Patents by Inventor Volkmar Hamacher

Volkmar Hamacher has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7013015
    Abstract: For reducing feedback-conditioned oscillations in a hearing aid device, microphone signals of a first microphone and of a distanced, second microphone are compared to one another. When oscillations are detected at the same frequency in both microphone signals, these oscillations are determined to be useful (non-feedback) tonal signals. Oscillations that are only present in one of the microphone signals, in contrast, are feedback-conditioned and are suppressed using suitable measures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Volker Hohmann, Volkmar Hamacher, Inga Holube, Birger Kollmeier, Thomas Wittkop
  • Publication number: 20050147266
    Abstract: Concurrent signal paths going pass a hearing aid bring about interferences in the auditory canal. These interferences are compensated by estimating an interfering signal from the input signal disturbed by interference from a microphone and applying to the interfering signal a transfer function, with which the concurrent acoustic signal path is simulated, thereby forming an interfering output signal, and combining a usable output signal from a signal-processing device with the interfering output signal. In this way, a noise suppression by directional microphone switching configurations can be made possible when concurrent signal paths do not make such directional microphone switching possible by conventional approaches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Publication date: July 7, 2005
    Inventors: Joachim Eggers, Volkmar Hamacher
  • Publication number: 20050036629
    Abstract: A method and device are provided for the interference elimination of a redundant acoustic input signal of an acoustic reproducing device, such as a mobile phone or a hearing aid, according to which the interference is concentrated in a partial frequency range of a total frequency range of the input signal. The present invention seeks to improve the sound quality of an acoustic output signal produced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2002
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventors: Roland Aubauer, Volkmar Hamacher, Stefano Klinke
  • Publication number: 20050008166
    Abstract: For improving the directionality of a hearing aid having a microphone system formed by two or more microphones without in the process creating an increase in the microphone noise that the hearing aid wearer finds to be disturbing, the microphone system is adjusted statically or adaptively taking into account the individual rest hearing threshold and/or taking into account the individual masking threshold for the microphone noise that is produced by the microphone system. The greatest possible extent of directionality thus can be allowed, without the hearing aid wearer in the process finding the microphone noise that is produced by the microphone system to be disturbing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Eghart Fischer, Volkmar Hamacher
  • Publication number: 20040213424
    Abstract: An adjustment of hearing device systems is achieved by an interactive adaptation that is undertaken during the operation. A classifier recognizes various auditory situations and starts interactive adaptation procedures, in the framework of which various settings are to be evaluated. Only settings that fit the auditory situation are thereby offered. As a result of the evaluations, an optimal hearing aid settings results for the respective auditory situation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Inventors: Volkmar Hamacher, Matthias Wesselkamp
  • Publication number: 20040136541
    Abstract: For a hearing-impaired person provided with a hearing aid device with which sound acquisition ensues outside of the auditory canals of the person, the localization capability with regard to a signal source is lost. To compensate the information loss that occurs due to the acquisition of an acoustic signal outside of the auditory canals, in the signal processing in the hearing aid device of an acoustic input signal acquired by at least one microphone of the hearing aid device, the transfer function of the head or of the external ear is taken into account between the position at which the microphone is located and a position in the auditory canal of the hearing device user. The natural location capability of a person to localize a signal source in space thus is not lost given treatment with a hearing aid device that is not worn in the auditory canal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Inventors: Volkmar Hamacher, Torsten Niederdrank
  • Publication number: 20040066945
    Abstract: The correct recognition of the auditory situation “television” often poses a problem for hearing aid devices with automatic situation recognition, since a plurality of real situations are simulated by the television audio signal. To correctly recognize the situation “television”, the invention therefore provides to detect a line signal with a particular line signal frequency output by the television device, and given the existence of such a line signal to automatically implement the auditory situation “television”.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2003
    Publication date: April 8, 2004
    Inventors: Eghart Fischer, Volkmar Hamacher, Thomas Hies, Thomas Hopf, Frank Wagner
  • Publication number: 20040001598
    Abstract: An adaptive differential microphone array method comprises receiving a signal, estimating a measured signal spectral covariance matrix of the signal, and estimating a direction of arrival of the signal based on the measured signal spectral covariance matrix of the signal. The method further comprises determining a fractional delay, and applying a differential microphone array filter to the signal based on the direction of arrival and the fractional delay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2003
    Publication date: January 1, 2004
    Inventors: Radu Victor Balan, Justinian Rosca, Liang Hong, Volkmar Hamacher, Eghart Fischer
  • Publication number: 20030072465
    Abstract: A hearing aid is provided that avoids disturbing acoustic effects caused by on, off, or switchover events. The signal processing in the hearing aid is switched in sliding fashion from a first operating condition into a second operating condition. According to the invention, both operating conditions are simultaneously present in the hearing aid during the switching event. The sliding transition ensues by a parallel signal processing in at least two signal paths of the hearing aid, whereby a signal that results from the first operating condition and a signal that results from the second operating condition are added in changing weighting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2002
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Inventors: Eghart Fischer, Volkmar Hamacher
  • Publication number: 20020176594
    Abstract: For reducing feedback-conditioned oscillations in a hearing aid device, microphone signals of a first microphone and of a distanced, second microphone are compared to one another. When oscillations are detected at the same frequency in both microphone signals, these oscillations are determined to be useful (non-feedback) tonal signals. Oscillations that are only present in one of the microphone signals, in contrast, are feedback-conditioned and are suppressed using suitable measures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Publication date: November 28, 2002
    Inventors: Volker Hohmann, Volkmar Hamacher, Inga Holube, Birger Kollmeier, Thomas Wittkop