Hearing aid device with automatic switching to hearing coil mode

• US 20030059076A1
• Filed: 09/24/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Martin, Raimund
• Application Number:
  US10/253,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20030059076A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/502 using analog signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A beneficial automatic switching and control of hearing aid devices is based on a respective auditory situation. An acoustic signal and an induction signal are picked up for controlling the hearing aid device. Subsequently, the acoustic signal is evaluated and compared to the induction signal in view of prescribed parameters such as level, carrier frequency, modulation frequency, degree of modulation and/or estimated signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, the hearing aid device is controlled on the basis of the comparison in view of the input signal, individual hearing aid parameters or entire hearing programs.

Claims

1. A hearing aid device, comprising:

an acoustic pick-up for picking up an acoustic signal;

an induction pick-up for picking up an induction signal;

a control device for controlling the hearing aid device;

a comparison device configured for comparing a picked-up acoustic signal to a picked-up induction signal and supplying a comparison result to the control device for controlling the hearing aid device on the basis of the comparison result.

2. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the induction pick-up comprises an auditory coil for picking up an audio coil signal that corresponds to at least one of an electrically and magnetically converted acoustic signal.

3. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the comparison device is configured so that at least one of an acoustic signal and an audio coil signal can be analyzed by the comparison device in terms of at least one of level, carrier frequency, modulation frequency, degree of modulation and estimated signal-to-noise ratio.

4. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic pick-up comprises one or more microphones.

5. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the comparison device comprises at least one of a Bayes'"'"' classifier, a neural network, and a fuzzy controller for the evaluation of at least one of an acoustic and an audio coil signal.

6. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to select at least one of the acoustic pick-up and the induction pick-up as a hearing aid input.

7. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the comparison device is configured to constantly supply comparison results.

8. A method for controlling a hearing aid device, comprising:

picking up an acoustic signal by the hearing aid device;

picking up an induction signal by the hearing aid device;

comparing the acoustic signal to the induction signal thereby producing a comparison result; and

controlling the hearing aid device based on the comparison result.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the induction signal comprises an audio coil signal that corresponds to at least one of an electrically and magnetically converted acoustic signal.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

evaluating the induction signal and acoustic signal in terms of at least one of level, carrier frequency, modulation frequency, degree of modulation and estimated signal-to-noise ratio in the comparison.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

evaluating at least one of the acoustic signal and induction signal with at least one of a Bayes'"'"' classifier, a neural network, and a fuzzy controller in the comparison.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

selecting, by a control device of the hearing aid, at least one of the acoustic signal and the induction signal as an input signal for the hearing aid device.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

at least partially selecting the acoustic signal as an input signal of the hearing aid based on the comparison result.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

selecting the acoustic signal of the hearing aid device when its intensity is higher than that of the induction signal.

15. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

processing the acoustic signal and the induction signal in a time-division multiplex manner in a same signal processing block.