Method for operating a hearing device and a hearing device

• US 8,594,337 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Waldmann, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US12/518,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20100020989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,540 Days
• Field of Search: 381/60, 381/150, 381/312, 381/315, 381/23.1
• US Class Current: 381/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A method to operate a hearing device and a hearing device are disclosed comprising a plurality of source units (S1, . . . , Sn). The method comprises the steps of monitoring activities of the source units (S1, . . . , Sn), selecting input signals of active source units (S1, . . . , Sn), processing the selected input signals of active source units (S1, . . . , Sn), and generating an output signal of the hearing device by said processing. According to the present invention, the parameters for controlling said processing are derived from at least one active source unit (S1, . . . , Sn) and/or from at least one selected input signal, respectively. The new technology describes for the first time a hearing device comprising a plurality of source units that are dealt with in automatic manner.

Claims

1. A method for operating a hearing device comprising a plurality of source units, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring activities of the source units,

selecting input signals of active source units,

processing the selected input signals of active source units, and

generating an output signal of the hearing device by said processing,

wherein parameters for controlling said processing are derived from at least one selected input signal, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing are adjusted based on an assessment of data associated with a communication protocol being used to transmit said at least one selected input signal, wherein said assessment provides a signal type or category of said at least one selected input signal, and wherein controlling said processing comprises selecting a hearing program that corresponds to an active source unit associated with said at least one selected input signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized by manually selecting at least one source unit.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized by automatically selecting at least one source unit.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing are adjusted in dependence on all active source units or on all selected input signals, respectively.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing include a predefined priority list of source units wherein the active source units are processed according to the priority list.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that a parameter for controlling said processing is an activity state, wherein a state change from an inactive to an active state initiates said processing.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing are obtained by analyzing and classifying the input signals into signal categories.

15. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing are derived from a communication protocol profile of the communication protocol, wherein the communication protocol profile is one of a headset profile and an advanced audio distribution profile.

17. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that controlling said processing comprises adjusting frequency characteristics of the hearing device in accordance with the communication protocol being used to transmit said at least one selected input signal.

8. A hearing device comprising

a plurality of source units,

a selection unit for monitoring activities of the source units and for selecting input signals of active source units,

a signal processing unit for processing the selected input signals of active source units, and

means for generating an output signal of the hearing device by said signal processing,

wherein parameters for controlling said processing by said signal processing unit are derived from at least one selected input signal, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing are adjusted based on an assessment of data associated with a communication protocol being used to transmit said at least one selected input signal, wherein said assessment provides a signal type or category of said at least one selected input signal, and wherein controlling said processing comprises selecting a hearing program that corresponds to an active source unit associated with said at least one selected input signal.

9. The hearing device according to claim 8, characterized by means for manually selecting at least one source unit.

10. The hearing device according to claim 8, characterized by means for automatically selecting at least one source unit.

11. The hearing device according to claim 8, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing are adjustable in dependence on all active source units or on all selected input signals, respectively.

12. The hearing device according to claim 8, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing include a predefined priority list of source units, wherein the active source units are processed according to the priority list.

13. The hearing device according to claim 8, characterized in that the parameter for controlling said processing is an activity state, wherein a state change from an inactive to an active state initiates said processing.

14. The hearing device according to claim 8, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing are obtainable by analyzing and classifying the input signals into signal categories.

16. The hearing device according to claim 8, characterized in that the parameters for controlling said processing and derived from a communication protocol profile of the communication protocol, wherein the communication protocol profile is one of a headset profile and an advanced audio distribution profile.

18. The hearing device according to claim 8, characterized in that controlling said processing comprises adjusting frequency characteristics of the hearing device in accordance with the communication protocol being used to transmit said at least one selected input signal.