Hearing instrument and method for operating such a hearing instrument

Abstract

A hearing instrument (4) is specified with a housing (8) worn in a designated wearing position behind the ear or in the ear, wherein a battery (20), a wireless communication device (22), and a capacitive sensor (28) are arranged in the housing (8). The wireless communication device (22) comprises an antenna (24) and a transmitting and receiving unit (26) electrically connected thereto. The capacitive sensor (28) comprises at least one sensor electrode (32, 32a, 32b, 34, 34a, 34b) and a control and evaluation circuit (30) electrically connected thereto. The battery (20) and / or the antenna (24) or at least a section (48, 50) of the antenna (24) are used as sensor electrodes (32, 32a, 32b, 34, 34a, 34b) of the capacitive sensor (28).

Description

The invention relates to a hearing instrument having a housing worn behind the ear or in the ear in a provided wearing position. The invention further relates to methods for operating such a hearing instrument.A hearing instrument is generally referred to as an electronic device that supports the hearing ability of a person wearing the hearing instrument (which is referred to below as a "wearer" or "user"). In particular, the invention relates to hearing instruments which are configured to completely or partially compensate for a hearing loss of a user who is impaired by hearing. Such a hearing instrument is referred to as a "hearing aid". In addition, hearing instruments exist which protect or improve the hearing capacity of normally hearing users, for example enable improved speech comprehension in complex hearing situations. The hearing instruments also include wireless earphones (worn in or on the ear), in particular so-called ear plugs and headsets.Hearing instruments in general, and hearing aids in particular, are usually designed to be worn on the head and here in particular in or on an ear of the user, in particular as behind-the-ear devices (also referred to as BTE devices according to the English term "behind the ear") or in-the-ear devices (also referred to as ITE devices according to the English term "in the ear"). With regard to their internal structure, hearing instruments regularly have at least one (acousto-electric) input transducer, a signal processing unit (signal processor) and an output transducer. During operation of the hearing instrument, the or each input transducer receives airborne sound from the surroundings of the hearing instrument and converts this airborne sound into an (input) audio signal (i.e. an electrical signal which transports information about the ambient sound). In the signal processing unit, the or each input audio signal is processed (i.e. modified with regard to its sound information) in order to support the hearing ability of the user, in particular in order to compensate for a hearing loss of the user. The signal processing unit outputs a correspondingly processed (output) signal signal to the output converter. In modern hearing instruments, the signal processing, in addition or as an alternative to a frequency-dependent amplification of the input audio signal, regularly comprises a multiplicity of further functions, e.g. beamforming (i.e. directional damping), active noise suppression, wind noise suppression, feedback damping, binaural processing for supporting spatial hearing, dynamic and / or spectral compression, etc.In most cases, the output transducer is designed as an electro-acoustic transducer, which converts the (electrical) output audio signal back into an airborne sound, wherein this airborne sound-modified with respect to the ambient sound-is emitted into the auditory canal of the user. In the case of a hearing instrument worn behind the ear, the output transducer, also referred to as "receiver" ("receiver"), is usually integrated outside the ear in a housing of the hearing instrument. The sound emitted by the output transducer is in this case conducted by means of a sound tube into the auditory canal of the user. Alternatively, the output transducer may also be disposed in the ear canal and thus outside the behind-the-ear worn housing. Such hearing instruments are also referred to as RIC devices (according to the English term "receiver in canal"). Hearing instruments worn in the ear that are dimensioned so small that they do not protrude outward beyond the auditory canal are also referred to as CIC devices (according to the English term "completely in canal").In further designs, the output transducer can also be designed as an electromechanical transducer, which converts the output audio signal into structure-borne sound (vibrations), wherein this structure-borne sound is emitted, for example, into the skull bone of the user.A "hearing system" is generally referred to as an arrangement of devices and, if appropriate, other structures which provide functions for operating a hearing instrument. In the simplest case, the hearing system consists only of the hearing instrument itself. As a rule, however, the hearing system comprises, in addition to the hearing instrument, at least one peripheral device which, during operation of the hearing instrument, interacts with the latter, for example a further hearing instrument for the other ear of the user, a remote control, an external microphone, a programming device for the hearing instrument or a charger. In modern hearing systems, furthermore, a software application is often provided in addition to the hearing instrument, which can be installed on a (in particular mobile) computer, e.g. a smartphone or a tablet computer, and contributes functions for operating the hearing instrument (e.g. remote control, programming, firmware updates, data protection, complex signal processing and / or Internet connection). The computer on which this software application (referred to below as "hearing app") is installed, indeed, likewise represents a peripheral device of the hearing instrument during operation of the hearing instrument, which peripheral device is connected to the hearing instrument by data transmission technology. However, the computer usually does not belong to the hearing system itself, in so far as it is manufactured and sold independently of the components of the hearing system and is usable for a plurality of further applications not connected to the hearing system. The computer (i.e. in particular the smartphone or the tablet computer of the user) is rather used by the hearing app only as an external resource for computing power, storage space and communication services.The proper functioning of a hearing instrument and thus the benefit that the hearing instrument brings its wearer in daily operation critically depends on the seat of the housing in or on the ear of the wearer. In other words, the hearing instrument can generally satisfy the task intended for it satisfactorily only if it is arranged behind the ear or in the ear in the intended wearing position.This is due, on the one hand, to the fact that the signal processing of the hearing instrument is matched to a specific acoustic situation at the location of the or each microphone of the hearing instrument, e.g. to a specific orientation of the at least one microphone with respect to the head and to a specific acoustic shading of the or each microphone by the ear. If the housing of the hearing instrument is inserted behind the ear or in the ear, deviating from the intended wearing position, the acoustic situation to which the or each microphone is exposed and thus also the input audio signal recorded by the or each microphone, thereby also changes. The signal processing tuned to another acoustic situation can regularly no longer optimally process the input audio signal picked up by malpositioned microphones. This can be expressed, for example, in that, due to maladjusted beamforming, the user's desired useful signal (e.g. the voice of a conversation partner) is attenuated instead of an undesired background noise, that active noise suppression and binaural signal processing no longer function to a satisfactory extent, etc.As a further undesirable effect of a malpositioning of the housing, impaired acoustic sealing of the auditory canal by the hearing instrument can occur. In a CTE device, misalignment of the housing may result, for example, in the connector being tensioned or bent too much and therefore exerting a tensile load on the earpiece, which pulls the earpiece completely or partially out of the ear. Impaired acoustic sealing of the ear canal can in turn lead to undesirable side effects, for example an increased noise level or the occurrence of acoustic feedback.In particular, older people who represent a typical user group of hearing instruments due to age-related hearing loss often have considerable problems, however, from experience, in using hearing instruments correctly.Against this background, the object of the invention is to enable an improved checking of the proper seating of a hearing instrument.With regard to a hearing instrument, this object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 1. With regard to a method for operating a hearing instrument, the above object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 10.The invention is based on a hearing instrument having a housing which is to be worn behind the ear or in the ear of a user in a provided wearing position. The hearing instrument can thus optionally be a BTE device or an ITE device, as described at the beginning. In the case of a BTE device, the hearing instrument includes, in addition to the case worn behind the ear, an earpiece to be placed in the user's ear and a flexible connecting part connecting the case and the earpiece. In this case, the hearing instrument is optionally a classic hearing instrument with a receiver arranged in the housing or an RIC device, in which the receiver is arranged in the earpiece. In the former case, the connecting piece is formed by a sound tube which conveys the sound produced by the listener to the earpiece. In the latter case, the connector is an electrical connection cable through which the output audio signal is fed to the earpiece.In all the embodiments described above, a battery, a wireless communication device and a capacitive sensor are furthermore arranged in the housing.The wireless communication device serves for wireless data exchange between the hearing instrument and a peripheral device, e.g. another hearing instrument or a smartphone of the user, and comprises an antenna and a transmitting and receiving unit (transceiver) electrically connected thereto.The capacitive sensor can be used to detect, in general, dielectrically effective or electrically conductive structures in the vicinity of the sensor, namely, in particular, body structures such as, for example, the head and the ear of the user. The capacitive sensor comprises at least one sensor electrode and a control and evaluation circuit electrically connected thereto (which is also referred to as "sensor controller" or "sensor controller"). In the hearing instrument according to the invention, the capacitive sensor is used in particular for checking the correct fit of the housing in the ear or behind the ear. This makes use of the fact that the (capacitive) sensor signal output by the capacitive sensor, due to the variety of surrounding body structures of the user, depends in a characteristic manner on the seat of the housing behind the ear or in the ear. In other words, the sensor signal output by the capacitive sensor changes in a characteristic manner when the user displaces the housing of the hearing instrument behind the ear or in the ear. As recognized, the correct seat of the housing in the intended carrying position can be recognized on the basis of this dependence of the capacitive sensor signal.Since hearing instruments are very small devices, however, it is recognized that the arrangement of the at least one sensor electrode in the housing is problematic. Above all, in hearing instruments, the surface of the housing is usually almost exclusively occupied by the battery and the antenna of the wireless communication device. Arranging the at least one sensor electrode of the capacitive sensor next to the battery and the antenna would only be possible if the antenna and the sensor electrode were dimensioned to be sufficiently small, which would be recognized to significantly impair the function of both the wireless communication device and the capacitive sensor.In order to escape this dilemma, in the hearing instrument according to the invention, the battery and / or the antenna of the wireless communication device or at least a portion thereof are additionally used as a sensor electrode of the capacitive sensor. In other words, according to the invention, the sensor electrode or at least one of optionally a plurality of sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensor is formed by the battery or the antenna or an antenna section.As a result, no additional space is required in the housing for accommodating the at least one sensor electrode-in comparison with conventional hearing instruments with a battery and wireless communication device, but without a capacitive sensor. Both for the realization of the antenna and for the realization of the at least one sensor electrode, the available space in the housing can be effectively utilized, so that both the wireless communication device and the capacitive sensor can be operated without mutual obstacles.The control and evaluation circuit (sensor controller) of the capacitive sensor is preferably configured to apply an electrical alternating voltage (also referred to as "(capacitive) sensor voltage") to the sensor electrode and to measure a response signal generated under the action of this alternating voltage, which response signal is characteristic of an electrical capacitance assigned to the sensor electrode. The control and evaluation circuit (sensor controller) is preferably designed as a microcontroller. The functionality of the control and evaluation circuit is implemented in this case as software. However, the control and evaluation circuit can also be designed as a non-programmable (analog or digital) electrical circuit within the scope of the invention. In both cases, the control and evaluation circuit can be integrated selectively as an independent component (e.g. as a separate integrated circuit) or together with other functions in a larger structural unit, e.g. in the signal processor of the hearing instrument. The sensor voltage can be generated as a sine signal or with a time profile differing therefrom (e.g. as a square-wave pulse signal, triangular-wave pulse signal or sawtooth-wave pulse signal). It can vary around the voltage zero point or a voltage average different therefrom.Within the scope of the invention, the capacitive sensor can be based in particular on one of two functional principles that are conventional per se.According to a first functional principle, which is referred to as "one-electrode measurement" or "self-capacitance measurement" (self-capacitance sensing), for example, the control and evaluation circuit measures the response signal on the same sensor electrode to which it applies the sensor voltage. As a capacitance-dependent response signal, the control and evaluation circuit measures, for example, the current flowing under the effect of the sensor voltage on the at least one sensor electrode or the frequency of the sensor voltage (wherein use is made of the fact that the sensor electrode is part of an oscillating circuit with a resonance varying depending on the capacitance). In all cases, the response signal is characteristic here for the (electrical) capacitance of the at least one sensor electrode with respect to an external ground potential. The counterelectrode of the capacitor, whose capacitance the sensor measures, is thus the external mass potential, which is formed here, for example, by the body of the user, in the "one-electrode measurement".According to a second functional principle, which is referred to as "two-electrode measurement", "transmitter-receiver principle" or "relative capacitance measurement" (mutual capacitance sensing), for example, the control and evaluation circuit applies the sensor voltage to a first sensor electrode (transmitting electrode) and measures the response signal to another sensor electrode (receiving electrode). In this case, the control and evaluation circuit measures, for example, the current generated in the receiving electrode via an electric field under the effect of the sensor voltage as a capacitance-dependent response signal. The response signal in this case is characteristic of the (electrical) capacitance of the capacitor which is formed by the two sensor electrodes. In the "two-electrode measurement", the body of the user acts as a disturbing potential, which changes the capacitance of the capacitor formed by the two sensor electrodes and is detected thereby.As explained above, the capacitive sensor of the hearing instrument according to the invention can be designed as a "self-capacitance sensor" (self-capacitance sensor) or as a "relative capacitance sensor" (mutual capacitance sensor).Preferably, the wireless communication device is configured for emitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation (radio waves) with a radio frequency of more than 100 MHz, preferably more than 1 GHz, in particular 2.4 GHz. The communication device is in particular configured to transmit and receive data according to the Bluetooth standard.In an expedient embodiment, the control and evaluation circuit of the capacitive sensor is configured to generate the sensor voltage with an AC voltage frequency which is substantially (preferably at least by a factor of 10, in particular by at least a factor of 100) lower than the radio frequency of the wireless communication device. This spectral separation prevents undesired interactions between the wireless communication device and the capacitive sensor. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control and evaluation circuit of the capacitive sensor is configured to generate the sensor voltage with an AC voltage frequency of less than 10 MHz.In order to avoid interference with the capacitive sensor, a frequency-selective filter is interposed between the capacitive control and evaluation circuit and the or each sensor electrode in an expedient embodiment of the invention. Depending on whether the battery or the antenna are used to form the respective sensor electrode, this filter is preferably designed differently. Thus, a high-pass filter (blocking DC voltage) is preferably used as the frequency-selective filter if the sensor electrode is the battery. On the other hand, the frequency selective filter is preferably constituted by a low pass filter (which blocks the radio frequency of the wireless communication device) when the sensor electrode is the antenna or an antenna portion. In both cases, a band pass filter can alternatively be used within the scope of the invention, which is transmissive for the AC voltage of the capacitive sensor, but blocks both DC voltages and the radio frequency of the wireless communication device.In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the antenna comprises a first (antenna) section and a second (antenna) section, wherein the two antenna sections are electrically separated from one another for low-frequency signals with the AC frequency of the capacitive sensor. Preferably, the two antenna sections are arranged here at least predominantly on different sides of the housing, which in particular are opposite one another. In a hearing instrument designed as a classic BTE or RIC device, in which the housing is worn behind the ear in the intended wearing position, one of these two sides of the housing in the intended wearing position faces in particular the head of the user, while the other side of the housing in the intended wearing position faces away from the head of the user.In the antenna structured into two sections, optionally only one of the two antenna sections is used as a sensor electrode of the capacitive sensor. Alternatively-and preferably-the two sections of the antenna are used as different sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensor. In an expedient embodiment of the invention, the two sensor electrodes are operated independently of one another. In this case, an independent response signal is thus measured at each of the two sensor electrodes, whereby a differentiated detection of body structures in the vicinity of the housing and thus a particularly precise detection of the seat of the hearing instrument is made possible. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the two antenna sections used as sensor electrodes cooperate as transmitting and receiving electrodes of the capacitive sensor-in this case operating according to the "transmitter-receiver principle".A further embodiment of the invention relates to a hearing system which comprises the hearing instrument according to the invention (in particular in one of the variants described above) and a seat control unit. The seat control unit is configured to check the seat of the housing on the ear of the user on the basis of a sensor signal output by the capacitive sensor. The seat control unit, which is optionally implemented as a software module or as a non-programmable electronic circuit, preferably carries out this check by comparing the sensor signal output by the capacitive sensor with a stored reference value. Since each user has an individual head and ear shape, the reference value is preferably also determined individually for the respective user. In an alternative embodiment, the seat control unit comprises a neural network to which the sensor signal of the capacitive sensor is supplied and which is taught in particular individually to the respective user in order to check the seat of the hearing instrument on the basis of the sensor signal. The seat control unit is preferably integrated in the hearing instrument. In this case, the hearing system can also consist only of the hearing instrument itself equipped with the seat control unit. Alternatively, the seat control unit is arranged outside the hearing instrument, e.g. in a peripheral device or a software application (hearing app) of the hearing system.The seat control unit is further configured to, upon detection of a deviation of the seat from the intended wearing position, cause the output of a message that indicates to the user the deviating seat of the housing. This message is preferably displayed on a peripheral device by outputting a text message or a graphical indication (e.g. in the form of a schematic representation of the hearing instrument housing arranged on the ear), e.g. by a hearing app assigned to the hearing instrument on the display of a smartphone of the user. Additionally or alternatively, the message is output by the hearing instrument itself, e.g. in the form of a signal tone, a voice message output via the listener of the hearing instrument or by a tactile signal (e.g. vibration).In a further embodiment, the seat control unit is configured to set at least one signal processing parameter of the hearing instrument on the basis of the capacitive sensor signal output by the capacitive sensor in order to adapt the signal processing (i.e. the function of the signal processor) of the hearing instrument to the seat of the housing. In particular, the seat control unit adjusts the orientation of a beam former of the hearing instrument in such a way that a detected deviation of the seat of the housing from the intended wearing position is compensated.In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the seat control unit is configured to combine the two above-described embodiment variants by setting at least one signal processing parameter of the hearing instrument (in particular the orientation of a beam former) when a small deviation of the seat from the intended wearing position is detected, in order to adapt the signal processing of the hearing instrument to the seat of the housing, and by causing the message indicating the user to the deviating seat of the housing to be output only when a large deviation of the seat from the intended wearing position is detected.The method according to the invention uses the hearing instrument according to the invention in one of the embodiments described above. The above details regarding embodiment variants and components of the hearing instrument and the associated effects and advantages therefore also apply analogously to corresponding embodiments of the method, and vice versa.In the course of the method according to the invention, a capacitive sensor signal is determined as a measure for the seat of the housing behind or in the ear of the user using the battery and / or the antenna or a section thereof as a sensor electrode of the capacitive sensor. When a deviation of the seat from the intended wearing position is detected, a message indicating the deviating seat of the housing is output. Additionally or alternatively, at least one signal processing parameter of the hearing instrument is set on the basis of the capacitive sensor signal output by the capacitive sensor in order to adapt the signal processing of the hearing instrument to the seat of the housing.Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing. Shown therein are: FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a hearing system with a hearing instrument and a software application (hearing app) installed in a smartphone of the user, wherein the hearing instrument is designed as a hearing device with an output transducer (listener) to be arranged in the auditory canal of the user and a housing that is portable behind an ear of a user in a provided wearing position, wherein a battery, a wireless communication device with an antenna and a capacitive sensor are arranged in the housing, among other things, and wherein the battery and / or the antenna or a section thereof are used as a sensor electrode of the capacitive sensor, FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a specific implementation of the hearing instrument according to FIG. 1 with the housing open, FIG. 3 shows a perspective illustration of the battery, the antenna and an electronics frame of the hearing instrument indicated by dashed lines, FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the wireless communication device and of the capacitive sensor, in which two sections of the antenna are used as different sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensor, and wherein the two antenna sections are connected to a control and evaluation circuit of the capacitive sensor in such a way that they interact as a transmitting and receiving electrode, and in that the control and evaluation circuit measures a response signal which is characteristic of the capacitance of the capacitor formed from the two antenna sections, FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the wireless communication device and the capacitive sensor in the representation according to FIG. 4, in which two sections of the antenna are likewise used as different sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensor, wherein, however, the two antenna sections are connected to a control and evaluation circuit of the capacitive sensor in such a way that they are operated as sensor electrodes independent of one another, and in that the control and evaluation circuit measures a response signal at each of the two antenna sections, which response signal is characteristic for the capacitance of the respective antenna section with respect to an external ground potential, FIG. 6 shows a representation according to FIG. 4 of a variant of the embodiment of the wireless communication device and of the capacitive sensor there, in which, in addition to the two antenna sections, the two poles of the battery are used as further sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensor, and FIG. 7 shows a schematic representation of an example of a warning message which is displayed on a display of the smartphone when a seat control unit of the hearing system is triggered when the seat control unit uses a sensor signal of the capacitive sensor to determine a seat of the housing which differs significantly from the intended wearing position.Parts and sizes corresponding to one another are always provided with the same reference numerals in all figures.FIG. 1 shows a roughly schematic representation of a hearing system 2, which is formed from a hearing instrument 4 and an associated software application (hearing app 6).The hearing instrument 2 is, for example, a hearing device, i.e. a hearing instrument configured to support the hearing capacity of a user who is impaired by hearing. In the embodiment shown here, the hearing instrument 2 is designed as an RIC device. It accordingly comprises a housing 8 which is worn as intended behind an ear of a user, and an earpiece 10 which is inserted as intended into the auditory canal of the user, wherein an electroacoustic output transducer (earpiece 12) is integrated in the earpiece 10. The hearing instrument 2 further comprises a flexible connecting piece 14 which mechanically connects the housing 8 to the earpiece 10. In the case of the RIC device shown in FIG. 1, the connector 14 comprises an electrical connection cable for the receiver 12.Within a housing 8, the hearing instrument 4 has the following components:• at least one microphone 16 (in the example shown two microphones 16) as input transducer,• a (in particular digital) signal processor 18,• a battery 20,• a wireless communication device 22 having an antenna 24 and a transmitting and receiving unit (transceiver 26) electrically connected thereto, and• a capacitive sensor 28, which is formed from a control and evaluation circuit (sensor controller 30) and a plurality of (in the exemplary embodiment shown two) sensor electrodes 32 and 34.During normal operation of the hearing instrument 4, the microphones 16 each record airborne sound from the surroundings of the hearing instrument 4. The microphones 16 convert the sound into an (input) sound I, i.e. into an electrical signal which contains information about the recorded sound. The respective input audio signal I is supplied within the hearing instrument 4 to the signal processor 18, which modifies this input audio signal I in order to support the hearing ability of the user, in particular frequency-selectively amplifies it in order to compensate for a hearing loss of the user.The signal processor 18 outputs an output audio signal O, i.e. in turn an electrical signal which in this case contains information about the processed and thus modified sound, to the receiver 12 via an electrical signal line 36 which is routed in the housing 8 and the connecting piece 14. The signal processor 18 and all further electrical or electronic components of the hearing instrument 4 are supplied from the battery 20 with an electrical direct voltage referred to as operating voltage U B.The wireless communication device 22 serves for (wireless) data exchange between the hearing instrument 4 and the hearing app 6 and / or optionally further components of the hearing system 2, e.g. a further hearing instrument 4 (not shown) for the other ear of the user.The hearing app 6 is used in particular for remote control and programming of the hearing instrument 4. In the example shown, this computer is a user's smartphone 38. The computer, in particular the smartphone 38, is not a component of the hearing system 2 itself, but is used by the hearing app 6 only as an external resource for computing power, storage space and communication services. In particular, the hearing app 6 accesses a wireless communication device (not shown in more detail) of the smartphone 38 in order to exchange data with the hearing instrument 4. The wireless communication device 22 of the hearing instrument 4 and the wireless communication device of the smartphone 38 are generally designed for exchanging radio signals (also radio waves, namely electromagnetic radiation with a radio frequency of more than 100 MHz). Preferably, the data transmission between the hearing instrument 4 and the smartphone 38 (and thus the hearing app 6) takes place on the basis of the Bluetooth standard, at a radio frequency of 2.4 GHz.The capacitive sensor 28 serves for detecting the seat of the housing 8 on the ear of the user, i.e. for checking whether the housing 8 is in a provided wearing position or a position deviating therefrom. As sensor electrode(s) 32, 34, the capacitive sensor 28 uses the battery 20 and / or the antenna 24 in this case. the battery 20 or the antenna 24 are also electrically connected to the sensor controller 30 for this purpose. The sensor controller 30 controls the battery 20 used as the sensor electrode 32 or the antenna 24 used as the sensor electrode 34 with an electrical alternating voltage, referred to as the sensor voltage Us, whose alternating voltage frequency is between 20 kHz and 10 MHz and is, for example, 100 kHz. The sensor voltage Us is thus spectrally spaced between the operating voltage U B generated by the battery 20 on the one hand and the radio frequency of the wireless communication device 22 on the other hand.The signal processor 18, transceiver 26, and sensor controller 30 are each optionally formed by a programmable circuit (e.g., a microprocessor) having software installed therein, by a non-programmable circuit (e.g., in the form of an ASIC), or by a combination of at least one programmable subunit and at least one non-programmable subunit. As indicated by way of example in FIG. 1, the signal processor 18, the transceiver 26 and the sensor controller 30 can each be configured as separate circuits. Alternatively, the transceiver 26 and / or the sensor controller 30 are integrated with the signal processor 18 and / or at least one further control unit, if present, of the hearing instrument 4 in a common circuit.FIG. 2 shows a specific implementation of the hearing instrument 4 from FIG. 1 with the housing 8, which is embodied here in two parts and has a housing cover 40 and a housing shell 42 which can be assembled therewith. FIG. 2 shows the hearing instrument 4 in an exploded view, in which the housing cover 40 is removed from the housing shell 42. This illustration shows an electronics frame 44 of the hearing instrument 4 inserted into the housing shell 42, on which frame all the electrical and electronic components of the hearing instrument 4 are held, with the exception of the receiver 12, in particular the microphones 16, the signal processor 18, the battery 20 (in addition to which, however, only an empty battery receptacle 46 of the electronics frame 44 is shown in FIG. 2 ), the wireless communication device 22 and the capacitive sensor 28. The arrangement of the battery 20 and the antenna 24 with respect to the electronics frame 44 is again illustrated in FIG. 3 ; the electronics frame 44 is indicated here merely by a dashed line.It is clear from the illustration of FIG. 3 that the antenna 24 is formed from two loop-shaped (antenna) sections 48 and 50, which are arranged for the most part on mutually opposite sides of the housing 8. In an embodiment of the hearing instrument 4 for the right ear of the user, the antenna section 48 is arranged on the side of the housing 8 which in the wearing position faces the head of the user, while the antenna section 50 is arranged on the side of the housing 8 which in the wearing position faces away from the head of the user. In contrast, in an embodiment of the hearing instrument 4 for the left ear of the user, the antenna section 48 is arranged on the side of the housing 8 which faces away from the head of the user in the wearing position, while the antenna section 50 is arranged on the side of the housing 8 which faces the head of the user in the wearing position. From the antenna design point of view, the antenna 24 depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 forms a folded dipole antenna.Within the scope of the capacitive sensor 28, the antenna 24 can be used in different ways. Thus, in one embodiment (indicated in FIG. 1 ), the entire antenna 24 is used as a single sensor electrode 34. In preferred embodiments, which are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, however, the two antenna sections 48 and 50 of the antenna 24 are used as different sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 b. In order to realize an electrical separation of the two antenna sections 48, 50 or sensor electrodes 34 a, 34 bin the context of the capacitive sensor 28 without impairing the function of the antenna 24 in the context of the wireless communication device 22, an electrical high-pass filter 52 (e.g. in the form of a capacitor) is connected between the two antenna sections 48 and 50, which is transmissive for high-frequency electrical signals of the radio frequency, but blocks for the sensor voltage Uswhich is low-frequency in comparison therewith. Furthermore, in each of the electrical connections of the sensor controller 30 to the antenna sections 48 and 50, a respective further frequency-selective electrical filter is connected, here in the form of an electrical low-pass filter 54, which is transmissive for the sensor voltage Us, but blocks high-frequency electrical signals of the radio frequency.In the two exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 4 and 5, the two antenna sections 48 and 50 (alias sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 b) are controlled differently by the sensor controller 30.In the embodiment according to FIG. 4, the sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 bare operated by the sensor controller 30 as a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode, respectively. The sensor controller 30 applies the sensor voltage Us to the sensor electrode 34 a. Under the effect of the sensor voltage Us, the sensor electrode 34 agenerates an electric field E, which changes with the AC voltage frequency, in a surrounding spatial volume and which causes a charge shift in the sensor electrode 34 band thus an electric current flow. The sensor controller 30 preferably measures the current intensity of this current flow at the sensor electrode 34 bas a response signal A, wherein this response signal A is characteristic of the (electrical) capacitance of the capacitor formed by the sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 b. The capacitive sensor 28 is thus designed as a "relative capacitance sensor" (Mutual Capacitance Sensor).Body structures 56 of the user (which are arranged close to the housing 8 (and are schematically indicated in FIG. 4 ), e.g. the head and the ear behind which the housing 8 is worn, act as interference potential due to the alternating current conductivity of the human body and the electrical connection of the body to the sensor controller 30 via ground M, which reduces the capacitance of the capacitor formed by the sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 b, and thus the value of the measured response signal A the more, the larger the body structure is and the closer it is arranged to the antenna 24.In the embodiment according to FIG. 5, the sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 bare operated by the sensor controller 30 as separate (i.e. independent of one another) sensor electrodes. Here, the sensor controller 30 applies the sensor voltage Us to both the sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 band measures the response signal A generated under the effect of the sensor voltage Us independently for each of the sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 b; also in this case, the current intensity of the current flowing to the respective sensor electrode 34 a, 34 bis preferably measured as the response signal A. The response signal A assigned to the respective sensor electrode 34 a, 34 bis characteristic here of the capacitance of the respective sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 bto ground M. The capacitive sensor 28 is thus designed in this embodiment as a "self-capacitance sensor" (self-capacitance sensor). The two sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 bare preferably supplied with the sensor voltage Us in phase, so that no electric field E itself runs between the two sensor electrodes 34 aand 34 b.The electric field E generated by the respective sensor electrode 34 a, 34 bunder the action of the control voltage Us extends here between the respective sensor electrode 34 a, 34 band the closest body structures 56 of the user. The body structures 56 of the user lying on ground M for alternating voltages in the vicinity of the housing 8, i.e. in particular the head and the adjacent ear, act as a counter electrode to the respective sensor electrode 34 a, 34 bin this embodiment of the capacitive sensor 28. In other words, each of the sensor electrodes 34 a, 34 btogether with the closest body structures 56 forms the capacitor, the capacitance of which is measured at the respective sensor electrode 34 a, 34 b. This capacitance and thus the value of the measured response signal A-unlike in the embodiment according to FIG. 4-becomes higher the larger the body structures 56 are and the closer they are arranged to the respective sensor electrode 34 a, 34 b.The embodiment according to FIG. 5 has the advantage over the embodiment according to FIG. 4 that it supplies two response signals A instead of a single response signal A with comparable structural complexity and can thus detect the environment more accurately. The embodiment according to FIG. 5, however, is more susceptible to (unwanted) faults than the embodiment according to FIG. 4.In a further embodiment according to FIG. 6, the two antenna sections 48, 50 (alias sensor electrodes 34 a, 34 b) are operated as a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode, analogously to the embodiment according to FIG. 4. In addition, however, in the embodiment according to FIG. 6, the sensor controller 30 uses the two poles of the battery 20 as further sensor electrodes 32 aand 32 b. In the embodiment according to FIG. 6, these sensor electrodes 32 aand 32 bare likewise operated as a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode by the sensor controller 30, in that the sensor controller 30 applies the sensor voltage Us to the sensor electrode 32 aand measures the response signal A (namely in turn the current intensity of the current flow generated under the action of the sensor voltage Us and the electric field E caused thereby) at the sensor electrode 32 b. The response signal A is characteristic here of the capacitance of the capacitor formed by the sensor electrodes 32 aand 32 b. The capacitive sensor 28 is therefore also designed as a "relative capacitance sensor" (mutual capacitance sensor) with respect to the poles of the battery 20 used as sensor electrodes 32 a, 32 b. In order to decouple the sensor inputs and outputs of the sensor controller 30 electrically from the operating voltage U B the sensor controller 30 and each of the two poles of the battery 20 (aliases of the two sensor electrodes 32 aand 32 b) are each connected to a frequency-selective electrical filter, here in the form of an electrical high-pass filter 58, which is transmissive for the sensor voltage Us, but blocks for the operating voltage U B output by the battery 20 as a direct voltage.In addition to the exemplary embodiments of the capacitive sensor 28 described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, numerous further embodiments can be used within the scope of the invention, which in particular result from other combinations of the embodiments described above. For example, in a modification of the embodiment according to FIG. 6, the sensor electrodes 32 aand 32 bmay also be operated as independent sensor electrodes-analogously to the embodiment according to FIG. 5. In addition, in a further modification of the embodiment according to FIG. 6, one of the sensor electrodes 32 a, 32 bformed on the battery 20 can also be used as a cooperating pair of transmitting and receiving electrodes with one of the sensor electrodes 34 a, 34formed on the antenna 24.In all of the embodiments described above, the or each measured response signal A is used during operation of the hearing instrument 4 in a method for checking the seat of the hearing instrument 4. For automatically carrying out this method, the hearing system 2 comprises a seat control unit 60 which is configured to check the seat of the housing 8 on the user's ear on the basis of a sensor signal S output by the capacitive sensor 28, i.e. to determine whether the housing 8 is in a provided wearing position behind the user's ear or whether the seat of the housing 8 deviates from the provided wearing position.The seat control unit 60 can be formed within the scope of the invention by a non-programmable electronic circuit, for example in the form of or as part of an ASIC. Preferably, however, the seat control unit 60 is formed by a software module which is installed in a running-capable manner, for example, in the signal processor 18 (see FIG. 1 ) or, if appropriate, in another programmable control circuit of the hearing instrument 4. In a further embodiment of the invention, the seat control unit 60 is implemented outside the hearing instrument 4 as part of the hearing app 6.The sensor signal S output by the sensor controller 30 to the seat control unit 60 contains the (unchanged) value of the or each response signal A or a variable derived therefrom, for example the capacitance assigned to the or each sensor electrode 32, 32 a, 32 b, 34, 34 a, 34 bor a variable inverted or scaled thereto.In order to check the seat of the housing 8 behind the ear of the user, the seat control unit 60 compares the sensor signal S in a preferred embodiment of the method with a stored reference value which reproduces the value of the sensor signal S when the housing 8 is positioned in the intended wearing position. If the seat control unit 60 establishes a significant deviation of the sensor signal S from the reference value (in particular a deviation that exceeds a predefined tolerance value, it causes a (warning) message to be output to the user, which message indicates to the user the wrong seat of the housing 8 (i.e. deviating from the intended wearing position).Since the value of the sensor signal S is also influenced by the approach of further body parts to the housing 8, for example the approach of a hand or a finger, but these disturbing influences are generally only of a short duration, the seat control unit 60 is preferably designed to cause the output of the warning message only if the sensor signal S deviates significantly from the reference value for longer than a predefined time interval (for example more than 2 min) permanently.The warning message is, for example, in the form of• a signal sound emitted via the receiver 12 into the ear of the user or emitted by the hearing app 6 via a loudspeaker of the smartphone 38,• a voice message emitted via the listener 12 into the ear of the user or emitted by the hearing app 6 via a loudspeaker of the smartphone 38,• a text message or graphic displayed by the hearing app 6 via the display of the smartphone 38,• or a tactile alarm (e.g. a vibration signal) output via the hearing instrument 4 or the smartphone 38 or a combination of the above notification methods. The reference value is preferably individually learned when the hearing instrument 4 is adapted to the user (fitting), for example by the sensor signal S being detected and stored as a reference value after the housing 8 has been positioned by a person skilled in the art in the correctly provided wearing position behind the ear of the user.In a further developed embodiment of the invention, not only is a single reference value for the sensor signal S stored in the seat control unit 60, but a function or characteristic curve or characteristic value table which, in addition to the characteristic value characteristic for the intended wearing position, also contains characteristic values for deviating positions of the housing 8 behind the ear. The function, characteristic curve or characteristic value table is also determined, for example, when adapting the hearing instrument to the user, by the housing 8 being placed by a person skilled in the art at various positions behind the ear, and by the respective value of the sensor signal S being detected and stored together with a position indication in each position. In this embodiment, the seat control unit 60 does not merely qualitatively determine, during operation of the hearing instrument 4, whether the seat of the housing 8 matches the intended wearing position by comparing the current value of the sensor signal S with the function, characteristic curve or characteristic value table. Rather, the seat control unit 60 quantitatively determines how strongly and in which direction the seat of the housing 8 deviates from the intended support position.If the seat control unit 60 in the above-mentioned embodiment detects a significant deviation of the sensor signal S from the reference value determined for the intended wearing position, it causes (e.g. using one of the methods described above) the output of a warning message to the user, which warning message indicates to the user the wrong seat of the housing 8 and contains an instruction for correcting the seat.Alternatively, the seat control unit 60 adjusts at least one signal processing parameter of the hearing instrument 4 on the basis of the sensor signal S output by the capacitive sensor 28, so that an effect of the malpositioning of the housing 8 is completely or partially compensated. For example, the seat control unit 60 adjusts a beam former of the signal processor 18 of the hearing instrument 4 in such a way that a directional lobe of the beam former is aligned with respect to the user's head just as in the intended wearing position (e.g. always perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head) even when the housing 8 is not positioned.In a further refined embodiment of the invention, the seat control unit 60 follows a differentiated method sequence. In this case, the seat control unit 60 adjusts the at least one signal processing parameter of the hearing instrument 4-as described above-for compensating a detected lack of fit of the housing 8 only if the detected deviation of the seat of the housing 8 from the intended wearing position is small (in particular does not exceed a stored threshold value). Otherwise, i.e. in the case of a greater malpositioning of the housing 8, the seat control unit 60 causes, as likewise described above, the output of the warning message, which indicates to the user the lack of fit of the housing 8 and contains an instruction for correcting the seat.An example of a graphical variant of such a warning message, which is displayed by the hearing app 6 on the display of the smartphone 38 on initiation of the seat control unit 60, is illustrated in FIG. 7. The exemplary warning message contains an image of a human ear 62, a first FIG. 64 of the housing 8 in the current seat (shown with a solid line in FIG. 7 ) determined on the basis of the sensor signal S, and a further FIG. 66 of the housing 8 in the intended wearing position (shown with a dashed line in FIG. 7 ). The instruction for correcting the seat can already be gathered here from the shown deviation of the two FIGS. 64 and 66 of the housing 8. As an additional (optional) instruction for correcting the seat, the warning message contains an arrow 68, which instructs the user, in the example shown, to move the housing 8 further downward on the ear.In a further embodiment of the invention, the seat control unit 60 contains a neural network individually trained on the user, which contains the sensor signal S as an input signal and, in the event of a significant lack of fit of the housing 8, initiates at least one corrective measure, in particular (as described above) an adaptation of at least one signal processing parameter of the hearing instrument 4 for compensating the lack of fit and / or the output of a warning message to the user.In further embodiments of the invention, the hearing instrument is a classic BTE device with a housing worn behind the ear and a receiver arranged in this housing, or an ITE device with a housing worn in the auditory canal. The above explanations for the design and arrangement of the capacitive sensor and for checking the seat of the housing behind the ear or in the ear can be easily transferred to these types of devices.The invention is particularly clear from the above-described exemplary embodiments, but is in no way limited thereto. Rather, other embodiments of the invention may be derived from the claims and the foregoing description.List of reference characters2 Hearing system 4 Hearing instrument 6 Hearing app 8 Housing 10 Earpiece 12 Earpiece 14 Connecting piece 16 Microphone 18 Signal processor 20 Battery 22 (wireless) communication device 24 Antenna 26 Transceiver 28 (capacitive) sensor 30 Sensor controller 32 Sensor electrode 32 aSensor electrode 32 bSensor electrode 34Sensor electrode 34 bSensor electrode 36 Signal line 38 Smartphone 40 Housing cover 42 Housing shell 44 Electronic frame 46 Battery receptacle 48 (antenna) section 50 (antenna) section 52 High-pass filter 54 Low-pass filter 56 Body structure 58 High-pass filter 60 Seat control unit 62 Ear 64 Image 66 Image 68 Arrow A Response signal E (electric) field I Input signal M Ground O Output signal U Operating voltage Us Sensor voltage S Sensor signal

Claims

Hearing instrument (4) having a housing (8) worn behind the ear or in the ear in a provided wearing position, wherein a battery (20), a wireless communication device (22) and a capacitive sensor (28) are arranged in the housing (8), - wherein the wireless communication device (22) comprises an antenna (24) and a transmitting and receiving unit (26) electrically connected thereto, - wherein the capacitive sensor (28) comprises at least one sensor electrode (32, 32a, 32b, 34, 34a, 34b) and a control and evaluation circuit (30) electrically connected thereto, and - wherein the battery (20) and / or the antenna (24) or at least one section (48, 50) of the antenna (24) are additionally used as a sensor electrode (32, 32a, 32b, 34, 34a, 34b) of the capacitive sensor (28).Hearing instrument (4) according to Claim 1, wherein the control and evaluation circuit (30) of the capacitive sensor (28) is configured to apply an electrical alternating voltage (Us) to the sensor electrode (32, 32a, 32b, 34, 34a, 34b) and to measure a response signal (A) generated under the action of this alternating voltage (Us), which response signal is characteristic of an electrical capacitance assigned to the sensor electrode (32, 32a, 32b, 34, 34a, 34b).Hearing instrument (4) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wireless communication device (22) is configured to emit and receive electromagnetic radiation with a radio frequency of more than 100 MHz, preferably more than 1 GHz, in particular 2.4 GHz.Hearing instrument (4) according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein the control and evaluation circuit (30) of the capacitive sensor (28) is configured to generate the sensor voltage (Us) with an AC voltage frequency of less than 10 MHz.Hearing instrument (4) according to one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein a frequency-selective filter (54, 58) is respectively connected between the capacitive control and evaluation circuit (30) and the or each sensor electrode (32, 32a, 32b, 34, 34a, 34b).Hearing instrument (4) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the antenna (24) comprises a first section (48) and a second section (50), and wherein only one of the two sections (48, 50) of the antenna (24) is used as a sensor electrode (34a, 34b) of the capacitive sensor (28) or wherein the two sections (48, 50) of the antenna (24) are used as different sensor electrodes (34a, 34b) of the capacitive sensor (28).Hearing instrument (4) according to one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the control and evaluation circuit (30) of the capacitive sensor (28) is configured to apply the sensor voltage (Us) to the same sensor electrode (32a, 32b, 34a, 34b) and to measure the response signal (A).Hearing instrument (4) according to one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the capacitive sensor (28) has at least two sensor electrodes (32a, 32b, 34a, 34b) electrically connected to the control and evaluation circuit (30), wherein the control and evaluation circuit (30) of the capacitive sensor (28) is designed to apply the sensor voltage (Us) to one of the two sensor electrodes (32a, 34a) and to measure the response signal (A) to the other sensor electrode (32b, 34b).Hearing system (2) comprising a hearing instrument (4) according to one of Claims 1 to 8, and comprising a seat control unit (60) which is configured to check the seat of the housing (8) behind or in the ear of the user on the basis of a sensor signal (S) output by the capacitive sensor (28) and to cause an output of a message indicating the deviating seat of the housing (8) when a deviation of the seat from the intended wearing position is detected, and / or which is configured to set at least one signal processing parameter of the hearing instrument (4) on the basis of the sensor signal (S) output by the capacitive sensor (28) in order to adapt the signal processing of the hearing instrument (4) to the seat of the housing (8).Method for operating a hearing instrument (4) according to one of Claims 1 to 8, - wherein a sensor signal (S) is determined as a measure for the seat of the housing (8) behind or in the ear of the user using the battery (20) and / or the antenna (24) or a section (48, 50) thereof as a sensor electrode (32, 32a, 32b, 34, 34a, 34b) of the capacitive sensor (28), and - wherein a message indicating the deviating seat of the housing (8) is output when a deviation of the seat from the intended wearing position is determined, and / or - wherein at least one signal processing parameter of the hearing instrument (4) is set on the basis of the sensor signal (S) output by the capacitive sensor (28) in order to adapt the signal processing of the hearing instrument (4) to the seat of the housing (8).

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