Method for training and operating a hearing aid

• US 7,742,612 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2004
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Gmbh (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Hies, Thomas, Fröhlich, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin; Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saunders, Jr.; Joseph
• Application Number:
  US10/961,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,083 Days
• Field of Search: 381/314, 381/60, 381/315, 381/313, 381/316, 381/317
• 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 25/507 implemented by neural network or fuzzy logic

Abstract

The training of a hearing aid for individual Situations is intended to be simpler and more comprehensive for the hearing aid wearer. The invention therefore provides for the hearing aid wearer just to have to associate a current acoustic Situation with a predetermined hearing Situation identification (3′). This association is learnt by a classifier, for example a neural network (5). After the training process, the neural network (5) can then reliably associate the corresponding hearing Situation identification (3′) with an acoustic input Signal (2). A current Parameter Set (4′) is varied or supplemented appropriately on the basis of this association.

Claims

1. A method for operating a hearing aid, comprising:

receiving an acoustic input signal by the hearing aid;

receiving an assignment of the acoustic input signal from a user of the hearing aid, wherein the assignment comprises an assignment of the acoustic input signal with one of a plurality of predetermined specific hearing situation identifications identifying situations where the hearing aid is used by a user of the hearing aid;

automatically adjusting a setting of the hearing aid as a function of the assigned one of a plurality of predetermined hearing situation identifications by the user of the hearing aid, wherein the setting is derived by the hearing aid learning two or more situations where the hearing aid is used separately such that the setting is suitable for use when the two or more hearing situations occur at the same time; and

utilizing the setting derived from two or more hearing situations when the two or more hearing situations occur at the same time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting includes a current applicable parameter set.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the current applicable parameter set is modified by the received assignment.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein at least one parameter of the current applicable parameter set is varied.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein a parameter is added to the current applicable parameter set.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the two or more hearing situations comprise a sound of the hearing aid user'"'"'s voice and a sound of the hearing aid user'"'"'s automobile such that the hearing aid is adapted to recognize the sound of the user'"'"'s voice and automobile together after the learning.