Abstract: A hearing system for improving intelligibility during the holding of a telephone conversation, includes a receiving device for receiving a first signal having first acoustic information and converting the first signal into electrical signals having the first acoustic information, a signal processing device for processing the electrical signals having the first acoustic information into electrical signals having second acoustic information, and an output device for outputting a second signal having the second acoustic information. A method for improving intelligibility during the holding of a telephone conversation using a hearing system is also provided.

Abstract: An electronic unit has a circuit board that is integrated into an injection molded circuit carrier. A hearing aid is provided with such an electronic unit. In order to reduce the complexity and size of an electronic unit with an injection molded circuit carrier and a circuit board, the circuit board is integrated into the injection molded circuit carrier by introducing the circuit board into the plastic mold such that the surface of a first side of the circuit board lies within the plastic mold and the surface of a second side of the circuit board is substantially flush with the surface of the plastic mold. At least one conductive track of the circuit board is electrically conductively connected to at least one conductive track of the injection molded circuit carrier.

Abstract: A hearing aid device has a directional microphone system with a first microphone outputting a first microphone signal and a second microphone outputting a second microphone signal. A delay unit generates a directivity by delaying the second microphone signal or a fourth microphone signal derived therefrom by an internal time delay and associating it with the first microphone signal or a third microphone signal derived therefrom for generating a directional microphone signal. A cross-correlation analysis unit receives the first or the third microphone signal and the second or the fourth microphone signal and determines a value of a cross correlation of the two microphone signals. A control unit adjusting the time delay depending on the value of the cross correlation of the two microphone signals. A classifier determines audio conditions in which the hearing aid device is currently situated, and the time delay is adjusted depending on the audio conditions.

Abstract: A method and device for frequency compression of audio signals to reduce the occurrence of artifacts. A component of the audio signal having a plurality of frequency channels is shifted from a first frequency channel into a second frequency channel. A dominant instantaneous frequency is determined in the first frequency channel. During shifting or mapping, first the entire first frequency channel, including the dominant instantaneous frequency, is shifted or mapped into the second frequency channel, wherein the dominant instantaneous frequency obtains an intermediate frequency position. A final frequency position for the dominant instantaneous frequency is determined using a predefined compression characteristic in the second frequency channel, starting from the frequency position of the dominant instantaneous frequency in the first frequency channel. Finally, the dominant instantaneous frequency is shifted or mapped from the intermediate frequency position to the final frequency position.

Abstract: A hearing apparatus includes a sound tube with a tube-side coupling element and an earpiece with an earpiece-side coupling element. The tube-side coupling element and the earpiece-side coupling element can be reversibly coupled. The tube-side coupling element has a tube-side pressure canal and the earpiece-side coupling element has an earpiece-side pressure canal, which form a coupled pressure canal in a coupled state of the coupling elements. The tube-side coupling element or the earpiece-side coupling element is supported by at least one pressure element which improves air-tightness of the coupled pressure canal. A coupling element and a hearing device are also provided.

Abstract: A hearing instrument system with a rechargeable battery or accumulator is optimized for everyday use, in particular for EOL detection, and the performance and service life of the accumulator. A hearing instrument, an accumulator system, and a charging system each have an energy transfer interface and a communication interface. The energy transfer interface and communication interface on the accumulator side can establish an energy transfer link and/or communication link on the charge and hearing instrument side. The accumulator system provides energy to the hearing instrument and transmits state of charge information generated by an accumulator control facility to the hearing instrument by way of the respective communication link. The transmission of the state of charge information enables a reliable state of charge detection in the case of batteries, whose state of charge cannot be identified on their voltage, for instance Li-ion systems with closed-loop controlled voltage.

Abstract: A method performs synchronous access between a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device adopts N frequency hopping channels and performs frequency hopping in a predetermined frequency hopping sequence and at a predetermined frequency hopping time interval. The first communication device sends a broadcast beacon over the N frequency hopping channels with a cycle of M times the predetermined frequency hopping time interval. The broadcast beacon carries general information including synchronization information. M and N are both natural numbers. The second communication device receives the broadcast beacon over any one frequency hopping channel of the N frequency hopping channels to acquire the synchronization information. The second communication device exchanges information with the first communication device for access.

Abstract: An ear canal tip for a hearing instrument comprises a series of slits in the ear canal tip surface to allow the ear canal tip to conform to the shape of the ear canal when the ear canal tip is inserted into the ear canal.

Abstract: The sound pressure level at the eardrum may be determined by constructing an optimized model of the ear canal and then calculating the simulated sound pressure level at the eardrum. The model is obtained by comparing real-ear-to-coupler differences between the sound pressure level measured at a fixed distance from a hearing instrument and a simulation of the measurement, optimizing the model by varying the length and/or diameter of the canal model, repeating the simulation and determination of simulated real-ear-to-coupler difference until the differences between the measured and simulated values are minimized. The optimized real-ear-to-coupler difference at the eardrum may then be determined and in turn the sound pressure level at the eardrum may be calculated. The sound pressure level at the eardrum may then be used to acoustically fit the hearing instrument to the person.

Abstract: A method operates a hearing apparatus in which an operating parameter of the hearing apparatus is determined and smoothed by a filter. The smoothing includes, for each input value, to classify the input value in accordance with its association with a plurality of predetermined classes and increase a counter assigned to the respective class which is associated with the input value. The counter with the greatest counter value is determined and the operating parameter value assigned to the counter with the greatest counter value is output as an output variable of the filter.

Abstract: Hearing apparatuses, in particular hearing aids, have improved intelligibility. This is accomplished by a method for amplifying a speech signal for a hearing apparatus by detection of an input sound, determining an input level of the input sound and amplification of the input sound. A mean input level of the input sound is determined and it is established whether the input sound has a speech component. If not, the input signal is amplified in dependence on the input level in accordance with a predefined first amplification characteristic. However, if a speech component is found, the input signal is amplified in dependence on the input level in accordance with a predefined second amplification characteristic. The second amplification characteristic is formed in dependence on the mean input level such that amplification is increased with respect to first amplification characteristic in a predefined level interval below the mean input level.

Abstract: A filter bank with a sufficiently high resolution for amplification and noise reduction and with the lowest possible computational complexity is provided for a hearing device and, in particular, for a hearing aid. Two-stage frequency transformation with little latency is therefore proposed for hearing aids. Some of the processing, for example the amplification, is carried out after high stopband attenuation in the first stage. An increased frequency resolution is achieved in a second stage before the back-transformation in the first stage, which is favorable for noise reduction, for example.

Abstract: High-quality adjustment of a hearing apparatus, and in particular of a hearing aid, is accelerated. In the adjusting method, a percentile analysis is carried out in order to obtain at least one frequency response of the hearing apparatus. Any discrepancy between the frequency response and an intended gain characteristic is determined. The setting of the hearing apparatus is then changed, such that the discrepancy is reduced. In order to check the effect of the setting change, a current frequency response after variation of the setting is determined by providing a constant noise signal or a single sinusoidal sweep at the input of the hearing apparatus and level measurement at the output. This frequency response measurement can be carried out as a second step considerably more quickly than the very precise percentile analysis at the start of the process.

Abstract: Artifacts are reduced during a frequency compression of an audio signal in a hearing device, in particular in a hearing aid. An amplitude information of a source channel is obtained, for example a spectral envelope, from several frequency channels of the audio signal. An amplitude corresponding to the amplitude information is then applied on a signal in a target channel of the several frequency channels, on which the source channel is represented during frequency compression.

Abstract: A method determines the classification of an audio signal in dependence on a comparison of two difference sums of audio features over time periods of different length. Thus, an adequately exact yet quickly reacting adaptation of the classification in changing hearing situations is ensured. The method is advantageously used in a hearing aid. The audio signal is processed in different ways on the basis of the classification.

Abstract: Multi-stage filter bank systems with filter banks of different bandwidth frequently cause interference in hearing apparatuses and in particular in hearing devices. Therefore a hearing apparatus is proposed with a filter bank system having a multi-stage analysis filter bank and/or a multi-stage synthesis filter bank, to break down an input signal of the hearing apparatus into a number of partial band signals by way of a number of filter bank channels and/or to recombine partial band signals of a number of filter bank channels. The filter bank system is equipped with at least one equalization filter, to equalize differences in the complex frequency responses between filter bank channels. It is thus possible in particular to equalize group delay time differences as well as attenuation and/or amplification.

Abstract: A hearing aid device suitable for executing a frequency compression is optimized to achieve a better assignment between channels of a source frequency range and channels of a target frequency range. A frequency range that can be transmitted by the hearing aid device is split into a number of frequency bands, after which a number of adjacent frequency bands are combined into at least one group of frequency bands and then one frequency band is selected from each group of frequency bands. The selected frequency bands are moved respectively into a target frequency band permanently assigned to the respective group. This prevents that a number of frequency bands from the source frequency range are shifted to the same target frequency band.

Abstract: A method determines a bias reduced noise and interference estimation in a binaural microphone configuration with a right and a left microphone signal at a time-frame with a target speaker active. The method includes a determination of the auto power spectral density estimate of the common noise formed of noise and interference components of the right and left microphone signals and a modification of the auto power spectral density estimate of the common noise by using an estimate of the magnitude squared coherence of the noise and interference components contained in the right and left microphone signals determined at a time frame without a target speaker active. An acoustic signal processing system and a hearing aid implement the method for determining the bias reduced noise and interference estimation. The noise reduction performance of speech enhancement algorithms is improved by the invention. Further, distortions of the target speech signal and residual noise and interference components are reduced.

Abstract: An ear piece is formed for insertion and placement in an external auditory canal. The ear piece has an inflatable which, when it is inflated, expands and braces against the walls of the auditory canal. When it is deflated, it may be withdrawn from the auditory canal. The ear piece may be used in connection with a hearing aid, an MP3 player, a cell phone, or the like. A pump is provided for inflating the balloon and a valve may be controlled for selectively deflating the balloon. The air intake to the pump is disposed so as to be protected against contamination from inside the auditory canal. For that purpose it is formed inside a housing the air inlet of which is as far outside the ear canal as possible. In the case of a behind-the-ear application, the intake opening is formed in the housing that is to be placed behind the user's ear.

Abstract: A method for beam-forming for a hearing aid system is disclosed. The hearing aid system has a left and a right hearing aid device for disposal on a head of a wearer. The hearing aid devices each have microphones for converting the sound into a left and a right input signal and also a signal processing device which receives the two input signals. In the method a number of different linear combinations of the left and the right input signal are provided, are assessed according to a predetermined signal criterion and, in dependence thereof, one of the linear combinations is selected as a beam signal.