Hearing aid device with automatic situation recognition

• US 7,324,650 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2003
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Hopf, Thomas, Hamacher, Volkmar, Wagner, Frank, Fischer, Eghart, Hies, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): DABNEY, PHYLESHA LARVINIA
• Application Number:
  US10/636,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20040066945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/315, 381316-317, 381320-321, 381/314
• US Class Current: 381/314
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

The correct recognition of the auditory situation “television” often poses a problem for hearing aid devices with automatic situation recognition, since a plurality of real situations are simulated by the television audio signal. To correctly recognize the situation “television”, the invention therefore provides to detect a line signal with a particular line signal frequency output by the television device, and given the existence of such a line signal to automatically implement the auditory situation “television”.

Claims

1. A hearing aid device, comprising:

at least one input transducer configured to acquire an input signal and transduce it into an electrical signal;

a detector for detecting a line signal that deflects an electron beam generated in an image tube output by a screen device that is devoid of any information encoded specifically for the hearing aid device;

a signal processing unit configured to process and amplify the electrical signal, the signal processing unit being adaptable to different auditory situations by at least one adjustable parameter that can be automatically adjusted dependent on the line signal, wherein one of the auditory situations is a display auditory situation and is selected whenever the hearing aid device is in the presence of a powered display and is deselected when the hearing aid device is not in the presence of a powered display; and

an output transducer to transduce the processed electrical signal into an acoustic or mechanical output signal.

2. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a threshold value, wherein a signal strength of the line signal can be detected and compared with the threshold value to automatically adjust the parameter upon exceeding the threshold value.

3. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an adjustable threshold value, wherein a signal strength of the line signal can be detected and compared with the threshold value to automatically adjust the parameter upon exceeding the threshold value.

4. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an automatic parameter adjustment mechanism configured such that the parameter can be adjusted dependent upon the line signal frequency of the line signal, an automatic adjustment of the parameter ensuing when the line signal frequency exhibits a particular values or lies within a particular value interval.

5. The hearing aid device according to claim 4, further comprising:

an adjustment mechanism permitting adjustment of the value or the value interval.

6. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the screen device is a television device and the detector is configured to detect a line signal output by the television device.

7. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the parameter can automatically be adjusted given a detected said line signal, and the parameter can be set back to its original value when the line signal can no longer be detected.

8. A hearing aid device, comprising:

at least one input transducer configured to acquire an input signal and transduce it into an electrical signal;

a detector for detecting a line signal that deflects an electron beam generated in an image tube output by a screen device that is devoid of any information encoded specifically for the hearing aid device;

a signal processing unit configured to process and amplify the electrical signal, the signal processing unit being adaptable to different auditory situations by at least one adjustable parameter that can be automatically adjusted dependent on the presence of the line signal, wherein one of the auditory situations is a display auditory situation and is selected whenever the hearing aid device is in the presence of a powered display and is deselected when the hearing aid device is not in the presence of a powered display; and

an output transducer to transduce the processed electrical signal into an acoustic or mechanical output signal;

wherein the screen device is a television device and the detector is configured to detect the presence of line signal output by the television device; and

wherein an automatic adjustment of the parameter ensues when the line signal frequency is 15.625 KHz or 15.734 KHz.

9. A method for operating a hearing aid device, comprising:

providing at least one input transducer, a detector;

a signal processing unit, and an output transducer of the hearing aid device;

acquiring an input signal with the input transducer and converting it into an electrical signal;

detecting a line signal that deflects an electron beam generated in an image tube output by a screen device with the detector that is devoid of any information encoded specifically for the hearing aid device;

amplifying the electrical signal with the signal processing unit;

automatically adjusting a parameter of the hearing aid device related to an auditory situation of a plurality of auditory situations with the signal processing unit wherein the auditory situation is a display auditory situation when a powered display is present and the auditory situation is an other auditory situation when a powered display is not present;

processing the electrical signal based on the parameter by the signal processing unit; and

converting the processed electrical signal into an acoustic or mechanical output signal by the output transducer.

10. A hearing aid device, comprising:

at least one input transducer configured to acquire an input signal and transduce it into an electrical signal;

a detector for detecting a characteristic signal output by a screen device, wherein the characteristic signal is a signal of the screen device inherently defined by a standard for operating the screen device and is devoid of any information encoded specifically for the hearing aid device;

a signal processing unit configured to process and amplify the electrical signal, the signal processing unit being adaptable to different auditory situations by at least one adjustable parameter that can be automatically adjusted dependent on the characteristic signal, wherein one of the auditory situations is a display auditory situation and is selected whenever the hearing aid device is in the presence of a powered display and is deselected when the hearing aid device is not in the presence of a powered display; and

an output transducer to transduce the processed electrical signal into an acoustic or mechanical output signal.

11. The hearing device according to claim 10, wherein the screen device is a television device, and the characteristic signal is a signal selected from the group consisting of:

a line frequency, a field frequency, and a color signal frequency.

12. A hearing aid device, comprising:

at least one input transducer configured to acquire an input signal and transduce it into an electrical signal;

a detector for detecting solely a presence of a line signal output by a screen device and is devoid of any information encoded specifically for the hearing aid device;

a signal processing unit configured to process and amplify the electrical signal, the signal processing unit being adaptable to different auditory situations by at least one adjustable parameter that can be automatically adjusted dependent on the line signal wherein one of the auditory situations is a display auditory situation and is selected whenever the hearing aid device is in the presence of a powered display and is deselected when the hearing aid device is not in the presence of a powered display; and

an output transducer to transduce the processed electrical signal into an acoustic or mechanical output signal.

13. The hearing aid device according to claim 12, wherein the detector detects the presence of the line signal based on either an electromagnetic or an acoustic detection of the line signal itself.