IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
공개
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0701956
(2010-06-07)
|
공개번호 |
US-0156202
(2013-06-20)
|
국제출원번호 |
PCT/EP2010/057929
(2010-06-07)
|
§371/§102 date |
20130304
(20130304)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
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출원인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
0 |
초록
▼
A bone conduction hearing aid system with right and left ear microphone arrangements; right and left ear ambient sound signal processing units, right and left ear bone conduction output transducers for stimulating the user's right and left ear cochlea, respectively; a right and left ear cross-talk c
A bone conduction hearing aid system with right and left ear microphone arrangements; right and left ear ambient sound signal processing units, right and left ear bone conduction output transducers for stimulating the user's right and left ear cochlea, respectively; a right and left ear cross-talk compensation filter units for generating right and left ear crosstalk compensation signals, respectively, from the processed audio signals of the respective signal processing unit according to an estimated transcranial transfer function; and means for subtracting the left ear cross-talk compensation signal from the processed audio signals of the right ear signal processing unit to generate the right ear output audio signals, and means for subtracting the right ear cross-talk compensation signal from the processed audio signals of the left ear signal processing unit to generate the left ear output audio signals.
대표청구항
▼
1-21. (canceled) 22. A bone conduction hearing aid system, comprising: a right ear microphone arrangement adapted to be located at or close to a user's right ear, and a left ear microphone arrangement adapted to be located at or close to a user's left ear;a right ear signal processing unit for proce
1-21. (canceled) 22. A bone conduction hearing aid system, comprising: a right ear microphone arrangement adapted to be located at or close to a user's right ear, and a left ear microphone arrangement adapted to be located at or close to a user's left ear;a right ear signal processing unit for processing audio signals captured by the right ear microphone arrangement from ambient sound, and a left ear signal processing unit for processing audio signals captured by the left ear microphone arrangement from ambient sound;a right ear bone conduction output transducer adapted to be located at or close to the user's right ear for stimulating a user's right ear cochlea according to right ear output audio signals, and a left ear bone conduction output transducer adapted to be located at or close to the user's left ear for stimulating a user's left ear cochlea according to left ear output audio signals;a right ear cross-talk compensation filter unit for generating a right ear cross-talk compensation signal from processed audio signals of the right ear signal processing unit according to an estimated transcranial transfer function from the right ear bone conduction output transducer to the left ear cochlea, and a left ear cross-talk compensation filter unit for generating a left ear cross-talk compensation signal from processed audio signals of the left ear signal processing unit according to an estimated transcranial transfer function from the left ear bone conduction output transducer to the right ear cochlea; andmeans for subtracting the left ear cross-talk compensation signal from the processed audio signals of the right ear signal processing unit in order to generate the right ear output audio signals, and means for subtracting the right ear cross-talk compensation signal from the processed audio signals of the left ear signal processing unit in order to generate the left ear output audio signals. 23. The system of claim 22, comprising a right ear hearing aid including the right ear microphone arrangement, the right ear signal processing unit, the right ear filter unit and the right ear bone conduction output transducer; and a left ear hearing aid including the left ear microphone arrangement, the left ear signal processing unit, the left ear filter unit and the left ear bone conduction output transducer; wherein the right ear subtracting means and the left ear subtracting means include means for establishing a bidirectional wired or wireless link between the right ear hearing aid and the left ear hearing aid. 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the audio signal processing units are adapted to use audio signals exchanged via the bidirectional link between the right and left ear hearing aids for at least one of acoustic beam-forming, noise reduction and auditory scene classification. 25. The system of claim 22, wherein the audio signal processing units are adapted to compensate, by applying an appropriate additional gain to the processed audio signals, for an attenuation of the output signals resulting from the subtraction of the cross-talk compensation signals. 26. The system of claim 22, wherein the system comprises at least one right ear accelerometer sensor adapted to pick up bone conduction sound reaching the right ear cochlea and at least one left ear accelerometer sensor adapted to pick up bone conduction sound reaching the left ear cochlea. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the accelerometer sensors adapted for being attached to a skull on a mastoid at a position as close to the respective cochlea as possible. 28. The system of claim 22, wherein the output transducers are adapted for direct contact with a skin at a user's skull. 29. The system of claim 22, wherein the output transducers are adapted for engagement with implantable abutments. 30. A hearing aid system, comprising: a first ear microphone arrangement adapted to be located at or close to a user's first ear, and a second ear microphone arrangement adapted to be located at or close to a user's second ear;a first ear signal processing unit for processing audio signals captured by the first ear microphone arrangement from ambient sound, and a second ear signal processing unit for processing audio signals captured by the second ear microphone arrangement from ambient sound;a first ear bone conduction output transducer adapted to be located at or close to the user's first ear for stimulating a user's first ear cochlea according to first ear output audio signals, and a second ear output transducer adapted to be located at the user's second ear for stimulating a user's second ear cochlea according to second ear output audio signals, wherein the second output transducer is a loudspeaker for emitting sound into an ear canal or an electro-mechanical transducer to be directly coupled to an eardrum, an ossicular chain or the cochlea;a first ear cross-talk compensation filter unit for generating a first ear cross-talk compensation signal from processed audio signals of the first ear signal processing unit according to an estimated transcranial transfer function from the first ear bone conduction output transducer to the second ear cochlea; andmeans for subtracting the first ear cross-talk compensation signal from processed audio signals of the second ear signal processing unit in order to generate the second ear output audio signals. 31. A method of providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising: capturing right ear audio signals from ambient sound at a position at or close to a user's right ear, and capturing left ear audio signals from ambient sound at a position at or close to a user's left ear;processing the right ear audio signals, and processing the left ear audio signals;generating a right ear cross-talk compensation signal from the processed right ear audio signals according to an estimated transcranial transfer function from a right ear bone conduction output transducer located at or close to a user's right ear to a left ear cochlea, and generating a left ear cross-talk compensation signal from processed left ear audio signals according to an estimated transcranial transfer function from a left ear bone conduction output transducer located at or close to the user's left ear to a right ear cochlea;subtracting the left ear cross-talk compensation signal from the right ear processed audio signals in order to generate right ear output audio signals, and subtracting the right ear cross-talk compensation signal from the processed left ear audio signals in order to generate left ear output audio signals; andstimulating the user's right ear cochlea by the right ear bone conduction output transducer according to the right ear output audio signals, and stimulating the user's left ear cochlea by the left ear bone conduction output transducer according to the left ear output audio signals. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein for generating the right ear cross-talk compensation signal also an estimated cranial transfer function from the left ear bone conduction output transducer to the left ear cochlea is taken into account, and wherein for generating the left ear cross-talk compensation signal also an estimated cranial transfer function from the right ear bone conduction output transducer to the right ear cochlea is taken into account. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the right ear cross-talk compensation signal is generated by amplifying the processed right ear audio signals by a factor corresponding to the ratio of the estimated cranial transfer function from the right ear output transducer to the right ear cochlea and the estimated transcranial transfer function from the left ear output transducer to the right ear cochlea, multiplied by a ratio of the right ear output transducer transfer function to the left ear output transducer transfer function, and wherein the left ear cross-talk compensation signal is generated by amplifying the processed left ear audio signals by a factor corresponding to a ratio of the estimated cranial transfer function from the left ear output transducer to the left ear cochlea and the estimated transcranial transfer function from the right ear output transducer to the left ear cochlea, multiplied by a ratio of the left ear output transducer transfer function to the right ear output transducer transfer function. 34. The method of claim 32, wherein the estimated transcranial transfer functions and the estimated cranial transfer functions are estimated by picking up bone conduction sound reaching the right ear cochlea and bone conduction sound reaching the left ear cochlea by using vibration sensors attached to a skull on a mastoid at a position as close to the respective cochlea as possible, and wherein bone conduction sound is generated by the right ear and left ear bone conduction output transducers. 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the vibration sensors are accelerometer sensors. 36. The method of claim 32, wherein the estimated transcranial transfer function and the estimated cranial transfer function for one of the ears are estimated by supplying contralateral processed audio signals to a contralateral bone conduction output transducer, supplying the cross-talk compensation signal generated from the contralateral processed audio signals to an ipsilateral bone conduction output transducer and picking up signals by an ipsilateral vibration sensor, with no ipsilateral processed audio signals being supplied to the ipsilateral bone conduction output transducer. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the cross-talk compensation signal is adjusted so as to minimize a signal picked-up by the ipsilateral vibration sensor. 38. The method of claim 37, wherein an LMS algorithm is used to minimize the signal picked-up by the ipsilateral vibration sensor. 39. The method of claim 37, wherein, after minimizing the signal picked-up by the ipsilateral vibration sensor, the cross-talk compensation signal is further adjusted by loudness measurements so as to minimize loudness perception in the ipsilateral ear. 40. The method of claim 36, wherein the cross-talk compensation signal is adjusted so as to minimize the measured vibration of middle ear ossicles or of an oval window. 41. The method of claim 40, wherein the vibration of the middle ear ossicles or of the oval window is measured by a Laser-Doppler-Vibrometer through a tympanic membrane. 42. A method of providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising: capturing first ear audio signals from ambient sound at a position at or close to a user's first ear, and capturing second ear audio signals from ambient sound at a position at or close to a user's second ear;processing the first ear audio signals, and processing the second ear audio signals;generating a first ear cross-talk compensation signal from processed first ear audio signals according to an estimated transcranial transfer function from a first ear bone conduction output transducer located at or close to the user's first ear to a second ear cochlea;subtracting the first ear cross-talk compensation signal from processed second ear audio signals in order to generate second ear output audio signals; andstimulating a user's first ear cochlea by the first ear bone conduction output transducer according to the first ear output audio signals, and stimulating the user's second ear cochlea by a second ear output transducer located at the user's second ear according to the second ear output audio signals, wherein the second ear output transducer (116B) a loudspeaker which emits sound into an ear canal or an electro-mechanical transducer which is directly coupled to a eardrum, a ossicular chain or the cochlea of the user's second ear.
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