Search Patents
  • Listening system with an improved feedback cancellation system, a method and use
    Patent number: 9338562
    Abstract: A listening device includes an input transducer, an output transducer, a signal processor, and a feedback cancellation system for estimating acoustic feedback. The feedback cancellation system includes an adaptive FBC filter arranged in parallel to the forward path, an adaptive whitening filter, and a howl detection unit that performs howl detection based on an output of the adaptive whitening filter. The adaptive FBC filter includes a variable FBC filter part and an FBC update algorithm part for updating the variable FBC filter part, the FBC update algorithm part receiving first and second FBC algorithm input signals influenced by the electrical input and the electrical output signals. Further, the feedback cancellation system receives an electrical update signal essentially consisting of the direct part of the electrical input signal and coefficients of the adaptive whitening filter are based on the electrical update signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: OTICON A/S
    Inventors: Thomas Bo Elmedyb, Johan Hellgren
  • Feedback elimination in a hearing aid
    Patent number: 11825269
    Abstract: A hearing aid includes an input unit, an output unit, a signal processing unit connected to the input unit and output unit, where the input unit, the signal processing unit and the output unit form part of a forward path of the hearing aid, where the signal processing unit is configured to apply a forward gain to the at least one electric input signal or a signal originating therefrom. The hearing aid further includes a feedback reduction unit configured to reduce risk of howl due to acoustic, electrical, and/or mechanical feedback of an external feedback path from the output unit to the input unit. The feedback reduction unit is configured to modulate the forward gain in time to provide that the forward gain exhibits an increased or unchanged forward gain in one or more first time periods and a reduced forward gain in one or more second time periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Meng Guo, Bernhard Kuenzle, Anders Meng, Martin Kuriger, Mojtaba Farmani, Mikkel Grønbech, Sudershan Yalgalwadi Sreepadarao, Kim Tilgaard Petersen
  • HEARING DEVICE ADAPTED TO PROVIDE AN ESTIMATE OF A USER'S OWN VOICE
    Publication number: 20220141598
    Abstract: A hearing device adapted to be worn by a user and for picking up sound containing the user's own voice is provided. The hearing device includes an input unit having first and second input transducers for converting sound to first and second electric input signals, respectively, representing the sound. The hearing device is configured to provide that the first and second input transducers are located on the user so that the user experiences first and second, acoustically different, acoustic environments, respectively, when the user wears the hearing device. The first acoustic environment may be defined as an environment where the own voice signal primarily originates from vibrating parts of the bones and skin or tissue. The second acoustic environment may be defined as an environment where the own voice signal primarily originates from the user's mouth or nose and is transmitted through air from said mouth or nose to the second input transducer(s). A method of operating a hearing device is further disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2022
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Jan M. DE HAAN, Mirjana ADNADJEVIC, Svend FELDT
  • WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR COMMUNICATING WITH MULTIPLE EXTERNAL DEVICES VIA A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION UNIT
    Publication number: 20200145350
    Abstract: A method and wireless communication device use a first processing unit to perform a first communication event within a first communication window by use of a first communication protocol, a second processing unit to perform a second communication event within a second communication window by use of a second communication protocol, and a wireless communication unit connected to a radio-frequency antenna to transmit and/or receive a packet wirelessly. The first and second processing units may perform the first and second communication events via the wireless communication unit. The second processing unit or the wireless communication unit may transmit an event signal to the first processing unit when performing the second communication event or receiving a packet, respectively, to allow the first processing unit to arrange the first communication window (or first communication event) with respect to the second communication window (or second communication event) to minimize interference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Franz TREUE, Bjarne KLEMMENSEN, Rune SØ
  • A HEARING AID SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING ACOUSTIC TRANSFER FUNCTIONS
    Publication number: 20230044634
    Abstract: A hearing aid system comprises a hearing aid, and a portable auxiliary device’ adapted to establish a communication link between them. The hearing aid comprises a microphone providing an electric input signal, a signal processor, and an output unit. The auxiliary device comprises a microphone providing an auxiliary electric input signal, and a user control interface allowing a user to initiate a specific calibration mode of operation of the hearing aid system. The signal processor of the hearing aid is configured to receive corresponding time segments of said electric input signal and said auxiliary electric input signal to provide an estimate of an acoustic transfer function from said microphone of said auxiliary device to said microphone of said hearing aid. A method of operating a hearing aid system is further disclosed. The invention may e.g. be used in various applications related to own voice detection and estimation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2022
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Nels Hede ROHDE, Thomas BENTSEN, Anders Brødløs OLSEN, Michael Syskind PEDERSEN, Svend FELDT, Jesper JENSEN
  • HEARING AID DETERMINING TALKERS OF INTEREST
    Publication number: 20220295191
    Abstract: A hearing aid includes an input providing an input signal representing sound in an environment, the input signal including no speech signal, or one or more speech signals from one or more speech sound sources and additional signal components, termed noise signal, from one or more other sound sources, an own voice detector, a voice activity detector, and a talker extraction unit to determine and/or receive one or more speech signals as separated one or more speech signals from speech sound sources other than the hearing aid user and to detect the speech signal originating from the voice of the user. The talker extraction unit provides separate signals, each including, or indicating presence of, one of the one or more speech signals. A noise reduction system determines speech overlap and/or gap between the speech signal originating from the user's voice and each of the separated one or more speech signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Michael Syskind PEDERSEN, Jesper JENSEN, Jan M. DE HAAN, Poul HOANG
  • Hearing aid for placement at an ear of a user
    Patent number: 11323831
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a hearing aid for placement on head of a user comprising a first second part. The first part may comprise an acoustic input transducer adapted to convert ambient sound picked up at the ear of the user to an electric signal, a signal processor adapted to process the electric signal according to specifications of user into a processed electric signal, and an output transducer adapted to covert the processed electric signal into a transmission signal, The second part may comprise an anchor adapted to fixate said second part under the skin to skull bone of the user, and a receiver adapted to receive the transmission signal and convert the transmission signal to an output signal perceivable as sound by the user. The first part may comprise an inner recess adapted to receive an insert element, where the insert element may comprise a first magnet adapted to in cooperation with the second part to cause the first part to attach to the head of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Oticon Medical A/S
    Inventors: Emilie Munk Haagerup, Peder Hesselbjerg Pedersen, Mads Buur Mortensen, Johan Rosengren
  • RF antenna and hearing device with RF antenna
    Patent number: 10555097
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an RF antenna adapted to receive and/or transmit electromagnetic RF signals within a first frequency range enclosing a first frequency of resonance of the RF antenna, the RF antenna comprising: an electrically conductive antenna element having a feed for electrically connecting to an RF transmitter and/or an RF receiver; an electronic component adapted to receive and/or provide one or more electric signals from/to an electronic circuit within a second frequency range not overlapping the first frequency range; and one or more electric leads electrically connected to lead the one or more electric signals between the electronic component and the electronic circuit, each of the one or more electric leads being electrically connected to the electronic circuit through a respective inductor adapted to reflect and/or attenuate signals within the first frequency range and pass signals within the second frequency range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: OTICON A/S
    Inventors: Jens Troelsen, Oliver Sundberg, Kåre Tais Christensen, Henning Knak Poulsen
  • HEARING AID SYSTEM AND A METHOD OF PROGRAMMING A HEARING AID DEVICE
    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
  • Portable system for gathering and processing data from EEG, EOG, and/or imaging sensors
    Patent number: 11297448
    Abstract: A method for picking up body signals from the head of a user comprises a) placing first and second electrodes on first and second different positions at a first side of the user's head in direct or capacitive contact with the user's head, said first side comprising a first eye of the user, the first and second electrodes being configured to pick up first and second electric potentials, respectively, from the user's body, and b) providing an Electrooculography signal representative of a corneo-retinal potential difference of said first eye of the user in dependence of said at first and second electric potentials. The first and second positions may be (substantially) located in a plane including the first eye of the user. A portable electronic device providing an Electrooculography signal, and a hearing device utilizing an Electrooculography signal is further disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: OTICON A/S
    Inventors: Thomas Lunner, Alejandro Lopez Valdes, Henrik Bendsen, Claus Christensen, Peter Schmidt, Ole Andersen, Mikkel Nielsen, Tanveer Bhuiyan
  • HEARING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM COMPRISING AN EEG-RECORDING AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20180014130
    Abstract: A hearing assistance system comprises an input unit for providing electric input sound signals ui, each representing sound signals Ui from a multitude nu of sound sources Si, an electroencephalography (EEG) system for recording activity of the auditory system of the user's brain and providing a multitude ny of EEG signals yj, and a source selection processing unit receiving said electric input sound signals ui and said EEG signals yj, and in dependence thereof configured to provide a source selection signal ?x indicative of the sound source Sx that the user currently pays attention to using a selective algorithm that determines a sparse model to select the most relevant EEG electrodes and time intervals based on minimizing a cost function measuring the correlation between the individual sound sources and the EEG signals, and to determine the source selection signal ?x based on the cost functions obtained for said multitude of sound sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2017
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Thomas LUNNER, Fredrik GUSTAFSSON, Carina GRAVERSEN, Emina ALICKOVIC
  • Wireless communication protocol
    Patent number: 7529565
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to wirelessly communicate with a wireless communication protocol. One aspect of the present subject matter relates to a method performed by a hearing instrument for a user. According to various embodiments, local sound is converted into a processed acoustic signal for the user of the hearing instrument, and wireless communications within a wireless network that includes the hearing instrument is controlled using a wireless communications protocol. The wireless communications protocol includes a transmission protocol module, a link protocol module, an extended protocol module, a data protocol module, and an audio protocol module. The transmission protocol module is adapted to control transceiver operations to provide half duplex communication over a single wireless communication channel, and the link protocol module is adapted to implement a packet transmission process to account for frame collisions on the channel. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignees: Starkey Laboratories, Inc., Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Robert E. Hilpisch, Rob Duchscher, Mark Seel, Peter Soren Kirk Hansen
  • VOICE ACTIVITITY DETECTION UNIT AND A HEARING DEVICE COMPRISING A VOICE ACTIVITY DETECTION UNIT
    Publication number: 20180090158
    Abstract: A voice activity detection unit is configured to receive at least two electric input signals in a number of frequency bands and a number of time instances, k and m being frequency band and time indices, respectively, (k, m) defining a specific time-frequency tile of said electric input signal. The voice activity detection unit is configured to provide a resulting voice activity detection estimate comprising one or more parameters indicative of whether or not a given time-frequency tile contains or to what extent it comprises a target speech signal. The voice activity detection unit comprises a) a first detector for analyzing the time-frequency representation of the electric input signals and identifying spectro-spatial characteristics of said electric input signals, and b) and is configured for providing said resulting voice activity detection estimate in dependence of said spectro-spatial characteristics. The invention may be used in hearing aids, table microphones, speakerphones, etc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Jesper JENSEN, Michael Syskind PEDERSEN
  • System and method for generating auditory spatial cues
    Patent number: 7936890
    Abstract: This invention relates to a hearing aid system (100, 200, 300) for generating auditory spatial cues. The hearing aid system (100, 200, 300) comprises a first microphone unit (306) adapted to convert sound received at a first microphone (102) and received at a second microphone (104), a first delay unit (106) connected to the first microphone (102) delaying the signal from the first microphone (102), a first calculation unit (108) for summing the delayed signal of the first microphone (102) and signal of the second microphone (104), a processor unit (110) processing the summed signal, and a speaker converting the processed signal to a processed sound. The first and second microphones (102, 104) are separated by a predetermined first distance and the first delay unit (106) provides a predetermined first delay thereby generating a first auditory spatial cue representing a first spatial dimension in the summed signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Graham Naylor, S. Gert Weinrich
  • Method of determining parameters in an adaptive audio processing algorithm and an audio processing system
    Patent number: 8804979
    Abstract: A method and an audio processing system determine a system parameter, e.g. step size, in an adaptive algorithm, e.g. an adaptive feedback cancellation algorithm so as to provide an alternative scheme for feedback estimation in a multi-microphone audio processing system. A feedback part of the system's open loop transfer function is estimated and separated in a transient part and a steady state part, which can be used to control the adaptation rate of the adaptive feedback cancellation algorithm by adjusting the system parameter, e.g. step size parameter, of the algorithm when desired system properties, such as a steady state value or a convergence rate of the feedback, are given/desired. The method can be used for different adaptation algorithms such as LMS, NLMS, RLS, etc. in hearing aids, headsets, handsfree telephone systems, teleconferencing systems, public address systems, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Thomas Bo Elmedyb, Jesper Jensen, Meng Guo
  • HEARING AID COMPRISING A DIRECTIONAL MICROPHONE SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20170295436
    Abstract: A hearing aid comprises a BTE-part adapted for being located behind an ear (ear) of a user, and comprising a) a multitude M of microphones, which—when located behind the ear of the user—are characterized by respective transfer functions, HBTEi(?, ?, r, k), representative of propagation of sound from sound sources S to the respective microphones b) a memory unit comprising complex, frequency dependent constants Wi(k)?, i=1, . . . , M, c) a beamformer filtering unit for providing a beamformed signal Y as a weighted combination of the microphone signals using said complex, frequency dependent constants The frequency dependent constants are determined to provide a resulting transfer function Hpinna(?, ?, r, k)=?i=1M Wi(k)·HBTEi(?, ?, r, k), so that a difference between the resulting transfer function Hpinna(?, ?, r, k) and a transfer function HITE(?, ?, r, k) of a microphone located close to or in the ear canal fulfils a predefined criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Michael Syskind PEDERSEN, Andreas Thelander BERTELSEN
  • BINAURAL HEARING AID SYSTEM COMPRISING TWO WIRELESS INTERFACES AND A USER INTERFACE
    Publication number: 20180176700
    Abstract: A binaural aid assistance system comprises first and second hearing assistance devices adapted for being located at or in left and right ears of a user. Each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises a) a first wireless interface comprising first antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a first communication link to the respective other hearing assistance device based on near-field communication; b) a second wireless interface comprising second antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a second communication link to an auxiliary device based on far-field communication. The binaural hearing aid system further comprises c) a user interface from which a user can select a suitable routing of an audio signal from the auxiliary device to each of the first and second hearing assistance devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Michael Syskind PEDERSEN, Jesper JENSEN, Peter S. K. HANSEN, Bjarne KIELSHOLM-RIBALAYGUA, Kåre Tais CHRISTENSEN, Jens TROELSEN, Hans Christian SCHOTT, Rune SØ
  • BINAURAL HEARING SYSTEM CONFIGURED TO LOCALIZE A SOUND SOURCE
    Publication number: 20180041849
    Abstract: A hearing aid system comprising a pair of hearing devices, e.g. hearing aids, worn at the ears of a user receives a target signal generated by a target signal source and transmitted through an acoustic channel to microphones of the hearing aid system. Due to (potential) additive environmental noise, a noisy acoustic signal is received at the microphones of the hearing system. An essentially noise-free version of the target signal is simultaneously transmitted to the hearing devices of the hearing system via a wireless connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Mojtaba FARMANI, Michael Syskind PEDERSEN, Jesper JENSEN
  • A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR COMMUNICATING WITH MULTIPLE EXTERNAL DEVICES VIA A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION UNIT
    Publication number: 20220210095
    Abstract: A method and wireless communication device use a first processing unit to perform a first communication event within a first communication window by use of a first communication protocol, a second processing unit to perform a second communication event within a second communication window by use of a second communication protocol, and a wireless communication unit connected to a radio-frequency antenna to transmit and/or receive a packet wirelessly. The first and second processing units may perform the first and second communication events via the wireless communication unit. The second processing unit or the wireless communication unit may transmit an event signal to the first processing unit when performing the second communication event or receiving a packet, respectively, to allow the first processing unit to arrange the first communication window (or first communication event) with respect to the second communication window (or second communication event) to minimize interference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2022
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Applicant: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Franz TREUE, Bjarne KLEMMENSEN, Rune SØ
  • HEARING DEVICE COMPRISING A FEEDBACK CANCELLATION SYSTEM BASED ON SIGNAL ENERGY RELOCATION
    Publication number: 20180041845
    Abstract: A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, is provided, comprising a forward path comprising an input transducer for providing an electric input signal, a signal processing unit configured to apply a requested forward gain to the electric input signal, and an output transducer. The hearing device further comprises a feedback reduction unit for reducing a risk of howl due to feedback from the output transducer to the input transducer. The forward path and the external feedback path defines a roundtrip loop delay. The feedback reduction unit is configured to modulate said requested forward gain in time, to provide that the resulting forward gain exhibits a first, increased gain AH in a first time period TH and a second, reduced gain AL in a second time period TL, wherein at least one of AH, AL, TH, and TL is/are determined according to a predetermined or adaptively determined criterion including said roundtrip loop delay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Applicants: Oticon A/S, Bernafon AG
    Inventors: Bernhard KÜNZLE, Meng GUO
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