Spatial filter bank for hearing system
First Claim
1. A hearing system configured to be worn by a user, the hearing system comprising:
- an environment sound input unit;
an output transducer; and
electric circuitry,wherein the environment sound input unit is configured to receive sound from the environment of the environment sound input unit and to generate sound signals representing sound of the environment,wherein the output transducer is configured to stimulate hearing of the user,wherein the electric circuitry comprises a spatial filterbank configured to use the sound signals to generate spatial sound signals dividing a total space of the environment sound in a plurality of subspaces, defining a configuration of the subspaces,wherein a spatial sound signal represents sound coming from a subspace, andwherein the hearing system is configured to provide a configuration of the subspaces wherein at least one subspace is fixed and wherein at least one subspace is adaptively determined.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention regards a hearing system configured to be worn by a user comprising an environment sound input unit, an output transducer, and electric circuitry. The environment sound input unit is configured to receive sound from the environment of the environment sound input unit and to generate sound signals representing sound of the environment. The output transducer is configured to stimulate hearing of a user. The electric circuitry comprises a spatial filterbank. The spatial filterbank is configured to use the sound signals to generate spatial sound signals dividing a total space of the environment sound in subspaces. Each spatial sound signal represents sound coming from a subspace. The subspaces may (in particular modes of operation) be either fixed, or dynamically determined, or a mixture thereof.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A hearing system configured to be worn by a user, the hearing system comprising:
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an environment sound input unit; an output transducer; and electric circuitry, wherein the environment sound input unit is configured to receive sound from the environment of the environment sound input unit and to generate sound signals representing sound of the environment, wherein the output transducer is configured to stimulate hearing of the user, wherein the electric circuitry comprises a spatial filterbank configured to use the sound signals to generate spatial sound signals dividing a total space of the environment sound in a plurality of subspaces, defining a configuration of the subspaces, wherein a spatial sound signal represents sound coming from a subspace, and wherein the hearing system is configured to provide a configuration of the subspaces wherein at least one subspace is fixed and wherein at least one subspace is adaptively determined. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A hearing system configured to be worn by a user, the hearing system comprising:
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an environment sound input unit; an output transducer; and electric circuitry, wherein the environment sound input unit is configured to receive sound from the environment of the environment sound input unit and to generate sound signals representing sound of the environment, wherein the output transducer is configured to stimulate hearing of the user, wherein the electric circuitry comprises a spatial filterbank configured to use the sound signals to generate spatial sound signals dividing a total space of the environment sound in a plurality of subspaces, defining a configuration of the subspaces, wherein a spatial sound signal represents sound coming from a subspace, and wherein the electric circuitry further comprises a control unit configured to dynamically adjust the configuration of the subspaces. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A hearing system configured to be worn by a user, the hearing system comprising:
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an environment sound input unit; an output transducer; and electric circuitry, wherein the environment sound input unit is configured to receive sound from the environment of the environment sound input unit and to generate sound signals representing sound of the environment, wherein the output transducer is configured to stimulate hearing of the user, wherein the electric circuitry comprises a spatial filterbank configured to use the sound signals to generate spatial sound signals dividing a total space of the environment sound in a plurality of subspaces, defining a configuration of the subspaces, wherein a spatial sound signal represents sound coming from a subspace, wherein the electric circuitry further comprises a voice activity detection unit configured to determine whether a voice signal is present in a respective spatial sound signal, and/or a noise detection unit configured to determine whether a noise signal is present in, or to determine a level of noise of, a respective spatial sound signal, and wherein the electric circuitry further comprises a control unit configured to adaptively adjust the configuration of the subspaces according to the output of the voice activity detection unit and/or the noise detection unit.
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15. A hearing system configured to be worn by a user, the hearing system comprising:
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an environment sound input unit; an output transducer; and electric circuitry, wherein the environment sound input unit is configured to receive sound from the environment of the environment sound input unit and to generate sound signals representing sound of the environment, wherein the output transducer is configured to stimulate hearing of the user, wherein the electric circuitry comprises a spatial filterbank configured to use the sound signals to generate spatial sound signals dividing a total space of the environment sound in a plurality of subspaces, defining a configuration of the subspaces, wherein a spatial sound signal represents sound coming from a subspace, and wherein the electric circuitry further comprises a user control interface configured to allow a user to adjust the configuration of the subspaces.
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16. A hearing system configured to be worn by a user, the hearing system comprising:
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an environment sound input unit; an output transducer; and electric circuitry, wherein the environment sound input unit is configured to receive sound from the environment of the environment sound input unit and to generate sound signals representing sound of the environment, wherein the output transducer is configured to stimulate hearing of the user, wherein the electric circuitry comprises a spatial filterbank configured to use the sound signals to generate spatial sound signals dividing a total space of the environment sound in a plurality of subspaces, defining a configuration of the subspaces, wherein a spatial sound signal represents sound coming from a subspace, and wherein the hearing system is configured to analyse the sound signals representing sound of the environment in at least a first and a second step using first and second different configurations of subspaces by the spatial filterbank in the first and second steps, respectively, and where the second configuration is derived from an analysis of spatial sound signals of the first configuration of the subspaces.
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17. A method for processing sound signals representing sound of an environment with a hearing system, comprising:
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receiving sound signals representing sound of an environment with an environment sound input unit of the hearing system; using the sound signals with a spatial filterbank of the hearing system to generate spatial sound signals dividing a total space of the environment sound in a plurality of subspaces, wherein each spatial sound signal represents sound coming from a subspace of a total space; defining a configuration of the subspaces; detecting with a voice activity detection unit whether a voice signal is present in a respective spatial sound signal for all spatial sound signals; adaptively adjusting the configuration of the subspaces according to the output of the voice activity detection unit and/or a noise detection unit; selecting spatial sound signals with a voice signal above a predetermined signal-to-noise ratio threshold; and generating an output sound signal from the selected spatial sound signals.
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Specification