Hearing aid comprising wireless audio receiver and own voice detector

Abstract

The present application discloses a hearing aid comprising a wireless audio receiver and an own voice detector, the hearing aid comprising: a microphone; a wireless receiver unit configured to receive a wireless signal from a transmitter of another device or system, provide an audio input signal, and identify the audio input signal as originating from one of a plurality of different types of audio transmitters; the self-voice detector is configured to provide a self-voice control signal; a mixer configured to provide a mixed signal; an input gain controller configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal at least when the hearing aid is in a wireless receive mode; and an output transducer for providing a stimulus representative of the mixed signal perceivable as sound to a user; wherein the input gain controller is configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal, or a signal derived therefrom, according to the type of a) the self-voice control signal and b) the audio transmitter.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of hearing aids, and in particular to self-voice detection or its application in hearing aids. Background Art

[0002] US2011137649A1 discloses a hearing aid configured to control the gain applied to a microphone input signal and an audio stream input in dependence on a control signal indicating the presence of a hearing aid user's voice ("self-voice"). Summary of the invention

[0003] Receiving direct audio (from an audio transmission device, such as from a telephone, remote microphone or television) is a standard feature of state-of-the-art hearing aids. The present invention involves using self-voice detection to control the mixing ratio between sound from the environment (picked up by a microphone) and the received (direct, e.g. streamed) audio input before the resultant signal is presented to the hearing aid user via an output transducer.

[0004] In a typical hearing aid, there is a fixed scheme for setting the gain of the microphone path, for example attenuating the microphone input by 20 dB when audio is received.

[0005] When the audio input is related to a phone conversation, it may be that the user really wants to attenuate all sounds from the surroundings, such as noise cancellation that even introduces external "noise" (such as in an open fitting).

[0006] But when the audio input relates to, for example, an audio stream including TV sound or to sound picked up by a remote microphone (e.g. a companion or "teacher" microphone), the choice is not so obvious. In the TV sound situation, where the hearing aid user is not alone in the room, a conversation may be desired (e.g. about what to watch or the program being watched). But it may also be preferred to focus on the TV sound.

[0007] In educational situations (such as using remote microphones), similar problems are prevalent. When a student (such as a hearing aid user) is listening to a teacher's lecture, a fellow student next to the student may be interested in listening (via microphone input) (or may not be interested).

[0008] Several other use cases can be envisaged that are similar to this, but require a strategy for (automatically) controlling the gain applied to the hearing aid microphone input when direct audio input is received.

[0009] The idea is to use self-voice detection to determine the microphone attenuation based on the source of the audio input.

[0010] When a phone call is received, attenuation of ambient sound may be required, such as by a fixed amount such as 20 dB or more, or by attenuation based on the current input level (e.g., the greater the current input level, the greater the attenuation, such as at the beginning of direct audio reception, or adaptively adjusted to the input level over time during audio reception).

[0011] In a TV streaming situation, self-talk detection can be used to disable attenuation. If you are watching TV with a partner, some default attenuation of the microphone input is required. But only until you start a parallel conversation with your partner. The microphone input should not be completely turned off so that a conversation can start. In other words, the default attenuation should be set to a value that makes the input of a normal level audible to the hearing aid user. When starting a conversation with a partner, attenuation of the microphone input should be disabled. The self-talk detector can be used to detect the start of a conversation. If the hearing aid user speaks, a response from one or more people in the room is more likely to be expected.

[0012] Therefore, when the user is in a streaming situation receiving audio from a wireless audio transmission (e.g., Bluetooth, etc.) device and when this is not a phone conversation, self-voice detection can preferably be used to temporarily eliminate microphone attenuation (at least for a period of time, such as between 2 and 10 seconds).

[0013] Preferably, the scheme according to the invention for controlling the gain of the sound picked up by a hearing aid microphone when direct audio is received is applied automatically.

[0014] The hearing aid can be configured to enable or disable (select on / off) microphone attenuation for the following situations:

[0015] - TV sound reception (e.g. activation);

[0016] - reception of sound from a telecommunication partner (telephone mode) (e.g. inhibit);

[0017] - Reception (eg activation) of sound from remote microphones in the environment.

[0018] Hearing aids

[0019] In one aspect of the present application, a hearing aid configured to be worn by a user is provided. The hearing aid comprises:

[0020] - a microphone configured to provide an electrical input signal representative of sound from the user's surroundings;

[0021] - a wireless receiver unit configured to receive a wireless signal from a transmitter of another device or system, to provide an audio input signal based on the wireless signal, and to identify the audio input signal as originating from one of a plurality of different types of audio transmitters;

[0022] - a self-voice detector configured to provide a self-voice control signal indicating whether or with what probability the user's own voice is present in the sound from the user's environment;

[0023] - a mixer configured to provide a mixed signal comprising a mixture of said electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom and said audio input signal or a signal derived therefrom;

[0024] - an input gain controller configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom at least when the hearing aid is in a wireless receiving mode, wherein the wireless receiver unit receives a signal from at least one of the plurality of different types of audio transmitters; and

[0025] - an output transducer for providing a stimulus perceivable as sound to a user which is representative of the mixed signal or a signal derived therefrom.

[0026] The input gain controller is configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom depending on a) the own voice control signal and b) the type of audio transmitter.

[0027] An improved hearing aid may thereby be provided.

[0028] The wireless receiver unit may be configured to provide an audio transmitter type control signal indicating the source of the currently received wireless signal. The input gain controller may be configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom in dependence on the audio transmitter type control signal.

[0029] The input gain controller may be configured to determine the type of audio transmitter from the current operating mode of the hearing aid. The hearing aid may be configured to operate in a number of different modes, such as a normal mode and one or more specific modes which may be selected, for example, by a user via a user interface or which may be selected automatically. The operating mode may be optimized for a specific acoustic situation or environment, such as a communication (or two-way audio) mode such as a telephone mode (wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive audio from an audio transmitter of a telephone device and transmit audio (the voice of the hearing aid user) to the telephone device), or a partner microphone mode (wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive audio from an audio transmitter of a portable microphone), or a desktop microphone mode (wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive audio from an audio transmitter of a stationary (e.g. desktop) microphone unit), or a TV reception mode (wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive audio from an audio transmitter of a television set), etc.

[0030] The current operating mode of the hearing aid may be determined by the user via the user interface. The hearing aid may include a user interface enabling the user to control functions of the hearing aid, including entering (and / or leaving) a particular operating mode of a plurality of operating modes (represented by different hearing aid programs).

[0031] At least two of the plurality of different types of audio transmitters may use different audio transmission formats.

[0032] The various types of audio transmitters may include one or more of: a video-sound transmitter, a desktop microphone transmitter, a portable microphone transmitter, and a telephone transmitter.

[0033] The audio transmission format may include a standardized or proprietary audio transmission format. For example, one of the different audio transmission formats includes a standardized or proprietary audio transmission format. For example, each of the different audio transmission formats includes a standardized or proprietary audio transmission format. The different audio transmission formats may be interpreted as a plurality of audio transmission formats.

[0034] The audio transmission format may be used, for example, in one or more of Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and LE Audio protocols.

[0035] The hearing aid may include an other voice detector configured to provide an other voice control signal indicating whether or with what probability another voice different from the user's own voice is present in the sound from the user's environment. The hearing aid may include a general voice activity detector. The other voice detector may include a combination of a self-voice detector and a general voice activity detector. The other voice detector may be configured to recognize the voices of one or more specific other persons, such as the voices of persons who are typically present in the acoustic environment associated with the streaming. Such persons may be spouses, children, or other persons who frequently join in conversations with the hearing aid user. Thus, a specific gain according to the present invention may be limited to situations involving the aforementioned one or more specific other persons (e.g., limited to conversations involving specific other persons, such as when the hearing aid is in TV reception mode).

[0036] The hearing aid may include a conversation detector that identifies a conversation in which the user is currently engaged and provides a conversation control signal indicating the identification result. The conversation detector may be based on a combination of an own voice control signal and a timer. ctr ) indicates that there is user voice (e.g. Figure 1 OV ctr = "active (also called initiated)"), a dialog may be assumed, the dialog control signal is set to "active" (indicating that a dialog involving the user has been detected, e.g. see Figure 4A When the user's voice is no longer detected, the dialogue control signal remains "active" for a predetermined or adaptively determined period of time (Δt pause If the self-voice detection signal (or the general voice activity control signal) is activated again within this time period (see, for example, Figure 3D Δt in pause,n, n=1,2), the conversation control signal remains “active”, and so on. If the self-voice detection signal (or the general voice activity control signal) is active during this period (Δt pause ) is not "active" again, deactivating the dialog control signal (thereby indicating that a dialog is no longer assumed), see e.g. Figure 4A During a "talk" period (where the talk control signal is "active"), the input gain applied to the electrical input signal from the input transducer, such as a microphone, or a signal derived therefrom, is increased by a predetermined or adaptively determined amount (e.g., by 3-12 dB). This time period (Δt pause ) may preferably be adapted to the normal maximum time between conversational "turns", for example determined empirically. pause ) can be set, for example, in the range from 2 to 10 seconds, for example from 2 to 5 seconds.

[0037] The conversation detector may be based on the own voice control signal and the other voice control signal, for example. The conversation detector may also be based on an analysis of the mutual timing of the own voice control signal and the other voice control signal and predetermined rules about the time overlap and / or time gap between the two control signals.

[0038] The input gain controller may be configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom in dependence on a) the own voice control signal, b) the type of audio transmitter, and c) the dialogue control signal.

[0039] The input gain controller may be configured to apply an input gain to the audio input signal. The input gain applied to the audio input signal may, for example, depend on a current input level observed by a microphone of the hearing aid. The input gain applied to the audio input signal may, for example, depend on a current operating mode, such as a two-way audio mode, such as a "telephone" operating mode.

[0040] The input gain controller may be configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal and / or the audio input signal to provide a certain mixing ratio of the mixed signal.

[0041] The hearing aid may include one or more electrical sensors configured to be positioned near the ear and near the skin of the user when the hearing aid is worn by the user.

[0042] The hearing aid may be configured to extract electroencephalogram (EEG) and / or electromyogram (EMG) signals from one or more electrical sensors.

[0043] The self-voice detector may be based on analysis of EEG and / or EMG signals.

[0044] The self-voice control signal may be determined from a high pass filtered portion of the EEG and / or EMG signal. The self-voice control signal may be determined from the EEG and / or EMG signal induced by muscle activity. Speech or preparation for speech is characterized by high frequency, high amplitude (EEG and / or EMG) signals.

[0045] The hearing aid may be adapted to provide frequency dependent gain and / or level dependent compression and / or frequency transposition of one or more frequency ranges to one or more other frequency ranges (with or without frequency compression) to compensate for the hearing impairment of the user. The hearing aid may include a signal processor for enhancing an input signal and providing a processed output signal.

[0046] The hearing aid may comprise an output unit for providing a stimulus perceived by the user as an acoustic signal based on the processed electrical signal. The output unit may comprise a plurality of electrodes of a cochlear implant (of a CI type hearing aid) or may comprise a vibrator of a bone conduction hearing aid. The output unit may comprise an output transducer. The output transducer may comprise a receiver (speaker) for providing the stimulus as an acoustic signal to the user (e.g. in an acoustic (air conduction based) hearing aid). The output transducer may comprise a vibrator for providing the stimulus as a mechanical vibration of the skull to the user (e.g. in a bone attached or bone anchored hearing aid). The output unit may (in addition or as an alternative) comprise a transmitter for transmitting the sound picked up by the hearing aid (e.g. via a network, e.g. in telephone operating mode, or in a headset configuration) to another device, such as a remote communication partner.

[0047] The hearing aid may comprise an input unit for providing an electrical input signal representing a sound. The input unit may comprise an (acoustic-electrical) input transducer such as a microphone for converting the input sound into the electrical input signal. The input unit may comprise a wireless receiver for receiving a wireless signal comprising or representing a sound and providing the electrical input signal representing the sound.

[0048] The wireless receiver and / or transmitter may be configured to receive and / or transmit electromagnetic signals in the radio frequency range (3kHz to 300GHz), for example. The wireless receiver and / or transmitter may be configured to receive and / or transmit electromagnetic signals in the optical frequency range (e.g., infrared light 300GHz to 430THz or visible light such as 430THz to 770THz), for example.

[0049] A hearing aid may include a directional microphone system adapted to spatially filter sounds from the environment so as to enhance a target sound source among a plurality of sound sources in the local environment of a user wearing the hearing aid. The directional system may be adapted to detect (e.g., adaptively detect) from which direction a particular portion of the microphone signal originates. This may be implemented in a variety of different ways, such as described in the prior art. In hearing aids, microphone array beamformers are typically used to spatially attenuate background noise sources. The beamformer may include a linear constrained minimum variance (LCMV) beamformer. Many beamformer variants can be found in the literature. Minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformers are widely used in microphone array signal processing. Ideally, the MVDR beamformer keeps the signal from the target direction (also called the line of sight) unchanged, while maximally attenuating sound signals from other directions. The generalized sidelobe canceler (GSC) structure is an equivalent representation of the MVDR beamformer, which provides computational and digital representation advantages over direct implementation in its original form.

[0050] The hearing aid may include an antenna and transceiver circuitry that enables a wireless link to be established to an entertainment device (e.g. a television), a communication device (e.g. a telephone), a wireless microphone, or another hearing aid. The hearing aid may thus be configured to wirelessly receive a direct electrical input signal from another device. Similarly, the hearing aid may be configured to wirelessly transmit a direct electrical output signal to another device. The direct electrical input or output signal may represent or include an audio signal and / or a control signal and / or an information signal.

[0051] In general, the wireless link established by the antenna and the transceiver circuit of the hearing aid may be of any type. The wireless link may be a link based on near field communication, such as an inductive link based on inductive coupling between antenna coils of a transmitter part and a receiver part. The wireless link may be based on far field electromagnetic radiation. Preferably, the frequency used to establish the communication link between the hearing aid and the other device is lower than 70 GHz, such as in the range from 50 MHz to 70 GHz, such as higher than 300 MHz, such as in the ISM range higher than 300 MHz, such as in the 900 MHz range or in the 2.4 GHz range or in the 5.8 GHz range or in the 60 GHz range (ISM = Industrial, Scientific and Medical, such standardized ranges are defined, for example, by the International Telecommunication Union ITU). The wireless link may be based on standardized or dedicated technologies. The wireless link may be based on Bluetooth technology (such as low power Bluetooth technology, such as LE Audio) or ultra-wideband (UWB) technology.

[0052] The hearing aid may form part of a portable (ie configured to be wearable) device, such as a device comprising a local energy source such as a battery, such as a rechargeable battery. The hearing aid may for example be a low weight, easily wearable device, such as having a total weight of less than 100g, such as less than 20g, such as less than 5g.

[0053] The hearing aid may include a "forward" (or "signal") path between the input and output of the hearing aid for processing audio signals. A signal processor may be located in the forward path. The signal processor may be adapted to provide a frequency-dependent gain according to the specific needs of the user (e.g. hearing loss). The hearing aid may include an "analysis" path having functional parts for analyzing signals and / or controlling processing of the forward path. Part or all of the signal processing in the analysis path and / or the forward path may be performed in the frequency domain, in which case the hearing aid includes appropriate analysis and synthesis filter banks. Part or all of the signal processing in the analysis path and / or the forward path may be performed in the time domain.

[0054] The analog electrical signal representing the acoustic signal can be converted into a digital audio signal in an analog-to-digital (AD) conversion process, where the analog signal is sampled at a predetermined sampling frequency or sampling rate f. s Sampling, f s For example, in the range from 8 kHz to 48 kHz (adapted to the specific needs of the application) at discrete time points t n (or n) provides digital samples x n (or x[n]), each audio sample is passed through a predetermined N b The bit represents the sound signal at t n The value of N b For example, in the range from 1 to 48 bits, such as 24 bits. Each audio sample thus uses N b bit quantization (resulting in 2 Nb different possible values). A digital sample x has a 1 / f s The time length, such as 50μs, for f s = 20kHz. Multiple audio samples can be arranged in time frames. A time frame can include 64 or 128 audio data samples. Other frame lengths can be used depending on the actual application.

[0055] The hearing aid may include an analog-to-digital (AD) converter to digitize an analog input (e.g., from an input transducer such as a microphone) at a predetermined sampling rate, such as 20 kHz. The hearing aid may include a digital-to-analog (DA) converter to convert the digital signal into an analog output signal, such as for presentation to a user via an output transducer.

[0056] The hearing aid, such as the input unit and / or the antenna and transceiver circuitry, may comprise a transform unit for transforming a time domain signal into a signal in a transform domain (e.g. frequency domain or Laplace domain, Z transform, wavelet transform, etc.). The transform unit may consist of or include a time-frequency (TF) transform unit for providing a time-frequency representation of the input signal. The time-frequency representation may comprise an array or mapping of corresponding complex or real values ​​of the signal concerned in a specific time and frequency range. The TF transform unit may comprise a filter bank for filtering the (time-varying) input signal and providing a plurality of (time-varying) output signals, each output signal comprising a distinct frequency range of the input signal. The TF transform unit may comprise a Fourier transform unit (e.g. a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) algorithm, a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) algorithm, or a similar algorithm) for transforming the time-varying input signal into a (time-varying) signal in the (time-)frequency domain. The minimum frequency f is taken into account by the hearing aid. min To the maximum frequency f max The frequency range of may include a portion of the typical human hearing range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, for example a portion of the range from 20 Hz to 12 kHz. Typically, the sampling rate f s Greater than or equal to the maximum frequency f max twice, that is, f s ≥2f max The signals of the forward path and / or analysis path of the hearing aid may be split into NI frequency bands (e.g. of uniform width), wherein NI is, for example, greater than 5, such as greater than 10, such as greater than 50, such as greater than 100, such as greater than 500, at least parts of which are processed separately. The hearing aid may be adapted to process the signals of the forward and / or analysis path in NP different frequency channels (NP≤NI). The frequency channels may be of uniform or non-uniform width (e.g. the width increases with frequency), overlapping or non-overlapping.

[0057] The hearing aid may be configured to operate in different modes, such as a normal mode and one or more specific modes, which may be selected by a user or may be automatically selected, for example. The operating mode may be optimized for a specific acoustic situation or environment, such as a communication mode, e.g., a telephone mode. The operating mode may include a low power mode, in which the functionality of the hearing aid is reduced (e.g., to save energy), such as disabling wireless communication and / or disabling specific features of the hearing aid.

[0058] The hearing aid may include a plurality of detectors configured to provide status signals related to the current network environment of the hearing aid (e.g., the current acoustic environment), and / or to the current state of a user wearing the hearing aid, and / or to the current state or operating mode of the hearing aid. Alternatively or additionally, one or more of the detectors may form part of an external device that communicates with the hearing aid (e.g., wirelessly). The external device may, for example, include another hearing aid, a remote control, an audio transmission device, a phone (e.g., a smartphone), an external sensor, etc.

[0059] One or more of the plurality of detectors may operate on a full-band signal (time domain). One or more of the plurality of detectors may operate on a band-split signal ((time-)frequency domain), for example in a limited number of frequency bands.

[0060] The plurality of detectors may include a level detector for estimating the current level of the signal of the forward path. The detector may be configured to determine whether the current level of the signal of the forward path is above or below a given (L-)threshold. The level detector acts on the full-band signal (time domain). The level detector acts on the band-split signal ((time-)frequency domain).

[0061] The hearing aid may comprise a voice activity detector (VAD) for estimating whether (or with what probability) an input signal (at a given point in time) comprises a voice signal. In the present specification, a voice signal may be taken to mean a signal comprising speech from a human being. It may also include other forms of vocalizations (such as singing) produced by a human speech system. The voice activity detector unit may be adapted to classify the user's current acoustic environment as a "voice" or a "no-voice" environment. This has the following advantage: time periods comprising an electric microphone signal of human vocalizations (such as speech) in the user's environment may be identified and thus separated from time periods comprising only (or mainly) other sound sources (such as artificially produced noise). The voice activity detector may be adapted to detect the user's own voice as "voice" as well. As an alternative, the voice activity detector may be adapted to exclude the user's own voice from the detection of "voice".

[0062] The hearing aid may include a self-voice detector for estimating whether (or with what probability) a particular input sound (e.g. voice, such as speech) originates from the voice of a user of the hearing system. The microphone system of the hearing aid may be adapted to be able to distinguish the user's own voice from the voice of another person and possibly from unvoiced sounds.

[0063] The plurality of detectors may include a motion detector, such as an accelerometer. The motion detector may be configured to detect movement of the user's facial muscles and / or bones, such as due to speech or chewing (eg, jaw movement), and provide a detector signal indicative of the movement.

[0064] The hearing aid may comprise a classification unit configured to classify the current situation based on an input signal from (at least part of) the detector and possibly other inputs. In this specification, a "current situation" may be defined by one or more of the following:

[0065] a) the physical environment (e.g. including the current electromagnetic environment, such as the presence of electromagnetic signals (including audio and / or control signals) intended or not intended to be received by the hearing aid, or other properties of the current environment other than acoustics);

[0066] b) Current acoustic conditions (input level, feedback, etc.);

[0067] c) the user’s current mode or state (motion, temperature, cognitive load, etc.);

[0068] d) The current mode or status of the hearing aid and / or another device communicating with the hearing aid (selected program, time elapsed since last user interaction, etc.).

[0069] The classification unit may be based on or may comprise a neural network, such as a recurrent neural network, such as a trained neural network.

[0070] Hearing aids may include acoustic (and / or mechanical) feedback control (e.g., suppression) or an echo cancellation system. Adaptive feedback cancellation has the ability to track changes in the feedback path over time. It is usually based on a linear time-invariant filter to estimate the feedback path, but the filter weights are updated over time. The filter updates can be calculated using a stochastic gradient algorithm, including some form of the least mean square (LMS) or normalized LMS (NLMS) algorithm. They all have the property of minimizing the error signal in terms of mean square, with NLMS additionally normalizing the filter updates to the square of the Euclidean norm of a reference signal.

[0071] The hearing aid may also include other appropriate functions for the application in question, such as compression, noise reduction, etc.

[0072] A hearing aid may comprise a hearing instrument, e.g. adapted to be located at the ear of a user or fully or partially in the ear canal. A hearing system may comprise a loudspeaker amplifier (comprising a plurality of input transducers (e.g. a microphone array) and a plurality of output transducers such as one or more loudspeakers, and one or more audio (and possibly video) transmitters, e.g. for use in an audio conferencing situation), e.g. comprising a beamformer filter unit, e.g. providing a plurality of beamforming capabilities.

[0073] Hearing System

[0074] In another aspect, there is provided a hearing aid comprising the above description, the detailed description in the “Detailed Description of the Invention” and the claims, and a hearing system comprising an auxiliary device.

[0075] The hearing system may be adapted to establish a communication link between the hearing aid and the auxiliary device so that information (eg control and status signals, possibly audio signals) can be exchanged or forwarded from one device to the other.

[0076] The auxiliary device may include or may consist of a remote control, a smart phone, or other portable or wearable electronic device such as a smart watch or the like.

[0077] The auxiliary device may consist of or comprise a remote control for controlling the functions and operation of the hearing aid. The functions of the remote control are implemented in a smartphone, which may run an APP enabling control of the functions of the audio processing device via the smartphone (the hearing aid comprises a suitable wireless interface to the smartphone, e.g. based on Bluetooth or some other standardized or proprietary solution).

[0078] The auxiliary device may be constituted by or include an audio gateway device, which is suitable for receiving multiple audio signals (e.g. from an entertainment device such as a TV or music player, from a telephone device such as a mobile phone, or from a computer such as a PC, a wireless microphone, etc.) and is suitable for selecting and / or combining appropriate signals (or signal combinations) from the received audio signals for transmission to the hearing aid.

[0079] The auxiliary device may consist of or may comprise a further hearing aid.The hearing system may comprise two hearing aids adapted to implement a binaural hearing system, eg a binaural hearing aid system.

[0080] APP

[0081] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a non-transient application called APP. The APP includes executable instructions configured to run on an auxiliary device to implement a user interface for the hearing aid or hearing system described above, described in detail in the "Detailed Description of the Invention" and defined in the claims. The APP can be configured to run on a mobile phone such as a smart phone or another portable device that enables communication with the hearing aid or hearing system.

[0082] "Hearing system" refers to a system including one or two hearing aids. "Binaural hearing system" refers to a system including two hearing aids and adapted to provide audible signals to the two ears of a user in a coordinated manner. A hearing system or binaural hearing system may also include one or more "auxiliary devices" that communicate with the hearing aids and affect and / or benefit from the functions of the hearing aids. The aforementioned auxiliary devices may include at least one of the following: a remote controller, a remote microphone, an audio gateway device, an entertainment device such as a music player, a wireless communication device such as a mobile phone (e.g., a smart phone) or a tablet computer or another device, for example, including a graphical interface. Hearing aids, hearing systems or binaural hearing systems may be used, for example, to compensate for the loss of hearing ability of hearing-impaired persons, enhance or protect the hearing ability of normal hearing persons, and / or transmit electronic audio signals to people. Hearing aids or hearing systems may, for example, form part of or interact with a broadcasting system, an active ear protection system, a hands-free telephone system, a car audio system, an entertainment (e.g., television, music playback or karaoke) system, a teleconferencing system, a classroom amplification system, etc.

[0083] Embodiments of the present invention may be used, for example, in applications such as hearing devices adapted to acoustically and electromagnetically receive audio signals, process the audio signals, and present the resulting signals to a user of the hearing device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0084] Various aspects of the present invention will be best understood from the detailed description below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For clarity, the drawings are schematic and simplified, and only the details necessary for understanding the present invention are given, while other details are omitted. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts. The various features of each aspect may be combined with any or all features of the other aspects. These and other aspects, features and / or technical effects will be apparent from and illustrated in conjunction with the following figures, in which:

[0085] Figure 1 An embodiment of a hearing aid according to the present invention is shown;

[0086] Figure 2A A first television TV scenario is shown comprising a hearing system according to the invention;

[0087] Figure 2B A second television scenario comprising a hearing system according to the invention is shown;

[0088] Figures 3A-3D A voice detection signal for identifying a conversation between a user and another person is shown, wherein Figure 3A shows an exemplary output control signal VADC of a (general) voice activity detector, Figure 3B shows an exemplary output control signal UVC of the own voice detector, Figure 3C Shows from Figure 3A and Figure 3B The control signals VADC and UVC are used to obtain the exemplary control signal OPVC, Figure 3D Shown based on Figure 3A , 3B and an example dialog recognizer for control signals of 3C;

[0089] Figure 4A schematically illustrates a time sequence of a voice detection control signal reflecting a changing acoustic environment of a hearing aid user, including a subsequence reflecting a changing user voice participation level;

[0090] Figure 4B schematically shows an illustration of the relationship between microphone gain modification and time for a hearing aid according to the present invention when receiving streaming audio from an audio transmitter of a first type;

[0091] Figure 4Cschematically shows an illustration of the relationship between microphone gain modification and time for a hearing aid according to the present invention when receiving streaming audio from an audio transmitter of a second type;

[0092] Figure 5 Schematically shown are EEG signals originating from the brain activity and muscle activity of a hearing aid user in a listening situation (other voices) and a speech situation (own voice), respectively.

[0093] By the detailed description given below, the further scope of application of the present invention will be apparent. However, it should be understood that while the detailed description and specific examples show the preferred embodiments of the present invention, they are only provided for illustrative purposes. For those skilled in the art, based on the following detailed description, other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0094] The detailed description proposed below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings serves as a description of a variety of different configurations. The detailed description includes specific details for providing a thorough understanding of a number of different concepts. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be implemented without these specific details. Several aspects of the apparatus and method are described by a number of different blocks, functional units, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). Depending on the specific application, design limitations or other reasons, these elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer programs or any combination thereof.

[0095] The electronic hardware may include microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), (e.g., application specific) integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), gating logic, discrete hardware circuits, printed circuit boards (PCBs) (e.g., flexible PCBs), and other suitable hardware configured to perform a number of different functions described in this specification, such as sensors for sensing and / or recording physical properties of the environment, device, user, etc. Computer programs shall be broadly construed as instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, execution threads, programs, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0096] The present application relates to the field of hearing aids, and in particular to hearing aids configured to receive an audio input signal via a wireless receiver.

[0097] Figure 1An embodiment of a hearing aid according to the invention is shown. The hearing aid HD is configured to be worn by a user, for example worn at or in the ear of the user, for example worn completely or partially at or in the ear canal of the user. The hearing aid comprises an input unit, which comprises a device configured to provide a representation of sounds from the user's surroundings (see Figure 1 "Input Sound" on the left in The electrical input signal (S 1 ,…,S M , where M is greater than or equal to 1) at least one input transducer (eg a microphone). The hearing aid also includes a wireless receiver unit IU AUX , which includes a device configured to provide an audio input signal S from another device or system aux Antenna and receiver circuitry for hearing aids such as wireless receiver units IU AUX For example, it may be configured to identify the source of the audio input signal as a signal originating from one of a plurality of different types of transmitters and provide an audio transmitter type control signal ATT indicating the identification result. ctr .

[0098] The hearing aid HD further comprises an own voice detector OVD configured to provide a signal indicating a sound coming from the user's environment. in Whether or with what probability there is a self-voice control signal OV of the user's own voice ctr The hearing aid further comprises an input gain controller ASGC configured to adjust the gain according to the self-voice control signal OV ctr and / or control signal ATT according to the audio transmitter type ctr The input gain (G ENV ,G AUX ) is applied to at least one electrical input signal (S 1 ,…,S M ) and / or audio input signal S aux Or signals derived therefrom.

[0099] The hearing aid may be configured to operate in different modes, such as a normal mode and one or more special modes such as a wireless reception mode, which may be selected by a user (eg via a user interface) or may be automatically selected (see signal ATT ctr The type of audio transmitter from which the hearing aid is currently receiving audio may be determined by the specific operating mode of the hearing aid (see, for example, the mode control signal MOD from the user interface UI). ctr ).

[0100] The receiver Rx or the input gain controller ASGC may be configured to (automatically) identify the type of audio transmitter to which it is currently connected (eg via a device identification parameter in the transmission protocol).

[0101] The input gain controller ASGC may be configured to generate a gain control signal based on a self-voice detector (eg, a self-voice detection control signal OV ctr (Automatically) control (e.g. increase or decrease) the (here, noise-reduced) microphone signal The input gain G ENV , at least when the hearing aid is in wireless receiving mode, wherein the wireless receiver unit IU AUX Receiving a signal from at least one of a plurality of different types of transmitters. In other words, the volume (presented to a user) of sound from the environment picked up by at least one input transducer (or a noise-reduced, e.g. beamformed version thereof) can be controlled (at least in wireless receive mode) based on the self-voice detector and the type of transmitter.

[0102] Generally, during a time period when the user is speaking, the volume (presented to the user) of the sound picked up by at least one input transducer (or a beamformed version thereof) may be attenuated, for example, compared to when the user is not speaking (for example, to ensure that the user's own voice (when played back to the user) is not perceived as annoying by the user, i.e., the occlusion effect is minimized). The scheme of controlling the input gain according to the presence of the own voice according to the present invention may be independent of the aforementioned general method.

[0103] exist Figure 1 In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the hearing aid HD comprises (from an input unit IU MIC The hearing aid further comprises (from the input unit IU 1 to the output transducer OT) a first signal path for applying a level- and frequency-dependent gain to the input signal of the hearing aid and providing an output stimulus representative thereof and perceptible as sound to the user (as an acoustic sound to the user's ear). MIC The hearing aid also includes a second signal path (from a wireless receiver unit IU to a transmitter Tx) for providing an estimate of the user's own voice and transmitting it to an external device or system (such as the user's phone). AUX A third signal path to the mixer '+' in the first signal path is used to feed the audio signal wirelessly received from another device or system to the user via the output transducer OT of the hearing aid. Input Unit IU MIC and wireless receiver unit IU AUX A corresponding analysis filter bank may be included to convert the time domain input signals from the microphone and the wireless receiver, respectively, into corresponding sub-band signals (S) in the time-frequency domain (defined by corresponding frequency indexes and time indices (k, l)). 1 ,...,S M ,S AUX ).

[0104] exist Figure 1In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the mixer is shown as an adder ('+') that adds two signal streams together. In general, a mixer may be implemented as a device configured to provide a) an electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom and b) audio input signal S AUX or a mixer that performs a weighted mix of signals derived therefrom. Figure 1 In an embodiment, the noise reduction of the beamformed electrical input signal Through the input gain G ENV Modify (weight) the audio input signal S AUX (Optionally) by input gain G AUX Modification (weighting) is performed. The sum of the weights may be equal to 1. The values ​​of the weights may be implemented as α, 1-α, for example, where 0<α<1, where α=G ENV , 1-α=G AUX . Thus, the mixer output For two "input signals" ( and S AUX ), that is, In certain operating modes of the hearing aid, the audio input signal S AUX The input gain G AUX is equal to 1.

[0105] exist Figure 1 In an embodiment, each of the first and second signal paths comprises a noise reduction system (NRS1 and NRS2, respectively) for reducing the noise of the microphone (IN MIC ) to remove noise from one or more signals collected from the environment and provide corresponding noise-reduced signals (respectively ). The first noise reduction system NRS1 may, for example, comprise a beamformer for reducing noise from one or more local sound sources in the acoustic far-field environment of the hearing aid (e.g. ≥1 m away from the user) or providing a substantially omnidirectional output based on inputs from a plurality of (individually omnidirectional) microphones (and optionally providing an estimate of a local (target) signal in the far-field environment of the hearing aid). The first noise reduction system NRS1 may, for example, provide its output signal as a noise-reduced signal in a time-frequency representation The second noise reduction system NRS2 may, for example, comprise a self-speech beamformer configured to reduce noise from one or more local sound sources in the hearing aid environment (and optionally provide an estimate of the user's own speech). The second noise reduction system NRS2 may, for example, provide its output signal as a noise-reduced signal in a time-frequency representation (e.g. including an estimate of the user's own voice).

[0106] When “only” a classic hearing aid operating mode is implemented, the first signal path is the main signal path (forward path) of the hearing aid.

[0107] The first signal path and the combination of the second and third signal paths are the main signal paths of the hearing aid when the headphone (or two-way audio) operating mode is implemented. MIC The collected) signal will be presented to the user. In headphone mode, only the first and third signal paths are functional.

[0108] The combination of the second and third signal paths is the primary signal path for the hearing aid when implementing one-way audio (or streaming audio) mode (see, for example Figure 4C ). Again, if there is no input from the environment (via the input unit IU MIC The collected) signal will be presented to the user. In one-way audio mode, only the third signal path works.

[0109] The hearing aid HD comprises a corresponding multiplication unit ('X') configured to convert a corresponding input gain (G ENV ,G AUX ) are applied to the microphone path and the direct audio input path respectively. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the gain correction is performed in the input unit IU MIC into the forward path (first signal path) of the output transducer OT and / or from the wireless receiver unit IU AUX The output of the first signal path is then carried out in the third signal path of the output transformer OT (via the mixer ('+')).

[0110] The frequency and / or level dependent gain (called "hearing aid gain") used to compensate for the user's hearing loss may be provided by a "hearing aid processor" (see Figure 1 The HAG module in the embodiment provides and according to the input gain (G ENV ,G AUX ) is applied to the input signal (S 1 ,…,S M ,S aux )(or its noise-reduced version ) is applied after (“downstream” of) the “hearing aid processor” HAG. The processed signal OUT provided by the “hearing aid processor” HAG is converted into the time domain (see signal out) by a synthesis filter bank FBS and fed to an output transducer OT to be perceived as a stimulus (s out ) is presented to the user (see Figure 1 In the case where the processing of the forward path is in the time domain, the synthesis filter bank FBS can be omitted.

[0111] However, in wireless reception mode, when a conversation is assumed to occur (see, for example, Figures 3A-3D4, based in part on EP3930346A1 described below), another strategy for controlling the volume of sound (or a beamformed version thereof) from at least one input transducer may be applied.

[0112] Figure 2A A first television TV scenario comprising a hearing system according to the invention is shown, Figure 2B A second television scenario comprising a hearing system according to the invention is shown.

[0113] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An example of a situation in which a hearing aid user U watches television (TV) or other devices providing images and accompanying sound with another person OP who does not necessarily wear a hearing aid is shown. A hearing aid or a hearing aid system (e.g. a binaural hearing aid system) may be in a "TV reception mode" (wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive audio from the audio transmitter of the TV) during a one-way transmission from the TV (or TV sound transmitter, or similar device) to the hearing aid (e.g. based on a previous authentication procedure, such as a pairing procedure, between the transmitter and the hearing aid). The TV reception mode may be entered automatically or turned on by the user, for example by changing to the TV reception mode, for example via a user interface. The accompanying sound may be provided acoustically (TVS-AC) via one or more built-in (integrated) speakers and / or one or more separate speakers. The TV includes or is connected to a transmitter TVS-Tx, which is configured to transmit sound from the TV (e.g. wirelessly) (TVS-WL) to the user U to obtain the hearing aid or (left and right) hearing aids (L-HD, R-HD). The left and right hearing aids are configured to be located at the left and right ears of the user, respectively. In Figure 2A and 2B In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the hearing aid (each of the hearing aids) comprises two microphones, one located in the corresponding hearing aid (HD L ,HD R ) of the front and rear microphones of the BTE section (FM L ,FM R ) and rear microphone (RM L ,RM R The hearing aid receives the TV sound acoustically (via Figure 2A , 2B front and rear microphones (FM, RM)) (see also Figure 1 Input Unit IU MIC The hearing aids also receive TV sound wirelessly via appropriate (antenna and) wireless receiver circuitry, see TV Sound Transmitter TVS-Tx to Left and Right Hearing Aids (HD L ,HD R ) (see also Figure 1 Wireless Receiver Unit IU AUX) is represented by a thick dashed arrow (denoted TVS-WL). Wirelessly received TV sound (TVS-WL) is generally of better quality (e.g. has a higher signal-to-noise ratio, TV sound is the (target) "signal") than acoustically transmitted TV sound (TVS-AC) and is therefore more attractive to hearing aid users from a sound quality perspective (it provides, for example, better speech intelligibility). A disadvantage of focusing entirely on wirelessly received TV sound is that the sounds in the environment are not captured (or are poorly captured) by the hearing aid user. The present invention provides a solution to this problem, as described below.

[0114] Figure 2A The situation in which a user U and another person OP are quietly watching TV TV is shown. In this situation (and in the absence of other people), the hearing aid is configured to provide the user U with the sound TVS-WL wirelessly received from the transmitter TVS-Tx. In order to give a little impression of the surrounding acoustic environment, the ambient sound collected by the front and rear microphones of the hearing aid is also transmitted in a predetermined (or adaptively determined) mixing ratio together with the wirelessly received sound via the respective output transducers of the left and right hearing aids (L-HD, R-HD) (see Figure 1 The sound from the ambient acoustic environment may be attenuated by a predetermined (or dynamically determined) amount, e.g. between 10 and 30 dB, e.g. about 20 dB, compared to the wirelessly received sound (and / or compared to the normal presentation level of the ambient sound). The attenuation of the ambient sound may constitute a default setting for the hearing aid in TV reception mode.

[0115] Figure 2B The situation is shown where a user U and another person OP are talking together (see symbolic sound segments (time periods) (US-1, OPS-1, OPS-2)) while not paying much attention to the "output" of the TV. The symbolic sound segments are provided by the user (U: US-1) and the other person (OP: OPS-1, OPS2), respectively. In this situation, the user may prefer to give another weight to the acoustically propagated sound relative to the wirelessly received sound, for example at the beginning of a conversation with the other person OP, e.g. Figure 2B In the example, the user U and the other person OP turn their heads towards each other. When the user starts to speak (e.g. detected by an own voice detector) or when a conversation is recognized (e.g. see Figure 3A , 3B , 3C, 3D), the attenuation of sounds from the ambient acoustic environment may be cancelled (or may be reduced to a certain, e.g. initial, amount and then eliminated entirely depending on the confidence of the conversation detection), thereby allowing a conversation between the hearing aid user and another person to proceed properly without interference from the TV sound (to the hearing aid user).

[0116] When the conversation ends (or is estimated to have ended), the relative attenuation of the ambient sound can be removed with a delay (e.g. 10 seconds). The (e.g. default) attenuation can be gradually reintroduced over a period of time (e.g. "fading" from no (or low) attenuation to higher attenuation over a few seconds).

[0117] Example of dialogue recognition

[0118] Figures 3A-3D A voice detection signal for identifying a conversation between a user and another person is shown, wherein

[0119] - Figure 3A An exemplary output control signal VADC of a (general) voice activity detector is shown;

[0120] - Figure 3B An exemplary output control signal UVC of the own voice detector is shown;

[0121] - Figure 3C Shows from Figure 3A and Figure 3B The exemplary control signal OPVC obtained by the control signals VADC and UVC; and

[0122] - Figure 3D Shown based on Figure 3A , 3B and 3C control signals.

[0123] Figure 3D A time series of an electrical input signal (or a signal originating therefrom, e.g. a beamforming signal) received from the environment of a hearing aid worn by a user U is shown, reflecting a conversation between the user U and another person OP as detected by an own voice detector OVD and a (general) voice activity detector VAD. Figure 3A and 3B The output control signals (VADC, UVC) of the voice activity detector VAD and the own voice detector OVD are shown respectively. Figure 3C Shows Figure 3A and 3B The logical combination of the output control signals (VADC, UVC) OPVC = VADC NOT (UVC) is thus provided to provide a signal from (any) other person (eg, Figure 2A , 2B Recognition of speech time periods of “others” (OP).

[0124] Figure 3A , 3B3C shows the relationship between the values ​​of different voice indicators (here the control signal VADC representing any voice, the control signal UVC representing the user's voice, and the control signal OPVC representing other voices other than the user's voice) and time for a period of time of the electrical input signal of the hearing aid (or the signal derived therefrom). Figure 3D The output of a voice activity detector capable of distinguishing a user's voice from other voices in the environment of a user wearing a hearing aid is shown. Speech activity or inactivity of the user or others is indicated by the control signal UVC or OPVC being 1 or 0, respectively (which may also or alternatively be indicated by a speech presence probability (SPP) being above or below a threshold). Figure 3C In the time series shown, the graph shows the speaking activity of another person (OP) (in Figure 2B In the time series OPS-1, OPS-2) (at time t o,1 to o,2 Between (time period Δt(OPS-1) = t o,2 –t o,1 ) and at time t o,3 to o,4 Between (time period Δt(OPS-2) = t o,4 –t o,3 )). Figure 3B Represents the user's speech activity (at time t u,1 to u,2 Between (time period Δt(US-1) = t u,2 –t u,1 )), Figure 3D The graph in represents the user's speaking activity with another person. Figure 3D In the example, the time period of the user's voice (denoted as US-1) and the time period of other people's voice (denoted as OPS-1, OPS-2) are marked by different fillings. The combination of the presence or absence of indicators of the user's voice and other people's voice (UVC and OVC, respectively) can reveal possible conversations in which the user is involved. The identification of conversations involving the user can be identified by the user's voice indicator (UVC) and other people's voice indicator (OVC) appearing sequentially (alternatingly) across a time period. Figure 3D In the simplified example, the conversation involving users starts at time t o,1 to o,4 (You can identify t o,4 –t o,1 During the analysis, a criterion may be applied regarding the time interval between when the user voice indicator (UVC) changes from active to inactive and when the other voice indicator (OPVC) changes from inactive to active (or vice versa). Such a criterion may be, for example, Δt(OPS-1->US-1)=t u,1 -to,2 ≤2s. A slight overlap of the two time periods (control signals) is acceptable. Another criterion may be, for example, Δt(OPS-1->US-1)=t u,1 -t o,2 ≥-2s (thus accepting a small "crosstalk" period).

[0125] Figure 4A A time sequence of a voice detection control signal reflecting a changing acoustic environment of a hearing aid user is schematically shown, including a subsequence reflecting a changing user voice participation level. Figure 4A A time window including values ​​of a user voice indicator (UVC) and an other person voice indicator (OPVC) varying over time is schematically shown. The time window includes a first time period indicating a conversation between the user and others, a second time period of other person voice (without user participation, e.g., reflecting another person speaking (without user response), e.g., voice from a radio, TV or other audio transmission device, or a person speaking in the user's environment), and a third time period when the user is speaking alone (e.g., because he or she is in a phone conversation (or speaking to another person in the room for a long time (e.g., >30s)). Two time periods indicating silence (or no obvious voice activity) separate the first, second, and third time periods. Figure 4A The time window has a time window from t 1 to 6 The range of the duration Δt w t 6 –t 1 time period. Figure 4A The time windows include, in sequential order: a “conversation” time period, a first “quiet” time period, a “one-way voice” time period (of someone other than the user), a second “quiet” time period, and a “one-way voice” time period (of the user).

[0126] Figure 4B An illustration of the relationship between microphone gain modification and time when receiving streaming audio from an audio transmitter of a first type is schematically shown for a hearing aid according to the invention. Figure 4B Shown in the exposure Figure 4A The initiation of reception of audio streams transmitted from different (first) types of audio transmitters and the corresponding gain correction (G ENV ) versus time. When transmission from these first type transmitters is enabled (enabled = 1), the gain modification (G ENV ) is constantly attenuated compared to normal operating mode (not receiving streaming audio), G ENV =-A1, for example -20dB.

[0127] The first type of transmitter is Figure 4B The left side of the symbolic marking includes:

[0128] - an external microphone worn by the user to pick up the user's own voice during a telephone conversation;

[0129] - A mobile phone (Android or IOS based) for phone conversations (two-way audio); and

[0130] - Mobile phones for one-way audio (eg music) in "personal mode" with minimal attention to ambient sounds.

[0131] Figure 4C Schematically shows an example of the relationship between microphone gain modification and time for a hearing aid according to the present invention when receiving streaming audio from an audio transmitter of the second type. Figure 4B Same, Figure 4C Shown in the exposure Figure 4A The initiation of reception of audio streams transmitted from different (second) types of audio transmitters and the corresponding gain correction (G ENV ) versus time. When transmission from these second type transmitters is enabled (enabled = 1), the gain modification (G ENV ) is attenuated compared to the normal operating mode (not receiving streaming audio) when user voice (or conversation) is detected, G ENV = -A2, for example -10 dB. The attenuation values ​​of A1 and A2 may be equal or different (eg, configurable by the user via a user interface).

[0132] The second type of transmitter is Figure 4C The left side of the symbolic marking includes:

[0133] - an external microphone worn by a person other than the user to pick up the person's voice for transmission to the hearing aid user's hearing aid;

[0134] - a television (or other audio / video device) in which one-way audio accompanying the video image is transmitted to the user's hearing aids; and

[0135] - A mobile phone (Android or iOS based) using one-way audio (e.g. music) in "ambient mode" that prioritizes surrounding sounds.

[0136] The attenuation value (A=A1=A2 or A1≠A2) may be adaptively determined according to the current input level (eg, the greater the current input level, the greater the attenuation, such as adaptively adjusting the input level over time during audio reception).

[0137] Different situations

[0138] The input gain controller is configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom depending on a) the own voice control signal and b) the type of audio transmitter.

[0139] Some exemplary scenarios are given below.

[0140] The type of transmitter may be indicated, for example, by an audio transmitter type control signal provided by the wireless receiver or provided by the user via a user interface or extracted from the transmission format of the received wireless signal (e.g. determined by the transmission protocol of the transmitter from which the wireless signal is currently being received).

[0141] The type of audio transmitter may be indicated, for example, by the current operating mode of the hearing aid, for example determined by the current hearing aid program (or a combination of hearing aid settings). The operating mode may be determined automatically, for example by the wireless receiver, for example derived from currently received wireless signals (e.g. from a protocol). The operating mode may be determined manually, for example via a user interface of the hearing aid.

[0142] The hearing aid may be configured to operate in a number of different modes, such as a normal mode and one or more special modes, which may be selected by the user via a user interface or may be selected automatically. The operating modes may be optimized for specific acoustic situations or environments, such as communication modes such as a telephone mode (wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive audio from an audio transmitter of a telephone device and transmit audio (the voice of the hearing aid user) to the telephone device), or a partner microphone mode (wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive audio from an audio transmitter of a portable microphone), or a desktop microphone mode (wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive audio from an audio transmitter of a stationary (e.g. desktop) microphone unit), or a TV reception mode (wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive audio from an audio transmitter of a television set), etc.

[0143] TV sound (or similar) reception (e.g. in "TV reception mode", see Figure 4C )

[0144] - One-way audio (from TV to hearing aids);

[0145] - If self-voice is detected, the sound from the environment (collected by one or more microphones of the hearing aid) should be amplified (less attenuated, e.g. G ENV = 0dB); if the self-voice is not detected, it is not amplified (attenuated, for example G ENV =-A dB).

[0146] External Microphone (EM) Sound (Other Voice) (EM-Other (Partner or Desktop) Microphone Mode (See Figure 4C , Similar to TV reception mode))

[0147] In the case where sound from another person than the hearing aid user is picked up by an external microphone (e.g. using a first (e.g. proprietary) transmission protocol):

[0148] - One-way audio (from external microphone to hearing aid);

[0149] - If self-voice is detected, the sound from the environment (collected by one or more microphones of the hearing aid) should be amplified (less attenuated, e.g. G ENV = 0dB) (can hear the voice in the environment, not from the external microphone); if the self-voice is not detected, it is not amplified (but attenuated, such as G ENV =-A dB).

[0150] External microphone (EM) sound (hearing aid user's voice) (EM-self voice mode (see Figure 4B , with phone The communication mode is similar))

[0151] In the case where the sound from the hearing aid user is picked up by an external microphone (e.g. using a second (e.g. standardized) transmission protocol (e.g. BLE)):

[0152] - Two-way audio (between an external microphone and the hearing aid) (e.g. as part of a telephone conversation).

[0153] Users will focus on the phone conversation;

[0154] - If own voice is detected, the sound from the environment (picked up by one or more microphones of the hearing aid) should not be amplified (but attenuated) when presented to the hearing aid user.

[0155] Telephone audio (two-way) (e.g. in "telephone communication mode", see Figure 4B )

[0156] In the case where an audio stream is received from the phone and the user's own voice is picked up by the hearing aid's microphone and transmitted to the phone (e.g. via a standardized protocol such as LEA2 (iOS-based phones) or ASHIA (Android-based phones)):

[0157] - Two-way audio (between the phone and the hearing aid forming part of the telephone conversation);

[0158] - If own voice is detected, the sound from the environment (picked up by one or more microphones of the hearing aid) should not be amplified when presented to the hearing aid user (the same is true when no own voice is detected).

[0159] Phone audio (one-way) (e.g. in "Phone audio streaming (PA or EA) mode")

[0160] In the case where an audio stream is received from the phone and the user's own voice is not picked up by the hearing aid microphone and transmitted to the phone:

[0161] - One-way audio (from phone to hearing aid);

[0162] - User configuration can determine between "Personal Audio" mode and "Open Audio" operating mode:

[0163] -- Personal Audio (PA) mode: If self-speech is detected, the sound from the environment (collected by one or more microphones of the hearing aid) should not be amplified when presented to the hearing aid user (conversation is ignored) (see Figure 4B );or

[0164] -- Ambient Audio (EA) mode: If self-voice is detected, the sound from the environment (collected by one or more microphones of the hearing aid) should be amplified (less attenuated) when presented to the hearing aid user (starting a conversation) (see Figure 4C ).

[0165] Self-voice predictor

[0166] A long-standing problem in hearing aids (e.g., hearing instruments) is the detection and processing of the hearing aid wearer's own voice. These problems are varied: it is difficult to detect the difference between the wearer's voice and someone else's voice, the processing preferences for the wearer's voice are different than others' voice, and the disadvantages of closed ear molds that cause occlusion are much more severe for self-voice.

[0167] Electrical sensors near the ear and near the skin, such as electroencephalogram (EEG) or electromyogram (EMG) sensors, connected to the hearing instrument can pick up signals from the facial nerves, thereby detecting that the wearer is about to move the jaw and lips to speak. Because electrical signals in the facial nerves occur before speech actually occurs, the system enables the hearing instrument to predict self-speech before it occurs and adjust hearing instrument parameters accordingly (e.g., reducing the gain applied to the microphone-based signal presented to the user).

[0168] In one embodiment, this enables the hearing instrument to reduce gain and adjust other parameters when the self-speech begins. In addition, when the self-speech is about to end, the hearing instrument can be configured to increase gain and adjust other parameters at the end of the speech, thereby preparing to amplify other weaker speech signals in the environment. In this way, analysis of facial nerve signals enables the hearing instrument to amplify the voice of others more than the wearer's own voice and to switch between self-speech processing on and off much faster and more aligned with the timing of actual changes (see, for example, Figure 3D ).

[0169] In another embodiment, the facial nerve signal is used to detect signals from the facial nerve prior to speech, which enables the hearing instrument to increase the size of the ventilation channel (e.g., tube) (vent size) to prevent ear occlusion. When the analysis of the facial nerve signal predicts the end of the speech signal, the vent size can be reduced. Thereby, the analysis of the facial nerve signal enables providing a larger vent during self-speech with reduced gain and providing a smaller vent when the wearer is not speaking and therefore requires more gain (otherwise, the greater gain may result in howling due to the increased vent size).

[0170] Own Voice Detector

[0171] When a hearing aid user is talking, the input from the user's vocal organs to the hearing aid (0.1 to 0.3 m away) is much louder than the speech in a typical conversation (usually 1-2 meters away). Due to the level of the self-speech, the self-speech drives the hearing aid to perform (level) compression. Once the hearing aid performs compression, the amplification of other people's voices will usually be insufficient and inaudible. The time constant implemented in the compression is therefore important. If the hearing aid takes too long to enter compression, the self-speech will be too loud for the user. If the compressor takes too long to return to the previous setting, the amplification of other voices will be too low. In practice, users experience that their own voice masks other voices. This is especially important in discussions of rapid turn-taking.

[0172] Furthermore, "correct" amplification of one's own voice is important to produce the correct level while the user is speaking, especially in situations where the level of the self-voice is expected to vary.

[0173] So far, it has not been possible to perform robust detection of one's own voice. Such robust detection would enable switching between two amplification schemes, one for speaking and one for listening.

[0174] To develop robust detection of self-speech, electrophysiological signals recorded from the ear canal (earEEG) can provide a new approach. EarEEG can be used to monitor continuous brain activity recorded as an electroencephalogram (EEG). New studies have shown that it is possible to detect EEG activity because speech production is in preparation before pronunciation, see, for example, US2021235203A1, US2014369537A1 or US2015018699A1. Thus, this provides a predictive feature for switching amplification schemes, even before the start of self-speech. On the other hand, producing speech involves a lot of muscle activity, which can also be recorded by earEEG electrodes (electromyography (EMG)). EMG is characterized by high-frequency content at high amplitudes, which is easily detected in the signal. Therefore, this provides a feature for detecting ongoing speech, and the end of the signal provides a sign that the amplification scheme should be switched back to the listening scheme.

[0175] Figure 5 A typical listening->speaking situation is shown.

[0176] Figure 5 Schematically shown are EEG signals originating from the brain activity and muscle activity of a hearing aid user in a listening situation (other voice) and a speaking situation (own voice), respectively.

[0177] Figure 5 A typical conversation of a hearing impaired person is schematically shown: 1) The person listens to speech (lower graph), the hearing aid is in the listening scheme while it continuously records brain activity (upper graph); 2) During the conversation, the person wants to respond, while there is still speech input, the hearing aid earEEG electrodes detect changes in brain activity that reflect cognitive processing that implies speech planning. Therefore, the hearing aid switches to the speaking scheme even before the person starts speaking; 3) During speaking, the earEEG electrodes still record electrophysiological signals from the ear canal, which are now high-frequency, high-amplitude signals due to muscle activity. In this state, the hearing aid is still in the speaking scheme; 4) After the person has spoken, the earEEG records the end of muscle activity and the return of low-frequency, low-amplitude signals that reflect a typical listening situation, so it switches back to the listening scheme.

[0178] The structural features of the apparatus described above, described in detail in the “Detailed Description of the Invention” and defined in the claims may be combined with the steps of the method of the present invention when appropriately replaced by corresponding processes.

[0179] Unless expressly stated, the singular forms "one", "the" used herein include the plural form (i.e., have the meaning of "at least one"). It should be further understood that the terms "having", "including" and / or "comprising" used in the specification indicate the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or combinations thereof. It should be understood that, unless expressly stated, when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be an intermediate intervening element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more listed related items. Unless expressly stated, the steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed.

[0180] It should be appreciated that reference to "an embodiment" or "embodiment" or "aspect" or features that "may" include in this specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the specific features, structures or characteristics may be appropriately combined in one or more embodiments of the present invention. The foregoing description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement the various aspects described herein. Various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0181] The claims are not limited to the various aspects shown herein, but rather have the full scope consistent with the claim language wherein, unless expressly stated otherwise, elements referred to in the singular do not mean "one and only one" but rather "one or more." Unless expressly stated otherwise, the term "some" means one or more.

[0182] References

[0183] ·US2011137649A1(Oticon)09.06.2011.

[0184] ·EP3930346A1(Oticon)29.12.2021.

[0185] ·US2021235203A1(Oticon)29.07.2021.

[0186] ·US2014369537A1(Oticon)18.12.2014.

[0187] ·US2015018699A1(Univ.California,Trinity College)15.01.2015.

Claims

1. A hearing aid configured to be worn by a user, the hearing aid comprising: - a microphone configured to provide an electrical input signal representative of sound from the user's surroundings; - a wireless receiver unit configured to receive a wireless signal from a transmitter of another device or system, to provide an audio input signal based on the wireless signal, and to identify the audio input signal as originating from one of a plurality of different types of audio transmitters; - a self-voice detector configured to provide a self-voice control signal indicating whether or with what probability the user's own voice is present in the sound from the user's environment; - a mixer configured to provide a mixed signal comprising a mixture of said electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom and said audio input signal or a signal derived therefrom; - an input gain controller configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom at least when the hearing aid is in a wireless receiving mode, wherein the wireless receiver unit receives a signal from at least one of the plurality of different types of audio transmitters; and - an output transducer for providing a stimulus perceivable as sound to a user which is representative of said mixed signal or a signal derived therefrom; Therein, the input gain controller is configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom depending on a) the self-voice control signal and b) the type of audio transmitter.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The wireless receiver unit is configured to provide an audio transmitter type control signal indicating a source of a currently received wireless signal.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The input gain controller is configured to determine the type of audio transmitter from a current operating mode of the hearing aid.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 3, wherein: The current operating mode of the hearing aid is determined by the user via the user interface.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: At least two of the plurality of different types of audio transmitters use different audio transmission formats.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 5, wherein: One of the different audio transmission formats includes a standardized or proprietary audio transmission format.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of different types of audio transmitters include one or more of: a video-sound transmitter, a desktop microphone transmitter, a portable microphone transmitter, and a telephone transmitter.

8. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The hearing aid comprises an other voice detector configured to provide an other voice control signal indicating whether or with what probability another voice other than the user's own voice is present in the sounds from the user's environment.

9. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The hearing aid includes a conversation detector that identifies a conversation in which a user is currently participating and provides a conversation control signal indicating the identification result.

10. The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein: The input gain controller is configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal or a signal derived therefrom in dependence on a) an own voice control signal, b) the type of audio transmitter, and c) a dialog control signal.

11. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The input gain controller is configured to apply an input gain to the audio input signal.

12. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The input gain controller is configured to apply an input gain to the electrical input signal and / or the audio input signal to provide a certain mixing ratio of the mixed signal.

13. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The hearing aid comprises one or more electrical sensors configured to be positioned close to the ear and close to the skin of a user when the hearing aid is worn by the user.

14. The hearing aid according to claim 13, wherein: The hearing aid is configured to extract electroencephalographic signals and / or electromyographic signals from one or more electrical sensors.

15. The hearing aid according to claim 14, wherein: The self-voice detector is based on an analysis of electroencephalographic and / or electromyographic signals.

16. The hearing aid according to claim 15, wherein: The self voice control signal is determined from a high pass filtered portion of the EEG signal and / or the EMG signal.

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