Hearing aid system comprising a database of acoustic transfer functions
Inventors
HOANG, Poul • DE HAAN, Jan M. • Pedersen, Michael Syskind • Jensen, Jesper
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11991499-B2
Publication Date
2024-05-21
Expiration Date
Abstract
A hearing aid microphone system includes M microphones providing corresponding electric input signals. Environmental sound at a given microphone includes a target sound signal propagated via an acoustic propagation channel from a direction to or a location of a target sound source to the microphone, and possible additive noise signals. The acoustic propagation channel is modeled. The hearing aid system includes: a processor connected to the microphones, and a database Θ having a multitude of dictionaries Δp, p=1, . . . , P, where p is a person index, of vectors, termed ATF-vectors, whose elements ATFm, m=1, . . . , M, are frequency dependent acoustic transfer functions representing direction- or location-dependent, and frequency dependent propagation of sound. The processor is configured to, at least in a learning mode of operation, determine personalized ATF-vectors based on the multitude of dictionaries Δp, the electric input signals, and the model of the acoustic propagation channels.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a hearing aid system configured to be worn on a head at an ear or in the ear of a user, where the hearing aid comprises a microphone system with a multitude of M microphones and picks up sound from an environment to provide corresponding electric input signals. The environment sound at a given microphone is modeled as a mixture of a target sound signal propagated via an acoustic propagation channel from a direction or location of a target sound source and possible additive noise signals present at the location of the microphone.
The system includes a processor connected to the microphone array and a database comprising a multitude of dictionaries of vectors termed ATF-vectors. Each dictionary contains ATF-vectors whose elements are frequency dependent acoustic transfer functions representing direction- or location-dependent and frequency dependent propagation from the direction or location of a target sound source to each of the microphones, and the dictionaries comprise ATF-vectors for a given person for a multitude of different directions or locations relative to the microphone system.
In a learning mode of operation, the processor is configured to determine personalized ATF-vectors for the user based on the multitude of dictionaries of the database, the electric input signals, and the model of the acoustic propagation channels. The personalized ATF-vectors link the observed microphone signals with the direction- or location-dependent, frequency dependent acoustic transfer functions stored per person, allowing the user-specific ATF-vectors to be determined from the person-indexed dictionary structure in combination with the acoustic propagation channel model.
Claims Coverage
The partial content includes two independent claims: a system claim and a method claim. Across these claims, the core inventive content comprises three inventive features.
Acoustic propagation channel model for microphone inputs
Modeling the environment sound at each microphone as a mixture of a target sound signal propagated via an acoustic propagation channel from a direction or location to the microphone, and possible additive noise signals at the microphone.
Person-indexed ATF-vector dictionary database
Providing a database comprising a multitude of dictionaries, where each dictionary contains ATF-vectors whose elements are frequency dependent acoustic transfer functions representing direction- or location-dependent and frequency dependent propagation of sound from a target sound source to each of the microphones, for a given person and a multitude of different directions or locations relative to the microphone system.
Learning-mode determination of personalized ATF-vectors
Configuring the processor, in a learning mode of operation, to determine personalized ATF-vectors for the user based on the multitude of dictionaries of the database, the electric input signals, and the model of the acoustic propagation channels.
The independent claims cover a hearing aid microphone system with an acoustic propagation channel model, a person-indexed database of direction-/location-dependent and frequency-dependent ATF-vectors organized as dictionaries, and learning-mode processing that determines personalized ATF-vectors for the user from the database, observed microphone input signals, and the acoustic propagation channel model.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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