Abstract: Method for providing hearing assistance to a user by capturing audio signals with a microphone arrangement of a transmission unit; analyzing, by a voice activity detector of the transmission unit, the captured audio signals to judge whether a voice is present close to the microphone arrangement or not, analyzing, by a noise level estimator, the captured audio signals to estimate a surrounding noise level, processing the captured audio signals and transmitting, by a transceiver of the transmission unit, the processed audio signals via a wireless link to a receiver unit, and stimulating the user's hearing, by stimulating means at or in at least one user ear, according to the received audio signals, wherein the audio signals are processed via the wireless link by setting the gain applied to the audio signals according to the close voice/no close voice judgment of the voice activity detector and the estimated surrounding noise level.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system having a hand-held audio signal wireless transmission unit for transmitting an audio signal to at least one receiver unit, and a hearing stimulating device. The transmission unit has at least one microphone for generating an audio signal, a motion sensor unit for sensing the acceleration acting on the transmission unit in three orthogonal axes and sensing the orientation of the transmission unit in space, a memory unit for storing a plurality of motion patterns of the transmission unit corresponding to gestures of a person holding the transmission unit in a hand, a control unit for identifying a motion pattern of the transmission unit from the stored motion patterns by analyzing the time dependence of an output signal of the motion sensor unit and comparing it to the stored motion patterns, and the control unit controlling operation of the transmission unit according to the identified motion pattern.

Abstract: Method for providing hearing assistance to a user by capturing audio signals with a microphone arrangement of a transmission unit; analyzing, by a voice activity detector of the transmission unit, the captured audio signals to judge whether a voice is present close to the microphone arrangement or not, analyzing, by a noise level estimator, the captured audio signals to estimate a surrounding noise level, processing the captured audio signals and transmitting, by a transceiver of the transmission unit, the processed audio signals via a wireless link to a receiver unit, and stimulating the user's hearing, by stimulating means at or in at least one user ear, according to the received audio signals, wherein the audio signals are processed via the wireless link by setting the gain applied to the audio signals according to the close voice/no close voice judgment of the voice activity detector and the estimated surrounding noise level.

Abstract: A method for providing hearing assistance to a user by capturing input audio signals; estimating a speech level of the input audio signals and an ambient noise level of the input audio signals; applying a gain model to the input audio signals to transform the input audio signals into filtered audio signals, wherein, for a each ambient noise level, the gain varies as a function of the speech level and wherein the function varies according to the ambient noise level changing the ratio of the gain at low speech levels and at high speech levels as a function of the ambient noise level; wirelessly transmitting the filtered audio signals to a receiver unit forming or being connected to a user hearing stimulator, the stimulator being worn at or in the user's ear; and stimulating the user's hearing by the stimulator according to audio signals supplied by the receiver unit.

Abstract: A mobile microphone assembly (10) has at least one microphone (40, 42) for generating an audio signal output (52) from sound impinging on the least one microphone, an acceleration sensor (48) for sensing the acceleration acting on the microphone assembly with regard to three orthogonal axes and for providing for an acceleration signal according to the sensed acceleration, and a control unit (50) for judging, by analyzing the acceleration signal, whether there is a drop-down event of the microphone assembly and for interrupting the audio signal output during a drop-down event.

Abstract: A method of operating a system for providing hearing assistance involves capturing audio signals by a manually controlled transmission unit having a user interface and default values setting transmission unit operating parameter storage, and transmitting audio signals from the transmission unit to a receiver unit, the audio signals being processed in the receiver unit and/or in the transmission unit; stimulating the user's hearing according to the audio signals from the receiver unit; logging user preference data by recording data concerning the manual operation of the user interface of the transmission unit and by recording data concerning the respective use situation of the transmission unit; evaluating, in the transmission unit, the logged user preference data to extract user preferences concerning use of the transmission unit; and adjusting, in the transmission unit, the stored default values of the at least one operating parameter setting according to said extracted user preferences.

Abstract: A system for speech enhancement in a room, having: a microphone arrangement with at least two spaced apart microphones for capturing audio signals from a speaker's voice, an acoustic beamforming unit for processing the captured audio signals in a manner so as to impart one of a plurality of different directional patterns to the microphone arrangement; a feedback cancellation unit for applying a feedback cancellation algorithm to the processed audio signals and for providing a feedback status signal indicating how close an acoustic feedback loop of the system is to feedback; an amplifier for amplifying the processed audio signals; a loudspeaker arrangement to be located in the room for generating sound according to the amplified audio signals; and a control for selecting the directional pattern imparted to the microphone arrangement as a function of the feedback status signal.

Abstract: A dynamic hearing protection method and device with which a hearing protection device specific differential head related transfer function corresponding to the difference between an open ear resonance measurement of the user's ear canal or an ear canal approximating the user's ear canal without the hearing protection device being worn in the ear canal and an open ear resonance measurement with the hearing protection device being worn in the ear canal as a function of the angle of sound incidence is determined and when using the hearing protection device, a frequency-dependent gain function to the captured audio signals selected according to the presently determined angle of sound incidence with each of the gain functions is determined by inverting the previously determined HPD specific differential HRTF for the respective sound incidence angle, to compensate for the effect of the presence of the hearing protection device on the open ear resonance.

Abstract: A method for providing hearing assistance to a user by capturing input audio signals; estimating a speech level of the input audio signals and an ambient noise level of the input audio signals; applying a gain model to the input audio signals to transform the input audio signals into filtered audio signals, wherein, for a each ambient noise level, the gain varies as a function of the speech level and wherein the function varies according to the ambient noise level changing the ratio of the gain at low speech levels and at high speech levels as a function of the ambient noise level; wirelessly transmitting the filtered audio signals to a receiver unit forming or being connected to a user hearing stimulator, the stimulator being worn at or in the user's ear; and stimulating the user's hearing by the stimulator according to audio signals supplied by the receiver unit.

Abstract: A method for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising capturing audio signals by a microphone arrangement; measuring at least one mechanical parameter; selecting an audio signal processing scheme according to the measured at least one mechanical parameter; processing, by a signal processing unit, the captured audio signals according to the selected audio signal processing scheme; transmitting the processed audio signals to stimulating means worn at or in at least one of the user's ears via a wireless audio link; and stimulating the user's hearing by said stimulating means according to the processed audio signals.

Abstract: A method for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising capturing audio signals by an internal microphone arrangement and supplying the captured audio signals a central signal processing unit; estimating whether a certain type of external audio signal supply device is connected to the audio signal processing unit in order to supply external audio signals to the central signal processing unit, and selecting an audio signal processing scheme according to the estimated type of external audio signal supply device; processing, the captured audio signals and the external audio signals according to the selected audio signal processing scheme; transmitting the processed audio signals to stimulating means worn at or in at least one of the user's ears via a wireless audio link; and stimulating the user's hearing by said stimulating means according to the processed audio signals.

Abstract: Hearing protection system having first and second hearing protection devices worn at/in a respective one of a user's outer ear, each hearing protection device having an active unit with at least one microphone for converting ambient sound into input audio signals and a loudspeaker for transforming filtered audio signals into user perceivable sound, and an audio signal processing unit for processing input audio signals into filtered audio signals, the audio signal processing unit dividing, for each hearing protection device, the input audio signals into a plural frequency bands and selecting the gain applied within each frequency band as a function of the frequency of the respective frequency band and the sound pressure level of the input audio signals falling within the respective frequency band such that the total attenuation provided by the respective hearing protection device in each of the frequency bands corresponds to the same target loudness difference.

Abstract: A method for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising capturing audio signals by an internal microphone arrangement and supplying the captured audio signals a central signal processing unit; estimating whether a certain type of external audio signal supply device is connected to the audio signal processing unit in order to supply external audio signals to the central signal processing unit, and selecting an audio signal processing scheme according to the estimated type of external audio signal supply device; processing, the captured audio signals and the external audio signals according to the selected audio signal processing scheme; transmitting the processed audio signals to stimulating means worn at or in at least one of the user's ears via a wireless audio link; and stimulating the user's hearing by said stimulating means according to the processed audio signals.

Abstract: A method for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising capturing audio signals by a microphone arrangement; measuring at least one mechanical parameter; selecting an audio signal processing scheme according to the measured at least one mechanical parameter; processing, by a signal processing unit, the captured audio signals according to the selected audio signal processing scheme; transmitting the processed audio signals to stimulating means worn at or in at least one of the user's ears via a wireless audio link; and stimulating the user's hearing by said stimulating means according to the processed audio signals.

Abstract: A dispersal unit in combination with a chain affinity unit and an intra-cycle dependency analyzer routes instructions in a microprocessor in order to improve microprocessor performance. The dispersal unit routes instructions to a particular cluster in the microprocessor in response to information stored in the chain affinity unit. The intra-cycle dependency analyzer identifies dependencies in groups of instructions to the dispersal unit, and the dispersal unit routes instructions in the group based on those dependencies.

Abstract: A dispersal unit in combination with a chain affinity unit and an intra-cycle dependency analyzer routes instructions in a microprocessor in order to improve microprocessor performance. The dispersal unit routes instructions to a particular cluster in the microprocessor in response to information stored in the chain affinity unit. The intra-cycle dependency analyzer identifies dependencies in groups of instructions to the dispersal unit, and the dispersal unit routes instructions in the group based on those dependencies.

Abstract: A method for processing one or more branch instructions in an instruction bundle is provided. The instructions are ordered in an execution sequence within the bundle, with the branch instructions ordered last in the sequence. The bundled instructions are transferred to execution units indicated by a template field that is associated with the bundle. The first branch instruction in the bundle's execution sequence that is resolved taken is determined, and retirement of subsequent instructions in the execution sequence is suppressed.

Abstract: A system which includes a chassis having a first side and a second side; a circuit board having a set of components, the first circuit board mounted on the first side of the chassis; an integrated circuit package mounted on the second side of the chassis; and a set of electrical connections providing a communications network between the circuit board and the integrated circuit package; wherein the integrated circuit package is thermally coupled to the second side of the chassis.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a clock to produce pulses and an electronic hardware structure having a plurality of rows and one or more ports. Each row is adapted to record a separate latency vector written through one of the ports. The latency vector recorded therein is responsive to the clock. A method of dispatching instructions in a processor includes updating a plurality of expected latencies to a portion of rows of a register latency table, and decreasing the expected latencies remaining in other of the rows in response to a clock pulse. The rows of the portion correspond to particular registers.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for mounting a Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) chip such as a microprocessor on the back plane of a computer chassis. In one embodiment, the mounting on the computer chassis is configured to provide a current supply connection for delivering a high level of current to the microprocessor from a current source through the computer chassis. Also provided is an apparatus for mounting a VLSI chip such as a microprocessor on the chassis of a computer system in order to dissipate heat from the VLSI chip to the ambient outside the computer system through the computer chassis. Also provided is an apparatus for signal interconnections among one or several VLSI chips such as microprocessors mounted on the chassis of a computer to provide signal capacity with strong integrity. Also provided is an apparatus for mounting a power supply for a VLSI chip package on the back chassis of a computer.