Hearing aid with an audio signal generator

• US 8,411,886 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Gmbh (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Barthel, Roland, Srgel, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Toledo, Fernando L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shamsuzzaman, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US11/888,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20080031480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,070 Days
• Field of Search: 381/23.1, 381313-316, 381118-122
• US Class Current: 381/314
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/00 Deaf-aid sets , i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception electrical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N1/36038; optical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N5/0622
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing

Abstract

The invention relates to a hearing aid with at least one sound receiver and a sound generator. The hearing aid has an audio signal unit operatively connected to the sound generator, the audio signal unit being designed to generate an audio signal perceptible to a human ear. The audio signal has a plurality of mutually different frequencies of a frequency range. The audio signal unit has at least one tone generator. The at least one tone generator is designed to generate the audio signal with at least one fundamental frequency representing a tone and with harmonics of the fundamental frequency.

Claims

1. A hearing aid, comprising:

a sound receiver coupled to receive sound waves and generate a microphone signal representing the sound waves;

a transmission unit coupled to receive the microphone signal and generate a power signal as a function of the microphone signal;

a sound generator coupled to receive the power signal and generate a sound as a function of the power signal;

an audio signal unit coupled to the sound generator and comprises a plurality of tone generators configured to generate respective audio signals with respective fundamental frequency representing a tone and harmonics of the fundamental frequency, wherein the respective audio signals are generated in response to an event signal, wherein at least one of the plurality of tone generators is configured to generate an audio signal based at least in part on a frequency modulation synthesis and comprising a plurality of frequency components over a frequency range, which is sufficiently wide to be perceived by a hearing-impaired user, wherein the respective audio signals comprise tones or chords assigned to convey acoustic information to the hearing-impaired user effective to identify a predefined hearing aid event comprising a change of a hearing program for the hearing aid; and

a summer coupled to receive the respective audio signals from the plurality of tone generators to supply a summer output signal comprising a sum of the respective audio signals from the plurality of tone generators, wherein the summer audio signal comprises a plurality of mutually different frequencies extending over a sufficiently wide frequency range so that the hearing-impaired user of the hearing device can perceive the summer audio signal.

2. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of tone generators generates an audio signal at least partially by an amplitude modulation.

3. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of tone generators comprises a vibrato element configured to generate the audio signal at least partially by an additional frequency modulation to generate a vibrato acoustic effect effective to distinguish said audio signal from an interfering acoustic noise.

4. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the respective audio signals are selected from the group consisting of:

an instrumental sound, a vocal sound, and a noise signal.

5. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein an audio signal segment of a respective audio signal comprises an amplitude envelope and an end phase of the audio signal segment having a falling amplitude envelope.

6. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 5, wherein the audio signal segment represents a tone.

13. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the event further comprises an event selected from the group consisting of a change in the volume of the hearing aid, an status of a process being executed by the hearing aid, and a physical condition of a component of the hearing aid.

7. A method for generating an audio signal of a hearing aid, comprising:

providing a plurality of tone generators;

generating at least in part based on a frequency modulation synthesis an audio signal in at least one of the plurality of tone generators, the generated audio signal comprising a plurality of frequency components over a frequency range, which is sufficiently wide to be perceived by a hearing-impaired user;

in response to an event signal, generating with the plurality of tone generators respective audio signals with a fundamental frequency representing a tone and harmonics of the fundamental frequency, wherein the respective audio signals comprise tones or chords assigned to convey acoustic information to the hearing-impaired user effective to identify a predefined hearing aid event comprising a change of a hearing program for the hearing aid;

coupling the plurality of tone generators to a summer arranged to receive the respective audio signals from the plurality of tone generators and supply a summer output signal comprising a sum of the respective audio signals from the plurality of tone generators, wherein the summer audio signal comprises a plurality of mutually different frequencies extending over a frequency range; and

defining the frequency range so that a hearing-impaired user of the hearing device can perceive the summer audio signal.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein an audio signal from at least one of the plurality of tone generators is generated at least partially by an amplitude modulation.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein an audio signal from at least one of the plurality of tone generators is generated at least partially by an additional frequency modulation that is generated by a vibrato element configured to provide a vibrato acoustic effect effective to distinguish said audio signal from an interfering acoustic noise.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the respective audio signal is selected from the group consisting of:

an instrumental sound, a vocal sound, and a noise signal.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein an audio signal segment of a respective audio signal comprises an amplitude envelope and an end phase of the audio signal segment having a falling amplitude envelope.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the audio signal segment represents a tone.

14. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the event further comprises an event selected from the group consisting of a change in a volume of the hearing aid, an status of a process being executed by the hearing aid, and a physical condition of a component of the hearing aid.