Hearing assistance system with own voice detection

• US 9,094,766 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Merks, Ivo
• Primary Examiner(s): San Martin, Edgardo
• Application Number:
  US13/933,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20140010397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 381/313, 381/317, 381/328, 381/330, 381/321, 381/23.1, 381/380, 381/381
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0216 BTE hearing aids having a receiver in the ear mould
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• 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 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/607 of earhooks
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

An example of an apparatus configured to be worn by a person who has an ear and an ear canal includes a first microphone adapted to be worn about the ear of the person, and a second microphone adapted to be worn at a different location than the first microphone. The apparatus includes a sound processor adapted to process signals from the first microphone to produce a processed sound signal, a receiver adapted to convert the processed sound signal into an audible signal to the wearer of the hearing assistance device, and a voice detector to detect the voice of the wearer. The voice detector includes an adaptive filter to receive signals from the first microphone and the second microphone.

Claims

1. A hearing assistance device configured to be worn by a wearer having an ear and an ear canal, comprising:

a first microphone to produce a first microphone signal;

a second microphone to produce a second microphone signal;

a voice detector configured to detect a voice of the wearer and produce an indication of detection in response to the voice of the wearer being detected, the voice detector including an adaptive filter allowing for the voice of the wearer to be distinguished from other sound sources based on the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal;

a sound processor configured to produce an output signal having directionality using the first microphone signal, the second microphone signal, and the indication of detection; and

a receiver configured to produce an audible signal using the output signal.

2. The hearing assistance device of claim 1, wherein the adaptive filter is configured to model a relative transfer function between the first microphone and the second microphone.

3. The hearing assistance device of claim 2, wherein the adaptive filter comprises a recursive least square adaptive filter.

4. The hearing assistance device of claim 2, wherein the adaptive filter comprises a least mean square adaptive filter.

5. The hearing assistance device of claim 2, wherein the adaptive filter comprises a normalized least mean square adaptive filter.

6. The hearing assistance device of claim 2, wherein the voice detector is configured to subtract an output signal of the adaptive filter from the first microphone signal to produce an error signal, compare a power of the error signal to a power of the first microphone signal, and detect the voice of the wearer using an outcome of the comparison.

7. The hearing assistance device of claim 6, wherein the voice detector is further configured to analyze impulse response of the adaptive filter, and detect the voice of the wearer using the outcome of the comparison and an outcome of the analysis.

8. The hearing assistance device of claim 2, wherein the voice detector is configured to analyze impulse response of the adaptive filter, and detect the voice of the wearer using an outcome of the analysis.

9. The hearing assistance device of claim 2, wherein the hearing assistance device comprise a hearing aid including an ear piece configured to fit within the ear canal, and the second microphone is mounted on the ear piece in a location outside the ear canal when the hearing aid is worn by the wearer.

10. The hearing assistance device of claim 9, wherein the hearing aid comprises a behind-the-ear housing, and the first microphone is mounted on the behind-the-ear housing.

11. The hearing assistance device of claim 9, wherein the hearing aid comprises a over-the-ear housing, and the first microphone is mounted on the over-the-ear housing.

12. A method for operating a hearing assistance device worn by a wearer, comprising:

receiving first and second microphone signals using first and second microphones mounted on different locations of the hearing assistance device;

processing the first and second microphone signals to produce an output signal having directionality;

detecting a voice of the wearer using an adaptive filter configured to allow for the voice of the wearer to be distinguished from other sound sources based on the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal;

adjusting the processing of the first and second microphone signals in response to the voice of the wearer being detected; and

providing an audible signal to the wearer based on the output signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein using the adaptive filter comprises modeling a relative transfer function between the first microphone and the second microphone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the hearing assistance device comprises a hearing aid, and comprising configuring the hearing aid for the first microphone to be placed behind or over an ear of the wearer and the second microphone to be placed about an ear canal of the wearer.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising:

producing an error signal by subtracting an output signal of the adaptive filter from the first microphone signal;

comparing a power of the error signal to a power of the first microphone signal; and

detecting the voice of the wearer using an outcome of the comparison.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising indicating a detection of the voice of the wearer in response to the power of the first microphone signal exceeding the power of the error signal by a predetermined threshold.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

analyzing an impulse response of the adaptive filter; and

detecting the voice of the wearer using the outcome of the comparison and an outcome of the analysis.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising indicating a detection of the voice of the wearer in response to a peak coefficient of the adaptive filter exceeding a predetermined threshold.

19. The method of claim 12, comprising

analyzing an impulse response of the adaptive filter, and detect the voice of the wearer using an outcome of the analysis.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising producing the indication of detection in response to a peak coefficient of the adaptive filter exceeding a predetermined threshold.