Abstract: A microphone system comprises a multitude of microphones; a signal processor connected to said number of microphones, and being configured to estimate a direction-to and/or a position of the target sound source relative to the microphone system based on a maximum likelihood methodology; and a database ? comprising a dictionary of relative transfer functions representing direction-dependent acoustic transfer functions from said target signal source to each of said microphones relative to a reference microphone among said microphones, wherein individual dictionary elements of said database ? of relative transfer functions comprises relative transfer functions for a number of different directions and/or positions relative to the microphone system; and wherein the signal processor is configured to determine one or more of the most likely directions to or locations of said target sound source. The invention may e.g. be used for the hearing aids or other portable audio communication devices.

Abstract: Signal processing methods for predicting the intelligibility of speech, e.g., in the form of an index that correlate highly with the fraction of words that an average listener (amongst a group of listeners with similar hearing profiles) would be able to understand from some speech material are proposed. Specifically, solutions to the problem of predicting the intelligibility of speech signals, which are distorted, e.g., by noise or reverberation, and which might have been passed through some signal processing device, e.g., a hearing aid are described. In summary, the disclosure present solutions to the following problems: 1. Monaural, non-intrusive intelligibility prediction of noisy/processed speech signals 2. Binaural, non-intrusive intelligibility prediction of noisy/processed speech signals 3. Monaural and binaural intelligibility enhancement of noisy speech signals.

Abstract: The application relates to a filter bank for an audio processing device, e.g. a hearing aid. The filter bank comprises an analysis filter bank comprising a plurality of M first filters hm(n), where m=0, 1, . . . , M?1 is a frequency band index, n being a time index, the first filters hm(n) having a first filter length of Lhm; a synthesis filter bank comprising a plurality of M second filters gm(n), m=0, 1, . . . , M?1, the second filters gm(n) having second filter lengths of Lgm; the plurality of first and second filters being arranged in pairs, each pair forming a frequency channel. the first filters hm(n) exhibiting a first filter delay ?h, the second filters gm(n) exhibiting a second filter delay ?g, each of the first filter lengths Lhm and the second filter lengths Lgm is uneven, and wherein the first filters are subject to the constraint that the sum of the first filters hm(n) of the analysis filter bank is a delta function ?(n??h).

Abstract: A binaural hearing assistance method and system comprising left and right hearing assistance devices and a user interface are provided. The left and right hearing assistance devices comprises a) at least two input units for providing a time-frequency representation of an input signal in a number of frequency bands and a number of time instances; and b) a multi-input unit noise reduction system comprising a multi-channel beamformer filtering unit operationally coupled to said at least two input units and configured to provide a beamformed signal. The binaural hearing assistance system is configured to allow a user to indicate a direction to or location of a target signal source relative to the user via said user interface.

Abstract: An intrusive binaural speech intelligibility predictor system receives a target signal comprising speech in left and right essentially noise-free and noisy and/or processed versions at left and right ears of a listener. The system comprises a) first, second, third and fourth input units for providing time-frequency representations of said left and right noise-free and noisy/processed versions of the target signal, respectively; b) first and second Equalization-Cancellation stages adapted to receive and relatively time shift and amplitude adjust the left and right noise-free and noisy/processed versions, respectively, and to provide resulting noise-free and noisy/processed signals, respectively; and c) a monaural speech intelligibility predictor unit for providing final binaural speech intelligibility predictor value SI-Measure based on said resulting noise-free and noisy/processed signals.

Abstract: The application relates to a filter bank for an audio processing device, e.g. a hearing aid. The filter bank comprises an analysis filter bank comprising a plurality of M first filters hm(n), where m=0, 1, . . . , M?1 is a frequency band index, and whose impulse responses are modulated from a first linear phase prototype filter h(n) with a first predetermined modulation sequence ms1, n being a time index, the first prototype filter h(n) having a first filter length of Lh; a synthesis filter bank comprising a plurality of M second filters gm(n), m=0, 1, . . . , M?1, whose impulse responses are modulated from a second linear phase prototype filter g(n) with a second predetermined modulation sequence ms2, the second prototype filter g(n) having a second filter length of Lg; the plurality of first and second filters being arranged in pairs, each pair forming a frequency channel.

Abstract: An adaptive level estimator for providing a level estimate of an electric input signal representing sound is provided. The adaptive level estimator comprises a first level estimator configured to provide a first level estimate of the electric input signal in a first number K1 of frequency bands; a second level estimator configured to provide a second level estimate of the electric input signal and/or associated attack/release time constants in a second number K2 of frequency bands, wherein K2 is smaller than K1; and a level control unit receiving said first and second level estimates and configured to provide said resulting level estimate based on said first and said second level estimates and/or said associated attack/release time constants. The invention may e.g.

Abstract: The application relates to a binaural hearing system comprising left and right hearing devices, e.g.

Abstract: The application relates to a binaural hearing system comprising left and right hearing devices, e.g.

Abstract: A hearing aid comprises a resulting beam former (Y) for providing a resulting beamformed signal YBF based on first and second electric input signals IN1 and IN2, first and second sets of complex frequency dependent weighting parameters W11(k), W12(k) and W21(k), W22(k), and a resulting complex, frequency dependent adaptation parameter ?(k)•?(k) may be determined as <C2*•C1>/<(|C2|2>+c), where * denotes the complex conjugation and • denotes the statistical expectation operator, and c is a constant, and wherein said adaptive beam former filtering unit (BFU) comprises a smoothing unit for implementing said statistical expectation operator by smoothing the complex expression C2*•C1 and the real expression |C2>2 over time.

Abstract: A hearing device comprises A) a forward path, comprising a1) an input unit for providing a time-domain electric input signal as digital samples, a2) an analysis filter bank configured to provide a time-frequency representation of said electric input signal, a3) a signal processing unit for processing a signal of the forward path and providing a number of processed channel-signals, B) an onset detector configured to receive said time-domain electric input signal before entering said analysis filter bank, and to provide an onset control signal dependent on a current first order derivative of an envelope thereof, C) a level estimation unit for estimating a current level of said frequency sub-band signals, and comprising c1) a level adjustment unit configured to adjust the current levels of said frequency sub-band signals, and to control said level adjustment in dependence of said onset control signal. The invention may be used in audio devices, e.g. hearing aids.

Abstract: The application relates to a hearing aid comprising a forward path comprising a) a multitude of input units for providing a multitude of electric input signals INi, i=1, . . . , M, representative of sound, b) a multi input beam former filtering unit for providing a beam formed signal YBF from said multitude of electric input signals, c) a gain unit for applying a hearing aid gain GHA to said beam formed signal YBF, and providing a processed signal, and d) an output unit for providing stimuli perceivable by a user as sound based on said processed signal or a signal derived therefrom. The hearing aid further comprises e) a gain control unit for limiting said hearing aid gain GHA to a modified full-on gain value G?FOG.

Abstract: The application relates to a filter bank for an audio processing device, e.g. a hearing aid. The filter bank comprises an analysis filter bank comprising a plurality of M first filters hm(n), where m=0, 1, . . . , M?1 is a frequency band index, and whose impulse responses are modulated from a first linear phase prototype filter h(n) with a first predetermined modulation sequence ms1, n being a time index, the first prototype filter h(n) having a first filter length of Lh; a synthesis filter bank comprising a plurality of M second filters gm(n), m=0, 1, . . . , M?1, whose impulse responses are modulated from a second linear phase prototype filter g(n) with a second predetermined modulation sequence ms2, the second prototype filter g(n) having a second filter length of Lg; the plurality of first and second filters being arranged in pairs, each pair forming a frequency channel.

Abstract: An intrusive binaural speech intelligibility predictor system receives a target signal comprising speech in left and right essentially noise-free and noisy and/or processed versions at left and right ears of a listener. The system comprises a) first, second, third and fourth input units for providing time-frequency representations of said left and right noise-free and noisy/processed versions of the target signal, respectively; b) first and second Equalization-Cancellation stages adapted to receive and relatively time shift and amplitude adjust the left and right noise-free and noisy/processed versions, respectively, and to provide resulting noise-free and noisy/processed signals, respectively; and c) a monaural speech intelligibility predictor unit for providing final binaural speech intelligibility predictor value SI-Measure based on said resulting noise-free and noisy/processed signals.

Abstract: A monaural intrusive speech intelligibility predictor unit comprises: first and second input units for providing time-frequency representations s(k,m) and x(k,m) of noise-free and noisy and/or processed versions of a target signal, respectively, k being a frequency bin index, k=1, 2, . . . , K, and m being a time index; first and second envelope extraction units for providing time-frequency sub-band representations of the signals sj(m) and xj(m), j being a frequency sub-band index, j=1, 2, . . .

Abstract: Signal processing methods for predicting the intelligibility of speech, e.g., in the form of an index that correlate highly with the fraction of words that an average listener (amongst a group of listeners with similar hearing profiles) would be able to understand from some speech material are proposed. Specifically, solutions to the problem of predicting the intelligibility of speech signals, which are distorted, e.g., by noise or reverberation, and which might have been passed through some signal processing device, e.g., a hearing aid are described. In summary, the disclosure present solutions to the following problems: 1. Monaural, non-intrusive intelligibility prediction of noisy/processed speech signals 2. Binaural, non-intrusive intelligibility prediction of noisy/processed speech signals 3. Monaural and binaural intelligibility enhancement of noisy speech signals.

Abstract: A binaural hearing system comprising left and right hearing devices is provided, each comprising an input unit providing an electric input signal representing an environmental sound; a noise reduction system for estimating and reducing a noise component of the electric input signal; antenna and transceiver circuitry allowing the exchange of data between the hearing devices. The binaural hearing system is—in a mode of operation, where a sound source is predominantly audible at a first one of the hearing devices—configured to transmit the estimate of the noise component determined in a second one of the hearing devices to the first hearing device and to use said estimate to reduce the noise component in the electric signal of the first hearing device and to provide a noise reduced signal in the first hearing device. Thereby improved noise reduction is provided for use, e.g. in hearing aids, in non-symmetric acoustic situations.

Abstract: The application relates to a hearing device comprising a beamformer of the generalized sidelobe canceler (GSC) type. The application further relates to a method of operating a hearing device. The disclosure addresses a problem which occurs when using a GSC structure in a hearing device application. The problem arises due to a non-ideal target-cancelling beamformer. As a consequence, a target signal impinging from the look direction can—unintentionally—be attenuated by as much as 30 dB. To resolve this problem, it is proposed to monitor the difference between the output signals from the all-pass beamformer and the target-cancelling beamformer to control a time-varying regularization parameter in the GSC update. This has the advantage of providing a computationally simple solution to the non-ideality of the GSC beamformer. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids, headsets, ear phones, active ear protection systems, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: The application relates to a binaural hearing assistance system comprising left and right hearing assistance devices, and a user interface, to its use and to a method. The left and right hearing assistance devices comprises a) at least two input units for providing a time-frequency representation of an input signal in a number of frequency bands and a number of time instances; and b) a multi-input unit noise reduction system comprising a multi-channel beamformer filtering unit operationally coupled to said at least two input units and configured to provide a beamformed signal. The binaural hearing assistance system is configured to allow a user to indicate a direction to or location of a target signal source relative to the user via said user interface. This has the advantage that interaural cues of the target signals can be maintained, while the ambient noise is reduced.

Abstract: A binaural hearing assistance system includes left and right hearing assistance devices, and a user interface. The left and right hearing assistance devices comprises a) at least two input units for providing a time-frequency representation of an input signal in a number of frequency bands and a number of time instances; and b) a multi-input unit noise reduction system comprising a multi-channel beamformer filtering unit operationally coupled to said at least two input units and configured to provide a beamformed signal. The binaural hearing assistance system is configured to allow a user to indicate a direction to or location of a target signal source relative to the user via said user interface.