Smart hearing aid

• US 9,609,442 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2016
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Krystek, Paul N., Stevens, Mark B., Wilson, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): EASON, MATTHEW A
• Application Number:
  US15/134,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/39 Aspects relating to automatic logging of sound environment parameters and the performance of the hearing aid during use, e.g. histogram logging, or of user selected programs or settings in the hearing aid, e.g. usage logging
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/55 using an external connection, either wireless or wired
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

A method for controlling a hearing aid based on an adjustable policy including receiving an input signal; receiving an indication signal from a user identifying the input signal; receiving an adjustment to the hearing aid with the indication signal; and utilizing a processor to store the input signal in memory with the adjustment to the hearing aid as an adjustable policy corresponding to the input signal.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a hearing aid based on adjustable policies comprising:

receiving an input signal;

periodically sampling the input signal;

utilizing a processor to compare the sampled input signal to a set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by a user, each previously sampled input signal corresponding to an adjustable policy;

utilizing the processor to determine whether the sampled input signal matches one of the set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by the user;

upon a positive determination, providing the adjustable policy corresponding to the matching previously sampled input signal for controlling the hearing aid for the user; and

receiving an adjustment input from the user to adjust the adjustable policy upon occurrence of the matching previously sampled input signal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an indication signal from a user identifying a subset of the input signal;

upon receiving the indication signal, sampling the subset input signal;

receiving an adjustment to the hearing aid corresponding to the indication signal; and

utilizing a processor to store the sampled subset input signal in memory with the adjustment to the hearing aid as an adjustable policy corresponding to the sampled subset input signal.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing a set of criteria to determine whether the sampled input signal matches one of the set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by the user.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the set of criteria are selected from a group consisting of sound detection, voice identification, electronic signals, infrared signals, magnetic signals, inductive signals and vibrations.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring sampled input signals and corresponding adjustments;

storing the sampled input signals and the corresponding adjustments to form a history;

performing statistical analysis of the history; and

updating at least one adjustable policy to reflect the statistical analysis.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a user interface allowing the user to create, modify, set, and change at least one adjustable policy.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the input signal is an audio input signal detected by the hearing aid.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the sampled subset input signal is compared to future input signals to determine whether to implement the adjustable policy upon a positive comparison.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

utilizing a set of criteria to determine whether the sampled input signal matches one of the set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by the user;

monitoring sampled input signals and corresponding adjustments;

storing the sampled input signals and the corresponding adjustments to form a history;

performing statistical analysis of the history;

updating at least one adjustable policy to reflect the statistical analysis; and

providing a user interface allowing the user to create, modify, set, and change at least one adjustable policy;

wherein the set of criteria are selected from a group consisting of sound detection, voice identification, electronic signals, infrared signals, magnetic signals, inductive signals and vibrations; and

wherein the input signal is an audio input signal detected by the hearing aid.

10. A method of controlling a hearing aid based on adjustable policies comprising:

receiving an input signal;

periodically sampling the input signal;

utilizing a processor to compare the sampled input signal to a set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by a user, each previously sampled input signal corresponding to an adjustable policy;

utilizing the processor to determine whether the sampled input signal matches one of the set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by the user;

upon a positive determination, providing the adjustable policy corresponding to the matching previously sampled input signal for controlling the hearing aid for the user;

receiving an indication signal from a user identifying a subset of the input signal;

upon receiving the indication signal, sampling the subset input signal;

receiving an adjustment to the hearing aid corresponding to the indication signal; and

utilizing a processor to store the sampled subset input signal in memory with the adjustment to the hearing aid as an adjustable policy corresponding to the sampled subset input signal.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising utilizing a set of criteria to determine whether the sampled input signal matches one of the set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by the user.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

monitoring sampled input signals and corresponding adjustments;

storing the sampled input signals and the corresponding adjustments to form a history;

performing statistical analysis of the history; and

updating at least one adjustable policy to reflect the statistical analysis.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

providing a user interface allowing the user to create, modify, set, and change at least one adjustable policy.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the input signal is an audio input signal detected by the hearing aid.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the sampled subset input signal is compared to future input signals to determine whether to implement the adjustable policy upon a positive comparison.

16. A method of controlling a hearing aid based on adjustable policies comprising:

receiving an input signal;

periodically sampling the input signal;

utilizing a processor to compare the sampled input signal to a set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by a user, each previously sampled input signal corresponding to an adjustable policy;

utilizing the processor to determine whether the sampled input signal matches one of the set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by the user;

upon a positive determination, providing the adjustable policy corresponding to the matching previously sampled input signal for controlling the hearing aid for the user;

monitoring sampled input signals and corresponding adjustments;

storing the sampled input signals and the corresponding adjustments to form a history;

performing statistical analysis of the history; and

updating at least one adjustable policy to reflect the statistical analysis.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising utilizing a set of criteria to determine whether the sampled input signal matches one of the set of previously sampled input signals previously identified by the user.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

providing a user interface allowing the user to create, modify, set, and change at least one adjustable policy.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the input signal is an audio input signal detected by the hearing aid.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

receiving an indication signal from a user identifying a subset of the input signal;

upon receiving the indication signal, sampling the subset input signal;

receiving an adjustment to the hearing aid corresponding to the indication signal; and

utilizing a processor to store the sampled subset input signal in memory with the adjustment to the hearing aid as an adjustable policy corresponding to the sampled subset input signal;

wherein the sampled subset input signal is compared to future input signals to determine whether to implement the adjustable policy upon a positive comparison.