CN117203984A - System and method for interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids - Google Patents
System and method for interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids Download PDFInfo
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Abstract
Systems and methods for interactive movement fitting of hearing aids are provided. The method comprises receiving a reduced-size fit data set with a set of sampling points from a hearing aid. The method includes interpolating a reduced-size fit data set into a continuous fit curve presented at a display of a mobile device having user interface objects, each user interface object corresponding to one or more sampling points. The method includes receiving user input to manipulate a user interface object. The user input adjusts the values of the sampling points corresponding to the user interface object to generate an updated reduced-size fitting dataset that is transmitted to the hearing aid. The method comprises generating a substitute full fit dataset based on the updated reduced size fit dataset for application to the input audio to generate modified audio output from the hearing aid.
Description
Cross-reference/cross-reference to related applications
The present application claims priority to 35u.s.c. ≡119 (e) provisional application serial No. 63/154,441 filed on month 2, 2021 entitled "system and method for interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids". The provisional application referenced above is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to hearing aids. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a system that reduces the complexity of modern digital hearing aid fitting and configuration datasets to a conceptually simple user interface that can be managed by a hearing aid user and that can be used as an application on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. The mobile device has a wireless connection with the hearing device allowing transfer of configuration data.
Background
Hearing Aids (HA) are typically customized for a particular user by the manufacturer and hearing health professional (HCP). These customizations improve comfort and acoustic performance, especially for the user's unique hearing impairment. Customization includes physical modifications to the device and configuration of electro-acoustic features.
Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs) and other in-ear devices that have streaming audio or amplified sound with ambient noise characteristics are typically distributed directly to consumers without the aid of hearing health professionals. The customization that the user can make is typically limited to basic adjustments such as volume control, low resolution equalization, and selecting programs among preprogrammed universal accessories.
The distinction between hearing aids and personal sound amplification products is disappearing, new regulations, new distribution patterns and new technical capabilities bridge the gap between these former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifications. For the purposes of this disclosure, personal sound amplification products and other streaming audio or amplified sound in-ear devices having ambient noise characteristics are considered to be of the same class as hearing aids.
Remote control devices and smart phone applications are currently available that allow a user to make basic adjustments to the hearing aid device configuration, such as volume control, program selection or basic equalization. Some applications also provide for remote communication between the user and the hearing health professional, wherein the hearing health professional can prepare and send a digital package of fitting information to the user's mobile device, which can then be loaded into the hearing aid by the user to change his electro-acoustic properties.
In digital hearing aid devices, the configuration data set may be bulky and complex, with thousands of parameters. A compression hearing aid has a data array to define a unique dynamic range and comfortable hearing level for the user in many frequencies and multiple compression channels. For example, algorithms for improving hearing under noisy, reverberant or windy conditions can increase parameter complexity. Fitting software used by hearing health professionals provides a wide range of adjustments to maximize freedom in finding solutions to a wide range of user problems. This type of fitting process can be confusing and time consuming if not trained. Furthermore, having to write large data sets of the hearing aid introduces a sufficiently long time delay to prevent incremental and interactive adjustment. Basically, these adjustments are based on the user's perceived judgment of loudness and audibility.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application.
Disclosure of Invention
Certain embodiments of the present technology provide a system and method for interactive mobile fitting of a hearing aid, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures.
These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present disclosure, as well as details of illustrated embodiments thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.
Drawings
Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary system configured to provide interactive movement fitting of a hearing aid in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.
Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps that may be used to provide an interactive movement fit for a hearing aid in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.
Fig. 3 shows a user interface screen shot of an exemplary comfort target for a left hearing aid with a frequency having a default target predicted by audiogram in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique.
Fig. 4 shows a user interface screen shot of an exemplary high-level view of the right hearing aid Most Comfortable Level (MCL) with a Maximum Output Level (MOL) target curve and a maximum gain curve, in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.
Fig. 5 illustrates a user interface screen shot of an exemplary selectable loudness balance adjustment for multiple frequency ranges in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique.
Fig. 6 illustrates a user interface screen shot of an exemplary selectable binaural balance adjustment for multiple narrow frequency bands in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique.
FIG. 7 illustrates a user interface screen shot of an exemplary program selector for adjusting settings of a selected program in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique.
Fig. 8 shows a user interface screen shot of an exemplary indication that selected settings are stored to the hearing aid in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique.
FIG. 9 illustrates a user interface screen shot of an exemplary user selectable option for discarding a setting change or reverting to a previous setting in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.
FIG. 10 illustrates a user interface screen shot of an exemplary user selectable option for locking programming to temporarily prevent accidental modification of a fit in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique.
FIG. 11 illustrates a mobile device having a touch screen display that provides a user interface that presents a continuously fitted curve represented as a cube shape in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.
FIG. 12 illustrates a mobile device having a touch screen display that provides a user interface that presents a continuously fitted curve representing a football shape in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.
Detailed Description
Embodiments of the present technology provide a system and method for interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids. Aspects of the present disclosure provide the technical effect of allowing a user to self-fit a hearing aid without the assistance of a hearing health professional. Various embodiments provide the technical effect of increasing the user's ability to provide improved adjustments that were previously possible only with the aid of a hearing health professional. Some embodiments provide the technical effect of adjusting the acoustic response in substantially real-time such that the user can hear the results of the adjustment in substantially real-time (i.e., within 500 milliseconds (ms) of making the adjustment in the application).
Aspects of the present disclosure provide technical effects that enable a remote hearing health professional providing a remote health care application to assist a user in interactively creating a fit or making adjustments. Various embodiments utilize the training and experience of the hearing health professional to know which adjustments to make for a particular hearing difficulty situation. The usage patterns and other context data may be uploaded to a central server or database for research and analysis, helping to continually improve sound processing methods.
Aspects of the present disclosure provide the technical effect of reducing complex multi-dimensional array data to smooth a parameter curve on a grid that can be reshaped by a user, for example, by touching and sliding a graphic displayed on a touch screen. Various embodiments provide the technical effect of using a reduced size parameter data set to specify a fitted curve that is limited to a subset of the data used for fitting, rather than the complete data set used by the runtime code in the hearing aid sound processor. Certain embodiments provide the technical effect of sending an adjustment to the hearing aid device in a stream of reduced-size packet-delivered flow control, the adjustment being interpreted and formulated on the hearing aid device as a complete data set for real-time audio signal processing. Aspects of the present disclosure provide the technical effect of performing extrapolation and interpolation calculations at the mobile device (via the application program) and by the hearing aid device to reduce bandwidth requirements in the communication channel between the mobile device and the hearing aid device. Such redundant computation may help the system respond fast enough to the interactive user experience.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain embodiments, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. To the extent that the figures illustrate diagrams of the functional blocks of various embodiments, the functional blocks are not necessarily indicative of the division between hardware circuitry. Thus, for example, one or more of the functional blocks (e.g., processors or memories) may be implemented in a single piece of hardware (e.g., a block of a general purpose signal processor or random access memory, hard disk, or the like) or multiple pieces of hardware. Similarly, the programs may be stand alone programs, may be incorporated as subroutines in an operating system, may be functions in an installed software package, and the like. It should be understood that the various embodiments are not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings. It is also to be understood that the embodiments may be combined, or other embodiments may be utilized, and that structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the various embodiments. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceeded with the word "a" or "an" should be understood as not excluding plural said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly recited. Furthermore, references to "exemplary embodiments", "various embodiments", "certain embodiments", "representative embodiments", etc., are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments "comprising," "including," or "having" an element or a plurality of elements having a particular characteristic may include additional elements not having that characteristic.
Furthermore, the term interactive movement fit as used herein refers to the creation of a hearing aid fit and the adjustment of a hearing aid fit. Furthermore, the term hearing aid as used herein refers to hearing aids tailored by manufacturers and hearing health professionals for specific users, personal sound amplification products, and any suitable in-ear device that has streaming audio or amplified sound with ambient noise characteristics. Furthermore, the term processor or processing unit as used herein refers to any type of processing unit capable of performing the required calculations, executing algorithms, and making data driven decisions required by the various embodiments, such as single or multi-core: a CPU, an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), DSP, FPGA, ASIC, or a combination thereof.
Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 configured to provide interactive movement fitting of a hearing aid 130. Referring to fig. 1, the system 100 includes a mobile smart device (also referred to as a mobile device) 110, a hearing aid 130, a hearing health professional (HCP) system 150, and one or more servers 160.
For example, the mobile smart device 110 may include a smart phone, tablet, or other handheld electronic device capable of communicating with the hearing aid 130 via a wireless connection, such as bluetooth, short range, remote, wi-Fi, cellular, personal Communication System (PCS), or any suitable wireless connection. For example, mobile smart device 110 may communicate with one or more servers 160 via a wireless network and the internet. The wireless network may be one or more of a cellular, PCS, wi-Fi, or other wireless communication network.
The mobile smart device may include a display 111, a user input device 111, memory, one or more processors 113, one or more communication components 112, and the like. Display 111 may be any device capable of communicating visual information to a user. For example, the display 111 may include a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode display, and/or any suitable display. The display 111 may be operable to display information from a software application, such as an interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application, or any suitable information. In various embodiments, for example, the display 111 may display information provided by the one or more processors 113.
User input device 111 may include a touch screen, buttons, motion tracking, orientation detection, voice recognition, a mouse device, a keyboard, a camera, and/or any other device capable of receiving user instructions. In some implementations, for example, one or more user input devices 111 may be integrated into other components, such as the display 111. By way of example, the user input device may include a touch screen display 111.
The memory (not shown) may be one or more computer-readable memories, such as, for example, compact memory, flash memory, random access memory, read-only memory, electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory, and/or any suitable memory. For example, the memory may include a database, library, set of information, or other memory accessed by the one or more processors 113 and/or in combination with the one or more processors 113. For example, the memory may be capable of temporarily or permanently storing data. The memory may be capable of storing data generated by the one or more processors 113 and/or instructions readable by the one or more processors 113, and so forth. In various embodiments, for example, the memory stores information related to an interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application.
For example, the communication component 112 allows communication between the mobile smart device 110 and other external systems, such as the hearing aid 130 and the server 160. The communication component 112 may include a transceiver, such as bluetooth, short range, long range, wi-Fi, cellular, personal Communication System (PCS), or any suitable transceiver.
The one or more processors 113 may be one or more central processing units, microprocessors, microcontrollers, or the like. For example, one or more of the processors 113 may be integrated components, or may be distributed throughout various locations. The one or more processors 113 may be capable of executing software applications, receiving input information from the user input device 111 and/or the communication connection 112, generating output that may be displayed by the display 111, and so forth. In some embodiments, for example, the one or more processors 113 may communicate with the server 160 via the communication connection 112 to execute an interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application. In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more processors 113 may communicate with the hearing aid 130 via the communication connection 112 to program the hearing aid with user-adjusted settings. For example, the one or more processors 113 may send adjustments to the hearing aid device 130 in a stream of reduced-size packet-delivered flow control that are interpreted and formulated on the hearing aid device 130 as a full fit dataset for real-time audio signal processing.
The one or more processors 113 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code that may be configured to reduce complex multidimensional array data to smooth parametric curves on the grid that may be reshaped by a user. The processor 113 may be configured to receive the reduced-size fit data set as a communication 119 received from the hearing aid 130 via the communication component 112 at the mobile device 110. The reduced size fit data set may be a set of sampling points from a full fit data set. The full fit dataset may be a multi-dimensional array of fit data. For example, the multi-dimensional array of fitting data may include a plurality of curves, such as a Most Comfortable Level (MCL) curve, a Maximum Output Level (MOL) curve designed to maintain the output audio level below a user Loudness Discomfort Level (LDL), a maximum gain curve, a minimum gain curve, an acoustic audibility curve, an otoacoustic emission (OAE) measurement curve, and so forth. Each curve of the full fit dataset may include a plurality of data points, such as 32-128 data points or any suitable number of data points. The reduced-size fit data set may include a set of sampling points from one of the curves of the full fit data set (e.g., 9 sampling points or any suitable number of sampling points less than the total number of sampling points from the curve of the full fit data set), such as a Most Comfortable Level (MCL) curve or any suitable curve. The complete fit data set may be a manufacturer setting stored in the hearing aid 130 as part of the manufacturing process. Other subsequent procedures may be used to further configure the hearing aid prior to the interactive end user adjustment. For example, a fit facilitated by a hearing health professional via the hearing health professional system 150 executing advanced fitting software may be used to generate the full fit data. As another example, a complete dataset may be generated based on a fitting algorithm for self-evaluation to create an initial fit based on audiogram according to a fitting rule or rationale. The complete data set may also include a fit optimized by a deep learning algorithm designed to find user preferred settings in a wide range of sound environments. Any or all of these initial fitting processes may be implemented on mobile device 110 along with interactive adjustment capabilities as described below.
The processor 113 may include control logic 114 configured to control the flow of data between the processor 113 and other components of the mobile device 110 (e.g., the communication component 112 and the touch screen display 111). The processor 113 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code that may be configured to interpolate and generate the dependency data 116 from the reduced-size fit data set 115 (also referred to as compression fit parameters, as shown in fig. 1). For example, the processor 113 may interpolate 116 the reduced-size fit data set 115 by generating a piecewise polynomial curve between sampling points of the set of sampling points to generate a continuous fit curve represented by a high-resolution array of discrete samples that appears as a smooth curve 117 at the touch screen 111 of the mobile device 110. The processor may additionally and/or alternatively perform linear interpolation or any suitable interpolation method to generate a continuous fit curve represented by a high resolution array of discrete samples that appear as a smooth curve 117 at the touch screen 111 of the mobile device 110. In various embodiments, the processor may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code that may be configured to generate dependency data from a continuous fit curve. As an example, the processor may be configured to generate a MOL curve, a maximum gain curve, a minimum gain curve, and/or any suitable curve based on the interpolated MCL continuous fit curve. The dependency data curve may additionally and/or alternatively be presented 117 at the touch screen 111 of the mobile device 110.
The processor 113 may be configured to present a continuous fit curve with user interface objects at the display 111 of the mobile device 110. The user interface objects may each correspond to one of the sample points of the reduced-size fit data set. The user interface object may include a visual indication of the object or may be a hidden object. For example, the user interface object may include a slider, a handle, a text or numeric indicator, a button, a drop-down menu, etc. presented at the display 111 for adjusting the value of the corresponding sample point. As another example, the user interface object may not include a visual indicator. For example, the user interface object may be a sample point on the continuous fit curve presented in the same manner as the remainder of the continuous fit curve. The user interface object may be manipulated via a user input device (also referred to as a user interface) to increase or decrease the value of the sampling point. For example, a user finger or pointing device (e.g., a mouse device) may be used to drag a user interface object up or down to increase or decrease the value of a sample point. As another example, a user interface object may be selected and a button or knob may be manipulated to increase or decrease a value of a sample point corresponding to the user interface object.
Additionally and/or alternatively, the processor 113 may be configured to present a shape representing a continuous fit curve with user interface objects at the display 111 of the mobile device 110. The shape may be a two-dimensional shape or a three-dimensional shape. The shape may be square, cube, circular, oval or any suitable shape. The shape may correspond to the shape of an object, such as a football, a star, an apple or any suitable object. The user interface object may be a side, corner, edge, outer boundary, point, or any suitable portion of a shape. The user may manipulate, rotate, or otherwise select a user interface object through gesture control, such as dragging a finger around the user interface to move, rotate, or otherwise change the shape appearing on the touch screen. Different sides or faces of the shape may be designated by different colors, shading, numbers, or any suitable indicators to help visualize which portion of the shape was selected and activated. These different sides or faces of the shape may be mapped in turn to different configured combinations of sample points representing successive fitted curves.
The processor 113 may be configured to receive user input 118 that manipulates at least one of the user interface objects. The user input 118 adjusts the value of one or more sample points corresponding to at least one of the user interface objects. The processor 113 may be configured to generate an updated reduced-size fit data set 115 based on the received user input 118. The processor 113 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code that may be configured to interpolate and generate the dependency data 116 from the updated reduced-size fit data set 115 as described above to update the continuous fit curve 117 and any dependency data presented at the display 111 of the mobile device. The processor 113 may be configured to transmit 119 the updated reduced-size fit data set 115 to the hearing aid 130 via the mobile device communication component 112 for application to input audio at the hearing aid 130 in substantially real-time (i.e., within 500 ms) so that the user may hear the results of the adjustment in substantially real-time.
The hearing aid 130 comprises an audio input 131, one or more receivers 132, a memory 134, one or more hearing aid processors 135 and a communication component 133. The audio input 131 may include one or more microphones 141, streaming digital audio 142 received via the communication component 133, and/or any suitable audio input. The one or more microphones 141 are configured to receive sounds external to the ear canal. The microphone 141 converts sound into electrical signals and provides the electrical signals to the one or more hearing aid processors 135 via the audio input 131. Additionally and/or alternatively, the audio input 131 may provide streaming digital audio 142 or any suitable audio input to the one or more hearing aid processors 135. The one or more hearing aid processors 135 modify the sound level 139 by applying detailed parameters 138 retrieved from the memory 134 and/or generated based on the scaled-down fit dataset provided by the mobile smart device 110. The one or more hearing aid processors 135 pass the electrical signal with the modified sound level to the receiver 132. The receiver 132 converts the electrical signal into sound, which is transmitted from the receiver 132 to the ear canal of the user.
The memory 134 may be a non-volatile memory or any suitable memory configured to store a full fit data set, a substitute full fit data set, a reduced size fit data set, hearing aid processing instructions, and/or any suitable information.
The communication component 133 allows communication between the hearing aid 130 and other external systems, such as the mobile smart device 110 and the hearing health professional system 150. The communication component 133 may include a wired and/or wireless communication interface. For example, the hearing aid 130 may communicate with the hearing health care professional system 150 via wired communication and may communicate with the mobile device 110 via wireless communication. The communication component 133 may include a transceiver, such as bluetooth, short-range, long-range, wi-Fi, cellular, personal Communication System (PCS), or any suitable transceiver, configured to wirelessly communicate with the communication component 112 of the mobile device 110.
The hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to generate and/or retrieve a reduced size fit data set from the full fit data set and/or from the memory 134. The reduced-size fit data set 136 may be transmitted 140 to the mobile device 110 via the communication component 133. The hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to receive the updated reduced-size fit data set 136 as a communication 140 received from the mobile device 110 via the communication component 133 at the hearing aid 130. The hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to store the updated reduced-size fit data set 136 at the memory 134. The hearing aid processor 135 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code that may be configured to interpolate and generate the dependency data 137 from the updated reduced-size fit data set 136. For example, the hearing aid processor 135 may interpolate 137 the reduced-size fit data set 115 by generating a piecewise polynomial curve between the sampling points of the set of sampling points and/or by any suitable interpolation method. The hearing aid processor 135 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code that may be configured to generate dependency data from the interpolation curve.
The hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to generate a substitute full fit dataset based on the interpolation curve and the dependent data. In various embodiments, in addition to and/or separate from the original full fit data set, the alternate full fit data set is stored at the memory 134. In an exemplary embodiment, in response to a command from mobile device 110, the alternate full fit dataset is stored at memory 134. In some embodiments, the alternative full fit dataset may be stored as a program selectable at the mobile device 110 for application at the hearing aid 130. The hearing aid processor 135 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code that is configured to generate detailed parameters for the digital signal processing 138. For example, the hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to reformat the alternative full fit dataset for application to the input audio. The hearing aid processor 135 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code that is configured to apply detailed parameters to the input audio to generate modified audio 139. The modified audio may be output by the receiver 132 of the hearing aid 130 into the ear canal of the user.
In various embodiments, the one or more hearing aid processors 135 and the communication component 133 may share various features with the memory, the one or more processors 113, and the communication component 112, as described with respect to the mobile smart device 110.
The hearing health professional system 150 may include a personal computer, workstation, and/or any suitable computing device operated by the hearing health professional to communicate with the hearing aid 130 and the server 160. For example, the hearing health professional system 150 may be configured to replace the default manufacturer full-fit data set or other full-fit data set with a new full-fit data set specific to a particular user of the hearing aid 130. In various embodiments, the hearing health care professional system 150 can access the alternate complete fit dataset generated by the user of the mobile device 110 and stored in the memory 134 of the hearing aid 130. The hearing health care professional system 150 can communicate with the server 160 via the internet or any suitable communication connection to store or retrieve patient data, a full fit data set, hearing aid device information, purchase history, and/or any suitable information.
For example, the one or more servers 160 may include a web server, a database server, and/or an application server. The server 160 may be configured to store a full fit dataset, a replacement full fit dataset, an updated scaled down fit dataset, client data, and the like. For example, the mobile device 110 may communicate with one or more servers 160 via the internet or any suitable communication connection to provide an updated reduced fit data set and/or to receive an updated reduced fit data set prepared by a hearing health professional. As another example, the hearing health professional system 150 can communicate with one or more servers 160 via the internet or any suitable communication connection to provide or retrieve customer data, a full fit data set, a replacement full fit data set, hearing aid device information and purchase history, and/or any suitable information. As another example, the intensive calculations may be offloaded from the hearing aid 130 or the mobile device 110 to the server 160 and the calculation results returned to the mobile device 110 and the hearing aid 130 for real-time application.
In operation, the hearing aid 130 and the mobile smart device 110 establish a data connection, for example via bluetooth or any suitable data connection. The mobile smart device 110 may be configured to read the compression fitting parameters (i.e., the scaled down fitting dataset) from the hearing aid 130. The compression fitting parameters may be modified by the user via a mobile device user input device, such as the touch screen 111, and written to the hearing aid 130 by the mobile smart device 110.
The processor 135 of the hearing aid converts the compressed fitting parameters into detailed parameters for the DSP (reformatted complete fitting dataset). The scaled down fit data set, the full fit data set, or both may be stored in the non-volatile memory 134 of the hearing aid 130. Further, the data sets may be stored in the hearing health professional system 150 and/or a central database via the network service 160. The hearing health professional system 150 and the mobile smart device 110 may also access the same client data via the web service server 160. The present disclosure relates generally to the ability of a user to interactively manipulate detailed DSP parameters via a wireless connection. Redundant computation on the hearing aid 130 and the mobile smart device 110 reduces the data rate across the wireless connection.
Fig. 2 is a flowchart 200 illustrating exemplary steps 202-228 that may be used to provide an interactive movement fit of the hearing aid 130, in accordance with embodiments of the present technique. Referring to fig. 2, a flowchart 200 including exemplary steps 202 through 228 is shown. Some embodiments may omit one or more steps, and/or perform the steps in a different order than the order listed, and/or combine certain steps discussed below. For example, in some embodiments, some steps may not be performed. As another example, certain steps may be performed in a different time sequence than listed below, including performed simultaneously.
In step 202, the mobile device 110 receives a reduced-size fit data set from the hearing aid 130. For example, the at least one processor 113 of the mobile device may be configured to receive the reduced-size fit dataset as a communication 119 received from the hearing aid 130 via the communication component 112 at the mobile device 110. The reduced size fitting data set may be a set of sampling points from a full fitting data set stored at the memory 134 of the hearing aid 130.
At step 204, the at least one processor 113 of the mobile device 110 interpolates the reduced-size fit data set into the continuous fit curve 117. For example, the at least one processor 113 may be configured to interpolate 116 the reduced-size fit data set 115 by generating a piecewise polynomial curve between sampling points of the set of sampling points or any suitable interpolation method to generate a continuous fit curve represented by a high resolution array of discrete samples that appears as a smooth curve 117 at the display 111 of the mobile device 110.
At step 206, the at least one processor 113 of the mobile device 110 presents the continuous fit curve 117 with the user interface object at the display 111 of the mobile device 110. For example, the user interface objects may each correspond to one of the sample points of the reduced-size fit data set. The user interface object may include a visual indication of the object or may be a hidden object. For example, the user interface object may include a slider, a handle, a text or numeric indicator, a button, a drop-down menu, etc. presented at the display 111 for adjusting the value of the corresponding sample point. As another example, the user interface object may not include a visual indicator. For example, the user interface object may be a sample point on the continuous fit curve presented in the same manner as the remainder of the continuous fit curve. In various embodiments, the continuous fit curve may be represented by a shape presented at the display 111, as described below with respect to fig. 11 and 12. For example, the shape may be a two-dimensional shape or a three-dimensional shape. The shape may be square, cube, circular, oval or any suitable shape. The shape may correspond to the shape of an object, such as a football, a star, an apple or any suitable object. The user interface object may be a side, corner, edge, outer boundary, point, or any suitable portion of a shape. The user interface objects may be different sides or faces of the shape, which may be mapped sequentially to different configured combinations of sample points representing successive fitted curves.
At step 208, user input 118 is received at the mobile device 110 to manipulate at least one of the user interface objects to generate an updated reduced-size fit data set. For example, the user interface object may be manipulated via a user input device to increase or decrease the value of the sampling point. As another example, a user interface object representing the shape of a continuous fit curve may be manipulated, rotated, or otherwise selected via a user input device to adjust the values of one or more sampling points. The at least one processor 113 of the mobile device 110 may be configured to generate an updated reduced-size fit data set 115 based on the received user input 118.
At step 210, the mobile device 110 transmits the updated reduced-size fit data set to the hearing aid 130. For example, the at least one hearing aid processor 135 of the hearing aid 130 may be configured to receive the updated reduced-size fit data set 136 as a communication 140 received from the mobile device 110 via the communication component 133 at the hearing aid 130.
At step 212, the at least one hearing aid processor 135 of the hearing aid 130 generates a substitute full fit data set based on the updated reduced size fit data set. For example, the at least one hearing aid processor 135 may interpolate 137 the reduced-size fit data set 115 by generating a piecewise polynomial curve between sampling points of the set of sampling points and/or by any suitable interpolation method. The at least one hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to generate an alternative complete fit data set based on the interpolation curve.
At step 214, the at least one hearing aid processor 135 applies the alternative full fit data set to the input audio to generate modified audio. For example, the at least one hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to generate detailed parameters for the digital signal processing 138 by reformatting the alternative full fit data set for application to the input audio. The at least one hearing aid processor 135 may apply the detailed parameters to the input audio to generate modified audio 139.
In step 216, the hearing aid 130 outputs the modified audio. For example, the modified audio may be output by the receiver 132 of the hearing aid 130 into the ear canal of the user.
At step 218, if the user is not satisfied with the modified audio, the process proceeds to step 220 as described below. If the user is satisfied with the modified audio, the process proceeds to step 226 as described below.
At step 220, if the user is not satisfied with the modified audio, the user may continue to make changes to the continuous fit curve modified by the previous user input manipulation by returning to step 208 to provide additional user input manipulation. If the user does not want to proceed with the change, the process proceeds to step 222.
At step 222, the user may provide a selection via the user interface 111, 900, 910 to forget about the session change 930. Process 200 then returns to step 206 where the continuous fit curve prior to user manipulation is presented with the user interface object at display 111 of mobile device 110. If the user does not want to forget about the session change and returns to the continuous fit curve prior to user manipulation, process 200 proceeds to step 224.
At step 224, the user may provide a selection via the user interface 111, 900, 910 to revert to the original full fit data set (e.g., prior to generating any alternate full fit data sets). The process 200 then returns to step 202, where a reduced-size fit data set corresponding to the original full fit data set is received at the mobile device 110 from the hearing aid 130. If the user does not want to revert to the original full fit dataset, processing returns to step 218.
At step 226, the user may provide a selection via the user interface 111, 358, 720 of the mobile device 110 to store the alternative complete fit data set in the non-volatile memory 134 of the hearing aid 130. In various embodiments, the user may choose to store the alternative full fit dataset as a program. For example, the surrogate perfect fit data may be stored as a default program, a program for noisy environments, a program for music listening, a program for windy environments, or any suitable program. The stored program may be selected via the user interface 111 of the mobile device 110 for application by the hearing aid 130 to input audio.
In step S228, the process 200 ends.
Fig. 3-10 illustrate exemplary user interface screen shots 300-1000 that may be provided to a user via display 111 of mobile smart device 110. Although fig. 3-10 show an acoustic frequency range from 250Hz to 6000Hz, other frequency ranges may be provided, such as for devices having a frequency range extending to 20,000Hz, and so forth.
Referring to fig. 3, a user interface screen shot 300 of an exemplary comfort target 320 for a left hearing aid is shown, with a frequency having a default target 310 predicted by audiogram. For example, the default target curve 310 may correspond to an original full fit data set and the comfort target curve 320 may correspond to an alternate full fit data set modified by the user of the mobile device 110. The default target curve 310 and comfort target curve 320 may be a Most Comfort Level (MCL) curve or any suitable curve. The user interface 300 may include user selectable tools or options 350 such as selecting a display of curves corresponding to the left hearing aid 351, the right hearing aid 352, the two hearing aids 353, a display of a dependent data curve 354, an option 355 to perform an automatic sequential scan of the audio stimulus test signal over a frequency range, an option 356 to modify the comfort target curve, a program selector option 357, an option 358 to save an alternative full fit dataset at the hearing aid, an option 359 to revert to the original full fit dataset 920 and/or forget about the session change 930, an option 360 to lock the programming, or any suitable tool or option. In various embodiments, the comfort target curve 320 may be modified by a user selecting a sampling point of the curve 320 and dragging the sampling point upward or downward. As an example, the sampling points may correspond to user interface objects that may be hidden (as shown in fig. 3) or displayed (as shown in fig. 5 and 6). Modification of the sampling points results in updating the continuous curve 320 in real-time by interpolating the modified sampling points. The modified sample points are provided as an updated reduced-size fit data set that is transmitted to the hearing aid 130 for application to the input audio. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 300 may be presented in response to a user-selected option or tool 351.
Referring to fig. 4, a user interface screen shot 400 of an exemplary advanced view of a right hearing aid Most Comfort Level (MCL) 420 with a Maximum Output Level (MOL) target curve 430 and a maximum gain curve 440 is shown. The user interface 400 may display a default target curve 410 corresponding to the original full-fit dataset, an MCL curve 420 corresponding to an alternative full-fit dataset modified by the user of the mobile device 110, and curves 430, 440 that are dependent on the MCL curve 420, such as a MOL target curve 430, a maximum gain curve 440, a minimum gain curve, and/or any suitable dependent curve. As discussed above with respect to fig. 3, the MCL curve 420 may be modified by the user selecting a sampling point of the curve 420 and dragging the sampling point up or down. As an example, the sampling points may correspond to user interface objects that may be hidden (as shown in fig. 4) or displayed (as shown in fig. 5 and 6). Modification of the sampling points results in real-time updating of the continuous curve 440 and the dependent curves 430, 440 by interpolation of the modified sampling points. The modified sample points are provided as an updated reduced-size fit data set that is transmitted to the hearing aid 130 for application to the input audio. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 400 may be presented in response to a user-selected option or tool 354.
Referring to fig. 5, a user interface screen shot 500 of an exemplary user selectable loudness balance adjustment for multiple frequency ranges is shown. The user interface 500 may comprise a left hearing aid MCL curve 510, a right hearing aid MCL curve 520 and a plurality of user interface objects 530, 540, each corresponding to a sampling point of the reduced-size fit dataset. The user interface object 530, 540 may comprise a slider 530 operable to slide within a sliding range 540 defining an adjustment range of the sampling point. Although a slider 530 is shown for adjusting the sampling points for each band, other graphical user interface elements may be implemented, such as a handle (as shown in fig. 6), a hidden user interface object (as described above with respect to fig. 3 and 4), selectable numbers or text levels, add and drop buttons, drop down menu selections, and so forth. In various embodiments, the hearing aid 130 may be configured to play the source tone in a narrow frequency band, and the user may adjust each frequency range to a loudness such that all frequency bands are perceived as equal loudness at the most comfortable level. This procedure may be performed mono-channel (i.e. for each hearing aid side). In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 500 may be presented in response to a user-selected option or tool 356. Similar to Real Ear Measurement (REM) techniques, providing a live loudness balance eliminates the need for estimation and transformation used in traditional fitting algorithms, such as using overall normal data to predict MCL, or using normalized transformation to account for the acoustic effects of the unique ear canal on free field audio input.
Referring to fig. 6, a user interface screen shot 600 of an exemplary selectable binaural balance adjustment for a plurality of narrow frequency bands is shown. The user interface 600 may include a right hearing aid default MCL target curve 610 corresponding to the original full fit data set and a right hearing aid MCL curve 620 corresponding to the alternate full fit data set modified by the user of the mobile device 110. The user interface 600 may include a plurality of user interface objects 630, 640, each corresponding to a sample point of the reduced-size fit dataset. The user interface objects 630, 640 may include handles operable to drag up or down to adjust the corresponding sampling points. Although handles 630, 640 are shown for adjusting the sampling points for each band, other graphical user interface elements may be implemented, such as sliders (as shown in fig. 5), hidden user interface objects (as described above with respect to fig. 3 and 4), selectable numbers or text levels, add and drop buttons, drop down menu selections, and the like. In various embodiments, the hearing aid 130 may be configured to play source audio in a narrow frequency band simultaneously in the left and right hearing aids, and the user may adjust the binaural balance until the sound is perceived to lie in the mid-plane. In some implementations, the user interface object 640 corresponding to the current narrowband being played may be enlarged, as shown in fig. 6. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 600 may be presented in response to a user-selected option or tool 355.
Referring to FIG. 7, a user interface screen shot 700 of an exemplary program selector 710 for adjusting settings of a selected program 720 is shown. The user interface 700 may include a prompt 710 for selecting a program 720 to adjust. For example, prompt 710 may be presented in response to a user-selected option or tool 357. The separate program in the hearing aid 130 may be adapted, for example, a noisy environment program, a windy environment program, a music listening program, a standard program and/or any suitable program. In various embodiments, each program 720 is a separate set of configuration parameters that are optimized for a unique acoustic environment and selected by a user. The interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application provides an option for selecting the particular program 720 that is being tuned. In some embodiments, the interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application may similarly provide options for storing the alternative full fit data set as a program and/or selecting a program to be applied at the hearing aid 130.
Referring to fig. 8, a user interface screen shot 800 of an exemplary indication 810 of the selected settings stored to the hearing aid is shown. For example, the user may determine when to submit the replacement full fit data to the non-volatile memory 134 in the hearing aid 130. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 800 may be presented in response to a user-selected option or tool 358.
Referring to FIG. 9, a user interface screen shot 900 of an exemplary user selectable option 910 for discarding a setting change 930 or reverting to a previous setting 920 is shown. The user interface 900 may include a prompt 910 that provides an option to revert to the original full fit dataset 920, discard the replacement full archived dataset 930, cancel the prompt 910, and/or any suitable option. The prompt 910 may be presented in response to a user-selected option or tool 359. For example, the interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application may include an option for allowing the user to restart from safe initial conditions if the user has deviated from a useful configuration.
Referring to FIG. 10, a user interface screen shot 1000 of an exemplary user selectable option 1010 for locking programming to temporarily prevent accidental modification to a fit is shown. For example, the interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application may include an option 1010 for locking the screen to temporarily prevent accidental modification of the already solved fit. Options 1010 may be presented in response to user-selected options or tools 360.
FIG. 11 illustrates a mobile device 110 having a touch screen display providing a user interface 1100 presenting a continuously fitted curve represented as a cube shape 1110 in accordance with embodiments of the present technique. Fig. 12 illustrates a mobile device 110 having a touch screen display providing a user interface 1200 presenting a continuously fitted curve represented as a football shape 1210 in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.
Referring to fig. 11 and 12, the user interfaces 1100, 1200 may include a continuous fit curve represented by shapes 1110, 1210 and a plurality of user interface objects, each user interface object corresponding to a sample point of the reduced-size fit dataset. The shapes 1110, 1210 may be two-dimensional shapes or three-dimensional shapes. The shapes 1110, 1210 may be square, cubes 1110, circular, oval, or any suitable shape. The shape may correspond to the shape of an object, such as a football 1210, a star, an apple, or any suitable object. The user interface object may be a side, corner, edge, outer boundary, point, or any suitable portion of the shape 1110, 1210. The user may manipulate, rotate, or otherwise select a user interface object through gesture control, such as dragging a finger around the user interface 1100, 1200 to move, rotate, or otherwise change the shape 1110, 1210 appearing on the touch screen. Different sides or faces of the shapes 1110, 1210 may be designated by different colors, shading, numbers, or any suitable indicators to aid in visualizing which portion of the shapes 1110, 1210 was selected and activated. These different sides or faces of the shapes 1110, 1210 may be mapped sequentially to different configured combinations of sample points representing successive fitted curves. Additional hearing aid acoustic parameter settings may also be included in various combinations. Different markings on the shapes 1110, 1210 may allow the user to test the shapes 1110, 1210 and their corresponding hearing aid acoustic performance and provide a way to guide the user in remembering the user's preferences by associating an acoustic experience with a color, shade or marking on the shapes 1110, 1210.
When a user rotates, manipulates, or otherwise selects a user interface object of the on-screen digital shapes 1110, 1210, the mobile device processor receives corresponding value adjustments for one or more sample points. Modification of the sampling points results in real-time updating of the continuous curve and the dependent curve by interpolation of the modified sampling points. The modified sample points are provided as an updated reduced-size fit data set that is transmitted to the hearing aid 130 for application to the input audio. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interfaces 1100, 1200 may be presented in response to a user-selected option or tool. Different shapes may represent different control levels. For example, a simple control may include a 6-face cube 1110 as shown in FIG. 11, where each of the 6 faces represents a particular combination of sample point values, while a more complex shape, such as football 1210 as shown in FIG. 12, may provide a greater number of faces representing a greater number of combinations of sample point values.
Aspects of the present disclosure provide a method 200 and system 100 for interactive movement fitting of a hearing aid. According to various embodiments, the method 200 may include receiving 202, by at least one processor 113 of the mobile device 110, a reduced-size fit dataset 119, 115 from a hearing aid 130 communicatively coupled to the mobile device 110, the reduced-size dataset 119, 115 having a set of sampling points that is less than the number of data points in the full fit dataset. The method 200 may include interpolating 204, by the at least one processor 113, 116, the reduced-size fit data set 115 into a continuous fit curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 (i.e., represented by a high resolution array of discrete samples that appear as a smooth curve). The method 200 may include presenting 206, at the display 111 of the mobile device 110, a continuous fit curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 having user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640, each of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 corresponding to one or more of the set of sampling points. The method 200 may include receiving 208, at the user interface 111 of the mobile device 110, a user input 118 that manipulates at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640, wherein the user input 118 adjusts a value of one or more sampling points corresponding to the at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 to generate the updated reduced-size fit data set 115, 119. The method 200 may comprise transmitting 210 the updated reduced-size fitting dataset 115, 119 to the hearing aid 130. The method 200 may comprise generating 212, by the at least one hearing aid processor 135, a substitute full fit dataset 137 based on the updated reduced-size fit dataset 136. The method 200 may comprise applying 214 the alternative full fit dataset 139 to the input audio by the at least one hearing aid processor 135 to generate modified audio. The method 200 may include outputting 216 modified audio from the hearing aids 130, 132.
In a representative implementation, the display 111 and user interface 111 of the mobile device 110 are touch screen displays 111. In an exemplary embodiment, interpolating 204 the reduced size data set 115 includes generating a piecewise polynomial curve between sampling points of the sampling point set. In various embodiments, the full fit dataset is generated based at least in part on one or more of: audiogram, otoacoustic emission (OAE) measurement, and audiometric in noise testing. In some implementations, receiving 208 the audio modified by the user input 118 and the output 218 that manipulate at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 is performed substantially simultaneously (i.e., within 500 ms). In a representative embodiment, the input audio is one of a live ambient environment, a band limited audio stimulus test signal derived within the hearing aid 130, or an automatic sequential scan of the audio stimulus test signal across a frequency range. In an exemplary embodiment, the method 200 may include receiving 218-224 additional user inputs 358, 359, 720, 920, 930 at the user interface 111 of the mobile device 110 for one or more of: the updated reduced-size fitting dataset is discarded 224 and restored to the full-fit dataset for application to the input audio by the hearing aid processor 135, 139, the alternative full-fit dataset is saved 226 in the non-volatile memory 134 of the hearing aid 130 for application to the input audio by the hearing aid processor 135, 139, or the alternative full-fit dataset is saved 226 in the non-volatile memory 134 of the hearing aid 130 as a program 720 selectable from the mobile device 110. In some implementations, the continuously fitted curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 presented at the display 111 of the mobile device 110 can be represented by a shape 1110, 1210, the shape 1110, 1210 having user interface objects represented by different faces of the shape 1110, 1210. In a representative embodiment, each of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 corresponds to one of the set of sample points.
Various embodiments provide an interactive mobile fitting system 100 comprising a mobile device 110 and a hearing aid 130. Mobile device 110 may include at least one processor 113, mobile device communication component 112, and display 111. The at least one processor 113 may be configured to interpolate 113 the reduced-size fit data set 115 into the continuous fit curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 (i.e., represented by a high resolution array of discrete samples that appear as a smooth curve). The reduced-size fit data set 115 has a set of sampling points that is less than the number of data points in the full fit data set. The at least one processor 113 may be configured to present the continuous fit curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 with the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 at the display 111. Each of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 may correspond to one or more sampling points in the set of sampling points. The at least one processor 113 may be configured to receive user input 118 that manipulates at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640. The user input 118 adjusts the values of one or more sample points corresponding to at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 to generate the updated reduced-size fit data set 115. The mobile device communication component 112 may be configured to: the reduced-size fit data set 119 is received wirelessly from a hearing aid 130 communicatively coupled to the mobile device 110, and the updated reduced-size fit data set 119 is transmitted wirelessly to the hearing aid 130. The display 111 may be configured to display a continuous fit curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 with user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640. The hearing aid 130 may include at least one hearing aid processor 135, a hearing aid communication component 133 and a receiver 132. The at least one hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to generate a substitute full fit dataset 137 based on the updated reduced-size fit dataset 136. The at least one hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to apply 139 the alternative complete fit data set 137 to the input audio to generate modified audio. The hearing aid communication component 133 may be configured to wirelessly transmit the reduced-size fit data set 140 to the mobile device 110 and to wirelessly receive the updated reduced-size fit data set 140 from the mobile device 110. The receiver 132 may be configured to output modified audio from the hearing aid 130.
In an exemplary embodiment, the display 111 is a touch screen display 111 configured to receive user input 118 that manipulates at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640. In various embodiments, the at least one processor 113 may be configured to interpolate 116 the reduced size data set 115 by generating a piecewise polynomial curve between sampling points of the set of sampling points. In some implementations, the full fit dataset is generated based at least in part on one or more of: audiogram, otoacoustic emission (OAE) measurement, and audiometric in noise testing. In a representative embodiment, the user input 118 manipulating at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 and the output 132 of modified audio are performed substantially simultaneously (i.e., within 500 ms). In an exemplary embodiment, the input audio is one of a live ambient environment, a band limited audio stimulus test signal derived within the hearing aid 130, or an automatic sequential scan of the audio stimulus test signal across a frequency range. In various embodiments, the hearing aid includes a non-volatile memory 134. The at least one processor 113 of the mobile device 110 may be configured to receive additional user inputs 358, 359, 720, 920, 930 for one or more of: the updated reduced-size fit data set is discarded and restored to the full fit data set for application to the input audio by the at least one hearing aid processor 135, 139, the alternative full fit data set is saved in the non-volatile memory 134 of the hearing aid 130 for application to the input audio by the at least one hearing aid processor 135, 139, or the alternative full fit data set is saved in the non-volatile memory 134 of the hearing aid 130 as a program 720 selectable from the mobile device 110. In some implementations, the continuously fitted curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 presented at the display 111 of the mobile device 110 can be represented by a shape 1110, 1210, the shape 1110, 1210 having user interface objects represented by different faces of the shape 1110, 1210. In a representative embodiment, each of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 corresponds to one of the set of sample points.
Some embodiments provide a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine for causing a mobile device 110 to perform step 200. Step 200 may include receiving 202 a reduced-size fit dataset 115, 119 from a hearing aid 130 communicatively coupled to the mobile device 110. The reduced-size fitting data set comprises a set of sampled points that is less than the number of data points in the full-fit data set stored at the hearing aid 130. Step 200 may include interpolating 204 the reduced-size fit dataset 115 into a continuous fit curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 (i.e., represented by a high resolution array of discrete samples that appear as a smooth curve). Step 200 may include presenting 206, at the display 111 of the mobile device 110, a continuous fit curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 with user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640. Each of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 may correspond to one or more sampling points in the set of sampling points. Step 200 may include receiving 208 a user input 118 that manipulates at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640. The user input 118 may adjust values of one or more sample points corresponding to at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 to generate the updated reduced-size fit data set 115. Step 200 may include transmitting 210 the updated reduced-size fitting dataset 115, 119 to the hearing aid 130 for creating 212 a substitute full fitting dataset 137 applied to the input audio to generate the modified audio 139 output 132 from the hearing aid 130.
In various embodiments, interpolating 204 the reduced size data set 115 includes generating a piecewise polynomial curve between sampling points of the sampling point set. In some implementations, the full fit dataset is generated based at least in part on one or more of: audiogram, otoacoustic emission (OAE) measurement, and audiometric in noise testing. In a representative embodiment, the input audio is one of a live ambient environment, a band limited audio stimulus test signal derived within the hearing aid 130, or an automatic sequential scan of the audio stimulus test signal across a frequency range. In an exemplary embodiment, receiving 208 the user input 118 manipulating at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 and the output 216 of the modified audio at the hearing aid 130 is performed substantially simultaneously (i.e., within 500 ms). In various embodiments, step 200 may include receiving 218-224 additional user input 358, 359, 720, 920, 930 for one or more of the following: the updated reduced-size fitting dataset is discarded 224 and restored to the full-fit dataset for application to the input audio by the hearing aid 130, 135, 139, the alternative full-fit dataset is saved 226 in the non-volatile memory 134 of the hearing aid 130 for application to the input audio by the hearing aid 130, 135, 139, or the alternative full-fit dataset is saved 226 in the non-volatile memory 134 of the hearing aid 130 as a program 720 selectable from the mobile device 110. In some implementations, the continuously fitted curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 presented at the display 111 of the mobile device 110 can be represented by a shape 1110, 1210, the shape 1110, 1210 having user interface objects represented by different faces of the shape 1110, 1210. In a representative embodiment, each of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 corresponds to one of the set of sample points.
As used herein, the term "circuitry" refers to physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) and any software and/or firmware ("code") that may configure, be executed by, and/or be otherwise associated with hardware. As used herein, for example, a particular processor and memory may include a first "circuit" when executing a first line or lines of code, and may include a second "circuit" when executing a second line or lines of code. As used herein, "and/or" refers to any one or more items in a list connected by "and/or". By way of example, "x and/or y" means any element in the three-element set { (x), (y), (x, y) }. As another example, "x, y, and/or z" represents any element in the seven-element set { (x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z) }. As used herein, the term "exemplary" is meant to be used as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As used herein, the terms "for example" and "such as" list one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. As used herein, a circuit is "operable" and/or configured to perform a function, whether disabling or enabling performance of the function, by some user-configurable settings, as long as the circuit includes the necessary hardware and code (if needed) to perform the function.
Other embodiments may provide a computer readable device and/or a non-transitory computer readable medium, and/or a machine readable device and/or a non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon machine code and/or a computer program having at least one code segment executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computer to perform the steps for interactive movement fitting of a hearing aid as described herein.
Thus, the present disclosure may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present disclosure may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein.
Various embodiments may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) Conversion to another language, code or notation; b) Are replicated in different material forms.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (26)
1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by at least one processor of a mobile device, a reduced-size fit data set from a hearing aid communicatively coupled to the mobile device, the reduced-size fit data set having a set of sampling points that is less than the number of data points in the full fit data set;
interpolating, by the at least one processor, the reduced-size fit dataset into a continuous fit curve;
presenting the continuous fit curve with user interface objects at a display of the mobile device, each of the user interface objects corresponding to one or more sampling points of the set of sampling points;
Receiving, at a user interface of the mobile device, user input manipulating at least one of the user interface objects, wherein the user input adjusts values of the one or more sampling points corresponding to at least one of the user interface objects to generate an updated reduced-size fit dataset;
transmitting the updated reduced-size fit data set to the hearing aid;
generating, by the at least one hearing aid processor, a substitute full fit dataset based on the updated reduced-size fit dataset;
applying, by the at least one hearing aid processor, the substitute full fit dataset to input audio to generate modified audio; and
the modified audio is output from the hearing aid.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the display and user interface of the mobile device are touch screen displays.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein interpolating a reduced size data set comprises generating a piecewise polynomial curve between sampling points of the set of sampling points.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the full fit dataset is generated based at least in part on one or more of:
The audiogram is a graph of the audiogram,
otoacoustic emission OAE measurement, and
and (5) testing hearing in noise.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input and outputting modified audio to manipulate at least one of the user interface objects is performed substantially simultaneously.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the input audio is one of:
the environment surrounding the site is that,
from band limited audio stimulus test signals within the hearing aid, or
Automatic sequential scanning of audio stimulus test signals across a frequency range.
7. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving additional user input at a user interface of the mobile device for one or more of:
discarding the updated reduced-size fit data set and reverting to the full fit data set for application to the input audio by the hearing aid processor,
saving the substitute complete fit dataset at a non-volatile memory of the hearing aid for application to the input audio by the hearing aid processor, or
The alternative complete fit dataset is saved at a non-volatile memory of the hearing aid as a program selectable from the mobile device.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the continuous fit curve presented at a display of the mobile device is represented by a shape having the user interface object represented by different faces of the shape.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the user interface objects corresponds to only one of the sampling points in the set of sampling points.
10. An interactive mobile fitting system, comprising:
a mobile device, comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
interpolating a reduced-size fit data set into a continuous fit curve, the reduced-size fit data set having a set of sampling points that is less than the number of data points in the full fit data set;
presenting the continuous fit curve with user interface objects at a display, each of the user interface objects corresponding to one or more sampling points in the set of sampling points;
receiving user input manipulating at least one of the user interface objects, wherein the user input adjusts values of the one or more sampling points corresponding to at least one of the user interface objects to generate an updated reduced-size fit dataset;
A mobile device communication component configured to:
wirelessly receiving the reduced-size fit data set from a hearing aid communicatively coupled to the mobile device; and is also provided with
Wirelessly transmitting the updated reduced-size fit data set to the hearing aid; and is also provided with
The display is configured to display the continuous fit curve with user interface objects; and
a hearing aid comprising:
at least one hearing aid processor configured to:
generating a substitute full fit dataset based on the updated reduced-size fit dataset; and is also provided with
Applying the substitute full fit dataset to the input audio to generate modified audio;
a hearing aid communication component configured to:
wirelessly transmitting the reduced-size fit data set to the mobile device; and is also provided with
Wirelessly receiving the updated reduced-size fit data set from the mobile device; and
a receiver configured to output modified audio from the hearing aid.
11. The interactive mobile fitting system of claim 10, wherein the display is a touch screen display configured to receive the user input manipulating at least one of the user interface objects.
12. The interactive mobile fitting system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to interpolate the reduced size data set by generating a piecewise polynomial curve between sampling points of the set of sampling points.
13. The interactive mobile fitting system of claim 10, wherein the full fit dataset is generated based at least in part on one or more of:
the audiogram is a graph of the audiogram,
otoacoustic emission OAE measurement, and
and (5) testing hearing in noise.
14. The interactive mobile fitting system of claim 10, wherein the user input manipulating at least one of the user interface objects and the output of modified audio are performed substantially simultaneously.
15. The interactive mobile fitting system of claim 10, wherein the input audio is one of:
the environment surrounding the site is that,
from band limited audio stimulus test signals within the hearing aid, or
Automatic sequential scanning of audio stimulus test signals across a frequency range.
16. The interactive mobile fitting system of claim 10, wherein:
the hearing aid comprises a non-volatile memory, and
The at least one processor of the mobile device is configured to receive additional user input to one or more of:
discarding the updated reduced-size fit data set and reverting to the full fit data set for application to the input audio by the at least one hearing aid processor,
saving the substitute complete fit data set at a non-volatile memory of the hearing aid for application to the input audio by the at least one hearing aid processor, or
The alternative complete fit dataset is saved at a non-volatile memory of the hearing aid as a program selectable from the mobile device.
17. The interactive mobile fitting system of claim 10, wherein the continuous fit curve presented at the display of the mobile device is represented by a shape having the user interface object represented by a different face of the shape.
18. The interactive mobile fitting system of claim 10, wherein each of the user interface objects corresponds to only one of the sampling points in the set of sampling points.
19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine for causing a mobile device to perform steps comprising:
Receiving a reduced-size fit data set from a hearing aid communicatively coupled to the mobile device, the reduced-size fit data set having a set of sampling points that is less than the number of data points in the full fit data set stored at the hearing aid;
interpolating the reduced-size fit data set into a continuous fit curve;
presenting the continuous fit curve with user interface objects at a display of the mobile device, each of the user interface objects corresponding to one or more sampling points of the set of sampling points;
receiving user input manipulating at least one of the user interface objects, wherein the user input adjusts values of the one or more sampling points corresponding to at least one of the user interface objects to generate an updated reduced-size fit dataset; and
the updated reduced-size fitting data set is transmitted to the hearing aid for creating a substitute full fitting data set applied to the input audio to generate a modified audio output from the hearing aid.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein interpolating a reduced size data set comprises generating a piecewise polynomial curve between sampling points of the set of sampling points.
21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the full fit dataset is generated based at least in part on one or more of:
the audiogram is a graph of the audiogram,
otoacoustic emission OAE measurement, and
and (5) testing hearing in noise.
22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the input audio is one of:
the environment surrounding the site is that,
from band limited audio stimulus test signals within the hearing aid, or
Automatic sequential scanning of audio stimulus test signals across a frequency range.
23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein receiving the user input manipulating at least one of the user interface objects and outputting of the modified audio at the hearing aid are performed substantially simultaneously.
24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, comprising receiving additional user input to one or more of:
discarding the updated reduced-size fit data set and restoring to the full fit data set for application to the input audio by the hearing aid,
Saving the substitute complete fit dataset at a non-volatile memory of the hearing aid for application to the input audio by the hearing aid, or
The alternative complete fit dataset is saved at a non-volatile memory of the hearing aid as a program selectable from the mobile device.
25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the continuous fit curve presented at a display of the mobile device is represented by a shape having the user interface object represented by a different face of the shape.
26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein each of the user interface objects corresponds to only one of the sampling points in the set of sampling points.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US63/154,441 | 2021-02-26 | ||
| US17/473,904 US11622216B2 (en) | 2021-02-26 | 2021-09-13 | System and method for interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids |
| US17/473,904 | 2021-09-13 | ||
| PCT/US2022/014712 WO2022182480A1 (en) | 2021-02-26 | 2022-02-01 | System and method for interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN117203984A true CN117203984A (en) | 2023-12-08 |
Family
ID=89003875
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202280030987.4A Pending CN117203984A (en) | 2021-02-26 | 2022-02-01 | System and method for interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN117203984A (en) |
-
2022
- 2022-02-01 CN CN202280030987.4A patent/CN117203984A/en active Pending
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