Hearing Aids, Electrical Patents (Class 381/312)
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Patent number: 11955133Abstract: Disclosed is an audio signal processing method implemented by an audio system with internal and external sensors. The internal sensor measures acoustic signals propogating internally to a user's head. The external sensor measures acoustic signals propagating externally to the user's head. The method includes: producing first and second audio signals by measuring simultaneously acoustic signals reaching the internal and external sensors, respectively; filtering the second audio signal by a noise matching filter matching a second noise signal affecting the second audio signal with a first noise signal affecting the first audio signal, wherein the first noise signal and the second noise signal correspond to a same noise acoustic signal originating outside the user's head and measured by respectively the internal and external sensors, thereby producing a filtered second audio signal including a matched second noise signal; and mixing the filtered second audio signal and the first audio signal.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2022Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: Analog Devices International Unlimited CompanyInventors: Stijn Robben, Charles Fox
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Patent number: 11937049Abstract: A hearing device comprises an input transducer; a signal processor; an output transducer; a transceiver configured for wireless data communication, an antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna coupled to the transceiver, and a module. The module comprises a transceiver interface coupled to the transceiver, an antenna interface coupled to the antenna, a transmission path configured for sending signals from the transceiver to the antenna, the transmission path comprising a transmission amplifier, a reception path configured for sending signals from the antenna to the transceiver, the reception path comprising a reception amplifier, and a bypass path configured for sending signals between the transceiver and antenna by bypassing the transmission path and the reception path.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2022Date of Patent: March 19, 2024Assignee: GN HEARING 2 A/SInventors: Hans Erik Gram, Birol Akdeniz, Kim Fälling Andersen
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Patent number: 11882412Abstract: A hearing system includes a hearing device, the hearing device comprising: an input module for providing a first input signal, the input module comprising a first microphone; a processor for processing the first input signal and providing a processor output signal based on the first input signal; and a receiver for providing an audio output signal based on the processor output signal; wherein the hearing system is configured to obtain a user input indicative of a change from a first primary setting to a first secondary setting of the hearing device, and wherein the hearing device, upon a detection of the change from the first primary setting to the first secondary setting, is configured to output a secondary audio output signal according to the first secondary setting.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2021Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: GN HEARING A/SInventors: Qi Yang, Greg Olsen, Shira Hahn, Bill Chang
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Patent number: 11877122Abstract: A hearing aid with wireless transmission function is disclosed, comprising a microphone for receiving an ambient sound and outputting it to an audio processing and hearing compensation module; the audio processing and hearing compensation module for processing the sound, amplifying and compressing the sound according to preset hearing compensation parameters, and outputting a processed sound signal to a sound generator (a loudspeaker); and functional control keys for adjusting land controlling various functions, such as adjusting volume, selecting listening program, answering phone, and turning on/off the disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: January 21, 2020Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Inventor: Zhengdong Huang
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Patent number: 11871182Abstract: A sound processor comprises one or more electrical signal outputs configured to generate a plurality of electrical signals. The plurality of electrical signals are generated in specific tuned audio frequency bands in respective audio channels, in response to sound information received at the sound processor in the specific tuned audio frequency bands. The sound processor further comprises a transmitter coupled to the one or more electrical signal outputs for transmission of the plurality of electrical signals. The transmitter is configured to transmit the electrical signal in the respective audio channel over a separate respective transcutaneous communication link.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2021Date of Patent: January 9, 2024Assignee: Hemideina Pty LtdInventors: Toby McSweeney, Kathryn Lomas
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Patent number: 11862147Abstract: A system for providing information to a user includes and/or interfaces with a set of models and/or algorithms. Additionally or alternatively, the system can include and/or interface with any or all of: a processing subsystem; a sensory output device; a user device; an audio input device; and/or any other components. A method for providing information to a user includes and/or interfaces with: receiving a set of inputs; processing the set of inputs to determine a set of sensory outputs; and providing the set of sensory outputs.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: NeoSensory, Inc.Inventors: Oleksii Abramenko, Kaan Donbekci, Michael V. Perrotta, Scott Novich, Kathleen W. McMahon, David M. Eagleman
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Patent number: 11843917Abstract: A hearing aid configured to be worn at, and/or in, an ear of a user, comprises a forward path for processing sound from the environment of the user.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2022Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: Oticon A/SInventors: Thomas Behrens, Michael Syskind Pedersen, Meng Guo
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Patent number: 11832064Abstract: The disclosure relates to a hearing device comprising a housing configured to be at least partially inserted into an ear canal of a user, the housing having an opening leading to an interior space enclosed by the housing; a slidable member moveable relative to the opening between different positions including a first position and a second position; an actuator configured to actuate the movement of the slidable member forth from the first position to the second position, and back from the second position to the first position; and a controller configured to control the actuator. The disclosure further relates to a hearing system comprising the hearing device and a stationary device, and a method of operating the hearing device.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2022Date of Patent: November 28, 2023Assignee: Sonova AGInventors: Erwin Kuipers, Manuel Weibel
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Patent number: 11825274Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an electronic module for a hearing device. The electronic module comprises at least one electronic component for a hearing device and an embedding material covering the electronic component. The electronic component comprises at least one restricted area which is free from the embedding material. The restricted area is surrounded at least partially by a zone and the zone is covered by an attaching material. The attaching material covering the zone has a mold part formed by molding and freely formed edge facing the restricted area.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2022Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: Oticon A/SInventors: Troels Holm Pedersen, Søren Wichmann, Dennis Presutti
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Patent number: 11812223Abstract: A method, comprising receiving at least one sound at an electronic device. The at least one sound is enhanced for the at least one user based on a compound metric. The compound metric is calculated using at least two sound metrics selected from an engineering metric, a perceptual metric, and a physiological metric. The engineering metric comprises a difference between an output signal and a desired signal. At least one of the perceptual metric and the physiological metric is based at least in part on input sensed from the at least one user in response to the received at least one sound.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2022Date of Patent: November 7, 2023Assignee: STARKEY LABORATORIES, INC.Inventors: Joao Felipe Santos, Tao Zhang, Yan Zhao, Buye Xu, Ritwik Giri
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Patent number: 11778395Abstract: There is presented an in-the-ear hearing aid comprising a faceplate, an ear shell, such as a custom ear shell, and a battery, wherein the battery is fixed to the ear shell and furthermore a method for providing an in-the-ear hearing aid, said method comprising obtaining data, such as three-dimensional data, representative of a shape and/or size of an ear canal of a specific person, such as the part of an ear canal extending at least partially from the outer ear to the middle ear, establishing a digital model of the ear shell, such as the custom ear shell, of the hearing aid for said ear canal based on said data, wherein said providing includes determining a position and/or orientation of a battery in said ear shell, which position and/or orientation increases or maximizes a distance from the outer ear to the faceplate.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2022Date of Patent: October 3, 2023Assignee: Oticon A/SInventor: Poul Henriksen
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Patent number: 11776558Abstract: An exemplary system includes a processor communicatively coupled to a memory and configured to execute instructions to generate a modified audiogram for a user of a hearing device. The modified audiogram may be based on a frequency lowering scheme that maps at least some audio frequencies included in a first set of audio frequencies to relatively lower audio frequencies to form a second set of audio frequencies. The modified audiogram may indicate a set of modified hearing thresholds of the user at the first set of audio frequencies. The generating of the modified audiogram may include applying an inverse of the frequency lowering scheme to the set of modified hearing thresholds at the second set of audio frequencies to obtain the set of modified hearing thresholds of the modified audiogram at the first set of audio frequencies.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2022Date of Patent: October 3, 2023Assignee: Sonova AGInventors: Ullrich Sigwanz, Robert Baur
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Patent number: 11758326Abstract: A media system comprises one or more non-wearable playback devices, a gateway device, and a wearable playback device. The one or more non-wearable playback devices are configured to receive media content and to play the media content in synchrony with one another. The gateway device is commutatively coupled with at least one of the non-wearable playback devices and is configured to receive the media content. The wearable playback device comprises a microphone and a transducer and is commutatively coupled to the gateway device. The wearable playback device is configured to receive the media content and to simultaneously play ambient audio received via the microphone and the media content via the transducer while the one or more non-wearable playback devices play the media content.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2021Date of Patent: September 12, 2023Assignee: Sonos, Inc.Inventors: Alexia Delhoume, Brian Roberts, Elizabeth Dolman
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Patent number: 11736868Abstract: A method performed by a hearing device comprising a first housing, a microphone, a speaker, and a first control system configured to control an active vent, the active vent comprising a vent canal and a valve member configured to block the vent canal when the active vent is in the closed state, and to allow passage of air through the vent canal when the active vent is in the open state, comprising: emitting an acoustic signal from the speaker; measuring a first transfer function of an acoustic feedback path between the speaker and the microphone when the active vent is expected to be in the open state; measuring a second transfer function of the acoustic feedback path when the active vent is expected to be in the closed state; and determining a status of the active vent based at least on the first and second measured transfer functions.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2021Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: GN HEARING A/SInventors: Theodorus Geradus Maria Brouwer, Aart Zeger Van Halteren, Andreas Tiefenau
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Patent number: 11736873Abstract: A method for a wireless personal communication using a hearing system with a hearing device comprises: monitoring and analyzing the user's acoustic environment by the hearing device to recognize one or more speaking persons based on content-independent speaker voiceprints saved in the hearing system; and presenting a user interface to the user for notifying the user about a recognized speaking person and for establishing, joining or leaving a wireless personal communication connection between the hearing device and one or more communication devices used by the one or more recognized speaking persons.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2021Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: Sonova AGInventors: Arnaud Brielmann, Amre El-Hoiydi
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Patent number: 11716568Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure set forth a system that includes an audio system module. The audio system module includes a speaker, a connector, and one or more processing units. The one or more processing units are configured to detect a second audio system module connected to the connector; determine a network map of audio system modules, wherein the network map comprises at least the first audio system module and the second audio system module; determine a mode of operation based on the network map; receive an audio signal; and via the speaker, output audio corresponding to the audio signal based on the mode of operation.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2021Date of Patent: August 1, 2023Assignee: Harman International Industries, IncorporatedInventor: Hussnain Ali
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Patent number: 11689876Abstract: A method includes providing, for each respective audio channel of a plurality of audio channels provided by an operating system of a computing device, a set of successive audio processing stages to apply to the respective audio channel. The method also includes providing, by the operating system, an application programming interface (API) configured to set a plurality of parameters for adjusting the set of successive audio processing stages for each respective audio channel. The method additionally includes receiving, via the API and from an application running on the computing device, one or more values for one or more parameters of the plurality of parameters. The method further includes adjusting, by the operating system, the plurality of audio channels based on the received one or more values for the one or more parameters.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2021Date of Patent: June 27, 2023Assignee: Google LLCInventors: Ricardo Antonio Garcia, Brian Kemler, Justin Wooyoung Lee, Richard Francis Lyon, Malcolm Graham Slaney
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Patent number: 11671755Abstract: Wind noise reduction in microphone signals. A first microphone signal is obtained from a first omnidirectional microphone and, contemporaneously, a second microphone signal is obtained from a second omnidirectional microphone. The first and second microphone signals are mixed to produce an output signal. Mixing involves weighting the first and second microphone signals by respective first and second signal weights to produce respective first and second weighted microphone signals, and summing the first and second weighted microphone signals together to produce the output signal. The first and second signal weights are calculated to minimize the power of the output signal.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2018Date of Patent: June 6, 2023Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventor: Henry Chen
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Patent number: 11653154Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a hearing device having a microphone, where most of the microphone is shielded by an outer shielding of the hearing device. An inlet in the outer shielding allows sound from outside the hearing aid to travel to the microphone to be picked up by it. However, the combination of the microphone and the inlet results in the microphone becoming more sensitive at some audible frequencies. A damping filter positioned in connection with the inlet acts to counter the acoustic effect of the inlet by damping sound in the audible frequency range, where the microphone has increased sensitivity.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2021Date of Patent: May 16, 2023Assignee: GN HEARING A/SInventors: Gojko Obradovic, Poul Rosenkilde Kristensen, Finn Hansen
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Patent number: 11638104Abstract: An ear-worn electronic device comprises a plurality of EEG sensors configured to sense EEG signals from or proximate a wearer's ear. At least one processor is configured to detect, during a baseline period of no wearer movement, EEG signals from the EEG sensors, and detect, during each of a plurality of candidate control movements by the wearer, EEG signals from the EEG sensors. The at least one processor is also configured to compute, using the EEG signals, discriminability metrics for the candidate control movements and the baseline period, the discriminability metrics indicating how discriminable neural signals associated with the candidate control movements and the baseline period are from one another. The at least one processor is further configured to select a subset of the candidate control movements using the discriminability metrics, each of the selected control movements defining a neural command for controlling the ear-worn electronic device by the wearer.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2021Date of Patent: April 25, 2023Assignee: Starkey Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Lauren Petley, Swapan Gandhi, Simon Carlile, Sahar Akram
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Patent number: 11632634Abstract: Presented herein are techniques for extracting features from sound signals received at a hearing prosthesis at least partially based on an environmental classification of the sound signals. More specifically, one or more sound signals are received at a hearing prosthesis and are converted in to stimulation control signals for use in delivering stimulation to a recipient of the hearing prosthesis. The hearing prosthesis determines an environmental classification of the sound environment associated with the one or more sound signals and is configured to use the environmental classification in the determination of a feature-based adjustment for incorporation into the stimulation control signals.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2018Date of Patent: April 18, 2023Assignee: Cochlear LimitedInventors: Michael Goorevich, Matthew Brown, Andrew Vandali
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Patent number: 11596793Abstract: A method, including the action of operating a sense prosthesis, such as a retinal implant, according to a first operating regime while the recipient has a first fatigue level, and operating the sense prosthesis according to a second operating regime while the recipient has a second fatigue level that is greater than the first fatigue level.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2020Date of Patent: March 7, 2023Assignee: Cochlear LimitedInventors: Sean Lineaweaver, John Michael Heasman
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Patent number: 11595763Abstract: Presented herein are techniques for monitoring the sensory outcome of a recipient of a sensory prosthesis in an ambient environment that includes one or more controllable network connected devices. The sensory outcome of the recipient in the environment is used to make operational changes to the one or more controllable network connected devices in order to create an improved environment for recipient.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2021Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: Cochlear LimitedInventors: Stephen Fung, Alexander von Brasch
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Patent number: 11589173Abstract: A hearing aid comprises a) an input transducer; b) an output transducer; c) an input buffer connected to the input transducer configured to store audio data representing one or more time segments of an electric input signal; d) an own voice detector for providing an own voice control signal, and e) a combiner allowing to insert audio data from the input buffer in a forward audio signal path. The hearing aid further comprises f) an input controller configured to control storage of a time segment of the electric input signal in dependence of said own voice control signal; and g) an output controller configured to select audio data from said one or more time segments of the electric input signal currently stored in the input buffer for insertion in the forward path in dependence of an output control signal originating from the user.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2021Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: OTICON A/SInventor: Lars Riemer
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Patent number: 11582562Abstract: A hearing system configured to be located at or in the head of a user, comprises a) at least two microphones providing at least two electric input signals, b) an own voice detector, c) access to a database (Ol, Hl) comprising c1) relative or absolute own voice transfer function(s), and corresponding c2) absolute or relative acoustic transfer functions for a multitude of test-persons, d) a processor connectable to the at least two microphones, to the own voice detector, and to the database. The processor is configured A) to estimate an own voice relative transfer function for sound from the user's mouth to at least one of the at least two microphones, and B) to estimate personalized relative or absolute head related acoustic transfer functions from at least one spatial location other than the user's mouth to at least one of the microphones of the hearing system in dependence of the estimated own voice relative transfer function(s) and the database (Ol, Hl).Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2020Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: Oticon A/SInventors: Jesper Jensen, Nels Hede Rohde, Thomas Bentsen, Michael Syskind Pedersen, Svend Oscar Petersen
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Patent number: 11553289Abstract: Disclosed herein, among other things, are systems and methods for a user adjustment interface using remote computing resources. Specifically, a system can include a mobile device in communication with a hearing assistance device or a remote server. The mobile device can interpret an acoustic environment and send information about the environment to a remote server. The remote server can determine and send information to the mobile device for use in a user interface. The mobile device can receive a user selection of hearing assistance parameter information to be sent to the hearing assistance device.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2020Date of Patent: January 10, 2023Assignee: Starkey Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Kelly Fitz, Kirk Klobe, David Haggerty
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Patent number: 11545170Abstract: An acoustic environment identification system is disclosed that can use neural networks to accurately identify environments. The acoustic environment identification system can use one or more convolutional neural networks to generate audio feature data. A recursive neural network can process the audio feature data to generate characterization data. The characterization data can be modified using a weighting system that weights signature data items. Classification neural networks can be used to generate a classification of an environment.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2020Date of Patent: January 3, 2023Assignee: Snap Inc.Inventors: Jinxi Guo, Jia Li, Ning Xu
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Patent number: 11528567Abstract: A hearing prosthesis, the hearing prosthesis including a plurality of sound capture devices and a determinator configured to generate a parameter indicative of an orientation of the plurality of sound capture devices relative to a reference, wherein the hearing prosthesis is configured to adjust a direction of focus of the hearing prosthesis based on at least the parameter.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2018Date of Patent: December 13, 2022Assignee: Cochlear LimitedInventors: Oliver Ridler, Martin James Cosenza
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Patent number: 11523244Abstract: A system including an audio source device having a first microphone and a first speaker for directing sound into an environment in which the audio source device is located and a wireless audio receiver device having a second microphone and a second speaker for directing sound into a user's ear. The audio source device is configured to 1) capture, using the first microphone, speech of the user as a first audio signal, 2) reduce noise in the first audio signal to produce a speech signal, and 3) drive the first speaker with the speech signal. The wireless audio receiver device is configured to 1) capture, using the second microphone, a reproduction of the speech produced by the first speaker as a second audio signal and 2) drive the second speaker with the second audio signal to output the reproduction of the speech.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2020Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Paul Meade, Christopher T. Eubank, Neal D. Evans, Nikolas T. Vitt
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Patent number: 11516601Abstract: A hearing assistance device is discussed that has one or more accelerometers, a user interface, and optionally a left/right determination module is configured to receive input data from the one or more accelerometers from user actions causing control signals as sensed by the accelerometers to trigger a program change for an audio configuration for the device selected from a group consisting of a change in amplification/volume control, a change in a mute mode, a change of a hear loss profile loaded into that hearing assistance device, and a change in a play-pause mode.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2020Date of Patent: November 29, 2022Assignee: Eargo, Inc.Inventors: Jonathan Sarjeant Aase, Jeffrey Baker, Beau Polinske, Gints Valdis Klimanis
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Patent number: 11463820Abstract: A hearing aid comprises a forward path comprising a) at least two input transducers, each for picking up sound from the environment of the hearing aid and providing respective at least two electric input signals; b) a beamformer filter for filtering said at least two electric input signals or signals originating therefrom and providing a spatially filtered signal; c) a signal processor for processing one or more of said electric input signals or one or more signals originating therefrom, and providing one or more processed signals based thereon; and d) an output transducer for generating stimuli perceivable by the user as sound based on said one or more processed signals.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2020Date of Patent: October 4, 2022Assignee: Oticon A/SInventors: Anders Højsgaard Thomsen, Steen Michael Munk, Anders Meng
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Patent number: 11463822Abstract: A hearing assistive device including an audio processing circuit with an analog-to-digital converter having an integrator integrating a voltage present in the summation point; a comparator comparing an output from the integrator with a reference voltage (Vref) and outputting a logical level in accordance with the comparison; a feedback loop coupling a feedback signal back to the summation point; and a reference voltage generation circuit being adapted to provide the reference voltage (Vref) being lower than a power supply voltage (Vbattery) and following the decay of the power supply voltage (Vbattery) with a predefined margin.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2019Date of Patent: October 4, 2022Assignee: Widex A/SInventor: Niels Ole Knudsen
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Patent number: 11438718Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an electronic module for a hearing device. The electronic module comprises at least one electronic component for a hearing device and an embedding material covering the electronic component. The electronic component comprises at least one restricted area which is free from the embedding material. The restricted area is surrounded at least partially by a zone and the zone is covered by an attaching material. The attaching material covering the zone has a mold part formed by molding and freely formed edge facing the restricted area.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2020Date of Patent: September 6, 2022Assignee: OTICON A/SInventors: Troels Holm Pedersen, Søren Wichmann, Dennis Presutti
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Patent number: 11438697Abstract: A system may include a digital delta-sigma modulator configured to receive a digital audio input signal and quantize the digital audio input signal into a quantized signal, a filter configured to receive the quantized signal and perform filtering on the quantized signal to generate a filtered quantized signal, the filter having a variable group delay, and a current-mode digital-to-analog converter configured to receive the filtered quantized signal and convert the filtered quantized signal into an equivalent current-mode analog audio signal.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2019Date of Patent: September 6, 2022Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventors: John L. Melanson, Wai-Shun Shum, Leyi Yin
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Patent number: 11425510Abstract: A first hearing device is assigned to a first user and a second hearing device is assigned to another, second user. The first hearing device emits a first acoustic ID of a voice of the first user as a coupling request. The second hearing device receives the first acoustic ID and compares the first acoustic ID with a second acoustic ID. If the first acoustic ID matches the second acoustic ID the second hearing device emits a coupling acceptance so that the first hearing device is coupled with the second hearing device for exchanging data between these two hearing devices. There is also described a corresponding hearing device for carrying out the method.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2020Date of Patent: August 23, 2022Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd.Inventor: Umut Goekay
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Patent number: 11418897Abstract: An apparatus includes a housing configured to be positioned within an ear canal of a recipient, at least one transducer, and at least one communication circuit. The at least one transducer is configured to respond to sound within the ear canal by generating output signals indicative of the sound. The at least one communication circuit has at least one resonance frequency and is configured to receive the output signals from the at least one transducer and to modulate the at least one resonance frequency in response to the output signals from the at least one transducer.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2019Date of Patent: August 16, 2022Assignee: Cochlear LimitedInventors: Kenneth Oplinger, Sören Nilsson
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Patent number: 11412332Abstract: An exemplary system comprises a first and second hearing device associated with a first and second ear of a user, respectively. The first hearing device is configured to detect a first audio signal representative of audio content, generate a first intermediate signal representation (ISR) corresponding to the first audio signal, the first ISR comprising a sparsely-encoded non-audio signal having a complexity measure that is below a threshold, and transmit the first ISR to the second hearing device. The second hearing device is configured to detect a second audio signal representative of the audio content, generate a second ISR corresponding to the second audio signal, and transmit the second ISR to the first hearing device. The first hearing device is further configured to generate, based on the first and second ISRs, an output audio signal, and provide the output audio signal to the first ear of the user.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2020Date of Patent: August 9, 2022Assignee: Sonova AGInventors: Manuel Christoph Kohl, Joachim Thiemann, Raphael S. Koning, Josef Chalupper
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Patent number: 11412333Abstract: In an audio signal, one or more processing circuits recognize spoken content in a user's own speech signal using speech recognition and natural language understanding. The spoken content describes a listening difficulty of the user. The one or more processing circuits generate, based on the spoken content, one or more actions for hearing devices and feedback for the user. The one or more actions attempt to resolve the listening difficulty. Additionally, the one or more processing circuits convert the user feedback to verbal feedback using speech synthesis and transmit the one or more actions and the verbal feedback to the hearing devices via a body-worn device. The hearing devices are configured to perform the one or more actions and play back the verbal feedback to the user.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2018Date of Patent: August 9, 2022Assignee: Starkey Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Tao Zhang, Eric Durant, Dean G. Meyer, Martin McKinney, Matthew D. Kleffner, Dominic Perz, Karrie Recker
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Patent number: 11405733Abstract: A system, including a signal input, a processor a signal output, wherein the processor is configured to generate an instruction related to data related to a recipient of a sensory prosthesis based on input into the signal input, and the signal output is configured to output data indicative of the instruction.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2018Date of Patent: August 2, 2022Assignee: Cochlear LimitedInventors: Kenneth Oplinger, Rowan Christopher Page
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Patent number: 11405732Abstract: A hearing assistance device which is worn by the user and which can suppress the voices produced by the user wearing the hearing assistance device is provided. When the user wears the hearing assistance device 1, a pair of microphones is separated and positioned on both sides of a head of the user and a pair of speakers is separated and positioned on both ears of the user or positioned near the ears and which emits sound. The hearing assistance device includes a noise canceller 96 which subtracts a signal processed by a mouth directivity sound processor 93 from the input signal from at least one of the microphones L and R, in which the mouth directivity sound processor 93 emphasizes voice produced from a sound source positioned at a mouth of the user.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2019Date of Patent: August 2, 2022Assignees: CEAR, INC., FREECLE INC.Inventors: Yasushi Honda, Yoshitaka Murayama, Sosuke Kubo, Taichi Sekiguchi
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Patent number: 11399241Abstract: A device is provided. The device includes an antenna for communicating with one or more hearing aids. The device further comprises a coil for receiving a wireless signal. The device comprises a first ground plane connected to the antenna. The device comprises a second ground plane connected to the coil. The first ground plane and the second ground plane are decoupled via a decoupling element so that noise from one ground plane does not propagate to the other ground plane at certain frequencies.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2020Date of Patent: July 26, 2022Assignee: Oticon A/SInventor: Jens Troelsen
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Patent number: 11374796Abstract: According to one general aspect, a method may include estimating a combined channel. The method may include estimating a channel correlation based, at least in part upon a measurement of a combined channel for a current beam sweeping interval and a previous beam sweeping interval. The method may include recovering a current channel by employing a compressive sensing-based channel recovery employing estimated channel correlation, a previous measurement, and a current measurement.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2020Date of Patent: June 28, 2022Inventors: Yanru Tang, Hongbing Cheng
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Patent number: 11368798Abstract: In a method for the environment-dependent operation of a hearing system values for a first plurality of environmental data of a first user of the hearing system are determined each time in a training phase for survey times, and the values of the environmental data for each of the survey times are used to form respectively a feature vector in an at least four-dimensional feature space. Each of the feature vectors is mapped respectively onto a corresponding representative vector in a maximum three-dimensional representation space, and a spatial distribution of a subgroup of representative vectors is used to define a first region in the representation space for a first environmental situation of the hearing system. A value of a setting for signal processing of the hearing system is specified for the first environmental situation, and the hearing system is operated with the value set in this way.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2020Date of Patent: June 21, 2022Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd.Inventors: Thomas Kuebert, Stefan Aschoff
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Patent number: 11363390Abstract: A method, comprising receiving at least one sound at an electronic device. The at least one sound is enhanced for the at least one user based on a compound metric. The compound metric is calculated using at least two sound metrics selected from an engineering metric, a perceptual metric, and a physiological metric. The engineering metric comprises a difference between an output signal and a desired signal. At least one of the perceptual metric and the physiological metric is based at least in part on input sensed from the at least one user in response to the received at least one sound.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2020Date of Patent: June 14, 2022Assignee: Starkey Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Joao Felipe Santos, Tao Zhang, Yan Zhao, Buye Xu, Ritwik Giri
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Patent number: 11361781Abstract: Method to perform dynamic beamforming to reduce SNR in signals captured by head-wearable apparatus starts with microphones generating acoustic signals. Microphones are coupled to first stem of the apparatus and to second stem of the apparatus. First and second beamformers generate first and second beamformer signals, respectively. Noise suppressor attenuates noise content from the first beamformer signal and the second beamformer signal. Noise content from first beamformer signal are acoustic signals not collocated in second beamformer signal and noise content from second beamformer signal are acoustic signals not collocated in first beamformer signal. Speech enhancer generates clean signal comprising speech content from first noise-suppressed signal and second noise-suppressed signal. Speech content are acoustic signals collocated in first beamformer signal and second beamformer signal.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2020Date of Patent: June 14, 2022Assignee: Snap Inc.Inventors: Michael Asfaw, Russell Douglas Patton, Patrick Timothy McSweeney Simons
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Patent number: 11343617Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a contact hearing system comprising: an ear tip including a transmit coil, wherein the transmit coil is connected to an audio processor, including an H Bridge circuit; a first input to the H Bridge circuit comprising an AND circuit wherein a first input to the AND circuit comprises a carrier signal and a second input to the AND circuit comprises an output of a delta sigma modulation circuit, wherein the delta sigma modulation circuit is a component of the audio processor; and a second input to the H Bridge circuit comprising an NAND circuit wherein a first input to the NAND circuit comprises a carrier signal and a second input to the NAND circuit comprises an output of the delta sigma modulation circuit.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2021Date of Patent: May 24, 2022Assignee: Earlens CorporationInventors: Lawrence W. Arne, Douglas Webb, Jeffrey Ward Tuttle, Konstadinos Hatzianestis
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Patent number: 11329501Abstract: A power supply apparatus wake-up circuit is provided. The power supply apparatus wake-up circuit includes a power consumption control circuit and a wake-up circuit connected to the power consumption control circuit. The power consumption control circuit includes a voltage regulation module and a protection circuit connected to the voltage regulation module. The voltage regulation module adjusts a voltage output to the protection circuit according to a sleep control signal. The protection circuit determines whether to trigger over-discharge protection according to an input voltage. The wake-up circuit includes a first switching device, and the wake-up circuit outputs a wake-up control signal to the protection circuit based on an operation of the first switching device by a user such that the protection circuit stops triggering the over-discharge protection.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2020Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: MERRY ELECTRONICS (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.Inventor: Guang Ning
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Patent number: 11330377Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for fitting a sound personalization algorithm using a two-dimensional (2D) graphical fitting interface. A calculated set of initial digital signal processing (DSP) parameters are determined for a given sound personalization algorithm, based on a user hearing profile. The initial DSP parameters are outputted to a 2D graphical fitting interface of an audio personalization application, wherein a first axis represents a level of coloration and a second axis represents a level of compression. A user input specifies a first 2D coordinate selected from a coordinate space presented by the 2D graphical fitting interface. A first set of refined DSP parameters is generated to apply a coloration and/or compression adjustment corresponding to the first 2D coordinate. The given sound personalization algorithm is parameterized with the first set of refined DSP parameters.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2021Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: Mimi Hearing Technologies GmbHInventors: Robert Pelzer, Nicholas R. Clark, Michael Hirsch
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Patent number: 11323809Abstract: A hearing device comprises basic modifiers adjustable by a user, each basic modifier having a range of basic modifier values selectable by the user and each basic modifier modifying a sound processing of the hearing device dependent on the respective basic modifier value. A method comprises: receiving a macro modifier value for a macro modifier, wherein the macro modifier is associated with a subset of the basic modifiers and wherein the macro modifier value is selected by the user from a macro modifier range; calculating, for each basic modifier in the subset, a basic modifier value, wherein the basic modifier value is calculated with a predefined function based on the macro modifier value; applying the calculated basic modifier values to the basic modifiers such that the sound processing of the hearing device is performed based on the basic modifiers adjusted with the calculated basic modifiers values.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2020Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: Sonova AGInventors: Nicola Hildebrand, Erich Crameri, Marius Beuchert
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Patent number: 11323826Abstract: A hearing aid service system includes an Internet enabled personal communication device and one or more hearing aids provided with respective transceivers for establishing a wireless connection, whereby the personal communication device becomes a gateway for the hearing aids to a remote server. Each hearing aid includes a processor controlling the operation of the hearing aid, and a memory containing program code for at least one add-on program for the operation of the hearing aid. The server manages user accounts for a plurality of hearing aid users, including managing subscription status for the add-on program. The server creates a subscription status change event for the account upon change of the subscription status for the at least one add-on program and sends a status change instruction to the hearing aids for enabling or disabling one or more of the add-on programs by using the communication device as gateway.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2018Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: Widex A/SInventors: Soren Erik Westermann, Svend Vitting Andersen, Anders Westergaard, Niels Erik Boelskift Maretti