Hearing aid, and a method and a signal processor for processing a hearing aid input signal

• US 6,735,317 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2002
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Widex A/S (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Widex A/S (WS Audiology A/S)
• Inventors: Paludan-Mueller, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Application Number:
  US10/115,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20020118851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 381/23.1, 381/94.1, 381/94.2, 381/94.3, 381/94.7, 381/312, 381/317, 381/318, 381/320, 704/205, 704/208, 704/214, 704/225, 704/226, 704/227, 704/228
• US Class Current: 381/317
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/356 Amplitude, e.g. amplitude shift or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing

Abstract

In a hearing aid signal processor with AGC in at least three processing channels (a, B, C) for different frequency bands and with noise squelching capability to affect the gain control in a t least a lowest frequency band (A) and one intermediate frequency band (B) speech signals components in the intermediate frequency band of an input signal including background noise are intensified by estimation of the content of speech signal components in at least the highest frequency band (C) and modification of the gain adjustment cause by noise squelching in the intermediate frequency band (B) to reduce the noise spending.

Claims

1. A method for intensification of speech signals components in a hearing aid input signal including background noise, comprising the steps of classifying said input signal into at least three frequency bands comprising at least one high frequency band, a low frequency band and at least one frequency band intermediate said high frequency band and said low frequency band, estimating the level of background noise in said low frequency band and at least one intermediate frequency band and adjusting the gain in said low and said one intermediate frequency band in response to the estimated level of background noise to provide squelching of said background noise, said method further comprising the steps of estimating the content of speech signal components in said at least one high frequency band and modifying the gain adjustment caused by said background noise estimation in at least said one intermediate frequency band to reduce said squelching of background noise and thereby intensify the content of speech signals components occurring in said one intermediate frequency band, wherein said estimations of the level of background noise and the content of speech signal components are effected by percentile estimation.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that following said classification said input signal is subjected to digital signal processing in each of said frequency bands.

3. A method for processing a hearing aid input signal, comprising the steps of:

classifying said input signal according to frequency into at least three frequency bands designated a high frequency band, a low frequency band and an intermediate frequency band intermediate said high frequency band and said low frequency band,

estimating the level of background noise in said low frequency band and said intermediate frequency band,

selecting a trial value of gain in said intermediate frequency band in response to the estimated level of background noise and adapted to suppress background noise,

estimating the content of speech signal components in said high frequency band, and

modifying the value of gain in said intermediate frequency band away from said trial value in order to enhance the content of speech signals components present in said intermediate frequency band;

wherein said estimations of the level of background noise and the content of speech signal components are effected by percentile estimation.

4. The method according to claim 3, comprising, following said classification, subjecting said input signal to digital signal processing in each of said frequency bands.

5. A signal processor for a hearing aid, comprising means for receiving an input signal containing speech signal components in the presence of background noise, means for classification of said input signal into at least three frequency bands comprising at least one high frequency band (C), a low frequency band (A) and at least one frequency band (B) intermediate said high frequency band and said low frequency band, variable gain adjustment means for controlling the gain in each of said frequency bands and means for estimating the level of background noise in said low frequency band and at least one intermediate frequency band and adjusting the gain in said low and said one intermediate frequency bands in response to the estimated level of background noise to provide squelching of said background noise, said signal processor further comprising means for estimating the content of speech signal components in said at least one high frequency band and for modifying the gain adjustment caused by said background noise estimation in at least said one intermediate frequency band to reduce said squelching of background noise and thereby intensify the content of speech signal components occurring in said one intermediate frequency band;

wherein said means for estimating the level of background noise and means for estimating said speech signal components comprise percentile estimator means.

6. A signal processor for a hearing aid, comprising means for receiving an input signal, means for classification of said input signal according to frequency into at least three frequency bands, designated a high frequency band (C), a low frequency band (A) and an intermediate frequency band (B) intermediate said high frequency band and said low frequency band, gain adjustment means for controlling the gain in at least said intermediate frequency band, means for estimating the level of background noise in said low frequency band and at least one intermediate frequency band, means for setting the gain in said intermediate frequency band to a trial value in response to the estimated level of background noise and adapted to suppress background noise, means for estimating the content of speech signal components in said at least one high frequency band and means for modifying the trial value of gain in said intermediate frequency band in order to enhance the content of speech signal components present in said intermediate frequency band;

wherein said means for estimating the level of background noise and said means for estimating the content of speech signals comprises percentile estimator means.

7. A hearing aid, comprising means for receiving an input signal, means for classification of said input signal according to frequency into at least three frequency bands, designated a high frequency band (C), a low frequency band (A) and an intermediate frequency band (B) intermediate said high frequency band and said low frequency band, gain adjustment means for controlling the gain in said intermediate frequency band, means for estimating the level of background noise in said low frequency band and said intermediate frequency band, means for setting the gain in said intermediate frequency band to a trial value in response to the estimated level of background noise and adapted to suppress background noise, means for estimating the content of speech signal components in said high frequency band and means for modifying the trial value of gain in said intermediate frequency band in order to enhance the content of speech signal components present in said intermediate frequency band;

wherein said means for estimating the level of background noise and said means for estimating the content of speech signals comprises percentile estimator means.