METHODS FOR OPERATING A HEARING DEVICE AS WELL AS HEARING DEVICES

• US 20130064403A1
• Filed: 05/04/2010
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Hasler, Ivo, Knaus, Micha
• Granted Patent: US 9,344,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• 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 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

Method for operating a hearing device (1) that is worn by a hearing device user (2), the method comprising the steps of receiving a transmission signal (4) comprising an audio signal (4) of a sound sources (S), determining a distance (d) between the sound source (S) and the hearing device (1), and generating an output signal supplied to an output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by at least taking into account the audio signal (4) of the transmission signal (3) and the distance (d). Further embodiments are directed to determining an angle (α) defined by a sagittal plane (5) of the hearing device user (2) and a line drawn between the hearing device (1) and the sound source (S). The angle (α) is additionally used to generate the output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1).

Claims

1. A method for operating a hearing device (1) that is worn by a hearing device user (2), the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a transmission signal (3) comprising an audio signal (4) of a sound source (S),

determining a distance (d) between the sound source (s) and the hearing device (1),

generating an output signal supplied to an output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by at least taking into account the audio signal (4) of the transmission signal (3) and the distance (d).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining an angle (α

) defined by a sagittal plane (5) of the hearing device user (2) and a line drawn between the hearing device (1) and the sound source (S), and

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by further taking into account the angle (α

).

5. The method of one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the step of generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) further takes into account a radiation angle (β

) that is defined by an angle between a radiation direction of sound of the sound source (S) and a line drawn between the hearing device (1) and the sound source (S).

6. The method of one of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the sound source (S) is a virtual sound source, of which a transmission signal (3) comprising the audio signal (4) is available only.

7. The method of one of the claims 1 to 5, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an acoustic signal by an input transducer (7) of the hearing device (1), the acoustic signal comprising the audio signal (4) of the sound source (S),

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by combining the audio signal (4) of the transmission signal (3) and the acoustic signal of the input transducer (7) according to a combination ratio that is determined as a function of at least one of the distance (d), the angle (α

) and the radiation angle (β

).

8. The method of one of the claims 1 to 5, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an acoustic signal by an input transducer (7) of the hearing device (1), the acoustic signal comprising the audio signal (4) of the sound source (S),

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by reducing, according to a reduction rate, signal components of the audio signal (4) of the sound source (S) contained in the acoustic signal of the input transducer (7) by using the audio signal (4) of the transmission signal (3), the reduction rate being determined as a function of at least one of the distance (d), the angle (α

) and the radiation angle (β

).

9. The method of one of the claims 1 to 8, wherein the transmission signal (3) is wirelessly transmitted to the hearing device (1).

10. The method of one of the claims 1 to 9, further comprising the step of adjusting the distance (d) as a function of obstacles (6) between the hearing device (1) and the sound source (S).

11. The method of one of the claims 1 to 9, wherein the step of receiving the transmission signal (3) comprising the audio signal (4) of the sound source (S) is performed in the hearing device (1).

16. The hearing device of one of the claims 11 to 14, wherein the interface unit (12) is a wireless interface unit that is operatively connectable to a wireless unit of the sound source (S).

3. A method for operating a hearing device (1) that is worn by a hearing device user (2), the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a transmission signal (3) comprising an audio signal (4) of a sound source (S),

determining an angle (α

) defined by a sagittal plane (5) of the hearing device user (2) and a line drawn between the hearing device (1) and the sound source (S), and

generating an output signal supplied to an output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by at least taking into account the audio signal (4) of the transmission signal (3) and the angle (α

).

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

determining a distance (d) between the sound source (S) and the hearing device (1), and

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by further taking into account the distance (d).

12. A hearing device (1) comprising:

an input transducer (7),

an output transducer (8),

a processing unit (9) operatively connected to the input transducer (7) as well as to the output transducer (8),

an interface unit (12) for receiving a transmission signal (3) comprising an audio signal (4) of a sound source (S), the interface unit (12) being operatively connected to the processing unit (9),

means for determining a distance (d) to the sound source (S),

means for generating an output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by at least taking into account the audio signal (4) of the transmission signal (3) and the distance (d).

13. The hearing device of claim 12, further comprising:

means for determining an angle (α

) defined by a sagittal plane (5) of a hearing device user (2) and a line pointing to the sound source (S), and

means for generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by further taking into account the angle (α

).

14. A hearing device (1) comprising:

an input transducer (7),

an output transducer (8),

a processing unit (9) operatively connected to the input transducer (7) as well as to the output transducer (8),

an interface unit (12) for receiving a transmission signal (3) comprising an audio signal (4) of a sound sources (S), the interface unit (12) being operatively connected to the processing unit (9),

means for determining an angle (α

) defined by a sagittal plane (5) of a hearing device user (2) and a line pointing to the sound source (S), and

means for generating an output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by at least taking into account the audio signal (4) of the transmission signal (3) and the angle (α

).

15. The hearing device of claim 14, further comprising:

means for determining a distance (d) to the sound source (S),

means for generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by further taking into account the distance (d).