KR20230112014A - Electronic device for managing tinnitus and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes a communication circuit for communicating with at least one external electronic device, a memory for storing at least one sound source and at least one test sound for testing a tinnitus frequency, and a processor electrically connected to the communication circuit and the memory, wherein the memory identifies an ear with a tinnitus symptom from among a left ear and a right ear based on a first user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptom when the processor is executed, and transmits the at least one test sound to the identified ear. A first control message for controlling output through a corresponding external electronic device is transmitted to the external electronic device through the communication circuit, a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound is determined as a tinnitus frequency based on a second user input for selecting one of the at least one test sound, a second sound source is generated by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency from the first sound source, and a second control message is output through the external electronic device through the communication circuit. You can store instructions (instructions) to send to.

Description

Electronic device for tinnitus management and its operating method {ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR MANAGING TINNITUS AND OPERATION METHOD THEREOF}

Various embodiments disclosed in this document relate to an electronic device for tinnitus management and an operating method thereof.

Tinnitus refers to a symptom of suffering due to continuous hearing of noise even in the absence of an external sound stimulus. The causes of tinnitus are various, such as stress and hearing loss. In Korea, about 15% of the total population experiences tinnitus, and about 8% experience tinnitus symptoms that severely interfere with sleep, and about 1% experience tinnitus symptoms that severely interfere with daily life. As such, tinnitus has a negative impact on an individual's life.

Embodiments disclosed in this document may provide an electronic device that provides a user with a sound source suitable for individual tinnitus characteristics based on information obtained through a tinnitus level test and/or tinnitus questionnaire evaluation performed in the electronic device.

In addition, the embodiments disclosed in this document can provide an electronic device that provides a tinnitus management method suitable for individual tinnitus characteristics by interlocking with wireless earphones to perform a tinnitus test on ears with tinnitus symptoms and outputting the sound source from the wireless earphones worn on the ears with tinnitus symptoms.

However, the problem to be solved in the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned problem, and may be expanded in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

An electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes a communication circuit for communicating with at least one external electronic device, a memory for storing at least one sound source and at least one test sound for testing a tinnitus frequency, and a processor electrically connected to the communication circuit and the memory, wherein the memory identifies an ear with a tinnitus symptom from among a left ear and a right ear based on a first user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptom when the processor is executed, and transmits the at least one test sound to the identified ear. A first control message for controlling output through a corresponding external electronic device is transmitted to the external electronic device through the communication circuit, a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound is determined as a tinnitus frequency based on a second user input for selecting one of the at least one test sound, a second sound source is generated by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency from the first sound source, and a second control message is output through the external electronic device through the communication circuit. You can store instructions (instructions) to send to.

An operating method of an electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes identifying an ear with a tinnitus symptom from among a left ear and a right ear based on a first user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptoms, transmitting a first control message for controlling output of at least one test sound through an external electronic device corresponding to the identified ear to the external electronic device, and determining a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on a second user input for selecting one test sound from among the at least one test sound. , Of at least one sound source, a second sound source is generated by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency from the first sound source, and a second control message for controlling the second sound source to be output through the external electronic device. Can be transmitted to the external electronic device.

According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, an electronic device can manage tinnitus in a method suitable for a user by providing a sound source suitable for individual tinnitus characteristics.

In addition to this, various effects identified directly or indirectly through this document may be provided.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to various embodiments.
2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an electronic device, a first external electronic device, and a second external electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.
3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first external electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.
4 is a flowchart of an operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment.
5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.
6 is a diagram for explaining a method of generating a notch sound source suitable for individual tinnitus characteristics by an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.
7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an electronic device, an external server, and a medical institution server according to an embodiment.
8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.
9 is a diagram for explaining a method of extracting a sound source suitable for individual tinnitus characteristics by an external server according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of this document will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the technology described in this document to specific embodiments, and it should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives of the embodiments of this document. In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used for like elements.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1 , in a network environment 100, an electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 102 through a first network 198 (eg, a short-distance wireless communication network), or may communicate with at least one of the electronic device 104 and the server 108 through a second network 199 (eg, a long-distance wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 through the server 108 . According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 includes a processor 120, a memory 130, an input module 150, a sound output module 155, a display module 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a connection terminal 178, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, and a communication module 1. 90), a subscriber identification module 196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, in the electronic device 101, at least one of these components (eg, the connection terminal 178) may be omitted or one or more other components may be added. In some embodiments, some of these components (eg, sensor module 176, camera module 180, or antenna module 197) may be integrated into one component (eg, display module 160).

The processor 120 may, for example, execute software (eg, program 140) to control at least one other component (eg, hardware or software component) of the electronic device 101 connected to the processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to an embodiment, as at least part of data processing or operation, the processor 120 may store commands or data received from other components (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communication module 190) in the volatile memory 132, process the commands or data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store the resulting data in the non-volatile memory 134. According to one embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (eg, a central processing unit or an application processor) or a secondary processor 123 (eg, a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that may operate independently or together with the main processor 121. For example, when the electronic device 101 includes the main processor 121 and the auxiliary processor 123, the auxiliary processor 123 may use less power than the main processor 121 or may be set to be specialized for a designated function. The secondary processor 123 may be implemented separately from or as part of the main processor 121 .

The auxiliary processor 123 functions related to at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (eg, the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) along with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an active (eg, application execution) state or instead of the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (eg, sleep) state. Alternatively, at least some of the states may be controlled. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (eg, an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of other functionally related components (eg, the camera module 180 or the communication module 190). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (eg, a neural network processing device) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. AI models can be created through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, in the electronic device 101 itself where the artificial intelligence model is performed, or may be performed through a separate server (eg, the server 108). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the above examples. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be one of a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), deep Q-networks, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the above examples. The artificial intelligence model may include, in addition or alternatively, software structures in addition to hardware structures.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component (eg, the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronic device 101 . The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (eg, program 140) and commands related thereto. The memory 130 may include volatile memory 132 or non-volatile memory 134 .

The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 and may include, for example, an operating system 142 , middleware 144 , or an application 146 .

The input module 150 may receive a command or data to be used by a component (eg, the processor 120) of the electronic device 101 from the outside of the electronic device 101 (eg, a user). The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (eg, a button), or a digital pen (eg, a stylus pen).

The sound output module 155 may output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 101 . The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as multimedia playback or recording playback. A receiver may be used to receive an incoming call. According to one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of it.

The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 101 (eg, a user). The display module 160 may include, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. According to an embodiment, the display module 160 may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of force generated by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert sound into an electrical signal or vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtain sound through the input module 150, output sound through the sound output module 155, or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) (e.g., speaker or headphone) connected directly or wirelessly to the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operating state (eg, power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an external environmental state (eg, a user state), and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an air pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a bio sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device 101 to an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102). According to one embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection terminal 178 may include a connector through which the electronic device 101 may be physically connected to an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (eg, a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (eg, vibration or motion) or electrical stimuli that a user may perceive through tactile or kinesthetic senses. According to one embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

The camera module 180 may capture still images and moving images. According to one embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to the electronic device 101 . According to one embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), for example.

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 101 . According to one embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108), and communication through the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor 120 (eg, an application processor) and support direct (eg, wired) communication or wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (eg, a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (eg, a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication module). A corresponding communication module among these communication modules may communicate with an external electronic device 104 through a first network 198 (eg, a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or an infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (eg, a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, a long-distance communication network such as the Internet, or a computer network (eg, a LAN or a WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated as one component (eg, a single chip) or implemented as a plurality of separate components (eg, multiple chips). The wireless communication module 192 may identify or authenticate the electronic device 101 within a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199 using subscriber information (eg, International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module 196.

The wireless communication module 192 may support a 5G network after a 4G network and a next-generation communication technology, for example, NR access technology (new radio access technology). NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)), minimization of terminal power and access to multiple terminals (massive machine type communications (mMTC)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module 192 may support a high frequency band (eg, mmWave band) to achieve a high data rate, for example. The wireless communication module 192 may support various technologies for securing performance in a high frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), an array antenna, analog beam-forming, or a large scale antenna. The wireless communication module 192 may support various requirements defined for the electronic device 101, an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 104), or a network system (eg, the second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for realizing eMBB, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for realizing mMTC, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for round trip) for realizing URLLC.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive signals or power to the outside (eg, an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (eg, PCB). According to one embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (eg, an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199 may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 190. A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and an external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, other components (eg, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module 197 in addition to the radiator.

According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form a mmWave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent to a first surface (eg, lower surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high frequency band (eg, mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (eg, array antennas) disposed on or adjacent to a second surface (eg, upper surface or side surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the designated high frequency band.

At least some of the components are connected to each other through a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and signals (e.g., commands or data) can be exchanged with each other.

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 through the server 108 connected to the second network 199 . Each of the external electronic devices 102 or 104 may be the same as or different from the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, all or part of operations executed in the electronic device 101 may be executed in one or more external electronic devices among the external electronic devices 102 , 104 , or 108 . For example, when the electronic device 101 needs to automatically perform a certain function or service or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request one or more external electronic devices to perform the function or at least part of the service, instead of or in addition to executing the function or service by itself. One or more external electronic devices receiving the request may execute at least a part of the requested function or service or an additional function or service related to the request, and deliver the execution result to the electronic device 101 . The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least part of a response to the request as it is or additionally processed. To this end, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device 101 may provide an ultra-low latency service using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In another embodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include an internet of things (IoT) device. Server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and/or neural networks. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 104 or server 108 may be included in the second network 199 . The electronic device 101 may be applied to intelligent services (eg, smart home, smart city, smart car, or health care) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

Hereinafter, an electronic device, a first external electronic device, and a second external electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an electronic device, a first external electronic device, and a second external electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the electronic device 210 (eg, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 ) may transmit/receive data with the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 through a communication circuit (eg, the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1 ). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 210 may perform wireless communication with the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 at a short distance through a Bluetooth network defined by a Bluetooth special interest group (SIG). The Bluetooth network may include, for example, a Bluetooth legacy network and a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) network. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 210 may perform wireless communication with the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 through one of a Bluetooth legacy network and a BLE network, or may perform wireless communication through two networks.

According to an embodiment, the first external electronic device 220 and the second external electronic device 230 may be accessory devices (eg, earphones) constituting one set. For example, the first external electronic device 220 and the second external electronic device 230 may be smart earphones worn on both ears of the user. In this case, the first external electronic device 220 and the second external electronic device 230 may transmit direction information of the worn ear to the electronic device 210 through a communication circuit (eg, the communication circuit 227 of FIG. 3 ). The electronic device 210 can identify which ear (eg, right or left) of the user the first external electronic device 220 and the second external electronic device 230 are worn on, respectively, based on the received ear direction information.

The first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 may receive audio data from the electronic device 210 through a communication circuit (eg, the communication circuit 227 of FIG. 3 ). According to an embodiment, the first external electronic device 220 and the second external electronic device 230 may receive the same audio data from the electronic device 210 . According to another embodiment, the first external electronic device 220 and the second external electronic device 230 may each receive different audio data from the electronic device 210 . For example, the electronic device 210 may transmit audio data to be output to the user's left ear to the first external electronic device 220, and audio data to be output to the user's right ear to the second external electronic device 230.

The first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 may transmit data to the electronic device 210 through a communication circuit (eg, the communication circuit 227 of FIG. 3 ).

According to an embodiment, the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 may acquire sound waves such as sound or voice through a microphone (eg, the microphone 225 of FIG. 3 ) and generate an analog audio signal. The first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 may convert an analog audio signal into audio data through an audio module (eg, the audio module 223 of FIG. 3 ). The first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 may transmit audio data converted by the audio module to the electronic device 210 .

According to an embodiment, the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 may transmit information about whether the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 is worn on the user's ear or biometric information of the user acquired through a sensor module (e.g., the sensor module 226 of FIG. 3) to the electronic device 210.

Hereinafter, a configuration of a first external electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first external electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the first external electronic device 220 may include a processor 221, a memory 222, an audio module 223, a speaker 224, a microphone 225, a sensor module 226, a communication circuit 227, and at least one antenna 228. According to some embodiments, in the first external electronic device 220, at least one of the components of FIG. 3 may be omitted or one or more other components may be added. According to some embodiments, some of these components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit.

The processor 221 may, for example, execute software to control at least one other component (eg, hardware or software component) of the first external electronic device 220 connected to the processor 221, and perform various data processing or calculations. According to an embodiment, as at least part of data processing or operation, the processor 221 may load commands or data received from other components (e.g., the sensor module 226 or the communication circuit 227) into a volatile memory (not shown) of the memory 222, process the commands or data stored in the volatile memory, and store the resulting data in a non-volatile memory (not shown).

The memory 222 may store various data used by, for example, at least one component (eg, the processor 221 or the sensor module 226) of the first external electronic device 220 . The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (eg, a program) and commands related thereto. Memory 222 may include volatile memory or non-volatile memory. The program may be stored as software in the memory 222 and may include, for example, an operating system, middleware, or applications.

The speaker 224 may output, for example, an audio signal to the outside of the first external electronic device 220 . A sound or a sound wave such as a voice may flow into the microphone 225 through the microphone hole, and the microphone 225 may generate an electrical signal for it. The audio module 223 may convert sound into an electrical signal or vice versa. The audio module 223 may acquire sound through the microphone 225 or output sound through the speaker 224 .

According to one embodiment, the audio module 223 may support an audio data collection function. The audio module 223 may reproduce the collected audio data. The audio module 223 may include an audio decoder, an audio encoder, a digital-to-analog converter, or an analog-to-digital converter. The audio decoder may convert audio data stored in the memory 222 into a digital audio signal. The D/A converter may convert a digital audio signal converted by an audio decoder into an analog audio signal. The speaker 224 may output an analog audio signal converted by the D/A converter. The A/D converter may convert an analog audio signal acquired through the microphone 225 into a digital audio signal. The audio encoder may convert the digital audio signal converted by the A/D converter into audio data. The memory 222 may store audio data converted by the audio encoder.

The sensor module 226 may detect, for example, an operating state (eg, power or temperature) of the first external electronic device 220 and/or an external environmental state (eg, a user state), and generate an electrical signal corresponding to the detected state. The electrical signal may include a data value for a detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor module 226 may include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a gesture sensor, a grip sensor, or a biometric sensor.

For example, the first external electronic device 220 may include an optical sensor located inside the housing or on at least a part of one surface of the housing. When the optical sensor is located inside the housing, a portion of the housing facing the optical sensor may be implemented to allow light to pass through or may include an opening.

The optical sensor may include a light emitting unit (eg, a light emitting diode (LED)) outputting light of at least one wavelength band, and/or a light receiving unit (eg, a photodiode) generating an electrical signal by receiving light of one or more wavelength bands. According to an embodiment, the optical sensor may detect whether the first external electronic device 220 is worn by the user.

While the first external electronic device 220 is worn on the user's ear, light output from the light emitting unit of the optical sensor may be reflected from the user's skin and introduced into the light receiving unit of the optical sensor. The light receiving unit of the optical sensor may provide an electrical signal based on the introduced light to the processor 221 . The processor 221 may transmit the electrical signal obtained from the optical sensor to the electronic device 210 through the communication circuit 227 .

The electronic device 210 may obtain various biometric information such as heart rate or skin temperature based on the electrical signal obtained from the first external electronic device 220 . According to an embodiment, the processor 221 may obtain biometric information based on an electrical signal obtained from an optical sensor, transmit the obtained biometric information to the electronic device 210 through the communication circuit 227, or output through the speaker 224.

According to various embodiments, information or a signal about whether the first external electronic device 220 is worn on the user's ear may be obtained through the sensor module 226 . According to various embodiments, information or a signal regarding whether the first external electronic device 220 is coupled to an external device (eg, a charging device (not shown) of the first external electronic device 220) may be obtained through the sensor module 226.

The communication circuit 227 may support, for example, establishing a direct (eg, wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the first external electronic device 220 and the electronic device 210, and performing communication through the established communication channel. According to various embodiments, the communication circuit 227 may operate independently of the processor 221 and may include one or more communication processors supporting direct (eg, wired) communication or wireless communication.

The communication circuit 227 may transmit a signal or power to or receive a signal or power from the electronic device 210 through, for example, at least one antenna (or antenna radiator) 228 .

According to an embodiment, the communication circuit 227 may include a wireless communication module (eg, a short-range wireless communication module or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (eg, a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication module). A corresponding communication module among these communication modules may communicate with the electronic device 210 through a first network (eg, a short-distance communication network such as Bluetooth, bluetooth low energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC), wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (eg, a long-distance communication network such as the Internet or a computer network (eg, a LAN or a wide area network (WAN))).

These various types of communication modules may be integrated into one component (eg, a single chip) or implemented as a plurality of separate components (eg, multiple chips). According to various embodiments, the first external electronic device 220 may include a plurality of antennas 228, and the communication circuit 227 may select at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network from the plurality of antennas 228. A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication circuit 227 and the electronic device 210 through the selected at least one antenna.

According to an embodiment, all or part of operations executed in the first external electronic device 220 may be executed in the electronic device 210 . For example, when the first external electronic device 220 needs to automatically perform a certain function or service or in response to a request from a user or another device, the first external electronic device 220 may request the electronic device 210 to perform at least a part of the function or service instead of or in addition to executing the function or service by itself. Upon receiving the request, the electronic device 210 may execute at least a part of the requested function or service or an additional function or service related to the request, and deliver a result of the execution to the first external electronic device 220 . The first external electronic device 220 may provide the result as at least part of a response to the request as it is or additionally processed.

According to various embodiments, the command or data received by the processor 221 may be transmitted or received between the first external electronic device 220 and the electronic device 210 through a server connected to a second network (eg, the Internet or a long-distance communication network such as a computer network (eg, LAN or WAN)).

According to an embodiment, the processor 221 may be set to control various signal flow control and information collection and output related to audio data. The processor 221 may receive audio data from the electronic device 210 through the communication circuit 227 and store the received audio data in the memory 222 . The processor 221 may be set to receive non-volatile audio data (or download audio data) from the electronic device 210 and store the received non-volatile audio data in a non-volatile memory (not shown). The processor 221 may be set to receive volatile audio data (or streaming audio data) from the electronic device 210 and store the received volatile audio data in a volatile memory (not shown).

According to an embodiment, the processor 221 may be configured to reproduce audio data (eg, non-volatile audio data or volatile audio data) stored in the memory 222 and output the reproduced audio data through the speaker 224 . For example, the audio module 223 may decode audio data to generate an audio signal that can be output through the speaker 224 (eg, reproduce audio data), and the generated audio signal may be output through the speaker 224.

According to various embodiments, a mode in which the first external electronic device 220 reproduces volatile audio data or non-volatile audio data stored in the memory 222 and outputs the volatile audio data or non-volatile audio data stored in the memory 222 through the speaker 224 may be paused when a state in which the first external electronic device 220 is not coupled to the user's ear is confirmed through the sensor module 226. When the state in which the first external electronic device 220 is coupled to the user's ear is confirmed through the sensor module 226, the mode may be resumed.

According to various embodiments, the first external electronic device 220 may provide a voice recognition function for generating a voice command from an analog audio signal received through the microphone 225 . Voice commands may be used for various functions related to audio data.

According to various embodiments, the processor 221 may be electrically connected to components included in the first external electronic device 220 (eg, the memory 222, the audio module 223, the sensor module 226, and/or the communication circuit 227) and may control components electrically connected to the processor 221.

The components shown in FIG. 3 (eg, processor 221, memory 222, audio module 223, speaker 224, microphone 225, sensor module 226, communication circuit 227, and/or antenna 228) and the embodiment have been described using the first external electronic device 220 of FIG. 2 as an example, but this is only for convenience of description and the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2 ) can be applied in the same way.

Hereinafter, an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4 .

4 is a flowchart of an operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is only one embodiment, and the order of operations according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be different from that shown in FIG. 4, and some operations shown in FIG. 4 may be omitted or the order between operations may be changed or operations may be merged.

According to an embodiment, operations 405 to 420 may be understood to be performed by a processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) of an electronic device (eg, the electronic device 210 of FIG. 2 ).

Referring to FIG. 4 , in operation 405, the electronic device may identify an ear with a tinnitus symptom among the user's left ear and right ear. The electronic device may provide a user interface allowing the user to select the direction of the ear in which tinnitus symptoms are felt. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display a user interface (not shown) including a first object corresponding to the left ear and a second object corresponding to the right ear on a display (eg, the display module 160 of FIG. 1 ). According to an embodiment, the electronic device may provide a user interface including a guide voice that allows the user to select the direction of the ear in which tinnitus symptoms are felt. For example, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling a user interface including the guidance voice to be output as a voice through an external electronic device (e.g., the first external electronic device 220 of FIG. 2 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2) to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (e.g., the communication module 190 of FIG. 1).

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptoms among the left ear and the right ear through the display. For example, as the electronic device displays a user interface including a first object corresponding to the left ear and a second object corresponding to the right ear on the display, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting an object corresponding to the left ear and/or right ear through a touch sensor included in the display (e.g., the sensor module 176 of FIG. 1). The electronic device may identify whether the tinnitus symptom is the left ear, the right ear, or both ears based on the user input received through the touch sensor.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify an ear with a tinnitus symptom through a user's voice. For example, the electronic device may obtain a user's voice through an input module (eg, the input module 150 of FIG. 1 ), and convert the acquired voice into an electrical signal through an audio module (eg, the audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ). The electronic device may identify whether the tinnitus symptom is the left ear, the right ear, or both ears based on the electrical signal converted through the audio module.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify an ear with a tinnitus symptom based on audio data received from an external electronic device. For example, the external electronic device may acquire a user's voice through a microphone (eg, the microphone 225 of FIG. 3), and convert the acquired voice into audio data through an audio module (eg, the audio module 223 of FIG. 3). The electronic device may receive audio data converted through an audio module (e.g., the audio module 223 of FIG. 3) of the external electronic device (e.g., the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2), and based on the received audio data, it may identify whether the ear with tinnitus is the left ear, the right ear, or both ears.

In operation 410, the electronic device may determine the tinnitus frequency of the user. The electronic device may determine the tinnitus frequency by outputting at least one test sound for checking the tinnitus frequency stored in a memory (eg, the memory 130 of FIG. 1 ) and allowing the user to select a sound identical to or similar to the tinnitus sound.

According to an embodiment, at least one test sound stored in the memory of the electronic device may be a sound having a designated frequency band within an audible frequency range (eg, a range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz). The electronic device may output at least one test sound having a designated frequency band and receive a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device from among the at least one output test sound. The electronic device may determine a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on the received user input. In this case, the tinnitus frequency may be determined as a frequency band (eg, 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz) of the selected test sound.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may classify at least one test sound stored in a memory into a plurality of groups according to high and low frequencies, and output sounds having a center frequency band of each group. The electronic device may determine a first group including the selected sound based on a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus of the electronic device among output sounds. The electronic device may further classify at least one test sound belonging to the first group into a plurality of groups according to a frequency level, and output sounds having a central frequency band of each group. The electronic device may determine a second group including the selected sound based on a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus of the electronic device among output sounds. The electronic device may output at least one test sound belonging to the second group and receive a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device from among the at least one output test sound. The electronic device may determine a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on the received user input. In order to more accurately measure the frequency of the user's tinnitus, the electronic device classifies at least one test sound stored in the memory into a plurality of groups according to the high and low of the frequency, and determines the group including the sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the user. The process may be repeated a specified number of times and/or a number of times set by the user.

For example, the at least one test sound stored in the memory of the electronic device may include a first test sound having a bandwidth of 100 Hz (eg, a sound having a frequency band of 20 Hz to 120 Hz), a second test sound (eg, a sound having a frequency band of 120 Hz to 220 Hz), and a 27th test sound (eg, a sound having a frequency band of 2620 Hz to 2720 Hz). The process of determining a group can be set to repeat once. In this case, the electronic device may classify the first to ninth test sounds into a low-frequency band group, the 10th to 18th test sounds into a mid-frequency band group, and the 19th to 27th test sounds into a high-frequency band group according to the height of the frequency. The electronic device may output sounds having a central frequency band of each group (eg, a fifth test sound having a frequency band of 420 Hz to 520 Hz, which is a central frequency band in a frequency band of 20 Hz to 920 Hz in the case of a low frequency band group). The electronic device may determine a low-frequency band group including the selected fifth test sound based on a user input for selecting a fifth test sound most similar to the tinnitus of the electronic device among output sounds. The electronic device may output first to ninth test sounds belonging to the low frequency band group and receive a user input for selecting a third test sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device among the output test sounds. The electronic device may determine a frequency band of 220 Hz to 320 Hz corresponding to the third test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on a user input for selecting the third test sound.

According to an embodiment, the at least one test sound may be a pure sound having a single frequency with a frequency bandwidth of 0 within an audible frequency range (eg, a range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz). The electronic device may output at least one test sound having a single frequency and receive a user input for selecting a sound identical to or similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device from among the outputted at least one test sound. The electronic device may determine a single frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on the received user input.

The frequency bandwidth of the at least one test sound may have various values, and the frequency bandwidth (e.g., 100 Hz or 0 Hz) of the at least one test sound according to the above-described embodiment is only for convenience of description, and the frequency band and/or frequency bandwidth of the at least one test sound is not limited or limited thereto.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may output at least one test sound stored in a memory through an audio module (eg, the audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ) so that the user selects a sound identical to or similar to his/her tinnitus sound. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling output of at least one test sound stored in a memory through an external electronic device (eg, the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2 ) corresponding to the ear identified as having tinnitus in operation 405 to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ). In this case, the electronic device may perform a more accurate tinnitus frequency test by controlling at least one test sound to be output only through an external electronic device worn on an ear having a tinnitus symptom.

In operation 415, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source from one of at least one sound source stored in the memory. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may determine the first sound source based on a user input for selecting one sound source that the user wants to hear from among at least one sound source stored in the memory or the user's biometric information. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source from the determined first sound source. The notch sound source may mean, for example, a sound source from which a part corresponding to a specific frequency band is removed from a specific sound source. The electronic device may include a notch filter that generates a notch sound source from the first sound source. The notch filter, for example, can remove a part corresponding to a specific frequency band from a specific sound source and can be configured to move the frequency band to be removed. The electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a portion corresponding to the tinnitus frequency determined in operation 410 from the first sound source through a notch filter.

According to an embodiment, when the tinnitus frequency is determined to be a frequency band (eg, 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz) in operation 410, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency band (eg, 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz) from the first sound source through a notch filter. According to an embodiment, when the tinnitus frequency is determined to be a single frequency having a frequency bandwidth of 0 in operation 410, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a part corresponding to a frequency band having a designated bandwidth from the first sound source through a notch filter. The designated bandwidth may be arbitrarily set by the user, for example. For example, when the tinnitus frequency is 1050 Hz and the designated bandwidth is set to 100 Hz, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a portion corresponding to a frequency band of 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz from the first sound source through a notch filter.

In operation 420, the electronic device may control the notch sound source generated in operation 415 to be output through an external electronic device. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling the notch sound source generated in operation 415 to be output through an external electronic device (eg, the first external electronic device 220 of FIG. 2 and/or the second external electronic device 230) corresponding to the ear identified as having tinnitus in operation 405 to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ). In this case, the electronic device can manage tinnitus according to the tinnitus characteristics of the user by controlling the notch sound source to be output only through the external electronic device worn on the ear with tinnitus symptoms.

Hereinafter, an operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5 .

5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is only one embodiment, and the sequence of operations according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be different from that shown in FIG. 5, and some operations shown in FIG.

According to an embodiment, operations 505 to 555 may be understood to be performed by a processor (eg, processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) of an electronic device (eg, electronic device 210 of FIG. 2 ).

Referring to FIG. 5 , in operation 505, the electronic device may display tinnitus-related information on a display (eg, the display module 160 of FIG. 1). The tinnitus-related information may include, for example, a cause of tinnitus, a method for alleviating tinnitus symptoms, and/or information on a medical institution where tinnitus-related counseling can be received. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive tinnitus related information from an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7 ). The external server may extract tinnitus-related information that may be helpful to the user based on user information (eg, gender, age, etc.) and/or individual tinnitus characteristics (eg, tinnitus symptomatic ear, tinnitus frequency, tinnitus intensity, tinnitus symptom duration) and transmit the information to the electronic device, and the electronic device may provide user-customized information by displaying the received tinnitus-related information on a display.

In operation 510, the electronic device may determine whether the external electronic device (eg, the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2 ) is worn on the user's ear. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive information about whether the external electronic device is worn on the user's ear, obtained by the external electronic device through a sensor (e.g., the sensor module 226 of FIG. 3), from the external electronic device through a communication circuit (e.g., the communication module 190 of FIG. 1). The electronic device may determine whether the external electronic device is worn on the user's ear based on information received from the external electronic device.

When it is determined in operation 510 that the external electronic device is worn on the user's ear, in operation 515, the electronic device determines whether ambient noise is equal to or greater than a specified level. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may determine whether ambient noise is equal to or greater than a specified level based on ambient noise information obtained through an audio module (eg, the audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ). According to another embodiment, the electronic device may determine whether ambient noise is equal to or greater than a specified level based on audio data received from an external electronic device through a communication circuit. The designated level may mean, for example, a level at which the accuracy of the individual tinnitus characteristic test is lowered than a preset level due to ambient noise.

When it is determined in operation 515 that the ambient noise is equal to or greater than the specified level, in operation 520, the electronic device may provide a user interface related to the accuracy of the tinnitus characteristic test and/or control the external electronic device to perform an active noise cancellation (ANC) function.

According to an embodiment, since the tinnitus characteristic test may be inaccurate due to ambient noise, the electronic device may provide a user interface for guiding removal of ambient noise. For example, the electronic device may display a user interface including a designated guide phrase on the display. The designated guide phrase may include, for example, a guide phrase that the tinnitus characteristic test may be inaccurate due to ambient noise and/or a guide phrase to remove ambient noise. As another example, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling to output a user interface including a designated guide voice as a voice through the external electronic device to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ). The designated guide voice may include, for example, a guide voice indicating that the tinnitus characteristic test may be inaccurate due to ambient noise and/or a guide voice for removing ambient noise.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may control an external electronic device to perform an ANC function of adjusting ambient noise. For example, the electronic device may transmit a control message to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ) for controlling the external electronic device to perform an ANC function that adjusts the ambient noise heard by the user to be less than a specified level.

In operation 520, when a user interface related to the accuracy of the tinnitus characteristic test is provided and/or the external electronic device is controlled to perform the ANC function, in operation 525, the electronic device can identify an ear with a tinnitus symptom among the left ear and the right ear.

When it is determined in operation 515 that the ambient noise is less than the specified level, in operation 525, the electronic device may identify an ear having a tinnitus symptom from among the left ear and the right ear of the user.

The electronic device may provide a user interface allowing the user to select the direction of the ear in which tinnitus symptoms are felt. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display a user interface including a first object corresponding to the left ear and a second object corresponding to the right ear on the display. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may provide a user interface including a guide voice that allows the user to select the direction of the ear in which tinnitus symptoms are felt. For example, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling to output a user interface including the guidance voice as a voice through the external electronic device to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ).

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptoms among the left ear and the right ear through the display. For example, as the electronic device displays a user interface including a first object corresponding to the left ear and a second object corresponding to the right ear on the display, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting an object corresponding to the left ear and/or right ear through a touch sensor included in the display (e.g., the sensor module 176 of FIG. 1). The electronic device may identify whether the tinnitus symptom is the left ear, the right ear, or both ears based on the user input received through the touch sensor.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify an ear with a tinnitus symptom through a user's voice. For example, the electronic device may obtain a user's voice through an input module (eg, the input module 150 of FIG. 1 ), and convert the acquired voice into an electrical signal through an audio module (eg, the audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ). The electronic device may identify whether the tinnitus symptom is the left ear, the right ear, or both ears based on the electrical signal converted through the audio module.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify an ear with a tinnitus symptom based on audio data received from an external electronic device. For example, the external electronic device may acquire a user's voice through a microphone (eg, the microphone 225 of FIG. 3), and convert the acquired voice into audio data through an audio module (eg, the audio module 223 of FIG. 3). The electronic device may receive audio data converted through an audio module (e.g., the audio module 223 of FIG. 3) of the external electronic device (e.g., the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2), and based on the received audio data, it may identify whether the ear with tinnitus is the left ear, the right ear, or both ears.

In operation 530, the electronic device may determine a tinnitus frequency of the user. The electronic device may determine the tinnitus frequency by outputting at least one test sound for checking the tinnitus frequency stored in a memory (eg, the memory 130 of FIG. 1 ) and allowing the user to select a sound identical to or similar to the tinnitus sound.

According to an embodiment, at least one test sound stored in the memory of the electronic device may be a sound having a designated frequency band within an audible frequency range (eg, a range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz). The electronic device may output at least one test sound having a designated frequency band and receive a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device from among the at least one output test sound. The electronic device may determine a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on the received user input. In this case, the tinnitus frequency may be determined as a frequency band (eg, 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz) of the selected test sound.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may classify at least one test sound stored in a memory into a plurality of groups according to high and low frequencies, and output sounds having a center frequency band of each group. The electronic device may determine a first group including the selected sound based on a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus of the electronic device among output sounds. The electronic device may further classify at least one test sound belonging to the first group into a plurality of groups according to a frequency level, and output sounds having a central frequency band of each group. The electronic device may determine a second group including the selected sound based on a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus of the electronic device among output sounds. The electronic device may output at least one test sound belonging to the second group and receive a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device from among the at least one output test sound. The electronic device may determine a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on the received user input. In order to more accurately measure the frequency of the user's tinnitus, the electronic device classifies at least one test sound stored in the memory into a plurality of groups according to the high and low of the frequency, and determines the group including the sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the user. The process may be repeated a specified number of times and/or a number of times set by the user.

For example, the at least one test sound stored in the memory of the electronic device may include a first test sound having a bandwidth of 100 Hz (eg, a sound having a frequency band of 20 Hz to 120 Hz), a second test sound (eg, a sound having a frequency band of 120 Hz to 220 Hz), and a 27th test sound (eg, a sound having a frequency band of 2620 Hz to 2720 Hz). The process of determining a group can be set to repeat once. In this case, the electronic device may classify the first to ninth test sounds into a low-frequency band group, the 10th to 18th test sounds into a mid-frequency band group, and the 19th to 27th test sounds into a high-frequency band group according to the height of the frequency. The electronic device may output sounds having a central frequency band of each group (eg, a fifth test sound having a frequency band of 420 Hz to 520 Hz, which is a central frequency band in a frequency band of 20 Hz to 920 Hz in the case of a low frequency band group). The electronic device may determine a low-frequency band group including the selected fifth test sound based on a user input for selecting a fifth test sound most similar to the tinnitus of the electronic device among output sounds. The electronic device may output first to ninth test sounds belonging to the low frequency band group and receive a user input for selecting a third test sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device among the output test sounds. The electronic device may determine a frequency band of 220 Hz to 320 Hz corresponding to the third test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on a user input for selecting the third test sound. According to an embodiment, the at least one test sound may be a pure sound having a single frequency with a frequency bandwidth of 0 within an audible frequency range (eg, a range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz). The electronic device may output at least one test sound having a single frequency and receive a user input for selecting a sound identical to or similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device from among the outputted at least one test sound. The electronic device may determine a single frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on the received user input.

The frequency bandwidth of the at least one test sound may have various values, and the frequency bandwidth (e.g., 100 Hz or 0 Hz) of the at least one test sound according to the above-described embodiment is only for convenience of description, and the frequency band and/or frequency bandwidth of the at least one test sound is not limited or limited thereto.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may output at least one test sound stored in a memory through an audio module (eg, the audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ) so that the user selects a sound identical to or similar to his/her tinnitus sound. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit, in operation 525, a control message for controlling output of at least one test sound stored in a memory through an external electronic device (e.g., the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2) corresponding to the ear identified as having tinnitus symptoms to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (e.g., the communication module 190 of FIG. 1). In this case, the electronic device may perform a more accurate tinnitus frequency test by controlling at least one test sound to be output only through an external electronic device worn on an ear having a tinnitus symptom.

In operation 535, the electronic device may determine one sound source (eg, the sound source 615 of FIG. 6) among at least one sound source stored in the memory. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting one sound source that the user wants to hear from among at least one sound source stored in a memory, and the electronic device may determine one sound source based on the received user input. The at least one sound source may include, for example, noise, ambient sound, music, alarm sound, and/or call sound.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive the user's biometric information (eg, heart rate, temperature) sensed by the external electronic device while the user is listening to the at least one sound source from the external electronic device through a communication circuit. Based on the received biometric information, the electronic device may determine one sound source from among the at least one sound source to reduce the user's stress while the user is listening. For example, the electronic device may determine one sound source from among the at least one sound source to which the user's heart rate decreases while listening.

In operation 540, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source from the sound source determined in operation 535. The notch sound source may mean, for example, a sound source from which a part corresponding to a specific frequency band is removed from a specific sound source. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may include a notch filter that generates a notch sound source from the sound source determined in operation 535. The notch filter, for example, can remove a part corresponding to a specific frequency band from a specific sound source and can be configured to move the frequency band to be removed. The electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency determined in operation 530 from the sound source determined in operation 535 through a notch filter.

According to an embodiment, when the tinnitus frequency is determined to be a frequency band (eg, 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz) in operation 530, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency band (eg, 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz) from the sound source determined in operation 535 through a notch filter. According to an embodiment, when the tinnitus frequency is determined to be a single frequency with a frequency bandwidth of 0 in operation 530, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a part corresponding to a frequency band having a specified bandwidth based on the tinnitus frequency from the sound source determined in operation 535 through a notch filter. The designated bandwidth may be arbitrarily set by the user, for example. For example, when the tinnitus frequency is set to 1050 Hz and the designated bandwidth is set to 100 Hz, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a portion corresponding to a frequency band of 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz from the sound source determined in operation 535 through a notch filter.

In operation 545, the electronic device may control the notch sound source generated in operation 540 to be output through an external electronic device. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling the notch sound source generated in operation 540 to be output through the external electronic device (eg, the first external electronic device 220 of FIG. 2 and/or the second external electronic device 230) corresponding to the ear identified as having tinnitus in operation 525 to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ). In this case, the electronic device can manage tinnitus according to the tinnitus characteristics of the user by controlling the notch sound source to be output only through the external electronic device worn on the ear with tinnitus symptoms.

In operation 550, the electronic device may determine the tinnitus condition of the user through the tinnitus questionnaire evaluation. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display a user interface including a question for evaluating a user's tinnitus condition on a display. Questions for evaluating the tinnitus condition of the user may include, for example, questions about the frequency of occurrence of tinnitus, the duration of tinnitus, relief of tinnitus symptoms, and/or the degree of relief of tinnitus symptoms. The electronic device may determine the tinnitus state of the user based on a user input for selecting a response to the question. The tinnitus condition may include, for example, a condition that does not interfere with daily life, a mild disability, a moderate disability, and/or a severe disability.

In operation 555, the electronic device may display feedback information. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display feedback information corresponding to the tinnitus condition determined in operation 550 on the display. For example, if the tinnitus state determined in operation 550 is a state that does not interfere with daily life, feedback information indicating that tinnitus management is not required may be displayed. As another example, when the tinnitus condition determined in operation 550 is mild disability or higher, feedback information indicating that tinnitus management is necessary may be displayed. The feedback information may include, for example, information about tinnitus relief, degree of tinnitus relief, whether tinnitus management is necessary, and/or a tinnitus relief method optimized for the tinnitus condition of the user.

Hereinafter, a method of generating a notch sound source from which a user's tinnitus frequency is removed by an electronic device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6 .

6 is a diagram for explaining a method of generating a notch sound source suitable for individual tinnitus characteristics by an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

The sound source 615 shown in the graph 610 of FIG. 6 may be the sound source determined based on the user input in operation 535 of FIG. 5 . The sound source 615 may include, for example, noise, ambient sound, music, alarm sound, and/or call sound.

The tinnitus frequency band 625 shown in the graph 620 of FIG. 6 may be a frequency band determined based on a user input in operation 530 of FIG. 5 . According to an embodiment, when the tinnitus frequency is determined as a frequency band having a band of 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz in operation 530, the tinnitus frequency band 625 may be a frequency band having a band of 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz. According to another embodiment, when the tinnitus frequency is determined as a single frequency of 1050 Hz in operation 530 and the user sets the frequency bandwidth of the tinnitus sound to be 100 Hz, the tinnitus frequency band 625 is 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz. It may be a frequency band having a band.

The notch sound source 635 shown in the graph 630 of FIG. 6 may be a notch sound source generated through a notch filter in operation 540 of FIG. 5 . According to an embodiment, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source 635 by removing a portion corresponding to the tinnitus frequency band 625 from the sound source 615 through a notch filter.

Hereinafter, an electronic device, an external server, and a medical institution server according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .

7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an electronic device, an external server, and a medical institution server according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the tinnitus management system according to an embodiment may include an electronic device 210 (eg, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 ), an external server 710, and/or a medical institution server 720.

The electronic device 210 transmits user information based on user input (eg, information on gender and age), information on individual tinnitus characteristics (eg, ear with tinnitus symptoms, tinnitus frequency, tinnitus intensity, information on the duration of experiencing tinnitus symptoms), and/or individual tinnitus state information based on survey evaluation (eg, tinnitus relief degree, information on preferred sound sources) to the external server 710 through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1). can

The external server 710 may include a plurality of hardware and/or a plurality of software devices, and may communicate with the electronic device 210 and/or the medical institution server 720 through a wired or wireless communication network. According to an embodiment, the external server 710 may generate big data by storing user-related information received from a plurality of electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device 210) and/or medical institution-related information received from a plurality of medical institution servers (e.g., the medical institution server 720) through a communication network. According to an embodiment, the external server 710 may extract a sound source for tinnitus treatment and/or feedback information optimized for individual tinnitus characteristics based on the stored information. For example, the external server 710 may extract the most preferred sound source for tinnitus treatment and/or a tinnitus management method for the same gender and same age group based on information about the user's gender and age. As another example, the external server 710 may extract a tinnitus treatment sound source and/or a tinnitus management method having the highest degree of tinnitus relief in a specific tinnitus characteristic based on information on individual tinnitus characteristics (e.g., direction information, tinnitus frequency information, and/or tinnitus intensity information) and/or user response information for tinnitus questionnaire evaluation. The external server 710 may transmit the extracted user-customized information to the electronic device 210 through a communication network.

According to an embodiment, the external server 710 shares stored information with the medical institution server 720 through a communication network, thereby receiving information about the user (eg, user reservation information, tinnitus counseling information about the user, and/or tinnitus treatment information about the user) and/or information about the medical institution (eg, name, location, and/or doctor information of the medical institution) from the medical institution server 720.

The medical institution server 720 may provide personalized medical services based on information provided from the external server 710 through a communication network. According to an embodiment, the medical institution server 720 provides optimized information for the user based on user information (eg, gender and age information) provided by a doctor or other tinnitus-related expert from the external server 710, information on individual tinnitus characteristics (eg, ear with tinnitus symptoms, tinnitus frequency, tinnitus intensity, information about the period of experiencing tinnitus symptoms), and/or individual tinnitus condition information based on survey evaluation (eg, tinnitus relief degree, information about preferred sound sources). A sound source for tinnitus treatment and/or a tinnitus management method may be transmitted to an external server 710 through a communication network. The external server 710 may provide a personalized tinnitus management method by transmitting information received from the medical institution server 720 to the electronic device 210 .

Hereinafter, an operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is only one embodiment, and the sequence of operations according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be different from that shown in FIG. 8, and some operations shown in FIG. 8 may be omitted or the order between operations may be changed or operations may be merged.

According to an embodiment, operations 805 to 880 may be understood to be performed by a processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) of an electronic device (eg, the electronic device 210 of FIG. 2 ).

Referring to FIG. 8 , in operation 805, the electronic device may receive user information input from the user. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may provide a user interface for inputting user information (eg, name, age, and/or gender). For example, the electronic device may display the user interface on a display (eg, the display module 160 of FIG. 1 ). According to an embodiment, an electronic device may receive a user input for inputting user information through a display. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit user information to an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7) based on the received user input through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1).

In operation 810, the electronic device may display tinnitus-related information on a display (eg, the display module 160 of FIG. 1). The tinnitus-related information may include, for example, a cause of tinnitus, a method for alleviating tinnitus symptoms, and/or information on a medical institution where tinnitus-related counseling can be received. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive tinnitus related information from an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7 ). The external server may extract tinnitus-related information that may be helpful to the user based on user information (eg, gender, age, etc.) and/or individual tinnitus characteristics (eg, tinnitus symptomatic ear, tinnitus frequency, tinnitus intensity, tinnitus symptom duration) and transmit the information to the electronic device, and the electronic device may provide user-customized information by displaying the received tinnitus-related information on a display.

In operation 815, the electronic device may determine whether the external electronic device (eg, the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2 ) is worn on the user's ear. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive information about whether the external electronic device is worn on the user's ear, obtained by the external electronic device through a sensor (e.g., the sensor module 226 of FIG. 3), from the external electronic device through a communication circuit (e.g., the communication module 190 of FIG. 1). The electronic device may determine whether the external electronic device is worn on the user's ear based on information received from the external electronic device.

If it is determined in operation 815 that the external electronic device is worn on the user's ear, in operation 820, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting one of a notch sound source and a customized sound source.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may provide a user interface for selecting whether to listen to a notch sound source or a customized sound source for tinnitus management. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display a user interface including a first object corresponding to a notch sound source and a second object corresponding to a customized sound source on a display. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may provide a user interface including a guide voice for selecting whether to listen to a notch sound source or a customized sound source for tinnitus management. For example, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling to output a user interface including the guidance voice as a voice through the external electronic device to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ).

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting a sound source to be listened to from among a notch sound source and a customized sound source through a display. For example, as the electronic device displays a user interface including a first object corresponding to a notch sound source and a second object corresponding to a customized sound source on a display, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting a notch sound source or a customized sound source through a touch sensor included in the display (eg, the sensor module 176 of FIG. 1 ). The electronic device may determine whether a sound source to be listened to by the user is a notch sound source or a customized sound source based on the user input received through the touch sensor.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting a sound source to be listened to from among a notch sound source and a customized sound source as the user's voice. For example, the electronic device may obtain a user's voice through an input module (eg, the input module 150 of FIG. 1 ), and convert the acquired voice into an electrical signal through an audio module (eg, the audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ). The electronic device may determine whether a sound source to be listened to by the user is a notch sound source or a customized sound source based on the electrical signal converted through the audio module.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may determine whether a sound source to be listened to by a user is a notch sound source or a customized sound source based on audio data received from an external electronic device. For example, the external electronic device may acquire a user's voice through a microphone (eg, the microphone 225 of FIG. 3), and convert the acquired voice into audio data through an audio module (eg, the audio module 223 of FIG. 3). The electronic device may receive audio data converted through an audio module (eg, the audio module 223 of FIG. 3 ) of the external electronic device (eg, the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2 ), and based on the received audio data, determine whether a sound source to be listened to by the user is a notch sound source or a custom sound source. When receiving a user input for selecting a notch sound source in operation 820, in operation 825, the electronic device may determine whether ambient noise is equal to or higher than a specified level. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may determine whether ambient noise is equal to or greater than a specified level based on ambient noise information obtained through an audio module (eg, the audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ). According to another embodiment, the electronic device may determine whether ambient noise is equal to or greater than a specified level based on audio data received from an external electronic device through a communication circuit. The designated level may mean, for example, a level at which the accuracy of the individual tinnitus characteristic test is lowered than a preset level due to ambient noise.

When it is determined in operation 825 that the ambient noise is equal to or greater than the specified level, in operation 830, the electronic device may provide a user interface related to the accuracy of the tinnitus characteristic test and/or control the external electronic device to perform an active noise cancellation (ANC) function.

According to an embodiment, since the tinnitus characteristic test may be inaccurate due to ambient noise, the electronic device may provide a user interface for guiding removal of ambient noise. For example, the electronic device may display a user interface including a designated guide phrase on the display. The designated guide phrase may include, for example, a guide phrase that the tinnitus characteristic test may be inaccurate due to ambient noise and/or a guide phrase to remove ambient noise. As another example, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling to output a user interface including a designated guide voice as a voice through the external electronic device to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ). The designated guide voice may include, for example, a guide voice indicating that the tinnitus characteristic test may be inaccurate due to ambient noise and/or a guide voice for removing ambient noise.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may control an external electronic device to perform an ANC function of adjusting ambient noise. For example, the electronic device may transmit a control message to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ) for controlling the external electronic device to perform an ANC function that adjusts the ambient noise heard by the user to be less than a specified level.

In operation 830, when a user interface related to the accuracy of the tinnitus characteristic test is provided and/or the external electronic device is controlled to perform the ANC function, in operation 825, the electronic device can identify an ear having a tinnitus symptom among the left ear and the right ear.

If it is determined in operation 825 that the ambient noise is less than the specified level, in operation 835, the electronic device may identify an ear having a tinnitus symptom from among the left ear and the right ear of the user.

The electronic device may provide a user interface allowing the user to select the direction of the ear in which tinnitus symptoms are felt. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display a user interface including a first object corresponding to the left ear and a second object corresponding to the right ear on the display. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may provide a user interface including a guide voice that allows the user to select the direction of the ear in which tinnitus symptoms are felt. For example, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling to output a user interface including the guidance voice as a voice through the external electronic device to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ).

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptoms among the left ear and the right ear through the display. For example, as the electronic device displays a user interface including a first object corresponding to the left ear and a second object corresponding to the right ear on the display, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting an object corresponding to the left ear and/or right ear through a touch sensor included in the display (e.g., the sensor module 176 of FIG. 1). The electronic device may identify whether the tinnitus symptom is the left ear, the right ear, or both ears based on the user input received through the touch sensor.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify an ear with a tinnitus symptom through a user's voice. For example, the electronic device may obtain a user's voice through an input module (eg, the input module 150 of FIG. 1 ), and convert the acquired voice into an electrical signal through an audio module (eg, the audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ). The electronic device may identify whether the tinnitus symptom is the left ear, the right ear, or both ears based on the electrical signal converted through the audio module.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may identify an ear with a tinnitus symptom based on audio data received from an external electronic device. For example, the external electronic device may acquire a user's voice through a microphone (eg, the microphone 225 of FIG. 3), and convert the acquired voice into audio data through an audio module (eg, the audio module 223 of FIG. 3). The electronic device may receive audio data converted through an audio module (e.g., the audio module 223 of FIG. 3) of the external electronic device (e.g., the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2), and based on the received audio data, it may identify whether the ear with tinnitus is the left ear, the right ear, or both ears.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit direction information of an ear with a tinnitus symptom to an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7 ) through a communication circuit.

In operation 840, the electronic device may determine a tinnitus frequency of the user. The electronic device may determine the tinnitus frequency by outputting at least one test sound stored in a memory (eg, the memory 130 of FIG. 1 ) and allowing the user to select a sound identical to or similar to his/her tinnitus sound.

According to an embodiment, at least one test sound stored in the memory of the electronic device may be a sound having a designated frequency band within an audible frequency range (eg, a range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz). The electronic device may output at least one test sound having a specified frequency bandwidth and receive a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device from among the at least one output test sound. The electronic device may determine a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on the received user input. In this case, the tinnitus frequency may be determined as a frequency band (eg, 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz) of the selected test sound.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may classify at least one test sound stored in a memory into a plurality of groups according to high and low frequencies, and output sounds having a center frequency band of each group. The electronic device may determine a first group including the selected sound based on a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus of the electronic device among output sounds. The electronic device may further classify at least one test sound belonging to the first group into a plurality of groups according to a frequency level, and output sounds having a central frequency band of each group. The electronic device may determine a second group including the selected sound based on a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus of the electronic device among output sounds. The electronic device may output at least one test sound belonging to the second group and receive a user input for selecting a sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device from among the at least one output test sound. The electronic device may determine a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on the received user input. In order to more accurately measure the frequency of the user's tinnitus, the electronic device classifies at least one test sound stored in the memory into a plurality of groups according to the high and low of the frequency, and determines the group including the sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the user. The process may be repeated a specified number of times and/or a number of times set by the user.

For example, the at least one test sound stored in the memory of the electronic device may include a first test sound having a bandwidth of 100 Hz (eg, a sound having a frequency band of 20 Hz to 120 Hz), a second test sound (eg, a sound having a frequency band of 120 Hz to 220 Hz), and a 27th test sound (eg, a sound having a frequency band of 2620 Hz to 2720 Hz). The process of determining a group can be set to repeat once. In this case, the electronic device may classify the first to ninth test sounds into a low-frequency band group, the 10th to 18th test sounds into a mid-frequency band group, and the 19th to 27th test sounds into a high-frequency band group according to the height of the frequency. The electronic device may output sounds having a central frequency band of each group (eg, a fifth test sound having a frequency band of 420 Hz to 520 Hz, which is a central frequency band in a frequency band of 20 Hz to 920 Hz in the case of a low frequency band group). The electronic device may determine a low-frequency band group including the selected fifth test sound based on a user input for selecting a fifth test sound most similar to the tinnitus of the electronic device among output sounds. The electronic device may output first to ninth test sounds belonging to the low frequency band group and receive a user input for selecting a third test sound most similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device among the output test sounds. The electronic device may determine a frequency band of 220 Hz to 320 Hz corresponding to the third test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on a user input for selecting the third test sound.

According to an embodiment, the at least one test sound may be a pure sound having a single frequency with a frequency bandwidth of 0 within an audible frequency range (eg, a range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz). The electronic device may output at least one test sound having a single frequency and receive a user input for selecting a sound identical to or similar to the tinnitus sound of the electronic device from among the outputted at least one test sound. The electronic device may determine a single frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on the received user input.

The frequency bandwidth of the at least one test sound may have various values, and the frequency bandwidth (e.g., 100 Hz or 0 Hz) of the at least one test sound according to the above-described embodiment is only for convenience of description, and the frequency band and/or frequency bandwidth of the at least one test sound is not limited or limited thereto.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may output at least one test sound stored in a memory through an audio module (eg, the audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ) so that the user selects a sound identical to or similar to his/her tinnitus sound. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit, in operation 835, a control message for controlling output of at least one test sound stored in a memory through an external electronic device (e.g., the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2) corresponding to the ear identified as having tinnitus symptoms to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (e.g., the communication module 190 of FIG. 1). In this case, the electronic device may perform a more accurate tinnitus frequency test by controlling at least one test sound to be output only through an external electronic device worn on an ear having a tinnitus symptom.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit tinnitus frequency information corresponding to the determined tinnitus frequency to an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7 ) through a communication circuit.

In operation 845, the electronic device may determine one sound source (eg, the sound source 615 of FIG. 6) among at least one sound source stored in the memory. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a user input for selecting one sound source that the user wants to hear from among at least one sound source stored in a memory, and the electronic device may determine one sound source based on the received user input. The at least one sound source may include, for example, noise, ambient sound, music, notification sound, and/or call sound.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive the user's biometric information (eg, heart rate, temperature) sensed by the external electronic device while the user is listening to the at least one sound source from the external electronic device through a communication circuit. Based on the received biometric information, the electronic device may determine one sound source from among the at least one sound source to reduce the user's stress while the user is listening. For example, the electronic device may determine one sound source from among the at least one sound source to which the user's heart rate decreases while listening.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit user preference sound source information corresponding to the determined sound source to an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7 ) through a communication circuit.

In operation 850, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source from the sound source determined in operation 845. The notch sound source may mean, for example, a sound source from which a part corresponding to a specific frequency band is removed from a specific sound source. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may include a notch filter that generates a notch sound source from the sound source determined in operation 845. The notch filter, for example, can remove a part corresponding to a specific frequency band from a specific sound source and can be configured to move the frequency band to be removed. The electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency determined in operation 840 from the sound source determined in operation 845 through a notch filter.

According to an embodiment, when the tinnitus frequency is determined to be a frequency band (eg, 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz) in operation 840, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency band (eg, 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz) from the sound source determined in operation 845 through a notch filter. According to an embodiment, when the tinnitus frequency is determined to be a single frequency having a frequency bandwidth of 0 in operation 840, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a part corresponding to a frequency band having a specified bandwidth based on the tinnitus frequency in the sound source determined in operation 845 through a notch filter. The designated bandwidth may be arbitrarily set by the user, for example. For example, if the tinnitus frequency is set to 1050 Hz and the designated bandwidth is set to 100 Hz, the electronic device may generate a notch sound source by removing a portion corresponding to a frequency band of 1000 Hz to 1100 Hz from the sound source determined in operation 845 through a notch filter.

In operation 855, the electronic device may control the notch sound source generated in operation 850 to be output through an external electronic device. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling the notch sound source generated in operation 850 to be output through an external electronic device (eg, the first external electronic device 220 of FIG. 2 and/or the second external electronic device 230) corresponding to the ear identified as having tinnitus in operation 835 to the external electronic device through a communication circuit (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ). In this case, the electronic device can manage tinnitus according to the tinnitus characteristics of the user by controlling the notch sound source to be output only through the external electronic device worn on the ear with tinnitus symptoms.

When a user input for selecting a customized sound source is received in operation 820, in operation 860, the electronic device may identify an ear having a tinnitus symptom among the left ear and the right ear of the user. Operation 860 may be substantially the same operation as the operation 835 of identifying an ear with a tinnitus symptom.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit direction information of an ear with a tinnitus symptom to an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7 ) through a communication circuit.

In operation 865, the electronic device may receive a sound source optimized for the user's tinnitus characteristics from an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7) through a communication circuit.

According to an embodiment, the external server may extract a sound source optimized for individual tinnitus characteristics based on user information received from a plurality of electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device 210 of FIG. 7) through a communication network, information on the direction of the ear with tinnitus symptoms, tinnitus frequency information, user preferred sound source information, user listening sound source information, and/or tinnitus state information. For example, the external server may extract the most preferred sound source of the same gender and age based on information about the user's gender and age. As another example, the external server may extract a sound source having the highest degree of tinnitus relief in a specific tinnitus characteristic based on information on individual tinnitus characteristics (e.g., direction information, tinnitus frequency information, and/or tinnitus intensity information) and/or user response information for tinnitus questionnaire evaluation. The external server may transmit the extracted sound source to the electronic device through a communication network.

In operation 870, the electronic device may control the sound source received from the external server in operation 865 to be output through the external electronic device. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit a control message for controlling the sound source received in operation 865 to be output through the external electronic device corresponding to the ear identified as having tinnitus in operation 860 (eg, the first external electronic device 220 and/or the second external electronic device 230 of FIG. 2 ) to the external electronic device through a communication circuit. In this case, the electronic device can manage tinnitus according to the tinnitus characteristics of the user by controlling the notch sound source to be output only through the external electronic device worn on the ear with tinnitus symptoms.

In operation 875, the electronic device may determine the tinnitus condition of the user through the tinnitus questionnaire evaluation. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display a user interface including a question for evaluating a user's tinnitus condition on a display. Questions for evaluating the tinnitus condition of the user may include, for example, questions about the frequency of occurrence of tinnitus, the duration of tinnitus, relief of tinnitus symptoms, and/or the degree of relief of tinnitus symptoms. The electronic device may determine the tinnitus state of the user based on a user input for selecting a response to the question. The tinnitus condition may include, for example, a condition that does not interfere with daily life, a mild disability, a moderate disability, and/or a severe disability.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may transmit tinnitus state information corresponding to the determined tinnitus state to an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7 ) through a communication circuit.

In operation 880, the electronic device may display feedback information. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may display feedback information corresponding to the tinnitus condition determined in operation 875 on the display. For example, if the tinnitus state determined in operation 875 is a state that does not interfere with daily life, feedback information indicating that tinnitus management is not required may be displayed. As another example, if the tinnitus condition determined in operation 875 is mild disability or higher, feedback information indicating that tinnitus management is necessary may be displayed. The feedback information may include, for example, information about tinnitus relief, degree of tinnitus relief, whether tinnitus management is necessary, and/or a tinnitus relief method optimized for the tinnitus condition of the user.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive user-optimized feedback information from an external server (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7 ) through a communication circuit.

According to an embodiment, the external server extracts feedback information optimized for the user based on user information received from the electronic device, direction information of the ear with tinnitus symptoms, tinnitus frequency information, user preferred sound source information, user listening sound source information, and/or tinnitus state information, and transmits the extracted feedback information to the electronic device. For example, the external server may extract a method with a high degree of tinnitus relief from among at least one method tried by the user for tinnitus relief, and transmit the extracted method to the electronic device. The electronic device may display the method received from the external server on the display as feedback information.

According to an embodiment, the external server may receive feedback information from the medical institution server by sharing user information received from the electronic device, direction information of the ear with tinnitus symptoms, tinnitus frequency information, user preferred sound source information, user listening sound source information, and/or tinnitus state information with the medical institution server (eg, the medical institution server 720 of FIG. 7 ), and transmit the received feedback information to the electronic device. For example, the medical institution server may transmit tinnitus consultation information and/or tinnitus treatment information optimized for a user generated by a tinnitus-related expert such as a doctor based on user information provided from an external server, direction information of ears with tinnitus symptoms, tinnitus frequency information, user preferred sound source information, user listening sound source information, and/or tinnitus condition information, to an external server through a communication network. The external server may transmit information received from the medical institution server to the electronic device. The electronic device may display information received from an external server on a display as feedback information.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9 , a method of extracting a sound source suitable for tinnitus characteristics for each individual by an external server according to an embodiment will be described.

9 is a diagram for explaining a method of extracting a sound source suitable for individual tinnitus characteristics by an external server according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9 , an external server 710 (eg, the external server 710 of FIG. 7 ) utilizes a k-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm to extract a sound source suitable for tinnitus characteristics for each individual using information received from a plurality of electronic devices (eg, the electronic device 210 of FIG. 7 ) as an input variable. In addition, the external server 710 may analyze the characteristics of the extracted sound sources by utilizing a convolution neural network (CNN) algorithm and / or a recurrent neural network (RNN) algorithm, and convert the extracted sound sources into a database according to the characteristics of the sound sources and store them.

According to an embodiment, the external server 710 may use user information received from an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 210 of FIG. 7), individual tinnitus characteristic information (e.g., direction information of an ear with tinnitus symptoms, tinnitus frequency information), user preferred sound source information, listening sound source information, and/or tinnitus state information as input variables to calculate the degree to which tinnitus symptoms are alleviated by a specific sound source listened to by the user and/or the user's preference for the specific sound source. For example, in operation 845 of FIG. 8, the user selects a first sound source, and after listening to the first sound source, the degree to which the user's tinnitus symptom is alleviated by the first sound source and/or the user's preference for the first sound source may be calculated based on a user input for selecting a response to a question for evaluating a tinnitus questionnaire performed in operation 875 of FIG. 8.

According to an embodiment, the external server 710 may extract a customized sound source based on the degree to which the tinnitus symptom of the user is alleviated by the first sound source and/or the user's preference for the first sound source. For example, the external server 710 may extract the first sound source as a customized sound source when the degree to which the tinnitus symptom of the user is alleviated by the first sound source and/or the user's preference for the first sound source is higher than other sound sources stored in the external server 710.

According to an embodiment, the external server 710 may analyze the characteristics of the extracted customized sound source. For example, the external server 710 may analyze the characteristics of the sound source by analyzing the extracted waveform of the customized sound source.

According to an embodiment, the external server 710 may classify, sort, and store sound sources by type based on the characteristics of the analyzed sound sources. For example, when it is analyzed that the extracted customized sound source is noise, the type of the customized sound source may be classified as noise and stored.

According to an embodiment, the external server 710 may utilize stored customized sound sources to extract other user's customized sound sources. For example, another user selects a second sound source in operation 845 of FIG. 8, listens to the second sound source, and then selects a response to a question for tinnitus questionnaire evaluation performed in operation 875 of FIG. The external server 710 may extract the second sound source as a customized sound source when the degree to which the tinnitus symptoms of other users are alleviated by the second sound source and/or the other user's preference for the second sound source is higher than the customized sound sources stored in the external server 710.

An electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes a communication circuit for communicating with at least one external electronic device, a memory for storing at least one sound source and at least one test sound for testing a tinnitus frequency, and a processor electrically connected to the communication circuit and the memory, wherein the memory identifies an ear with a tinnitus symptom from among a left ear and a right ear based on a first user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptom when the processor is executed, and transmits the at least one test sound to the identified ear. A first control message for controlling output through a corresponding external electronic device is transmitted to the external electronic device through the communication circuit, a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound is determined as a tinnitus frequency based on a second user input for selecting one of the at least one test sound, a second sound source is generated by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency from the first sound source, and a second control message is output through the external electronic device through the communication circuit. You can store instructions (instructions) to send to.

According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the instructions include the processor transmitting first information including at least one of direction information of a tinnitus symptom based on the first user input or tinnitus frequency information based on the second user input to an external server through the communication circuit, receiving a third sound source optimized for the tinnitus characteristics of the user, generated by the external server based on the received first information, from the external server through the communication circuit, and outputting the third sound source through the external electronic device. A third control message for controlling to be transmitted to the external electronic device through the communication circuit.

An electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may include a display, the display may be electrically connected to the processor, and the instructions may cause the processor to display a user interface including a question for evaluating the tinnitus state of the user through the display, and to determine the tinnitus state of the user based on a third user input for selecting a response to the question.

According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the instructions may cause the processor to display feedback information corresponding to the determined tinnitus condition through the display.

According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the feedback information may include at least one of tinnitus relief, degree of tinnitus relief, necessity of tinnitus management, or a tinnitus relief method optimized for the determined tinnitus condition.

According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the instructions cause the processor to transmit tinnitus status information based on the third user input to an external server through the communication circuit, and to receive the feedback information from the external server through the communication circuit, and the feedback information may be information received from the medical institution server as the external server shares the received tinnitus status information with the medical institution server.

According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the feedback information may include at least one of tinnitus counseling information and tinnitus treatment information.

According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the instructions include the processor transmitting second information including at least one of direction information of the ear with tinnitus symptom based on the first user input, tinnitus frequency information based on the second user input, and tinnitus state information based on the third user input to an external server through the communication circuit, and receiving a fourth sound source optimized for the tinnitus characteristics of the user, generated by the external server based on the received second information, from the external server through the communication circuit. and transmit a fourth control message for controlling output of the fourth sound source through the external electronic device to the external electronic device through the communication circuit.

According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the instructions cause the processor to receive biometric information of the user sensed by the external electronic device while the user is listening to the at least one sound source through the external electronic device from the external electronic device through the communication circuit, and the first sound source may be a sound source for which the user's heart rate decreases while listening, among the at least one sound source based on the received biometric information.

An electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes a display, the display is electrically connected to the processor, and the instructions cause the processor to display a specified guide phrase through the display when the ambient noise is determined to be above a specified level based on ambient noise information, and the ambient noise information may include at least one of first ambient noise information detected by the electronic device and second ambient noise information detected by the external electronic device.

An operating method of an electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes identifying an ear with a tinnitus symptom from among a left ear and a right ear based on a first user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptoms, transmitting a first control message for controlling output of at least one test sound through an external electronic device corresponding to the identified ear to the external electronic device, and determining a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as the tinnitus frequency based on a second user input for selecting one test sound from among the at least one test sound. , Of at least one sound source, a second sound source is generated by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency from the first sound source, and a second control message for controlling the second sound source to be output through the external electronic device. Can be transmitted to the external electronic device.

An operating method of an electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes transmitting first information including at least one of direction information of a tinnitus symptom based on the first user input or tinnitus frequency information based on the second user input to an external server, receiving a third sound source optimized for the tinnitus characteristics of a user generated by the external server based on the received first information from the external server, and controlling the third sound source to be output through the external electronic device to the external electronic device. can transmit

An operating method of an electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may display a user interface including a question for evaluating a user's tinnitus state through a display of the electronic device, and determine a user's tinnitus state based on a third user input for selecting a response to the question.

A method of operating an electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may display feedback information corresponding to the determined tinnitus state through the display.

According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the feedback information may include at least one of tinnitus relief, degree of tinnitus relief, necessity of tinnitus management, or a tinnitus relief method optimized for the determined tinnitus condition.

An operating method of an electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may transmit tinnitus status information based on the third user input to an external server, receive the feedback information from the external server, and the feedback information may be information received from the medical institution server as the external server shares the received tinnitus status information with the medical institution server.

According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the feedback information may include at least one of tinnitus counseling information and tinnitus treatment information.

A method of operating an electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes transmitting second information including at least one of direction information of an ear with tinnitus symptoms based on the first user input, tinnitus frequency information based on the second user input, and tinnitus state information based on the third user input to an external server, receiving a fourth sound source optimized for the tinnitus characteristics of a user, generated by the external server based on the received second information, from the external server, and the fourth sound source via the external electronic device. A fourth control message for controlling to be output may be transmitted to the external electronic device.

An operating method of an electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may include receiving biometric information of the user detected by the external electronic device while the user is listening to the at least one sound source through the external electronic device, selecting a fifth sound source whose heart rate decreases while listening to the user based on the received biometric information, and transmitting a fifth control message to the external electronic device for controlling such that the selected fifth sound source is output through the external electronic device.

According to an operating method of an electronic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document, when it is determined that the ambient noise is equal to or greater than a specified level based on ambient noise information, a designated guide phrase is displayed on the display of the electronic device, and the ambient noise information may include at least one of first ambient noise information detected by the electronic device and second ambient noise information detected by the external electronic device.

Electronic devices according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be devices of various types. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (eg, a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present document is not limited to the aforementioned devices.

Various embodiments of this document and terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numbers may be used for like or related elements. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one item or a plurality of items, unless the relevant context clearly dictates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", or "first" or "secondary" may be used simply to distinguish a corresponding component from other corresponding components, and do not limit the corresponding components in other respects (e.g., importance or order). When a (e.g., a first) component is referred to as “coupled” or “connected” to another (e.g., a second) component, with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively,” it means that the component may be connected to the other component directly (e.g., by wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

The term "module" used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as, for example, logic, logical block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integrally constructed component or a minimal unit of components or a portion thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, the module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of this document may be implemented as software (eg, program 140) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (eg, internal memory 136 or external memory 138) readable by a machine (eg, electronic device 101). For example, a processor (eg, the processor 120 ) of a device (eg, the electronic device 101 ) may call at least one command among one or more instructions stored from a storage medium and execute it. This enables the device to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one command invoked. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The device-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-temporary' only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (eg, electromagnetic wave), and this term does not distinguish between the case where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and the case where it is temporarily stored.

According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be included and provided in a computer program product. Computer program products may be traded between sellers and buyers as commodities. A computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online, via an application store (e.g., Play Store ^™ ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least part of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created in a device-readable storage medium such as a manufacturer's server, an application store server, or a relay server's memory.

According to various embodiments, each component (eg, module or program) of the components described above may include a single object or a plurality of entities, and some of the plurality of entities may be separately disposed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations among the aforementioned corresponding components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (eg modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by a corresponding component of the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the actions performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the actions may be executed in a different order, may be omitted, or one or more other actions may be added.

Claims (20)

In electronic devices,
a communication circuit for communicating with at least one external electronic device;
a memory for storing at least one sound source and at least one test sound for a tinnitus frequency test; and
A processor electrically connected to the communication circuit and the memory;
The memory, when executed, causes the processor to:
Based on a first user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptoms, an ear with tinnitus symptoms is identified among the left ear and the right ear;
Transmitting a first control message for controlling output of the at least one test sound through the external electronic device corresponding to the identified ear to the external electronic device through the communication circuit;
Determine a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as a tinnitus frequency based on a second user input for selecting one test sound from among the at least one test sound;
generating a second sound source by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency from a first sound source among the at least one sound source;
and storing instructions for transmitting a second control message for controlling output of the second sound source through the external electronic device to the external electronic device through the communication circuit. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions are the processor,
Transmitting first information including at least one of direction information of a tinnitus symptom based on the first user input or tinnitus frequency information based on the second user input to an external server through the communication circuit;
Receiving a third sound source optimized for tinnitus characteristics of a user generated by the external server based on the received first information from the external server through the communication circuit;
and transmits a third control message for controlling output of the third sound source through the external electronic device to the external electronic device through the communication circuit. According to claim 1,
Including; display;
The display is electrically connected to the processor,
The instructions cause the processor to:
displaying a user interface including a question for evaluating a user's tinnitus condition through the display;
An electronic device for determining a tinnitus state of a user based on a third user input for selecting a response to the question. The method of claim 3, wherein the instructions are the processor,
An electronic device that displays feedback information corresponding to the determined tinnitus condition through the display. According to claim 4,
Wherein the feedback information includes at least one of tinnitus relief, degree of tinnitus relief, whether tinnitus management is necessary, or a tinnitus alleviation method optimized for the determined tinnitus condition. The method of claim 4, wherein the instructions are the processor,
Transmitting tinnitus state information based on the third user input to an external server through the communication circuit;
receive the feedback information from the external server through the communication circuit;
The feedback information is information received from the medical institution server as the external server shares the received tinnitus state information with the medical institution server. According to claim 6,
The feedback information includes at least one of tinnitus counseling information and tinnitus treatment information. The method of claim 3, wherein the instructions are the processor,
Transmitting second information including at least one of direction information of the ear with tinnitus symptom based on the first user input, tinnitus frequency information based on the second user input, or tinnitus state information based on the third user input to an external server through the communication circuit;
Receiving a fourth sound source optimized for tinnitus characteristics of a user generated by the external server based on the received second information from the external server through the communication circuit;
and transmits a fourth control message for controlling output of the fourth sound source through the external electronic device to the external electronic device through the communication circuit. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions are the processor,
While the user listens to the at least one sound source through the external electronic device, the user's biometric information sensed by the external electronic device is received from the external electronic device through the communication circuit;
The first sound source is a sound source for which a user's heart rate decreases while listening among the at least one sound source based on the received biometric information. According to claim 1,
Including; display;
The display is electrically connected to the processor,
The instructions cause the processor to:
Based on the ambient noise information, when it is determined that the ambient noise is equal to or greater than a specified level, a specified guide phrase is displayed on the display;
The ambient noise information includes at least one of first ambient noise information detected by the electronic device and second ambient noise information detected by the external electronic device. In the operating method of the electronic device,
Based on a first user input for selecting a direction of the ear with tinnitus symptoms, an ear with tinnitus symptoms is identified among the left ear and the right ear;
Transmitting a first control message for controlling output of at least one test sound through the external electronic device corresponding to the identified ear to the external electronic device;
Determine a frequency corresponding to the selected test sound as a tinnitus frequency based on a second user input for selecting one test sound from among the at least one test sound;
generating a second sound source by removing a part corresponding to the tinnitus frequency from a first sound source among at least one sound source;
Transmitting a second control message for controlling output of the second sound source through the external electronic device to the external electronic device. According to claim 11,
Transmitting first information including at least one of direction information of a tinnitus symptom based on the first user input or tinnitus frequency information based on the second user input to an external server;
Receiving a third sound source optimized for the tinnitus characteristics of the user, generated by the external server based on the received first information, from the external server;
Transmitting a third control message for controlling the third sound source to be output through the external electronic device to the external electronic device. According to claim 11,
Displaying a user interface including a question for evaluating a user's tinnitus condition through a display of the electronic device;
A method of operating an electronic device that determines a tinnitus state of a user based on a third user input for selecting a response to the question. According to claim 13,
A method of operating an electronic device that displays feedback information corresponding to the determined tinnitus state through the display. According to claim 14,
The feedback information includes at least one of tinnitus relief, tinnitus relief degree, tinnitus management necessity, or a tinnitus relief method optimized for the determined tinnitus condition. According to claim 14,
Transmitting tinnitus status information based on the third user input to an external server;
Receiving the feedback information from the external server;
The feedback information is information received from the medical institution server as the external server shares the received tinnitus state information with the medical institution server. According to claim 16,
The feedback information includes at least one of tinnitus counseling information and tinnitus treatment information. According to claim 13,
Transmitting second information including at least one of direction information of a tinnitus symptom based on the first user input, tinnitus frequency information based on the second user input, or tinnitus state information based on the third user input to an external server,
Receiving from the external server a fourth sound source optimized for the tinnitus characteristics of the user, generated by the external server based on the received second information;
Transmitting a fourth control message for controlling the fourth sound source to be output through the external electronic device to the external electronic device. According to claim 11,
While the user is listening to the at least one sound source through the external electronic device, the user's biometric information detected by the external electronic device is received from the external electronic device;
Selecting a fifth sound source to which the user's heart rate decreases while listening among the at least one sound source based on the received biometric information;
and transmitting a fifth control message for controlling output of the selected fifth sound source through the external electronic device to the external electronic device. According to claim 11,
Based on the ambient noise information, when it is determined that the ambient noise is equal to or greater than a specified level, a specified guide phrase is displayed on the display of the electronic device;
The ambient noise information includes at least one of first ambient noise information detected by the electronic device and second ambient noise information detected by the external electronic device.

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