Hearing device comprising an own voice detector

• US 10,142,745 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Petersen, Svend Oscar, Thule, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US15/821,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20180146307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/03 Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/405 by combining a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, adapted for being arranged at least partly on a user'"'"'s head or at least partly implanted in a user'"'"'s head is provided. The hearing device comprises an own voice detector comprising first and second signal strength detectors for providing signal strength estimates of first and second electric input signals. The own voice detector comprises a comparison unit operationally coupled to the first and second signal strength detectors and configured to compare the signal strength estimates of the first and second electric input signals and to provide an indication of the difference between said signal strength estimates; and a control unit for providing an own voice detection signal indicative of a user'"'"'s own voice being present or not present in the current sound in the environment of the user, the own voice detection signal being dependent on said signal strength comparison measure.

Claims

1. A hearing device adapted for being arranged at least partly on a user'"'"'s head or at least partly implanted in a user'"'"'s head, the hearing device comprising

an input unit for providing a multitude of electric input signals representing sound in the environment of the user,

a signal processing unit providing a processed signal based on one or more of said multitude of electric input signals, and

an output unit comprising an output transducer for converting said processed signal or a signal originating therefrom to a stimulus perceivable by said user as sound;

the input unit comprising

at least one first input transducer for picking up a sound signal from the environment and providing respective at least one first electric input signal, and a first signal strength detector for providing a first signal strength estimate of the at least one first electric input signal, the at least one first input transducer being located on the head, away from the ear canal of the user;

a second input transducer for picking up a sound signal from the environment and providing a second electric input signal, and a second signal strength detector for providing a second signal strength estimate of the second electric input signal, the second input transducer being located at or in an ear canal of the user, the hearing device further comprising

an own voice detector comprising

a comparison unit operationally coupled to the first and second signal strength detectors and configured to compare the first and second signal strength estimates, and to provide a signal strength comparison measure indicative of the difference between said signal strength estimates; and

a control unit for providing an own voice detection signal indicative of a user'"'"'s own voice being present or not present in the current sound in the environment of the user, the own voice detection signal being dependent on said signal strength comparison measure.

2. A hearing device according to claim 1 wherein the at least one first input transducer comprises two first input transducers.

3. A hearing device according to claim 1 wherein

the signal strength comparison measure comprises an algebraic difference between the first and second signal strengths, and

the own voice detection signal is taken to be indicative of a user'"'"'s own voice being present, when the signal strength at the second input transducer is 2.5 dB or higher than the signal strength at the at least one first input transducer.

4. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising

an analysis filter bank to provide a signal in a time-frequency representation comprising a number of frequency sub-bands.

5. A hearing device according to claim 4 wherein said signal strength comparison measure is based on a difference between the first and second signal strength estimates in a number of frequency sub-bands, wherein the first and second signal strength estimates are weighted on a frequency band level.

6. A hearing device according to claim 4 configured to provide that a, possibly customized, preferred frequency range comprising one or more frequency bands providing maximum difference in signal strength between the first and second input transducers is weighted higher than other frequency bands in the signal strength comparison measure.

7. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a modulation detector for providing a measure of modulation of a current electric input signal, and wherein the own voice detection signal is dependent on said measure of modulation in addition to said signal strength comparison measure.

8. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a beamformer filtering unit configured to receive said at least one first electric input signal(s) and said second electric input signal and to provide a spatially filtered signal in dependence thereof.

9. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a pre-defined and/or adaptively updated own voice beamformer focused on the user'"'"'s mouth.

10. A hearing device according to claim 9 wherein the hearing device is configured so that said own voice beamformer, at least in a specific mode of operation of the hearing device, is activated and ready to provide an estimate of the user'"'"'s own voice for transmission to another device, or in other modes, where a user'"'"'s own voice is requested.

11. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising an analysis unit for analyzing a user'"'"'s own voice and for identifying characteristics thereof.

12. A hearing device according to claim 1 constituting or comprising a hearing aid, a headset, an ear protection device or a combination thereof.

13. A hearing device according to claim 12 comprising a part, the ITE part, comprising a loudspeaker and said second input transducer, wherein the ITE part is adapted for being located at or in an ear canal of the user and a part, the BTE-part, comprising a housing adapted for being located behind or at an ear of the user, where a first input transducer is located.

14. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a controllable vent exhibiting a controllable vent size, wherein the hearing device is configured to use the own voice detector to control a vent size of the hearing device.

15. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a voice interface configured to detect a specific voice activation word or phrase or sound.

16. A hearing device according to claim 15 configured to allow a user to activate and/or deactivate one or more specific modes of operation, of the hearing device via the voice interface.

17. A hearing device, wherein according to claim 16 configured to implement a selectable voice command mode of operation activated via the voice interface, where the user'"'"'s voice is transmitted to a voice interface of another device and activating a voice interface of the other device.

18. A binaural hearing system comprising first and second hearing devices according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second hearing devices comprises antenna and transceiver circuitry allowing a communication link between them to be to established.

20. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon an application storing a processor-executable program that, when executed by a processor of an auxiliary device, implements a user interface process for a hearing device as defined in claim 1 or a binaural hearing system as defined in claim 18, the user interface process comprising:

exchanging information with the hearing device or with the binaural hearing system;

providing a graphical interface configured to allow a user to calibrate an own voice detector of the hearing device or of the binaural hearing system; and

executing, based on input from a user via the user interface, at least one of;

configuring the own voice detector; and

initiating a calibration of the own voice detector.

21. A hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first input transducer is located at or behind an ear of the user.

22. A hearing device according to claim 10, wherein said transmission to another device is during a telephone mode.

23. A hearing device according to claim 14 wherein the hearing device is configured to use the own voice detector to control a vent size of the hearing device so that the vent size is increased when a user'"'"'s own voice is detected and decreased again when the user'"'"'s own voice is no longer detected.

24. A hearing device according to claim 16 wherein the one or more specific modes of operation includes a telephone mode, and a voice command mode.

25. A hearing device according to claim 17 wherein the another device is a smartphone and the user'"'"'s voice is transmitted to a voice interface of the smartphone to activate a voice interface of the smartphone to ask a question to a voice activated personal assistant provided by the smartphone.

19. A method of detecting a user'"'"'s own voice in a hearing device, the method comprising

providing a multitude of electric input signals representing sound in the environment of the user, including

providing at least one first electric input signal from at least one first input transducer located on the head, away from the ear canal of the user;

and

providing a second electric input signal from a second input transducer located at or in an ear canal of the user;

providing a processed signal based on one or more of said multitude of electric input signals, and

converting said processed signal or a signal originating therefrom to a stimulus perceivable by said user as sound;

providing a first signal strength estimate of the at least one first electric input signal;

providing a second signal strength estimate of the second electric input signal;

comparing the first and second signal strength estimates, and providing a signal strength comparison measure indicative of the difference between said first and second signal strength estimates; and

providing an own voice detection signal indicative of a user'"'"'s own voice being present or not present in the current sound in the environment of the user, the own voice detection signal being dependent on said signal strength comparison measure.