Hearing device and hearing device control method

Abstract

The application provides a kind of hearing device and hearing device control method, it is related to hearing device technical field, the hearing device includes: shell, air passage is equipped in shell interior, air passage is communicated respectively two surfaces opposite to shell;Valve, valve is located in air passage;Controller, controller is equipped in shell, controller is electrically connected with valve, controller is used to control the opening or closing of valve;Processor, processor is equipped in shell, processor is electrically connected with controller;Sensor, sensor is electrically connected with processor;Wherein, sensor collects audio signal and / or vibration signal, and sends audio signal and / or vibration signal to processor;Processor generates control instruction based on audio signal and / or vibration signal, and sends control instruction to controller, control instruction includes one of control valve opening and control valve closing;Controller controls valve based on control instruction.The application can improve the experience of user when speaking after wearing hearing device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of hearing equipment technology, specifically to a hearing device and a hearing device control method. Background Technology

[0002] In existing technologies, hearing devices (such as headphones or hearing aids) need to fit tightly against the user's ear canal to isolate them from the external environment and achieve good sound playback. However, because the hearing device fits tightly against the user's ear canal, the user may hear their own voice, resulting in a "barrel sound" phenomenon. This phenomenon significantly alters the user's experience when speaking compared to when not wearing a hearing device, making it difficult for some users to adapt and resulting in a poor user experience.

[0003] It is evident that existing technologies suffer from a poor user experience when speaking while wearing hearing devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a hearing device and a hearing device control method to solve the problem of poor user experience when speaking after wearing a hearing device in the prior art.

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention is implemented as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a hearing device, comprising:

[0007] A housing, wherein an air passage is provided inside the housing, and the air passage is respectively connected to two opposite surfaces of the housing;

[0008] A valve, wherein the valve is disposed within the air passage;

[0009] A controller, located within the housing, is electrically connected to the valve and is used to control the opening or closing of the valve;

[0010] A processor, disposed within the housing, is electrically connected to the controller;

[0011] The sensor is electrically connected to the processor;

[0012] The sensor acquires audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the audio signals and / or vibration signals to the processor; the processor generates control commands based on the audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the control commands to the controller, the control commands including one of controlling the valve to open and controlling the valve to close; the controller controls the valve based on the control commands.

[0013] In one embodiment, the sensor includes a voice pickup unit (VPU) fixed to the inner wall of the housing, and the VPU is used to acquire vibration signals.

[0014] In one embodiment, the sensor includes a microphone fixed to the inner wall of the airway or the surface of the housing, the microphone being used to acquire audio signals.

[0015] In one embodiment, the sensor includes an accelerometer disposed inside the housing, the accelerometer being used to acquire vibration signals.

[0016] In one embodiment, the housing has a curved structure that conforms to the ear during use of the hearing device.

[0017] In one embodiment, the valve is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) valve, a piezoelectric ceramic actuated valve, or an electromagnetically driven valve.

[0018] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a method for controlling a hearing device, comprising:

[0019] The system acquires audio signals and / or vibration signals through sensors and sends the audio signals and / or vibration signals to the processor.

[0020] The processor generates control commands based on the audio signal and / or the vibration signal, and sends the control commands to the controller. The control commands include one of controlling the valve to open and controlling the valve to close.

[0021] The controller controls the valve based on the control commands.

[0022] In one embodiment, the step of generating control instructions by the processor based on the audio signal and / or the vibration signal includes at least one of the following:

[0023] When the audio signal and / or the vibration signal are used to characterize that the user is speaking, the processor generates a control command to open the control valve.

[0024] When the audio signal and / or the vibration signal are used to characterize that the user is in a silent state and the ambient noise is greater than a first set threshold, the processor generates a control command to close the control valve.

[0025] When the audio signal and / or the vibration signal are used to characterize wind noise that is greater than a second set threshold, the processor generates a control command to close the control valve.

[0026] In one embodiment, controlling the valve via the controller based on the control command includes:

[0027] The controller controls the valve based on the control command and a preset strategy, wherein the preset strategy is used to characterize whether the valve opens or closes within a set time period.

[0028] This invention provides a hearing device, comprising: a housing with an air passage inside, the air passage connecting two opposite surfaces of the housing; a valve disposed within the air passage; a controller disposed within the housing and electrically connected to the valve, the controller controlling the opening or closing of the valve; a processor disposed within the housing and electrically connected to the controller; and a sensor electrically connected to the processor. The sensor collects audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the audio signals and / or vibration signals to the processor. The processor generates control commands based on the audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the control commands to the controller, the control commands including either controlling the valve to open or controlling the valve to close. The controller controls the valve based on the control commands. Thus, by controlling the valve through the sensor, processor, and controller, the valve can be opened when the user speaks and closed when there is excessive noise, thereby avoiding the "barrel sound" phenomenon and achieving better sound insulation, effectively improving the user's experience when speaking while wearing the hearing device. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a hearing device with a valve that can be opened, provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of a hearing device with a closed valve provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a hearing device control method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a valve control provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a hearing device, comprising:

[0036] The housing 10 has an air passage 101 inside, which is connected to two opposite surfaces of the housing 10.

[0037] Valve 20, wherein valve 20 is disposed within air passage 101;

[0038] A controller is disposed inside the housing 10 and is electrically connected to the valve 20. The controller is used to control the opening or closing of the valve 20.

[0039] A processor is disposed within the housing 10 and is electrically connected to the controller;

[0040] The sensor is electrically connected to the processor;

[0041] The sensor acquires audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the audio signals and / or vibration signals to the processor; the processor generates control commands based on the audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the control commands to the controller, the control commands including one of controlling the valve 20 to open and controlling the valve 20 to close; the controller controls the valve 20 based on the control commands.

[0042] The aforementioned housing 10 is the outer housing of the hearing device. Other components of the hearing device (such as valve 20, airway 101, etc.) are all located inside or on the surface of the housing 10. That is, the housing 10 is used to fix other components to form a complete hearing device.

[0043] The housing 10 is designed to fit snugly against the user's ear, and its shape is adapted to fit the user's ear, thus enabling the wearing of the hearing device.

[0044] The air passage 101 is located inside the housing 10 and is connected to two opposite surfaces of the housing 10. One end of the air passage 101 is connected to the outside and the other end is connected to the inside of the user's ear canal, so that external sounds can be transmitted into the ear canal through the air passage 101.

[0045] The inner cross-section of the airway 101 is circular, and the size of the circle is adapted to the size of the ear canal.

[0046] The valve 20 is located inside the air passage 101. The opening or closing of the air passage 101 can be achieved by opening or closing the valve 20.

[0047] It should be understood that when valve 20 is open, external sounds can travel through airway 101 into the ear canal, allowing the user to hear external sounds. Furthermore, when valve 20 is open, the cross-sectional area of ​​airway 101 is increased, releasing low-frequency signals accumulated in the ear canal, preventing the user from hearing their own voice and thus avoiding barrel voice. Conversely, when valve 20 is closed, the cross-sectional area of ​​airway 101 is reduced, making it difficult for external sounds to travel through airway 101 into the ear canal, thus filtering out external sounds and preventing external noise from interfering with the user. Therefore, the opening or closing of valve 20 can be controlled to adjust the cross-sectional area of ​​the airway for different scenarios, thereby improving the user experience.

[0048] In some embodiments, the valve 20 is a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) valve, a piezoelectric ceramic actuated valve, or an electromagnetically driven valve.

[0049] Taking valve 20 as an example, which is a MEMS valve, it is in a half-open state by default when there is no voltage drive (to ensure fault safety). Under drive, it can be fully open (i.e., valve 20 is open) or fully closed (i.e., valve 20 is closed). Valve 20 being half-open means that valve 20 is partially closed, reducing the cross-section of the air passage, but not completely closed.

[0050] The aforementioned controller is electrically connected to valve 20 and is used to control the opening or closing of valve 20. The aforementioned processor is electrically connected to the controller and sends control commands to the controller, enabling the controller to control the opening or closing of valve 20 based on the control commands.

[0051] The control command includes either opening the valve 20 or closing the valve 20. When the control command includes opening the valve 20, the controller controls the valve 20 to open; when the control command includes closing the valve 20, the controller controls the valve 20 to close.

[0052] The aforementioned sensors are used to collect audio signals and / or vibration signals. Electrically connected to the processor, the sensors can determine the current scene based on the collected audio and / or vibration signals, and then generate control commands based on the current scene. This allows the controller to open or close the valve 20 according to the control commands. The sensors may include a microphone for collecting audio signals or a bone sensor for collecting vibration signals.

[0053] In some implementations, audio signals and / or vibration signals corresponding to different scenarios can be pre-set in the processor, so that the processor can determine the current scenario based on the audio signals and / or vibration signals collected by the sensor, and then generate control commands corresponding to the current scenario.

[0054] For example, user speaking scenarios and noise scenarios are pre-configured. The user speaking scenario corresponds to a control command to open valve 20, while the noise scenario corresponds to a control command to close valve 20. That is, when audio signals and / or vibration signals are collected to characterize a user speaking scenario, a control command to open valve 20 is generated, allowing the controller to open valve 20; conversely, when audio signals and / or vibration signals are collected to characterize a noise scenario, a control command to close valve 20 is generated, allowing the controller to close valve 20.

[0055] In some implementations, the processor may also be configured with a multimodal fusion algorithm, which inputs the audio signals and / or vibration signals collected by the sensors into the multimodal fusion algorithm, determines the current scene category through the multimodal algorithm, and then generates control commands.

[0056] This invention provides a hearing device, comprising: a housing 10, wherein an air passage 101 is provided inside the housing 10, the air passage 101 being respectively connected to two opposite surfaces of the housing 10; a valve 20 disposed within the air passage 101; a controller disposed within the housing 10, the controller being electrically connected to the valve 20, the controller being used to control the opening or closing of the valve 20; a processor disposed within the housing 10, the processor being electrically connected to the controller; and a sensor electrically connected to the processor; wherein the sensor collects audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the audio signals and / or vibration signals to the processor; the processor generates control commands based on the audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the control commands to the controller, the control commands including one of controlling the valve 20 to open and controlling the valve 20 to close; and the controller controls the valve 20 based on the control commands. In this way, the valve 20 is controlled by sensors, processors and controllers, so that the valve 20 can be opened when the user speaks and closed when the noise is too loud, thereby avoiding the "barrel sound" phenomenon and achieving a better sound insulation effect, thus effectively improving the user's experience when speaking after wearing hearing devices.

[0057] In one embodiment, the sensor includes a voice pickup unit (VPU) fixed to the inner wall of the housing 10, and the VPU is used to collect vibration signals.

[0058] The aforementioned VPU is an integrated hardware and software module primarily used in microphone array systems. It is responsible for the acquisition, processing, and optimization of voice signals and is commonly found in applications such as smart speakers, conferencing systems, and in-vehicle entertainment systems. The VPU can also acquire vibration signals, which can then be used to determine whether the user is speaking.

[0059] It should be noted that when a user is speaking, their face will vibrate in response. Sensors collect these vibration signals, allowing the system to determine whether the user is speaking. For example, a first signal energy threshold can be set. If the vibration signal energy is greater than the first threshold, the user is considered to be speaking; if the vibration signal energy is less than the first threshold, the user is considered to be not speaking.

[0060] In this embodiment of the invention, the VPU is fixed to the inner wall of the housing 10, and the vibration signal is collected by the VPU to determine whether the user is speaking.

[0061] In one embodiment, the sensor includes a microphone fixed to the inner wall of the airway 101 or the surface of the housing 10, and the microphone is used to collect audio signals.

[0062] The aforementioned microphone is used to collect audio signals. The level of ambient noise can be determined from the audio signals, and thus, it can be used to determine whether the current environment is noisy. For example, a second signal energy threshold can be set. If the energy of the audio signal is greater than the second signal energy threshold, the current environment is considered to be noisy; while if the energy of the vibration signal is less than the second signal energy threshold, the current environment is considered to be non-noisy.

[0063] When the microphone is fixed to the inner wall of the airway 101, it is used to monitor residual noise in the ear canal; when the microphone is fixed to the surface of the housing 10, it is used to collect audio signals conducted by the outside air.

[0064] In this embodiment of the invention, the microphone is fixed to the inner wall of the airway 101 or the surface of the housing 10. The microphone collects audio signals, thereby determining whether the current environment is noisy.

[0065] In one embodiment, the sensor includes an accelerometer disposed inside the housing 10, the accelerometer being used to collect vibration signals.

[0066] It should be understood that accelerometers, similar to VPUs, can be used to collect vibration signals. In this embodiment of the invention, accelerometers are used to collect low-frequency vibrations when a user is speaking in order to determine whether the user is speaking.

[0067] In some implementations, the processor can determine whether a user is speaking by using audio and vibration signals. Specifically, if a significant vibration is detected and synchronized with the audio signal picked up by the microphone, the user is considered to be speaking; however, if only the microphone picks up the audio signal and no significant vibration signal is detected, the current audio signal is from an external sound source, and the user is not speaking.

[0068] In one embodiment, the housing 10 has a curved structure that fits against the ear during use of the hearing device.

[0069] It should be understood that other components of the hearing device are fixed to the surface or interior of the housing 10. The housing 10 is in direct contact with the user's ear. In order to achieve a better fit and reduce the sound transmission into the ear through the gap between the housing 10 and the ear, so that the sound can be transmitted through the airway 101 as much as possible, the housing 10 is designed as a curved structure in this embodiment. The curved structure can fit the ear, thereby reducing the gap between the housing 10 and the ear.

[0070] In this embodiment of the invention, the housing 10 is designed with a curved surface structure that fits snugly against the ear, reducing the gap between the housing 10 and the ear. Since the hearing device can control the opening or closing of the airway 101 via the valve 20, the valve 20 can be opened when the user speaks to avoid "barrel sound" linearity, and closed when the noise level is low to achieve better sound insulation.

[0071] like Figure 3 As shown, the present invention also provides a hearing device control method, applied to, for example... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The hearing device shown, the method includes:

[0072] Step 301: Acquire audio signals and / or vibration signals through sensors, and send the audio signals and / or vibration signals to the processor;

[0073] Step 302: The processor generates a control command based on the audio signal and / or the vibration signal, and sends the control command to the controller. The control command includes one of controlling the valve to open and controlling the valve to close.

[0074] Step 303: Control the valve using the controller based on the control command.

[0075] In this embodiment of the invention, an audio signal and / or vibration signal is acquired by a sensor and sent to a processor. The processor generates a control command based on the audio signal and / or vibration signal and sends the control command to a controller. The control command includes one of controlling the valve to open or close. The controller controls the valve based on the control command. Thus, by acquiring audio and / or vibration signals through a sensor and generating control commands based on these signals, the controller can control the valve, allowing it to open when the user speaks and close when there is excessive noise. This avoids the "barrel sound" phenomenon and achieves better sound insulation, effectively improving the user's experience when speaking while wearing hearing devices.

[0076] In one embodiment, the step of generating control instructions by the processor based on the audio signal and / or the vibration signal includes at least one of the following:

[0077] When the audio signal and / or the vibration signal are used to characterize that the user is speaking, the processor generates a control command to open the control valve.

[0078] When the audio signal and / or the vibration signal are used to characterize that the user is in a silent state and the ambient noise is greater than a first set threshold, the processor generates a control command to close the control valve.

[0079] When the audio signal and / or the vibration signal are used to characterize wind noise that is greater than a second set threshold, the processor generates a control command to close the control valve.

[0080] It should be noted that the current scene can be determined based on audio signals and / or vibration signals, and then specific control commands can be generated based on the current scene to achieve valve control.

[0081] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, when the audio signal and / or vibration signal indicate that the user is in a speaking state, in the user speaking scenario, a control command to open the valve is generated to open the valve and avoid the "barrel sound" phenomenon.

[0082] When the audio signal and / or vibration signal indicate that the user is in a silent state and the ambient noise is greater than the first set threshold, it is in a noisy scene. At this time, a control command to close the valve is generated to achieve the valve closure and thus achieve a better sound insulation effect.

[0083] When the audio signal and / or vibration signal indicate that the wind noise is greater than the second set threshold, the noise is too loud. Even if the user is speaking, the airway needs to be kept closed first. Therefore, a control command to close the valve is generated to close the valve and prevent the airflow from directly entering the ear canal and generating wind noise.

[0084] The second set threshold is greater than the first set threshold.

[0085] In some implementations, when the audio signal and / or vibration signal indicate that the user is in a silent state and the ambient noise is less than a first preset threshold, a default state is established. In this state, a control command can be generated to open or partially open the valve. The controller then controls the valve to be either open or partially open based on this control command. Specifically, a partially open valve means the valve is partially closed, reducing the cross-sectional area of ​​the airway, but not completely closed.

[0086] In one embodiment, controlling the valve via the controller based on the control command includes:

[0087] The controller controls the valve based on the control command and a preset strategy, wherein the preset strategy is used to characterize whether the valve opens or closes within a set time period.

[0088] The aforementioned preset strategy is specifically a hysteresis strategy, which means that when it is necessary to switch the valve state (such as switching the valve from open to closed, and from closed to open), the valve state is switched within a set time period, rather than in a short period of time, to avoid sudden changes in the auditory perception and further improve the user experience.

[0089] In some implementations, the processor may send a ramp control signal to the controller to smooth the switching process of the valve between different states, thereby avoiding abrupt changes in sound. For example, when the valve needs to switch from open to closed, it may take 500ms to complete the switch.

[0090] In the embodiments of this invention, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices. Additionally, the use of "and / or" in this application indicates at least one of the connected objects, such as A and / or B and / or C, representing seven possibilities: A alone, B alone, C alone, both A and B present, both B and C present, both A and C present, and A, B, and C present.

[0091] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0092] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or second terminal device, etc.) to execute the methods of the various embodiments of this application.

[0093] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A hearing device, characterized in that, include: A housing, wherein an air passage is provided inside the housing, and the air passage is respectively connected to two opposite surfaces of the housing; A valve, wherein the valve is disposed within the air passage; A controller, located within the housing, is electrically connected to the valve and is used to control the opening or closing of the valve; A processor, disposed within the housing, is electrically connected to the controller; The sensor is electrically connected to the processor; The sensor acquires audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the audio signals and / or vibration signals to the processor; the processor generates control commands based on the audio signals and / or vibration signals and sends the control commands to the controller, the control commands including one of controlling the valve to open and controlling the valve to close; the controller controls the valve based on the control commands.

2. The hearing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor includes a voice pickup unit (VPU), which is fixed to the inner wall of the housing and is used to collect vibration signals.

3. The hearing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor includes a microphone, which is fixed to the inner wall of the airway or the surface of the housing, and is used to collect audio signals.

4. The hearing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor includes an accelerometer, which is disposed inside the housing and is used to collect vibration signals.

5. The hearing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The housing has a curved structure, which fits against the ear during use of the hearing device.

6. The hearing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The valve is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) valve, a piezoelectric ceramic actuated valve, or an electromagnetically driven valve.

7. A method for controlling a hearing device, applied to a hearing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method includes: The system acquires audio signals and / or vibration signals through sensors and sends the audio signals and / or vibration signals to the processor. The processor generates control commands based on the audio signal and / or the vibration signal, and sends the control commands to the controller. The control commands include one of controlling the valve to open and controlling the valve to close. The controller controls the valve based on the control commands.

8. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The step of generating control instructions based on the audio signal and / or the vibration signal by the processor includes at least one of the following: When the audio signal and / or the vibration signal are used to characterize that the user is speaking, the processor generates a control command to open the control valve. When the audio signal and / or the vibration signal are used to characterize that the user is in a silent state and the ambient noise is greater than a first set threshold, the processor generates a control command to close the control valve. When the audio signal and / or the vibration signal are used to characterize wind noise that is greater than a second set threshold, the processor generates a control command to close the control valve.

9. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The control of the valve by the controller based on the control command includes: The controller controls the valve based on the control command and a preset strategy, wherein the preset strategy is used to characterize whether the valve opens or closes within a set time period.

Images