Binaural Hearing Assistance Operation

• US 20170195802A1
• Filed: 01/05/2016
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Eichfeld, Jahn D., Franck, Kevin H., Fitch, Lisa A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,967,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/40 Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/453 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

A method of operating a hearing assistance system that includes a binaural hearing device with first and second earpieces, each earpiece adapted to be worn over, on or in one ear. Each earpiece has an electroacoustic transducer that converts an input electrical audio signal for the ear into sound, and at least one microphone that converts sound into an electrical microphone output signal. The hearing assistance system is adapted to process microphone output signals from both earpieces to create the electrical audio signals that are used to drive the transducers of both earpieces. A situation in which one of the earpieces is not over, on or in an ear is detected, and in response the processing of at least one of the microphone output signals that creates the audio signals is modified.

Claims

1. A method of operating a hearing assistance system that comprises a binaural hearing device that comprises first and second earpieces, each earpiece adapted to be worn over, on or in one ear, each earpiece comprising an electroacoustic transducer that converts an input electrical audio signal for the ear into sound, and at least one microphone that converts sound into an electrical microphone output signal, where the hearing assistance system is adapted to process microphone output signals from both earpieces to create the electrical audio signals that are used to drive the transducers of both earpieces, the method comprising:

detecting when one of the first and second earpieces is not over, on or in an ear; and

in response to detecting when one of the first and second earpieces is not over, on or in an ear, modifying the processing of at least one of the microphone output signals that creates the audio signals.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the processing of at least one of the microphone output signals that creates the audio signals comprises processing only the microphone output signal from the other of the first and second earpieces to create the audio signal for the transducer of the other earpiece.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the processing of at least one of the microphone output signals that creates the audio signals comprises processing microphone output signals from both earpieces to create the electrical audio signals that are used to drive the transducers of both earpieces, but only up to a cutoff frequency.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the processing of at least one of the microphone output signals that creates the audio signals comprises modifying the processing of the microphone output signals from the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising maintaining the processing of the microphone output signals from the other earpiece.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein modifying the processing of the microphone output signals from the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear comprises band limiting the microphone output signals from the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to detecting when an earpiece is not over, on or in an ear, turning off the output of the transducer of the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to detecting when an earpiece is not over, on or in an ear, reducing an output level of the transducer of the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the processing of at least one of the microphone output signals that creates the audio signals comprises turning off a microphone bias of a microphone of the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the earpiece microphones detect sound external to the earpieces.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the processing of at least one of the microphone output signals that creates the audio signals comprises modifying a binaural steady-state noise reduction algorithm.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein modifying a binaural steady-state noise reduction algorithm comprises changing a configuration of internal parameters within the steady-state noise reduction algorithm.

13. A method of operating a hearing assistance system that comprises a binaural hearing device that comprises first and second earpieces, each earpiece adapted to be worn over, on or in one ear, each earpiece comprising an electroacoustic transducer that converts an input electrical audio signal for the ear into sound, and at least one microphone that converts sound into an electrical microphone output signal, where the hearing assistance system is adapted to process microphone output signals from both earpieces to create the electrical audio signals that are used to drive the transducers of both earpieces, the method comprising:

detecting when one of the first and second earpieces is not over, on or in an ear; and

in response to detecting when one of the first and second earpieces is not over, on or in an ear, modifying a processing of the hearing assistance system that uses microphone output signals from both earpieces.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein modifying a processing of the hearing assistance system that uses microphone output signals from both earpieces comprises processing only the microphone output signal from the other of the first and second earpieces to create the audio signal for the transducer of the other earpiece.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein modifying a processing of the hearing assistance system that uses microphone output signals from both earpieces comprises processing microphone output signals from both earpieces to create the electrical audio signals that are used to drive the transducers of both earpieces, but only up to a cutoff frequency.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein modifying a processing of the hearing assistance system that uses microphone output signals from both earpieces comprises modifying the processing of the microphone output signals from the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear while maintaining the processing of the microphone output signals from the other earpiece.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein modifying the processing of the microphone output signals from the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear comprises band limiting the microphone output signals from the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising, in response to detecting when an earpiece is not over, on or in an ear, turning off the output of the transducer of the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising, in response to detecting when an earpiece is not over, on or in an ear, reducing an output level of the transducer of the earpiece that is not over, on or in an ear.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein modifying a processing of the hearing assistance system that uses microphone output signals from both earpieces comprises changing a configuration of internal parameters within a binaural steady-state noise reduction algorithm.