EP2041997A2 - Dispositif d'audition et procede de production de signaux audio a destination d'un utilisateur portant ledit dispositif d'audition - Google Patents

Dispositif d'audition et procede de production de signaux audio a destination d'un utilisateur portant ledit dispositif d'audition

Info

Publication number
EP2041997A2
EP2041997A2 EP06776230A EP06776230A EP2041997A2 EP 2041997 A2 EP2041997 A2 EP 2041997A2 EP 06776230 A EP06776230 A EP 06776230A EP 06776230 A EP06776230 A EP 06776230A EP 2041997 A2 EP2041997 A2 EP 2041997A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
user
audio signals
audio signal
level
microphone
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Withdrawn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
EP06776230A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Samuel Harsch
Thomas Von Dach
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
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Phonak AG filed Critical Phonak AG
Publication of EP2041997A2 publication Critical patent/EP2041997A2/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
    • H04R1/10—Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones
    • H04R1/1083—Reduction of ambient noise
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
    • A61F11/00—Methods or devices for treatment of the ears or hearing sense; Non-electric hearing aids; Methods or devices for enabling ear patients to achieve auditory perception through physiological senses other than hearing sense; Protective devices for the ears, carried on the body or in the hand
    • A61F11/06—Protective devices for the ears
    • A61F11/14—Protective devices for the ears external, e.g. earcaps or earmuffs
    • A61F11/145—Protective devices for the ears external, e.g. earcaps or earmuffs electric, e.g. for active noise reduction
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
    • H04R1/10—Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones
    • H04R1/1008—Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R5/00—Stereophonic arrangements
    • H04R5/033—Headphones for stereophonic communication

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method for supplying audio signals to a user wearing a hearing device at or in his ear, which comprises a sound attenuation portion for attenuating ambient sound before reaching the user's ear drum, with the sound attenuation portion comprising a loudspeaker which is oriented towards the user's ear canal.
  • Such a hearing device may be a headphone or an earphone which is used for listening, for example, to music from a portable audio source, such as an MP3 player or a CD player.
  • a portable audio source such as an MP3 player or a CD player.
  • Such audio devices have a manual volume control which is operated by the user of the device according to the desired sound pressure level.
  • One problem encountered with such devices is that the users of such portable audio devices, especially if young people, are tending to use the device at sound pressure levels which may create a hearing damage.
  • Active hearing protection devices comprise an active communication unit consisting of a microphone for capturing ambient sound, an audio signal processing unit and a loudspeaker for reproducing the sound captured by the microphone to the user's ear according to audio signal processing in the processing unit.
  • Such active hearing protection devices, and also hearing aids usually comprise some kind of level limitation which is based on the level of the input audio signals to the signal processing unit as provided by the microphone in order to limit the sound pressure level created by the loudspeaker to values which are not dangerous for the user's hearing.
  • US 6,567,524 Bl relates to an earplug comprising a loudspeaker oriented towards the user's ear canal and a microphone connected to the user's ear canal via a sound passage in order to capture sound in the user's ear canal.
  • the earplug may be used as a headphone coupled to a CD player in order to monitor the noise dose submitted from the headphones to the ear over time or in peaks.
  • the earplug is provided with a signal processing unit.
  • DE 101 12 305 Al relates to a hearing protection device comprising an earplug including a microphone oriented towards the user's ear canal for capturing sound in the ear canal and optionally a loudspeaker for providing audio signals to the user.
  • the microphone is connected to a signal processing unit in order to measure in-situ the sound pressure level acting on the user's ear protected by the earplug. If the sound pressure level is found to be too high the device may take corresponding counter-measures in order to protect the user's hearing from damages. An example of such a counter measure is to act on the machine creating the noise.
  • a hearing protection device such as a headphone or an earplug
  • a microphone oriented towards the user's ear canal for picking up sound in the ear canal
  • an audio signal processing unit and a loudspeaker oriented towards the user's ear canal for performing active noise reduction (ANR) wherein the loudspeaker is used for creating a phase-shifted anti-noise signal.
  • ANR hearing protection devices are given in WO 2005/046543 Al, US 6,741,707 B2 and DE 101 17 705 Al.
  • US 6,689,377 B2 relates to a method for measuring the acoustic attenuation provided by a customized earplug, wherein the earplug is provided with a sound bore extending from the outer side of the earplug to the inner end of the earplug, wherein a remote device is inserted into the outer end of the sound bore, which remote device comprises a first microphone oriented towards the sound bore and a second microphone oriented towards ambience, and wherein test sound is provided by an external loudspeaker. Both the loudspeaker and the remote device are connected to a computer unit on which a measurement program is run. The acoustic attenuation provided by the earplug is calculated from the sound level difference between the first microphone and the second microphone.
  • US 5,577,511 relates to a method for measuring in-situ the acoustic attenuation provided by an earplug, wherein a probe tube extends through the earplug into the ear canal and wherein the outer end of the probe tube is connected to a first microphone, while a second microphone is provided at the ear for measuring sound pressure levels exterior to the ear canal as a reference microphone.
  • the acoustic attenuation provided by the earplug is calculated from the difference of the sound levels measured by the first and the second microphone.
  • the test sound for the measurement is the user's voice.
  • the invention is beneficial in that, by capturing audio signals by a microphone which is included in the attenuation portion of the hearing device and which is oriented towards the user's ear canal from the sound provided by the loudspeaker to the user's ear canal and by controlling the level of the audio signal provided to the loudspeaker according to the audio signals captured by the microphone, the sound level in the user's ear canal generated by the loudspeaker can be accurately measured and controlled in order to avoid sound pressure levels which may damage the user's ear. Thereby an accurate and effective automatic sound pressure level control is realized.
  • Fig. 1 shows schematically an example of a hearing system according to the invention
  • Fig. 2 is a more detailed view of one of ear of the user when wearing a hearing device according to the invention.
  • Fig. 3 is a view like Fig. 2, with an alternative embodiment of a hearing device according to the invention being shown.
  • FIG. 1 an example of a hearing system according to the invention is schematically shown, which comprises as a hearing device a headphone 10 comprising a left ear cup 12A and a right ear cup 12B.
  • Each cup 12A, 12B comprises at least one loudspeaker 14 and a microphone 16, which both are included in the cup 12 A, 12B.
  • Each cup 12 A, 12B comprises a housing 18 which acts as a sound attenuation portion for attenuating ambient sound before reaching the user's ear drum 20.
  • the at least one loudspeaker 14 is oriented towards the user's ear canal 22 when the headphone 10 is worn at the user's ears 24 in order to provide sound to the user's ear canal 22.
  • the microphone 16 likewise is oriented towards the user's ear canal 22 in order to pick up sound in the user's ear canal 22 and to capture a corresponding audio signal representative of the sound level in the user's ear canal 22.
  • the system in addition to the headphone 10 comprises a preferably portable audio device 26 having a headphone output, such as a MP3 player or a CD player, which serves as an audio signal source.
  • the headphone 10 is connected to the audio device 26 via an audio signal processing unit 28 which processes the audio signals received from the audio device 26 in order to be reproduced by the loudspeakers 14 of the headphone 10.
  • the audio signal processing unit 28 may integrated into the headphone 10 or it may be worn somewhere at the user's body separate from the headphone 10 or it may be part of the audio amplifier of the audio device 26.
  • the audio signal processing unit 28 will include an interface 34, such a wire connection, for receiving audio signals from an audio signal source, such as from the audio device 26.
  • the audio signal provided by the audio device 26 will be a stereo signal.
  • Each of the two channels of the stereo signal will be amplified by a variable gain amplifier 30 which via a control unit 32 is controlled according to the audio signals captured by the microphones 16.
  • the audio signals from the microphones 16 are provided to the audio signal processing unit 28.
  • the control units 32 may be programmed or designed such that a predetermined upper limit of the level of the audio signals captured by the microphones 16 is not exceeded. This upper limit not to be exceeded may be, for example, 95dB.
  • control unit 32 will set the gain applied by the variable gain amplifier 30 in such a manner that the sound pressure level in the ear canal 22 as measured by the microphone 16, which is primarily caused by the sound from the loudspeaker 18 does not exceed said predetermined upper limit.
  • the level of the audio signals produced by the audio signal processing unit 28 is controlled according to the level of the audio signals captured by the microphones 16.
  • the audio signal processing unit 28 may serve to record the level of the audio signals captured by the microphones 16 as a function of time, thereby acting as a dosimeter.
  • an alarm signal may be issued by the audio signal processing unit 28, for example as an alarm tone or an alarm message provided to the user via the loudspeakers 14, if a predetermined upper limit of the level of the audio signals captured by the microphones 16 is reached and/or if a predetermined upper limit of the time-integrated level of the audio signals captured by the microphones 16 is reached.
  • the headphone 10, i.e. the cups 12 A, 12B of the headphone 10 may be replaced by an earphone 40 for each ear of the user, which comprises a shell 42 having an outer shape which is appropriate for being received in the user's ear 24.
  • the loudspeaker 14 and the microphones 16 are integrated into the shell 42 in such manner that they are both oriented towards the user's ear canal 22 when the earphone 40 is worn at the user's ear 24.
  • the user will wear another earphone 40 at the other ear in order to achieve stereo presentation of the audio signal.
  • the earplugs 40 will be connected to the audio signal processing unit 28 in a similar manner as shown in Fig. 1 for the headphone 10.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Biomedical Technology (AREA)
  • Psychology (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Biophysics (AREA)
  • Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
  • Vascular Medicine (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Headphones And Earphones (AREA)
  • Stereophonic System (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système d'audition pouvant être porté sur ou dans l'oreille d'un utilisateur (24) conçu pour émettre des signaux audio à destination de l'utilisateur et comprenant une partie d'atténuation du son (18, 40) servant à atténuer le son ambiant avant qu'il n'atteigne l'oreille de l'utilisateur (24), un organe (26, 28) de production de signaux audio à un niveau sonore contrôlé, un haut-parleur (14) intégré dans la partie d'atténuation et orienté en direction du conduit auditif externe de l'utilisateur (22) et qui est conçu pour émettre un son correspondant au signal audio produit par l'organe de production de signaux audio (26, 28) dans le conduit auditif externe de l'utilisateur (22), un microphone (16) intégré dans la partie d'atténuation du son (18, 40) et orienté en direction du conduit auditif (22) et qui sert à capturer des signaux audio dans le son émis par le haut-parleur (14) dans le conduit auditif externe de l'utilisateur (22), ainsi qu'une unité de contrôle du niveau sonore (28, 30, 32) servant à contrôler le niveau des signaux audio produits par l'organe de production de signaux audio (26, 28) en fonction des signaux audio capturés par le microphone (16).
EP06776230A 2006-07-13 2006-07-13 Dispositif d'audition et procede de production de signaux audio a destination d'un utilisateur portant ledit dispositif d'audition Withdrawn EP2041997A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EP2006/006883 WO2006125679A2 (fr) 2006-07-13 2006-07-13 Dispositif d'audition et procede de production de signaux audio a destination d'un utilisateur portant ledit dispositif d'audition

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2041997A2 true EP2041997A2 (fr) 2009-04-01

Family

ID=37452391

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP06776230A Withdrawn EP2041997A2 (fr) 2006-07-13 2006-07-13 Dispositif d'audition et procede de production de signaux audio a destination d'un utilisateur portant ledit dispositif d'audition

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP2041997A2 (fr)
WO (1) WO2006125679A2 (fr)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102007032281A1 (de) * 2007-07-11 2009-01-15 Austriamicrosystems Ag Wiedergabeeinrichtung und Verfahren zum Steuern einer Wiedergabeeinrichtung
DE102009005302B4 (de) 2009-01-16 2022-01-05 Sennheiser Electronic Gmbh & Co. Kg Schutzhelm und Vorrichtung zur aktiven Störschallunterdrückung

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002071993A2 (fr) * 2001-03-14 2002-09-19 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Protege-oreilles et procede pour faire fonctionner un dispositif emettant du bruit

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4307385A (en) * 1978-11-22 1981-12-22 Sue Ann Evans Noise monitoring apparatus
US4455675A (en) * 1982-04-28 1984-06-19 Bose Corporation Headphoning
US5577511A (en) 1995-03-29 1996-11-26 Etymotic Research, Inc. Occlusion meter and associated method for measuring the occlusion of an occluding object in the ear canal of a subject
FI113003B (fi) 2000-03-01 2004-02-27 Kemira Chemicals Oy Kiinteä muurahaishappotuote
DE10117705C2 (de) 2001-04-09 2003-02-27 Hoergeraete Kind Gmbh U Co Kg Kaskadiertes Kapsel-Gehörschutzsystem
US6741707B2 (en) 2001-06-22 2004-05-25 Trustees Of Dartmouth College Method for tuning an adaptive leaky LMS filter
US7406179B2 (en) * 2003-04-01 2008-07-29 Sound Design Technologies, Ltd. System and method for detecting the insertion or removal of a hearing instrument from the ear canal
US7024010B2 (en) 2003-05-19 2006-04-04 Adaptive Technologies, Inc. Electronic earplug for monitoring and reducing wideband noise at the tympanic membrane
EP1594344A3 (fr) * 2005-08-03 2006-03-15 Phonak Ag Méthode pour obtenir des charactéristiques acoustiques, prothèse auditive et son procédé de fabrication

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002071993A2 (fr) * 2001-03-14 2002-09-19 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Protege-oreilles et procede pour faire fonctionner un dispositif emettant du bruit

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2006125679A3 (fr) 2007-05-31
WO2006125679A2 (fr) 2006-11-30

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7813520B2 (en) Hearing device and method for supplying audio signals to a user wearing such hearing device
US10657950B2 (en) Headphone transparency, occlusion effect mitigation and wind noise detection
US9949048B2 (en) Controlling own-voice experience of talker with occluded ear
US9924261B2 (en) Ear defender with concha simulator
US20140294191A1 (en) Hearing Protection with Sound Exposure Control and Monitoring
CA2418027C (fr) Protection d'oreille pourvu d'un dispositif de verification
EP1640972A1 (fr) Système et méthode pour séparer la voix d'un utilisateur de le bruit de l'environnement
CN105706463A (zh) 用于听力保护器的自适应频率响应、自适应自动电平控制以及处理无线电通信
EP2391321B1 (fr) Système et procédé permettant d'offrir une protection auditive active à un utilisateur
US20090208024A1 (en) Apparatus for reducing the risk of noise induced hearing loss
US11438711B2 (en) Hearing assist device employing dynamic processing of voice signals
TW201338565A (zh) 骨傳導耳機
JP2020512710A (ja) 音声明瞭度向上システム
CN107005757B (zh) 用于减轻耳机中的自身话音阻塞的设备和方法
WO2009155255A1 (fr) Dispositif d’estimation/de mesure acoustique
EP1313417B1 (fr) Oreillette pourvue d'un microphone dirige vers le meat
EP1322268B1 (fr) Terminal auditif pour regulation des bruits
CN112235683B (zh) 一种受送话器和环境声音降噪方法
EP1313418B1 (fr) Oreillette pourvu d'un microphone place dans le meat, et d'un moyen de filtration conferant les caracteristiques d'un son parle aux signaux transmis
WO2005004534A1 (fr) Production audio a realite augmentee
WO2006125679A2 (fr) Dispositif d'audition et procede de production de signaux audio a destination d'un utilisateur portant ledit dispositif d'audition
US20110235816A1 (en) Selective filtering earplugs
KR101271681B1 (ko) 외부 격음 보호 귓속형 보청기
CN117546485A (zh) 声学耳垢检测
JP2531004B2 (ja) 補聴器

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20090204

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A2

Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: AL BA HR MK RS

DAX Request for extension of the european patent (deleted)
17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 20120327

RIC1 Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant

Ipc: A61F 11/14 20060101ALI20150617BHEP

Ipc: H04R 1/10 20060101AFI20150617BHEP

Ipc: H04R 5/033 20060101ALI20150617BHEP

GRAP Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1

RAP1 Party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred)

Owner name: SONOVA AG

INTG Intention to grant announced

Effective date: 20150811

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20151222