Methods for operating a hearing device as well as hearing devices

• US 9,344,813 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2010
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Hasler, Ivo, Knaus, Micha
• Primary Examiner(s): Eason, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Sean H
• Application Number:
  US13/695,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20130064403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,205 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381 77- 85, 700/94
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• 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 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

Method for operating a hearing device (1) that is worn by a hearing device user (2), the method comprising the steps of receiving a transmission signal (4) comprising an audio signal (4) of a sound sources (S), determining a distance (d) between the sound source (S) and the hearing device (1), and generating an output signal supplied to an output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1) by at least taking into account the audio signal (4) of the transmission signal (3) and the distance (d). Further embodiments are directed to determining an angle (α) defined by a sagittal plane (5) of the hearing device user (2) and a line drawn between the hearing device (1) and the sound source (S). The angle (α) is additionally used to generate the output signal supplied to the output transducer (8) of the hearing device (1).

Claims

1. A method for operating a hearing device that is worn by a hearing device user, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission signal, other than an acoustic signal, that includes an audio signal of a sound source;

determining a linear distance between the sound source and the hearing device; and

generating an output signal supplied to an output transducer of the hearing device, the output signal comprising at least in part the audio signal of the transmission signal if the linear distance is below a predetermined distance, the predetermined distance being determined in dependence of the sound source.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a user angle defined by a sagittal plane of the hearing device user and a line drawn between the hearing device and the sound source; and

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device by further taking into account the user angle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound source is a virtual sound source, of which a transmission signal including the audio signal is available only.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device further takes into account a radiation angle that is defined by an angle between a radiation direction of sound of the sound source and a line drawn between the hearing device and the sound source.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving an acoustic signal by an input transducer of the hearing device, the acoustic signal including the audio signal of the sound source; and

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device by combining the audio signal of the transmission signal and the acoustic signal of the input transducer according to a combination ratio that is determined as a function of at least one of the linear distance, the user angle and the radiation angle.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving an acoustic signal by an input transducer of the hearing device, the acoustic signal including the audio signal of the sound source; and

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device by reducing, according to a reduction rate, signal components of the audio signal of the sound source contained in the acoustic signal of the input transducer by using the audio signal of the transmission signal, the reduction rate being determined as a function of at least one of the linear distance, the user angle and the radiation angle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission signal is wirelessly transmitted to the hearing device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the linear distance as a function of obstacles between the hearing device and the sound source.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the transmission signal including the audio signal of the sound source is performed in the hearing device.

10. The hearing device of claim 9, wherein the interface unit is a wireless interface unit that is operatively connectable to a wireless unit of the sound source.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the output signal is free of the audio signal of the transmission signal if the linear distance is above the predetermined distance.

11. A method for operating a hearing device that is worn by a hearing device user, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission signal, other than an acoustic signal, that includes an audio signal of a sound source;

determining a user angle defined by a sagittal plane of the hearing device user and a line drawn between the hearing device and the sound source; and

generating an output signal supplied to an output transducer of the hearing device comprising at least in part the audio signal of the transmission signal as a function of the user angle.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a distance between the sound source and the hearing device; and

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device by further taking into account the distance.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device further takes into account a radiation angle that is defined by an angle between a radiation direction of sound of the sound source and a line drawn between the hearing device and the sound source.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the sound source is a virtual sound source, of which a transmission signal including the audio signal is available only.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an acoustic signal by an input transducer of the hearing device, the acoustic signal including the audio signal of the sound source; and

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device by combining the audio signal of the transmission signal and the acoustic signal of the input transducer according to a combination ratio that is determined as a function of at least one of the distance, the angle and the radiation angle.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an acoustic signal by an input transducer of the hearing device, the acoustic signal including the audio signal of the sound source; and

generating the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device by reducing, according to a reduction rate, signal components of the audio signal of the sound source contained in the acoustic signal of the input transducer by using the audio signal of the transmission signal, the reduction rate being determined as a function of at least one of the distance, the angle and the radiation angle.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmission signal is wirelessly transmitted to the hearing device.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising adjusting the distance as a function of obstacles between the hearing device and the sound source.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of receiving the transmission signal including the audio signal of the sound source is performed in the hearing device.

21. A hearing device comprising:

an input transducer;

an output transducer;

a processing unit operatively connected to the input transducer as well as to the output transducer;

an interface unit for receiving a transmission signal, other than an acoustic signal, that includes an audio signal of a sound source, the interface unit being operatively connected to the processing unit;

a first determining unit that is configured to determine a linear distance to the sound source; and

a first generating unit that is configured to generate an output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device, the output signal comprising at least in part the audio signal of the transmission signal if the linear distance is below a predetermined distance, the predetermined distance being determined in dependence of the sound source.

22. The hearing device of claim 21, further comprising:

a second determining unit that is configured to determine a user angle defined by a sagittal plane of a hearing device user (2) and a line pointing to the sound source; and

a second generating unit that is configured to generate the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device by further taking into account the user angle.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the output signal is free of the audio signal of the transmission signal if the linear distance is above the predetermined distance.

24. A hearing device comprising:

an input transducer;

an output transducer;

a processing unit operatively connected to the input transducer as well as to the output transducer;

an interface unit for receiving a transmission signal, other than an acoustic signal, that includes an audio signal of a sound sources, the interface unit being operatively connected to the processing unit;

a first determining unit that is configured to determine a user angle defined by a sagittal plane of a hearing device user and a line pointing to the sound source; and

a first generating unit that is configured to generate an output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device, the output signal comprising at least in part the audio signal of the transmission signal as a function of the user angle.

25. The hearing device of claim 24, further comprising:

a second determining unit that is configured to determine a distance to the sound source; and

a second generating unit that is configured to generate the output signal supplied to the output transducer of the hearing device by further taking into account the distance.

26. The hearing device of claim 24, wherein the interface unit is a wireless interface unit that is operatively connectable to a wireless unit of the sound source.