METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AN INPUT DEVICE FOR HEARING AID MODIFICATION

• US 20140023214A1
• Filed: 07/17/2012
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Edgar, Daniel Mark
• Application Number:
  US13/551,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20140023214A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/314
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for an input device for hearing aid fitting or modification. According to various embodiments, a Microsoft Kinect® or other gesture sensing input device senses a plurality of gestured inputs or speech made remotely from the computer for fitting or modifying a hearing aid. The Microsoft Kinect® or other gesture sensing input device communicates with the fitting system to simplify the fitting process, removing the restriction of mouse and keyboard, and allowing patient participation in the fitting or modification process for a hearing assistance device.

Claims

1. A method for fitting a hearing aid worn by a wearer with a fitting system, comprising:

programming a three-dimensional gesture sensing input device adapted to input a plurality of gestures or speech by a user of the system during a fitting session and adapted to convert each of the gestures into information useable by the fitting system for the fitting session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional gesture sensing input device includes a Microsoft Kinect®

input device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes settings for the fitting system based on the gestures or speech.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes settings for the hearing aid based on the gestures or speech.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging the gestures or speech during the fitting session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicates starting a fitting session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes an indicated ear.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicates an environment change.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising cycling a current memory environment to another environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicates a louder or softer volume setting.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicates playing certain media files.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicates to start the fitting session over.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicates that the fitting system should undo its last sensed change.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating the fitting session based on the information.

15. A system for sensing a plurality of gestured inputs or speech to a fitting system for fitting a hearing aid, the fitting system executing on a computer, the system comprising:

a three-dimensional gesture sensing input device for sensing the plurality of gestured inputs or speech made remotely from the computer to communicate with the fitting system; and

computer readable information stored in memory to associate each of the plurality of gestures or speech with an operation used in fitting the hearing aid,

wherein the computer readable information is accessible by the computer to convert each of the plurality of gestures or speech into an appropriate instruction to operate the fitting system based on each of the plurality of gestures or speech.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the hearing aid includes a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the hearing aid includes an in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the hearing aid includes an in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aid.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the hearing aid includes a completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the three-dimensional gesture sensing input device includes a Microsoft Kinect®

input device.