Abstract: A hearing assistance system including a hearing instrument designated as a master device and at least another hearing instrument designated as a slave device. The master device is communicatively coupled to the slave device via a wireless link. The master device has a master clock and generates master time stamps for specified events timed by the master clock. The master time stamps are sent to the slave device via the wireless link. The slave device has a slave clock and generates slave time stamps for specified events timed by the slave clock. The slave clock is adjusted for synchronization to the master clock using the master time stamps and the slave time stamps.

Abstract: The signal processing functions of a hearing aid as described above necessarily cause some delay between the time the audio signal is received by the microphone or wireless receiver and the time that the audio is actually produced by the output transducer. In some situations, signal processing incorporating longer delays may be better able to improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or other functional parameters for a hearing aid wearer, but a balance should be struck between these positive effects of delay and other negative effects. The techniques described herein address the problem of to balancing the positive and negative effects of delay.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system includes a pair of left and right hearing assistance devices to be worn by a wearer and uses both of the left and right hearing assistance devices to detect the voice of the wearer. The left and right hearing assistance devices each include first and second microphones at different locations. Various embodiments detect the voice of the wearer using signals produced by the first and second microphones of the left hearing assistance device and the first and second microphones of the right hearing assistance device. Various embodiments use outcome of detection of the voice of the wearer performed by the left hearing assistance device and the outcome of detection of the voice of the wearer performed the right hearing assistance device to determine whether to declare a detection of the voice of the wearer.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system includes an adaptive binaural beamformer based on a multichannel Wiener filter (MWF) optimized for noise reduction and speech quality criteria using a priori spatial information. In various embodiments, the optimization problem is formulated as a quadratically constrained quadratic program (QCQP) aiming at striking an appropriate balance between these criteria. In various embodiments, the MWF executes a low-complexity iterative dual decomposition algorithm to solve the QCQP formulation.

Abstract: Described herein is a technique by which a hearing may automatically switch between a directional microphone mode and an omnidirectional microphone mode base upon an estimate of the noise floor as derived from the input signal. A minimum statistics estimator may be used to estimate the noise floor.

Abstract: An example of an apparatus configured to be worn by a person who has an ear and an ear canal includes a first microphone adapted to be worn about the ear of the person, and a second microphone adapted to be worn at a different location than the first microphone. The apparatus includes a sound processor adapted to process signals from the first microphone to produce a processed sound signal, a receiver adapted to convert the processed sound signal into an audible signal to the wearer of the hearing assistance device, and a voice detector to detect the voice of the wearer. The voice detector includes an adaptive filter to receive signals from the first microphone and the second microphone.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system includes a pair of left and right hearing assistance devices to be worn by a wearer and uses both of the left and right hearing assistance devices to detect the voice of the wearer. The left and right hearing assistance devices each include first and second microphones at different locations. Various embodiments detect the voice of the wearer using signals produced by the first and second microphones of the left hearing assistance device and the first and second microphones of the right hearing assistance device. Various embodiments use outcome of detection of the voice of the wearer performed by the left hearing assistance device and the outcome of detection of the voice of the wearer performed the right hearing assistance device to determine whether to declare a detection of the voice of the wearer.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system includes an adaptive directionality controller to control a target direction for sound reception. The adaptive directionality controller includes a beamformer, a speech detector to detect off-axis speech being speech that is not from the target direction, and a steering module to steer the beamformer in response to a detection of the off-axis speech.

Abstract: An example of an apparatus configured to be worn by a person who has an ear and an ear canal includes a first microphone adapted to be worn about the ear of the person, and a second microphone adapted to be worn at a different location than the first microphone. The apparatus includes a sound processor adapted to process signals from the first microphone to produce a processed sound signal, a receiver adapted to convert the processed sound signal into an audible signal to the wearer of the hearing assistance device, and a voice detector to detect the voice of the wearer. The voice detector includes an adaptive filter to receive signals from the first microphone and the second microphone.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system includes an adaptive directionality controller to control a target direction for sound reception. The adaptive directionality controller includes a beamformer, a speech detector to detect off-axis speech being speech that is not from the target direction, and a steering module to steer the beamformer in response to a detection of the off-axis speech.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system includes a pair of left and right hearing assistance devices to be worn by a wearer and uses both of the left and right hearing assistance devices to detect the voice of the wearer. The left and right hearing assistance devices each include first and second microphones at different locations. Various embodiments detect the voice of the wearer using signals produced by the first and second microphones of the left hearing assistance device and the first and second microphones of the right hearing assistance device. Various embodiments use outcome of detection of the voice of the wearer performed by the left hearing assistance device and the outcome of detection of the voice of the wearer performed the right hearing assistance device to determine whether to declare a detection of the voice of the wearer.

Abstract: Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for improving speech intelligibility for speech-in-noise in audio processing and hearing assistance devices. The present subject matter includes a method for improving speech intelligibility for speech-in-noise for audio processing and hearing assistance devices. The method includes receiving an audio signal using a microphone array and processing the received signal to improve speech intelligibility in noise. A barrier-type beamforming process is used to improve signal-to-noise ratio at the output of the microphone array. The beamforming process includes convex optimization using a logarithmic barrier function, according to various embodiments.

Abstract: Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for improved noise reduction for hearing assistance devices. In various embodiments, a hearing assistance device includes a microphone and a processor configured to receive signals from the microphone. The processor is configured to perform noise reduction which adjusts maximum gain reduction as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and which reduces the strength of its maximum gain reduction for intermediate signal-to-noise ratio levels to reduce speech distortion. In various embodiments, the hearing assistance device includes a memory configured to log noise reduction data for user environments. Also provided are methods to further adjust the noise reduction based on the logged information.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to measurement of maximum stable gain of a hearing assistance device, including but not limited to hearing aids, as a function of frequency. In various approaches an adaptive filter with a variable step size is used to determine maximum stable gain as a function of frequency. In various approaches, the determination is done in process steps performed by the hearing assistance device. In various approaches, the determination is done in process steps performed by the hearing assistance device and by a host computer.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system including a hearing instrument designated as a master device and at least another hearing instrument designated as a slave device. The master device is communicatively coupled to the slave device via a wireless link. The master device has a master clock and generates master time stamps for specified events timed by the master clock. The master time stamps are sent to the slave device via the wireless link. The slave device has a slave clock and generates slave time stamps for specified events timed by the slave clock. The slave clock is adjusted for synchronization to the master clock using the master time stamps and the slave time stamps.

Abstract: An example of an apparatus configured to be worn by a person who has an ear and an ear canal includes a first microphone adapted to be worn about the ear of the person, and a second microphone adapted to be worn at a different location than the first microphone. The apparatus includes a sound processor adapted to process signals from the first microphone to produce a processed sound signal, a receiver adapted to convert the processed sound signal into an audible signal to the wearer of the hearing assistance device, and a voice detector to detect the voice of the wearer. The voice detector includes an adaptive filter to receive signals from the first microphone and the second microphone.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system includes an adaptive directionality controller to control a target direction for sound reception. The adaptive directionality controller includes a beamformer, a speech detector to detect off-axis speech being speech that is not from the target direction, and a steering module to steer the beamformer in response to a detection of the off-axis speech.

Abstract: An example of an apparatus configured to be worn by a person who has an ear and an ear canal includes a first microphone adapted to be worn about the ear of the person, and a second microphone adapted to be worn at a different location than the first microphone. The apparatus includes a sound processor adapted to process signals from the first microphone to produce a processed sound signal, a receiver adapted to convert the processed sound signal into an audible signal to the wearer of the hearing assistance device, and a voice detector to detect the voice of the wearer. The voice detector includes an adaptive filter to receive signals from the first microphone and the second microphone.

Abstract: Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for improved noise reduction for hearing assistance devices. In various embodiments, a hearing assistance device includes a microphone and a processor configured to receive signals from the microphone. The processor is configured to perform noise reduction which adjusts maximum gain reduction as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and which reduces the strength of its maximum gain reduction for intermediate signal-to-noise ratio levels to reduce speech distortion. In various embodiments, the hearing assistance device includes a memory configured to log noise reduction data for user environments. Also provided are methods to further adjust the noise reduction based on the logged information.

Abstract: An example of an apparatus configured to be worn by a person who has an ear and an ear canal includes a first microphone adapted to be worn about the ear of the person, and a second microphone adapted to be worn at a different location than the first microphone. The apparatus includes a sound processor adapted to process signals from the first microphone to produce a processed sound signal, a receiver adapted to convert the processed sound signal into an audible signal to the wearer of the hearing assistance device, and a voice detector to detect the voice of the wearer. The voice detector includes an adaptive filter to receive signals from the first microphone and the second microphone.