Patents by Inventor Wolfgang Sorgel

Wolfgang Sorgel 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: 10104480
    Abstract: Synthetically generated signals are reproduced via a binaural hearing system, which includes two hearing devices. After reproducing a first signal via the first hearing device a reproduction of a second signal via the second hearing device is also carried out delayed by a defined time interval. The additional time delay is to be quantified such that the impression of a sound amplification is produced with a hearing system wearer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Sivantos GmbH
    Inventors: Ulrich Kornagel, Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Patent number: 8908893
    Abstract: Multi-stage filter bank systems with filter banks of different bandwidth frequently cause interference in hearing apparatuses and in particular in hearing devices. Therefore a hearing apparatus is proposed with a filter bank system having a multi-stage analysis filter bank and/or a multi-stage synthesis filter bank, to break down an input signal of the hearing apparatus into a number of partial band signals by way of a number of filter bank channels and/or to recombine partial band signals of a number of filter bank channels. The filter bank system is equipped with at least one equalization filter, to equalize differences in the complex frequency responses between filter bank channels. It is thus possible in particular to equalize group delay time differences as well as attenuation and/or amplification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Daniel Alfsmann, Robert Bäuml, Henning Puder, Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Patent number: 8532319
    Abstract: A filter bank configuration for a hearing device has filters in an analysis filter bank and corresponding filters in a synthesis filter bank that are coupled pair-wise to form a channel in each case. In order to compensate for a hearing loss, sub-band signals are amplified in the individual channels with the aid of multipliers. In the process, an audible distortion of an output signal Y of the filter bank configuration as a result of differences between amplification factors of the multipliers of neighboring channels should be prevented. Here, at least one channel changes a phase of a sub-band signal transmitted by the channel such that a difference between a group delay of the filter bank configuration and a prescribable reference value is reduced for at least one predetermined frequency. The filter bank configuration is particularly suited to hearing aids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Baüml, Heinz Goeckler, Thomas Kurbiel, Henning Puder, Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Patent number: 8411886
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hearing aid with at least one sound receiver and a sound generator. The hearing aid has an audio signal unit operatively connected to the sound generator, the audio signal unit being designed to generate an audio signal perceptible to a human ear. The audio signal has a plurality of mutually different frequencies of a frequency range. The audio signal unit has at least one tone generator. The at least one tone generator is designed to generate the audio signal with at least one fundamental frequency representing a tone and with harmonics of the fundamental frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Roland Barthel, Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Patent number: 8385572
    Abstract: The object is to improve the effect of a noise reduction algorithm for hearing apparatuses and in particular hearing aids. This is achieved by a method wherein the input signal is modeled by a wanted signal model and a noise signal model. In addition, a signal statistic of the input signal is recorded in a data logging unit. The wanted signal model and/or the noise signal model can now be changed as a function of said signal statistic. Finally the noise component of the input signal is reduced using the noise signal model and/or the wanted signal model. This means that the models used can be continuously adapted to the hearing apparatus user's current situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Oliver Dreβler, Eghart Fischer, Ulrich Kornagel, Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Patent number: 8233650
    Abstract: The noise reduction for signals which can contain speech at least part of the time is to be improved. To this end a hearing apparatus and especially a hearing device with a first estimation device for estimating a first value of an input signal with a first estimation algorithm and a noise reduction device for reducing noise in the input signal are provided. A second estimation device, which is parameterized with the estimated first value, is used for estimating a second value of the input signal with a second estimation algorithm. The noise reduction device receives the estimated second value from the second estimation device for reducing the noise. The two-stage estimation method enables an adaptive estimation to be carried out which is always currently adapted to an input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Oliver Dreβler, Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Patent number: 8208667
    Abstract: The invention relates to an adjustable hearing aid to which at least one parameter which influences the response and amplification characteristics of the hearing aid can be adjusted, with means being included which carry out testing of the effectiveness of an adjustment of this parameter in the prevailing auditory situation, and means being included which, given the existence of a minimum effectiveness, enable the adjustment option of this parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Wolfgang Sörgel, Andreas Tiefenau
  • Patent number: 8199944
    Abstract: An unintentional adjustment of the user-controlled control elements on the device can result within the scope of the activation of a hearing device, after a switch-on delay has elapsed. To reduce this risk, a delay in the release of the user-controlled control elements attached to the device is provided in accordance with the invention in addition to the said switch-on delay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Philipp Höcht, Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Patent number: 8189831
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hearing aid having an audio signal unit which is operatively connected to a sound generator and generates an audio signal which has at least two audio signal sections immediately succeeding one another in time. The audio signal sections each have an audio signal section duration and the audio signal has at least one frequency that is audible to the human ear. The audio signal sections succeed one another in such a way that an audio signal section succeeding a previous audio signal section in time begins before the previous audio signal section has terminated, with the result that the previous and the succeeding audio signal section overlap one another with an overlapping time period, the overlapping time period being shorter than the audio signal section duration of the previous audio signal section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Patent number: 8098857
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hearing aid having a sound receiver and a sound generator. The hearing aid also has an audio signal unit that is functionally linked to the sound generator and has a tone signal generator for generating a tone signal as a function of a trigger signal and of a generation parameter which represents a frequency that can be perceived by a human ear. The hearing aid also has a memory, connected to the tone signal generator, for storing the generation parameter. The audio signal unit changes the generation parameter stored in the memory, generates a trigger signal for each tone signal requiring to be generated, sends said trigger signal to the tone signal generator, and sends the generated tone signal to the sound generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Publication number: 20120008791
    Abstract: A filter bank with a sufficiently high resolution for amplification and noise reduction and with the lowest possible computational complexity is provided for a hearing device and, in particular, for a hearing aid. Two-stage frequency transformation with little latency is therefore proposed for hearing aids. Some of the processing, for example the amplification, is carried out after high stopband attenuation in the first stage. An increased frequency resolution is achieved in a second stage before the back-transformation in the first stage, which is favorable for noise reduction, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: SIEMENS MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Timo Gerkmann, Rainer Martin, Henning Puder, Wolfgang Sorgel
  • Publication number: 20110007918
    Abstract: A filter bank configuration for a hearing device has filters in an analysis filter bank and corresponding filters in a synthesis filter bank that are coupled pair-wise to form a channel in each case. In order to compensate for a hearing loss, sub-band signals are amplified in the individual channels with the aid of multipliers. In the process, an audible distortion of an output signal Y of the filter bank configuration as a result of differences between amplification factors of the multipliers of neighboring channels should be prevented. Here, at least one channel changes a phase of a sub-band signal transmitted by the channel such that a difference between a group delay of the filter bank configuration and a prescribable reference value is reduced for at least one predetermined frequency. The filter bank configuration is particularly suited to hearing aids.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: SIEMENS MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: ROBERT BÄUML, HEINZ GOECKLER, THOMAS KURBIEL, HENNING PUDER, WOLFGANG SÖRGEL
  • Patent number: 7844062
    Abstract: The output of signal tones from hearing aids for binaural coverage is to be synchronized. To this end, it is provided that the counters of the two hearing aids are equalized by a synchronization signal. By transmitting a control signal with a count value or before a predetermined count value, the simultaneous emission of a signal tone from the two hearing aids is initiated. Alternatively, for the indirect synchronization of the counters the respective differences of the counter readings may also be stored in the individual hearing aids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Bäuml, Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Publication number: 20100034407
    Abstract: The invention specifies a hearing device, especially an in-the-ear hearing aid, and a method for suppressing acoustic feedback, with at least one ultrasound signal being emitted by the hearing device. The ultrasound signal reflected and fed back from the environment of the hearing device is picked up by at least one microphone and/or by at least one ultrasound receive unit of the hearing device. A feedback suppression unit of the hearing device is regulated by the picked up and evaluated ultrasound signal. The advantage of this is that feedback suppression in hearing devices can be regulated both quickly and also precisely.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Inventors: Stefan Petrausch, Wolfgang Sörgel
  • Publication number: 20090290734
    Abstract: Multi-stage filter bank systems with filter banks of different bandwidth frequently cause interference in hearing apparatuses and in particular in hearing devices. Therefore a hearing apparatus is proposed with a filter bank system having a multi-stage analysis filter bank and/or a multi-stage synthesis filter bank, to break down an input signal of the hearing apparatus into a number of partial band signals by way of a number of filter bank channels and/or to recombine partial band signals of a number of filter bank channels. The filter bank system is equipped with at least one equalization filter, to equalize differences in the complex frequency responses between filter bank channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventors: Daniel Alfsmann, Robert Bauml, Hanning Puder, Wolfgang Sorgel
  • Publication number: 20090252358
    Abstract: The noise reduction for signals which can contain speech at least part of the time is to be improved. To this end a hearing apparatus and especially a hearing device with a first estimation device for estimating a first value of an input signal with a first estimation algorithm and a noise reduction device for reducing noise in the input signal are provided. A second estimation device, which is parameterized with the estimated first value, is used for estimating a second value of the input signal with a second estimation algorithm. The noise reduction device receives the estimated second value from the second estimation device for reducing the noise. The two-stage estimation method enables an adaptive estimation to be carried out which is always currently adapted to an input signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Inventors: Oliver Dressler, Wolfgang Sorgel
  • Publication number: 20090046878
    Abstract: The invention relates to an adjustable hearing aid to which at least one parameter which influences the response and amplification characteristics of the hearing aid can be adjusted, with means being included which carry out testing of the effectiveness of an adjustment of this parameter in the prevailing auditory situation, and means being included which, given the existence of a minimum effectiveness, enable the adjustment option of this parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Inventors: Wolfgang Sorgel, Andreas Tiefenau
  • Publication number: 20080247577
    Abstract: The object is to improve the effect of a noise reduction algorithm for hearing apparatuses and in particular hearing aids. This is achieved by a method wherein the input signal is modeled by a wanted signal model and a noise signal model. In addition, a signal statistic of the input signal is recorded in a data logging unit. The wanted signal model and/or the noise signal model can now be changed as a function of said signal statistic. Finally the noise component of the input signal is reduced using the noise signal model and/or the wanted signal model. This means that the models used can be continuously adapted to the hearing apparatus user's current situation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventors: Oliver Dressler, Eghart Fischer, Ulrich Kornagel, Wolfgang Sorgel
  • Publication number: 20080240449
    Abstract: Synthetically generated signals are reproduced via a binaural hearing system, which includes two hearing devices. After reproducing a first signal via the first hearing device a reproduction of a second signal via the second hearing device is also carried out delayed by a defined time interval. The additional time delay is to be quantified such that the impression of a sound amplification is produced with a hearing system wearer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Inventors: Ulrich Kornagel, Wolfgang Sorgel
  • Publication number: 20080232619
    Abstract: In the English translation document, please replace the abstract with the following: An unintentional adjustment of the user-controlled control elements on the device can result within the scope of the activation of a hearing device, after a switch-on delay has elapsed. To reduce this risk, a delay in the release of the user-controlled control elements attached to the device is provided in accordance with the invention in addition to the said switch-on delay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Inventors: Philipp Hocht, Wolfgang Sorgel