EP1414268A2 - Procédé d'ajustage et d'utilisation d'une prothèse auditive et une prothèse auditive - Google Patents

Procédé d'ajustage et d'utilisation d'une prothèse auditive et une prothèse auditive Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1414268A2
EP1414268A2 EP03022928A EP03022928A EP1414268A2 EP 1414268 A2 EP1414268 A2 EP 1414268A2 EP 03022928 A EP03022928 A EP 03022928A EP 03022928 A EP03022928 A EP 03022928A EP 1414268 A2 EP1414268 A2 EP 1414268A2
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
signal
hearing aid
microphone
microphones
directional
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Granted
Application number
EP03022928A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP1414268B1 (fr
EP1414268A3 (fr
Inventor
Volkmar Hamacher
Torsten Dr. Niederdränk
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Sivantos GmbH
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Siemens Audioligische Technik GmbH
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Publication of EP1414268A3 publication Critical patent/EP1414268A3/fr
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
    • H04R25/70—Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2225/00—Details of deaf aids covered by H04R25/00, not provided for in any of its subgroups
    • H04R2225/55—Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
    • H04R25/40—Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic
    • H04R25/407—Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04S—STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS 
    • H04S2420/00—Techniques used stereophonic systems covered by H04S but not provided for in its groups
    • H04S2420/01—Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]

Definitions

  • the invention relates to methods for adjusting and operating a hearing aid device that can be worn on the body of a test person, with a microphone system that is arranged outside the auditory canals of the test person when the hearing aid device is worn.
  • the invention relates to a hearing aid device which can be worn on the body of a test person and has a signal processing unit and a microphone system which is arranged outside the auditory canals of the test person when the hearing aid device is worn.
  • the spectral coloring does not take place through the outer ears, so that important directional and elevation information is lost.
  • the result is the well-known localization problems (eg confusing front / rear) of hearing impaired people, the BTE hearing aids wear.
  • the associated disturbance of the spatial acoustic orientation and thus the overall sound quality often contribute to the rejection of the hearing aids.
  • ITE hearing aids can be used. With these, however, small and medium hearing losses can be compensated for at most. In addition, they are usually more expensive than BTE hearing aids and are more prone to disturbing feedback.
  • HRIR Head Related Impulse Response
  • HRTF Head Related Transfer Function
  • the HRTF is a function of four variables: the three spatial coordinates (related to the head) and the frequency.
  • measurements are usually made on an artificial head, e.g. KEMAR (Knowles Electronics Mannequin for Acoustical Research).
  • An overview of the determination of HRTFs is e.g. from Yang, Wonyoung, "Overview of the Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs)", ACS 498B Audio Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, July 2001.
  • the object of the present invention is to improve the ability to localize a signal source of a subject provided with at least one hearing aid.
  • This object is achieved by a method for adjusting a hearing aid device that can be worn on the body of a test person with a microphone system and a signal processing unit that is arranged outside the auditory canals of the test person when the hearing aid device is worn, whereby a test object is exposed to an acoustic output signal coming from an external signal source, whereby the acoustic output signal transmitted to the test object is received at a point on the test object that corresponds to a point on the test subject at which the microphone system is arranged when the hearing aid device is worn, the acoustic output signal transmitted to the test object being received in an auditory canal of the test object, based on the received one Signal is determined a correction function which, when applied to the signal received outside the auditory canal, converts it at least approximately into a signal which corresponds to the signal received in the auditory canal, and wherein filter means in the hearing aid are set in such a way that this filter function is carried out at least approximately with a microphone signal generated by the microphone system.
  • the object is achieved by a method for operating a hearing aid device which can be worn on the body of a test person, with a microphone system which is arranged outside the test person's auditory canals when the hearing aid device is worn, and a signal processing unit, one from an external signal source outgoing acoustic output signal is received by the microphone system as an acoustic input signal and converted into at least one electrical microphone signal, wherein a signal error in the electrical microphone signal or a resulting electrical signal, caused by the recording of the acoustic input signal outside the auditory canal compared to an acoustic input signal, the same acoustic output signal without supply from a hearing aid in an auditory canal of the subject would arise, depending on the direction in which the signal source is located relative to the subject's head, is at least partially corrected, and the corrected electrical microphone signal or the corrected one the electrical signal resulting from the microphone signal is further processed and converted into a hearing aid output signal and supplied to the test subject.
  • a hearing aid device which can be worn on the body of a test person and has a signal processing unit and a microphone system which is arranged outside the test person's auditory canals when the hearing aid device is worn and which can be used to record and record an acoustic input signal which results from an acoustic output signal emanating from at least one external signal source is convertible into at least one electrical microphone signal
  • the hearing aid device for correcting a signal error which is recorded in the electrical microphone signal or a signal resulting therefrom by recording the acoustic input signal outside the auditory canal of the test person compared to one recorded in the auditory canal of the test person with the same acoustic output signal acoustic input signal arises, includes.
  • the microphone system of the hearing aid device consists of at least one microphone.
  • the microphone system is preferably designed as a directional microphone system, which consists of a plurality of omnidirectional systems which are electrically connected to one another Microphones is built.
  • the sound system should record the sound in the ear canal directly in front of the eardrum of the hearing-impaired ear, since the signal formation of an acoustic signal by the head and the outer ear would then also be taken into account.
  • the error in the recording of an acoustic signal emanating from a signal source which arises due to the non-ideal arrangement of the microphone system outside the auditory canal of a subject, can be detected by measurements and subsequently at least partially compensated for.
  • the transfer function between the external signal source and the point on the body where the microphone system of the hearing aid is located and on the other hand, under the same external conditions (output signal, position of the signal source relative to the subject) between the external signal source and the auditory canal of the subject who is to be supplied with the hearing aid device.
  • the pinna determines the transfer function between the signal source and the auditory canal and on the other hand determines the transfer function between the external signal source and the location on the upper edge of the outer ear at which the microphone of the hearing aid sits when the BTE hearing aid is worn.
  • the transmission behavior of the outer ear sought in the example can easily be determined from the transmission functions thus measured for different places (in the example at the upper edge of the outer ear and in the auditory canal) and in particular from the difference (in dB) of these transmission functions.
  • This transfer function describes the signal formation of an acoustic signal through the outer ear, which is not taken into account in a conventional BTE hearing aid device.
  • the outer ear transfer function can be determined on an artificial head, for example the KEMAR.
  • an artificial head for example the KEMAR.
  • microphones are arranged behind the ears of the artificial head and in the auditory canals of the artificial head, and the artificial head is exposed to an acoustic signal emanating from an external signal source. From the signals received by the microphones for different frequencies and different positions of the signal source relative to the artificial head on the artificial head, the transfer function of the outer ears depending on the signal frequency and the position of the signals can be determined from the differences between the signals measured behind an ear and in the associated ear canal Signal source can be determined.
  • the transfer function can be determined to a good approximation by only considering the relative orientation of the signal source with respect to the artificial head and thus from the perspective of the artificial head the direction of incidence of the acoustic signal. is If the transfer function of the outer ear is known as a function of the frequency and the direction of incidence, a correction function can be derived from this, which is to be applied to the microphone signal of the microphone arranged outside the ear canal in order to generate the same microphone signal that generates in the ear canal of the ear in question would.
  • measurements can also be carried out on one or a number of test subjects in the same way. By selecting the test subjects, a better match with a hearing impaired person to be supplied with a hearing aid device can be achieved than would be possible by measurements on an artificial head. The best results are obtained, however, if the measurements are carried out directly on the test person to be supplied with a hearing aid.
  • a further improvement in the signal transmission behavior of a hearing aid device is achieved in that the measurements are carried out directly with the hearing aid device, or at least with an identical hearing aid device, with which the test subject is to be supplied. Then, when correcting the error in the microphone signal generated by the microphone system, the internal signal transmission properties of the microphone system, even the signal transmission behavior of the hearing aid as a whole, for example the frequency responses of individual microphones of the microphone system or the listener, can also be taken into account and at least partially corrected.
  • the filter means present in the microphone signal paths of the microphone system can be optimized by a large number of measurements in such a way that that for each direction of incidence and frequency of an input signal, the microphone signal generated by the microphone system corresponds at least approximately at least approximately with a microphone signal generated by a test microphone in the auditory canal of the subject.
  • an optimization is preferably carried out, taking into account a large number of different orientations of the signal source relative to the subject's head and for a large number of different output signals.
  • the desired transfer function for a specific measurement characterized by the position of the signal source in relation to the subject's head and the signal frequency of the sound signal, can be exactly determined.
  • the transfer function of the filter means which is necessary for error correction, can be optimized as a function of the position and the frequency by a large number of different measurements using known optimization methods.
  • the microphone system of the hearing aid device comprises several microphones.
  • settings for filter means arranged in the microphone signal paths can then be specified, which filter the error due to the non-optimal placement of the microphones outside the Compensate ear canals.
  • a microphone signal which would have been generated in the same starting situation by a microphone arranged in the ear canal, thus arises from the totality of those individual microphones of the microphone system generated and filtered microphone signals.
  • filter functions are usually obtained for different initial situations.
  • filter functions can be calculated in which the dependence on the position of the signal source with respect to the test subject is eliminated and in which the resulting error, e.g. averaged over all recorded starting situations, is minimized.
  • the result of this optimization is the better the more measurements are available and the more microphones the microphone system comprises.
  • Another embodiment of the invention provides for information about the orientation of the head relative to a signal source, from which an acoustic output signal originates, to be obtained during operation of the hearing aid device.
  • a hearing aid comprises, for example, a directional microphone system with several different preferred reception directions
  • this information can be obtained directly by means of the microphone system by a simple level comparison of the microphone signals generated by the different directional microphones.
  • the direction of incidence of the acoustic signal in relation to the subject's head is known, then only the correction function previously determined for this direction of incidence is to be applied to the microphone signal obtained, so that the microphone signal at least approximately corresponds to a microphone signal which, in the same situation, is caused by an in the ear canal the subject's microphone would have arisen.
  • this alignment of the signal source relative to the subject's head must also be recorded and corrected using a suitable filter function, which also depends on this variable.
  • the advantage of this embodiment lies in the fact that, by localizing the signal source, the filter means for correcting the signal error caused by the non-ideal position of the microphone system outside the auditory canal can be carried out very precisely.
  • the disadvantage is the need to localize the signal source as precisely as possible and the associated high computational effort.
  • the microphone system comprises a plurality of directional microphones, the filters for error correction being located in the signal paths of the directional microphones.
  • Each filter is optimized with regard to the preferred reception direction of the directional microphone in whose signal path it is arranged.
  • the filter function of an individual filter results from the knowledge of the signal transmission function of the acoustic signal emitted by the signal source between the position at which the directional microphone is located and a position in the subject's auditory canal when the directional microphone in question is aligned, in which the latter is precisely aligned with the external signal source is aligned.
  • This embodiment can also be designed for error correction only in a horizontal plane or in three-dimensional space.
  • At least two directional microphones are required for the horizontal plane and at least three for the three-dimensional space.
  • the error correction The better the more directional microphones are used and the more their directional dipoles are designed, the better. In particular when using many directional microphones, this static correction filter can be connected downstream. These are set once for the preferred direction of reception of the associated directional microphone and are then no longer changed during the operation of the hearing aid device.
  • a directional microphone is made up of a plurality of omnidirectional microphones which are electrically connected to one another, it is easily possible to change the directional characteristic during operation of the hearing aid device and in particular the orientation of the directional dipole.
  • a correction filter connected downstream of a directional microphone can also be set to the same extent depending on the orientation of the directional dipole. This has the particular advantage that an optimum setting for the acoustic signal source can then also be made in a microphone system with a few directional microphones or only one directional microphone.
  • the correction filter downstream of the directional microphone is then advantageously set such that the transmission function of the outer ear is simulated in the hearing aid device for a sound signal that comes from the direction in which the directional microphone is oriented.
  • the procedure previously described for an acoustic signal source can also be applied analogously to a large number of acoustic signal sources.
  • a directional microphone can be aligned or the direction of incidence of an acoustic signal recorded for the strongest signal received by the microphone system.
  • the error correction is then optimized in particular for the signal source connected to it.
  • the correction can be optimized for a signal limited to a specific frequency range or for a signal recognized as a speech signal.
  • the invention can be applied to all known hearing aid types in which the signal is not recorded directly in the auditory canal, for example in hearing aids which can be worn behind the ear, hearing aids which can be worn in the concha, pocket hearing aids, implantable hearing aids or cochlear implants.
  • the hearing aid device according to the invention can also be part of a hearing aid system comprising several devices for the care of a hearing impaired person, e.g. Part of a hearing aid system with two hearing aids worn on the head for binaural care or part of a hearing aid system consisting of a device that can be worn on the head and a processor unit that can be worn on the body.
  • FIG. 1 shows a test arrangement for determining the HRTF and the outer ear transmission function of a human ear, the outer ear transmission function being understood only as the transmission function between a point on the outer edge of the outer ear and the auditory canal.
  • a subject 1 and a signal source S are in a test environment.
  • a microphone MIC1 is arranged at a point on the ear 2 at which the microphone system for sound recording an acoustic input signal is also located in a hearing aid device that can be worn behind the ear.
  • a second microphone MIC2 in the auditory canal of the right ear 2 of the subject 1.
  • Both the microphones MIC1 and MIC2 and the signal source S are connected to a computer system 3.
  • the transfer function of the outer ear can be determined from the difference between the acoustic input signals picked up by the microphones MIC1 and MIC2, which are caused by an acoustic output signal from the signal source S. Since the transfer function depends on the frequency of the acoustic output signal and the position of the signal source S relative to the head of the subject 1, a large number of measurements with different frequencies and different positions is required in order to be able to determine the transfer function as precisely as possible.
  • a Cartesian coordinate system is advantageously used to describe the position of the signal source S relative to the head of the test person 1.
  • the origin of the coordinate system in the exemplary embodiment is located at the position of the microphone MIC2 in the relevant auditory canal of the subject 1.
  • the straight-ahead viewing direction of the subject 1 is preferably parallel to the y-axis of the coordinate system.
  • the x-axis is arranged at right angles to it and spans together with the y-axis a horizontal plane.
  • the z-axis points vertically upwards.
  • the transfer function of the outer ear can be determined very precisely as a function of the frequency and the x, y and z coordinates by a large number of measurements. It can be seen that the distance of the signal source S to the head of the subject 1 only plays a subordinate role at distances greater than one meter.
  • the arrangement or projection of the signal source S into a horizontal plane, which is spanned by the x- and y-axis and in which the auditory canal of the subject 1 lies, is of particular interest in practice.
  • the angle ⁇ shown in FIG. 2 which the signal source S includes with the y axis or the straight line of sight of the subject 1.
  • the transfer function is then only dependent on the frequency f of the acoustic signal and the angle ⁇ . If, in addition, the vertical alignment of the signal source S with respect to the subject's head is also to be taken into account, the angle ⁇ must also be recorded as a further variable, as shown in FIG.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 describe, by way of example only, the determination of the transfer function of the outer ear for the arrangement shown. In a similar way, transfer functions for other positions of the microphone MIC1, e.g. on glasses or in the concha. Likewise, the transmission function can also be determined in the case of a microphone MIC1 that is not arranged on the subject's head, but instead, for example, a microphone arranged in the region of the shoulder or chest.
  • the invention provides to at least partially compensate for the error that arises from the non-ideal positioning of the microphone system of a hearing aid outside the auditory canals.
  • a correction function must be applied to the microphone signal received by the microphone system.
  • this correction function With a hearing aid that can be worn behind the ear the microphone is in the position shown in FIG. 1 for the microphone MIC1, this correction function then corresponds to the outer ear transmission function determined according to FIG. 1 for a specific position.
  • An embodiment of the invention therefore provides a solution in which the correction function implemented in the hearing aid device for error correction no longer has a variable directional dependency.
  • the error correction can be optimized the better the more microphones the microphone system comprises.
  • FIG. 3 schematically shows the signal transmission of an acoustic output signal emanating from a point-shaped signal source S in the room into the auditory canal 5 of an ear 4.
  • the transmission function H applies to the direct path, that is to say without the aid of a hearing aid device. This is dependent on the Frequency of the output signal and from the position of the signal source S relative to the ear 4 and includes the signal shaping by the head and the outer ear. Also shown is the signal transmission using a hearing aid with three microphones M1, M2 and M3 in the arrangement shown.
  • the signal transmission function between the signal source S and the auditory canal 5 is composed of a first signal path with a signal transmission function HM1 between the signal source S and the microphone M1 and the signal transmission function H1 between the microphone M1 and the auditory canal 5, a second signal path with a Signal transmission function HM2 between the signal source S and the microphone M2 and the signal transmission function H2 between the microphone M2 and the auditory canal 5 and a third signal path with a signal transmission function HM3 between the signal source S and the microphone M3 and the signal transmission function H3 between the microphone M3 and the auditory canal 5
  • the transfer functions HM1, HM2, HM3, and H1, H2 and H3 are also dependent on the frequency of the output signal and on the position of the signal source S relative to the ear 4.
  • the distance of the signal source S from the ear 4 should be large enough without restricting the generality, so that it is not necessary to know the distances of the signal source in the xy and z directions to a reference point (for example the ear canal entrance), but only that Direction of incidence of the acoustic signal or the direction in which the signal source S is located relative to the reference point. If the signal source S is at a greater distance from the ear 4 (for example greater than 1 meter), the resulting error can be neglected.
  • the dependence of the transfer functions on the position of the signal source S can then be expressed by a solid angle ⁇ .
  • H (f, ⁇ ) Z (f, ⁇ ) X (f)
  • the sought transfer function H (f, ⁇ ) can thus be determined according to equation (2) on the basis of measurements of an acoustic signal in the auditory canal 5 in response to an output signal emitted by the signal source S.
  • Figure 4 illustrates the relationships graphically.
  • the transfer functions HM1 (f, ⁇ ), HM2 (f, ⁇ ) and HM3 (f, ⁇ ) already contain the transfer function generated by the head, but without the ear, between the signal source and the subject. For error correction in the hearing aid, it is therefore sufficient to determine the transfer functions H1 (f, ⁇ ), H2 (f, ⁇ ) and H3 (f, ⁇ ), which together emulate the outer ear transfer function in the hearing aid.
  • the external ear transmission function to be simulated can be determined, for example, with a measuring arrangement according to FIG. 1 or with an arrangement according to FIG.
  • the optimization is advantageously carried out over all ⁇ with 0 ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ 360 ° and over all f in the transmission range of the hearing aid device, e.g. 30Hz ⁇ f ⁇ 10kHz.
  • a sub-area e.g. a frequency range important for localization.
  • FIG. 5 shows a hearing aid 9 with three microphones M1 ', M2' and M3 'in the block diagram.
  • the filters M1, M2 'and M3' are connected downstream of the filters F1, F2 and F3 for error correction according to the invention.
  • the filter means F1, F2 and F3 can be used to correct the error in the microphone signal generated by the microphone system M1 ', M2', M3 '
  • Signal paths of the microphones can be determined and set as described above.
  • the transfer function H1 is advantageously implemented by the filter F1, the transfer function H2 by the filter F2 and the transfer function H3 by the filter F3 in accordance with the above optimization.
  • the signal error mentioned is largely compensated for and a corrected microphone signal is thus present at the output of an adder 6, which is further processed and amplified in a known manner in a signal processing unit 7 and converted back into an acoustic output signal and output in the exemplary embodiment by a receiver 8.
  • the exemplary embodiment only reflects the basic functioning of a hearing aid according to the invention. Filters do not actually have to be connected directly to the individual microphones. Likewise, the determined transfer functions can be implemented in the preferably digital signal processing unit 7. Conversely, in addition to error correction, filters connected downstream of the microphones could already implement further signal processing functions of the hearing aid device and thus not exactly perform the determined correction functions. So it may be that the error-corrected microphone signal, which is present at the output of the adder 6, does not actually appear anywhere (measurably) in a real hearing aid device, but an error correction within the meaning of the invention is nevertheless carried out.
  • the microphone signals of several microphones can also be fed to a filter for error correction.
  • the exemplary embodiment can also be extended to more than three microphones for signal recording. Are general however at least two microphones are required in order to be able to carry out any optimization depending on the direction of incidence. Optimization works better the more microphones and thus degrees of freedom are available.
  • filter means for error correction it is also not necessary, as in the exemplary embodiment, for a measuring arrangement which is precisely matched to the hearing aid device in question.
  • the setting of a hearing aid device with 3 microphones that can be worn behind the ear can also be based on measurements with a measuring arrangement according to FIG. 1 with only one microphone MIC1 on the edge of the outer ear 2 for signal detection. If the outer ear transfer function depending on the frequency and the angle of incidence for an external acoustic signal is known, then filter functions can also be determined purely by calculation, which are to be applied to the microphone signals of a hearing aid device with several microphones in order to approximate the desired outer ear transfer function replicate.
  • the invention can also be expanded in such a way that, in addition to the correction of the error mentioned, other transmission errors of the hearing aid device, for example those of the listener or the signal processing unit, are also compensated in an analogous manner. This could be done by not generating the most ideal possible microphone signal, but rather by outputting the most ideal possible output signal from the hearing aid device in response to an input signal.
  • filter devices internal to the hearing aid are to be set in such a way that the signal transmission errors of the hearing aid device as a whole are also compensated for.
  • FIG. 6 A further exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 6.
  • a hearing aid device 10 shown in a greatly simplified block diagram with a microphone 11 arranged outside the auditory canal of a subject, the signal error is compensated provided due to the non-optimal microphone arrangement.
  • filter means 12 are located in the signal path of the microphone 11.
  • the hearing aid device 10 comprises a signal processing unit 13 for further processing and amplification of the microphone signal, and a receiver 14 for converting the electrical output signal back into an acoustic signal.
  • the hearing aid 10 is further provided with a sensor 15, by means of which the localization of a signal source or the determination of the direction of the signal source relative to the subject's head is possible.
  • the signal emanating from the sensor 15 is fed to an evaluation and control unit 16.
  • filter coefficients of the filter 12 are then set by means of an evaluation and control unit 16 in such a way that the microphone signal emanating from the microphone 11 experiences at least approximately the same transmission function that also the acoustic input signal without being supplied by a hearing aid device between the position of the Microphone 11 on the subject's body and the subject's auditory canal, into which the output signal of the earpiece 14 is emitted, is experienced. Since this embodiment of the invention first determines the direction of incidence of an acoustic signal in the hearing aid and thus the orientation of the signal source relative to the subject's head, it offers the advantage that the angle of incidence-dependent outer ear transmission function in the hearing aid is reproduced very precisely, especially for this input signal can.
  • filters In addition to the adaptation of filter coefficients, it is also possible for filters to be switched on or off for adaptation to the reception direction, or for switching between different filters.
  • the filters are preferably implemented in digital circuit technology.
  • an input signal into the filter can also experience signal amplification by the filter for certain frequency ranges.
  • the output signal of the microphone 11 is first split into several frequency bands. Then can Different filter functions can be set for the individual frequency bands to compensate for the signal error in the microphone signal.
  • parameters of the signal processing unit 13 can also be changed. For example, it is possible that the gain is raised in one frequency band and lowered in another frequency band depending on the determined direction.
  • the microphone 11 is advantageously replaced by a directional microphone system with a plurality of preferred reception directions (not shown).
  • This has the advantage that the sensor 15 can then be implemented directly by the microphone system.
  • the direction of the signal source relative to the microphone system can be determined by comparing the microphone signals in the different preferred reception directions.
  • An independent sensor 15 can thus be omitted.
  • FIG. 7 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the invention.
  • a hearing aid 20 comprises the three directional microphones R1, R2 and R3. These are each by the electrical connection of two omnidirectional microphones M11, M12; M21, M22; M31, M32 realized, in each case in a microphone path of a directional microphone R1, R2 or R3 there is a delay element T1, T2 or T3 and an inverter I1, I2 or I3 and the two microphone signal pairs M11, M12; M21, M22; M31, M32 of a directional microphone R1, R2 or R3 can then be added in the summation points S1, S2 or S3.
  • the directional microphones R1, R2, R3 have different preferred reception directions.
  • Filter means F1 ', F2' and F3 ' which implement signal transmission functions H1', H2 'and H3', are connected downstream of the microphones.
  • the microphone signals of the directional microphones R1, R2, R3 are then combined in the summation point 21.
  • the signal processing in a signal processing unit then takes place in a known manner 22 and the reconversion of the processed microphone signals into an acoustic output signal in a receiver 23.
  • the transfer function H1 'of the filter F1' preferably corresponds at least approximately to the transfer function which is required for correcting the microphone signal generated by the directional microphone R1, so that the corrected microphone signal corresponds to a microphone signal obtained from one in the auditory canal of the hearing aid 20 arranged ear received microphone would receive, specifically for a listening situation in which the directional microphone is aligned with the signal source.
  • the transfer functions H2 'and H3' of the filters F2 'and F3' are preset for the listening situations for which the signal source is in the respective preferred reception direction of the directional microphone in question. Since the directional microphone delivers the strongest microphone signal from a certain direction when the hearing aid 20 is irradiated, the preferred reception direction most likely points to the signal source, so that the arrangement shown results in a good approximation of the ideal microphone signal.
  • FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the invention with several directional microphones only in a purely schematic manner.
  • two omnidirectional microphones and their output signals are sufficient for practical implementation each processed in parallel (delayed and added differently in several parallel microphone signal paths of a microphone) in order to produce several directional microphones with different preferred reception directions.
  • a further development of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 7 provides that the preferred reception directions of the directional microphones R1-R3 can be changed.
  • the setting of the preferred reception direction can be made, for example, when adapting the hearing aid 20 to a test person or during the operation of the hearing aid 20, e.g. by changing the program.
  • the transfer functions H1'-H3 'of the filters F1'-F3' are then advantageously adapted accordingly.
  • the hearing aid 20 provides an adaptation and control unit 24, which is connected to the signal processing unit 22 and the delay elements T1-T3 and the filters F1'-F3 '.
  • control and adaptation unit 24 also the transfer functions H1'-H3 'of the filters F1'-F3' adapted to the new preferred reception directions.
  • the hearing aid 20 can also be operated with the block diagram according to FIG. 7 in a manner which corresponds to the mode of operation of the hearing aid 10 according to FIG. 6.
  • the directional microphones R1-R3 advantageously form the direction sensor with which the orientation of a signal source relative to the head of a subject can be determined.
  • the microphone signals of the directional microphones R1-R3 are fed to the control and adaptation unit 24, which determines the alignment in particular from a level comparison of the individual directional microphone signals and the Filter means F1'-F3 'according to the determined orientation.
  • FIG. 8 shows a preferred setting of the preferred reception direction of three microphones when supplying a subject.
  • a top view of the subject's head 30 is shown with a left ear 31 and a right ear 32, behind which a hearing aid 33 is arranged.
  • the preferred reception direction 34 of a first directional microphone coincides with the test person's straight-line viewing direction.
  • the preferred reception direction of a second directional microphone points in the opposite direction 37 and the preferred reception direction 36 of a third directional microphone is at right angles to the aforementioned preferred reception directions. All of the aforementioned directions are preferably in one plane. Furthermore, it is possible that the preferred reception directions of further directional microphones lie outside the level previously recorded (not shown).
  • a test person with a hearing aid according to FIG. 7 and the setting of the directional microphones according to FIG. 8 can localize a signal source well in the plane. Due to the expanded arrangement, in which directional microphones with vertical alignment are also provided (not shown), there is even the possibility of localization in three-dimensional space
  • Static filters can be inserted into the microphone signal paths of the hearing aid in order to improve the ability to locate a signal source in the room of a hearing-impaired person who is provided with a hearing aid.
  • the filters are designed with a suitable method so that the sum signal of the filtered microphone signals for sound incidence from any spatial direction with a permissible error tolerance corresponds to the signal that would be measured in the same sound situation when listening naturally in the open ear canal. In this way, the directional embossing of the head and outer ear necessary for localization is achieved by the filters electrically added.
  • the filters In BTE devices, whose microphone signals already contain head shading effects due to the arrangement close to the head, the filters essentially emulate the transmission properties of the outer ear. However, microphones positioned at any point (such as shoulders, clothing, etc.) are also permitted. Then the filters essentially contain the HRTFs and the inverted transfer functions for the respective position of the microphones.
  • the sound source (s) can be localized using suitable localization methods, which are preferably based on sound analysis with multi-microphone arrangements (unilateral, bilateral). Then the HRTFs belonging to the current direction of sound incidence can always be simulated "online” and the spectral modification of a sound signal recorded by the hearing aid can be carried out adaptively.

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Neurosurgery (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)
  • Stereophonic Arrangements (AREA)
EP03022928A 2002-10-23 2003-10-09 Procédé d'ajustage et d'utilisation d'une prothèse auditive et une prothèse auditive Expired - Lifetime EP1414268B1 (fr)

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DE10249416A DE10249416B4 (de) 2002-10-23 2002-10-23 Verfahren zum Einstellen und zum Betrieb eines Hörhilfegerätes sowie Hörhilfegerät

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EP2611218A1 (fr) * 2011-12-29 2013-07-03 GN Resound A/S Prothèse auditive avec localisation améliorée
US8638960B2 (en) 2011-12-29 2014-01-28 Gn Resound A/S Hearing aid with improved localization
US9148735B2 (en) 2012-12-28 2015-09-29 Gn Resound A/S Hearing aid with improved localization
US9148733B2 (en) 2012-12-28 2015-09-29 Gn Resound A/S Hearing aid with improved localization
US9338561B2 (en) 2012-12-28 2016-05-10 Gn Resound A/S Hearing aid with improved localization
US9100762B2 (en) 2013-05-22 2015-08-04 Gn Resound A/S Hearing aid with improved localization
DE102015205488A1 (de) 2014-03-26 2015-10-01 Sennheiser Electronic Gmbh & Co. Kg Audioverarbeitungseinheit und Verfahren zur Verarbeitung eines Audiosignals
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EP3229489A1 (fr) * 2016-04-08 2017-10-11 Oticon A/s Prothèse auditive comportant un système de microphone directionnel
CN107426660A (zh) * 2016-04-08 2017-12-01 奥迪康有限公司 包括定向传声器系统的助听器
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CN107426660B (zh) * 2016-04-08 2021-03-30 奥迪康有限公司 包括定向传声器系统的助听器

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DK1414268T3 (da) 2012-05-21
DE10249416B4 (de) 2009-07-30
EP1414268B1 (fr) 2012-01-25
EP1414268A3 (fr) 2010-12-22
DE10249416A1 (de) 2004-05-19
US7313241B2 (en) 2007-12-25
US20040136541A1 (en) 2004-07-15

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