EP1624719A2 - Procédé pour déterminer le seuil de couplage dans une prothèse auditive - Google Patents

Procédé pour déterminer le seuil de couplage dans une prothèse auditive Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1624719A2
EP1624719A2 EP05019858A EP05019858A EP1624719A2 EP 1624719 A2 EP1624719 A2 EP 1624719A2 EP 05019858 A EP05019858 A EP 05019858A EP 05019858 A EP05019858 A EP 05019858A EP 1624719 A2 EP1624719 A2 EP 1624719A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
gain
hearing device
feedback threshold
feedback
forward path
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP05019858A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP1624719A3 (fr
Inventor
Andreas Von Buol
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 EP05019858A priority Critical patent/EP1624719A3/fr
Publication of EP1624719A2 publication Critical patent/EP1624719A2/fr
Publication of EP1624719A3 publication Critical patent/EP1624719A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current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
    • H04R25/45—Prevention of acoustic reaction, i.e. acoustic oscillatory feedback
    • H04R25/453—Prevention of acoustic reaction, i.e. acoustic oscillatory feedback electronically
    • 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
    • H04R25/30—Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
    • 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

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method to determine a feedback threshold in a hearing device, to use of the method as well as to a hearing device.
  • Hearing devices are electronic devices in which sound is recorded by a microphone, is processed or amplified, respectively, in a signal processing unit, and is transmitted into the ear canal of a hearing device user over a loudspeaker which is also called receiver.' The amplified or processed sounds which are emitted by the receiver are partially recorded by the microphone. In other words, it must be dealt with a closed loop comprising a hearing device with an output signal and an input signal. It must be noted that the path of the sound energy is not limited to acoustic energy, but also comprises, as the case may be, a mechanical transmission from the output to the input, as e.g. over the housing of the hearing device (so-called body sound).
  • the signal feedback threshold For the sake of completeness, reference is made to a method to determine the signal feedback threshold, which method is applied in practice.
  • the method consists therein that the gain in the hearing device will be increased step by step until signal feedback occurs.
  • the corresponding value for the amplification for which only just no signal feedback occurs, corresponds to the signal feedback threshold.
  • This simple method has the great disadvantage that the hearing device user is exposed to high sound levels. Furthermore, the hearing device must produce a high power during the determination of the feedback threshold.
  • the present invention uses the fact that the gain during feedback in the forward path of a compressive system, as it is the case for a hearing device used to compensate a hearing loss, after having reached its steady state in "closed loop" operation, is equal to the feedback threshold gain.
  • the steady state is reached soon after having applied a low input signal level to the hearing device, which input signal level is below 55 dB SPL (Sound Pressure Level), for example, and would result, for the open loop compressive system, in a larger gain than the feedback threshold gain of the closed loop system, respectively, would result in the maximum possible hearing device gain if maximum possible hearing device gain is below feedback threshold gain.
  • the signal feedback gain is assessed in this steady state.
  • a maximum gain is adjusted below the determined feedback threshold gain in the hearing device. By limiting the gain in the forward path to the determined maximum gain, feedback cannot occur in this system.
  • the maximum gain is set to the maximum gain applied during the test.
  • the step of assessing the feedback threshold gain can be performed in different ways assuming the steady state, as mentioned above, is reached:
  • the feedback threshold gain can be read out of the internal memory of a digital hearing device.
  • the feedback threshold gain in the forward path can be determined by assessing, for example via a measurement, the levels of the input and the output signals of the hearing device, be it implemented using analog or digital technology.
  • the damping in the backward path can be determined via measuring the levels of the input and the output signals of the hearing device, be it implemented as analog or digital hearing devices, the feedback threshold gain in the forward path being equal the damping in the backward path.
  • the feedback threshold gain can be determined via the input signal provided by the microphone of the hearing device in combination with the gain model applied to the input signal.
  • the present invention has at least one of the following advantages:
  • it is intended to carry out the assessment of the feedback threshold gain in different frequency bands in that a feedback threshold gain is determined in each frequency band.
  • the frequency bands correspond to the so-called critical frequency bands which are given by the structure of the human hearing.
  • Critical frequency bands are frequency regions within which the ear groups together sounds of different frequency. Sounds spaced apart more than a critical band can be separately recognized by the brain, at least for normal-hearing people.
  • Fig. 1 shows a block diagram for a feedback system as it is generally known.
  • a processing unit having a transfer function G and, by 200, a feedback unit having a transfer function K are identified.
  • An input signal I is fed to one of the two inputs of an addition unit 10 of which the only output is fed to the processing unit 100.
  • an output signal O is generated that is fed to the second input of the addition unit 10 via the feedback unit 200, besides the circumstance that the output signal O is fed to the outside.
  • Fig. 2 schematically shows a block diagram of a hearing device 1, comprising a processing unit 100 with a transfer function G. Seen from a propagation direction of signals in the hearing device, a loudspeaker 30, which is also called receiver in the technical field of hearing devices, is positioned after and connected to the processing unit 100, and a microphone 20 is positioned before and connected to the processing unit 100.
  • the output signal of the hearing device 1, respectively of the receiver 30, is fed via a feedback unit 200 to an addition unit 10, to which also an input signal I is being fed.
  • An output signal is generated in the addition unit 10, which output signal is fed to the microphone 20.
  • FIG. 2 only represents a simplified structure of a hearing device in that only a microphone 20, a signal processing unit 100 and a receiver 30 are shown.
  • other functional units e.g. other microphones, an analog-to-digital converter, observation units for observation of power supply, a digital-to-analog converter, memory units, etc. - might be provided. Such additional units do not have an impact on the concept of the present invention.
  • the feedback unit 200 having a transfer function K is the actual equivalent circuit for the effects mentioned above, of which the acoustic signal feedback contributes the largest part.
  • the overall transfer function of the block diagram according to Fig. 2 is equal to the one according to Fig. 1.
  • Fig. 3 shows, in a schematic view, a course for the gain of a compressive system, as it is used in a hearing device to compensate a hearing loss. While on the horizontal axis the level of the input signal I is drawn using a logarithmic scale and the unit decibel (dB), on the vertical axis the gain V is drawn also by using a logarithmic representation. The course of the gain in function of the input signal level has a negative slope which is characteristic for a compressive system.
  • the system will adjust to a steady state in which the gain in the forward path will be equal to the damping in the backward path.
  • the gain in the forward path will be equal to the feedback threshold gain V KRIT .
  • the feedback threshold gain V KRIT can be assessed, according to the present invention, by assessing the gain in the forward path or the damping in the backward path, e.g. in one of the following ways:
  • a maximum gain V max is adjusted that is below the feedback threshold gain V KRIT .
  • the gain difference between the feedback threshold gain V KRIT and the maximum gain V max is selected as small as possible in order to obtain a maximum gain range for the hearing device user.
  • an overall gain applied in a particular frequency band is less than V KRIT , the overall gain being determined by a superposition of a gain applied in the frequency band as well as all additional gain components resulting from overlapping of neighboring gain functions.
  • the maximum gain V max is set to the maximum gain applied during the test.
  • a feedback threshold gain V KRIT is determined by applying one of the methods mentioned above.
  • a feedback threshold gain V KRIT is determined by applying one of the methods mentioned above.
  • so-called critical frequency bands are used which are given by the structure of the human ear.
  • a gain course V is represented of a hearing device 1 using the same scaling as in Fig. 3.
  • the gain course V corresponds to the one which is adjusted after the assessment of the feedback threshold gain V KRIT according to one of the above-mentioned methods, whereby four regions I, II, III and IV dividing the horizontal axis can be identified.
  • Region III is the compressive region in which a slope for a gain course is applied that is dependent on a specific hearing loss of a hearing device user.
  • the gain course is essentially horizontal in region II at a gain level equal to the maximum gain V max which is below the feedback threshold gain V KRIT that has been determined in the manner described above.
  • the level of the input signal I at the transition between region III and II is therefore derived from the feedback threshold gain V KRIT and the maximum gain V max , respectively.
  • region I the gain course decreases towards lower levels of the input signal I in order to prevent noise from being amplified.
  • the level of the input signal I at the transition between region I and II is set to a level at which noise influence increases.
  • the gain course decreases towards higher levels of the input signal I in order to prevent very loud sound from being amplified.
  • the level of the input signal I at the transition between region III and IV is set accordingly.
  • the gain course V is limited in region II with the aid of a limiting unit provided in the hearing device in order to limit the gain to the maximum gain V max , thereby preventing signal feedback.
  • the present invention opens up a number of applications or uses, some of which have already been discussed above. In addition, or as a repetition, these are the following, for example:

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Neurosurgery (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Amplifiers (AREA)
  • Tone Control, Compression And Expansion, Limiting Amplitude (AREA)
EP05019858A 2005-09-13 2005-09-13 Procédé pour déterminer le seuil de couplage dans une prothèse auditive Withdrawn EP1624719A3 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP05019858A EP1624719A3 (fr) 2005-09-13 2005-09-13 Procédé pour déterminer le seuil de couplage dans une prothèse auditive

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP05019858A EP1624719A3 (fr) 2005-09-13 2005-09-13 Procédé pour déterminer le seuil de couplage dans une prothèse auditive

Publications (2)

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EP1624719A2 true EP1624719A2 (fr) 2006-02-08
EP1624719A3 EP1624719A3 (fr) 2006-04-12

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Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1830603A2 (fr) * 2006-03-04 2007-09-05 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Procédé et appareil de mesure d'une marge de gain d'un dispositif d'assistance auditive
EP1830602A1 (fr) 2006-03-01 2007-09-05 Phonak AG Une méthode d'obtenir des arrangements d'un instrument d'audition, et un instrument d'audition
WO2008000842A2 (fr) * 2007-09-20 2008-01-03 Phonak Ag Procédé de détermination d'un seuil de réaction dans un dispositif d'écoute et dispositif d'écoute
WO2008000843A2 (fr) * 2007-09-20 2008-01-03 Phonak Ag Procédé de détermination d'un seuil de réaction dans un dispositif d'écoute et dispositif d'écoute
EP2227038A1 (fr) * 2009-03-06 2010-09-08 Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. Procédé de fonctionnement d'un dispositif auditif et dispositif ayant une soumission de contre-réaction
EP2339870A2 (fr) * 2009-12-22 2011-06-29 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Système de surveillance d'événement de rétroaction acoustique pour dispositif d'aide auditive
US8045737B2 (en) 2006-03-01 2011-10-25 Phonak Ag Method of obtaining settings of a hearing instrument, and a hearing instrument
US8638949B2 (en) 2006-03-14 2014-01-28 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. System for evaluating hearing assistance device settings using detected sound environment
US8942398B2 (en) 2010-04-13 2015-01-27 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Methods and apparatus for early audio feedback cancellation for hearing assistance devices
US9654885B2 (en) 2010-04-13 2017-05-16 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Methods and apparatus for allocating feedback cancellation resources for hearing assistance devices
EP4333463A1 (fr) 2022-08-31 2024-03-06 Sonova AG Procédé de surveillance de placement intra-auriculaire d'un dispositif auditif

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6128392A (en) 1998-01-23 2000-10-03 Implex Aktiengesellschaft Hearing Technology Hearing aid with compensation of acoustic and/or mechanical feedback
US6134329A (en) 1997-09-05 2000-10-17 House Ear Institute Method of measuring and preventing unstable feedback in hearing aids

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5991417A (en) * 1995-05-02 1999-11-23 Topholm & Westerman Aps Process for controlling a programmable or program-controlled hearing aid for its in-situ fitting adjustment
US6219427B1 (en) * 1997-11-18 2001-04-17 Gn Resound As Feedback cancellation improvements
US7010135B2 (en) * 2002-10-02 2006-03-07 Phonak Ag Method to determine a feedback threshold in a hearing device

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6134329A (en) 1997-09-05 2000-10-17 House Ear Institute Method of measuring and preventing unstable feedback in hearing aids
US6128392A (en) 1998-01-23 2000-10-03 Implex Aktiengesellschaft Hearing Technology Hearing aid with compensation of acoustic and/or mechanical feedback

Cited By (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1830602A1 (fr) 2006-03-01 2007-09-05 Phonak AG Une méthode d'obtenir des arrangements d'un instrument d'audition, et un instrument d'audition
US8045737B2 (en) 2006-03-01 2011-10-25 Phonak Ag Method of obtaining settings of a hearing instrument, and a hearing instrument
EP1830603A3 (fr) * 2006-03-04 2010-11-24 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Procédé et appareil de mesure d'une marge de gain d'un dispositif d'assistance auditive
US8351613B2 (en) 2006-03-04 2013-01-08 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Method and apparatus for measurement of gain margin of a hearing assistance device
EP1830603A2 (fr) * 2006-03-04 2007-09-05 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Procédé et appareil de mesure d'une marge de gain d'un dispositif d'assistance auditive
US8638949B2 (en) 2006-03-14 2014-01-28 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. System for evaluating hearing assistance device settings using detected sound environment
WO2008000843A3 (fr) * 2007-09-20 2008-07-31 Phonak Ag Procédé de détermination d'un seuil de réaction dans un dispositif d'écoute et dispositif d'écoute
WO2008000842A2 (fr) * 2007-09-20 2008-01-03 Phonak Ag Procédé de détermination d'un seuil de réaction dans un dispositif d'écoute et dispositif d'écoute
US8582793B2 (en) 2007-09-20 2013-11-12 Phonak Ag Method for determining of feedback threshold in a hearing device and a hearing device
WO2008000842A3 (fr) * 2007-09-20 2008-07-31 Phonak Ag Procédé de détermination d'un seuil de réaction dans un dispositif d'écoute et dispositif d'écoute
WO2008000843A2 (fr) * 2007-09-20 2008-01-03 Phonak Ag Procédé de détermination d'un seuil de réaction dans un dispositif d'écoute et dispositif d'écoute
EP2227038A1 (fr) * 2009-03-06 2010-09-08 Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. Procédé de fonctionnement d'un dispositif auditif et dispositif ayant une soumission de contre-réaction
EP2339870A3 (fr) * 2009-12-22 2013-01-16 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Système de surveillance d'événement de rétroaction acoustique pour dispositif d'aide auditive
EP2339870A2 (fr) * 2009-12-22 2011-06-29 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Système de surveillance d'événement de rétroaction acoustique pour dispositif d'aide auditive
US9729976B2 (en) 2009-12-22 2017-08-08 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Acoustic feedback event monitoring system for hearing assistance devices
US10924870B2 (en) 2009-12-22 2021-02-16 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Acoustic feedback event monitoring system for hearing assistance devices
US11818544B2 (en) 2009-12-22 2023-11-14 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Acoustic feedback event monitoring system for hearing assistance devices
US8942398B2 (en) 2010-04-13 2015-01-27 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Methods and apparatus for early audio feedback cancellation for hearing assistance devices
US9654885B2 (en) 2010-04-13 2017-05-16 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Methods and apparatus for allocating feedback cancellation resources for hearing assistance devices
EP4333463A1 (fr) 2022-08-31 2024-03-06 Sonova AG Procédé de surveillance de placement intra-auriculaire d'un dispositif auditif

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1624719A3 (fr) 2006-04-12

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