Method for evaluating an individual hearing benefit of a hearing device feature and for fitting a hearing device

• US 10,231,069 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2014
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Roeck, Hans-Ueli, Lechner, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US15/318,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20170127201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• 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 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• 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 evaluating an individual hearing benefit of an advanced hearing device feature, including providing a basic and an advanced hearing device feature in a hearing device, automatically classifying a current hearing situation, automatically selecting the advanced hearing device feature dependent on the classified hearing situation, applying the selected advanced hearing device feature for processing an audio signal, providing the processed audio signal to an output transducer of the hearing device, indicating to the user that the advanced hearing device feature is currently being applied, and providing a control for the user to switch off and on an effect of the second hearing device feature.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating an individual hearing benefit of a hearing device feature, comprising:

a) providing at least one first, basic hearing device feature in a hearing device;

b) providing at least one second, advanced hearing device feature in the hearing device;

c) automatically classifying a current hearing situation;

d) automatically selecting the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature dependent on the classified hearing situation;

e) applying the selected at least one second, advanced hearing device feature for processing an audio signal;

f) providing the processed audio signal to an output transducer of the hearing device;

g) estimating the potential hearing benefit of the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature;

h) notifying a user that the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature is currently being applied if an estimated potential hearing benefit is above a certain pre-determined threshold;

i) not notifying the user that the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature is being applied if the estimated potential hearing benefit is below the pre-determined threshold;

j) asking the user for confirmation to continue applying the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature; and

k) upon receiving the confirmation, automatically switching off and on an effect of the at least one second, advanced hearing device and/or providing control means for the user to switch off and on an effect of the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

indicating that the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature is currently being applied;

the control means for switching off and on an effect of the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature,

is provided to the user by means of a separate, auxiliary device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein classifying the current hearing situation comprises determining different sound types and/or determining different connectivity settings.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting from the user a response indicative of the individual hearing benefit provided by the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein as part of the step of requesting, the user is provided with one or more questions.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the auxiliary device monitors the current hearing situation based on a sound signal pick-up by at least one microphone of the hearing device or a microphone located at the auxiliary device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if it is potentially disturbing to provide an indication to the user if the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature has been selected, based on information available to and/or determined by the auxiliary device, and not providing the indication to the user if it has been determined to be potentially disturbing.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein as part of responding, the user inputs data into the hearing device or an auxiliary device which is picked-up by a microphone of the hearing device or a microphone of the auxiliary device.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the user response is stored as user response data in the hearing device or in an auxiliary device or transferred from the auxiliary device to a remote storage device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising retrieving the user response data stored during initially operating the hearing device by a fitting software or a client management software or a web application or an app running on the-auxiliary device.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising, as part of a further fitting process, at least one of:

presenting an overview of the user response data stored during initially operating the hearing device;

analysing the user response data stored during initially operating the hearing device;

interpreting the user response data stored during initially operating the hearing device;

determining an individual hearing benefit for the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature from the user response data associated with the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature from the user response data stored during initially operating the hearing device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising configuring the hearing device such that the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature is permanently removed or permanently deactivated or is made permanently available.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein configuring the hearing device is dependent on at least one of:

the determined individual hearing benefit for the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature;

a selection of the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature by an audiologist or the user of the hearing device in a fitting software or a client management software or a web application or an app running on the auxiliary device;

performing a financial transaction;

providing a passkey or an activation code to the hearing device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is part of a self-fitting or of an online fitting process.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature comprises one of:

highly directive and/or adaptive beamforming;

adaptive noise cancelling;

wind noise cancelling;

automatic occlusion cancelling;

frequency transposition/compression;

binaural processing, wherein the hearing device is worn at a left ear and a second hearing device is worn at a right ear of the user

providing more than 3 automatically selectable hearing programs or signal processing configurations adapted for more than 3 sound types or classes;

audio streaming of at least one of a telephone, a television, a media player, a public address, and an alarm signal to the hearing device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the hearing device automatically switches on and off an effect of the at least one second, advanced hearing device feature, when the at least one second hearing device feature has been automatically selected and activated.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one second, advanced hearing device feature is permanently turned off or prevented from being applied for processing the audio signal after a predetermined period of time during an evaluation period.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein the information that is used to determine if providing an indication to the user is potentially disturbing is at least one of:

the number of responses already provided by the user indicating the individual hearing benefit from the at least one second hearing device feature;

time of day;

calendar data;

motion activity data;

a circadian rhythm;

a biorhythm.