EP1443798B1 - Hörhilfegerät mit einer Zoom-Funktion für das Ohr eines Individuums - Google Patents

Hörhilfegerät mit einer Zoom-Funktion für das Ohr eines Individuums Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1443798B1
EP1443798B1 EP20040002886 EP04002886A EP1443798B1 EP 1443798 B1 EP1443798 B1 EP 1443798B1 EP 20040002886 EP20040002886 EP 20040002886 EP 04002886 A EP04002886 A EP 04002886A EP 1443798 B1 EP1443798 B1 EP 1443798B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
ear
microphone
output
hearing
khz
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP20040002886
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP1443798A2 (de
EP1443798A3 (de
Inventor
Friedrich Bock
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sonova Holding AG
Original Assignee
Phonak AG
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Phonak AG filed Critical Phonak AG
Priority to DE200460001058 priority Critical patent/DE602004001058T2/de
Priority to EP20040002886 priority patent/EP1443798B1/de
Priority to DK04002886T priority patent/DK1443798T3/da
Publication of EP1443798A2 publication Critical patent/EP1443798A2/de
Publication of EP1443798A3 publication Critical patent/EP1443798A3/de
Priority to CA2490845A priority patent/CA2490845C/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1443798B1 publication Critical patent/EP1443798B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • H04R25/40—Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic
    • H04R25/407—Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R3/00—Circuits for transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
    • H04R3/005—Circuits for transducers, loudspeakers or microphones for combining the signals of two or more microphones

Definitions

  • the present invention departs from needs which have been recognized at behind-the-ear hearing devices, thereby especially at behind-the-ear hearing aid devices. Nevertheless, although departing from such devices, the present invention may be applied to all hearing systems where there is applied a microphone arrangement not within the ear canal, thereby especially behind the pinna of an individual's ear, the output of which operationally acting on an electrical to mechanical output converter which is applied to the same and/or the other ear of the individual.
  • the hearing device may be a device for increasing hearing capability or a hearing protection device.
  • the microphone arrangement which, for this mode, may consist of one omnidirectional microphone, provides per se for an omnidirectional transfer characteristic, which means that acoustical signals impinging on the microphone arrangement are converted to an electrical output signal with a predetermined constant amplification irrespective of the direction with which such acoustical signals impinge on the arrangement.
  • the acoustical to electrical transfer characteristic becomes not anymore independent of the direction at which acoustical sources appear to the microphone due to the so-called head-related transfer function HRTF, which results in some degree from "shadowing" of the acoustical signals dependent where the acoustical signal source is located with respect to the microphone arrangement.
  • 0° direction is defined in the direction at which individual's head H faces and 90° direction is defined perpendicularly thereto in a direction pointing outwards of individual's right ear E R one recognizes at this right ear a transfer characteristic at a frequency f of 0.5 kHz of acoustical signals as shown in fig. 2.
  • the acoustical signals from acoustical sources seen under an angle of 180° to 0° are considerably attenuated, which is predominantly caused by the shadowing effect of individual's head, i.e. by the HRTF.
  • the amplification is substantially equal.
  • the transfer characteristic is shown at 4 kHz.
  • the directivity of the pinna becomes effective.
  • the pinna provides for a beam forming effect in a frequency band of 2 kHz to 7 kHz, thus with a significant frequency at 5 kHz.
  • the beam forming effect results in a higher amplification in 45° direction than in the 135° direction.
  • the 5 kHz frequency is significant for pronounced pinna directivity effect.
  • the transfer characteristics as exemplified by figs. 2 to 5 are transfer characteristics at respective acoustical signal frequencies of an individual's ear per se.
  • the directivity characteristic of the pinna becomes moot, whereas the HRTF-based characteristic as of the figs. 2 to 4 is still effective.
  • an intrinsically omnidirectional beam former with microphone arranged not in the ear canal thus especially behind the pinna will establish a transfer characteristic with substantially equal amplification symmetrical to the 90° direction.
  • the pinna-caused beam forming characteristic with an attenuation of signals impinging from 45° relative to such signals from 135° which according to fig. 4 is about +6 dB is lost. It results therefrom that whenever the hearing device enabled or controllably switched in omnidirectional mode will not establish for a transfer characteristics which accords to natural beam forming of the ear at frequencies above 2 kHz and, with respect to speech understanding, in the relevant frequency band up to about 7 kHz, but will establish as shown in fig. 5 by dashed lines a transfer characteristic as if no pinna was present.
  • a hearing device with a behind-the-ear microphone arrangement to be placed not in the ear canal of an individual's ear, wherein the microphone arrangement has at least one microphone with an output, the device further having an electrical/mechanical output converter and has a further microphone and a beam former unit.
  • Latter has at least two inputs and an output. One input of the beam forming unit is operationally connected to the output of the one microphone and the second input of the beam former unit is operationally connected to the output of the further microphone.
  • the output of the beamformer unit is operationally connected to an input of the output converter and establishes together with the one and the further microphones a transfer characteristic of acoustical signals impinging on the one and the further microphones to an electrical signal at the output of the beam former unit with an amplification which is dependent on the direction with which acoustical signals impinge on the microphone and on the frequency of such acoustical signals.
  • the transfer characteristic established by the beam former unit and the at least two microphones has the following features:
  • the beam former unit behaves at frequencies below 2 kHz, as at the significant frequency of 1 kHz, like an omnidirectional microphone. Applied to the head, the HRTF is effective as at the unequipped ear. At higher frequencies above 2 kHz as established by the characteristic frequency of 5 kHz, the beam former unit and microphones establish an increased amplification in forwards direction as in the 45° direction compared with attenuation in the backwards direction of 135°. This simulates the pinna directivity effect.
  • the ratio of amplification in 135° direction to amplification in 45° direction is selected to be approx. -6 dB.
  • the amplification in 45° direction is at least approx. 6 dB higher than the amplification in 135° direction.
  • hearing devices of the addressed type and thereby especially behind-the-ear hearing devices are customarily equipped with different operating modes or programs which may be manually or automatically enabled, be it by remote control or by automatic evaluation of the acoustical surrounding.
  • it is customary to provide in context with such switchable operating modes different selectively enabled beam forming abilities.
  • one operating mode is characterized by the mode which was described, i.e. the mode enabling natural ear simulation due to the specific, frequency-dependent beam forming.
  • the further microphone which is necessary for establishing beam forming ability and which may be provided remote from the microphone arrangement to be applied behind the pinna is most preferably provided as a part of the addressed microphone arrangement.
  • the device according to the present invention is preferably a behind-the-ear hearing device and thereby especially a behind-the-ear hearing aid device.
  • a behind-the-ear device a device with an output converter applied to the same ear as the microphone arrangement.
  • the addressed further microphone is part of a second hearing device to be placed at the second ear of the individual so that the device according to the present invention is e.g. part of a binaural hearing system.
  • the hearing device may be a device for increasing hearing capability or may be a device for hearing protection i.e. attenuating the effect of acoustical signals.
  • a microphone arrangement 1 of the device according to the present invention comprises at least one microphone 3, e.g. and in the most simple form of realization with an omnidirectional transfer characteristic as schematically shown at T 1 .
  • the microphone arrangement 1 is e.g. to be placed behind e.g. adjacent the top of individual's ear pinna 5.
  • a further microphone 7 Remote from microphone 3 there is provided a further microphone 7, which, again in the simplest form, has an omnidirectional transfer characteristic T 7 .
  • the respective electrical outputs A 3 , A 7 of the microphones 3 and 7 are operationally connected to a beam former unit 9.
  • the beam former unit 9 is a "delay and add" beam former unit.
  • the microphones 3, 7 and the beam former unit 9 provide for an omnidirectional characteristic up to about 2 kHz and, for higher frequencies, turn to a directional beam forming characteristic as e.g. to a first order cardoid transfer characteristic.
  • this is achieved by having the electrical signal from the output A 7 of the further omnidirectional microphone 7 first led via a high-pass filter unit 10 with a cut-off frequency at about 2 kHz before feeding such signal to the adding unit 11 of the beam forming unit 9.
  • the electrical signal at the output A 3 of microphone 3 is fed via the delay unit 13 to the adding unit 11 as well known to the skilled artisan for delay and add beam forming technique.
  • the microphone 7 up to the cut-off frequency of about 2 kHz the microphone 7 is not effective with respect to beam forming and thus the output signal at A 11 of adding unit 11 will establish for the omnidirectional characteristic according to T 1 of microphone 3. It is only starting at the cut-off frequency of filter unit 10 that the further microphone 7 becomes effective with respect to beam forming and establishes at the output A 11 a first order cardoid transfer function according to T 11 ( ⁇ 2 kHz) for frequencies of acoustical signals impinging on the microphones 3 and 7 above the cut-off frequency of filter unit 10.
  • the output A 11 of the adding unit 11 or more generically of beam forming unit 9 is operationally connected to an electrical/mechanical output converter 15 as to a loudspeaker unit of the device.
  • the transfer characteristic T 11 When applied to individual's ear the transfer characteristic T 11 will be subjected to individual's HRTF so that the established transfer characteristic will substantially be shadowed by individual's head between 180° and 0° resulting in a transfer function T 110 as schematically also shown in fig. 6.
  • the at least two microphones 3 and 7 which have to be provided to establish the desired beam forming according to the present invention are further preferably used to realize at the hearing device additional desired beam characteristics by techniques as e.g. shown in the above mentioned references, so as to operate the device in different operating modes, e.g. acoustically focusing on desired acoustical sources, thereby attenuating unwanted noise.
  • the specific frequency-dependent beam forming as exemplified by fig. 6 is realized only as one of more than one different operating modes of the hearing device.
  • the further microphone 7 must, generically, be remote from microphone 3. It thereby may be part of a hearing device applied at the second ear, e.g.
  • both microphones are parts of the microphone arrangement 1 which is placed adjacent the top of the pinna, thus forming part of one integrated single behind-the-ear hearing device, thereby especially of a hearing aid device.
  • Fig. 8 there is shown a further preferred embodiment of the hearing device according to the present invention. It was already addressed that preferably more than one different operating modus of the hearing device are preferably provided.
  • a first beam forming unit 9 which operates as was already described, i.e. simulating the directional behaviour of the pinna.
  • Unit 9 x represents a second beam former program or unit, whereat, according to specific needs at a specific acoustical situation, a different beam forming action is implemented.
  • the outputs A 9 and A 9x of the units 9 and 9 x are operationally connected to a weighting unit 13 which has an output A 13 operationally connected to the electrical input of the electrical/mechanical output converter 15.
  • the ratio, with which the output of unit 9 and the output of unit 9 x take effect upon the output A 13 may be adjusted.
  • the hearing device may be switched abruptly from the operating mode controlled by unit 9 to the operating mode controlled by unit 9 x by abruptly enabling output A 9 to take effect on output A 13 , thereby disabling output A 9x from taking such effect.
  • This is shown by the courses (a) within Fig. 8a. Instead of abruptly switching such effect, and as shown by the courses (b), the effect of the at least two modi may steadily be varied by adjusting the weighting coefficients ⁇ 9 and ⁇ 9x in unit 13 as by the control input C 13 .
  • Fig. 8 the device incorporating the two operating modes is shown and exemplified with two "units" 9 and 9 x , whereby, and as clear to the skilled artisan, the two units 9 and 9 x may be realized by one single unit with a programmed transfer function.
  • the ratio of effects, as controlled by unit 13 of Fig. 8, is then established e.g. by respectively adjusting, steadily or abruptly, coefficients of the program.
  • the device has been shown especially with beam former unit 90 rather in analog technique. Nevertheless, it is perfectly clear that preferably beam forming is performed within a digital signal processing unit, whereby the output signal of the microphone is analog to digital converted and preferably time-domain/frequency-domain converted to allow signal processing in frequency domain. Before feeding the output signal to the ectrical/mechanical output converter, the computed output signal is reconverted from digital to analog and, respectively, from frequency domain to time domain.

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Neurosurgery (AREA)
  • Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)

Claims (10)

  1. Hörgerät mit einer Hinter-dem-Ohr-Mikrofonanordnung (1), die nicht in den Gehörgang (5) des Ohrs einer Person zu stecken ist, wobei die MikrofonAnordnung (1) wenigstens ein Mikrofon (3) mit einem Ausgang (A3) hat, wobei sie ferner einen elektrisch/mechanischen Ausgangsumformer (15) aufweist, gekennzeichnet durch ein weiteres Mikrofon (7), eine Richtcharakteristikeinstellungseinheit (9) mit wenigstens zwei Eingängen und einem Ausgang, wobei ein Eingang mit dem Ausgang des einen Mikrofons (3) wirkverbunden ist, wobei der zweite Eingang mit dem Ausgang des weiteren Mikrofons (7) wirkverbunden ist, wobei der Ausgang der Richtcharakteristikeinstellungseinheit (9) wirkungsmäßig mit einem Eingang des Ausgangsumformers (15) verbunden ist, wobei die Richtcharakteristikeinstellungseinheit (9) zusammen mit dem einen und dem weiteren Mikrofon eine Übertragungscharakteristik von akustischen Signalen, welche das eine und das weitere Mikrofon (3, 7) beaufschlagen, zu einem elektrischen Signal an dem Ausgang (A11) der Richtcharakteristikeinstellungseinheit (9) hat, dessen Verstärkung von der Richtung, mit welcher die akustischen Signale die Mikrophone (3, 7) beaufschlagen, sowie von der Frequenz der akustischen Signale abhängt, wobei die Richtung 0° in Richtung der Gesichtsrichtung der Person und 90° im wesentlichen in Richtung vom Gehörgang des Ohrs nach außen ist, wobei die Übertragungskennnlinie folgende Merkmale hat:
    • eine im wesentlichen konstante Verstärkung unabhängig von der Beaufschlagungsrichtung bei der Frequenz von 1 kHz,
    • für die Richtung 45° eine stärkere Verstärkung als für die Richtung 135° bei der Frequenz von 5 kHz.
  2. Hörgerät nach Anspruch 1, bei welchem die Verstärkung in der 45°-Richtung um ca. +6 dB stärker als die Verstärkung in der 135°-Richtung ist, wobei die Frequenz 5 kHz ist.
  3. Gerät nach Anspruch 1 oder 2 mit wenigstens zwei steuerbar freigebbaren Betriebsmodi bezüglich der Übertragungscharakteristik für das eine und das weitere Mikrophon (3, 7) beaufschlagende akustische Signale zu dem elektrischen Signal an dem Ausgang (A11), wobei eine der Übertragungscharakteristiken die genannte Übertragungscharakteristik ist.
  4. Gerät nach Anspruch 3, welches ferner eine gesteuerte Gewichtungseinheit aufweist, welche das steuerbare Wirkungsverhältnis der wenigstens zwei Betriebsmodi auf die Übertragungscharakteristik erstellt.
  5. Gerät nach Anspruch 4, bei welchem die gesteuerte Gewichtungseinheit stetig das genannte Verhältnis verändert.
  6. Gerät nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, bei welchem das weitere Mikrofon (7) Teil der Mikrofonanordnung (1) ist.
  7. Gerät nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6, bei welchem das weitere Mikrofon (7) Teil eines zweiten Hörgeräts ist, welches an einem zweiten Ohr der Person anzubringen ist.
  8. Gerät nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 7, welches ein Hinter-dem-Ohr-Hörgerät ist.
  9. Gerät nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 8, welches ein Hinter-dem-Ohr-Hörhilfegerät ist.
  10. Gerät nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 8, welches ein Hinter-dem-Ohr-Gehörschutzgerät ist.
EP20040002886 2004-02-10 2004-02-10 Hörhilfegerät mit einer Zoom-Funktion für das Ohr eines Individuums Expired - Lifetime EP1443798B1 (de)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE200460001058 DE602004001058T2 (de) 2004-02-10 2004-02-10 Hörhilfegerät mit einer Zoom-Funktion für das Ohr eines Individuums
EP20040002886 EP1443798B1 (de) 2004-02-10 2004-02-10 Hörhilfegerät mit einer Zoom-Funktion für das Ohr eines Individuums
DK04002886T DK1443798T3 (da) 2004-02-10 2004-02-10 Höreapparat med zoomfunktion til öret af et individ
CA2490845A CA2490845C (en) 2004-02-10 2004-12-22 Real-ear zoom hearing device

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP20040002886 EP1443798B1 (de) 2004-02-10 2004-02-10 Hörhilfegerät mit einer Zoom-Funktion für das Ohr eines Individuums

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1443798A2 EP1443798A2 (de) 2004-08-04
EP1443798A3 EP1443798A3 (de) 2004-08-25
EP1443798B1 true EP1443798B1 (de) 2006-06-07

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EP20040002886 Expired - Lifetime EP1443798B1 (de) 2004-02-10 2004-02-10 Hörhilfegerät mit einer Zoom-Funktion für das Ohr eines Individuums

Country Status (4)

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EP (1) EP1443798B1 (de)
CA (1) CA2490845C (de)
DE (1) DE602004001058T2 (de)
DK (1) DK1443798T3 (de)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DK2088802T3 (da) 2008-02-07 2013-10-14 Oticon As Fremgangsmåde til estimering af lydsignalers vægtningsfunktion i et høreapparat
DK2262285T3 (en) 2009-06-02 2017-02-27 Oticon As Listening device providing improved location ready signals, its use and method
WO2010133701A2 (en) 2010-09-14 2010-11-25 Phonak Ag Dynamic hearing protection method and device
EP2638706B1 (de) 2010-11-12 2019-01-09 Sonova AG Hörgerät mit einem mikrofon
EP3185589B1 (de) * 2015-12-22 2024-02-07 Oticon A/s Hörgerät mit mikrofonsteuerungssystem
DE102020209555A1 (de) * 2020-07-29 2022-02-03 Sivantos Pte. Ltd. Verfahren zur direktionalen Signalverarbeitung für ein Hörgerät

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0820210A3 (de) * 1997-08-20 1998-04-01 Phonak Ag Verfahren zur elektronischen Strahlformung von akustischen Signalen und akustisches Sensorgerät
EP1356706A2 (de) * 2000-09-29 2003-10-29 Knowles Electronics, LLC Mikrofonsanordnung von zweiter ordnung

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2490845A1 (en) 2005-08-10
EP1443798A2 (de) 2004-08-04
DE602004001058T2 (de) 2006-12-21
CA2490845C (en) 2010-09-14
DE602004001058D1 (de) 2006-07-20
EP1443798A3 (de) 2004-08-25
DK1443798T3 (da) 2006-10-09

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