Patents by Inventor Evert Dijkstra

Evert Dijkstra 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).

  • Publication number: 20080101635
    Abstract: There is provided a method of operating a system for providing hearing assistance to a user (101), comprising: capturing and processing audio signals by a transmission unit (102) and transmitting the audio signals from the transmission unit (102) via a wireless audio link to a receiver unit (103); processing the received audio signals in the receiver unit (103); stimulating the user's hearing, by stimulating means (38, 136) worn at or in the user's ear, according to the audio signals from the receiver unit (103); logging data by recording the values of at least one operation parameter of the transmission unit (102) and/or the receiver unit (103) as a function of time and/or by recording data derived from the values of at least one operation parameter of the transmission unit (102) and/or the receiver unit (103) as a function of time in the transmission unit (102); and reading the logged data from the transmission unit (102).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Applicant: PHONAK AG
    Inventors: Evert DIJKSTRA, Francois MARQUIS
  • Publication number: 20080009253
    Abstract: There is provided a method for operating a receiver unit (12) for receiving audio signals from a remote transmission unit (10) via a wireless audio link (56), comprising: connecting an audio signal output (41) of the receiver unit (12) to an audio signal input (42) of a hearing instrument (14A, 14B) comprising means (52) located at a user's ear or in the user's ear canal for stimulating the user's hearing according to the audio signals from the receiver unit (12) and a microphone arrangement (44); measuring by means (34, 38) included in the receiver unit (12) the impedance of the audio signal input (42) of the hearing instrument (14A, 14B); and adjusting the impedance of the audio signal output (41) of the receiver unit (12) according to the measured impedance of the audio signal input (42) of the hearing instrument (14A, 14B).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: Phonak AG
    Inventors: Francois Callias, Evert Dijkstra, Francois Marquis
  • Publication number: 20070286441
    Abstract: There is provided a method for monitoring a hearing device comprising an electroacoustic output transducer worn at a user's ear or in a user's ear canal, the method comprising: measuring the electrical impedance of the output transducer; analyzing the measured electrical impedance of the output transducer in order to evaluate the status of the output transducer and/or of an acoustical system cooperating with the output transducer; and outputting a status signal representative of the status of the output transducer and/or of the acoustical system cooperating with the output transducer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2006
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Applicant: Phonak AG
    Inventors: Samuel HARSCH, Evert Dijkstra
  • Publication number: 20070282392
    Abstract: There is provided a method for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising: capturing audio signals by a microphone arrangement (18) and transmitting the audio signals by a transmission unit (10) via a modulated wireless audio link (30) to a receiver unit (12) and receiving the audio signals at the receiver unit (12); analyzing the amplitude of the received audio signals by an analyzer unit (34) of the receiver unit (12); dynamically adjusting by a gain control unit (36) located in the receiver unit (12) the gain applied to the received audio signals according to the result of the analysis by the analyzer unit (34), wherein the gain is equal to or larger than a first value (GH) if the amplitude of the received audio signals is equal to or larger than a first threshold (U1H) and is reduced to a finite value less than said first value if the amplitude of the received audio signals is less than said first threshold (U1H); and stimulating the user's hearing by stimulating means (14, 16) worn at or in the u
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2006
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Applicant: Phonak AG
    Inventors: Francois Callias, Evert Dijkstra
  • Publication number: 20070189561
    Abstract: There is provided a method for providing assistance to a user (101), comprising capturing audio signals by a microphone arrangement (26) and transmitting the audio signals by a transmission unit (102) via a wireless audio link (107) to a receiver unit (103), analyzing the audio signals by a classification unit (134) prior to being transmitted in order to determine a present auditory scene category from a plurality of auditory scene categories, setting by a gain control unit (126) located in the receiver unit (103) the gain applied to the audio signals according to the present auditory scene category determined by the classification unit, and stimulating the user's hearing by stimulating means (136) worn at or in a user's ear according to the audio signals from the gain control unit (126).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Applicant: Phonak Communications AG
    Inventors: Evert Dijkstra, Francois Marquis
  • Patent number: 7248711
    Abstract: A method for frequency transposition in a communication device Or a hearing device, respectively, is disclosed by transforming an acoustical signal into an electrical signal (s) and by transforming the electrical signal from time domain into frequency domain to obtain a spectrum (S). A frequency transposition is being applied to the spectrum (S) in order to obtain a transposed spectrum (S?), whereby the frequency transposition is being defined by a nonlinear frequency transposition function. Thereby, it is possible to transpose lower frequencies almost linearly, while higher frequencies are transposed more strongly. As a result thereof, harmonic relationships are not distorted in the lower frequency range, and at the same time, higher frequencies can be moved to a lower frequency range, namely to an audible frequency range of the hearing impaired person.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Phonak AG
    Inventors: Silvia Allegro, Olegs Timms, Adam Hersbach, Hugh McDermott, Evert Dijkstra
  • Publication number: 20070160243
    Abstract: A system for separation of a user's voice from ambient sound, comprising a device to be worn at the user's ear or at least partly in the user's ear canal comprising a first microphone oriented acoustically outwardly towards the environment and a second microphone oriented acoustically inwardly towards the user's ear canal, and an audio signal processing unit for processing audio signals from the first and second microphone by a blind source separation algorithm adapted to separate the user's voice from ambient sound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2006
    Publication date: July 12, 2007
    Applicant: PHONAK AG
    Inventors: Evert Dijkstra, Oliver Hautier, Nicolas Destrez, Rainer Platz
  • Publication number: 20070147635
    Abstract: A system for separation of a user's voice from ambient sound, comprising a device to be worn at the user's ear or at least partly in the user's ear canal comprising a first microphone oriented outwardly towards the environment and a second microphone oriented inwardly towards the user's ear canal, and an audio signal processing unit for processing audio signals from the first and second microphone by a blind source separation algorithm adapted to separate the user's voice from ambient sound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2005
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Applicant: Phonak AG
    Inventors: Evert Dijkstra, Olivier Hautier, Nicolas Destrez
  • Publication number: 20060182295
    Abstract: A system and method for hearing assistance with dynamic loudness adaptation of audio signals, first audio signals being captured by a first microphone (26) and transmitted by a transmission unit (22) over a communication channel (27) to a receiver (24) connected to a hearing instrument (15), and second audio signals being captured by a second microphone (36), wherein a classification index is determined by means of a classification unit (34) based on the amplitude and/or frequency and/or temporal characteristics of the first and/or second audio signals, wherein, based on the classification index, the predefined amplitude and/or frequency ratio of the first audio signals relative to the second audio signals is adapted by a central unit (35), and wherein the adapted first and second audio signals are reproduced by means of a reproduction unit (38), within the mentioned ratio. This system and method provide a high level of comfort and better understanding in all auditory situations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Publication date: August 17, 2006
    Inventors: Evert Dijkstra, David Fabry
  • Publication number: 20040264721
    Abstract: A method for frequency transposition in a communication device Or a hearing device, respectively, is disclosed by transforming an acoustical signal into an electrical signal (s) and by transforming the electrical signal from time domain into frequency domain to obtain a spectrum (S). A frequency transposition is being applied to the spectrum (S) in order to obtain a transposed spectrum (S′), whereby the frequency transposition is being defined by a nonlinear frequency transposition function. Thereby, it is possible to transpose lower frequencies almost linearly, while higher frequencies are transposed more strongly. As a result thereof, harmonic relationships are not distorted in the lower frequency range, and at the same time, higher frequencies can be moved to a lower frequency range, namely to an audible frequency range of the hearing impaired person.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Applicant: Phonak AG
    Inventors: Silvia Allegro, Olegs Timms, Adam Hersbach, Hugh McDermott, Evert Dijkstra
  • Patent number: 5485116
    Abstract: The invention concerns a power diverting circuit for creating a supply voltage for a signal processing circuit from a source of data signals each having a high or a low potential respectively corresponding to a first or a second logic state. The circuit comprises a first terminal for receiving the data signals, a second terminal for providing the supply voltage, a switch coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal for selectively connecting and disconnecting the first terminal and the second terminal, and an inverter for inverting the state of the data signals. The inverter, which has an input terminal connected to the first terminal and an output terminal for providing the inverted data signals to the signal processing circuit, is responsive to the state of the data signals received at the first terminal to control the operation of said switch means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1996
    Assignee: CSEM Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA - Recherche et Developpement
    Inventors: Stefan Cserveny, Evert Dijkstra, Vincent von Kaenel