Abstract: A communications system is configured to reduce the risk of feedback artifacts and contains a telephone device and a listening device. Accordingly, the communication system is thus provided, in which the signal processing in the telephone device is tuned to the listening device and the listening device is configured to process the voice and data signal inversely to the signal processing. Before the acoustic signal is transmitted from the telephone to the listening device, a frequency compression can thus be carried out, and in the listening device an inverse frequency compression can be carried out. This reduces feedback artifacts.

Abstract: A power-saving control of the receiver in hearing devices with wireless transmission to other devices is also to be possible without significant interferences. Provision is thus made in accordance with the invention for a hearing apparatus, in particular a hearing device, with a transmission facility for wireless data transmission in a main frequency band, a loudspeaker and a control facility for controlling the loudspeaker with a control signal, with the frequency spectrum of the control signal having a significant notch in the range of the main frequency band. A “noise-shaping” of this type can be achieved by pulse-density modulated receiver control signals.

Abstract: The production of a hearing aid housing shell or ear mold that can be worn in the ear should be simplified and improved. For this, a prefabricated component, such as a frame for holding an electronics module or a receiver adapter, is positioned in a rapid prototyping instrument. There, the component is integrated into the housing shell or ear mold by the subsequent production of the housing shell or ear mold. This avoids connecting the component to the housing shell or ear mold in a further method step after producing the housing shell or ear mold.

Abstract: A hearing apparatus that processes an audio signal by adaptive filtering operates efficiently. The hearing apparatus has a first stage transformation unit and at least two second stage transformation units. Each of the second stage transformation units splits the signal of one of the first stage channels through transformation onto sub-channels of the channel. A filter unit in each channel that has a second stage transformation unit filters the signal of the channel depending on weighting factors that are determined in each case for the sub-channels. The filter units are configured to exchange weighting factors among themselves, which means that only some of the weighting factors actually need to be calculated.

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: A device and a method reduce direction dependent spatial noise. The device includes a plurality of microphones for measuring an acoustic input signal from an acoustic source. The plurality of microphones form at least one monaural pair and at least one binaural pair. Directional signal processing circuitry is provided for obtaining, from the input signal, at least one monaural directional signal and at least one binaural directional signal. A target signal level estimator estimates a target signal level by combining at least one of the monaural directional signals and at least one of the binaural directional signals, which at least one monaural directional signal and at least one binaural directional signal mutually have a maximum response in a direction of the acoustic source.

Abstract: Speech recognition is improved for wearers of hearing aids and other hearing devices by training the speech recognition. A first speech element is acoustically presented, and the element is identified by the person wearing the hearing device. Subsequently, the acoustic presentation of the presented speech element is automatically changed and the aforementioned steps are repeated (S1 to S4) with the changed presentation until a specified maximum number of repetitions is reached if the identification is incorrect. Otherwise, a second speech element is acoustically presented if the identification of the first speech element is correct or if the number of incorrect identifications of the first speech element is greater than the maximum number of repetitions. In this manner, each of a plurality of speech elements can be trained in multiple stages.

Abstract: A method for testing hearing aids, particularly in respect of the effect thereof on speech comprehension, is improved. The method has the following steps: a) a test system is provided, b) an audible voice signal in the form of at least one meaningless syllable is selected and presented c) the meaningless syllable and a number of further meaningless syllables are displayed on a graphical user interface in the test system, d) a heard meaningless syllable is selected from the displayed meaningless syllables by the user, e) the selection made is evaluated, and f) method steps c) to e) are repeated until a termination criterion is encountered. The audible voice signal is selected in each case on the basis of at least one selection made by the person in response to a previously presented voice signal. The method allows particularly fast and informative hearing aid tests.

Abstract: A hearing apparatus and in particular a hearing aid are to be optimized as regards the risk of feedback. The hearing apparatus contains a housing, having a first opening and a second opening, and with a frame, in or on which a signal processing component is attached, and which can be inserted into the first opening of the housing as far as an end position. A ramp is disposed in the housing which interacts with the frame such that the frame is also moved perpendicular to the direction of insertion toward the second opening during insertion into the housing along a direction of insertion only in one section as far as the end position, which is less than 30% of the insertion path from the first opening to the end position.

Abstract: A hearing instrument has a basic frame with a cavity. A microphone is inserted in the cavity such that a back volume is defined. A coating of electrically conducting material is applied to the surface of the cavity to provide an electromagnetic shielding for the microphone. The electromagnetically shielded microphone is thus not disposed in a separate microphone housing, but rather directly integrated into the hearing instrument.

Abstract: In a hearing aid provision can be made for a housing that is worn outside of an auditory canal of a user. Then, sound or electrical signals are conducted into the auditory canal from the housing. To this end, provision can be made for a conducting element such as a sound tube or a cable. The conducting element is then connected to the housing via a coupling element. This connection must be embodied such that the coupling element does not detach from the housing on its own accord. The user must be able to remove the coupling element and the conducting element from the housing in a simple fashion in order e.g. to be able to clean the former two parts. Accordingly, a coupling element and a housing can be interconnected in a detachable fashion, with this connection containing a dovetail joint for the hearing aid.

Abstract: It is possible to identify a hearing apparatus wearer's own voice for signal processing in a hearing apparatus. In a method for estimating one's own voice component, a first microphone is positioned outside the auditory canal and a second microphone is positioned within the auditory canal. The microphone signals are segmented into a number of regions in a time-frequency plane. A region phase difference and a region level difference are then determined respectively for each of the regions from one of the two t-f signals compared with the other of the two t-f signals. All the number of regions of the time-frequency plane, the region phase difference of which corresponds generally to the estimated phase difference and the region level difference of which corresponds generally to the estimated level difference, are then grouped, the signal components of the group serving as an estimation of the voice component.

Abstract: A hearing aid has a battery charger. The hearing aid contains a battery charger having an opening for accommodating a programming module having first programming contacts. Furthermore, second programming contacts are arranged in the hearing aid. The hearing aid is characterized by a sealant inserted in the opening, wherein the sealant covers the second programming contacts when the battery charger is shut off. Thus, the corrosion susceptibility of the second programming contacts is mostly avoided in an advantageous way.

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 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 hearing device is provided with a microphone array having a plurality of microphones. The signals from the microphones can then be processed by an appropriate apparatus of the hearing device such that this results in a directivity of the microphone array. The apparatus must also be able to allow an omnidirectional directivity of the microphone array, i.e. a non-directional detection of sound. This is not always ensured in the case where one of the microphones in the microphone array is covered or aligned other than what is intended. An omnidirectional directivity of the microphone array is ensured in a hearing device of the invention. Here, the microphones are, for this purpose, connected to inputs of the apparatus via a coupling device, by way of which each of the microphones can be coupled to a plurality of inputs of the apparatus at the same time.

Abstract: The fitting of hearing aids and other hearing devices is intended to be made more comfortable. For this, provision is made for a hearing device with a housing which contains a signal processing unit and has a sound outlet. A supporting hook for attaching the hearing device to an ear or a head can be fixed on the sound outlet of the housing such that sound emanating from the sound outlet is guided through the supporting hook. A sensor for detecting the type of supporting hook is arranged in or on the housing. The sensor controls the signal processing unit as a function of the detected type of supporting hook. Thus, the user can for example use different types of supporting hooks without having to decide on a type of supporting hook during the first fitting. Moreover, the degree of mass production of the hearing aid can be further increased by the automatic recognition of the type of supporting hook.

Abstract: A method for setting a device for presenting sound specimens for the individual tuning of a hearing device to be worn on the body of a hearing device wearer. The method includes providing and presenting a noise signal by the device, receiving the presented noise signal by at least one microphone of the hearing device, comparing the received noise signal or a signal derived therefrom with a reference signal stored in the hearing device, and emitting a status signal by the hearing device in dependence on the comparison. In this manner, simple and precise setting of the device for emitting sound specimens for calibration purposes occurs.