System and method for evaluating speech perception in complex listening environments
Inventors
Brungart, Douglas S. • Sheffield, Benjamin M
Assignees
Publication Number
US-10681475-B2
Publication Date
2020-06-09
Expiration Date
2039-02-19
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Abstract
The present application describes a plurality of test simulation environment mimic complex listening environment of everyday life, comprising a speech component, and a noise component. The application also describes an auditory testing system and method for evaluating a listener's speech perception and method to test hearing prosthesis or hearing protection device's effect on a person's speech perception in a complex listening environment.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a system and method for evaluating a listener's speech perception in complex listening environments by simulating auditory stimuli that closely mimic real-world listening conditions encountered in everyday life. The invention comprises a plurality of test simulation environments, each including a speech component and a noise component, designed to assess speech perception and the effectiveness of hearing prostheses or hearing protection devices.
The problem addressed is that current clinical speech-in-noise tests insufficiently represent the complexities of real-world listening environments, such as noisy reverberant spaces, multi-talker conversations, rapid speaking rates, and spatial separation of sound sources. These limitations lead to discrepancies between clinical test outcomes and patients' everyday communication difficulties, hindering accurate assessment and treatment of hearing loss.
The invention overcomes these shortcomings by expanding a traditional speech-in-noise test with multiple listening conditions that incorporate binaural cues, audiovisual components, spatial separation of sound sources, reverberation effects, and varying speech rates. This extended test battery enables a more comprehensive and ecologically valid assessment of speech perception capabilities, providing clinicians with a tool to identify speech-in-noise deficits and to evaluate the impact of hearing devices under realistic acoustic scenarios.
Claims Coverage
The patent claims cover inventive features of a system and method designed to evaluate speech perception across multiple complex auditory simulation environments, including specific stimulus conditions and hardware configurations.
Test battery with multiple auditory simulation environments
Comprises at least three auditory simulation environments: a standard diotic speech-in-noise condition; a N0Sπ condition with a 180° phase shift of the target speech in one ear; and a time-compressed reverberant condition simulating spatially separated masking noises and increased speech rate in a moderately reverberant room with specified RT60 timing.
Expanded auditory simulation conditions
Optional inclusion of audiovisual stimuli (with synchronized video), combined AV and N0Sπ conditions, spatial stimulus conditions simulating target and maskers from different azimuths, reverberant conditions, and speech-shaped noise masker conditions, enhancing the test battery's ecological validity.
Spatial stimulus condition production via HRTFs
Use of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) from the Knowles Acoustic Manikin for Auditory Research (KEMAR) to simulate spatial localization of the target speech and masking noises at specified spatial angles.
Time compression of target speech using PSOLA algorithm
Application of the pitch-synchronous overlap and add (PSOLA) algorithm to compress the target speech signal temporally by increasing the speaking rate by 50% prior to reverberation simulation.
Transducer type
Utilization of air conduction or bone conduction transducers for delivering test stimuli to the listener.
Masking noise type
Employment of a four-talker babble as the masking noise in the auditory stimulation conditions.
Method for evaluating speech perception
Includes constructing a test battery with specified auditory simulation environments, presenting it to a listener, administering speech recognition tasks in each condition, estimating the speech reception threshold (SRT50), and identifying speech-in-noise deficits based on the SRT50 values compared against cutoff thresholds.
Method for testing hearing prostheses or protection devices
Similar to the evaluation method, with the additional step of determining the effect of the hearing prosthesis or hearing protection device on speech perception by comparing SRT50 values to a normative cutoff.
The claims collectively describe a comprehensive system and method for simulating diverse complex listening environments to evaluate speech perception and the efficacy of hearing devices, incorporating spatial, reverberant, audiovisual, phase-shifted, and time-compressed speech conditions delivered via appropriate transducers, with scoring based on speech recognition tasks and threshold comparisons to normative data.
Stated Advantages
Provides a test battery that more realistically simulates real-world complex listening environments to improve assessment of speech perception.
Enables identification of speech-in-noise deficits that are not captured by traditional clinical tests.
Allows evaluation of the effectiveness of hearing prostheses or hearing protection devices on speech perception performance.
Offers test-retest reliability comparable to existing standard tests like QuickSIN while incorporating more ecologically valid listening conditions.
Differentiates multiple aspects of auditory perception, including binaural processing, audiovisual integration, and effects of reverberation and speech rate, which enhances diagnostic sensitivity.
Documented Applications
Assessing functional speech perception abilities of listeners in varied real-world auditory environments.
Diagnosing speech-in-noise deficits in patients with hearing impairments.
Evaluating the effect of hearing prostheses on speech perception performance in complex listening scenarios.
Testing hearing protection devices for their impact on speech perception in complex environments.
Potential use as a fitness-for-duty tool in occupations where communication in challenging acoustic environments is critical, such as firefighting, aviation, law enforcement, and military applications.
Research applications studying auditory processing and speech perception mechanisms in normal and hearing-impaired listeners.
Interested in licensing this patent?