Abstract:
The invention relates to a hearing aid a cochlear implant comprising a) at least one input transducer for capturing incoming sound and for generating electric audio signals which represent frequency bands of the incoming sound, b) a sound processor which is configured to analyze and to process the electric audio signals, c) a transmitter that sends the processed electric audio signals, d) a receiver/stimulator, which receives the processed electric audio signals from the transmitter and converts the processed electric audio signals into electric pulses, e) an electrode array embedded in the cochlear comprising a number of electrodes for stimulating the cochlear nerve with said electric pulses, and f) a control unit configured to control the distribution of said electric pulses to the number of said electrodes. The control unit is configured to distribute said electric pulses to the number of said electrodes by applying one out of a plurality of different coding schemes, and wherein the applied coding scheme is selected according to characteristics of the incoming sound.
Abstract:
A hearing device adapted to a specific user comprises a) a forward path for processing an electric signal representing sound, and comprising an input unit, a signal processing unit, and an output unit, b) a configurable tinnitus signal generator for generating a tinnitus masking signal intended to relieve a tinnitus of the user, and c) a combination unit operationally connected to the configurable tinnitus signal generator and to the forward path, d) an analysis path comprising d1) an analysis unit for providing a forward path analysis control signal; d2) a control unit for receiving the forward path analysis control signal, and providing a resulting tinnitus control signal based on a predefined criterion involving said number of control input signals, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the configurable tinnitus signal generator, depending on the resulting tinnitus control signal, to thereby adaptively control a level of the tinnitus masking signal.
Abstract:
The present application relates to a system comprising a hearing aid, the hearing aid configured to be operated based on an estimation of a current listening effort of a hearing aid user. The system comprising an input unit for receiving an input sound signal from an environment of the hearing aid user and providing at least one electric input signal representing said input sound signal, an output unit for providing at least one set of stimuli perceivable as sound to the hearing aid user based on processed versions of said at least one electric input signal, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimator for determining an SNR in the environment of the hearing aid user, a processing unit connected to said input unit and to said output unit and comprising signal processing parameters of the system to provide processed versions of said at least one electric input signal, a memory unit configured to store reference sets of SNR and pulse transition time (PTT) of the hearing aid user, at least a first and a second physiological sensor, wherein the system being configured to determine, based on the first physiological sensor, a first point in time at a first maximum upslope point of a first measured parameter, determine, based on the second physiological sensor, a second point in time at a second maximum upslope point of a second measured parameter, establish a current PTT by calculating a time difference between the first point in time and the second point in time, and determine, based on the current PTT and the stored reference sets of SNR and PTT, a current listening effort of the hearing aid user.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a hearing aid comprising a first microphone configured to receive a first acoustic signal and to convert the first acoustic signal to a first electrical audio signal, a speaker configured to emit an acoustic output signal into an ear of a user of the hearing aid device, a first analog-to-digital converter for converting the first electrical audio signal into a first time-domain input signal, a first input unit comprising a first analysis filter bank which is configured to convert the first time-domain input signal to a number NI,1 of first input frequency bands wherein the number NI,1 of first input frequency bands is determined by said first analysis filter bank, a first frequency band bundling and allocation unit which is configured to bundle adjacent first input frequency bands and to allocate first frequency bands to be processed to a number NP,1 of first processing channels, a memory unit which is configured to store data indicating which of the first NI,1 input frequency bands are subject to a likelihood of feedback that is above a threshold, a signal processing unit is configured to process the first frequency bands to be processed in the number NP,1 of first processing channels, and wherein the number NP,1 of first processing channels is smaller than the number NI,1 of first input frequency bands, and wherein the first frequency band bundling and allocation unit is configured to generate a first bundling and allocation scheme which determines the bundling of the first NI,1 input frequency bands and the allocation of the first frequency bands to be processed to the first NP,1 processing channels wherein said first bundling and allocation scheme depends on the likelihood of feedback to occur in at least one of the first NI,1 input frequency bands.
Abstract:
A method of personalizing one or more parameters of a processing algorithm for use in a hearing aid of a specific user comprises Performing a predictive test for estimating a hearing ability of the user when listening to signals having different characteristics; Analyzing results of said predictive test for said user and providing a hearing ability measure for said user; Selecting a specific processing algorithm of said hearing aid, Selecting a cost-benefit function related to said user's hearing ability in dependence of said different characteristics for said algorithm; and Determining, for said user, one or more personalized parameters of said processing algorithm in dependence of said hearing ability measure and said cost-benefit function.
Abstract:
A hearing instrument and a method for operating a hearing instrument is provided. The hearing instrument and/or the method includes receiving and manipulating an audio signal at a signal processor to create a manipulated audio signal, providing a tinnitus relief sound having an operational level based on a present volume level from an audio signal, and generating an output signal based on the manipulated audio signal and the tinnitus relief sound.
Abstract:
A hearing instrument and a method for operating a hearing instrument is provided. The hearing instrument and/or the method includes a tinnitus relief sound.
Abstract:
The present application relates to a system comprising a hearing aid, the hearing aid configured to be operated based on an estimation of a current listening effort of a hearing aid user. The system comprising an input unit for receiving an input sound signal from an environment of the hearing aid user and providing at least one electric input signal representing said input sound signal, an output unit for providing at least one set of stimuli perceivable as sound to the hearing aid user based on processed versions of said at least one electric input signal, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimator for determining an SNR in the environment of the hearing aid user, a processing unit connected to said input unit and to said output unit and comprising signal processing parameters of the system to provide processed versions of said at least one electric input signal, a memory unit configured to store reference sets of SNR and pulse transition time (PTT) of the hearing aid user, at least a first and a second physiological sensor, wherein the system being configured to determine, based on the first physiological sensor, a first point in time at a first maximum upslope point of a first measured parameter, determine, based on the second physiological sensor, a second point in time at a second maximum upslope point of a second measured parameter, establish a current PTT by calculating a time difference between the first point in time and the second point in time, and determine, based on the current PTT and the stored reference sets of SNR and PTT, a current listening effort of the hearing aid user.
Abstract:
A hearing device, a hearing system and a method for improving a hearing impaired person's ability to perceptually separate a target sound from competing sounds, the target sound and the competing sounds forming a composite sound signal having a given frequency range, where the method comprises the steps of: (i) subdividing the frequency range of the composite sound signal into a plurality of frequency sub-bands; (ii) grouping frequency sub-bands based on comparable characteristics of the plurality of frequency sub-bands; (iii) for each of the groups calculating a group envelope; and (iv) multiplying the signal in the frequency sub-bands of each individual group by a function or functions that enhance(s) peaks of the group envelope and/or attenuates energy in troughs in the group envelope. The comparable characteristics may be the correlation between the envelope of each of the bands in the specific group of frequency sub-bands and the corresponding group envelope.