AU2016269193A1

AU2016269193A1 - A hearing device and a method for operating thereof

Info

Publication number: AU2016269193A1
Application number: AU2016269193A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Yatyiu CHEUNG
Original assignee: LOGITAL CO Ltd
Current assignee: LOGITAL CO Ltd
Priority date: 2015-05-27
Filing date: 2016-04-19
Publication date: 2017-12-14
Also published as: CN107925832A; HK1207526A2; WO2016188270A1; SG10201910372UA; AU2016269193A8; CN107925832B; PH12017500115A1; WO2016188270A8; CA2987100A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for operating a hearing device, comprising the steps of: determining, using the hearing device, a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies; and storing, at the hearing device, the hearing response determined; wherein the hearing device is arranged to optimize an audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined.

Description

A HEARING DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR OPERATING

THEREOF

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for operating a hearing device and particularly, although not exclusively, to a method for calibrating and operating a hearing aid that can be performed by the user of the hearing aid without requiring assistance from a hearing aid professional or audiologist.

BACKGROUND

Hearing is one of the traditional five senses of human beings. In a typical human hearing process, sound waves are focused by the pinna to travel along the ear canal and to vibrate the eardrum. The vibrations of the eardrum are then amplified by the ossicles, and are subsequently transformed into fluid vibrations in the fluid-filled cochlea, where different sensory hair cells are arranged to resonant with different frequencies of fluid vibrations. Upon activation by a sound of a certain frequency, the respective hair cells transform the resonations into electrical signals to be propagated through the auditory nerve to the brain for processing. The processing of these signals by the brain leads to the perception of sound, and hence the interpretation of sound.

The perception of sounds in humans is a complex phenomenon. In fact, the ears of each individual do not perceive sounds uniformly over the entire audio frequency range. For example, a 60 dB 1,000 Hz sound may have a different loudness compared with a 60 dB 10,000 Hz sound to the same individual. Also, the left ear and right ear of the same individual may have different responses to the same sound. On the other hand, different people may perceive the same sound of the same sound pressure level, frequency and/or quality differently. For example, elderly people tend to have weaker hearing and are less sensitive to high frequency sounds. In another example, people who suffer from partial noise induced hearing loss may have problems in hearing a certain range of frequencies of sounds. Even for normal individuals, the same sound may not appear to be the same in terms of loudness, pitch and/or quality, due to the variation of ear and brain structures of the individuals, as well as other environmental factors.

It would be desirable to have a hearing device that has the ability to compensate for various degree of hearing impairments, as hearing losses in humans are mostly irreversible, and the human sense of hearing can only degrade over age.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a hearing device, comprising the steps of: determining, using the hearing device, a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies; and storing, at the hearing device, the hearing response determined; wherein the hearing device is arranged to optimize an audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the hearing response comprises a hearing profile of minimum audible volume over the range of audible frequencies. Preferably, the range of audible frequencies can be any frequency range between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the range of audible frequencies is divided into a plurality of frequency bands. In a specific embodiment in the first aspect, the range of audible frequencies is divided into 12 frequency bands. Preferably, the plurality of frequency bands is continuous.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the step of determining a hearing response of a user over the range of audible frequencies comprises the step of: determining a minimum audible volume of at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands comprises a centre frequency of each of the plurality of frequency bands.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the step of determining a minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels to the user; and receiving, at the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs to the user. In a specific embodiment of the first aspect, one test audio output is transmitted at a time to obtain one feedback signal. Preferably, the test audio output is a signal tone or a pure tone of a particular frequency.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the step of transmitting a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels to the user comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user; and transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user. Preferably, the coarse step represents a larger change in sound pressure level than the fine step. For example, the coarse step may represent a 30 dB difference in sound pressure level (SPL), and the fine step may represent a 5 dB difference in sound pressure level.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the step of transmitting a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a first test audio output of the particular frequency with a first sound pressure level to the user; transmitting, from the hearing device, a second test audio output of the particular frequency with a second sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is audible to the user; and transmitting, from the hearing device, a third test audio output of the particular frequency with a third sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is not audible to the user; wherein the first sound pressure level is one half of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; the second sound pressure level is one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; and the third sound pressure level is three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device. For example, the first sound pressure level may be 60 dB, the second sound pressure level may be 30 dB and the third sound pressure level may be 90 dB.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the step of transmitting a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user further comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a fourth test audio output of the particular frequency with a fourth sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the second test audio output is audible to the user; and transmitting, from the hearing device, a fifth test audio output of the particular frequency with a fifth sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the third test audio output is not audible to the user; wherein the fourth sound pressure level corresponds to the minimum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device, and the fifth sound pressure level corresponds to the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device. For example, the fourth sound pressure level may be around 0 dB, and the fifth sound pressure level may be 120 dB.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the step of transmitting a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user comprises the step of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with a plurality of sound pressure levels successively incremented or decremented from the second or third sound pressure level in fine steps to the user until a sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency is determined.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the step of transmitting a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user further comprises the step of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with a plurality of sound pressure levels successively incremented from the fourth sound pressure level or decremented from the fifth sound pressure level in fine steps to the user until a sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency is determined.

Preferably, the step of determining a minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band is repeated for the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the step of determining a minimum audible volume of at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands comprises or further comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of different frequencies with different sound pressure levels in a random or pseudorandom sequence to the user; and receiving, at the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs so as to determine or confirm the minimum audible volume of the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands. Preferably, in the random or pseudorandom sequence, some test audio outputs of the same frequency are repeated. Optionally, the response to the same test audio output with the same frequency may be averaged to obtain a more accurate measurement of the hearing response of the user.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the method further comprises the steps of: collecting, using the hearing device, an audio signal to be processed prior to transmission to the user; adjusting, using the hearing device, the audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined; and transmitting, from the hearing device, the adjusted audio signal to the user. Preferably, the audio signal to be processed is a sound of the environment of which the user is in.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the step of adjusting the audio signal to be transmitted to the user comprises the step of: scaling, averaging and smoothing the audio signal to adjust loudness and quality of the audio signal based on the hearing response determined. Optionally, the pitch of the audio signal may also be adjusted.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the hearing response of the user comprises a hearing response of a left ear of the user or a hearing response of a right ear of the user or both.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the hearing device is a self-calibrated hearing device that can be calibrated by the user. Preferably, the calibration is carried out by the user without the assistance of any hearing aid professional or audiologist, and without using other dedicated facilities.

In one embodiment of the first aspect, the hearing device is a digital hearing aid device. Preferably, the digital hearing aid device comprises a signal processing unit and a multi-microphone earphone cable having a jack. In one example, the signal processing unit includes an audio codec, a processor, a memory module, a communication module, a control module, a display module, an amplifier, an equaliser (e.g., a multi-band equaliser), etc., and the multi-microphone earphone cable comprises microphones, speakers, and ear-buds that are preferably noise insulating. Preferably, the digital hearing aid device implements adaptive beamforming and adaptive noise cancellation algorithms for processing audio signals/sounds collected by the microphones.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided hearing device comprising: a processor arranged to determine a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies; and a memory module arranged to store the hearing response determined; wherein the hearing device further comprises an equaliser arranged to optimize an audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the hearing response comprises a hearing profile of minimum audible volume over the range of audible frequencies. Preferably, the range of audible frequencies can be any frequency range between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the range of audible frequencies is divided into a plurality of frequency bands. In a specific embodiment in the second aspect, the range of audible frequencies is divided into 12 frequency bands. Preferably, the plurality of frequency bands is continuous.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is arranged to determine a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies by determining a minimum audible volume of at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands comprises a centre frequency of each of the plurality of frequency bands.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is arranged to determine a minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band by: transmitting, through one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels to the user; and receiving, through a control module of the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs to the user. In a specific embodiment of the second aspect, one test audio output is transmitted at a time to obtain one feedback signal. Preferably, the test audio output is a signal tone or a pure tone of a particular frequency.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is arranged to transmit a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels to the user by: transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user; and transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user. Preferably, the coarse step represents a larger change in sound pressure level than the fine step. For example, the coarse step may represent a 30 dB difference in sound pressure level, and the fine step may represent a 5 dB difference in sound pressure level.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is arranged to transmit a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user by: transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a first test audio output of the particular frequency with a first sound pressure level to the user; transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a second test audio output of the particular frequency with a second sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is audible to the user; and transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a third test audio output of the particular frequency with a third sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is not audible to the user; wherein the first sound pressure level is one half of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; the second sound pressure level is one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; and the third sound pressure level is three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device. For example, the first sound pressure level may be 60 dB, the second sound pressure level may be 30 dB and the third sound pressure level may be 90 dB.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is further arranged to transmit a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user by: transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a fourth test audio output of the particular frequency with a fourth sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the second test audio output is audible to the user; and transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a fifth test audio output of the particular frequency with a fifth sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the third test audio output is not audible to the user; wherein the fourth sound pressure level corresponds to the minimum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device, and the fifth sound pressure level corresponds to the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device. For example, the fourth sound pressure level may be around 0 dB, and the fifth sound pressure level may be 120 dB.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is arranged to transmit a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user by: transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with a plurality of sound pressure levels successively incremented or decremented from the second or third sound pressure level in fine steps to the user until a sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency is determined.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is further arranged to transmit a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user by: transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with a plurality of sound pressure levels successively incremented from the fourth sound pressure level or decremented from the fifth sound pressure level in fine steps to the user until a sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency is determined.

Preferably, the processor is arranged to determine the minimum audible volume of at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands by repeating the methods in the determination of the minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is arranged to determine a minimum audible volume of at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands by: transmitting, through one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of different frequencies with different sound pressure levels in a random or pseudorandom sequence to the user; and receiving, through a control module of the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs so as to confirm or determine the minimum audible volume of the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands. Preferably, in the random or pseudorandom sequence, some test audio outputs of the same frequency are repeated. Optionally, the response (the minimum audible level) to the same test audio output with the same frequency may be averaged to obtain a more accurate minimum audible level measurement.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the hearing device further comprises one or more microphones arranged to collect an audio signal to be processed prior to transmission to the user; and the equaliser (and/or the processor) is further arranged to adjust the audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined; and the hearing device further comprises one or more speakers arranged to transmit the adjusted audio signal to the user. Preferably, the audio signal to be processed is a sound of the environment of which the user is in.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the processor and/or the equaliser is further arranged to adjust the audio signal to be transmitted to the user by: scaling, averaging and smoothing the audio signal to adjust loudness and quality of the audio signal based on the hearing response determined. Optionally, the pitch of the audio signal may also be adjusted.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the hearing response of the user comprises a hearing response of a left ear of the user or a hearing response of a right ear of the user or both.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the hearing device is a self-calibrated hearing device that can be calibrated by the user. Preferably, the calibration is carried out by the user without the assistance of any hearing aid professional or audiologist, and without using other dedicated facilities.

In one embodiment of the second aspect, the hearing device is a digital hearing aid device. Preferably, the digital hearing aid device comprises a signal processing unit and a multi-microphone earphone cable having a jack. In one example, the signal processing unit includes an audio codec, a processor, a memory module, a communication module, a control module, a display module, an amplifier, an equaliser (e.g., a multi-band equaliser), etc., and the multi-microphone earphone cable comprises microphones, speakers, and ear-buds that are preferably noise insulating. Preferably, the digital hearing aid device implements adaptive beamforming and adaptive noise cancellation algorithms for processing audio signals/sounds collected by the microphones.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a self-calibrated digital hearing aid device arranged to be calibrated and operated by a user, comprising the steps of: determining, using the hearing device, a hearing profile of minimum audible volume of the user over a range of audible frequencies divided into a plurality of frequency bands; storing, at the hearing device, the hearing response determined; collecting, using the hearing device, an audio signal to be processed prior to transmission to the user; adjusting, using the hearing device, a loudness and quality of the audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined by scaling, averaging and smoothing the audio signal; and transmitting, from the hearing device, the adjusted audio signal to the user; wherein the step of determining a minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band includes the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a first test audio output of the particular frequency with a first sound pressure level to the user, wherein the first sound pressure level is one half of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; transmitting, from the hearing device, a second test audio output of the particular frequency with a second sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is audible to the user, wherein the second sound pressure level is one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; transmitting, from the hearing device, a third test audio output of the particular frequency with a third sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is not audible to the user, wherein the third sound pressure level is three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; and transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with a plurality of sound pressure levels successively incremented or decremented from the second or third sound pressure level in fine steps to the user until a sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency is determined; receiving, at the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs to the user so as to determine the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency in the particular frequency band; wherein the step of determining a minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band is repeated for the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands; and wherein the step of determining a minimum audible volume of the user over a range of audible frequencies further comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of different frequencies with different sound pressure levels in a random or pseudorandom sequence to the user; and receiving, at the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs so as to confirm or determine the minimum audible volume of the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hearing aid comprising: one or more microphones arranged to collect sound signals; a hearing test module arranged to perform a test to determine a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies; a processing module arranged to process and optimize the collected sound signals based on the hearing response of the user determined by the hearing test module; and one or more speakers arranged to provide test sound signals for performing the test, and to provide the processed sound signals to the user.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the processing module comprises: an analog to digital converter in connection with the one or more microphones for digitizing the sound signals; a multi-band equalizer arranged to compensate for the hearing response of the user for each frequency band over the range of audible frequencies; and a digital to analog converter in connection with the one or more speakers for reproducing analog sound signals to be played at the one or more speakers.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the processing module further comprises one or more of: an amplifier arranged upstream of the multi-band equalizer for amplifying the collected sound signal; and a speech signal enhancer arranged upstream of the multi-band equalizer for enhancing speech signals and suppressing background signals in the collected sound signals.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the speech signal enhancement module comprises one or more filters.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the hearing test module comprises: a tone generator arranged to generate test tones in a random or pseudorandom sequence to be played by the one or more speakers; a user control interface arranged to receive user input, the user input comprises information associated with the test tones being heard or not being heard; a processing and memory module arranged to process and/or store results of the test.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the tone generator and/or the processing and memory module comprise one or more processors.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the user control interface comprises a display screen and a user input device. The user input device may include one or more control buttons or incorporated in a touch-sensitive display screen.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the processing and memory module is arranged to provide a hearing response to the multi-band equalizer based on the results of the test.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the hearing test module further comprises: a calibration module in connection with the processing and memory module, the calibration module being arranged to average the test results for one or more of the respective test tones, and to smoothen the hearing response over the range of audible frequencies based on the result of the tests, so as to provide a calibrated hearing response to the multi-band equalizer.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the calibration module is arranged to apply a weighted smoothing function to one or more of the frequency bands to produce a smoothed response to the respective one or more frequency bands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1A is a hearing device in the form of a hearing aid apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure IB is a block diagram of a hearing device of Figure 1A in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the general steps of calibrating and operating the hearing device of Figure 1A in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the general steps of obtaining a hearing profile of a user using the hearing device of Figure 1A in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4A is a flow diagram illustrating the steps of obtaining a hearing profile of a user using the hearing device of Figure 1A in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4B is a flow diagram illustrating the steps of obtaining a hearing profile of a user using the hearing device of Figure 1A in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps of adjusting the audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the user’s hearing profile using the hearing device of Figure 1A in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of a hearing aid apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a built-in hearing test method of the hearing aid apparatus of Figure 6 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a built-in volume calibration method of the hearing aid apparatus of Figure 6 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a built-in equalizer calibration method of a user using hearing aid apparatus of Figure 6 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Figure 1A shows a hearing device 10 in the form of a hearing aid apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1A, the hearing aid apparatus 10 includes one earphone cable 12 coupled with a signal processing unit 14. In one embodiment, the earphone cable 12 includes a signal connector jack 16 at one end for insertion into a corresponding port in the signal processing unit 14. In the present embodiment, the signal processing unit 14 includes a display screen 18 for displaying information to the user, and a number of control buttons 20 for allowing the user to interact with the unit 14. Preferably, the earphone cable 12 includes an elongated wire portion 12a extending from the signal connector jack 16, and a wire loop portion 12b extending from the elongated wire portion 12a. Preferably, the wire loop portion 12b allows the earphone cable 12 to be worn around the user’s neck. The size of the wire loop portion 12b may adjusted by manipulating the beads 22 arranged on the earphone cable 12 along the cable. In the present embodiment, the earphone cable 12 further includes two extended wire portions 12c, 12d extending from the wire loop portion 12b, and each of them includes one earbud 24a, 24b and one microphone module 26a, 26b. The length of the extended wire portion 12c, 12d may be adjusted by manipulating the beads 40, 42 arranged on the earphone cable 12 along the cable 12. Preferably, the earbuds 24a, 24b are noise isolating earbuds each with an integrated speaker, and each microphone module 26a, 26b includes one or more microphones. In a preferred embodiment, each microphone module 26a, 26b includes two microphones, one frontend microphone for collecting sound in the front (relative to the orientation of the microphone module) and one backend microphone for collecting sound at the back (relative to the orientation of the microphone module). The earphone cable 12 in the present embodiment allows for bi-directional data flow. Sound collected by the microphone module 26a, 26b may travel along the earphone cable 12 to the signal processing unit 14, and sound signals processed by the signal processing unit 14 may be transferred through the earphone cable 12 to the speaker in the earbuds 24a, 24b.

Figure IB is a block diagram 100 showing the different functional modules of the hearing aid device 10 of Figure 1A in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Reference numerals in Figure IB that are similar (plus 100) to those used in Figure 1A are used to refer to the same structure. For example, “12” is used to refer to earphone cable in Figure 1A and “112 (100+12)” is used to refer to the same earphone cable in Figure IB. As shown in Figure IB, the block diagram 100 includes a block representing the earphone cable 112 and a block representing the signal processing unit 114. In the present embodiment, the earphone cable 112 includes a left microphone module with one or more left microphones 126a, a right microphone module with one or more right microphones 126b, a left speaker 124a and a right speaker 124b; whilst the signal processing unit 114 includes an audio codec module 128, an audio amplifier 130, a processor and memory module 132, a communication module 134, a display module 118, a control module 120, as well as a multi-band equaliser 136. In the present embodiment, the processor and memory module 132 is arranged to connect with the different modules in the signal processing unit 114 for controlling and coordinating the operation of these different modules.

In the present embodiment, the microphones 126a, 126b in the earphone cable 112 are arranged to collect sound from the environment. Sound collected by the microphones 126a, 126b will be transmitted to the audio codec module 128 and hence the processor and memory module 132 in the signal processing unit 114 for processing. After processing the sound signal, the signal processing unit 114 may transmit the processed sound signal to the speakers 124a, 124b in the earphone cable 112 through the audio amplifier 130 so that the processed sound signal can be played to the user.

Preferably, the audio codec module 128 in the signal processing unit 114 is arranged to perform analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversions. The audio codec module 128 may digitize the analog sound signal received from the microphones 126a, 126b, and may transform the processed sound signal to be outputted to the audio amplifier 130 and hence to the speakers 124a, 124b into analog output signals. In the embodiment where the left and right microphone modules each includes a front end microphone and a backend microphone, the audio codec module 128 may include two separate codec units, one corresponding to the front end microphones, one corresponding to the backend microphones.

The signal processing unit 114 further includes a processor and memory module 132 arranged to process incoming sound signals collected by the microphones 126a, 126b for output to the speakers 124a, 124b, and to communicate data with other different modules in the signal processing unit 114. The processor and memory module 132 in one embodiment is arranged to store one or more hearing profiles of the user. The hearing profile may be related to the sensitivity of the user’s hearing towards different frequencies of sound. The hearing profile may be created during the initial setup or subsequent calibration process of the device 10 by the user. Preferably, the processor and memory module 132 comprises a digital signal processor arranged to process the digitized sound signal received from the audio codec 128. In one embodiment, the processor and memory module 132 may be operable to perform adaptive beamforming and adaptive noise cancellation algorithms to process the sound signals. An example of these algorithms has been described in US patent application US 14/287,204, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The processor and memory module 132 is further arranged to be in communication with the equaliser 136 for adjusting the sound signal collected based on the hearing profile of the user. Preferably, the processor and memory module 132 is further arranged to be in communication with the communication module 134, the display module 118, and the control module 120. In an alternative embodiment, the processor and memory module 132 may include a processor and a memory module that are separated from each other.

The multi-band equaliser 136 arranged in the signal processing unit 114 is preferably in communication with the processor and memory module 132. In the present embodiment, the equaliser 136 is arranged to adjust the sound signal received from the processor and memory module 132 based on the hearing profile of the user. For example, if the user is less sensitive towards high frequency sounds, then the equaliser 136 will, based on the hearing profile of the user, process the sound signal to boost the high frequency sounds so as to increase the audibility of such sounds. Upon adjusting the sound signal, the equaliser 136 may send the processed/adjusted signal back to the processor and memory module 132. In an alternative embodiment, the equaliser 136 may be integrated with the processor and memory module 132.

The signal processing unit 114 in the present invention further includes an audio amplifier 130. Preferably, the audio amplifier 130 is arranged to receive the processed sound signal in analog form from the audio codec module 128 and transmit the analog processed sound signal to the speakers 124a, 124b.

In the present embodiment, the communication module 134 includes one or more of a Bluetooth module, a radio (rf) module and a Wi-Fi module. Preferably, the communication module 134 is arranged to facilitate data communication between the signal processing unit 114 and other external electronic devices. The display module 118 in the present embodiment may include a display screen that displays information related to the device 10 to the user. For example, the display module 118 may display the status of the device 10, a time, a date, or may display information to guide the user to complete an initial set-up, or a subsequent calibration or a troubleshoot process. The control module 120 may include one or more control buttons arranged to allow the user to input information into the unit 114, for example, during the initial set-up, calibration or troubleshoot process. In one embodiment, the display module 118 and the control module 120 may be integrated in the form of a touch sensitive screen with interactive display. The arrangement of the display module 118 and the control module 120 allows the hearing device 10 to be able to be self-calibrated by the user without the assistance of audiologist or hearing device professionals. Although not shown in Figure IB, the signal processing unit 114 may further include a power module with one or more rechargeable batteries for powering the operation of the device 10.

Referring now to Figure 2, there is provided a method for operating a hearing device, comprising the steps of: determining, using the hearing device, a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies; and storing, at the hearing device, the hearing response determined; wherein the hearing device is arranged to optimize an audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined.

Figure 2 illustrates a method 200 for calibrating and operating the hearing device 10 of Figure 1A in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, steps 202 and 204 are the calibration steps for the hearing device 10 and steps 206-210 are operation steps of the hearing device 10.

In step 202, the method 200 involves determining a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies, for either or both ears of the user. In one embodiment, the hearing response of the user is a hearing profile of minimum audible volume over the range of audible frequencies of the user. The range of frequencies in the present embodiment may include any frequency range between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Preferably, the range of audible frequencies is divided into a plurality of frequency bands, and at least one frequency is selected to represent each frequency band. The plurality of frequency bands need not cover range of frequencies of the same length (e.g., each band cover 5000Hz range) but may cover range of frequencies of various lengths (some bands cover 1000Hz range, some cover 5000Hz range, etc.). In one example, the frequency range may span from 100 Hz to 20,000 Hz, and the frequency range may be divided into 12 frequency bands. In this example, the centre frequency of each frequency band may be chosen to represent that particular frequency band. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, step 202 involves determining a minimum audible volume of at least one frequency, e.g., the centre frequency, in each of the frequency bands of the frequency range. After determining the hearing response of either or both ears of the user in step 202, the method 200 proceeds to step 204, where the hearing response determined is stored. The hearing response determined corresponds to a hearing profile of minimum audible volume of the user over the frequency range. Preferably, the hearing profile is stored in the processor and memory module 132 of the device 10.

After calibrating the device 10 in steps 202 and 204, the method 200 proceeds to step 206, in which the microphones 126a, 126b of the hearing device 10 collect an audio signal to be processed prior to transmission to the user through the speakers 124a, 124b. The audio signal is transmitted from the microphone 126a, 126b through the earphone wire to the audio codec module 128 and the processor and memory module 132 of the signal processing unit 114. Preferably, the audio signal may be a sound of the environment of which the hearing device 10 is in. For example, the audio signal may be background noise, speech, music, etc. Subsequently, in step 208, the hearing device 10 adjusts the collected audio signal based on the hearing response determined in the calibration steps 202, 204. In one embodiment, the processor and memory module 132 may apply an adaptive beamforming algorithm and/or an adaptive noise cancellation algorithm to the collected signal, prior to further processing of the signal by the equaliser 136 based on the user’s hearing profile. Preferably, the equaliser 136 in the signal processing unit 114 are arranged to process the collected audio signal based on the hearing profile of the user stored in the processor and memory module 132. Upon processing the collected sound signal based on the hearing profile of the user, the processed sound signal will then be transmitted from the processor and memory module 132 in the signal processing unit 114 to the speakers 124a, 124b in the earbuds through the audio codec module 128, the audio amplifier module 130, in step 210.

Figure 3 shows a method 300 for obtaining a hearing profile of a user of the hearing device 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, steps 302-308 are steps for obtaining an initial hearing profile of the user, and steps 310-312 are steps for fine-tuning the hearing profile of the user. In some embodiments, steps 310-312 may be optional and can be omitted. Yet in some other embodiments, steps 302-308 may be optional and can be omitted. In the present embodiment, steps 302-312 may be performed by the user through the display module 118 and the control module 120 in the initial setup processor or in a subsequent calibration process for the device 10.

In steps 302 and 304, the hearing device 10 is arranged to generate and transmit a number of test audio outputs of a particular frequency of sound to the user. Preferably, the test audio outputs are tonal sounds. In the present embodiment, test audio outputs with different sound pressure levels for the same frequency of sound are firstly generated at the processor and memory module 132 of the signal processing unit 114, and are then transmitted to the user through the audio codec module 128, the audio amplifier 130, and the speakers 124a, 124b. Upon hearing (or not hearing) each test audio output, the user may provide a feedback to the device 10 to indicate whether he can hear or cannot hear the sound. This can be done, for example, by pressing a key in the control module 120 that corresponds to a selection displayed on the selection screen of the display module 118. Preferably, test audio signals with different sound pressure levels for the same frequency sound are transmitted to the user one at a time.

In the present embodiment, in step 302, the test audio signals of the same frequency sound provided to the user are increased or decreased with coarse adjustments, and in step 304, the test audio signals provided to the user are increased or decreased with fine adjustments. For example, the first few test audio signals played to the user in step 302 may have a sound pressure level difference of tens of decibels, and the subsequent test audio signals played to the user in step 304 may have a sound pressure level difference of a few decibels. In the present embodiment, the main objective of steps 302 and 304 are to determine a minimum audible of at least one frequency in each of the frequency bands over the entire frequency range to be tested in an efficient manner, and therefore the test audio signals are played to the user in a corresponding sequence to achieve this objective in steps 302 and 304.

Upon completing steps 302 and 304, in step 306, the minimum sound pressure level of that particular sound frequency is determined. In the present embodiment, the minimum sound pressure level corresponds to the minimal audible volume that can be heard by the user for that particular frequency. In step 308, operation steps 302-306 are repeated for different sound frequencies in different frequency bands. Preferably, the minimum sound pressure level of at least one frequency in each frequency band is determined so as to obtain a hearing response or a hearing profile of the user over the entire frequency range. In the example where there are 12 frequency bands over the entire frequency range, steps 302-306 are repeated 12 times, from the lower frequency to the highest frequency in the various frequency bands, to determine the hearing profile of the user over the entire frequency range. In a preferred embodiment, steps 302-308 are also repeated for each of the ears of the user. Preferably, the hearing response or hearing profile determined for one or both ears of the user is then stored in the processor and memory module 132 of the signal processing unit 114.

To improve the accuracy of the hearing response or the hearing profile determined, in step 310, the device 10 may enter a random testing mode in some embodiments. In the random testing mode, the processor and memory module 132 of the hearing device 10 is arranged to generate and transmit a number of test audio outputs (e.g., tonal sounds) of different frequencies with different sound pressure levels to the user in a random or pseudorandom sequence. In one embodiment, the user is required to provide feedback through the control module 120 for each test audio output, to indicate the audibility of that particular test audio output. This process performed in step 310 is similar to that illustrated in steps 302-304, except that in step 310 the test audio outputs may be of various frequencies and various sound pressure levels, and may be played to either the left or right ear of the user in a random or pseudorandom manner. In one embodiment, the same test audio output of the same frequency, the same sound pressure level, and the same quality may be repeated for more than once for the same ear in the random testing mode.

Upon collecting further user feedback in the random testing mode, in step 312, the processor and memory module 132 in the signal processing unit 114 then processes and averages the user’s feedback of the minimum audible sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume for the same test audio output to further optimize and improve the accuracy of the hearing response of the user.

Figure 4A illustrates a method 400A for obtaining a hearing profile of a user using the hearing device 10 of Figure 1A in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The method 400A in Figure 4A corresponds to steps 302-304 in the method of Figure 3. In step 402A, the processor and memory module 132 of the signal processing unit 114 is arranged to generate and transmit, through the speakers 124a, 124b, a first test audio output of a particular frequency to the user with one half of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the device 10. If the feedback from the user upon transmitting the first test audio output indicates that the user can hear the first test audio output, the processor and memory module 132 then generates and transmits, through the speakers 124a, 124b, a second test audio output of a particular frequency to the user with one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the device 10, in step 404A. Alternatively, if the feedback from the user upon transmitting the first test audio output indicates that the user cannot hear the first test audio output, the processor and memory module 132 then generates and transmits, through the speakers 124a, 124b, a third test audio output of a particular frequency to the user with three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the device 10, in step 406A. In one embodiment, the device 10 is operable to generate a maximum sound pressure level of 120 dB, and thus the first, second and third outputs are 60 dB, 30 dB, and 90 dB respectively.

Upon completing steps 404A and 406A, the method then progress to step 408A, where the audio signal outputs of sequentially increasing or decreasing sound pressure levels are transmitted to the user to determine the minimum audible sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of that particular frequency of sound. In one embodiment, in step 408A, the sound pressure levels are increased or decreased in steps of, for example, a few decibels. If, after step 404A, it is determined that the user cannot hear the second test audio output, then in step 408A, the device 10 will increase the sound pressure level of subsequent test audio outputs, from one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level, in steps of a few decibels, until the minimum audible sound pressure level is determined. Alternatively, if, after step 404A, it is determined that the user can hear the second test audio output, then in step 408A, the device 10 will decrease the sound pressure level of subsequent test audio outputs, from one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level, in steps of a few decibels, to determine the minimum audible sound pressure level of that particular sound frequency. If, after step 406A, it is determined that the user cannot hear the third test audio output, then in step 408A, the device 10 will increase the sound pressure level of subsequent test audio outputs, from three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level, in steps of a few decibels, until the minimum audible sound pressure level is determined. Alternatively, if, after step 406A, it is determined that the user can hear the third test audio output, then in step 408A, the device 10 will decrease the sound pressure level of subsequent test audio outputs, from three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level, in steps of a few decibels, to determine the minimum audible sound pressure level of that particular sound frequency. In one example, each sound pressure level steps in step 408Ahas a 5 dB difference.

Figure 4B illustrates a method 400B for obtaining a hearing profile of a user using the hearing device 10 of Figure 1A in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the method 400A in Figure 4A, the method 400B in Figure 4B also corresponds to steps 302-304 in the method of Figure 3.

In step 402B, the processor and memory module 132 of the signal processing unit 114 is arranged to generate and transmit, through the speakers 124a, 124b, a first test audio output of a particular frequency to the user with one half of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the device 10. If the feedback from the user upon transmitting the first test audio output indicates that the user can hear the first test audio output, the processor and memory module 132 then generates and transmits, through the speakers 124a, 124b, a second test audio output of a particular frequency to the user with one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the device 10, in step 404B. Alternatively, if the feedback from the user upon transmitting the first test audio output indicates that the user cannot hear the first test audio output, the processor and memory module 132 then generates and transmits, through the speakers 124a, 124b, a third test audio output of a particular frequency to the user with three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the device 10, in step 406B. If the feedback from the user upon transmitting the second test audio output indicates that the user can hear the second test audio output, the processor and memory module 132 then generates and transmits, through the speakers 124a, 124b, a fourth test audio output of a particular frequency to the user with a minimum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the device 10, in step 410B. If the feedback from the user upon transmitting the third test audio output indicates that the user cannot hear the third test audio output, the processor and memory module 132 then generates and transmits, through the speakers 124a, 124b, a fifth test audio output of a particular frequency to the user with the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the device 10, in step 414B. In one embodiment, the device 10 is operable to generate a maximum sound pressure level of 120 dB, and thus the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth outputs are 60 dB, 30 dB, and 90 dB, ~0 dB and 120 dB respectively.

Upon completing steps 404B, 406B, 410B and 414B, the method then progress to step 408B, 412B or 416B respectively. In step 408B, subsequent test audio outputs of increasing or decreasing sound pressure levels are transmitted to the user to determine the minimum audible sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of that particular frequency of sound. In one embodiment, in step 408B, the sound pressure levels of subsequent test audio outputs are increased or decreased in steps of, for example, a few decibels at a time. In step 412B, it is determined that no adjustment is needed. In step 416B, the method ends when it is determined that the audio output of that particular frequency is not audible to the user even with the largest sound pressure level that can be outputted by the device 10.

If, after step 404B, it is determined that the user cannot hear the second test audio output, then in step 408A, the device 10 will increase the sound pressure level of subsequent test audio outputs, from one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level, in steps of a few decibels, until the minimum audible sound pressure level is determined. If, after step 406A, it is determined that the user cannot hear the third test audio output, then in step 408A, the device 10 will increase the sound pressure level of subsequent test audio outputs, from three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level, in steps of a few decibels, until the minimum audible sound pressure level is determined.

If after step 410B, it is determined that the user can hear the fourth test audio output, then in step 412B, the device 10 will know that no adjustment to that particular frequency of the test audio output is needed. If after step 410B, it is determined that the user cannot hear the fourth test audio output, then in step 408B, the device 10 will increase the sound pressure level of subsequent test audio outputs, from the minimum sound pressure level, in steps of a few decibels, until the minimum audible sound pressure level is determined. If, after step 414B, it is determined that the user cannot hear the fifth test audio output, then in step 408B, the device 10 will know that no adjustment to that particular frequency of the test audio output is helpful to the user. In one embodiment, the device may still provide maximum amplification of that signal in subsequent audio processing. If, after step 414B, it is determined that the user cannot hear the fifth test audio output, then in step 408B, the device 10 will decrease the sound pressure level of subsequent test audio outputs, from the maximum sound pressure level, in steps of a few decibels, until the minimum audible sound pressure level is determined. In one example, each sound pressure level steps in step 408B has a 5 dB difference.

Figure 5 illustrates a method 500 for adjusting the audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the user’s hearing profile using the hearing device 10 of Figure 1A in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, method 500 corresponds to step 208 in Figure 2.

In step 502, the audio signal collected by the microphones 126a, 126b and pre-processed by the processor and memory module 132 (by applying adaptive beamforming and adaptive noise cancellation algorithms) is first scaled by the processor and memory module 132 and/or the equaliser 136 based on the hearing profile of the user stored in the processor and memory module 132. In one embodiment, the audio signal is amplified or suppressed by increasing or decreasing the sound pressure level based on the hearing response or profile of the user. For example, if the audio signal includes a 5,000 Hz signal, and the hearing profile indicates that the user has a certain degree of hearing loss for 5,000 Hz frequency sounds, the processor and memory module 132 and/or the equaliser 136may amplify the audio signal to be transmitted to the user. On the other hand, if the audio signal includes a 10,000 Hz signal, and the hearing profile indicates that the user has minimal hearing loss for 10,000 Hz frequency sounds, the processor and memory module 132 and/or the equaliser 136may suppress the audio signal to be transmitted to the user. For an audio signal that contains different frequency components, the processor and memory module 132 and/or the equaliser 136 may adjust each of the frequency components accordingly based on the hearing profile or response of the user.

In step 504, the amplified or suppressed audio signal may be further averaged and smoothed by the processor and memory module 132 and/or the equaliser 136 based on the hearing profile of the user stored in the processor and memory module 132. In one embodiment, the processor and memory module 132 and/or the equaliser 136 are arranged to average adjacent frequency bands or all frequency bands in the entire frequency range contained in the audio signal to improve clarity of quality of the sound signal. Step 504 is particularly useful for processing audio signals containing a broad range of frequencies. Upon completion of steps 502 and 504, the processor and memory module 132 will transmit the processed audio signal to the audio codec module 128 for digital to analog conversion. The analog processed audio signal is then transmitted to the user through the audio amplifier 130 and the speakers 124a, 124b.

Figure 6 shows a hearing aid apparatus 600 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 6, the hearing aid apparatus 600 includes four microphones 602 for collecting sound from the environment. The microphones 602 are connected with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 604, which digitize the sound signals received by the microphones 602. The ADC 604 is in turn connected with an amplifier 606 and a speech enhancement module 608. The amplifier 606 can amplify the digitized sound signals, and the speech enhancement module 608 can process the amplified digitized sound signals to, for example, suppress background noise and boost speech signals. In one embodiment, the speech enhancement module 608 may use phase shifting, spatial filtering, and/or adaptive filtering techniques to enhance the speech signals, based on the frequency characteristics of the sound. The amplifier 606 and speech enhancement module 608 may perform binaural processing and localization of sound based on the spatial-temporal information of the sound signals collected at the different microphones 602. The sound signals processed by the speech enhancement module 608 will be transmitted to a multi-band equalizer 610, which renders the sound by adjusting the frequency response and amplitude of sounds of different frequency bands based on a predetermined hearing response of the user. For example, if the user has a weaker hearing response for frequency band A, the multi-band equalizer 610 may process and enhance the hearing signal of that particular frequency band A, before transmitting it back to the user. In one embodiment, the multi-band equalizer 610 may also assist in performing binaural processing and localization of the sound signals. Finally, the processed sound signals are converted to analog signals through a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 612, and are played to the user through the two speakers 614. Preferably, the two speakers 614 are stereo output speakers.

In the present embodiment, a combination of one or more of the ADC converter 604, the amplifier 606, the speech signal enhancer 608, the multi-band equalizer 610 and the DAC 612 may be referred to as a “processing module”; and a combination of one or more of the control interface 618, the processing and memory module 620, the calibration module 624, the random generator 626 and the tone generator 628 may be referred to as a “hearing test module”. A person skilled in the art would understand that the hearing aid 600 may include any number of microphones and/or speakers, and that the more the number of microphones, the higher the spatial-temporal resolution of the sound may be achieved.

The hearing aid 600 in the present embodiment further includes a built-in calibration and test method that can be easily operated by the user, without requiring specific testing facilities and/or professionals. In the present embodiment, the hearing aid 600 includes a control panel or interface 618 that can receive user input 616. The control panel 618 may be in the form of a display screen with control buttons, or may be a touch sensitive screen. Through the control panel 618, the user can input command into the apparatus 600 and receive response, so as to perform the hearing test and/or calibration. In the present embodiment, the hearing aid 600 includes a random generator 626 and a tone generator 628 connected to the speakers 614. The random generator 626 and tone generator 628 may be one or more processors that are arranged to generate random sound signals of different frequencies, amplitude (e.g., sound pressure level), and quality to be played to the user through the two speakers 614 for performing hearing test. In particular, the random generator 626 enables the selection of different frequency bands at a random or pseudorandom manner. On the other hand, the tone generator 628 enables generation of sound or tone in a particular frequency band. In one embodiment, the tone generator 628 may operate on its own to generate tones in a predetermined sequence, without receiving or using the input from the random generator 626. Upon hearing the tones being played, the user can then indicate the audibility of the tone by providing a user input through the control panel 618. In a simplified example, the user may click “CAN HEAR” on a display screen when a sound or tone could be heard, or otherwise the use may click “CANNOT HEAR”. Preferably, the hearing test is performed over the entire audible frequency range across different frequency bands. The test result, i.e., the hearing response of the user, may be stored and may be further processed by the processing and memory module 620. A calibration module 624 is connected with the processing and memory module 620 and with the multi-band equalizer 610 to effect the adjustment of different frequency bands based on the hearing response of the user. In one embodiment, the calibration module 624 is operable to further process the hearing test result or hearing response prior to transmitting it to the multi-band equalizer 610 or prior to using it for adjusting the multi-band equalizer 610. The calibration module 624 is preferably operable to performing averaging and/or smoothing of the hearing test results across the entire frequency range for both channels (corresponding to the speakers 614), either together or individually.

Figure 7 illustrates the operation of the built-in test method 700 of the hearing aid apparatus 600 of Figure 6 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The method is preferably mainly performed using modules 616-628 of Figure 6. In the present embodiment, the test begins in step 702, in which the left channel (corresponding to the left speaker) is first selected. In step 704, the first test i=l is initialized. In step 706, the random generator 626 generates a random number Ni to select a frequency band B, to be tested. The random generator 626 and/or the tone generator 628 sets the sound pressure level output (SPL_Output) to 50% of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing aid 600, and sets the sound pressure level adjustment steps (SPL_Step) to also be 50% of the maximum sound pressure level in step 708. The tone generator 628 then generates a tone with a frequency corresponding to the selected frequency band B, and with a SPL_Output corresponding to 50% of the maximum sound pressure level in step 710. In steps 712 and 714, the hearing test result is recorded in the processing and memory module 620 and the method determines whether the sound pressure level adjustment step is equal to the difference between the maximum and minimum sound pressure levels divided by 128 (i.e., whether there has been eight test results for the same tone). If no, the method proceeds to step 716 to determine whether the user can hear that particular test tone. If yes, the method sets SPL_dir as -1 in step 718A, otherwise the method sets SPL_dir as 1 in step 718B. In step 720, the method steps the adjustment step SPL_step as SPL_step/2, i.e., divide the previous SPL_step by 2; and sets the sound pressure level output SPL_Output as SPL_Output + SPL_dir* SPL_step/2. In other words, the new sound pressure level output is set to the previous sound pressure level output plus the SPL_dir (can be +1 or -1 depending on the test result) times the new sound pressure level adjustment step. The method then returns to step 710 with the new setting and substantially repeats the cycle, i.e., steps 712 to 720.

In step 714, upon determining that the SPL_Step is equal to the difference between the maximum and minimum sound pressure levels divided by 128 (i.e., there are already eight test results for the same tone), the method exits the cycle and proceeds to step 722, in which the test count i is updated. In step 724, the method determines whether eight tests (e.g. correspond to the eight frequency bands) have been performed. If not, the method proceeds to step 706 to perform the test of different frequency bands. Number eight is chosen in this embodiment as the frequency range is divided into eight bands. In other embodiments, the method in step 724 may determine whether other numbers of tests have been performed depending on the number of frequency bands.

If it is determined in step 724 that all eight bands have been performed, then in step 726, the method may proceed to initiate the test for the right channel (corresponding to the right speaker) by returning back to step 702 and hence the cycle. In step 726, if it is determined that the right channel has also been tested, the method then proceeds to step 728 to determine whether a calibration is needed. In one embodiment, the user inputs a signal through the user input 616 and/or control panel 618 to indicate whether to perform the calibration procedure. If the user indicates that a calibration procedure is to be performed then the method proceeds to step 730 to initiate the calibration mode or algorithm, which may be performed by the processing and memory module 620 and/or the calibration module 624. Otherwise, the method proceeds to step 732 and the hearing test ends. In the present embodiment, all the test result may be stored in the processing and memory module 620 of the hearing aid apparatus 600. Further details of the calibration mode will be described with respect to Figures 8 and 9.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a built-in volume calibration method 800 and a built-in equalizer calibration method 900 for the hearing aid apparatus 600 of Figure 6, applied to both channels (corresponding to the speakers). In the volume calibration method 800 of Figure 8, the processing and memory module 620 and/or the calibration module 624 of the apparatus 600 computes an average of the eight test results 802A-802H for each tones to determine an average hearing loss level for that particular frequency tone of that frequency band. Method 800 is preferably repeated for each frequency tones across all frequency bands. The average hearing loss level information 804 obtained using method 800 may be used for adjustment (e.g., of the volume level 806) of or in the multi-band equalizer 610 of the apparatus 600. In the equalizer calibration method 900 of Figure 9, the processing and memory module 620 and/or the calibration module 624 of the apparatus 600 performs a weighted smoothing process to the hearing response. In one embodiment, for each individual frequency band 900, the hearing test result in the adjacent upper and lower bands 900A, 900B will be used for smoothing the hearing response of the frequency band. Each of the hearing result 900, 900A and 900B is preferably applied with a respective weight function Wl, Wc, Wr that may have different weightings. The smoothed frequency band information or result 904 is used for adjustment (of the respective frequency bands 906) of or in the multi-band equalizer 610. Preferably, method 900 is applied to all frequency bands and for both channels. A person skilled in the art would readily appreciate that the hearing device 10 of Figures 1A-1B and the hearing aid apparatus 600 of Figure 6 of the present invention may have additional or reduced structures in other variations, and the different methods 200-500 and 700-900 in the various embodiments of Figures 2-5 and 7-9 of the present invention may include additional steps or reduced number of steps without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the different function modules in the device 10 and apparatus 600 may be combined and may be implemented using the same or different processors, memory chips, etc. in communication through a bus. It should also be noted that the methods 200-500 and 700-900 in the various embodiments of Figures 2-5 and 7-9 can be implemented separately or together, on any type of hearing device, not necessarily restricted to the hearing device 10 illustrated in Figures 1A and IB or the hearing aid apparatus 600 illustrated in Figure 6.

The embodiments of the hearing device, the hearing aid apparatus, and the method for calibrating and operating the hearing devices in the present invention are particularly advantageous in a number of aspects. The hearing device/hearing aid apparatus in the present invention can be calibrated easily and reliably, and can be operated effectively to compensate for different hearing response or weakness of different individuals towards particular sound frequencies or frequency ranges, as well as for different ear structures, e.g., pinna morphology which is highly individual. The hearing device/hearing aid apparatus in the present invention is portable, and can be used by all walks of people, including those with or without hearing impairments. The hearing device/hearing aid apparatus readily used as it can be calibrated by the user without requiring any assistance from a hearing aid professional or audiologist, and without using any specific testing facilitates. A user may re-calibrate the device/apparatus from time to time for best operation performance. More importantly, the device/apparatus in the present invention can be readily re-calibrated for use by different people. In terms of calibration and operation methods, the calibration steps implemented in the hearing device/hearing aid apparatus of the present invention initially uses a one-half of the maximum sound pressure level for testing each frequency of sound. This arrangement effectively prevents unnecessary and excessive initial sound exposure to the user which may be harmful. The subsequently adjustment of the sound pressure levels of the test outputs in coarse and fine steps allow for time-efficient testing and hearing profile determination. The implementation of a random testing mode in the calibration or setup process significantly reduces the error in calibration process, and substantially improves the accuracy of the determination of the hearing response or profile of the user. The subsequent scaling, averaging and smoothing of the audio signal collected by the microphone and processed by the processor and equaliser during operation of the device is advantageous for improving the overall audibility of the audio signal and for the comfort of the user. Other advantages of hearing device and the method in the present invention in terms of structure, cost, function, operation, effectiveness, efficiency, manufacturing ease, etc., will become apparent to a person skilled in the art upon referring to the above detailed description.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Any reference to prior art contained herein is not to be taken as an admission that the information is common general knowledge, unless otherwise indicated.

Claims

Claims

1. A method for operating a hearing device, comprising the steps of: determining, using the hearing device, a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies; and storing, at the hearing device, the hearing response determined; wherein the hearing device is arranged to optimize an audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined.
2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hearing response comprises a hearing profile of minimum audible volume over the range of audible frequencies.
3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the range of audible frequencies is divided into a plurality of frequency bands.
4. The method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the step of determining a hearing response of a user over the range of audible frequencies comprises the step of: determining a minimum audible volume of at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands.
5. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands comprises a centre frequency of each of the plurality of frequency bands.
6. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of determining a minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels to the user; and receiving, at the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs to the user.
7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the step of transmitting a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels to the user comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user; and transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user.
8. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the step of transmitting a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a first test audio output of the particular frequency with a first sound pressure level to the user; transmitting, from the hearing device, a second test audio output of the particular frequency with a second sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is audible to the user; and transmitting, from the hearing device, a third test audio output of the particular frequency with a third sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is not audible to the user; wherein the first sound pressure level is one half of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; the second sound pressure level is one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; and the third sound pressure level is three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device.
9. The method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the step of transmitting a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user comprises the step of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with a plurality of sound pressure levels successively incremented or decremented from the second or third sound pressure level in fine steps to the user until a sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency is determined.
10. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of determining a minimum audible volume of at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of different frequencies with different sound pressure levels in a random or pseudorandom sequence to the user; and receiving, at the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs so as to determine the minimum audible volume of the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands.
11. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the steps of: collecting, using the hearing device, an audio signal to be processed prior to transmission to the user; adjusting, using the hearing device, the audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined; and transmitting, from the hearing device, the adjusted audio signal to the user.
12. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the step of adjusting the audio signal to be transmitted to the user comprises the step of: scaling, averaging and smoothing the audio signal to adjust loudness and quality of the audio signal based on the hearing response determined.
13. The method in accordance with any one of claims 1-12, wherein the hearing response of the user comprises a hearing response of a left ear of the user or a hearing response of a right ear of the user or both.
14. The method in accordance with any one of claims 1-12, wherein the hearing device is a self-calibrated hearing device that can be calibrated by the user.
15. The method in accordance with any one of claims 1-12, wherein the hearing device is a digital hearing aid device.
16. A hearing device comprising: a processor arranged to determine a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies; and a memory module arranged to store the hearing response determined; wherein the hearing device further comprises an equaliser arranged to optimize an audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined.
17. The hearing device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the hearing response comprises a hearing profile of minimum audible volume over the range of audible frequencies.
18. The hearing device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the range of audible frequencies is divided into a plurality of frequency bands.
19. The hearing device in accordance with claim 18, wherein the processor is arranged to determine a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies by determining a minimum audible volume of at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands.
20. The hearing device in accordance with claim 19, wherein the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands comprises a centre frequency of each of the plurality of frequency bands.
21. The hearing device in accordance with claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to determine a minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band by: transmitting, through one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels to the user; and receiving, through a control module of the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs to the user.
22. The hearing device in accordance with claim 21, wherein the processor is arranged to transmit a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels to the user by: transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user; and transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user.
23. The hearing device in accordance with claim 22, wherein the processor is arranged to transmit a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in coarse steps to the user by: transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a first test audio output of the particular frequency with a first sound pressure level to the user; transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a second test audio output of the particular frequency with a second sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is audible to the user; and transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a third test audio output of the particular frequency with a third sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is not audible to the user; wherein the first sound pressure level is one half of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; the second sound pressure level is one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; and the third sound pressure level is three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device.
24. The hearing device in accordance with claim 23, wherein the processor is arranged to transmit a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with different sound pressure levels adjusted in fine steps to the user by: transmitting, through the one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with a plurality of sound pressure levels successively incremented or decremented from the second or third sound pressure level in fine steps to the user until a sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency is determined.
25. The hearing device in accordance with claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to determine a minimum audible volume of at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands by: transmitting, through one or more speakers of the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of different frequencies with different sound pressure levels in a random or pseudorandom sequence to the user; and receiving, through a control module of the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs so as to confirm or determine the minimum audible volume of the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands.
26. The hearing device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the hearing device further comprises one or more microphones arranged to collect an audio signal to be processed prior to transmission to the user; and the equaliser is further arranged to adjust the audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined; and the hearing device further comprises one or more speakers arranged to transmit the adjusted audio signal to the user.
27. The hearing device in accordance with claim 26, wherein the processor and/or the equaliser is further arranged to adjust the audio signal to be transmitted to the user by: scaling, averaging and smoothing the audio signal to adjust loudness and quality of the audio signal based on the hearing response determined.
28. The hearing device in accordance with any one of claims 16-27, wherein the hearing response of the user comprises a hearing response of a left ear of the user or a hearing response of a right ear of the user or both.
29. The hearing device in accordance with any one of claims 16-27, wherein the hearing device is a self-calibrated hearing device that can be calibrated by the user.
30. The hearing device in accordance with any one of claims 16-27, wherein the hearing device is a digital hearing aid device.
31. A method for operating a self-calibrated digital hearing aid device arranged to be calibrated and operated by a user, comprising the steps of: determining, using the hearing device, a hearing profile of minimum audible volume of the user over a range of audible frequencies divided into a plurality of frequency bands; storing, at the hearing device, the hearing response determined; collecting, using the hearing device, an audio signal to be processed prior to transmission to the user; adjusting, using the hearing device, a loudness and quality of the audio signal to be transmitted to the user based on the hearing response determined by scaling, averaging and smoothing the audio signal; and transmitting, from the hearing device, the adjusted audio signal to the user; wherein the step of determining a minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band includes the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a first test audio output of the particular frequency with a first sound pressure level to the user, wherein the first sound pressure level is one half of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; transmitting, from the hearing device, a second test audio output of the particular frequency with a second sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is audible to the user, wherein the second sound pressure level is one fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; transmitting, from the hearing device, a third test audio output of the particular frequency with a third sound pressure level to the user if the feedback signal indicates that the first test audio output is not audible to the user, wherein the third sound pressure level is three fourth of the maximum sound pressure level that can be outputted by the hearing device; and transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of the particular frequency with a plurality of sound pressure levels successively incremented or decremented from the second or third sound pressure level in fine steps to the user until a sound pressure level that corresponds to the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency is determined; receiving, at the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs to the user so as to determine the minimum audible volume of the particular frequency in the particular frequency band; wherein the step of determining a minimum audible volume of a particular frequency in a particular frequency band is repeated for the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands; and wherein the step of determining a minimum audible volume of the user over a range of audible frequencies further comprises the steps of: transmitting, from the hearing device, a plurality of test audio outputs of different frequencies with different sound pressure levels in a random or pseudorandom sequence to the user; and receiving, at the hearing device, a plurality of feedback signals from the user indicative of the audibility of each of the plurality of test audio outputs so as to confirm or determine the minimum audible volume of the at least one frequency in each of the plurality of frequency bands.
32. A hearing aid comprising: one or more microphones arranged to collect sound signals; a hearing test module arranged to perform a test to determine a hearing response of a user over a range of audible frequencies; a processing module arranged to process and optimize the collected sound signals based on the hearing response of the user determined by the hearing test module; and one or more speakers arranged to provide test sound signals for performing the test, and to provide the processed sound signals to the user.
33. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 32, wherein the processing module comprises: an analog to digital converter in connection with the one or more microphones for digitizing the sound signals; a multi-band equalizer arranged to compensate for the hearing response of the user for each frequency band over the range of audible frequencies; and a digital to analog converter in connection with the one or more speakers for reproducing analog sound signals to be played at the one or more speakers.
34. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 33, wherein the processing module further comprises one or more of: an amplifier arranged upstream of the multi-band equalizer for amplifying the collected sound signal; and a speech signal enhancer arranged upstream of the multi-band equalizer for enhancing speech signals and suppressing background signals in the collected sound signals.
35. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 34, wherein the speech signal enhancement module comprises one or more filters.
36. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 33, wherein the hearing test module comprises: a tone generator arranged to generate test tones in a random or pseudorandom sequence to be played by the one or more speakers; a user control interface arranged to receive user input, the user input comprises information associated with the test tones being heard or not being heard; and a processing and memory module arranged to process and/or store results of the test.
37. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 36, wherein the tone generator and/or the processing and memory module comprises one or more processors.
38. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 36, wherein the user control interface comprises a display screen and a user input device.
39. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 36, wherein the processing and memory module is arranged to provide a hearing response to the multi-band equalizer based on the results of the test.
40. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 36, wherein the hearing test module further comprises: a calibration module in connection with the processing and memory module, the calibration module being arranged to average the test results for one or more of the respective test tones, and to smoothen the hearing response over the range of audible frequencies based on the result of the tests, so as to provide a calibrated hearing response to the multi-band equalizer.
41. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 40, wherein the calibration module is arranged to apply a weighted smoothing function to one or more of the frequency bands to produce a smoothed response to the respective one or more frequency bands.