Abstract: A method determines a frequency response of a hearing apparatus in any acoustic environment situation as well as an associated hearing apparatus. Here the frequency response of the hearing apparatus is determined in dependence on at least one preset, user-independent frequency response and at least one user-dependent frequency response. As a result, a frequency response is advantageously prespecified to the user of the hearing apparatus in any acoustic environment situation, said frequency response being individually matched to said wearer.

Abstract: A method provides time-dependent automatic acclimatization of at least one parameter of a hearing device, for example the volume, to a predeterminable target. In the method the speed of the automatic acclimatization is influenced by parameter changes made by a wearer of the hearing device himself. Advantageously this makes it possible to address the individual familiarizing phase and requirements of the wearer of the hearing device and finally to set an optimum parameter value.

Abstract: In hearing devices, more particularly in hearing aids, it is desirable to be able to design an earpiece for generating sound in the audible range which is as small as possible. Such an earpiece can then be worn comfortably on an ear or in an auditory canal. A sound transducer for the hearing device disclosed here may be formed as a micro-electromechanical system and the transducer enables generation of an acoustic signal with little distortion. Provision is made for a hearing device with a sound transducer, which has a field generation apparatus for generating an electric or magnetic field and an emission apparatus for generating sound. Here, the emission apparatus has a multiplicity of fingers that are penetrated by the field of the field generation apparatus, wherein the shape of the fingers can be changed by means of the field of the field generation apparatus in order to generate the sound.

Abstract: A binaural hearing apparatus has at least one left hearing device and at least one right hearing device. The apparatus further includes a first frequency distortion unit in the left hearing device, which distorts the frequency of an acoustic signal received by the left hearing device or a signal part of the received acoustic signal and a second frequency distortion unit in the right hearing device, which distorts the frequency of the acoustic signal received by the right hearing device or a signal part of the received acoustic signal, with the frequency distortions of the left and right hearing device being different. This is advantageous in that the subjective perception of superimposition artifacts by a hearing device wearer is reduced.

Abstract: A configuration and an associated method for the wireless transmission of data between hearing devices include an external unit which generates and emits a carrier signal, a first hearing device with a first transponder which modulates and back-scatters the carrier signal and a second hearing device with a second transponder which receives the carrier signal that is scattered backwards and forwards and modulated by the first transponder. The external unit is, for instance, a hearing device remote control. Advantageously, little or no additional energy is needed in the hearing device for the wireless data transmission. The energy for the supply of the first transponder is delivered by the carrier signal of the external unit.

Abstract: A method operates a hearing apparatus. The hearing apparatus contains a frequency separating filter characterized by a threshold frequency, which splits an input signal into a low-frequency signal component and a high-frequency signal component. The hearing apparatus further has a first device, which can be used to set the threshold frequency of the frequency separating filter so that artifacts in an output signal of the hearing apparatus are reduced.

Abstract: A device for acoustic analysis has a first hearing device with a first sound input and a first sound output and a second hearing device with a second sound input and a second sound output. The first hearing device is in acoustic communication with the second hearing device. The first hearing device can analyze the acoustic communication and output a corresponding result. Consequently, two hearing aids, for example, can test each other, and permit a user to check hearing devices and, in particular, hearing aids in a simple fashion without the hearing aid wearer having to visit an audiologist for the test.

Abstract: A method and an appropriate acoustic signal processing device estimate a set of linear predictive coding coefficients of a microphone signal using minimum mean-square error estimation with a codebook containing several predetermined sets of linear predictive coding coefficients. The method includes determining sums of weighted backward transition probabilities describing the transition probabilities between the predetermined sets of linear predictive coding coefficients. The backward transition probabilities are obtained from signal training data by mapping the signal training data to one set of the codebook and by determining relative frequencies of transitions between two of the sets of the codebook. Modelling the “memory” of the codebook has the advantage that the accuracy of estimating linear predictive coding coefficients is increased considerably also for speech components.

Abstract: A configuration and associated methods are used for detecting acoustic feedback in a hearing device. One embodiment contains a first feedback detection unit, which determines the probability of feedback, a second feedback detection unit, which determines a weighting factor, and an arithmetic unit, which multiplies the feedback probability by the weighting factor. As an alternative to determining the weighting factor, a threshold value may also be controlled. This offers the advantage of improved acoustic feedback detection by a combination of two different feedback detection methods.

Abstract: Shells of hearing devices, and in particular for hearing aids, are frequently manufactured using an RSM method and battery flaps are injection-molded. Problems arise frequently due to the varying error tolerances of the two processes when the battery compartment is locked into position on the shell. For this reason a hearing device with a shell, which has a battery opening and a battery flap, which is injection-molded from plastic, is provided for closing the battery opening. The hearing device also has a module which is likewise injection-molded from plastic, on which the battery flap is pivotally supported and which has a detent mechanism via which the battery flap locks into place detachably in a closed position to prevent a pivot movement. Since the injection-molded battery flap locks into position with the injection-molded module, the error tolerances of the shell, often produced by an RSM method, play no part.

Abstract: A hearing aid has a housing, a battery compartment, and a locking mechanism for the battery compartment. A shaft which is arranged on the housing or the battery compartment, and a slide having a hole which forms a fit with the shaft, such that the slide can be moved on the shaft in order to lock and unlock the battery compartment in the housing. The hole has a circular cross section, and the shaft has a cross section which is not a circle, with rotational symmetry when rotated through 360°/n, where n is an integer greater than 1. A battery compartment for a hearing aid has a locking mechanism such as this. Because a cross section of said shaft is different from the cross section of the hole in the battery compartment, the shaft is connected to the hole in the battery compartment only at a number of points. This ensures that the slide is held adequately on the shaft even in the event of a production tolerance on the one hand, while, on the other hand, the slide can move on the shaft with little resistance.

Abstract: A hearing aid configuration and an associated method provide wireless transmission of data between a hearing aid and an external unit. The external unit, for example a programming device, is worn with a lanyard around the neck of a hearing aid user. The configuration additionally contains at least one second antenna disposed in the lanyard and at least one third antenna arranged in the lanyard which is connected by an electric series circuit to the second antenna. The advantage of this is that the lanyard can be made long enough to be comfortable to wear and a sufficiently high receive signal of the wireless data transmission is still guaranteed in the external unit.

Abstract: A method and an associated hearing aid for loudness-based adjustment of the amplification of the hearing aid by presenting test signals of a predefinable level and predefinable frequency. Blind signals are presented before and between the test signals, but the blind signals are not taken into account for the adjustment of the amplification of the hearing aid at the predefinable level and predefinable frequency. A method for binaural loudness-based adjustment of the amplification of a left hearing aid and a right hearing aid is also specified. An advantage of the invention is that it is easier for a hearing aid wearer to rank the presented test signals in his individual loudness value system and to assess them accordingly.

Abstract: A hearing apparatus for adjusting a hearing aid and an associated method. The apparatus includes at least one hearing aid and at least one external unit which can exchange data with the hearing aid. It further includes a first memory unit in the external unit which stores a point in time and a hearing situation at which at least one predeterminable algorithm for signal processing is activated, an output unit in the external unit which outputs the stored points in time and hearing situations, an input unit in the external unit for entering a measure of evaluation which expresses the satisfaction of a hearing aid wearer with the activated algorithm, and a modification unit in the hearing aid for changing at least one parameter of the algorithm as a function of the measure of evaluation. The hearing aid user is able to evaluate and change the setting of their hearing aid retrospectively for specific hearing situations.

Abstract: An electronic component and, in particular, an external receiver of a hearing aid, are intended to be capable of being configured to be simpler and more robust. To this end, it is proposed that the electronic apparatus, which has an electronic component and a cable which is connected to the electronic component, is equipped with a first sleeve which is arranged around a part of the electronic component and a part of the cable and mechanically connects the two, and a second sleeve, which surrounds another part of the electronic component. The first sleeve and the second sleeve are coaxially directly connected to one another such that both sleeves together also completely surround the electronic component in the axial direction. The two sleeves can possibly be connected to one another by laser welding.

Abstract: The goal is to make insertion of a hearing apparatus in an ear more comfortable, in particular with respect to feedback whistling. A method for operating a hearing apparatus by amplifying an input sound to form an output sound and compensating by a predefined amount for feedback caused by the output sound is therefore provided. In a predetermined period after switching on the hearing apparatus, the amount of feedback compensation is automatically increased by an offset greater than zero compared with the predefined amount. By way of example, amplified feedback, which is caused by a hand when inserting the hearing apparatus or hearing aid into the ear, can be better compensated thereby. Feedback whistling when inserting a hearing aid for example can thus be avoided.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a distance to an eardrum has an optical sensor and a signal-processing device. The optical sensor acquires an image of the eardrum and the signal-processing device determines an area or separation extending perpendicular to the spacing distance to be measured in the image and determines the spacing distance to the eardrum as a function of the determined area or separation. A corresponding method includes the steps of acquiring an image of the eardrum, determining an area or separation extending perpendicular to the distance to be measured in the image, and determining the distance as a function of the determined area or separation. A projection image may be projected onto or into a vicinity of the eardrum and then the distance can be determined from the separation between the projection image and the eardrum or the image center of the image.

Abstract: The aim is to improve the adjustment of the directional characteristic of a hearing apparatus, and in particular of a hearing aid. A method is therefore provided in which a microphone signal having a plurality of frequency bands is derived from an input sound being obtained by a microphone system containing at least two microphones. A characteristic of the microphone signal is then determined, for example the level. The directional characteristic of the microphone system is adjusted in dependence on the determined characteristic of the microphone signal. In order to adjust the directional characteristic, two or more frequency bands are combined in dependence on the determined characteristic of the microphone signal. Alternatively, one of the microphones can also be attenuated, thus deliberately reducing the directionality of the directional microphone.

Abstract: A novel system prevents surrounding sound to enter through a hearing apparatus, for instance through a ventilation opening, and reach an eardrum of the wearer in the form of interference sound. Contrary to auditory accessories designed especially to protect against noise, it is not possible for many hearing apparatus to compensate for such an interference sound by means of active noise cancellation. The hearing apparatuses do not have the special components needed. No compensation sound signal can therefore form with a correct phase. In accordance with the invention, a compensation sound is only generated for a relatively narrow spectral band. This spectral band is determined as a function of a hearing ability of the wearer of the hearing apparatus and/or as a function of a spectral distribution of the energy of the interference sound or a sound producing the interference sound. The improvement is particularly suited to compensating for an interference sound in a hearing device.

Abstract: It is desirable for the production of workpieces, which are sometimes produced by a rapid prototyping method, to be further automatable. To this end a device is provided having a laser for generating a laser beam in order to set a material, and a workpiece support which can be exposed directly to the laser. There is also provided an optical instrument for redirecting and deviating the laser beam so that the workpiece support can also be exposed indirectly to the laser. Material can therefore also be cured more easily in undercuts of workpiece blanks.