Method for adjusting a system for providing hearing assistance to a user

• US 7,738,666 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Marquis, Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Ni; Suhan
• Application Number:
  US11/421,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 381/23.1, 381/60, 381/312, 381/315, 381/331, 381/384, 379/52, 379/55.1, 379/430
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• 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

There is provided a method for adjusting a system for providing hearing assistance to a user (101), the system comprising a microphone arrangement (26) for capturing audio signals, a transmission unit (102) for transmitting the audio signals via a wireless link (107) to a receiver unit (103) worn by the user, a gain control unit (126) located in the receiver unit for setting the gain applied to the audio signals, and means (38) worn at or in a user'"'"'s ear (39) for stimulating the hearing of the user according to the audio signals from the receiver unit (103), said method comprising: generating test audio signals, transmitting said test audio signals at a pre-defined level from the transmission unit via the wireless link to the receiver unit and stimulating the user'"'"'s hearing with said test audio signals via said stimulating means; simultaneously transmitting gain control commands from the transmission unit to the gain control unit in order to selectively change the gain set by the gain control unit; repeating these steps until an optimum value of the gain set by the gain control unit has been determined; and transmitting a store command from the transmission unit to the receiver unit in order to store that determined optimum value of the gain.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting a system for providing hearing assistance to a user, said system comprising a microphone arrangement for capturing audio signals, a transmission unit for transmitting said audio signals via a wireless link to a receiver unit worn by said user, a gain control unit located in said receiver unit for setting a gain applied to said audio signals, and means worn at or in a user'"'"'s ear for stimulating a hearing of said user according to said audio signals from said gain control unit,

said method comprising:

(a) generating test audio signals, transmitting said test audio signals at a pre-defined level from said transmission unit via said wireless link to said receiver unit and stimulating said user'"'"'s hearing with said test audio signals via said stimulating means;

(b) simultaneously transmitting gain control commands from said transmission unit to said gain control unit in order to selectively change said gain set by said gain control unit;

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until an optimum value of said gain set by said gain control unit has been determined; and

(d) transmitting a store command from said transmission unit to said receiver unit in order to store that determined optimum value of said gain.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said system comprises a hearing instrument which is worn at or in said user'"'"'s ear and which is connected to said receiver unit, said hearing instrument comprising said stimulating means, a second microphone arrangement for capturing second audio signals, and means for mixing said audio signals from said gain control unit and said second audio signals prior to stimulating said user'"'"'s hearing with the mixed audio signals via said stimulating means.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein in step (a) said test audio signals are generated by retrieving audio signals from an audio signal memory.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said audio signal memory is integrated in said transmission unit.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein in step (a) said test audio signals generated by an audio signal synthesizer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said audio signal synthesizer is integrated within said transmission unit.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein in step (a) said test audio signals are generated by generating a test sound and capturing said test sound as said test audio signals by said microphone arrangement.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said test sound is a voice of a person using the transmission unit.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

capturing said test sound as said second audio signals by said second microphone arrangement, mixing said audio signals from said gain control unit and said second audio signals according to a presently set gain and stimulating said user'"'"'s hearing with the mixed audio signals via said stimulating means of said hearing instrument.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein in step (d) said determined optimum value of said gain is stored in a memory which is integrated within said hearing instrument.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein said gain control unit comprises an amplifier which is at least one of gain controlled and output impedance controlled and which is located in said receiver unit.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein an output of said receiver unit is connected in parallel with said second microphone arrangement.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein said audio signals from said receiver unit are supplied to said hearing instrument via an audio input separate from said second microphone arrangement.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein said hearing instrument is a hearing aid having an electroacoustic output transducer as said stimulating means.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said system comprises a hearing instrument which is worn at said user'"'"'s ear and comprises said receiver unit, said hearing instrument comprising said stimulating means, a second microphone arrangement for capturing second audio signals, and means for mixing said audio signals from said gain control unit and said second audio signals prior to stimulating said user'"'"'s hearing with the mixed audio signals via said stimulating means.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein in step (d) said determined optimum value of said gain is stored in a memory which is integrated within said receiver unit.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to step (a) said receiver unit is identified.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said receiver unit is identified by reading an identification information stored in said receiver unit by said transmission unit via an inductive link.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said receiver unit is specifically addressed by said transmission unit by transmitting a signal coded according to said identification information read by said transmission unit.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein in step (a) said test signal is transmitted at a maximum level of said audio signals of said transmission unit.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein a data link for transmitting said gain control commands and said store command and said audio signal link are realized by a common transmission channel.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a lower portion of a bandwidth of said transmission channel is used by said audio signal link and an upper portion of said bandwidth of said transmission channel is used by said data link.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein said audio signal link is a Frequency Modulated radio link.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein said audio signals in said transmission unit undergo an automatic gain control treatment in a gain model unit prior to being transmitted to said receiver unit.

25. A method for operating a system for providing hearing assistance to a user having been adjusted according to the method of claim 1, wherein said gain control unit sets said gain to a constant value, with said constant value corresponding to said stored optimum value of said gain.

26. A method for operating a system for providing hearing assistance to a user having been adjusted according to the method of claim 1, comprising

(a) capturing audio signals by said microphone arrangement and transmitting said audio signals by said transmission unit via said wireless audio signal link to said receiver unit;

(b) analyzing said audio signals prior to being transmitted by a classification unit in order to determine a present auditory scene category from a plurality of auditory scene categories;

(c) setting by said gain control unit a gain applied to said audio signals according to said present auditory scene category determined in step (b);

(d) stimulating said user'"'"'s hearing by said stimulating means according to said audio signals from said gain control unit;

wherein said stored optimum value of said gain is used to calibrate said gain control unit.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said gain applied for at least one of said auditory scenes is said stored optimum value of said gain.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said gain control unit sets said gain to a constant value as long as said classification unit determines a level of said audio signals above a given threshold, wherein said constant value corresponds to said stored optimum value.