Digital hearing aid

• US 6,023,517 A
• Filed: 10/21/1997
• Issued: 02/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: K/S HIMPP
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ishige, Ryuuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, SINH N
• Application Number:
  US08/955,454
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/315, 381/316, 381/317, 381/321
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/356 Amplitude, e.g. amplitude shift or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/453 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing

Abstract

A digital hearing aid enables a user to distinguish an alarm sound from other environmental sound. The hearing aid includes a control unit for determining amplifications for respective frequency band required for acoustic sense compensation on the basis of the result of analysis by an analyzing unit, the hearing characteristics data from a storage unit, and presence and absence of the alarm sound per respective frequency bands from an alarm sound detecting unit for feeding amplification data, and an acoustic sense compensating unit for receiving the input data from an input unit and amplification data from the control unit, for performing an acoustic sense compensating process to increase amplification of the frequency band containing the alarm sound to be greater than those of other frequency bands when the alarm sound contained in a specific frequency band is detected by the alarm sound detecting unit, for outputting.

Claims

1. A digital hearing aid comprising:

storage means for storing hearing characteristics data of a user by a fitting device;

input means for inputting an input sound from a microphone and converting said input sound into input data as digital data;

analyzing means for deriving acoustic pressure levels per respective frequency bands of said input data;

a band-pass filter group dividing said input data into respective frequency components;

alarm sound detecting means for detecting whether an alarm sound is contained in said input data or not on the basis of a waveform pattern in respective frequency bands of said input data passed through said filter group;

control means for determining amplifications for respective frequency bands required for acoustic sense compensation on the basis of the result of analysis by said analyzing means, the hearing characteristics data from said storage means, and presence or absence of the alarm sound per respective frequency bands from said alarm sound detecting means for feeding amplification data; and

acoustic sense compensating means for receiving the input data from said input means and amplification data from said control means, for performing acoustic sense compensating process to increase amplification of the frequency band containing the alarm sound to be greater than those of other frequency bands when the alarm sound contained in a specific frequency band is detected by said alarm sound detecting means, for outputting.

6. The digital hearing aid as recited in claim 1, wherein the amplification of the frequency band containing the alarm sound is dynamically adjustable based on the amplification data supplied to the acoustic sense compensating means by the control means.

2. A digital hearing aid comprising:

storage means for storing hearing characteristics data of a user by a fitting device;

input means for inputting an input sound from a microphone and converting said input sound into input data as digital data;

analyzing means for deriving acoustic pressure levels per respective frequency bands of said input data;

a band-pass filter group dividing said input data into respective frequency components;

alarm sound detecting means for detecting whether an alarm sound is contained in said input data or not on the basis of a waveform pattern in respective frequency bands of said input data passed through said filter group;

alarm sound generating means receiving detection data from said alarm sound detecting means for generating an alarm sound of a frequency band, at which the user has the highest acoustic sense on the basis of the hearing characteristics data of the user from said storage means when the alarm sound is contained in said input data;

control means for determining amplifications for respective frequency bands required for acoustic sense compensation on the basis of the result of analysis by said analyzing means, the hearing characteristics data from said storage means, and presence or absence of the alarm sound per respective frequency bands from said alarm sound detecting means for feeding amplification data; and

acoustic sense compensating means for receiving the input data from said input means and amplification data from said control means, for performing acoustic sense compensating process on the basis of said input data and said hearing characteristics data from said storage means, and thereafter superimposing said alarm sound generated by said alarm sound generating means when the alarm sound is generated by said alarm sound generating means, for outputting.

3. A digital hearing aid comprising:

storage means for storing hearing characteristics data of a user by a fitting device;

input means for inputting an input sound from a microphone and converting said input sound into input data as digital data;

analyzing means for deriving acoustic pressure levels per respective frequency bands of said input data;

a band-pass filter group dividing said input data into respective frequency components;

alarm sound detecting means for detecting whether an alarm sound is contained in said input data or not on the basis of a waveform pattern in respective frequency bands of said input data passed through said filter group;

control means for determining amplifications for respective frequency bands required for acoustic sense compensation on the basis of the result of analysis by said analyzing means, the hearing characteristics data from said storage means, and presence or absence of the alarm sound per respective frequency bands from said alarm sound detecting means, and the alarm sound generated by said alarm sound generating means when the alarm sound is detected by said alarm sound detecting means, for feeding amplification data; and

acoustic sense compensating means for receiving the input data from said input means and amplification data from said control means, for performing acoustic sense compensating process on the basis of said input data and said hearing characteristics data from said storage means, and thereafter superimposing said alarm sound generated by said alarm sound generating means with emphasizing said alarm sound by increasing amplification of the frequency band of said alarm sound and decreasing amplifications of other frequency bands, when the alarm sound contained in said input data is detected by said alarm sound detecting means, for outputting.

4. A digital hearing aid comprising:

storage means for storing hearing characteristics data of a user by a fitting device;

input means for inputting an input sound from a microphone and converting said input sound into input data as digital data;

analyzing means for deriving acoustic pressure levels per respective frequency bands of said input data;

a band-pass filter group dividing said input data into respective frequency components;

alarm sound detecting means for detecting whether an alarm sound is contained in said input data or not on the basis of a waveform pattern in respective frequency bands of said input data passed through said filter group;

alarm sound generating means receiving detection data from said alarm sound detecting means for generating an alarm sound of a frequency band, at which the user has the highest acoustic sense on the basis of the hearing characteristics data of the user from said storage means when the alarm sound is contained in said input data;

control means for determining amplifications for respective frequency bands required for acoustic sense compensation on the basis of the result of analysis by said analyzing means, the hearing characteristics data from said storage means, and presence or absence of the alarm sound per respective frequency bands from said alarm sound detecting means for feeding amplification data; and

acoustic sense compensating means for receiving the input data from said input means and amplification data from said control means, for performing acoustic sense compensating process on the basis of said input data and said hearing characteristics data from said storage means, and thereafter superimposing said alarm sound generated by said alarm sound generating means with emphasizing said alarm sound by increasing amplification of the frequency band of said alarm sound and decreasing amplifications of other frequency bands, when the alarm sound is generated by said alarm sound generating means, for outputting.

5. A digital hearing aid comprising:

storage means for storing hearing characteristics data of a user by a fitting device;

input means for inputting an input sound from a microphone and converting said input sound into input data as digital data;

analyzing means for deriving acoustic pressure levels per respective frequency bands of said input data;

a band-pass filter group dividing said input data into respective frequency components;

alarm sound detecting means for detecting whether an alarm sound is contained in said input data or not on the basis of a waveform pattern in respective frequency bands of said input data passed through said filter group;

alarm voice generating means receiving detection data from said alarm sound detecting means for generating an alarm voice of a frequency band, at which the user has the highest acoustic sense on the basis of the hearing characteristics data of the user from said storage means when the alarm sound is contained in said input data;

control means for determining amplifications for respective frequency bands required for acoustic sense compensation on the basis of the result of analysis by said analyzing means, the hearing characteristics data from said storage means, and further on the basis of said alarm voice when the alarm voice is generated by said alarm voice generating means for feeding amplification data; and

acoustic sense compensating means for receiving the input data from said input means and amplification data from said control means, for performing acoustic sense compensating process on the basis of said input data and said hearing characteristics data from said storage means, and thereafter adding said alarm voice generated by said alarm voice generating means with emphasizing said alarm sound by increasing amplification of the frequency band of said alarm sound and decreasing amplifications of other frequency bands, when the alarm voice is generated by said alarm voice generating means, for outputting.