Method and system for providing binaural hearing assistance
First Claim
1. A method of providing binaural hearing assistance to a user, comprising:
- capturing audio signals at a right ear unit which is worn at the right side of a user'"'"'s head and which comprises means for stimulating a user'"'"'s right ear;
simultaneously capturing audio signals at a left ear unit which is worn at the left side of the user'"'"'s head and which comprises means for stimulating a user'"'"'s left ear;
defining a target signal with regard to background noise;
determining a difference in a target-signal-to-background-noise ratio of the audio signals captured at the right ear unit and the audio signals captured at the left ear unit;
exchanging audio signals between the right ear unit and the left ear unit according to the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio;
selecting, as a function of the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, as input to each of the stimulating means at least one of the audio signals captured at the respective ear unit, the audio signals received from the other one of the ear units, and mixtures thereof;
stimulating the user'"'"'s right ear and the user'"'"'s left ear according to the selected respective audio signals; and
wherein the exchanged audio signals are delayed by 0.5 to 5 ms relative to the ear unit receiving the exchanged audio signals;
wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio exceeds a first pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are exchanged from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and the audio signals having the better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of both ear units; and
wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio is between said first threshold value and a second pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are exchanged from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and a mixture of the exchanged audio signals and the audio signals captured at that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have the better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of that one of the ear units.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of providing binaural hearing assistance to a user, comprising: capturing audio signals at an ear unit worn at each side of the users head; defining a target signal with regard to background noise; determining the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio of the audio signals captured at the each ear unit; exchanging audio signals between each ear unit according to the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio; selecting, as a function of the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, as input to each of the stimulating means the audio signals captured at the respective ear unit, the audio signals received from the other one of the ear units, and/or mixtures thereof; and stimulating the user'"'"'s right ear and the user'"'"'s left ear according to the selected respective audio signals.
15 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method of providing binaural hearing assistance to a user, comprising:
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capturing audio signals at a right ear unit which is worn at the right side of a user'"'"'s head and which comprises means for stimulating a user'"'"'s right ear; simultaneously capturing audio signals at a left ear unit which is worn at the left side of the user'"'"'s head and which comprises means for stimulating a user'"'"'s left ear; defining a target signal with regard to background noise; determining a difference in a target-signal-to-background-noise ratio of the audio signals captured at the right ear unit and the audio signals captured at the left ear unit; exchanging audio signals between the right ear unit and the left ear unit according to the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio; selecting, as a function of the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, as input to each of the stimulating means at least one of the audio signals captured at the respective ear unit, the audio signals received from the other one of the ear units, and mixtures thereof; stimulating the user'"'"'s right ear and the user'"'"'s left ear according to the selected respective audio signals; and wherein the exchanged audio signals are delayed by 0.5 to 5 ms relative to the ear unit receiving the exchanged audio signals; wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio exceeds a first pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are exchanged from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and the audio signals having the better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of both ear units; and wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio is between said first threshold value and a second pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are exchanged from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and a mixture of the exchanged audio signals and the audio signals captured at that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have the better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of that one of the ear units. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising:
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capturing audio signals at a right ear unit which is worn at the right side of a user'"'"'s head and simultaneously capturing audio signals at a left ear unit which is worn at a left side of the user'"'"'s head, with one of the right ear unit and the left ear unit comprising means for stimulating a user'"'"'s respective ear; defining a target signal with regard to background noise; determining a difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio of the audio signals captured at the right ear unit and the audio signals captured at the left ear unit; transmitting, according to the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, audio signals from that one of the ear units not comprising stimulating means to that one of the ear units comprising the stimulating means, wherein the transmitted audio signals are delayed by 0.5 to 5 ms relative to the ear unit receiving the transmitted audio signals; selecting, as a function of the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, as input to the stimulating means at least one of the audio signals captured at the respective ear unit, the audio signals received from the other one of the ear units, and mixtures thereof; and stimulating the user'"'"'s respective ear according to the selected respective audio signals and wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio exceeds a first pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are transmitted from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and the audio signals having the better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of both ear units; and wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio is between said first threshold value and a second pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are transmitted from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and a mixture of the transmitted audio signals and the audio signals captured at that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have the better target-signal-to- background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of that one of the ear units.
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25. A system for providing binaural hearing assistance to a user, comprising:
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a right ear unit which is to be worn at a right side of a user'"'"'s head and which comprises a microphone arrangement for capturing audio signals at the right ear unit and means for stimulating a user'"'"'s right ear, a left ear unit which is to be worn at the left side of the user'"'"'s head and which comprises a microphone arrangement for capturing audio signals at the left ear unit and means for stimulating a user'"'"'s left ear, means for determining a difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio of the audio signals captured at the right ear unit and the audio signals captured at the left ear unit; means for exchanging audio signals between the right ear unit and the left ear unit according to the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, means for selecting, as a function of the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, as input to each of the stimulating means at least one of the audio signals captured at the respective ear unit, the audio signals received from the other one of the ear units, and mixtures thereof; and wherein the exchanged audio signals are delayed by 0.5 to 5 ms relative to the ear unit receiving the exchanged audio signals; wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio exceeds a first pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are exchanged from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and the audio signals having the better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of both ear units; and wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio is between said first threshold value and a second pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are exchanged from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and a mixture of the exchanged audio signals and the audio signals captured at that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have the better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of that one of the ear units. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising:
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a right ear unit which is to be worn at a right side of the user'"'"'s head and which comprises a microphone arrangement for capturing audio signals at the right ear unit, and a left ear unit which is to be worn at a left side of the user'"'"'s head and which comprises a microphone arrangement for capturing audio signals at the left ear unit, with one of the right ear unit and the left ear unit comprising means for stimulating a user'"'"'s respective ear, means for determining a difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio of the audio signals captured at the right ear unit and the audio signals captured at the left ear unit; means for transmitting, according to the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, audio signals from that one of the ear units not comprising stimulating means to the that one of the ear units comprising the stimulating means, wherein the transmitted audio signals are delayed by 0.5 to 5 ms relative to the ear unit receiving the transmitted audio signals, means for selecting, as a function of the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, as input to the stimulating means at least one of the audio signals captured at the respective ear unit, the audio signals received from the other one of the ear units, and mixtures thereof; wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio exceeds a first pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are transmitted from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and the audio signals having the better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of both ear units; and wherein, if the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio is between said first threshold value and a second pre-defined threshold value, audio signals are transmitted from that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have a better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio to the other one of the ear units and a mixture of the transmitted audio signals and the audio signals captured at that one of the ear units at which the captured audio signals have the better target-signal-to-background-noise ratio are selected as the input to the stimulating means of that one of the ear units.
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Specification