APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REDUCING IMPACT SOUND EFFECTS FOR HEARING APPARATUSES WITH ACTIVE OCCLUSION REDUCTION

• US 20100220881A1
• Filed: 02/08/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte Ltd (WS Audiology A/S)
• Inventors: Gebhardt, Volker, Arndt, Georg-Erwin
• Application Number:
  US12/701,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20100220881A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/317
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/05 Electronic compensation of the occlusion effect
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing

Abstract

The invention specifies a hearing apparatus (1) and an associated method with an active occlusion reduction unit (10). The hearing apparatus (1) also comprises at least one first means (R, M, 20, 30), which can be used to reduce an impact sound (TS) formed in the auditory canal of a wearer of the hearing apparatus (1) by steps of said wearer and/or effects on the occlusion reduction unit (10) caused by the impact sound (TS). This has the advantage that the impact sound artifacts that can be heard by a wearer of the hearing apparatus (1) are prevented.

Claims

1. A hearing apparatus, comprising:

an active occlusion reduction unit; and

at least one first means configured to reduce an impact sound formed in an auditory canal of a wearer of the hearing apparatus by steps of said wearer and/or effects on said occlusion reduction unit caused by the impact sound.

2. The hearing apparatus according to claim 1, formed as an in-the-ear hearing device or a behind-the-ear hearing device.

3. The hearing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the effects on said occlusion reduction unit comprise harmonics produced in a receiver and/or in an auditory canal microphone.

4. The hearing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first means comprises at least one of an auditory canal microphone and a receiver with a distortion factor less than 10% with impact sound volume levels occurring in a frequency range from 20 to 50 Hz.

5. The hearing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first means comprises a plurality of receivers, one of said receivers having a distortion factor less than 10% with impact sound volume levels occurring in a frequency range from 20 to 50 Hz.

6. The hearing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first means comprises an impact sound identification unit configured to identify impact sound levels in the auditory canal above a predeterminable threshold value and/or impact sound frequency patterns.

7. The hearing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said impact sound identification unit comprises at last one of an acceleration sensor and a vibration sensor.

8. The hearing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when impact sound is present, an amplification of said active occlusion reduction unit can be reduced adaptively or said active occlusion reduction unit can be deactivated.

9. The hearing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first means comprises a control element enabling an amplification of said occlusion reduction unit to be changed.

10. The hearing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control element is a regulation element to be used by a wearer of the hearing apparatus or by an acoustician to change the amplification of said occlusion reduction unit.

11. A method for operating a hearing apparatus with active occlusion reduction, which comprises:

determining a presence of an impact sound generated by steps of a wearer of the hearing apparatus; and

actively reducing the impact sound caused by steps of the wearer of the hearing apparatus in the auditory canal of the wearer and/or effects on occlusion reduction caused by the impact sound.