Patents by Inventor Thomas Ulrich Christiansen

Thomas Ulrich Christiansen 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).

  • Patent number: 11632635
    Abstract: A hearing aid comprises a) a multitude of M input transducers each providing an electric input signal representative of environment sound in a time-frequency representation (k, l), and each comprise varying amounts of target (s) and noise (v) signal components; b) a signal processor configured to process said multitude of electric input signals; and comprising a beamformer filter configured to receive said multitude M of electric input signals and to provide a spatially filtered signal and a post-filter configured to receive said spatially filtered signal and to provide an estimate ?(k,l) of a target signal representing said target signal components from said target sound source. The signal processor is configured to provide estimates of power spectral densities ?s(k,l) of said target signal components in dependence of inter-frequency bin relationships between the spectral components enforced by properties of the electric input signals across at least some of said frequency bins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Adel Zahedi, Michael Syskind Pedersen, Lars Bramsløw, Thomas Ulrich Christiansen, Jesper Jensen
  • Publication number: 20220240026
    Abstract: A hearing device adapted for being worn at or in an ear of a user, comprises a) an input unit comprising at last two input transducers each for converting sound around said hearing device to an electric input signal representing said sound, thereby providing at least two electric input signals; b) a beamformer filter comprising a minimum processing beamformer defined by optimized beamformer weights, the beamformer filter being configured to provide a filtered signal in dependence of said at least two electric input signals and said optimized beamformer weights; c) a reference signal representing sound around said hearing device; d) a performance criterion for said minimum processing beamformer. The minimum processing beamformer is a beamformer that provides the filtered signal with as little modification as possible in terms of a selected distance measure compared to said reference signal, while still fulfilling said performance criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2022
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Adel Zahedi, Michael Syskind Pedersen, Thomas Ulrich Christiansen, Lars Bramsløw, Jesper Jensen
  • Publication number: 20210329388
    Abstract: A hearing aid comprises a) a multitude of M input transducers each providing an electric input signal representative of environment sound in a time-frequency representation (k, l), and each comprise varying amounts of target (s) and noise (v) signal components; b) a signal processor configured to process said multitude of electric input signals; and comprising a beamformer filter configured to receive said multitude M of electric input signals and to provide a spatially filtered signal and a post-filter configured to receive said spatially filtered signal and to provide an estimate ?(k, l) of a target signal representing said target signal components from said target sound source. The signal processor is configured to provide estimates of power spectral densities ?s(k, l) of said target signal components in dependence of inter-frequency bin relationships between the spectral components enforced by properties of the electric input signals across at least some of said frequency bins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Adel ZAHEDI, Michael Syskind PEDERSEN, Lars BRAMSLØW, Thomas Ulrich CHRISTIANSEN, Jesper JENSEN
  • Patent number: 10631107
    Abstract: A hearing device comprises a) an input unit for providing at least one electric input signal representing sound in a frequency sub-band representation, b) an SNR estimation unit for estimating a signal to noise ratio and/or a level estimation unit for estimating a level of said at least one electric input signal, and c) a configurable frequency transposition unit for transposing content of a source frequency sub-band FBS into a destination frequency sub-band FBD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: OTICON A/S
    Inventors: Anders Højsgaard Thomsen, Jesper Jensen, Thomas Ulrich Christiansen
  • Publication number: 20190379985
    Abstract: A hearing device comprises a) an input unit for providing at least one electric input signal representing sound in a frequency sub-band representation, b) an SNR estimation unit for estimating a signal to noise ratio and/or a level estimation unit for estimating a level of said at least one electric input signal, and c) a configurable frequency transposition unit for transposing content of a source frequency sub-band FBS into a destination frequency sub-band FBD.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Anders Højsgaard THOMSEN, Jesper JENSEN, Thomas Ulrich CHRISTIANSEN
  • Patent number: 10085099
    Abstract: The application relates to a hearing aid system comprising a hearing aid device comprising a configurable signal processing unit, a programming device configured to program the configurable signal processing unit, and a communication link allowing the exchange of data between the hearing aid device and the programming device. The application further relates to a method of programming configurable signal processing unit to provide an increased speech intelligibility by frequency lowering. The hearing aid system is configured to program the configurable signal processing unit of the hearing device according the claimed method. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignees: Bernafon AG, Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Martin Kuriger, Christophe Lesimple, Neil Hockley, Claus Forup Corlin Jespersgaard, Thomas Ulrich Christiansen
  • Patent number: 9980053
    Abstract: A method of programming a configurable signal processing unit of a hearing aid device comprises Providing a frequency transposition algorithm in the hearing aid device where content from more than one upper-lying source frequency band is copied or moved into one and the same lower lying destination frequency band; Providing a number of frequency transposition configurations, each comprising a specific combination of source regions and a destination region; Providing a weight parameter that specifies the amount of gain applied to a lowered signal resulting from a given frequency transposition configuration; and Providing a prescription algorithm that selects an optimum frequency transposition configuration for an ear of a user taking an audiogram for the ear in question and an amplification capability of the hearing aid device in question into account. A purpose of the disclosure is to provide an improved audibility of high frequency sound for users with severe-to-profound hearing losses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignees: OTICON A/S, BERNAFON AG
    Inventors: Martin Kuriger, Christophe Lesimple, Neil Hockley, Claus Forup Corlin Jespersgaard, Thomas Ulrich Christiansen, Kamilla Angelo
  • Publication number: 20170127200
    Abstract: The application relates to a hearing aid system comprising a hearing aid device comprising a configurable signal processing unit, a programming device configured to program the configurable signal processing unit, and a communication link allowing the exchange of data between the hearing aid device and the programming device. The application further relates to a method of programming configurable signal processing unit to provide an increased speech intelligibility by frequency lowering. The hearing aid system is configured to program the configurable signal processing unit of the hearing device according the claimed method. The invention may e.g. be used in hearing aids.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2015
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Applicants: Oticon A/S, Bernafon AG
    Inventors: Martin KURIGER, Christophe LESIMPLE, Neil HOCKLEY, Claus Forup Corlin JESPERSGAARD, Thomas Ulrich CHRISTIANSEN
  • Publication number: 20170127192
    Abstract: A method of programming a configurable signal processing unit of a hearing aid device comprises Providing a frequency transposition algorithm in the hearing aid device where content from more than one upper-lying source frequency band is copied or moved into one and the same lower lying destination frequency band; Providing a number of frequency transposition configurations, each comprising a specific combination of source regions and a destination region; Providing a weight parameter that specifies the amount of gain applied to a lowered signal resulting from a given frequency transposition configuration; and Providing a prescription algorithm that selects an optimum frequency transposition configuration for an ear of a user taking an audiogram for the ear in question and an amplification capability of the hearing aid device in question into account. A purpose of the disclosure is to provide an improved audibility of high frequency sound for users with severe-to-profound hearing losses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Applicants: Oticon A/S, Bernafon AG
    Inventors: Martin KURIGER, Christophe LESIMPLE, Neil HOCKLEY, Claus Forup Corlin JESPERSGAARD, Thomas Ulrich CHRISTIANSEN, Kamilla ANGELO
  • Patent number: 9571949
    Abstract: An apparatus for determining cochlear dead region comprising a sound generation unit, an output transducer, and a control unit. The control unit causes the sound generation unit to provide a first electrical sound signal representing a first frequency band adjacent to a frequency region of interest, with a first bandwidth, a first sound pressure level and a first subsequent electrical sound signal representing a first subsequent frequency band comprising the frequency region of interest with a first subsequent bandwidth, a first subsequent sound pressure level, and a first subsequent time delay to the first electrical sound signal. In response, the output transducer generates a first output sound and a first subsequent output sound with the first subsequent time delay. A user compares the first output and first subsequent output sounds and decides, whether he hears a difference between the two sounds and gives a positive or negative decision input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignees: OTICON A/S, BERNAFON AG
    Inventors: Karsten Bo Rasmussen, Barbara Simon, Neil Hockley, Christophe Lesimple, Thomas Ulrich Christiansen, Monika Bertges Reber
  • Publication number: 20150222999
    Abstract: An apparatus for determining cochlear dead region comprising a sound generation unit, an output transducer, and a control unit. The control unit causes the sound generation unit to provide a first electrical sound signal representing a first frequency band adjacent to a frequency region of interest, with a first bandwidth, a first sound pressure level and a first subsequent electrical sound signal representing a first subsequent frequency band comprising the frequency region of interest with a first subsequent bandwidth, a first subsequent sound pressure level, and a first subsequent time delay to the first electrical sound signal. In response, the output transducer generates a first output sound and a first subsequent output sound with the first subsequent time delay. A user compares the first output and first subsequent output sounds and decides, whether he hears a difference between the two sounds and gives a positive or negative decision input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Publication date: August 6, 2015
    Applicants: BERNAFON AG, OTICON A/S
    Inventors: Karsten Bo RASMUSSEN, Barbara SIMON, Neil HOCKLEY, Christophe LESIMPLE, Thomas Ulrich CHRISTIANSEN, Monika Bertges REBER
  • Patent number: D608355
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Anton Fahlgren, Thomas Ulrich Christiansen