target sound signal propagated via an acoustic propagation channel from a direction to or a location of a target sound source to the microphone, and possible additive noise signals. The acoustic propagation channel is modeled. The hearing aid system includes: a processor connected to the microphones, and a database Θ having a multitude of dictionaries Δp, p=1, . . . , P, where p is a person index, of vectors, termed ATF-vectors, whose elements ATFm, m=1, . . . , M, are frequency dependent acoustic transfer functions representing direction- or location-dependent, and frequency dependent propagation of sound. The processor is configured to, at least in a learning mode of operation, determine personalized ATF-vectors based on the multitude of dictionaries Δp, the electric input signals, and the model of the acoustic propagation channels.