Method for adapting a hearing device to a momentary acoustic situation and a hearing device system

• US 7,428,312 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Meier, Hilmar, Boretzki, Michael, Bächler, Herbert, Launer, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Huyen D
• Application Number:
  US10/716,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20040190738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: 381/314, 381/315, 381/320, 381/312, 381/321, 381/323, 381/60, 735/85, 600/559, 704/255, 704/271
• US Class Current: 381/312
• 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

Abstract

In a signal processing unit of a hearing device, the signal processing unit consisting of a signal analyzing unit and a signal identification unit, the momentary acoustic surround situation is identified. Based on this identified surround situation, the parameter set belonging to the identified surround situation is automatically adjusted in a transmission unit in which a number of parameter sets are saved which are assigned to different acoustic surround situation. The hearing device user can adjust his individual hearing desire for each acoustic surround situation according to the automatic adjusted parameter set with the aid of an input unit. Thereby, the parameter of this parameter set are adjusted at the same time and commonly in one of two opposing directions, e.g. in the sense of “better hearing” or in the sense of “more pleasant understanding”.

Claims

1. A method for adapting a hearing device to a momentary acoustic surround situation, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a momentary surround situation;

automatically adjusting parameters of a parameter set including parameters other than volume saved in the hearing device and belonging to the identified momentary surround situation; and

manually adjusting, with the aid of an input unit operated by the hearing device user in accordance with the hearing desire of the hearing device user, parameters including parameters other than volume of said parameter set further in accordance with the hearing desire of the hearing device user so as to fine tune said parameter set.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of automatically identifying the momentary acoustic surround situation.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the momentary acoustic surround situation is determined in the hearing device.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein characteristic features are being extracted in the hearing device first from signals which are recorded from the momentary acoustic surround situation, and then the momentary acoustic surround situation is being determined based on the extracted features.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of adjusting the parameters of the adjusted parameter set starting from an adjusted nominal value within a preset control range in one of two opposing direction.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameters of the parameter set are being adjusted at the same time and commonly according to preset rules or rule sets, respectively.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the adjustment of the parameters of the parameter set are being performed in the sense of “

better understanding”

, at the one hand, and in the sense of “

more pleasant hearing”

, at the other hand.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of selecting adjustable parameters as a function of the momentary acoustic surround situation.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of changing parameter values as a function of the momentary acoustic surround situation.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of saving the parameter sets adjusted in accordance to the hearing desire of the hearing device user.

11. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of saving the parameter sets adjusted in accordance to the hearing desire of the hearing device user.

12. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of saving the parameter sets adjusted in accordance to the hearing desire of the hearing device user.

13. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of saving the parameter sets adjusted in accordance to the hearing desire of the hearing device user.

14. The method of one of the claims 10 to 12 wherein an originally saved parameter set assigned to a certain acoustic surround situation is being exchanged by a corresponding corrected parameter set adjusted by the hearing device user if, for this specific acoustic surround situation, the originally saved parameter set has been changed several times by the hearing device user in the same manner.

15. A hearing device system comprising:

a hearing device; and

an input unit;

wherein

the hearing device comprises;

a transmission unit,

at least one microphone, and

a receiver, wherein the transmission unit, which, on its input side, is operationally connected to the at least one microphone and, on its output side, to the receiver and which is adjustable to different transmission characteristics determined by saved parameter sets including parameters other than volume to adjust its transmission characteristics, wherein

the input unit is operable by the hearing device user and is operationally connected to the transmission unit, and wherein

the parameters of the adjusted parameter sets resulting from the momentary transmission characteristics of the transmission unit are automatically adjustable according to the hearing desire of the hearing device user with the aid of the input unit, and wherein

said parameters including parameters other than volume are further manually adjustable according to the hearing desire of the hearing device user so as to fine tune said parameters.

16. The hearing device system of claim 15, wherein the hearing device further comprises a signal processing unit to which the input signal of the transmission unit is being fed, the signal processing unit being able to identify the momentary acoustic surround situation, and wherein an adjustment of the parameter set belonging to the identified acoustic surround situation is effectuated in the transmission unit.

17. The hearing device system of claim 15, wherein the parameters of the adjusted parameter set are adjusted starting from an adjusted nominal value within a preset control range in one of two opposing directions with the aid of an input unit, the adjustment of the parameters of the parameter set being preferably adjusted at the same time and commonly according to preset rules or rule sets, respectively, saved in the hearing device.

18. The hearing device system of claim 15, wherein the adjustment of the parameters of the adjusted parameter set is done with the aid of the input unit in the sense of “

better understanding”

, at one hand, and in the sense of “

more pleasant hearing”

, on the other hand.

19. The hearing device system of claim 17, wherein the adjustment of the parameters of the adjusted parameter set is done with the aid of the input unit in the sense of “

better understanding”

, at one hand, and in the sense of “

more pleasant hearing”

, on the other hand.

20. The hearing device system of claim 16, wherein the signal processing unit comprises a signal analyzing unit operationally connected to at least one microphone, which signal analyzing unit extracts characteristic features from signals recorded by the at least one microphone from the momentary acoustic surround situation, as well as a signal identification unit connected to the output of the signal analyzing unit, on its output side, is connected to the transmission unit.

21. The hearing device system of one of the claims 15 to 20, wherein the input unit is designed to manually input data by a key board.

22. The hearing device system of one of the claims 15 to 20, wherein the input unit is designed for speech controlled input of data.

23. The hearing device system of one of the claims 15 to 20, wherein the input unit is designed as remote control separated from the hearing device and is connected to the transmission unit wirelessly.

24. The hearing device system of one of the claims 15 to 20, wherein the input unit is integrated into the hearing device.

25. The hearing device system of claim 20, wherein the key board of the input unit comprises two buttons of which each is used to adjust the parameters of a parameter set in one of the two opposing directions.