Hearing aid and method of adapting a hearing aid

• US 7,295,676 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Gmbh (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Chalupper, Josef
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saunders, Jr.; Joseph
• Application Number:
  US10/981,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20050094834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 381/23.1, 381/92, 381/313, 381/310, 381/1, 381/109, 381/91, 381/122, 700/94, 367/124, 367/129
• US Class Current: 381/313
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural

Abstract

With the adaptation of a hearing aid to a multitude of acoustic sources, head movements can be taken into consideration more rapidly. To this end, a position determining device (PB) for determining the current position of the head of the hearing aid wearer is provided, so that with the aid of the position of the head in a processing and separation unit (VE), the relative change in the acoustic source positions can be rapidly taken into consideration. Thus after each head movement, a renewed time-intensive adaptation is not required.

Claims

1. A hearing aid, comprising:

a plurality of microphones for acquiring a plurality of input signals;

a position determining device for detecting a position of the head of a user of the hearing aid; and

a computing device for identifying an incoming direction of an acoustic signal based upon the input signals and the head position, wherein the position determining device includes a flux gate for detecting the earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid adapts itself based upon the incoming direction.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 2, wherein adapting by the hearing aid includes adjusting an acoustic parameter of the hearing aid.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 3, wherein the acoustic parameter is used for weighting the microphone input signals.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 2, wherein adapting by the hearing aid includes mixing at least two of the microphone input signals using a phase shift of one of the input signals.

6. A hearing aid system, comprising:

a first and a second hearing aid for binaural support of a user of the hearing aid system;

a position determining device for detecting a position of the head of the user;

a computing device for identifying an incoming direction of an acoustic signal based upon the input signals and the head position; and

a transmission device for wirelessly transmitting the position of the head from the first to the second hearing aid, wherein the position determining device includes a flux gate for detecting the earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

7. The hearing aid system according to claim 6, wherein the hearing aid system adapts itself based upon the incoming direction by adjusting an acoustic parameter of the hearing aid.

8. The hearing aid system according to claim 7, wherein the acoustic parameter is used for weighting the microphone input signals.

9. The hearing aid system according to claim 7, wherein adapting by the hearing aid system includes mixing at least two of the microphone input signals using a phase shift of one of the input signals.

10. A hearing aid, comprising:

a plurality of microphones for acquiring a plurality of input signals;

a position determining device for detecting a position of the head of a user of the hearing aid; and

a computing device for identifying an incomina direction of an acoustic signal based upon the input signals and the head position, wherein the position determining device includes an accelerometer for determining the position of the head.

11. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein the hearing aid adapts itself based upon the incoming direction.

12. The hearing aid according to claim 11, wherein adapting by the hearing aid includes adjusting an acoustic parameter of the hearing aid.

13. The hearing aid according to claim 12, wherein the acoustic parameter is used for weighting the microphone input signals.

14. The hearing aid according to claim 11, wherein adapting by the hearing aid includes mixing at least two of the microphone input signals using a phase shill of one of the input signals.

15. A hearing aid system, comprising:

a firat and a second hearing aid for binaural supnort of a user of the hearing aid system;

a position determining device for detecting a position of the head of the user;

a computing device for identifying an incoming direction of an acoustic signal based upon the input signals and the head position; and

a transmission device for wirelessly transmitting the position of the head from the first to the second hearing aid, wherein the position detemuning device includes an accelerometer for determining the position of the head.

16. A method of adapting a hearing aid, comprising:

acquirinsg a plurality of micronhone input signals;

determining a position of the head of a heating aid user;

identifying an incoming direction of an acoustic signal using the microphone input signals and the position of the head, wherein the position of the head is determined using the earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the head position is transmitted wirelessly to a further hearing aid, the hearing aid and the further hearing aid forming a hearing aid system for binaurally supplying the hearing aid user.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising adapting the hearing aid using the incoming direction.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein adapting the hearing aid includes adjusting an acoustic parameter of the hearing aid.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the acoustic parameter is used for weighting the microphone input signals.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein at least two of the microphone input signals are mixed including a phase shift of one of the input signals.

22. A method of adapting a hearing aid, comprising:

acquiring a plurality of microphone input signals;

determining a position of the head of a hearing aid user;

identifying an incoming direction of an acoustic signal using the microphone input signals and the position of the head, wherein the position of the head is determined using an accelerometer for determining an acceleration vector of the head.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising adapting the hearing aid using the incoming direction.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein adapting the hearing aid includes adjusting an acoustic parameter of the hearing aid.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the acoustic parameter is used for weighting the microphone input signals.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein adapting by the hearing aid includes mixing at least two of the microphone input signals using a phase shift of one of the input signals.