Abstract: Adaption of signal processing for actively reducing occlusion in hearing apparatuses, and in particular in hearing aids, is to be automated further. For this purpose, a transducer transmission function, which is defined for the transmission path from the input of a receiver via the auditory canal to the output of a microphone, be subjected to an automatic plausibility check. An adjustable filter via which the microphone signal is fed back is only altered if the transducer transmission function is plausible according to a predefined criterion.

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: Sound from the receiver of a hearing device may be fed back to its microphones via acoustic feedback paths, which may cause undesirable whistling. It is particularly difficult to predict the creation of feedback in a microphone array with adjustable directional characteristic. This is because the stability of the system then is dependent on a directional parameter by way of which the directional characteristic is fixed. The invention enables feedback-free operation of such a hearing device. A prescribed stability condition is used to establish for which values of the directional parameter feedback-free operation is possible. The directional parameter is then restricted to these values during operation of the hearing device. As an alternative thereto, a value for a strength of a feedback effect is established for a current value of the directional parameter and the directional parameter or a control parameter for the purpose of feedback suppression is then set as a function of the established value.

Abstract: A method is described for reduction of occlusion effects in an acoustic appliance which closes an auditory channel, wherein an audio signal in the transmission path of the acoustic appliance is processed by a signal processing unit and is emitted via an output transducer, which is arranged in the auditory channel, as an acoustic signal. A resultant sound signal is then detected by an auditory channel microphone and is supplied to a variable loop filter which is arranged in a feedback loop of an occlusion reduction unit for the acoustic appliance. The output signal from the loop filter is injected into the transmission path of the audio signal. The occlusion reduction unit is in this case controlled adaptively, with at least one signal from the transmission path of the audio signal and/or from the feedback loop being used to control the loop filter for the occlusion reduction unit.

Abstract: A method for determining moisture on a covering of a microphone opening of a hearing aid housing without additional components includes determination of an acoustic parameter originating from an earpiece in a microphone signal of a microphone disposed below the covering, comparison of the determined acoustic parameter with a reference parameter characteristic of moisture on the covering, and emission of a moisture signal if the determined acoustic parameter lies within a predefinable tolerance range of the reference parameter. An associated hearing aid and a computer program product for implementing the method, are also provided.

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: Sound from the receiver of a hearing device may be fed back to its microphones via acoustic feedback paths, which may cause undesirable whistling. It is particularly difficult to predict the creation of feedback in a microphone array with adjustable directional characteristic. This is because the stability of the system then is dependent on a directional parameter by way of which the directional characteristic is fixed. The invention enables feedback-free operation of such a hearing device. A prescribed stability condition is used to establish for which values of the directional parameter feedback-free operation is possible. The directional parameter is then restricted to these values during operation of the hearing device. As an alternative thereto, a value for a strength of a feedback effect is established for a current value of the directional parameter and the directional parameter or a control parameter for the purpose of feedback suppression is then set as a function of the established value.

Abstract: A hearing device and an associated method use an adaptive directional microphone for suppressing feedback. The hearing device includes an adaptation unit which sets the directional microphone so that a sound signal fed back from an earpiece of the hearing device to the directional microphone is attenuated. Acoustic feedback is advantageously attenuated or suppressed simply in an artifact-free manner.

Abstract: A hearing aid (10) having an active occlusion reduction system (50) that counteracts occluded sounds generated within the volume (24) of the ear canal (20) that is not blocked when the hearing aid (10), or an ear piece thereof, is inserted into the ear canal (20) and an AOR transducer (44, 52) that has a flattened frequency response for low frequency portions of the occlusion sounds to enable a wide range of frequency response by the active occlusion reduction system (50). The low frequency portions of the occlusion sounds may be in the range of 10-100 Hz.

Abstract: A hearing apparatus and an associated method for suppressing feedback include a microphone emitting a microphone signal and a receiver picking up a receiver signal by subtracting a compensation signal from the microphone signal. The hearing apparatus includes a number of preset static first compensation filters for forming first compensation signals from the receiver signal and a first selection unit, which selects a first compensation signal in such a way that a feedback signal caused by the feedback is minimal in the receiver signal. An advantage thereof is that adaptation artifacts cannot occur.

Abstract: The invention specifies a hearing apparatus (1) and an associated method with an active occlusion reduction unit (10). The hearing apparatus (1) also comprises at least one first means (R, M, 20, 30), which can be used to reduce an impact sound (TS) formed in the auditory canal of a wearer of the hearing apparatus (1) by steps of said wearer and/or effects on the occlusion reduction unit (10) caused by the impact sound (TS). This has the advantage that the impact sound artifacts that can be heard by a wearer of the hearing apparatus (1) are prevented.

Abstract: A method is described for reduction of occlusion effects in an acoustic appliance which closes an auditory channel, wherein an audio signal in the transmission path of the acoustic appliance is processed by a signal processing unit and is emitted via an output transducer, which is arranged in the auditory channel, as an acoustic signal. A resultant sound signal is then detected by an auditory channel microphone and is supplied to a variable loop filter which is arranged in a feedback loop of an occlusion reduction unit for the acoustic appliance, whose output signal is injected into the transmission path of the audio signal. In this case, the loop filter is readjusted as a function of information from the signal processing unit. A clean copy of the abstract that incorporates the above amendments is provided herewith on a separate page.

Abstract: A method is described for reduction of occlusion effects in an acoustic appliance which closes an auditory channel, wherein an audio signal in the transmission path of the acoustic appliance is processed by a signal processing unit and is emitted via an output transducer, which is arranged in the auditory channel, as an acoustic signal. A resultant sound signal is then detected by an auditory channel microphone and is supplied to a variable loop filter, which is arranged in a feedback loop of an occlusion reduction unit for the acoustic appliance. The output signal from the loop filter is injected into the transmission path of the audio signal. The occlusion reduction unit is in this case controlled adaptively, with at least one signal from the transmission path of the audio signal and/or from the feedback loop being used to control the loop filter for the occlusion reduction unit.

Abstract: A method for determining a degree of closure in a hearing device with at least one auditory canal microphone, at least one receiver and an associated hearing device apparatus is disclosed. The method is characterized by an in-situ measurement of a transmission function between the receiver and the auditory canal microphone, by a comparison of the measured transmission function with previously determined reference values and/or curves, and by a determination of an effective vent diameter from the comparison, the effective vent diameter specifying the degree of closure.

Abstract: Adaption of signal processing for actively reducing occlusion in hearing apparatuses, and in particular in hearing aids, is to be automated further. For this purpose, a transducer transmission function, which is defined for the transmission path from the input of a receiver via the auditory canal to the output of a microphone, be subjected to an automatic plausibility check. An adjustable filter via which the microphone signal is fed back is only altered if the transducer transmission function is plausible according to a predefined criterion. Disadvantageous convergences of the adaptation algorithm can be avoided hereby and unnecessarily high computing times can be prevented.

Abstract: The aim is to better suppress background noises during the use of hearing devices. To this end, provision is made to record an electrical or electromagnetic useful signal via a corresponding interface and an interference sound by means of a microphone of the hearing device. The processed useful signal is output from a receiver of the hearing device. A vent is formed when the hearing device is worn in or on the ear, through which vent a sound transmission function from the microphone to the eardrum of the hearing device wearer exists. The interference sound signal of the microphone is filtered as a function of the sound transmission function of the vent such that an interference sound reaching the eardrum through the vent is reduced in its effect on the eardrum by means of a balancing sound, which is generated on the basis of an interference sound signal of the microphone from the receiver.

Abstract: There is described a hearing aid device, in particular a hearing aid such as, for example, an ITE device, comprising a section which can be provided in or on an ear and from which a multi-channel tube projects, the free end section of which can be inserted into an outer auditory canal of the ear, wherein an earpiece channel of the multi-channel tube is acoustically connected to an earpiece and an auditory canal microphone channel of the multi-channel tube is acoustically connected to an auditory canal microphone, in each case inside the hearing aid device.

Abstract: The microphones used in hearing devices normally possess different characteristic lines that are to be adapted to one another. For this purpose, the amplitude of an output signal of a first microphone and the amplitude of an output signal of a second microphone are measured. The output signal of the first microphone is subsequently filtered dependent on both measured amplitudes, such that the difference between the two output signals is reduced. One of the two microphones hereby serves as a reference, and an absolute normalization can be foregone.

Abstract: In a hearing aid, as well as in a method for the operation of a hearing aid having a microphone system in which different directional characteristics can be set, the tonal quality is improved, particularly in a quiet hearing environment, by the signal delay for at least one microphone signal being increased so as to increase the transfer function in the frequency response of the microphone system, thus also improving the signal-to-noise ratio, by decreasing the proportion of the microphone noise in the microphone output signal.

Abstract: A feedback compensator for a hearing aid device has a filter arrangement that splits a signal path, to implement an adaptive feedback compensation with only one buffer memory, two splitting nodes, and two addition nodes. The feedback compensation ensues only in the feedback-susceptible frequency range of the input signal. In addition to the filtering of the input signal, it is advantageous to feed to the adaptive feedback compensation filter a bandwidth-limited signal that is taken from the amplified output signal.