WO1998027787A1 - Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator - Google Patents
Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1998027787A1 WO1998027787A1 PCT/EP1996/005623 EP9605623W WO9827787A1 WO 1998027787 A1 WO1998027787 A1 WO 1998027787A1 EP 9605623 W EP9605623 W EP 9605623W WO 9827787 A1 WO9827787 A1 WO 9827787A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- control
- integrator
- stage
- signal
- output
- Prior art date
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/50—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
- H04R25/505—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics using digital signal processing
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/50—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
- H04R25/502—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics using analog signal processing
Definitions
- the invention relates to a hearing aid, preferably to a programmable hearing aid having at least one microphone, at least one signal processor with at least one channel , an output ampl ifier and an output transducer, at least one of the channels containing a signal processing circuit with at least one percenti le estimator for the continuous determination or cal culation of at least one percentile val ue of the input signal from a continuous analysis and evaluation of the frequency and/or amplitude distribution of the input signal , whereby the percenti le value(s) serve either directly or indirectly as control signals for control l ing the gain and/or the frequency response of the electronic processing circuit, the percentile estimator consisting essentially of a comparator stage with two inputs and two outputs, the first input being directly or indirectly connected to the input of the hearing aid, its two outputs controlling a first control stage the output signals of which control a first integrator, the output of which, directly or indirectly, conveys a control signal to the signal processing circuit and the second input of the comparator stage
- Percentile estimators which may also be used in hearing aids, are known in principle from US-A 4.204.260.
- a common problem is the situation where the user of the hearing aid is yelling a message to a distant person. This will increase the percentile estimate and hence reduce the gain in the hearing aid. Since the percentile estimator works slowly, the gain stays reduced for a while, and the hearing aid user will not be able to hear the distant person answering, because the resulting output of the hearing aid will be very low, perhaps even below the user's hearing threshold level .
- percentile estimators operating on the present signal in one or more channels may be used for controlling the gain of the electronic signal processors.
- Such a system is f.i. disclosed in WO 95/15668 of appl icant .
- a percenti le estimator structure having at least a second control stage connected to the first control stage, and at least one additional integrator control led by the second control stage, the output of which is connected to a further input of the second control stage as wel l as to a mul tiplier stage, interconnected between the first control stage and the first integrator .
- the second control stage supplies a rectified and scaled version of the predefined parameters of the first control stage, generating a positive control signal for the second integrator and a forward reset signa l to said second integrator for establ ishing a predefined minimum value of said integrator whenever the output signal of the first control stage changes .
- Fig . 1 shows a schematic circuit diagram of a multichannel hearing aid using percentile estimators
- Fig . 2 shows ⁇ , s hematic diagram of the principle of a percentile estimator
- Fig . 3 shows, schematically, an improved percentile estimator for hearing aids with two levels in accordance with the present invention
- Fig . 4 shows, schematical ly, an improved percentile estimator for hearing aids with three levels in accordance with the invention
- Fig . 5 shows a diagram of the operation of a traditional percenti le estimator in comparison with the operation of the improved percenti le estimator on an actual sound example .
- Fig . 1 shows a principle circuit diagram of a multi-channel hearing aid with one microphone 1 and preamplifier 2, a band split filter 3 for splitting the signals into a number of channels (here 3 is shown), each having a signal processing circuit 4 consisting of a signal processor 5 and a percentile estimator 6 , a register 7 for storing parameters related to the basic hearing aid performance, a summing circuit 8, an output amplifier 9 and a receiver 10.
- Fig . 2 shows the principle of a traditional percentile estimator 6 .
- Such percenti le estimators are known from US-A 4.204.260.
- the input signal for the specific channel is led into a detector stage " ⁇ ] , which is not essential for the operation of the percentile estimator, but is preferably used . It could include a rectification for determining the envelope of the input signa l , and also a logarithmic conversion to obtain the envelope on a dB-scale, which is commonly used in hearing aids .
- the output signal from the detector 1 1 is suppl ied to a comparator 12 with its two inputs connected to the output from the detector 1 1 and an integrator 14.
- the result of the comparison is supplied to the control stage 13, which in case of the output of the integrator 14 being greater than the output of the detector 1 1 holds a predefined negative value at its output, causing a decrease of the value stored in the integrator 14, and in the opposite case holds a predefined positive value at its output, causing an increase of the integrator value .
- the value present at the output of the integrator 14 will be a percenti le estimate of the input signal of the detector 1 1 and the signal processor 5, the percentile value being dependent on the actual predefined values of the control stage 13.
- the output of the percenti le estimator 6 is used for control ling the signal processor 5.
- the signal processor 5 it is possible to incl ude more than one percentile estimator 6 in each channel and let the signal processor be controlled by all of these in combination .
- a combination and control logic may be used to combine the output signals of the different percentile estimators .
- Fig . 3 shows the principle of an improved percentile estimator in accordance with the invention .
- the traditional percenti le estimator is modified with a multipl ier 15, with its output supplying the integrator 14 and its inputs connected to the output of the control stage 13 and the output of an integrator 17.
- the integrator 17 is control led by a control stage 16 which includes a rectifier 21 and a gain block 22for rectifying and scal ing the predefined parameters of the control stage 13 and thereby modifying the timing of the increase and decrease of the integrator 14 and thus the response time of the percenti le estimator .
- the control stage includes a zero-cross detector 23 which provides a reset pulse for the integrator, which then resets to a predefined minimum value whenever the output from the control stage 13 changes, hence whenever the inpuf sound crosses the percentile estimator level .
- the control stage 16 further may incl ude a comparator 24 for checking if the output of the integrator 17 is less than a predefined maximum al lowable value 25, in which case the transmission control 26 passes the output of the gain block 22 on to the integrator 17, and in the opposite case passes a value of zero or less on to the integrator 17 in order to prevent further increase of the integrator output.
- the effect is an "accelerating" percenti le estimator .
- the short term percenti le estimator response time is long, dependent on the minimum value of the integrator 17 and wi l l be dominant when the environment is characterized by a relatively constant sound level , where the input sound level crosses the percenti le estimate frequently .
- the long term response time is relatively short because of the acceleration, and this effect wil l be of use in cases where the sound level changes, e . g . when communicating with a distant- person , as mentioned earlier .
- Fig . 4 shows an expansion of the improved percentile estimator by another level by adding a multipl ier 18 with its output supplying the integrator 17 and its inputs connected to the output of the control stage 16 and the output of an integrator 20, which again is control led by a control stage 19 similar to control stage 16.
- the integrationfspeeds are time dependent.
- the upward integration speed is determined by
- k .. , and k. Q are the scaling factors in the control stages 16 and T9 , ln ⁇ "stationary" sound environment, i.e. when the percentile estimate is stable, we have
- the percentile level can be obtained by the same formula as for the traditional percentile estimator, since a constant multiplied to the integration speeds u and d does not change this formula .
- Fig.5 shows the function of a 2-level improved 90% percentile estimator
- the function is compared with a traditional 90% percentile estimator with an increase of 14.4dB/sec and a decrease of 1 . ⁇ dB/sec .
- the comparison is performed on an actual sound example with a duration of 32 sees .
- the sound level is stepped down 20dB after approximately 7 sees to simulate a change of sound environment.
- the improved percentile estimator because of the increasing integration speed,adapts much faster to change in environment than the traditional one, with respect to sound level increases (see the first 2 seconds) as wel l as sound level decreases (see the signal behaviour around 7 seconds) .
- the improved percenti le estimator behaves simi lar to the traditional one in the time range where the percentile estimation in both cases has become "stationary" , i .e . from approximately 20secs to 32secs . This is due to the signal crossing the output of the improved percentile estimator, which generates a frequent reset of the integrator speed, and hereby keeps the response time of the percenti le estimator long for this signa l .
- al l the parameters of control stages 13 and the scaling factors of control stages 16 and 19 may be preset , may be programmable or may even be program control led .
- the register 7 in Fig . 1 should comprise al l necessary control parameters for the control of the transfer characteristic of the hearing aid, possibly also for various different programmed or programmable environmental listening situations .
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- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Neurosurgery (AREA)
- Otolaryngology (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Tone Control, Compression And Expansion, Limiting Amplitude (AREA)
- Measurement Of Mechanical Vibrations Or Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
- Measuring Pulse, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure Or Blood Flow (AREA)
- Measurement And Recording Of Electrical Phenomena And Electrical Characteristics Of The Living Body (AREA)
- Electroluminescent Light Sources (AREA)
- Diaphragms For Electromechanical Transducers (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (9)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP09528774A JP3131226B2 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile predictor |
US09/194,639 US6748092B1 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator |
AU11953/97A AU725726B2 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator |
DK96943123T DK0945044T3 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator |
PCT/EP1996/005623 WO1998027787A1 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator |
EP96943123A EP0945044B1 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator |
DE69608822T DE69608822T2 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | HEARING AID WITH IMPROVED PERCENTAGE GENERATOR |
AT96943123T ATE193797T1 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | HEARING AID WITH IMPROVED PERCENTILE GENERATOR |
CA002257461A CA2257461C (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP1996/005623 WO1998027787A1 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator |
CA002257461A CA2257461C (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1998027787A1 true WO1998027787A1 (en) | 1998-06-25 |
Family
ID=25680690
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP1996/005623 WO1998027787A1 (en) | 1996-12-14 | 1996-12-14 | Hearing aid with improved percentile estimator |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0945044B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP3131226B2 (en) |
AT (1) | ATE193797T1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU725726B2 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2257461C (en) |
DE (1) | DE69608822T2 (en) |
DK (1) | DK0945044T3 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1998027787A1 (en) |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2000047014A1 (en) * | 1999-02-05 | 2000-08-10 | The University Of Melbourne | Adaptive dynamic range optimisation sound processor |
WO2001026418A1 (en) * | 1999-10-07 | 2001-04-12 | Widex A/S | Method and signal processor for intensification of speech signal components in a hearing aid |
WO2001076321A1 (en) * | 2000-04-04 | 2001-10-11 | Gn Resound A/S | A hearing prosthesis with automatic classification of the listening environment |
US6862359B2 (en) | 2001-12-18 | 2005-03-01 | Gn Resound A/S | Hearing prosthesis with automatic classification of the listening environment |
WO2007042043A2 (en) * | 2005-10-14 | 2007-04-19 | Gn Resound A/S | Optimization of hearing aid parameters |
WO2007045276A1 (en) * | 2005-10-18 | 2007-04-26 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid comprising a data logger and method of operating the hearing aid |
US7366315B2 (en) | 1999-02-05 | 2008-04-29 | Hearworks Pty, Limited | Adaptive dynamic range optimization sound processor |
WO2012076045A1 (en) | 2010-12-08 | 2012-06-14 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid and a method of enhancing speech reproduction |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4204260A (en) * | 1977-06-14 | 1980-05-20 | Unisearch Limited | Recursive percentile estimator |
EP0282335A2 (en) * | 1987-03-13 | 1988-09-14 | Cochlear Corporation | Signal processor for and an auditory prosthesis having spectral to temporal transformation |
US5027410A (en) * | 1988-11-10 | 1991-06-25 | Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | Adaptive, programmable signal processing and filtering for hearing aids |
WO1995015668A1 (en) * | 1993-12-01 | 1995-06-08 | Tøpholm & Westermann APS | Automatic regulation circuitry for hearing aids |
-
1996
- 1996-12-14 EP EP96943123A patent/EP0945044B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1996-12-14 AT AT96943123T patent/ATE193797T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1996-12-14 DE DE69608822T patent/DE69608822T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1996-12-14 AU AU11953/97A patent/AU725726B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1996-12-14 JP JP09528774A patent/JP3131226B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1996-12-14 DK DK96943123T patent/DK0945044T3/en active
- 1996-12-14 WO PCT/EP1996/005623 patent/WO1998027787A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1996-12-14 CA CA002257461A patent/CA2257461C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4204260A (en) * | 1977-06-14 | 1980-05-20 | Unisearch Limited | Recursive percentile estimator |
EP0282335A2 (en) * | 1987-03-13 | 1988-09-14 | Cochlear Corporation | Signal processor for and an auditory prosthesis having spectral to temporal transformation |
US5027410A (en) * | 1988-11-10 | 1991-06-25 | Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | Adaptive, programmable signal processing and filtering for hearing aids |
WO1995015668A1 (en) * | 1993-12-01 | 1995-06-08 | Tøpholm & Westermann APS | Automatic regulation circuitry for hearing aids |
Cited By (19)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6731767B1 (en) | 1999-02-05 | 2004-05-04 | The University Of Melbourne | Adaptive dynamic range of optimization sound processor |
US7978868B2 (en) | 1999-02-05 | 2011-07-12 | Cochlear Limited | Adaptive dynamic range optimization sound processor |
US7366315B2 (en) | 1999-02-05 | 2008-04-29 | Hearworks Pty, Limited | Adaptive dynamic range optimization sound processor |
WO2000047014A1 (en) * | 1999-02-05 | 2000-08-10 | The University Of Melbourne | Adaptive dynamic range optimisation sound processor |
WO2001026418A1 (en) * | 1999-10-07 | 2001-04-12 | Widex A/S | Method and signal processor for intensification of speech signal components in a hearing aid |
AU764610B2 (en) * | 1999-10-07 | 2003-08-28 | Widex A/S | Method and signal processor for intensification of speech signal components in a hearing aid |
US6735317B2 (en) | 1999-10-07 | 2004-05-11 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid, and a method and a signal processor for processing a hearing aid input signal |
US7343023B2 (en) | 2000-04-04 | 2008-03-11 | Gn Resound A/S | Hearing prosthesis with automatic classification of the listening environment |
WO2001076321A1 (en) * | 2000-04-04 | 2001-10-11 | Gn Resound A/S | A hearing prosthesis with automatic classification of the listening environment |
US6862359B2 (en) | 2001-12-18 | 2005-03-01 | Gn Resound A/S | Hearing prosthesis with automatic classification of the listening environment |
WO2007042043A3 (en) * | 2005-10-14 | 2007-06-21 | Gn Resound As | Optimization of hearing aid parameters |
WO2007042043A2 (en) * | 2005-10-14 | 2007-04-19 | Gn Resound A/S | Optimization of hearing aid parameters |
US9084066B2 (en) | 2005-10-14 | 2015-07-14 | Gn Resound A/S | Optimization of hearing aid parameters |
WO2007045276A1 (en) * | 2005-10-18 | 2007-04-26 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid comprising a data logger and method of operating the hearing aid |
US8406440B2 (en) | 2005-10-18 | 2013-03-26 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid and method of operating a hearing aid |
AU2005337523B2 (en) * | 2005-10-18 | 2009-09-10 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid comprising a data logger and method of operating the hearing aid |
WO2012076045A1 (en) | 2010-12-08 | 2012-06-14 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid and a method of enhancing speech reproduction |
CN103262577A (en) * | 2010-12-08 | 2013-08-21 | 唯听助听器公司 | Hearing aid and a method of enhancing speech reproduction |
US9191753B2 (en) | 2010-12-08 | 2015-11-17 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid and a method of enhancing speech reproduction |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2257461C (en) | 2001-04-17 |
JP3131226B2 (en) | 2001-01-31 |
AU1195397A (en) | 1998-07-15 |
CA2257461A1 (en) | 1998-06-25 |
ATE193797T1 (en) | 2000-06-15 |
DK0945044T3 (en) | 2000-10-16 |
JP2000511367A (en) | 2000-08-29 |
AU725726B2 (en) | 2000-10-19 |
DE69608822D1 (en) | 2000-07-13 |
DE69608822T2 (en) | 2000-11-30 |
EP0945044A1 (en) | 1999-09-29 |
EP0945044B1 (en) | 2000-06-07 |
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