Hearing instrument with source separation and corresponding method

• US 8,199,945 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2007
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Gmbh (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Kornagel, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, RYAN C
• Application Number:
  US11/787,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20070253573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,883 Days
• Field of Search: 381/23.1, 381312-331, 381/92
• US Class Current: 381/313
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/403 Linear arrays of transducers
• 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

Abstract

The selection of a plurality of sound sources for the purposes of preferential presentation should be structured to be more convenient for hearing instrument wearers. For this purpose, provision is made to separate the signals of the plurality of sources picked up and present them one after another with the aid of a corresponding control unit. On the basis of the presentation, the user can, likewise by means of the control units, select one of the plurality of signals for the purposes of further processing. The selection is preferably effected by pressing a button or by looking in the direction of the desired source plus pressing a button by way of acknowledgment.

Claims

1. A hearing instrument, comprising:

a source separation device that;

receives a hybrid signal from a plurality of sound sources,

generates a plurality of source specific signals from the hybrid signal, and

provides associated receive angles of the source specific signals;

a presentation device that presents the source specific signals as a function of the associated receive angles; and

a selection device that selects one of the source specific signals for further processing,

wherein the selection device comprises a directional microphone so that the one of the source specific signals is selected for further processing by aligning the hearing instrument to the corresponding specific sound source.

2. The hearing instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection device is wirelessly connected to the presentation device.

3. The hearing instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection device is integrated into a remote control device of the hearing instrument.

4. The hearing instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection device selects the one of the source specific signals for further processing by a user pressing a button on the selection device or knocking on the hearing instrument.

5. The hearing instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the presentation device presents the source specific signals one after another.

6. The hearing instrument as claimed in claim 5, wherein the source specific signals are presented in a predefined time sequence.

7. The hearing instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection device comprises a display unit to graphically display the source specific signals with respective to the associated receive angles.

8. The hearing instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection device selects the one of the source specific signals for further processing by aligning the hearing instrument to the corresponding specific sound source based on the corresponding associated receive angle provided by the source separation device.

9. The hearing instrument as claimed in claim 8, wherein the selection is performed automatically if the corresponding specific sound source is looked at by a user of the hearing instrument for longer than a predetermined time period.

10. The hearing instrument as claimed in claim 8, wherein the selection is performed semi-automatically by a user pressing a button when the corresponding associated receive angle of the specific sound source lies a 0°

from a direction of view of the user.

11. A method for controlling a hearing instrument, comprising:

receiving a hybrid signal from a plurality of sound sources;

generating a plurality of source specific signals from the hybrid signal;

providing associated receive angles of the source specific signals;

presenting the source specific signals as a function of the associated receive angles; and

selecting one of the source specific signals for further processing,

wherein a directional microphone selects the one of the source specific signals for further processing by aligning the hearing instrument to the corresponding specific sound source.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a user of the hearing instrument selects the one of the source specific signals for further processing by pressing a button or knocking on the hearing instrument.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the source specific signals are presented one after another.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the source specific signals are presented in a predefined time sequence.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the source specific signals are graphically presented with respective to the associated receive angles.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one of the source specific signals is selected for further processing by aligning the hearing instrument to the corresponding specific sound source based on the corresponding associated receive angle.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the selection is performed automatically after a user of the hearing instrument looks at the corresponding specific sound source longer than a predetermined time period.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the selection is performed semi-automatically by a user of the hearing instrument pressing a button when a corresponding specific sound source lies in a 0°

from a direction of view of the user.