Personalized psychoacoustic audio processing system and associated methods

Abstract

A method for generating a hearing profile of a person includes providing calibrated audio equipment, testing a first set of frequencies as used in a standard and extended high frequency (EHF) audiograms, testing a second set of frequencies not used in the standard and EHF audiograms, and generating the hearing profile by testing the first and second sets of frequencies. The second set of frequencies are determined according to a psychoacoustic model. The method also includes providing calibrated consumer-grade audio equipment by characterizing a collection of audio equipment, generating signal processing corrections for standardizing sound output used in generating the first and second sets of frequencies, and providing the collection of audio equipment so characterized as the calibrated audio equipment. The method further includes, based on the hearing profile, providing a personalized correction profile for use in processing audio signals provided to the person using uncalibrated audio equipment.

Description

Personalized Psychoacoustic Audio Processing System and AssociatedMethodsREFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of US Provisional Pat. App. No. 63 / 524,887, filed 2023-07-04 and titled "Personalized Psychoacoustic Audio Processing System and Associated Methods," which application is incorporated hereby in its entirety by reference.FI ELD OF TH E I NVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to processing of audio signals. In particular, but not by way of limitation, the present invention relates to providing hearing assessments and corrective processing with a high resolution, calibrated audio processing system.DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

[0003] Audio signals, such as those associated with music recordings, are passed through a variety of stages, from sound generation, recording, post-production, distribution, reproduction, and playback. The resulting audio signals are then captured on media, such as a hard disk or solid-state drive, then played back using audio equipment such as a stereo system or headphones to be heard by a listener. At each of the above steps, the audio signal is processed in some way, such as by electronic processing or by the listener's hearing.

[0004] Some examples of previous work in this field include the following:

[0005] 1. US2009 / 0028362A1 Frohlich, et al., which discusses taking into account perceptive model of a psychoacoustic variable in adjusting hearing aids.

[0006] 2. US2009 / 0103742 Ribic, et al., which discloses a hearing aid with multiple output channels that can be mixed together.

[0007] 3. US2013 / 0024201 Zavarehei, et al., which discloses encoding an output sound signal using a perceptual model with tunable mask ratio parameter within the perceptual model.

[0008] 4. W02018 / 069900 Kobayashi, et al., which discloses using signal processing to tailor output audio signal according to customized psychoacoustic model for specific listener.

[0009] 5. US9319019 to Selig, et aL, which is related to capturing a recording chain's characteristics with a primary aim to make any and all speakers sound the same when accounting for and adjusting forevery conceivable variable of a user, group or users, and the physical universe (such as recording studio characteristics), combined into a composite profile.

[0010] 6. US 2014-0309549 Al Selig et al., which discloses hearing profiles created using the presentation of a variety of musical signals presented to a listener and, optionally, location information for "ball-park testing of user hearing ability in a substantially experience-driven environment without specialized testing equipment and without an audiologist."

[0011] An exemplary process for an audio signal from generation through playback is illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, a process 100 begins with a sound generation step 110, in which the original sound to be transmitted is initially generated. Sound generation step may be performed, for example, by a musician, a person giving a speech, sounds in nature, synthesized or sampled audio file, and any other form of sound generation. There are a variety of factors that affect the sound generation step such as, for example, specific instrumentation (e.g., spoken voice has a different frequency profile from an electric guitar, the buzzing of a beehive has a different frequency profile from an opera singer), location conditions (e.g., size of the venue, external noise, presence of sound insulation or sound- reflective surfaces), among other parameters.

[0013] The generated sound is then recorded in a step 120. Again, a variety of parameters affect the recording step, such as the specific microphone or pick-up system used in the recording, presence of external or electronic equipment noise, and capture quality (i.e., the type of media used to store the captured sound (e.g., specific type of digital or analog media, sensitivity, bandwidth, resolution).

[0014] The captured sound may then be altered in a post-production step 130, where a producer may modify the captured sound according to the producer preferences. This process may also include a host of variability such as, but not limited to, preferences of the producer (e.g., a producer may have specific frequency profiles they prefer for particular types of music) and the specific equipment used in the production process (e.g., mixer board, headphones, speakers).

[0015] After the post-production step, the resulting sound is again captured on media (e.g., as a master track) and distributed and reproduced at various outlets such as record companies and streaming companies. The actual sound captured in distribution step 140 may be affected by, for example, the type of media used in the capture, the file type used, resolution and bandwidth, and the coding / decoding ("CODEX") or compression used in the file creation. For instance, file compression and decompression are commonly used in affixing audio files in a transportable format (e.g., compact discs, solid state drives) and in transmitting audio files over wired and wireless connections.

[0016] Additionally, a variety of parameters affect a delivery step 150, in which the audio file is played back in a listening environment. For example, the type and quality of the playback equipment (e.g., headphones, earbuds, speakers, stereo amplifier) and the listening environment (e.g., size of room, presence of sound dampening or reflective surfaces, external noise, location of the listener with respect to the playback equipment) may greatly affect the fidelity of the sound delivered to the listener.

[0017] Finally, delivery step 150 is further influenced by the unique hearing profile of the listener. For instance, given a particular audio playback, a listener with hearing loss in certain portions of the auditory spectrum will have a very different experience from another listener without hearing loss. Further, beyond the mechanical aspects of an individual's auditory system, such as the cochlea structure, there are differences in the psychoacoustic perception of sound by each particular person.

[0018] For instance, it is known that an individual's ability to hear propagating sound in an environment is governed by the individual auditory system's peripheral structures and neural regions. Energy contained in a soundwave moves through the peripheral structures reaching the cochlea within the inner ear, which transforms the mechanical energy to electrical energy through the hair cells embedded in basilar membrane, which have a tonotopic gradient allowing hair cells to respond to a specific frequency range of sound based on their location proximal to the apex of the cochlea. The perception of sound made in associated neural regions is thus subject to the function of energy conversion in each frequency region of the gradient, which serves in a similar function as a filter bank and may be viewed as having its own transfer function unique to an individual and changing over their life span.

[0019] Systems capable of testing, identifying, and correcting for hearing loss hold great utility beyond their traditional applications in hearing aids. However, such systems are often described using ambiguous terms such as "enhancement," "improvement," or "correction of the listening experience." For example, generic and qualitative metrics such as "hearing data" or "audiogram data" as provided by currently existing systems are insufficient to provide the level of accuracy in the input to DSP systems required to sufficiently address the variation in the hearing profiles among different individuals.

[0020] While existing hearing testing techniques may validly test for hearing loss up to 8 kHz, such tests do not necessarily detect early hearing loss and not without a controlled audiometric environment, calibrated audiometric equipment, and a professional trained in the field to administer the test battery. The traditional hearing test is the standard audiogram, which is used to identify, measure, and qualify hearing loss through a protocol testing up to 11 frequencies (tones) within the range of 125Hz to 8kHz. A standard audiogram may test all 11 tones or only a subset of them through the use of varied sound stimuli such as pure tones, masked sounds, and speech sounds. The testing protocols, equipmentcalibration requirements, and test environment requirements are tightly regulated and easily found in published national and international scientific standards.

[0021] Audiogram test result validity is understood to require highly calibrated audiometric equipment, as codified in ANSI S3.6 2018 and ISO 389-5. However, accuracy of the standard audiogram is dependent on access to calibrated equipment, controlled testing environments, and trained professionals to administer the test.

[0022] Further, standard audiogram protocols only test the hearing response at a few (e.g., four) specific frequencies. The limited tested frequencies in these tests are intended to only test the frequency range most prevalent for speech recognition and fail to test for early hearing loss at other frequencies. Further, these failures mean that at least 61% of the audible frequency range is untested, ignored, and deemed unimportant.

[0023] Additionally, a variety of commercial hearing tests, some of which may be self- administered, are currently on the market. These tests universally apply the same coarse frequency spacing within their testing protocols and pretend to measure hearing function by testing even fewer frequencies than the standard audiogram, such as just one to six tones. These tests fail by universally presenting hearing tests designed to be taken on uncalibrated testing equipment that implicitly result in invalid results, which employ the same, if not exaggerated, failures of the standard audiogram, particularly the failure to test the full audible spectrum, failure to test two or more critical hearing bands (psychoacoustic function), and failure to test for early hearing loss. Additionally, claims citing the use of a hearing test on uncalibrated, consumer-grade equipment through self-administered testing protocols at best suffer the same high error range failure of the audiogram, but more commonly fail to establish or use any standard for test result validity, an infinite error range is considered acceptable in these existing use case scenarios. However, such tests generally provide uncalibrated and often inaccurate or incomplete testing results with limited value.

[0024] It is recognized in the otology arts that hearing loss starts in frequencies far above 8kHz and measurement of hearing abilities above this threshold are instrumental in identifying early hearing loss. Efforts in the medical and audiometric disciplines that recognized this fact resulted in the Extended High Frequency testing protocol. This protocol requires the testing of three mandatory frequencies between and including 8kHz and 16kHz with use of a specialized Extended High Frequency audiometer and equally specialized audiometric headphones or earphones, such as ASA / ANSI S3.6-2018 Specification for Audiometers and ISO 389-5 standards. The results of these tests and the correct definition of normal hearing in the upper frequency range are not nearly as well understood as the standard audiogram and are still debated within the art. As with the standard audiogram, these tests fail in their coarse spacingof mandatory test frequencies and the failure to test a substantial portion of the full audible frequency range. Importantly, the combination of a standard audiogram and an Extended High Frequency (EHF) audiogram in a single, standard hearing test protocol is atypical.

[0025] In addition to these failures, most currently available assessment mechanisms yield test results with no specific standard of acceptability, and many self-disclose the imprecise nature of the testing protocol. While the most accurate, currently available assessment protocol considers an error range of lOdB to be acceptable, this characterization does not specify if this error range is acceptable for every frequency or an average of multiple tested frequencies such that while one frequency tested may have a small error range of 2dB, measurement at another frequency may exhibit an error range of 18dB. Further, an error range of lOdB is misleading due to the logarithmic scaling of the units of decibels. If stated in a linear scale, this equates to a 216% acceptable error range in sound pressure (pascal). Error ranges of this magnitude are inversely related to test sensitivity showing the low sensitivity of this test's ability to measure an individual's hearing threshold, which is further compounded by the failure of limited test points, commonly at four distinct frequencies.

[0026] Existing methods also fail to offer testing equipment and associated tests in a barrier-free manner to all individuals. While existing methods may enable a full hearing and psychoacoustic testing battery with valid results, they also require individuals to complete such tests in a medical or audiology facility on calibrated audiometric equipment with a trained professional, a process that can take from 2.5 to 19 hours to complete (e.g., see Kyobashi, et al., International Patent Publication Number WO 2018 / 06990 Al).

[0027] Further, in existing methods, a determination is usually made regarding the explicit inclusion or implicit exclusion of psychoacoustic principles in hearing tests, the hearing profile, and corrective DSP systems. That is, measurement of psychoacoustic function is generally a mechanism to test hearing ability within each critical hearing band, regardless of the applied model, and is limited to tightly controlled audiometric testing. These tests fail to be accessible in part because of the required time an individual must commit to complete the batteries, up to three hours per band, if tested in the traditional sense, or 15 minutes per band if tested with a Bayesian adaptive procedure, which implies testing times from 1.5 to 18 hours for the six frequencies cited in the existing literature. Some methods pretend to complete psychoacoustic testing through measurements of one's psychophysical tuning curve at four frequencies on uncalibrated, consumer-grade equipment through self-administered testing. There remains a long unmet need for an efficient, valid, calibrated, user-driven test of all hearing bands including the human hearing system, regardless of model.

[0028] Thus, there is a need for an improved system and associated methods for providing a personalized audio experience.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The following presents a simplified summary relating to one or more aspects and / or embodiments disclosed herein. As such, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview relating to all contemplated aspects and / or embodiments, nor should the following summary be regarded to identify key or critical elements relating to all contemplated aspects and / or embodiments or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect and / or embodiment. Accordingly, the following summary has the sole purpose to present certain concepts relating to one or more aspects and / or embodiments relating to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form to precede the detailed description presented below.

[0030] The embodiments described herein include systems and methods to 1) calibrate consumergrade devices for use in auditory system testing in which the testing battery is not administered by a professional in the field; 2) design and administer a calibrated auditory system test on consumer-grade equipment in a testing battery without required assistance from a professional in the field, which tests Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function using one or more psychoacoustic model and returns valid test results; 3) calibrate, derive and implement Modified Sound Source Stimuli Sets in a test of the auditory system; 4) construct and use a clearly defined Proper Hearing Profile that is universally beneficial; 5) optimize lossless DSP architectures and parameterization to form a lossless, high-fidelity and / or lossless, high resolution Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing System(s) that is unique to each individual, may be Bit-Perfect, and may be unique to any given use case; 6) produce a Corrected Digital Audio Data Stream to form a Virtual Sound Image in malleable implementations that are device, software, and listening system agonistic; 7) present a Virtual Sound Image that improves the listening experience, specifically the perceptual restoration of normal hearing for the listener, including those with early hearing loss, which permits the listener to hear the true source signal as the artist intended.

[0031] In an embodiment, a method for generating a hearing profile of a person includes providing calibrated audio equipment, testing a first set of frequencies as used in a standard audiogram and an extended high frequency (EHF) audiogram, testing a second set of frequencies not used in the standard audiogram and the EHF audiogram, and generating the hearing profile as a result of testing the first and second sets of frequencies. The second set of frequencies are determined according to a psychoacoustic model.

[0032] In a further embodiment, providing calibrated consumer-grade audio equipment includes characterizing a collection of audio equipment, generating signal processing corrections for standardizing sound output used in generating the first and second sets of frequencies, and providing the collection of audio equipment so characterized as the calibrated audio equipment.

[0033] In embodiments, the method further includes, based on the hearing profile, providing a personalized correction profile for use in processing audio signals provided to the person using uncalibrated audio equipment.

[0034] These and other features, and characteristics of the present technology, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of 'a', 'an', and 'the' include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.BRI EF DESCRI PTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary process of sound generation to delivery of the resulting audio experience to a listener.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a comparison of various methods of characterizing an individual's listening profile, including an improved testing protocol described herein, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows an example of an improved process for delivering personalized audio playback, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the calibration process for consumer-grade electronic processing devices, listening devices, and / or listening systems, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0039] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary system and associated method to measure the effects of ANC processing, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0040] FIG. 6 shows a sample simulation model architecture for use in measuring the effects of a given wireless transmission protocol on a sound signal, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0041] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary system and associated method to measure the effects of Wireless Sound Transmission Protocol Codecs, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0042] FIG. 8 shows a system and an associated method for implementing predictive and dynamic gain values based on phon value and / or demographics, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0043] FIG. 9 shows a hearing ability and psychoacoustic function test system and associated method, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0044] FIG. 10 shows a hearing ability and psychoacoustic function test system and associated method, in accordance with an alternative embodiment.

[0045] FIG. 11 shows still another embodiment of a hearing ability and psychoacoustic function test system and associated method, including ANC modification.

[0046] FIG. 12 shows different standards and scales that form the basis of different analysis methods.

[0047] FIGS. 13 - 15 show various frequency and tone table for HAAPF testing protocols and used for personal corrective signal processing, in accordance with embodiments.

[0048] FIGS. 16 - 17 show additional frequency and tone tables of HAAPF testing protocols, in accordance with embodiments.

[0049] FIG. 18 shows an exemplary aspect of the HAAPF test with the generalized actions that may be taken by the HAAPF test source code and supporting computing engines following a user's completion of a full test battery, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0050] FIG. 19 shows an exemplary aspect of the HAAPF test with ANC Testing Modifications, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0051] FIG. 20 shows an electronic processing device on which the HAAPF testing may be implemented, in accordance with embodiments.

[0052] FIG. 21 shows a generalized electronic processing device aspect as it may exist for use with a HAAPF test, in accordance with embodiments.

[0053] FIG. 22 shows three variations of customized reference targets of perfect hearing and supporting aspects of the systems and methods employed to derive these reference functions, in accordance with embodiments.

[0054] FIG. 23 shows a generalized embodiment of systems and methods that may be used to derive the optimal DSP architecture, parameters, and variable values that define a user's Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing System, in accordance with embodiments.

[0055] FIGS. 24 - 25 shows exemplary optimization flows, in accordance with embodiments.

[0056] FIG. 26 shows further aspects of the exemplary optimization flow, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0057] FIG. 1 shows an example of an application of optimization, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0058] FIG. 28 shows another example of an application of optimization, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0059] FIG. 29 is a generalized illustration of crosstalk in a two-channel stereo system, in accordance with embodiments.

[0060] FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing an implementation of a crosstalk algorithm, in accordance with embodiments.

[0061] FIG. 31 shows user implementation of personal psychoacoustic corrective signal processing, in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0062] FIG. 32 shows a digital audio processing example using personal corrective signal processing, in accordance with embodiments.

[0063] FIG. 33 shows an exemplary embodiment of an electronic processing unit, in accordance with embodiments.

[0064] FIG. 34shows another embodiment of an electronic processing unit, in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0065] FIGS. 35 shows still another exemplary embodiment of an electronic processing unit, in accordance with embodiments.

[0066] FIG. 36 shows a further embodiment of an electronic processing unit, in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0067] FIG. 37 illustrates the realization of the principal outcome of the technology by showing the propagation of a Virtual Sound Image through the user's auditory system and the resulting perceived response heard by the user, in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0068] For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments detailed herein. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of the described embodiments. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.

[0069] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustrations or specific examples. These aspects may be combined, other aspects may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from the present disclosure. Example aspects may be practiced as methods, systems, or apparatuses. The following detailed description is therefore not to betaken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.DETAI LED DESCRIPTION OF TH E I NVENTION

[0070] The following presents a simplified summary relating to one or more aspects and / or embodiments disclosed herein. As such, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview relating to all contemplated aspects and / or embodiments, nor should the following summary be regarded to identify key or critical elements relating to all contemplated aspects and / or embodiments or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect and / or embodiment. Accordingly, the following summary has the sole purpose to present certain concepts relating to one or more aspects and / or embodiments relating to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form to precede the detailed description presented below.

[0071] These and other features, and characteristics of the present technology, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of 'a', 'an', and 'the' include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0072] As discussed above, each individual listener has a specific hearing profile, which is unique to the individual. In the present disclosure, a hearing profile is defined as a measured assessment of an individual's aural perception over a range of frequencies. In embodiments, hearing thresholds from behavioral responses over a range of frequencies may be used as a basis of a more thorough evaluation of the hearing profile for a specific individual. Various ways of characterizing an individual's hearing profile and adapting the generation of sound to a listener's hearing profile have been generally discussed in the past.

[0073] While discussed in previous literature, the concept of a hearing profile lacks a clear, standard and a universally applicable definition of its composition and use. Broadly, this term is used as an input for DSP targeting an improved listening experience, which is not strictly used in reference to improving the experience for the hearing impaired. That is, when a hearing test is described as a component of a hearing profile, the hearing profile generally only includes abbreviated and / or unvalidated hearing test results.

[0074] At present, known methods to identify an individual's hearing profile for use as an input to DSP with the intention of improving the listening experience and / or correcting for the effects of hearing loss may be universally classified into three broad approaches. The first includes systems and methods employing hearing tests from the audiometric discipline in their traditional form, namely testing batteries completed in a controlled environment on audiometric equipment that is calibrated to relevant standards operated by professionals trained in the audiometric and / or medical disciplines. The second includes uncalibrated, abbreviated, intentionally incomplete, and / or intentionally undefined systems and methods with claims affixing the hearing test label, which provide either a "ballpark" guess of an individual's hearing profile or only use a handful of test frequencies between 500 Hz and 4 kHz with extreme accepted errors; for example, 216% sound pressure error range in the most accurate embodiment known. The third includes forecasting estimation systems and methods which take any number of inputs to achieve the art's intended output, which is either a loosely defined hearing profile or an input to further modeling to eventually arrive at an estimation of a loosely defined hearing profile.

[0075] It is recognized herein that it is extremely difficult to deliver a sound image to a listener, where the sound image accurately reflects the "pure" sound or the "true source" signal as generated or intentionally modified by a producer. A number of fundamental issues remain, such as: the lack of a way to accurately characterize an individual's hearing profile, the difficulties involved in accurately characterizing the properties of the sound capture devices, the failure to take into account the sound generation properties of the output devices, and the lack of a way to accurately characterize any discrepancy between the produced sound and the actual perceived by the individual.

[0076] Further, it is recognized herein that the references discussed above still do not provide hearing profiles of sufficient resolution and accuracy for providing "pure sound." For example, in certain contexts, pure sound may be defined as perceived sound that is the same as the original audio master, without additions, deletions, or colorations, such that the perceived or heard sound is equal to the native sound in the master. In other words, pure sound may be perceived sound being equivalent to the native (original and unaltered) sound source such that the sound perception is the same as the original, unaltered sound source as if perceived by a person with normal hearing.

[0077] Still further, the processing and compression of the audio files themselves lead to loss of fidelity and lead to further diversion of the audio signal from the true source signal. For example, despite studies that show the range of human hearing goes well outside the audible frequency spectrum, the capture and processing of audio signals generally cut off sonic content that is deemed perceptually irrelevant. That is, existing audio capture and playback systems fail to acknowledge the presence of hearing perception near the boundaries of the audible frequency spectrum and instead tend to eliminatesignal content from these regions through lossy codecs that resolve to never deliver signal content from these regions to the listener.

[0078] In accordance with embodiments, systems and methods described herein enable:

[0079] 1) calibrating consumer-grade audio devices;

[0080] 2) providing a hearing test using the calibrated consumer-grade audio devices;

[0081] 3) deriving a personalized, high resolution, Proper Hearing Profile (PHP) using the calibrated devices in the administration of a "validated" hearing test;

[0082] 4) generating a personalized digital audio data correction algorithm, based on an individual'sPHP; and

[0083] 5) given a particular audio file (e.g., a piece of music delivered by a music streaming service), creating a virtual sound image of the particular audio file based on an individual's PHP and the calibrated devices, where the virtual sound image is based on a personalized, corrected digital audio data stream.

[0084] At a minimum, the present disclosure provides for an improved hearing test including the following:

[0085] 1) uses calibrated consumer-grade audio equipment;

[0086] 2) tests the range of the generally accepted mandatory frequencies in standard audiogram andEHF audiogram;

[0087] 3) adds more testing points within the tested range; and

[0088] 4) integrates one or more critical bands and / or frequencies from one or more psychoacoustic models that are not generally used in the standard or EHF audiogram.

[0089] Further, given the results of the improved hearing test, even for hearing data up to a frequency around 12.5 kHz, a digital signal processing model for a user may be created for use with correcting the sound output profile from calibrated consumer-grade audio equipment to correct for moderate hearing loss experienced by the user. The performance of the DSP correction model may be improved by extending the improved hearing test to 16 kHz.

[0090] That is, the present disclosure describes systems and methods for calibrating consumer-grade audio devices, using the calibrated devices in the administration of a battery of one or more auditory system tests on an individual, and using the hearing ability and psychoacoustic function data from such tests for optimizing the listening experience for the individual. Calibration of the audio devices used in testing yields calibrated, validated results can be used to generate a "valid" and rich data set with sufficient resolution to create the individual's Proper Hearing Profile (PHP).

[0091] The PHP may then be used in the optimization of digital processing procedures to create a customized output sound profile (e.g., Corrected Digital Audio Data Stream), which is tailored to the individual. In some cases, the output sound profile may be produced by a high-fidelity and lossless, highresolution Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing System that is essentially bitperfect. Implementation of such a system may be agnostic to the audio equipment used by the individual, such as one or more of electronic processing devices, listening devices and systems, the listening use case, and the listening environment. The Corrected Digital Audio Data Stream may be converted into a physical soundwave, such as in the form of a Virtual Sound Image, to be presented to the individual's auditory system. In some cases, the Virtual Sound Image exploits properties of the human auditory system and psychoacoustic principles to excite the individual's specific auditory system in such a way that the Virtual Sound Image takes into account the individual's PHP to drive an excitation pattern consistent with the true source signal (i.e., a Pure Sound Image). In fact, the generation of the Virtual Sound Image may even take into account the specific PHP of a hearing impaired individual to result in a perceptual restoration of normal hearing to allow the individual to hear the true source signal as the artist intended.

[0092] Further, the present disclosure provides that segmenting an audio signal and / or digital audio data stream into classified sections such as relevant or irrelevant, and discarding those deemed irrelevant or unimportant to the listeners perception incorrectly deprives the listener of audio content empirically proven to effect aspects of hearing perception.

[0093] Further details of the disclosed systems and methods are described below as well as in the appendix document filed herewith, which appendix document is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0094] It is recognized herein that the individuality of hearing profiles is difficult to characterize using existing testing methodologies. For instance, while hearing experts recognize hearing loss often begins at frequencies outside of those prevalent in human speech, ordinary hearing screen tests generally focus on just a few frequencies within the range of spoken language. It has been recognized that audio signals including inaudible high frequency components can affect the listening experience (see, for example, Kuribayashi, et al., "High-Resolution Audio with Inaudible High-Frequency Components Induces a Relaxed Attentional State without Conscious Awareness," Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 8, article 93, February 2017).

[0095] FIG. 2 illustrates examples of currently available testing methodologies, compared to a new approach described herein, in accordance with an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, a hearing screen test 210 is generally administered in an uncontrolled environment, such as a doctor's office, by an untrained user, such as a nurse practitioner or a physician's assistant, rather than a trained audiologist. Similarly, consumer-grade or non-medical hearing screens, such as those available as non-medical software applications, have similar shortcomings. Such hearing screening tests often use "pure tones"(i.e., substantially single frequency tones) and only tests at a few distinct frequencies (e.g., 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000 Hz, and 8000 Hz, among many possibilities), although the normal human ear is sensitive to a continuum of frequencies from 20 to 20,000 Hz. While some tests, such as those described by Selig referenced above, may include additional ranges of frequencies, the tested frequencies are generally focused around typical, audible frequencies (e.g., 500 - 4000 Hz), not the full range of the human hearing. Further, the audiometer, or commonly a low quality substitute thereof, used to administer the test is calibrated at the time of manufacture then only infrequently thereinafter. Thus, the sound output from the audiometer may exhibit different pitch and / or loudness compared to the intended, calibrated output. Thus, hearing screen test results 215 are considered to be low resolution (e.g., based only on testing four or five frequencies) and of limited usefulness in that they can only be used to screen for patients with noticeable hearing loss at the specific frequencies tested.

[0096] While more comprehensive hearing evaluations are available under controlled environments (e.g., administer in sound booths with calibrated equipment) over a wider range of frequencies to characterize an individual's hearing profile with high resolution and administered by trained audiologists, such tests require an hour or more to complete. Further, such diagnostic hearing evaluations are generally aimed at providing a medical diagnosis of hearing loss or determining a prescriptive hearing aid solution for the individual, not to fully characterize the individual's hearing profile over a range of frequencies.

[0097] For example, a diagnostic hearing test (also referred to as a comprehensive audiology evaluation) 220 may be administered in a controlled environment, such as a sound booth or a soundproofed room, by a trained audiologist. Although the battery of tests performed as a part of diagnostic hearing test 220 is more extensive hearing screen test 210 and generally performed on calibrated equipment, diagnostic hearing test 220 is still focused on the performance of the mechanical aspects of the hearing system, such as any issues with the sensory cells in the middle or outer ear, ear-brain pathways, and hair cells in the inner year. The testing also focuses on the frequencies in the human speech region (e.g., 250 to 8000 Hz), not the full range of auditory capabilities, as the intended outcome of diagnostic hearing test 320 is to identify potential medical interventions (e.g., hearing aids, surgical repair) to address identified hearing issues, not to characterize the hearing profile of the individual. Additionally, diagnostic hearing test 220 involves a battery of tests that require an hour or more to complete. Therefore, while diagnostic test results 225 may be more useful in diagnosing mechanical problems (e.g., sensorineural and / or conductive hearing loss) with an individual's hearing addressable via medical intervention, they are not intended to provide a high-resolution characterization of an individual's hearing response over the full range of perceptible auditory signals.

[0098] Another more recent development is the multitude of software applications such as mobile apps available for self-administration of hearing tests. However, such self-administered tests are also often inaccurate due to a variety of factors, such as the differences in the equipment used to administer such tests (e.g., headphones or earbuds) and administration of the tests outside of a controlled testing environment (e.g., in a noisy room, at a park with a playground). For instance, a self-administered hearing test app 230 may provide a convenient way for an untrained user to try a hearing screen test delivered by a mobile device. While such an app may test over a wider range of frequencies than a traditional hearing screen test, most such consumer grade tests administer even fewer frequencies over a narrower range of the hearing bandwidth, and app test results 235 tend to be inaccurate as the test is often taken in an uncontrolled environment using uncalibrated equipment. For at least these reasons, app test results 235 have little to no diagnostic value and are considered to be for information only, not providing actionable results beyond advising the user to consult a medical professional for further analysis.

[0099] It is recognized herein that the human auditory perception depends on the full gamut of the audible spectrum, namely from 20 to 20,000 Hz. While an individual with otologically normal hearing may not be able to distinguish a pure tone produced at frequencies lower than 20Hz and higher than 20,000Hz to the perception of hearing, such frequencies still contribute to the overall listening experience, such as when listening to music, which tends to include a complex combination of frequencies. It would be desirable to be able to find a high-resolution characterization of an individual's hearing over substantially all of the audible spectrum to provide a Proper Hearing Profile (PHP). In certain embodiments, when assessing the hearing profile of an individual at such high levels of granularity may not be practical, it would also be desirable to provide an assessment at key frequencies beyond those assessed by traditional hearing tests, especially using calibrated equipment.

[0100] Further, it would also be desirable for such characterization to be performed using calibrated equipment. For instance, if the sound output profile of headphones or earbuds used in the administration of a high-resolution hearing test is known or pre-characterized, then the sound output used in the test administration may be calibrated to provide known, calibrated test stimuli. As an example, if it is known that the test subject is using AIRPODS® wireless headphones (hereinafter, "AirPods") connected by BLUETOOTH® wireless technology (hereinafter, "Bluetooth") to an IPHONE® mobile device (hereinafter, "iPhone"), then the output profile of the headphones, the compression / decompression characteristics of the wireless connection, and the data transmission characteristics of the mobile device are well characterized, and the test stimuli provided to the testsubject may be calibrated accordingly. Consequently, the test results may be considered to be "validated" in that the results have been performed using calibrated equipment.

[0101] Additionally, it would be desirable for any hearing profile testing to be performed while accounting for the environment in which the test is administered. For example, similar to noise cancellation technology, software operating the output device (e.g., headphones or earbuds) may be configured to take in a portion of the ambient noise, then provide signal processing to counteract the detected ambient noise. Alternatively, if the output device already includes an active noise cancellation (ANC) capability, then the manipulation of the sound output provided by the ANC algorithm may be taken into account to calibrate the output accordingly during administration of the hearing characterization test.

[0102] Still further, it would be desirable to consider the psychoacoustic aspects of an individual's hearing capability, considering the human perception of sound and auditory filter banks involved in how a specific individual perceives sound over substantially the full auditory spectrum.

[0103] An example of such a test for deriving an individual's PHP is the Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function (HAAPF) test described herein. As shown in FIG. 2, HAAPF test 240 may be provided as a self-administered (optionally) convenient test to provide HAAPF test results 245, including an individual's PHP. HAAPF test 240 may include calibration for the specific equipment and environment in which the test is administered, even by an untrained user. HAAPF test results may include high resolution characterization (e.g., in single digit increments of Hertz or even smaller) over substantially all of the auditory spectrum (e.g., 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz). Psychoacoustic analysis may also be included in HAAPF test 240 such that the resulting PHP may be used in providing personalized audio output correction, tailored to a specific individual.

[0104] FIG. 3 illustrates a process 300 for providing a corrective audio processing system, in accordance with embodiments. As shown in FIG. 3, process 300 may begin with a characterization of audio capture equipment (e.g., microphones, pick-ups) in an optional step 310 to provide audio capture equipment profile 312. Alternatively, a priori knowledge of the audio profile of the audio capture equipment may be used as audio capture equipment profile 312 in place of characterization step 322. Similarly, an optional step 320 may be used to characterize the audio playback equipment (e.g., headphones, speakers, stereo equipment) to provide an audio playback equipment profile 322. Further, an audio signal transmission characterization step 330 may be used to characterize audio signal transmission (e.g., wired or wireless) as a function of frequency and other parameters, thus providing an audio signal transmission profile 332. Additionally, an audio signal code / decode (CODEX) characterization step 340 may optionally be performed to provide an audio signal CODEX profile 342. As mentioned above, any ofaudio capture equipment profile 312, audio playback equipment profile 322, audio signal transmission profile 332, and audio signal CODEX profile 342 may be separately characterized using commercial software or hardware, or be obtained through available sources such as publications.

[0105] In certain aspects, process 300 may take into account the specifics of the operating system of the processing equipment used in performing the various characterization steps 310, 320, 330, and / or 340. For example, aspects of the calibration components of the electrical and data processing may be adapted according to the operating system. For instance, IOS® operating system (hereinafter, "iOS") version 16.0 and higher, provide a different set of coded calculations as applied to audio volumes compared to earlier versions of the operating system. Similarly, only versions 12.0 and above of the Android operating system includes the Bluetooth capabilities of BT 5.0, and it is recognized herein that the version of the Bluetooth used impacts both sonic qualities of the sound output as well as the volume itself due to different volume data character codes and features, such as Absolute Bluetooth Volume intended to synchronize the volume of the sound output with the volume of any Bluetooth device connected therewith. Further, it is recognized herein that there are across-the-board differences in the audio processing algorithms used in the iOS and the Android operating systems, for example.

[0106] Data related to audio capture equipment profile 312, audio playback equipment profile 322, audio signal transmission profile 332, and audio signal CODEX profile 342 are fed into a step 350 to calibrate the various audio equipment to be used in a HAAPF test. HAAPF test may then be administered using the calibrated audio equipment in a step 350 to generate a Personalized Hearing Profile (PHP) 365. This PHP 365 may be combined with audio capture equipment profile 312, audio playback equipment profile 322, audio signal transmission profile 332, and audio signal CODEX profile 342 used in the audio equipment calibration in a step 370, then the combined data are used to generate a calibrated audio playback, such as according to the specific equipment used by the individual (i.e., the subject of the PHP) in a step 380. The final result is a personalized, calibrated audio playback 390.

[0107] The calibration processes used in characterizing the sound capture, processing, transmission, storage, and output of recorded sound are also an important part of the adaptation of the output auditory signal according to PHP. Additional details related to the calibration processes, generation of the PHP, administration of the HAAPF test, and other aspects of various embodiments described herein are further explained in the appendix attached hereto.

[0108] The present disclosure contemplates a variety of embodiments, such as enumerated below. It is noted that the embodiments listed below may be practiced alone or in combination with other embodiments.

[0109] 1) Systems and methods to administer an auditory system test on consumer-grade equipment in a testing battery without required assistance from a professional in the field that returns one or more valid testing results.

[0110] 2) Systems and methods to use calibration data for one or more components comprising an auditory test's equipment to calibrate one or more parameters of the testing battery that is administered on consumer-grade equipment without required assistance from a professional in the field.

[0111] 3) Systems and methods to administer an auditory system test on calibrated consumer-grade equipment without required assistance from a professional in the field that measures, for example:

[0112] a) The majority of mandatory and optional test locations from the traditional audiogram and / or Extended High Frequency (EHF) audiogram;

[0113] b) One or more critical hearings bands as defined by one psychoacoustic model; and

[0114] c) One or more critical hearing bands as defined by one psychoacoustic model that is different from b).

[0115] 4) Systems and methods to administer an auditory system test on calibrated consumer-grade equipment without required assistance from a professional in the field that tests a substantial portion of the full audible frequency spectrum (e.g., above 20 Hz, above 100 Hz, from 250 Hz to 16 kHz, etc.).

[0116] 5) Systems and methods to administer an auditory system test on calibrated consumer-grade equipment without required assistance from a professional in the field that uses more than one model describing human hearing in determination of testing frequencies (even arbitrary models).

[0117] 6) Systems and methods to administer an auditory system test on calibrated consumer-grade equipment without required assistance from a professional in the field that functions with the use of one or more modified sound stimuli that are delivered to the individual as the intended stimuli after processing through the one or more components in an auditory system test's equipment by wireless or wired mechanisms.

[0118] 7) Systems and methods to calibrate an auditory system test for use with consumer-grade equipment without required assistance from a professional in the field.

[0119] 8) Systems and methods to calibrate consumer-grade equipment used in an auditory system test in line with audiometric calibration standards.

[0120] 9) Systems and methods to administer an auditory system test on calibrated consumer-grade equipment without required assistance from a professional in the field that is comprised of two or more test phases separated by a break.

[0121] 10) Systems and methods to administer an auditory system test on calibrated consumer-grade equipment without required assistance from a professional in the field that permits validity analysis of test results from a single test battery.

[0122] 11) Systems and methods to administer an auditory system test on calibrated consumer-grade equipment without required assistance from a professional in the field that is controlled by source code residing on a consumer-grade electronic processing device. In some cases, portions of the data processing and calculations involved in the auditory system test may be performed at a remote server, then the test results may be pushed back onto the client device for display to the user and / or use in the subsequent production of personalized, calibrated audio playback.

[0123] 12) Systems to produce an ANC and / or Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus and / or StimuliSet in accordance with equipment calibration and PHP as described above.

[0124] 13) Systems and methods of item 12), in which one or more may be used to test one to all frequencies and testing points of a given HAAPF Protocol or auditory system test.

[0125] 14) Systems and methods of item 12) that may be used to test as few as one data point in any system(s) and method(s) that functions to measure any aspect of an individual's or group's auditory system, in any form of testing paradigm, including, but not limited to, consumer-grade devices, selfadministered testing protocols, hybrid testing protocols, professionally administered testing protocols, uncontrolled environments, partially controlled environments, fully controlled environments, which includes those environments typical to a medical or audiometric facility, or any other paradigm of technical merit, all of which may exist independently or in any combination.

[0126] 15) Systems and methods of item 14) in which one or more may be used to test one to all frequencies and testing points of a given HAAPF Protocol or auditory system test.

[0127] 16) Systems and methods of item 14) that may be used to test as few as one data point in any system(s) and method(s) that functions to measure any aspect of an individual's or group's auditory system, in any form of testing paradigm, including, but not limited to, consumer-grade devices, selfadministered testing protocols, hybrid testing protocols, professionally administered testing protocols, uncontrolled environments, partially controlled environments, fully controlled environments, which includes those environments typical to a medical or audiometric facility, or any other paradigm of technical merit, all of which may exist independently or in any combination.

[0128] 17) Systems and methods of calibrating an auditory system test stimulus by creation of a new modified test stimulus for use with noise cancelation features on consumer-grade equipment so that the intended test stimulus is received at the auditory system.

[0129] 18) Systems and methods of calibrating an auditory system test stimulus by creation of a digital filtering system that may be used in the testing battery to modify the original test stimulus to a modified test stimulus for use with noise cancelation features on consumer-grade equipment so that the intended test stimulus is received at the auditory system.

[0130] 19) Systems and methods of calibrating an auditory system test stimulus by creation of a digital filtering system that may be used in the testing battery to modify the original test stimulus to a modified test stimulus for use with wireless sound transmission codecs and / or protocols so that the intended test stimulus is received at the auditory system.

[0131] 20) Systems and methods to identify, derive, or forecast a performance characteristic of a sound stimulus of any type from any consumer-grade device(s) that is in any part a component of any form of an auditory system test, hearing test, psychoacoustic function, ability, bandwidth, and / or similar test, in which a user acts or does not act in any capacity, consciously or unconsciously, through any form of interactive or interfacing mechanism, that is in some way used to identify or conclude any piece of information directly or tangentially related to the auditory system. In certain aspects, such device performance characteristics may be used in controlling the sound stimuli presentation to the listener in creating the personalized, calibrated audio playback.

[0132] 21) Systems and methods to generate a clearly defined Proper Hearing Profile including:

[0133] a) Valid Hearing Ability test results that include a substantial portion of the audible spectrum, which may be obtained through the inclusion of all mandatory and optional test frequencies of the traditional audiogram and EHF audiogram, and may be auditory threshold measurements, alternate valid auditory system test measurements, data analysis results, and / or testing software outputs;

[0134] b) Valid Psychoacoustic Function test results that include one or more critical hearing bands, as defined by at least one known or yet to be discovered psychoacoustic model, which may be auditory threshold measurements within the band, but may also be, or include, alternate valid psychoacoustic and / or critical hearing band test measurements;

[0135] c) Test results that are valid, generated through calibrated testing methods; and

[0136] d) A precise definition of its composition in any disclosure of a technology that uses it in any system, method, aspect, embodiment, or similar.

[0137] Additional combinations of features are contemplated and considered a part of the present description. For instance, the above described embodiments may be used in a variety of applications such as, but not limited to, alone or in combination:

[0138] A) the digital restoration of perceived normal hearing and / or normal hearing at a prior point in life;

[0139] B) digitally restoring the ability to perceive sound as it originally existed, as the artist intended, or how it was once heard by the listener with substantially perfect hearing;

[0140] C) target output of normal hearing, partial normal hearing, perception of normal hearing, perception of partial normal hearing, any used in any way for any purpose; and

[0141] D) Lossless corrective processing used to change a spectral range anywhere from a fraction of a Hertz to 45.2MHz based on an individual's hearing data, calibrated, valid, uncalibrated, or invalid, measured, derived, or guessed, compared to / from the original input signal, and even if that hearing data is applied to the lossless segment or any other segment outside the lossless segment, such as:

[0142] (1) Lossless like processing, in which some data may be unintentionally lost in the processing chain, but the DSP processing and encoding is not lossy by design, and

[0143] (2) Lossless (or minimally lossy) filter system / correction processing where any component of the system is guided by PHP for an Individual or any one or more data elements of auditory system information.

[0144] Further, the embodiments described above may be used to improve the listening experience for users in contexts outside of music, such as telephonic communication, audible texts, and voice mail. For instance, the reception, processing, and playback of phone calls, voice messages, audible texts, and even real-time phone conversations (with sufficiently fast processing and / or slight buffering) may be enhanced by using the testing, calibration, and processing described herein.

[0145] Definitions

[0146] The following definitions may be useful in providing a better understanding of the descriptions in the present disclosure:

[0147] Auditory Filter System of the Ear (Auditory Filter) includes systems, processes, and methods by which neural responses are transduced from sound stimuli that the hearing organ may locally filter.

[0148] Auditory Threshold corresponds to Hearing Sensitivity, Hearing Threshold, Pure Tone Threshold, or Absolute Threshold, pending the corresponding descriptive content surrounding its use in a given instance.

[0149] Calibration refers to actions, systems, and methods taken to test, measure, record, and ultimately conclude with a high degree of certainty the characteristics of any given physical artifact.

[0150] Consumer-Grade Equipment, System, and / or Device refers to a physical artifact (i.e., device) and / or an intangible artifact, such as digital documentation, code, records, software, and similar, available to consumers.

[0151] Digital Signal Processing includes computational or quantitative calculations and manipulation to perform signal processing operations on a digital data signal or data stream, such as processes performed by a computing engine and specialized processors.

[0152] Electronic Processing Device or System includes an electronic processing device and / or system of any combination of components, existing in any combination of singular or multiple locations, physical or virtual, and with any combination of supportive software packages and / or binary code executable repositories on any appropriate device and / or system and / or combination thereof. Broadly, the electronic processing device and system used to realize the technology may include a variety of components such as a power source, a universal operating system, a virtual operating system in virtual machine environments, a mother board (such as a baseboard, mainboard, or logic board), a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a dedicated core or dedicated threads of the same, a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) that may be integrated or separate from the CPU, memory that may exist as static or dynamic or non-volatile Random-access Memory (RAM), cache memory, virtual memory, and the like, a persistent storage device such as spinning-disk hard drives, solid state hard drives, flash memory storage drives, hybrid storage systems, RAID storage systems, or other storage mechanisms, an input and / or output interface that may be physical or virtual in nature, a user interface (Ul) and / or graphic user interface (GUI), audio capture devices such as sensors and microphones, audio playback devices such as speakers, headphones, and earbuds, executable code stored in memory to control the operation of the various components of the electronic processing device, and others. The electronic processing device or system may exist as an analog computing device, a digital computing device, a hybrid computing device, a quantum computing device, or another processing system.

[0153] Full Spectrum as used herein includes a frequency range of 100 Herts (Hz) to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz) when referenced in relation to the Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function Test (HAAPF) Testing Protocol described below. In some cases, the full spectrum may include a frequency range of 10 Hz to 20 kHz. In embodiments, it may be sufficient a substantial portion of the full spectrum (e.g., 250 Hz to 16 kHz) with the HAAPF test to provide a significant improvement over traditional hearing assessment results.

[0154] Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function (HAAPF) Test refers to a hearing test for characterizing an individual's auditory thresholds over a range of frequencies (e.g., 100Hz to 20kHz) using calibrated sound source stimuli. In some cases, the sound source stimuli used in the HAAPF Test may take into account, for example, the use of noise cancellation mechanisms, calibration of the sound output devices, environmental and external noises present, and other factors during the administration of the HAAPF Test.

[0155] Hearing Loss includes empirical or qualitative assessment of one or more frequencies at which an individual's measured hearing threshold falls below a reference threshold of the correspond frequency(ies) in dB SPL or dB HL after accounting for measurement standard deviation implied by the sensitivity of the testing system. For example, a common definition of disabling hearing loss refers to hearing loss greater than 35 dB in the better hearing loss, as defined by the World Health Organization (see, for example, https: / / www.who.int / news-room / fact-sheets / detail / deafness-and-hearing-loss).

[0156] Hearing Impairment may refer to deviation of an individual's auditory threshold for a given frequency, frequencies, frequency range, and / or critical hearing band from the prevailing corresponding standard of normal hearing.

[0157] Improved Listening Experience may refer to the restoration of the perception of enhanced, normal and / or perfect hearing.

[0158] Listening Device may refer to any device used to produce physical soundwaves from an audio source, such as a digital audio source or an analog audio source.

[0159] Listening System may refer to any system of components that combine to produce physical soundwaves from an audio source, such as a digital audio source or an analog audio source.

[0160] Lossless is a term used to describe a digital audio process in which substantially all of the entire data set of the original audio recording is presented and retained. In other words, in a lossless digital audio process, essentially every bit of detail from the original recording is retained in the original digital audio export and is retained through all digital signal processing that may follow.

[0161] Lossy may describe a digital audio processing method in which the entire data set of the original audio recording is not retained. In a lossy process, for example, components of the audio recording may be deemed unimportant for any reason and discarded, possibly through audio compression codecs or digital signal processing applied to the original digital audio data from the master recording file.

[0162] Perfect Hearing and Normal Hearing are used interchangeably throughout and generally refers to the hearing thresholds of otologically normal persons in terms of human hearing;

[0163] Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective DSP Processing is used interchangeably with Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing and refers to the use of DSP to provide personalized processing of audio signals in accordance with an individual's measured Proper Hearing Profile.

[0164] Proper Hearing Profile (PHP) in the context of the present disclosure generally refers to an individual's personalized hearing profile over a range of frequencies (e.g., 100Hz - 20kHz) as assessed using a calibrated HAAPF Test. A portion of a PHP may be referred to as a Partial Proper Hearing Profile (PPHP). In the context of the present disclosure, this term is used to refer to a quantitative data setobtained through highly granular, valid, and calibrated hearing ability and psychoacoustic function testing with consumer-grade devices in a user-driven test battery, to derive a PHP unique to a specific individual. As discussed above, testing over a significant portion of the audible frequency range (e.g., 250 Hz - 16 kHz) may be sufficient to provide the PPHP, particularly when the assessment is performed using calibrated testing equipment as with the HAAPF test described herein.

[0165] Pure Sound Image refers to the physical soundwaves produced by a speaker or audio transducer from an analog signal providing essentially a faithful reconstruction of the original audio file, providing a substantially unaltered sound image compared to an original lossless audio recording.

[0166] Sound Image refers to the physical soundwaves made by a speaker and / or audio transducer when responding to and producing an analog audio signal, which is made following the conversion of a digital audio data stream to an analog audio signal. A given sound image may or may not be the same as an original lossless audio recording.

[0167] Test Battery refers to a set of related tests administered as a unit to comprehensively assess a condition, such as the HAAPF Test Protocol for assessment of hearing over a range of frequencies.

[0168] Valid as used herein means reliable and reproducible results and / or measurements, which are known to accurately measure what is intended within a known standard or error. Within the context of the present disclosure, valid data may include, for example, data captured by calibrated, validated measurement equipment with sufficiently high resolution for subsequent processing use.

[0169] Virtual Sound Image refers to the physical soundwaves produced by a speaker or audio transducer in response to an analog signal which was processed in the digital or analog realm. In some instances, the processing results in a sound image such that it is different from the original lossless audio recording or the pure sound image thereof.

[0170] A Calibrated Proper Hearing Profile (PHP) Solution

[0171] A valid test based on calibrated measurement instruments may produce reliable and reproducible results and / or measurements within a known standard of error. The output data can then be accepted as an input to the technology and carries the full characteristics of the methods originally used to generate the data, specifically their failures and sparseness of test results. The technical impossibility of inputting more data than the original component's output and acceptance of the original component's limitations are two destructive failures of this approach.

[0172] As discussed above, a mechanism to calibrate consumer-grade electronic processing and listening devices for self-administered hearing tests that intend or are required to use calibrated equipment in tests of the auditory system is a long unmet need. Such use of calibrated equipment would not only enable user-driven hearing test to provide truly meaningful results in a barrier freemechanism but would universally improve the varied DSP techniques that correct for hearing loss and / or improve the listening experience from an improved data set of an individual's hearing ability and psychoacoustic function.

[0173] Additionally, there is a long unmet need to provide high-fidelity and lossless, high-resolution DSP to the improvement of the listening experience, correction for the effects of hearing loss, and / or restoration of perceived normal hearing. Further, high-fidelity and lossless, high resolution signal processing techniques are needed to act upon the various native file formats of these types in a way that ensures the processed output signal is of the same type and sonic fidelity as the input and contains every bit of data present in the pure input data steam (bit perfect). In certain embodiments, the present disclosure describes systems and methods to circumvent the failures of lossy systems and methods in its fundamental assumption, intent, and spirit that: 1) all sonic content present in the original performance and / or master recording is valuable to human hearing perception, whether consciously or unconsciously; 2) affects the listening experience; 3) its integrity should be protected when addressing the problem at hand.

[0174] The present disclosure describes systems and methods operating in the Audiometric, Audio Engineering, Psychoacoustics and Digital Signal Processing fields. For example, systems and methods are described herein for calibrating consumer-grade audio equipment according to input or output frequency characteristics. Such calibrated audio equipment may be used in a battery of one or more tests to measure an individual's auditory system. The battery of tests may be self-administered, in an example. In certain applications, the individual's Proper Hearing Profile (PHP) may be derived for use in a high-fidelity and lossless, high resolution Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Architecture. Within the present context, "lossless high-fidelity" covers 441kHz at 16bit to 88.2kHz at 24 bits. Similarly, "lossless high resolution" covers greater than or equal to 96kHz at 24bits. The disclosure also relates to a method to identify regions of hearing loss through the administration of a hearing test over a substantial portion of the full auditory spectrum and perceptually correct hearing impairment with a personalized virtual sound image, which perceptually restores normal hearing and is perceived to be indistinguishable from original sound recording, uncolored or altered by hearing impairment and absent lossy DSP degradation.

[0175] The described systems and methods in this disclosure is intended to serve as a high resolution and empirical system for measuring the auditory function of an individual, calibrated, validated, and reproduceable, in a unique and previously unavailable way using systems and methods to calibrate consumer-grade equipment for use in a self-administered test of the auditory system, for example. Results of the form generated by the described calibrated auditory system test inform the derivation ofa user's PHP, which serves as the baseline for subsequent optimization of one or more Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing Systems. Corrective Audio Processing can then be used to provide output audio signals to correct an individual's hearing impairment, corresponding to that individual's auditory deviations in their PHP compared to a Reference Target Curve of Perfect Hearing through high-fidelity and lossless, high resolution DSP, which may be Bit-perfect in certain instances. In other words, the technology described herein may serve to perceptually correct for an individual's auditory system deficiencies by presenting a virtual sound image which, when processed through their unique auditory filter, presents the individual with the perception of perfect hearing and the ability to hear the audio content uncolored, as intended by its artistic creators.

[0176] As disclosed herein, the calibration and corrective auditory processing system described can deliver a personalized, improved and / or corrective listening experience through the application of DSP based on an individual's PHP, wherein the PHP is determined using a valid, reliable, and reproducible results of a calibrated battery of tests over a range of frequencies.

[0177] It would be desirable to provide an individual with an improved listening experience such as the perception of normal hearing for a hearing impaired individual. In order to achieve this principal outcome, the present disclosure describes varied systems and methods that generally contains features for: 1) calibrating consumer-grade electronic processing devices and / or systems, consumer-grade listening devices and or systems, and consumer-grade testing systems; 2) construction and administration of a self-administered Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function (HAAPF) Test that is taken on calibrated consumer-grade equipment, has high test resolution and sensitivity, and returns valid results; 3) derivation of an individual's PHP from their valid test results; 4) transforming a PHP into one or more Proper Hearing Profile Functions (PHPFs) for use with a customized reference function of perfect hearing in optimization aspects which identify the optimal DSP architecture and optimal parameters to form the user's Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective DSP Architecture for a given use case; 5) one or more computing engines, termed Corrective Processing Unit, to effectuate Personalized Corrective Audio DSP Architectures and parameters on an electronic processing device; 6) processing digital audio data streams through the Corrective Processing Unit to generate the Virtual Sound Image that a will result in the perception of normal hearing when heard by the user.

[0178] Using the improved PHP

[0179] It is recognized herein that superior individual hearing profiles may be obtained by increasing the granularity and resolution of valid hearing ability and psychoacoustic function tests, ideally by combining multiple models of human hearing from the medical discipline and psychoacoustic discipline. Further, it is recognized herein that higher efficacy personalized corrective DSP is possible throughvalidated hearing profiles including this combination of data, which further enables processing techniques to use the best features of each model in hybrid customized psychoacoustic DSP techniques. Additionally, given the difference between critical band models, it is likely that different models achieve superior outcomes for different categorical Proper Hearing Profiles and for different listening use cases, e.g., headphones compared with diffuse field stereo listening systems. These advantages are only made possible through an inverse approach to the prior failures of the art by increasing hearing test data, not decreasing it, testing at least a substantial portion of the audible spectrum and one or more of the critical hearing bands from one or more psychoacoustic models, and leveraging the resulting rich, multimodal, valid data set for construction of a superior Proper Hearing Profile to input into lossless digital signal processing (DSP) techniques.

[0180] A practical solution may require one to embrace seemingly contradictory assumptions, which includes applying corrective DSP filtering techniques previously reserved for room correction and / or instrument modeling to the problem of hearing correction. As an example, one may realize a novel personalized hearing correction DSP system by using inputs and features specific to the technology, such as the PHP, within room correction signal processing topologies. In this example the inputs, target response, and other variables subject to system optimization are different from the inputs, response, and variables known to be used in room correction system optimization. Traditionally, these DSP systems target a flat linear response, which is deemed desirable in a room's acoustic response characteristics. To account for the non-linear frequency and amplitude response characteristics of human hearing perception, a non-linear reference curve, which in this case is a representation of normal and / or perfect human hearing from 10Hz to 20kHz, is the correct target reference function for the DSP filter systems disclosed hereinafter. Such a reference curve necessitates a model of essentially perfect human hearing through the full audible frequency spectrum.

[0181] Many filter systems and approaches are available in the DSP art, such as Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters, Infinite Impulse Response (HR) filters, warped-filters, Kautz filters, and parallel second order filters with an optional FIR part(s), to only name a few. In all systems of interest as applied to the principal target outcome in personalized corrective processing, psychoacoustic function measurements and models are used in a different way from lossy based DSP. The flexibility of these DSP systems permits numerous pole spacing models in the filter system including linear, stepwise linear, logarithmic, psychoacoustically derived (i.e., perceptually motivated), and / or arbitrarily predefined, which can easily be set to apply higher resolution in certain sensitive critical bands and lower resolution in less sensitive (i.e., wider) critical bands. Fundamentally, this implementation permits filter resolution and function to map the psychoacoustic function and / or models selected instead of using a wide andnarrow band filter bank as present in lossy systems, both of which intend to model the psychoacoustic response of human hearing. Further, the filter systems of interest to the present problem are inherently lossless, may be designed as bit perfect with low quantization noise, function on any digital audio stream format, and are adjustable to multiple use cases and / or desired qualities such as minimum phase, linear phase, mixed phase, crosstalk cancelation in the open air environment, and overcome the known failures of the lossy DSP methods for corrective personal audio processing.

[0182] Accordingly, we describe herein various embodiments of systems and methods including calibrating consumer grade listening and electronic processing devices for use in a calibrated, valid, and highly granular hearing ability and psychoacoustic function test of the full audible spectrum. Such a testing system produces valid measurements of various characteristics of an individual's auditory system function with high resolution. These results may be used to derive the individual's PHP, which then may be used as a fundamental input to optimization methods intended to converge on the optimal lossless DSP architecture and parameters for a given use case. The identified optimal solution may be used to form the individuals Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective DSP Architecture, which functions to process any stream of digital audio data into a virtual sound image for presentation to the Individual's auditory system. Once processed through an individual's unique auditory filter bank, a virtual sound image may improve the listening experience, specifically the perceptual restoration of normal and / or perfect hearing for the listener including those with early hearing loss. The listening experience may be provided, for example, through high-fidelity and lossless, high resolution DSP systems that are agnostic to the user's electronic processing device(s), their listening device and / or system, or the listening use case.

[0183] In certain embodiments, the presented systems and methods broadly serve to address the problem of improving an individual's listening experience, including for those with hearing impairment, and does so by presenting the listener with a modified virtual sound image that may be perceived as representative of perfect hearing and equivalent to the true source signal, which may also be stated to mean it is perceived as the audio's artistic creator(s) intended. The totality of presented descriptions, diagrams, aspects, embodiments, systems, and methods ultimately may be segmented into categories for simplicity in the following discourse, but need not be categorized as individual components in realizing the disclosure. As described below, each segment of the described technology improves the listening experience and restores the perception of normal hearing for individuals with hearing impairment, including those with only mild early hearing loss.

[0184] The disclosure presented relates to a method to obtain valid hearing ability and psychoacoustic function test data in self-administered testing batteries designed for administration with calibratedconsumer-grade devices which is driven by a method of calibrating consumer-grade electronic processing and listening devices for use in testing. Resulting valid and rich results inform user specific optimization of a high-fidelity and lossless, high resolution Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing System(s) that may be Bit-Perfect. Implementation of such a system, termed Corrective Audio Processing, is agnostic to the user's electronic processing device(s), their listening device(s) and / or system(s), or the listening use case. This system vastly improves the processed output (i.e., a corrected virtual sound image) by circumventing the extensive failures of lossy based DSP and implicitly acknowledging the value of all audio content, especially infrasonic and ultrasonic data, as important to human hearing perception. The personalized virtual sound image eventually resulting from Corrective Audio Processing exploits properties of the human auditory system and psychoacoustic principles to achieve the disclosure's ultimate outcome. Specifically, the presentation of a corrected audio signal to a listener's auditory system that results in an improved listening experience through the perceptual restoration of normal and / or perfect hearing, which permits the listener to hear the true source signal as the artist intended.

[0185] In particular, some aspects of the technology described herein include systems and methods for:

[0186] i) [Calibration of output and testing systems] calibrating consumer-grade electronic processing, consumer-grade listening devices and / or systems, and consumer-grade testing systems for use in tests of the auditory system;

[0187] ii) [PHP generation] designing and presenting a full spectrum (or at least over a substantial portion thereof) Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function (HAAPF) test that is calibrated and taken with calibrated consumer-grade equipment in a self-administered protocol;

[0188] iii) [PHP generation] designing a given HAAPF test protocol to provide superior test resolution and sensitivity, test at least a substantial portion of the audible spectrum, valid test results, inclusion of optional and mandatory frequencies from the standard and extended high frequency audiograms, multiple definitions of critical hearing bands from a diversity of psychoacoustic models, and testing of two or more critical hearing bands from at least two psychoacoustic models;

[0189] iv) [DSP + PHP] employ a clearly defined Proper Hearing Profile for use in subsequent Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective DSP systems;

[0190] v) [DSP] acknowledge the presence and value of all audio content as representative of the true source signal from the original recording and / or production as the artistic intent and exploiting the perceptual value of this content, especially infrasonic and ultrasonic spectral components, as part of the perceptual hearing experience;

[0191] vi) [DSP + PHP] optimization methods to identify the optimal lossless DSP architecture for a given PHP and / or for different listening use cases;

[0192] vii) [Calibration] optimization methods to optimize the efficacy of each architecture's corresponding transfer function to achieve the highest quality output possible, which may include systems and methods of minimizing errors between the predicted processed response and the reference target response representative of perfect hearing;

[0193] viii) [DSP + PHP] derive optimized Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing architectures and systems that function as high-fidelity and lossless, high resolution DSP systems which may be Bit-Perfect and may be digital filtering systems with malleable filter resolution achieved through pole placement in a way deemed representative of the individual's Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function and that matches a correspond psychoacoustic model, and / or a hybrid psychoacoustic model, and / or an arbitrary model;

[0194] ix) [DSP + PHP + calibration] creating and presenting a processed audio data stream (Virtual Sound Image) that is high-fidelity and lossless, high resolution, and may be bit perfect, that matches the native file format of the original input signal and includes the ability to function at, and match, the highest fidelity formats available, e.g., DSD 512 or greater;

[0195] x) [DSP + PHP + calibration] improve the listening experience with the perceptual restoration of normal hearing for listeners by delivery of a Virtual Sound Image, which presents the listener with perception of normal hearing and the ability to perceive the true sound source image in its full sonic fidelity as intended by its artistic creator(s).

[0196] As described through the subsequent descriptions, diagrams, aspects, embodiments, systems and methods, certain embodiments of the present disclosure are generally related to a method to obtain valid Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function (HAAPF) test results from self-administered test batteries taken on consumer grade equipment which is driven by a method of calibrating consumergrade electronic processing device(s), consumer-grade listening devices and / or systems, and consumergrade testing systems for use in a test(s) of the auditory system.

[0197] In embodiments, a HAAPF test may include multiple psychoacoustic definitions of critical hearing bands, test two or more critical hearing bands from two or more of these models, test the individual's hearing over a substantial portion of the full audible frequency spectrum, include mandatory and optional tested frequencies from the standard audiogram and extended high frequency audiogram, and produces valid test results for further use. These valid results form an improved PHP with superior data quality, richness and flexibility for use as an input to a lossless, high-fidelity and / or high resolution Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing System(s) that may be Bit-Perfect and isagnostic to the user's electronic processing device(s), their listening device and / or system, or the listening use case. Further, each listening use case may employ a different Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective DSP Processing architecture and optimized parameters, which are all unique to the individual.

[0198] The improved data structure of the PHP enables superior optimization throughout the quantitative process of deriving the transfer function between an individual's PHP and the target reference acoustic response representative of normal hearing. Optimization in this case is generally a determination of the optimal DSP architecture, transfer function, and coefficients to minimize the error between the predicted processed response and the reference target response. Through inclusion of multiple psychoacoustic models in testing and the resulting data set that becomes the PHP, further optimization is made possible in establishing the optimal pole placement of the DSP system to provide malleable frequency resolution characteristics of the best psychoacoustic model, or hybrid model, for the listener within different use cases. There is in fact no currently known universal DSP architecture and / or transfer function capable of delivering optimal results for all use cases. The richness and qualities of PHPs, however, permit optimization of the processed output by use case for each unique listener and include the required data types for more advanced psychoacoustical spatial architectures necessary in diffuse field applications.

[0199] Application of the Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective DSP Processing systems and methods disclosed herein vastly improve the technology's processed output signal (virtual sound image) by circumventing the extensive failures of lossy based DSP and implicitly acknowledging and valuing all audio content, especially infrasonic and ultrasonic data, as an important component of human hearing perception. Thus, the output virtual sound image aligns with present day lossless, high-fidelity and / or lossless, high resolution audio file standards and truly provides the listener with the perception of hearing the true source signal as the artist intended through the restoration of perceived normal hearing in all listening use cases.

[0200] Existing Testing and Calibration Techniques

[0201] Self-administered hearing tests are often performed using, uncalibrated consumer-grade electronic processing devices and listening devices and / or systems in uncontrolled environments, such as an individual's residence. Such tests do not account for the wide sonic performance variability between consumer-grade devices in terms of, for example, sound reproduction and dynamic range.

[0202] For instance, a self-administered test may involve the presentation of a supposed 1kHz tone followed by a 4kHz, both played at the same system volume and gain settings believed to be 94 decibels sound pressure level (dBSPL). However, the actual sound presented to the listener may greatly differ between different sound production devices. As an example, AirPods Pro Generation 2 earbuds wouldresult in the reconstructed tones actually presented to the user at 94.5 dBSPL and 97 dBSPL, respectively. Similarly, BEATS® Fit Pro earbuds would result in the reconstructed tones actually presented to the user to be at 89 dBSPL and 95 dBSPL, respectively. Further variations may be present between devices of the same model or even between left and right transducers of the same pair, depending on the stringency of a particular manufacturer's quality control protocols. Such variations would lead to invalid test results that would be meaningless in trying to accurately assess a listener's hearing profile.

[0203] Even calibrated consumer-grade electronic processing devices may not be sufficient to guarantee the property of test results. Generally, a particular device may be individually put through an extensive set of calibration tests to produce calibration data sets of performance characteristics specific to the device. Several such electronic processing devices and listening devices are combined into a testing system, which then may be put through an extensive set of calibration tests to assess the testing system's performance characteristics under varied conditions, to generate a calibrated data set of performance characteristics specific to the testing system. Alternatively, the components of the Individual devices once calibrated may be combined to form a testing system, for which calibrated data sets are available for each of the devices included within the testing system.

[0204] Improved calibration methods

[0205] In contrast to existing calibration methods, the present disclosure proposes the extensive characterization of the devices involved in the testing system used to generate the Proper Hearing Profile. Such characterization may enable the implementation of, for example, passive ambient noise reduction and / or output volume adjustment as a function of frequency and / or voltage, adjustments to the testing device according to the testing system's specific frequency response, impedance sensitivity curves, minimum and maximum output throughout the full frequency range, and inter-unit variances of electrical output properties and signal transmission properties. The calibration measurements may be repeated, for example, following dismount and remount of the testing system to capture inherent performance variances based on head and / or ear placement of the device, in order to achieve a predefined threshold of statistically significant predictive power.

[0206] A principal aim of the calibration testing described herein is to confidently identify the parameters for a given electronic processing device, listening device, listening system, testing system, and / or model testing system under which an auditory test sound stimulus is presented to the user's auditory system. When such parameters are identified with a sufficient degree of certainty, a given auditory system testing protocol is capable of delivering meaningful and valid results. That is, it wouldbe desirable to identify any artifact that may cause the delivered sound stimulus in an auditory test to deviate in any way from the Intended Sound Source Stimulus to ensure the efficacy of the test.

[0207] According to an aspect, consumer-grade electronic processing devices, listening devices, and / or listening systems for use in the testing device may be subjected to numerous forms of testing, data measurement or data gathering, and statistical analysis or forecasting. The calibration protocol may involve, for instance, measurement of the performance characteristics of the testing system (and / or components thereof) under American National Standards Institute (ANSI), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), and / or customized standards. Calibration test may also include measurement of a device's wireless audio transmission performance characteristics.

[0208] Broadly, calibration testing and measurement as described herein are intended to: a) determine inter-unit variances of electrical output properties and signal transmission properties to qualify a given device by manufacturer, brand, and model as having or failing to have the requisite quality control between units for use as a calibrated device; b) develop highly granular and deep data sets of calibration measurements of a device's salient performance characteristics that enables a predefined threshold of predicted power to be met or an alternative arbitrary threshold to be met; c) populate a database with detailed calibrated testing measurements which may also include the statistical distributions of every measured characteristic; d) identify a device as having sufficient quality and performance characteristics for use in the calibrated HAAPF test.

[0209] In particular, calibration tests for listening devices, such as wired and wireless headphones and earphones, speakers, and others, may include detailed acoustic response testing of the speakers and / or transducers and the listening system's characteristics when used by a listener, and passive or active ambient noise reduction as a function of frequency. The tests may involve characterization of properties such as frequency response, impedance sensitivity curves, minimum and maximum output throughout the full frequency range, frequency response as a function of voltage, and other factors. The calibration tests may be repeated following dismount and remount of a given listening device to capture inherent performance variances based on head and / or ear placement of the device and others.

[0210] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a calibration process for consumer-grade electronic processing devices, listening devices, and / or listening systems. The calibration process may also be adapted for calibration of the HAAPF test itself, in embodiments. Electronic processing devices 40001 may be connected through wired and / or wired interconnects with an analyzer 40003, which may be a physical unit or digital software. Alternatively, wired and / or wireless listening devices or listening systems 40002 may be connected through wired or wireless connection to an ear simulator that is connected throughwired and / or wired interconnects with an analyzer 40004, which may be a physical unit or digital software. Under either configuration, the analyzer and / or a control device perform a variety of performance characteristic testing protocols and capture the results.

[0211] In embodiments, the analyzer may be a standalone electronic processing device, a control feature of the analyzer or the DUT electronic processing device. The detailed calibration measurement of an independent Device Under Test (DUT) or a combined System Under Test (SUT composed of multiple electronic devices) may be completed using testing equipment and systems that meet or exceed relevant scientific and industrial standards, such as ANSI S1.40, ANSI S3.7, ANSI S12.42, EN50332, ISO / IEC 17025 Calibration, ISO 4869-3, IEC 60268-7, IEC 60318-1-4, IEC 60318-7, IEC 61094 WS2P, IEC 60942, ITU-T Rec. P.57 Type 1, Type 2, and / or Type 3 Artificial Ear, and having dynamic range down to at least 25dB(A) and an operating sample rate of, for example, at least 192kHz.

[0212] Due to the known variability in performance of any device from one moment to the next, calibration tests for a given device may be repeated several times to ensure a certain level of statistical predictive power or other arbitrary threshold may be reached in post hoc analyses of all salient performance characteristics, as indicated in box 40005. For instance, when calibrating listening devices and / or systems, the repetition may be crucial as the placement of earphones in the ear canal or headphones over the head vary between mountings and different positioning can have profound effects on performance characteristics.

[0213] Devices that meet quality and performance characteristic standards may be deemed acceptable for further analysis and modeling, as indicated in a box 40006. In 40007 calibration results data from multiple calibration testing batteries may be aggregated at an appropriate form of computing system, such as an electronic processing device, computer, database, server, cloud-based computing system, or the like. In such an environment, calibration results may be statistically analyzed to derive detailed performance models, including confidence intervals and error and / or variance ranges of the salient performance characteristics of a given device, such that the output performance of a device under a known set of inputs may be predicted with a high degree of certainty. Finalized performance models of a device may be compared against industry standards for audiometric equipment to ultimately derive specific audiometric correction factors for any given device, composite system of devices, or characteristic of a device, such as a given Bluetooth protocol, as indicated in a box 40008.

[0214] Result data from calibration analysis and audiometric modeling at the device and / or system levels may be stored in an appropriate database, as indicated in a box 40009. For instance, having stored calibration data by device enables determination of the performance characteristics of a variety of testing system including a combination of multiple devices by forecasting a given system outputbased on the calibrated performance characteristics of the component devices. In this way, the performance of any arbitrary listening system, formed of multiple calibrated devices with known characteristics, may be modeled without having to assemble then test the system as a whole. These calculations may take place within a database server or the like, represented as a processing system 40010.

[0215] As an example, the output sound pressure level at each testing frequency under a variety of volume and gain settings, such as those that may present during the HAAPF test battery, may be modeled based on calibrated device performance characteristics. For instance, assume a given electronic processing device is known to generate a 9.327 mVrmssignal from its headphone output with a 1kHz tone played at a system volume of 63% and a gain setting of 0.50. Further, from the acoustic response measurement of the listening device (e.g., a Log Chirp Step Type assessment with 2.00 second Sweep, 50.00ms Extended Acquisition) taken at 9.327 rnVmsit is known to produce a 1kHz tone of 74.3 dBSPL in acoustical units. Taken together, the model listening system's performance is now known with a high degree of accuracy under known testing conditions, without having to calibrate the entire system as the SUT. Thus, the calibration of the individual devices may be used to inform derivations of the system's performance to a degree of accuracy close to what would have been obtained through direct calibration of the SUT.

[0216] In another embodiment, a slightly lower granularity of calibration testing may be sufficient to enable interpolation from existing measurements and application of similar calculations to achieve the necessary level of calibration required for a particular situation. Such interpolation calculations may take place, for example, in a dictionary lookup and calculation method, iterative derivation over all conceivable testing situations, or the like.

[0217] In another embodiment, detailed calibration measurements for a DUT or SUT may be specifically modified to follow the testing conditions and parameters of the HAAPF test. For instance, calibration process 40000 may be performed in a fashion specific to the conditions under which the HAAPF test is to be administered. Such a calibration process may include operating a specific electronic processing device, listening device, or the full testing system while running a calibration version of the HAAPF test. This version of the HAAPF test may include the production of every tested frequency stimulus at every 1% system volume setting for the full 100% decibels relative to full scale (d BFS) of the device, with 10 to 100 incremental gain adjustments made within each increment, thus producing a full characterization of the given device or system over the range of the HAAPF test.

[0218] In certain embodiments, the various devices may be calibrated against a "golden set" of audiometric headphones and / or earphones that are capable of testing the full audible spectrum, such asthe DD450™ headphones made by RadioEar. This process is in effect a normalization process, in which the acoustic performance of a particular device or system is compared against the "golden set". For instance, performance comparison of consumer-grade listening device against a "golden set" of medicalgrade audiometric headphones permits the derivation of Reference Equivalent Threshold Sound Pressure Levels (RETSPLs) for that particular consumer grade listening device.

[0219] As an example, a "golden set" performance characteristics of a GRAS 45CC™ headphone test fixture including GRAS 40AG™ microphones, anthropometric pinnae, GRAS 42AG™ Sound Calibrator, and an Audio Precision APx517B™ Acoustic Analyzer, may be used to calibrate audiometric headphones and a consumer-grade listening device in the process shown in FIG. 4. As both the "golden set" of audiometric headphones and calibrated devices are tested on the same system, the derivation of RETSPLs for the particular consumer-grade listening device under test.

[0220] In embodiments, the RETSPL correction factors for all tested frequencies in the HAAPF test are required to obtain valid test results in dB HL. However, even for medical-grade audiometric devices, the published RETSPLs for the given device may be limited in the tested frequencies. To account for the limited frequencies of published RETSPLs compared to the tested frequencies of the HAAPF test, a customized quantitative modeling, such as interpolation and fitting methods, is performed to identify the RETSPLs for a substantial portion of the audible spectrum of the "golden set" based on derived customized ELC functions that extend through substantially all of the full audible spectrum. These values may then be compared against the performance characteristics of any specific listening devices to identify RETSPLs for all test frequencies or for the a substantial portion of the full audible frequency spectrum.

[0221] The performance characteristic data are publicly available for certain consumer-grade electronic processing devices, such as smartphones and associated listening devices. In embodiments, the full performance characteristics of a combination of such devices, such as a particular model of a smartphone used to provide audio output to a given set of earbuds, may be interpolated over a range of volumes and frequencies by using known calibration results, such as using the process illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, knowing the dynamic range of a particular smartphone device and the frequency response of a given set of earbuds, the information may be combined to model a forecasted calibration if the particular smartphone device and the given set of earbuds are combined for use with a HAAPF test. If the normalization parameters are known, the response profile of the combined system may be extrapolated to yield an expected stimulus output for a given sound of a particular frequency by using logarithmic deduction on a dBFS scale by frequency. RETSPLs may be calculated at a given frequency by deriving the dBFS percentage required to achieve 0 dB HL at 1 kHz and normalizing the frequencyresponse forecasted output in dB to this dBFS percentage at the frequencies of interest. Further, expected variances in output based on varied listening device mounting placement may be derived in a similar fashion.

[0222] The calibration process may also take into consideration the variations among different devices using active noise cancellation (ANC). Traditional audiometric tests are generally completed on highly calibrated equipment in tightly controlled test environments, such as a soundproof booth, which generally serves to remove environmental and / or ambient noise in the testing space. A selfadministered test of the auditory system cannot always rely on a controlled testing environment. As a result, situations may arise with elevated ambient noise in the testing space that may interfere with valid test results and measurement.

[0223] Recent technological advances in consumer-grade listening devices have made noise canceling DSP a common feature included in most devices. The DSP architecture and mechanism by which noise cancellation is achieved varies between devices, and generally exists as either Active / Adaptive Noise Cancelation (ANC) or Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation.

[0224] However, ANC DSP is known to fundamentally change the sound signal output from the listening device post ANC processing compared to the initial input sound signal, which may adversely affect the validity of the test. Understanding that ANC DSP is essentially a form of digital signal filtering and / or DSP, it is recognized herein that the alteration of the intended sound signal due to ANC processing may be countered by using systems and methods to measure, model, and / or predict the effects ANC processing has, or will have, on an Intended Sound Source Stimulus to be used in an auditory testing situation. From the known calibration information discussed above, the sound output from a system incorporating ANC DSP may be calibrated so that the sound signal actually output from an ANC listening device post ANC processing is the Intended Sound Source Stimulus suitable for the test to be performed.

[0225] An ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Set may be created through methods that measure the effects of a given type of ANC processing on an Intended Sound Source in the presence of environmental noise, such that the ANC processed output signal may be captured or measured. A transfer function may then be calculated between the measured ANC processed signal and Intended Sound Source Stimulus, which may then be applied to the Intended Sound Source Stimulus to derive a Modified Sound Source Stimulus. Such methods may include inversion, convolution, and / or a system identification problem. The ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus may be produced through digital signal synthesis and exported to a static audio file, and / or may be produced through digital sound synthesis in real-time within the user's electronic processing device, and / or may be acquired by the creation of digital filter systems residing on the user's calibrated electronic processing device, whichprocesses an input Intended Sound Source Stimulus into an output ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus.

[0226] FIGS. 5 - 7 show systems and methods for calibrating device(s) and, optionally, any auditory testing sound source stimulus itself, according to embodiments. It is recognized herein that a sound source stimulus arriving at the user's auditory system after processing through DSP features of ANC listening devices and / or transmission over wireless sound transmission protocols, which themselves process and encode the audio signal, alter the sound stimulus to varying degrees from its original intended form. These stimuli are different from the test's Desired or Intended Sound Source Stimulus in its native form, but when processed through its corresponding ANC DSP and / or wireless sound transmission protocol codec(s) results in the user receiving a presentation of the test's Intended Sound Source Stimulus at their auditory system.

[0227] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary system and associated method to measure the effects of ANC processing, in accordance with an embodiment, such that the measured signal may be compared against the Intended Sound Source Stimulus to derive an ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus and / or Stimuli Set 60000. In an embodiment, a calibration testing system is established using ANC enabled ear / headphones 60001, a signal generator 60002, an ear simulator 60003, an audio analyzer or interface 60004, one or more speaker transducers outside of the ear / headphones (in the testing environment) 60020, and one or more electronic processing devices 60030. The signal generator 60002 may be digital or analog in nature and may be a single unit or multiple units or a component of another aspect, such as the audio analyzer or interface 60004 or the electronic processing device(s) 60030. The environmental speaker(s) transducer(s) 60020 is positioned in the testing environment outside of, but in range of, the ANC enabled listening device. During calibration testing the ANC enabled listening device(s) 60001 is set to have their noise cancelation processing feature enabled and active, such that they are exposed to any environmental noise and process such noise while playing back an Intended Sound Source Stimulus.

[0228] As shown in FIG. 5, the Intended Sound Source Stimulus for a given auditory system test 60010 is produced by a signal generator 60002 and transmitted to the ear / headphones by wired interconnects or wireless sound transmission. Concurrently, a noise signal 60011, such as Gaussian white noise, is produced by through one or more environmental speaker / transducer 60020, whereby the ANC enabled active listening device(s) is exposed to the introduced environmental noise signal. The sound stimulus may be produced in different ways such as, and not limited to, a prerecorded audio file stored locally or accessed by streaming, and generation through DSP, analog synthesis. Multiple sound generators may be integrated into the system in physical form or digital form.

[0229] The Intended Sound Source Stimulus may be processed by ANC to produce an ANC processed sound signal to be directed captured by one or more microphones 60003. An audio analyzer or audio interface 60004 connected by wired interconnects or wirelessly to the ear simulator captures the analog audio signal created by the microphone(s) 60003 in an ear simulator arrangement, converts it to a digital audio signal, and sends the digital audio data stream to an electronic processing device 60030, which may be connected wirelessly or by wired interconnect(s). The ANC processed sound signal may be separately acquired and written to a digital audio file 60041 for analysis at a later time or measured and / or analyzed 60042 in real time by the electronic processing device(s), audio analyzer, and / or audio interface. As with above-described embodiments related to device calibration, the preceding process may be repeated iteratively with mounting and remounting of the listening device(s) between testing batteries.

[0230] Recorded or measured ANC processed sound signal 60051 may be loaded into signal analysis software on an electronic processing device for analysis. Analysis of the ANC processed sound signal 60051 may include computational comparison 60052 against the original Intended Sound Source Stimulus, such that differences between the two may be identified and used to derive the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Set 60050. This comparison process may be completed through, for example, derivation of the transfer function between the two signals, derivation of a digital filtering system's transfer function and parameters that inputs one signal and outputs the other, identification of the error signal and its characteristics, Welch's method, phase inversion to generate destructive interference between the two signals when summed, and the like. Transfer functions may be measured directly during calibration testing with an audio analyzer 60004 in lieu of a post hoc analysis, in certain embodiments.

[0231] The analysis results comparing the ANC processed sound signal and the Intended Sound Source Stimulus, may then be used to derive new ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus 60060 and Stimuli Sets 60061. When these stimuli are presented to the user through their ANC enabled and active listening device, the ANC processing performed by the active listening device filters out the modified components of the ANC Modified Stimulus, leaving only the Intended Sound Source Stimulus suitable for use within a calibrated testing protocol, such as the HAAPF test.

[0232] Still another aspect of audio devices that may introduce unwanted modification of the IntendedSound Stimulus is the use of wireless transmission protocols in streaming the sound from one device to another. Wireless earphones and headphones are frequently used by consumers and even in audio testing environments.

[0233] However, wireless sound transmission is a form of lossy DSP, involving some level of signal transformation between the input signal and the output signal. Just as with ANC processing, any processing that modifies the Intended Sound Source Stimulus from its pure, native form may have adverse effects on the test's validity. As such, the current disclosure includes aspects to create Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimuli Sets and / or a Stimulus through a calibration, modeling, and / or simulation system.

[0234] In an embodiment, a wireless enabled listening device or a modeled simulation of wireless transmission codecs may be calibrated with the input being an Intended Sound Source Stimulus and / or Stimuli Set, with the processed output emerging from the wireless codec's processing is captured or measured in a manner similar to those described with respect to ANC processing. Finally, the process proceeds to synthesize a Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Set, derive the specifications required to synthesize the Wireless Modified Stimulus(i) in real-time, derive the specifications of a DSP filter architecture that outputs the Wireless Modified Stimulus when fed an input of the Intended Sound Source Stimulus. Use of a Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus through its correspond wireless transmission protocol with a calibrated listening device results in the delivery of the Intended Sound Source Stimulus to the user's auditory system, thus ensuring the validity of the auditory system test even when implemented with wireless sound transmission aspects.

[0235] FIG. 6 shows a sample simulation model architecture 71000 that may be used to measure the effects of a given wireless transmission protocol on an Intended Sound Source Stimulus to derive a Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Sets from simulation findings. In an embodiment, an Intended Sound Source Stimulus 71010 is fed into a simulation model of a given Wireless Transmission Codec 71020. Intended Sound Source Stimulus 71010 is played back through an input into the simulation model and the processed output signal is captured (box 71031) and / or measured (box 71032), and / or directly analyzed for the derivation of a transfer function (box 71033).

[0236] The results of 71031-71033 may be sent into a workspace for further processing and analysis in an optional step 71040 then forwarded for synthesis of the Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimulus Sets and / or digital filter systems 71050. Subsequent analysis may be completed on the measured and / or acquired sound signal resulting from the given Wireless Protocol Codec and compared to the Intended Sound Source Stimulus. Analysis of the modified signal may include, for example, computational comparison of the modified signal against the original Intended Sound Source Stimulus (box 71060), such that differences between the two may be identified and used to derive the Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Set. Having completed the appropriate analysis, it is thenpossible to synthesize new Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Sets for the WirelessProtocol Codec under test in the simulation, such as using steps described above.

[0237] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary system and associated method 72000 to measure the effects of Wireless Sound Transmission Protocol Codecs such that the wirelessly processed sound signal may be compared against the Intended Sound Source Stimulus to derive a Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus and / or Stimuli Set. In an embodiment, a calibration testing system includes a listening device 72001 (e.g., earphones or headphones) with or without ANC functionality, a signal generator 72002, an ear simulator 72003, an audio analyzer or interface 72004, the Wireless Sound Transmission Protocol under test 72020, and one or more electronic processing devices 72030. Signal generator 72002 may be digital or analog in nature and may be a single unit or multiple units or a component of another aspect, such as the audio analyzer or interface 72004 or the electronic processing device(s) 72030 or other component.

[0238] The Intended Sound Source Stimulus for a given auditory system test 72010 may be produced by a signal generator 72002 and transmitted to the ear / headphones by the Wireless Sound Transmission Protocol & Codec under Test 72020. Wireless Transmission Protocol Codec is used in modifying the original sound source stimulus before transmitting the signal to the listening device. The wireless audio transmission is received by the listening device through the same protocol under test. The received signal is processed through internal computing engines such as, and not limited to, ANC processing, other DSP features, through digital-analog converters, one or more amplifier(s) in each listening device (e.g., Left and Right speakers), then reproduced into wirelessly processed soundwaves that are presented to the ear simulator 72003. An audio analyzer or audio interface 72004 captures the analog audio signal created by microphone(s) in the ear simulator, converts it to a digital audio signal, and sends the digital audio data stream to an electronic processing device 72030. The wirelessly processed sound signal 72051 may be acquired and written to a digital audio file 72041 for analysis at a later time or measured and analyzed 72042 in real time by the electronic processing device(s), and / or the audio analyzer, and / or or audio interface.

[0239] The acquired, recorded, and / or measured wirelessly modified sound signal is loaded into signal analysis software on an electronic processing device for analysis. Analysis of the wirelessly modified sound signal 72051 may include, for example, a computational comparison against the original Intended Sound Source Stimulus 72052, such that differences between the two may be identified 72050 and used to derive the Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Set 72060 and 72061, in a manner similar to those described above with respect to ANC modification and other calibration methods.

[0240] Having completed the appropriate analysis between the wirelessly modified sound signal and the Intended Sound Source Stimulus, it is then possible to derive new Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Sets 72060 and 72061. When these stimuli are presented to the user through the correspond Wireless Transmission Protocol Codec and listening device, the Wireless Protocol's Codec's processing filters out the modified components of the Wireless Modified Stimulus, leaving only the Intended Sound Source Stimulus.

[0241] Further details of HAAPF Test

[0242] As discussed above, the Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function (HAAPF) test described herein is a calibrated test for use with calibrated consumer-grade electronic processing and listening devices to produce valid testing results. In embodiments, the calibration processes may involve the various calibration methods described in detail above.

[0243] The HAAPF test itself may also be calibrated through dynamic adaptations in its source code to use any modeled testing system that is composed of calibrated devices in use by the user. That is, the HAAPF test may be administered using calibrated equipment or, alternatively, the HAAPF test may be dynamically adapted to provide valid sound stimuli and measurement using the particular device components used in the specific test environment, such as for a self-administered test using user- provided equipment. Additionally, the HAAPF test may be subjected to multiple testing validation methods to confirm its validity and establish acceptable error ranges of results, which may vary by frequency, device, or geographic location of the individual.

[0244] In other words, the composition of a Calibrated Testing System or identification of any other type of system may inform many aspects to the HAAPF testing protocol to effectively modify, or direct the individual to modify, the system level setting of their electronic processing device and to select the appropriate parameter values corresponding to their Calibrated Testing System. Generally, these systems and methods are employed as a calibration and control mechanism of the HAAPF testing protocol, which at least partially enables valid testing results as all characteristics of presented stimuli are known and / or controlled in a way that may deliver the same testing experience across any Calibrated Testing System. Alternatively, different testing experiences may be delivered by the HAAPF test between different Calibrated Testing Systems, especially as it relates to the power of the Intended Sound Source Stimulus presented to the user's auditory system, but are accounted for when calculating test results by using the known characteristics of the Calibrated Testing System, such that test results may be valid and comparable across all users having tested with any Calibrated Testing System.

[0245] It is recognized herein that the HAAPF test necessitates that more tested frequencies and critical bands are included in the protocol with reduced accepted error ranges, all of which increases the test'sresolution and sensitivity in producing a Proper Hearing Profile. Additionally, the HAAPF test employs the application of a self-disclosed qualitative hearing assessment survey which are known to be efficacious in identifying those who likely have hearing loss and may benefit from a valid hearing test. The inclusion of qualitative measures further enriches the data set of the individual's hearing ability and psychoacoustic function. The HAAPF testing protocol may also be taken by an individual in a partially calibrated testing system, uncalibrated testing system, or unknown testing system, which returns results of either lower or unknown validity and may be used to form a Partially Proper Hearing Profile.

[0246] The above-described calibration procedures may be completed such that the a priori knowledge gained from calibration informs the HAAPF testing protocol. In other words, calibration testing may be completed on any device or system, regardless of form, before an individual is able to take the HAAPF test with that device or system. Alternatively, the HAAPF test may be completed using the generic modifications described above, then again modified after the individual completes the HAAPF testing protocol. In related systems and methods of this scenario, the calibration of a device does not inform the HAAPF test protocol, but rather the HAAPF testing protocol delivered on unknown and / or uncalibrated devices informs post hoc calibration testing of the devices that compose the individual's testing system. Broadly, once an individual completes the HAAPF test on an uncalibrated and / or unknown testing system and post hoc calibration of the system's devices is complete, the individual's HAAPF test results are recalculated, transforming uncalibrated test results into calibrated test results.

[0247] In embodiments, the desired sensitivity with the HAAPF test may be achieved through a large number of tested frequencies that are tightly spaced. Testing may also be completed with pure tone stimuli, which may include pulsation in the tones that are presented by High Resolution audio samples or DSP sound synthesis in a modified auditory threshold testing paradigm. Alternate testing source signals may also be employed, such as the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus or Stimuli discussed above, masked tones, speech in noise, or similar.

[0248] The HAAPF test may be taken as a self-administered testing battery which is intended for use with calibrated electronic processing devices, calibrated listening devices and / or systems, calibrated testing systems, and / or modeled calibrated testing systems. Its primary intent is to return valid results of the type, structure, and sensitivity required to form a Proper Hearing Profile for use in lossless Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing. Its secondary intent is to return valid test results regarding an individual's hearing ability.

[0249] In embodiments, the HAAPF test is designed for administration with consumer-grade devices. In certain embodiments, the HAAPF test may be configured as a self-administered test battery. Alternatively, the HAAPF test may be professionally administered. An important aspect of the HAAPFtest described herein is the delivery of test results in the form of a valid data set suitable for use in subsequent data processing protocols.

[0250] Further, the HAAPF test may be designed to address several additional needs, such as to test over a substantial portion of the full audible frequency range, employ aspects that enable testing of early stage hearing loss, provide results at sufficient high resolution to form a Proper Hearing Profile that informs Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing, permit test-retest-like functionality within a single testing battery, and provide a rich data set of test results from the medical and audiometric discipline and two or more psychoacoustic models.

[0251] HAAPF Testing Protocol

[0252] The HAAPF testing protocol may include systems and methods to administer a calibrated HAAPF test battery tailored to an individual and the particular equipment forming the individual's Calibrated Testing System. The HAAPF testing protocol generally begins with execution of numerous aspects that may be broadly described as establishing setup parameters to administer a calibrated HAAPF test battery that is unique to the individual and the individual's Calibrated Testing System. Encompassing the following detailed descriptions are aspects and embodiments within the simplified category, which are presented in a generalized serial chronological order. The order in which the aspects are described is not the only order in which they may be completed, and some steps may be completed in parallel.

[0253] In an aspect, the HAAPF testing protocol may inform a user of the importance of using calibrated consumer-grade devices and may employ systems and methods to direct users toward testing with calibrated equipment. These systems may go so far as to restrict testing to only calibrated equipment in some situations and may permit testing with uncalibrated equipment in others. If uncalibrated equipment is used and accurately reported by the user or identified by the HAAPF test source code, test results may be delivered in a relative format and subsequent systems and methods of the technology adapted to account for the uncertain validity of the results. Testing on calibrated equipment results in empirical results, which are the proper type for subsequent systems and methods of the technology.

[0254] For example, the HAAPF test may take the following actions: 1) inform a user of the importance of using calibrated consumer-grade devices and employ systems and methods to direct users toward testing with calibrated equipment; 2) present a list of calibrated consumer-grade electronic processing devices and listening devices and / or listening systems the user may use to complete the testing battery; 3) obtain the brand, model, operating system and version of the electronic processing device in use; 4) identify the Calibrated Testing System in use and compare it against a database of calibrated systems and individual devices, which may return formulas, parameter or variable values, and / or matrices ofvalues such as gain values, all of which may be used in isolation or any combination thereof; 5) obtain the geographic location of the user to determine the altitude of their the physical location at which the test is administered, which is then compared against a database to fetch parameter correction factors to account for the physics of sound propagation under varied atmospheric pressure; 6) request a user selfidentify salient characteristics of themselves, such as age, sex, gender identification, geographic location, and other variables.

[0255] In an aspect, the identified Calibrated Testing System is then compared against a database of calibrated systems and individual devices, which may include feedback formulas, parameter or variables values, and / or matrices of values such as gain values, all of which may be used in isolation or any combination thereof. Broadly, these aspects are used to identify and deliver the required incremental gain settings that produce the required incremental stimuli sound pressure level changes used in the testing protocol. The HAAPF test source code may be held, executed, and operated on an electronic processing device which functions in the digital domain. Accordingly, acoustic units such as dB SPL are undefined, and only digital units may exist. Generally, linear digital variables and units, such as output gain on a scale from 0.0 to 1.0 in double-precision floating-point format are used to control the power, or voltage parameter, applied to an output sound signal. In order to deliver a fully calibrated testing battery in which the sound pressure level of all sound stimuli presentations upon entry to the ear canal are known with certainty, performance characteristics of the user's Calibrated Testing System should be incorporated into calibrated digital unit parameter values. In addition to calibrating the HAAPF test source code for the equipment including the Calibrated Testing System, many additional variables may be considered and accounted for in this process, such as operating system, operating system version, and / or wireless sound transmission codec and class, all of which are known to affect the actual power parameter sent by the electronic processing device to the listening device when presented with the same gain or volume value.

[0256] In another aspect, the geographic location of the user is used to determine the altitude of the physical location at which the test is being administered, which may then be compared against a database to fetch any parameter correction factors. Generally, these correction factors correct for deviations in the physical propagation of sound at different atmospheric pressures within the HAAPF test battery, such that the HAAPF test source code may present any and all testing stimuli to the individual's auditory system from their listening device at the intended and required sound pressure level, as dictated by the protocol.

[0257] The present disclosure describes systems and methods that function to applying correction factors in any form to account for the physics of sound propagation under varied atmospheric pressurewithin an auditory system test, especially one delivered in a self-administered battery on consumergrade equipment. It is further recognized herein that, in some situations, it is necessary to deliver a fully calibrated testing battery in which the sound pressure level of all testing tones upon entry to the ear canal is known with certainty.

[0258] In yet another aspect, an individual is asked to self-identify salient characteristics of themselves, which may serve as inputs to other systems and methods of the testing protocol or any subsequent aspect, system, or method of the technology. These may include age, sex, gender identification, geographic location, and / or any other variables. In a further aspect, the individual's age and sex (and / or gender) are used in other aspects, systems, and methods that dynamically predict and update the initial sound pressure level for each testing frequency.

[0259] One way in which HAAPF testing protocol differs from traditional auditory threshold hearing tests is the use of adaptive reversals. For example, the HAAPF test may generate customized baseline hearing profiles that predict the expected hearing threshold for all test frequencies. From this baseline, the HAAPF test source code may set the initial sound level of all frequencies at the predicted absolute threshold for the user or just below such threshold with a slight reduction in the predicted level for all frequencies. Whereas traditional methods require initial, lengthy threshold identification processes prior to the actual auditory testing, the HAAPF test eliminates this requirement by ensuring that the initial sound pressure level for all testing stimuli is just below their predicted auditory thresholds, thus greatly reducing testing time.

[0260] The term "reversal" is commonly used to identify a logical decision process which at least partially determines the next steps in a testing protocol. In the present context, reversal refers to a determination of the next presented sound level, based on the user's response to the presentation of an Intended Sound Source Stimulus such as a pure tone sine wave, with or without modulating features. Ordinarily, the reversal logic determines if the prior stimulus should be represented to the listener and if, how, and to what degree, the power of the upcoming stimulus presentation should change compared to the prior presentation. Determinations are also made on if the same stimulus is represented, which is essentially identifying if the user's auditory threshold has been accurately measured. In other words, determining if testing of a user's hearing response to a given stimulus in an ear is complete or if it is not complete and testing of the same should continue. If testing of a given stimulus is not complete, a logical determination is made regarding the direction and size of change applied to the power of the forthcoming signal. In other words, should the next stimulus presentation have an increase or decrease in signal amplitude and what magnitude of change should be applied in the identified direction. The common practice in the art is to apply a change (reversal step size) of either -lOdB or +5dB for areversal, which means a decrease of -lOdB is applied following a heard response from the user and an increase of +5dB is applied following a non-heard response from the user.

[0261] In an aspect, the HAAPF test technology applies adaptive logic to determine the incremental reversal step size between presentations of a given sound stimulus within that stimulus' current testing cycle, in which the step size is materially smaller than historical methods of auditory testing.Additionally, an adapting step size is employed, which dynamically sets the current reversal step size to many different possible values based on the prior response, the still prior response, and any or all prior test data acquired up to a given stimulus' presentation. These confer improved sensitivity to the HAAPF test technology compared to traditional methods through its ability to test an auditory threshold in much smaller increments, thereby identifying a user's auditory threshold with greater precision.

[0262] HAAPF testing protocols may further employ ambient (environmental) noise measurement(s), a qualitative hearing self-assessment survey, customized baseline hearing profiles for Predictive Gain Setting and Dynamic Predictive Gain Analysis, non-standard, adaptive reversal logic, break periods in a multi-phased testing battery that may enable test-retest-like functionality, efficacious use of Noise Cancellation enabled calibrated listening devices with the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Sets discussed above, efficacious use of wireless sound transmission protocols with the Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli, and methods to analyze the validity of test results.

[0263] HAAPF Testing System Implementation Example

[0264] FIGS. 8 - 10 show the aspects, systems, methods, and general logic model of the HAAPF test's Predictive Gain Setting aspects, the HAAPF testing protocol, the HAAPF modified testing protocol under customized Modifications to Sound Source Stimuli aspects, result derivation, storage and transmission, validity testing of results and proxy critical bandwidth measurement, and a generalized electronic processing device applicable to the HAAPF testing protocol, respectively. Implied by its name, the Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function test, intends to test an individual's hearing ability and psychoacoustic function under varied embodiments that govern the locations of test frequencies throughout the protocol, which is delivered to a user in a self-administered testing battery intended to be taken with consumer grade electronic processing devices, listening devices, listening systems, and testing systems, and to return valid test results within an accepted error range. The testing protocol itself is intended in its design to return valid results of the type, structure, and sensitivity required to form a Proper Hearing Profile for use in Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing.Generally, this necessitates that more tested frequencies and critical bands are included in the protocol with reduced accepted error ranges, all of which increases the test's resolution and sensitivity. Given the HAAPF test's capability to account for both hearing ability and psychoacoustic function, the specificstructure of a given presentation, cycle, phase, and / or sound source stimulus may vary to meet the needs of either aspect and the characteristic under test.

[0265] In an embodiment, determination of tested frequencies and their spacing for assessment of an individual's Hearing Ability is based on the need for testing over a substantial portion of the audible spectrum, which may be achieved through the inclusion of the standard audiogram and EHF audiogram. Determination of tested frequencies for assessment of an individual's Psychoacoustic Function is based in a need to test hearing response in all critical hearing bands throughout the full audible spectrum, which is uniquely accomplished with the application of multiple psychoacoustic models' definitions of critical hearing bands, center-frequencies, and bandwidths. The Bark Scale and Equivalent Rectangular Bandwidth (ERB) Scale are the two psychoacoustic models selected, which results in 24 and 38 critical bands included for testing consideration, respectively and generates a large composite set of critical bands for testing that is richer than any single psychoacoustic model. It is recognized herein that there are several instances of direct overlap between these two scales and the 16 tested frequencies of the Hearing Ability aspect. Accounting for these, such that the Hearing Ability aspect remains present in its full initial state, may result in a total of 59 tested frequencies across the audible frequency spectrum, which is taken to be 100 Hz to 20 kHz in this reference. The test's composition may be further extended well beyond 20kHz to include any number of frequencies in the ultrasonic range.

[0266] A customized baseline hearing profile predictive function(s) may be derived from a variety of sources, including published hearing threshold data by demographics, hearing threshold data by alternate variables or resolution from academic literature, and, critically, a customized derivation of equal loudness contours (ISO 226) that extends from 10Hz to 20kHz. These functions enable the HAAPF test source code or an external computing engine(s) to create numerous Customized Baseline Proper Hearing Profiles for varied situational permutations which function to predict the expected hearing threshold for all test frequencies. These customized predictions are classified by a phon value which is used to compare predicted auditory thresholds against a user's measured auditory threshold, i.e., their Testing Phon Value.

[0267] FIG. 8 shows a system and an associated method 120000, in accordance with an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, shortly after launching the HAAPF test software, a user 120001 is presented with a list of calibrated consumer-grade electronic processing devices 120002 and listening devices and / or listening systems 120003 they may complete the battery with. The user selects the electronic processing device and listening device from the presented options, which are combined to form their Calibrated Testing System, meaning the System Under Test (SUT) 120005.

[0268] For example, information regarding the brand, model, operating system and version of their electronic processing device 120002 may be obtained through coded queries contained in the software's binary code. These queries may also be used to identify their listening device in some situations. In those in which this is not possible, the user selects their listening device 120003 from a list of calibrated listening devices. Having identified their electronic processing device and their listening device, their Calibrated Testing System is defined 120005 as the combination of these devices.

[0269] Next, user 120001 completes a Pure Tone Threshold hearing test for a 1kHz pure tone, which identifies the user's Testing Phon Value and is termed the HAAPF test Phon Value Testing Phase 120400. To complete the HAAPF test Phon Value Testing Phase, the user's Calibrated Testing System 120005 is identified from its calibrated electronic processing device 120002 and listening device and / or system components 120003, which a user may report at this stage or may be queried from their prior reporting by the HAAPF test source code. Performance characteristics of their Calibrated SUT are retrieved from a database or the HAAPF test source code 120102, which generally at least includes dynamic ranges by frequency 120101. The acquired SUT calibration data may be parsed to isolate required calibration correction factors or correction formulas, which are applied to the HAAPF test source code to inform parameter and variable values of any combination of HAAPF testing phases and / or aspects 120201, 120301. A 1kHz pure tone sine wave, which may include pulsation or other forms of modulation, is called by the HAAPF test for playback or the architectures and parameters to synthesize the same stimulus in real-time are instantiated 120302. When ready the user initiates the HAAPF test Phon Value Testing Phase, in which the general process is to present the sound stimulus to the user, adjust the next presentation's parameters based on trended response patterns, such that the auditory thresholds of both the left and right ear are measured. The sequence of the testing phase may be extended for many reasons to ensure the most valid measurements are obtain, which is generally triggered by resulting measurements 120501 from the first attempt having wide deviations between ears or between measurements of the same ear.

[0270] FIGS. 9 and 10 show embodiments of the subsequent aspects including systems and methods executed by the HAAPF test code to complete testing of a given protocol such as a hearing ability and psychoacoustic function test system and associated method, in accordance with an embodiment. In particular, FIG. 9 shows the retrieval of calibration data (generally indicated as 122006) for a user's Calibrated Testing System from a database, which may also be HAAPF test source code, and application of such data throughout the HAAPF test code to establish setup parameters to administer a calibrated HAAPF test battery.

[0271] In an aspect 122200, a user starts 122201 the First Phase (Phase #1) of their HAAPF test battery 122000 through interaction with the HAAPF test's user interface, which may be a graphical user interface. The HAAPF test code plays back, or synthesizes and plays, an intended testing sound source stimulus, which may be a pure tone with or without modulation characteristics, within the user's electronic processing device. The Intended Sound Source Stimulus if passed by varied means to the user's Calibrated Listening Device and / or System, which responds to the signal, reconstructs the signal into the analog domain and presents an analog (physical) soundwave of the Intended Sound Source Stimulus to the user's auditory system 122300. Using their Calibrated Electronic Processing Device and designated user interface 122005, the user may interact with the HAAPF test application to indicate they have heard the stimulus presentation (termed a Heard Response) or may not interact, which is taken to mean the user did not hear the Stimulus (termed a Non-Heard Response or No Response) during the stimulus' playback and a short period of post-presentation silence 122400 and 122401. A Heard Response or Non-Heard Response is registered in the HAAPF test source code, stored in memory, and may be written to a local file repository and / or pushed for persistent storage in a database in 122402, 122006, and 122008.

[0272] Determination of the subsequent action is governed by the HAAPF test code invoking business logic that assesses the user's last response and any or all prior responses to deduce the action consistent with testing protocol, which may be a repeated presentation of the same stimulus following application of adaptive reversal logic, moving on to another Intended Sound Source Stimulus, and / or concluding the test phase. Generally, this code is executed in the HAAPF test application on the user's electronic processing device. In an alternate embodiment, the execution of code determining the subsequent action or any action of the HAAPF test may instead be carried out on an external database server and the resulting findings retrieved by the HAAPF test source code or pushed to the HAAPF test code by the database 122006, 122007, and 122008.

[0273] Generally, following the initial presentation of an Intended Sound Source Stimulus, the HAAPF test code will determine the appropriate parameter and setting changes required for the second presentation of the same stimulus (termed Reversals) which most often increase in the gain value if No Response is registered or decrease the gain value if a Heard Response is registered. Reversals as provided for the HAAPF test are described in detail below. Additionally, the HAAPF test may execute code to complete Dynamic Predictive Gain Analysis 122501 and repeat the presentation of the Intended Sound Source Stimulus a second to N time(s) 122404. This process is repeated for a given testing stimulus until two positive and valid Heard Responses are registered. After which, the process begins again for the next Intended Sound Source Stimulus or in the untested ear and is repeated iterativelyuntil all Intended Sound Source Stimuli have been presented and valid auditory test results are obtained throughout 122403.

[0274] Further aspects of 122405, 122600, and 122700 present the systems and methods by which a user completes the first testing phase and the HAAPF test persists testing data and results for use in subsequent aspects. Upon registering valid auditory threshold results or an alternate auditory system test characteristic for all testing stimuli in both ears as assigned to Phase #1, the HAAPF test code exits the testing presentation and reversal loop 122405. A user may be notified that they have completed the test and the HAAPF test code registers the test phase as complete 122600. Completion code is called and executed by the HAAPF test, which persists detailed testing data and test results through several means including, but not limited to, writing the data to a file store on the user's electronic processing device, immediately pushing the data to a database 122006 in the background, setting the transmission of data to occur at a later time, and / or establishing pathways to the data that a database may use to fetch the data at will 122008.

[0275] FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of aspects including systems and methods executed by the HAAPF test code to complete the second and / or subsequent phases of a given battery. 123001 is the same individual that completed prior aspects of the HAAPF testing protocol up to this point and that 122005 is the same Calibrated Listening System used by the individual throughout prior aspects of the HAAPF test up to this point as well. Finally, 123301 may function in the same or a similar fashion as aspects related to the HAAPF test's ambient and / or environmental noise measurement(s) and that related to Predictive Gain Setting 123400, which includes Dynamic Predictive Gain Analysis 123606 as described above.

[0276] In an aspect 122600 a user has completed the first test phase of their HAAPF test battery and proceeds into a set of systems and methods prompting the user to take a prolonged break 122800, which exists between testing phases including the HAAPF testing protocol. A user is directed to enter and follow the actions including a prolonged break period 123100, but the HAAPF test retains optionality for the user to manually bypass the break period 122801 and start the next testing phase 123401 if they so desire. 122800 may exist in varied embodiments, but generally includes methods to prompt the user to dismount their listening device, step away from the location at which the test is being administered, and take a prolonged break for a recommended duration of time. Additional methods may be employed that recommend to the user that they engage in some other activity, primarily one with sound exposure, before returning to the HAAPF test. Upon returning, the user remounts the same Calibrated Listening Device used for the first testing phase, restoring the sameCalibrated Testing System previously used, and prepares to start the next testing phase 123001, 123200, and 123005.

[0277] In an aspect, the Intended Sound Source Stimuli Set corresponding to the tested frequencies assigned to the second phase or any subsequent phase 123300 of the HAAPF testing protocol is called by the HAAPF test and loaded into memory and is identified by pathway while still residing on disk, or identified by location to any form of cloud based streaming location. Same or similar methods may be used to call and load DSP architectures and parameters for synthesizing the stimuli in real-time. Further, these methods may apply to any instance of an aspect in which the HAAPF test readies testing stimuli within a given test battery.

[0278] A user commences the second or subsequent test phase and a test stimulus is called by the HAAPF test, played back, or synthesized and played, either of which ultimately result in the stimulus being transformed into a physical soundwave that is presented to the user's auditory system by their listening device and / or system 123500. It is recognized herein that the following repeating cycle of aspects, systems and methods shown in FIG. 10 of 123600 through 124000 are the same or similar to those described in detail above.

[0279] Given that the HAAPF testing protocol calls for two or more test phase in a single testing battery, 123900 and 123901 may have additional methods assigned. In an aspect with only two test phases, following 123700 the HAAPF test evokes the bypass of 123901 and proceeds to subsequent aspects following full test completion 124001. In an aspect with three or more test phases including the full HAAPF testing protocol, following completion of the second testing phase 123700 the HAAPF test calls 123900, enacting another prolonged break aspect 122800 and 123100. The sequence of steps as described above are then repeated for the third and any subsequent testing phases 122800 through 123700 until the user completes the final designated test phase, which triggers the HAAPF test to call 123901 and 124001 completing the full test battery.

[0280] Selection of Tested Frequencies for the HAAPF Test

[0281] The HAAPF test is based on two or more philosophies of human hearing in the determination of tested frequencies (also referred to as "testing locations") and testing characteristics of a given HAAPF protocol, which are contained within a single testing battery. Generally, this includes testing an individual's Hearing Ability and their Psychoacoustic Function. Hearing Ability is generally tested by including the mandatory and optional frequencies found in a standard audiogram and an EHF audiogram. Determination of testing frequencies for assessment of an individual's Psychoacoustic Function is based in a need to test hearing response in, at a minimum, one or more critical hearing bands from two different psychoacoustic models. Further, testing throughout the extended highfrequency region may be expanded to include tested frequencies well beyond 20kHz and may include any number of frequencies in the ultrasonic range.

[0282] It is recognized herein that a single auditory system test that combines these two methods, especially one that includes all optional testing points, is highly atypical and potentially impractical. An audiogram is traditionally the only test administered to an individual and when an EHF audiogram is administered, it is traditionally done so in a separate testing experience. Extending a single testing protocol to further include an aspect that incorporates testing of a characteristic of a critical hearing band as defined by one psychoacoustic model is rare. Further extending a single testing protocol to include testing of a characteristic of a critical hearing band as defined by a second distinct psychoacoustic model is not found in the existing methods of auditory testing. In contrast, the HAAPF testing protocol is designed to naturally provide more efficacious and complete data describing an individual's auditory system and hearing perception than any one of its generalized components alone.

[0283] FIGS.12 - 17 show the system and methods that are used to determine the testing points and testing resolution in the application of the HAAPF test for a particular individual. FIG. 12 shows different standards and scales that form the basis of different analysis methods. FIGS. 13 - 15 show various frequency and tone table for HAAPF testing protocols and used for personal corrective signal processing, in accordance with embodiments. FIG. 16 - 17 show additional frequency and tone tables of HAAPF testing protocols, in accordance with embodiments. For instance, the determination of the testing frequencies and critical bands, as shown in FIGS. 13 - 17, may be used in the determination of specific frequencies to be tested in a specific situation of a HAAPF test.

[0284] In an aspect, the HAAPF test includes systems and methods to measure at least one characteristic of an individual's auditory system at all required and optional center-frequencies of the standard audiogram and the EHF audiogram which combined test the medical and audiometric aspects of hearing, termed the Hearing Ability aspect of the HAAPF protocol. Also, at least one characteristic of at least one critical hearing band as defined by the first selected psychoacoustic model is included for testing, which may be a critical band defined by the Bark Scale, or any other psychoacoustic scale. Further, at least one characteristic of at least one critical hearing band as defined by the second selected psychoacoustic model is included for testing, which may be a critical band defined by the ERB Scale, or any other psychoacoustic scale. The combined critical bands selected for testing from the first and second selected psychoacoustic models form the termed Psychoacoustic Function aspect of the HAAPF test protocol. The Hearing Ability aspect's tested frequencies and Psychoacoustic Function aspect tested frequencies may be combined into a single testing protocol, termed the Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function test, with appropriate stimuli selected for each testing frequency, which maybe one type of sound source stimulus across all test points or more than one type of stimuli, such as the use of a pure tone for the Hearing Ability aspect and a pure tone with a narrowband noise masker for one or more models of the Psychoacoustic Function aspect.

[0285] For example, given the different standards and scales that form the basis of different analysis methods as summarized in FIG. 12, various models of human hearing and psychoacoustic function may be used to determine the specific tested frequencies of the HAAPF test.

[0286] In an embodiment 11100 shown in FIG. 14, the HAAPF testing protocol may include tested frequencies of the traditional required and optional sample points of the audiogram and the required and optional sample points of the EHF audiogram, which form the Hearing Ability testing aspect. Also, the testing protocol may include one sample point of a characteristic of a critical hearing band as defined by the Bark Scale and one sample point of a characteristic of a critical hearing band as defined by the ERB Scale, which form the Psychoacoustic Function aspect. Further, the testing protocol may include one or more qualitative hearing self-assessment surveys. In another embodiment, the HAAPF test includes the same testing points, but does not contain at least one qualitative hearing selfassessment survey.

[0287] Through segregation of the highly granular tested frequencies of the HAAPF test, tested frequencies from critical hearing bands as defined in the applied psychoacoustic models have strong overlap with Hearing Ability tested frequencies. Hearing Ability stimuli (frequencies) may include one phase of an HAAPF test battery, while the critical hearing bands may include another phase. Validation of test results may be completed by comparing a strategically selected test result from one phase with another strategically selected result from another phase. Wise selection will permit comparison between two stimuli within the same critical band that emerged from two distinct test phases. As the two stimuli fall in the same critical band, they are expected to have similar auditory thresholds, which is easily tested in post hoc analysis and a validity determination may be rendered. Use of two different frequencies allows the HAAPF test to increase its test resolution while still supporting test-retest-like validity analysis, which is superior to the traditional method of testing the exact same frequency twice and comparing results, as such a method fails to increase test resolution.

[0288] HAAPF Test Results Validation, Transmission, and Analysis

[0289] Ultimately, test results from an individual's completed HAAPF test battery may be processed by any number of validation algorithms to confirm validity of the results prior to delivering them to the individual or using them in any subsequent systems and methods. Results found to be invalid in entirety may be discarded and the individual may be directed to retake the HAAPF test. Alternatively, they may be delivered to the individual with clear citation of their relative nature (unknown validity) and used insubsequent systems and methods. Still further, if a segment of the test results is found to be invalid, which may be as small as one testing point, while the remaining test results are found to be valid, all results may be delivered to the individual with a citation indicating some results may have unknown validity and are also passed forward for use in subsequent systems and methods. Finally, any of these approaches may be employed individually or in any combination thereof and may be completed without any communication to the individual on the validity and / or nature of their results.

[0290] To avoid the failures of traditional critical band bandwidth testing, psychoacoustic function may be measured by proxy through auditory threshold testing at a frequency centered at or near a critical hearing band's central frequency. Augmentations to this approach may be employed in which tested frequencies are placed close to another in a spacing such that their range straddles two adjacent critical bands. An individual's general hearing band bandwidth may be assessed through post-hoc algorithmic analyses of their test results due to the HAAPF test's testing modalities over a substantial portion of the full audible spectrum with narrowly spaced tested frequencies at sufficient quantity. Alternatively, an individual's bandwidth may be assumed to be represented by one of the psychoacoustic models applicable to the HAAPF test, whether stated explicitly or not and whether presently known or yet to be discovered.

[0291] In embodiments related to a Psychoacoustic Function aspect(s)'s use in the HAAPF testing protocol, the characteristic(s) of a critical hearing band need not be limited by a singular characteristic within a single testing protocol across all selected critical hearing bands. In other embodiments, if one critical hearing band is selected for testing from two psychoacoustic models, a single characteristic may be tested across both critical hearing bands. Alternatively, one characteristic of the critical hearing band from the first selected psychoacoustic model and a different characteristic of the critical hearing band from the second selected psychoacoustic model may be tested.

[0292] In FIG. 18, an exemplary aspect 129100 of the HAAPF test shows the generalized actions that may be taken by the HAAPF test source code and supporting computing engines following a user's completion of a full test battery.

[0293] Aspect 129100 serves to retrieve HAAPF testing data and test results 129200 from varied locations of persistent data storage 129106, 129107, and 129102, transform the data into a meaningful format from its native digital unit, complete validity testing, and prepare and package test data and test results into varied formats 129300, which may be transmitted 129400 to the user through varied methods 129402—129405 and / or pushed for upload into the cloud 129401, database 129106—129107, and / or other similar components. While aspects and embodiments of HAAPF test systems and methods commonly used acoustic units of dB for descriptive simplicity, the true data captured during HAAPFtesting by the source code exists first in digital units, which require computations to derive calibrated acoustical units as described above. Generally, these computations may be completed throughout a battery, but are also completed during execution of 129300. During transformation, validity testing, and preparation of testing data and results, additional aspects are executed to derive dB Hearing Level results for a user by applying the Calibrated RETSPLs corresponding to their Calibrated Testing System and / or Calibrated Listening Device. In the event a Calibrated Testing System was not used to complete the HAAPF testing battery, meaningful dB HL results cannot easily be calculated. Remaining consistent with the spirit and foundational assumptions of the disclosure, uncalibrated testing results may be computed into relative results that may be percentile changes compared to a reference normalization point. However, uncalibrated testing results are not presented as empirical results to the user or any other party, as there is no existing method to qualify results of this type as meaningful and presenting them as empirical or quantitative ultimately harms the user with deceptive information. These aspects differentiating Calibrated Results from uncalibrated results are additional divergent features of the HAAPF test compared to the existing techniques.

[0294] Test results may be packed into a graphical plot(s) or tabular data set for display on the user's electronic processing device 129404, 129405. Alternatively, they may be prepared and packed into the same or similar formats and emailed to the user 129402, such that the user may download their results from their email service 129403. Additionally, and / or alternatively, the same and raw testing data may be uploaded through an interface internal or external to the user's electronic processing device 129401 into the cloud on a database 129106, 129107, from which the user may later access or download their results 129500. Testing data persisting in a database may serve to feed such information into subsequent aspects, systems, and methods of the technology 129500.

[0295] Phon and Predictive Gain

[0296] Once the HAAPF test has confirmed validity of the results, meaning the absence of large deviations in measured absolute thresholds, the testing aspects of the HAAPF test Phon Value Testing Phase(s) are concluded. Returning to FIG. 8, final results from the testing phase are calculated by the HAAPF test source code 120501 and the lowest measured phon value between the left and right ear 120502 is selected as the user's Testing Phon Value 120500. The user's Testing Phon Value is passed forward for comparison against the user's Predicted Phon Value by demographics 120700. Computation of their Predicted Phon Value generally happens in parallel to prior aspects of this test phase in the background. Source code in the HAAPF test calls previously reported demographic information about the user 120601 from memory and fetches corresponding data from a database, which may also exist within the source code and simply be called 120602. Regardless of the method, the data acquired bythe HAAPF test at this step are Customized Baseline Proper Hearing Profiles 120600 that predict the expected hearing threshold for all test frequencies and include an assigned phon value. The HAAPF test selects the Customized Baseline Proper Hearing Profile according to the demographic features of the user and extracts the profile's phon value 120603 and the user's demographically Predicted Phon Value 120700. Code in the HAAPF test compares 120500 and 120700 in 120801, identifying and accepting the lowest phon value 120802, which is incorporated into the source code as the user's Phon Value 120900.

[0297] In an embodiment, no comparison is made between the demographically Predicted Phon Value 120700 and the user's Testing Phon Value, meaning 120801 is skipped or absent. The Phon Value 120900 of the user may be their Testing Phon Value 120500 or their demographically Predicted Phon Value 120603, 120700. Still further, in another embodiment, a user's Phon Value 120900 may be accepted as their demographically Predicted Phon Value 120700, which may be assigned without a Testing Phon Value 120500 ever being measured. In other words, in a structure such as this embodiment, only aspects in 120000 relating to identifying and applying a demographically Predicted Phon Value are called (i.e., 120600, 120601, 120602, 120603, 120700, 120900 through 121300). Further, aspects of 120000 related to 120500 may not be called and skipped entirely.

[0298] Having identified the user's Phon Value, aspects 121001 and 121100 are called by the HAAPF test code. The Customized Baseline Proper Hearing Profile corresponding with the identified Phon Value is extracted, parsed, and its predictive calibrated starting gain settings may be slightly decreased by an adjustment factor appropriate for the user and their Calibrated Testing System 121001 after which the derived parameter values are applied to all tested frequencies throughout the Code 121100. This establishes the initial sound pressure level presented to the listener for all test stimuli and / or frequencies just below their predicted auditory thresholds.

[0299] In further aspects 121200 and 121300, Dynamic Predictive Gain Analysis is employed to actively monitor HAAPF testing results while a user is completing a given battery 121200, such that their tested auditory threshold results may be compared against the predicted auditory thresholds of the previously identified Customized Baseline Hearing Profile to measure the accuracy of predicted parameters.

[0300] In this dynamic analysis, if a deviation is identified between the individual's tested threshold(s) and the predicted threshold(s), such as if their measured threshold falls below the predicted threshold for a given frequency or frequency range, their tested thresholds may again be compared against the database of Customized Baseline Proper Hearing Profiles 120600 to identify a new Profile that more accurately represents their testing threshold results up to a given point in the battery. The new Profile identified is again extracted, parsed and applied throughout the Code 121001, replacing the predicted starting stimuli parameters for all remaining untested stimuli and / or frequencies 121300, 121100. Thisfeedback loop may function as an iterative process throughout the full testing protocol, continually updating the predicted starting parameter values for prospective testing stimuli and / or frequencies as often as needed.

[0301] Predictive Gain Setting and Dynamic Gain Setting Analysis

[0302] Determining the appropriate customized baseline hearing profile to assign to a given user may involve a hearing testing sequence to find an individual's auditory threshold for a 1kHz stimulus, which identifies their characteristic phon value for use in assigning their baseline profile. Generally, the lowest phon value between their left and right ear is selected as their testing phon value and the corresponding baseline hearing threshold curve with a matching phon value is applied to all tested frequencies in the HAAPF test source code. Alternatively, the individual's testing phon value is compared against the phon value predicted based on their demographic characteristics, which may include age, sex, or any other meaningful variable (termed the demographically predicted phon value). The testing and predicted phon values are compared and the lower phon value is accepted and applied to the testing protocol in the same fashion. Still further, their demographically predicted phon value may be used without any testing sequence, applying the baseline profile that matches their demographically predicted phon value in the same fashion.

[0303] The HAAPF test may further use systems and methods to dynamically monitor an individual's testing results throughout the testing protocol, comparing each measured auditory threshold against the predicted threshold from the previously assigned customized baseline. If a deviation or many deviations between the two, regardless of the direction, is identified during testing, the HAAPF test source code may execute methods to identify a new customized baseline profile that better represents the individual's testing results up to that point. Once identified, the source code may execute methods to overwrite the remaining test frequencies' starting gain levels with the newly assigned baseline profile. This process may be completed iteratively throughout the testing protocol as many times as needed. Alternatively, it may never be executed for any number of reasons.

[0304] Additionally, adaptive reversal increments may be used, which applies non-standard logic to determine the incremental sound pressure change (step size) between presentations of a given sound stimulus within that stimulus' current testing cycle, which is materially smaller than traditional methods. Generally, reversal logic determines if the prior test tone should be represented to the listener, if, and how, the sound pressure level and / or gain settings of the upcoming presentation should change compared to the just completed presentation, such as the direction of change and the magnitude of change. Adapting reversal increments may be employed, which dynamically determines the currentreversal step size to be one of many different possible values based on the prior response, the still prior response, and any or all prior test data acquired up to that point.

[0305] As an example, adaptive step size logic may be applied with a starting increment of + / - 2dB, which is applied in the appropriate direction following the first stimulus presentation of a given tone. If the first presentation does not result in a "heard" response from the user, a reversal of +2bB is applied and the tone is represented at a sound pressure level 2dB higher than the first presentation. If the second presentation also does not result in a "heard" response from the user, an adapted reversal step size of +4dB may be applied. Continuing, if the third presentation also does not result in a "heard" response, the initial predicted sound pressure level of this tone may be determined to have been too low and an adapted +10dB reversal step size is applied.

[0306] Determination of a complete testing cycle for a given stimulus may be defined by two affirmative responses from the user, with certain control features to prevent two consecutive positive responses counting in this regard in situations indicative of an unforeseen testing miscalculation (e.g., the initial predicted gain setting was too high). In most situations these two responses may be within 1- 2dB of each other and the average may be taken as the measured auditory threshold. In the event the two responses vary by 5dB or greater, the lower of the two responses may be accepted as the measured auditory threshold. Other adaptative and static methods with the ability to tests sound increments smaller than 5dB may be obtained through multiple step combinations and may also be used within the protocol. For instance, the testing may begin with a 5dB step size, which is later modified to test incremental sound pressure levels less than 5dB.

[0307] Simple Reversal Example

[0308] In an example, adaptive step size logic is applied with a starting increment of -4dB and +2dB. Based on the application of Predictive Gain Setting aspects, the first stimulus presentation is set just below the user's likely hearing threshold, which may amount to -1 to -2 dB below. By means of example, the stimulus under test is an 8kHz pure tone sine wave with pulsation and the user is a 38- year-old male with a Phon Value of 2.5, which implies a predicted auditory threshold of 12.6 dB and an initial Predicted Gain Setting of -lldB. Accordingly, when presented with the first stimulus presentation, the user does not respond and a non-heard response is registered by the HAAPF test, triggering a +2 dB increase in the power of the following repeated stimulus presentation. The stimulus is presented a second time at +2dB greater amplitude (now 13 dB), which is now just above the user's predicted threshold and the user responds that they have heard the sound. A heard response is registered by the HAAPF test, triggering a -4dB reversal to set the third presentation at 9dB. When presented with the third presentation the user does not respond and the HAAPF test triggers a nowadapted reversal of +3 dB, which results in the fourth presentation of the stimulus to occur at +12dB. The user responds to the fourth presentation, a heard response is recorded, and the HAAPF test now terminates testing of the 8kHz frequency stimulus, as two valid heard response were registered. The signal powers of the two heard response signals are averaged in linear magnitude and converted back into a log scale, resulting in the conclusion that the user's auditory threshold is 12.51 dB. Dynamic Predictive Gain Analysis is executed by the HAAPF test, finding that the measured auditory threshold of 12.51 dB is within the defined acceptable error range compared to the predicted threshold of 12.6dB and the applied Predictive Gain Setting Profile is deemed acceptable up to this point.

[0309] Complex Reversal Example with Safety Method

[0310] In another example, greater adaptation is applied to a situation in which either the initial Predicted Gain Setting is too low or the user has hearing loss at the testing frequency. The same starting parameters and user are presented with an 8kHz stimulus at 11 dB, which the user does not respond to. A +2dB reversal is executed by the HAAPF test and the stimulus is represented at 13dB, which the user does not respond to. Based on the Predictive Gain Setting, the HAAPF test expected a positive response and the absence of such a response result in an adaptation of the reversal step size of +4dB. It is assumed that the initial predicted gain setting may have been too low or the user may have hearing impairment at this frequency, justifying the larger magnitude change. A third presentation is made at 17dB, which the user does not respond to. The HAAPF test registers three consecutive non-heard responses and triggers a safety method of a large magnitude change, as it has concluded with certainty that either the individual has hearing impairment at this frequency or the initial predicted gain setting was wrong. In this case a +10dB reversal is applied and the fifth presentation is made at 27dB, which the user responds to. The HAAPF test registers the heard response following a safety method reversal increase and thus applies a sizeable magnitude decrease of -5dB, which results in the sixth presentation of the stimulus at 22dB. The user does not respond to this presentation, a non-heard response is registered and the HAAPF test now applies a more standard reversal, such that the user's auditory threshold is sought within a small range. A +2dB reversal increase is applied and the seventh presentation is made at 24dB, which the user responds to. Thus, the HAAPF test has determined with a high degree of certainty that the user's auditory threshold likely exists above 22dB, at and above 24dB, and below 27dB, i.e., a range of less than 5dB. The auditory threshold is calculated as the average of the two heard responses to be 25.63dB. In an example, the described testing sequence may be completed in less than 24 seconds, which is a vast improvement in reduced testing time compared to traditional methods.

[0311] Complex Reversal Example with Too High and Zero Gain Catch Safety Methods

[0312] In another example, greater adaptation is applied to a situation in which the initial Predicted Gain Setting is too high requiring the use of additional safety methods. The same starting parameters and user are presented with an 8kHz stimulus at 11 dB, which the user respond to. The HAAPF test registers the Heard Response and a -5dB reversal decrease is executed, such that the stimulus is represented at 6dB, which the user also responds to. The HAAPF test registers that the user has now positively responded to two stimuli, which would generally indicate the end of a given stimulus' testing cycle. However, in this case the HAAPF test also registers that the two heard responses were provided consecutively to the first two stimulus presentations, which is a clear indication that the initial Predicted Gain Setting was too high. Thus, the HAAPF test executes a safety method evoking a large magnitude decrease of -lOdB to correct for the error in initial gain setting and discards the results of the first two presentations. When this safety method is called, it results in the next (third) presentation being -15 dB lower than the initial gain setting, establishing a new baseline to restart from. When calling this method, however, the HAAPF test will execute yet another safety method to ensure that all stimulus presentations are presented at some sound pressure level—, not silent. In this instance, the -lOdB reversal applied to a prior gain setting of 6 dB will result in a negative gain value, which is equivalent to setting a 0.0 gain value. This unique value produces silence when a stimulus is played back, which should not exist in the testing protocol. A stimulus shall be presented at some power level that at least produces a physical soundwave, even if of minute power. As such, the HAAPF test will recognize the negative calculated reversal gain value and instead use a gain value that will produce a 0.25 to 0.5 dB output stimulus, which is applied in this case. The user is then presented with a 0.5dB stimulus in the third presentation, which is now considered by the HAAPF test as the new starting point of the stimulus' test cycle. Varied adaptive reversal methods are then employed until two valid Heard Responses are register, concluding the stimulus' testing cycle and trigger the HAAPF test to calculate the user's measured auditory threshold.

[0313] HAAFT Test Variations

[0314] I. Qualitative Hearing Self-Assessment

[0315] In embodiments including a qualitative hearing self-assessment, sound stimuli based auditory system testing is also a component of the HAAPF test, even if a user does not complete the full testing battery. In other words, a qualitative hearing self-assessment is not present in isolation within the HAAPF testing protocol. For example, sound stimulus auditory testing may be augmented by inclusion of one or more qualitative hearing self-assessment surveys, which may be the Hearing Handicap Inventory and Screening Tool (HHIA and / or HHIE), the Revised Hearing Handicap Inventory (RHHI), the Revised Hearing Handicap Inventory-Screening (RHHI-S), or any other qualitative tool. These tools usedindependently have shown high sensitivity in identifying individuals with hearing impairment, which is especially true in the case of early hearing loss. As the HAAPF intends to test the full audible spectrum for utility in many dimensions, one of which is identification of early hearing loss that may go undetected in traditional testing methods, systems and methods that serve to further the identification of possible early-stage hearing loss increase the efficacy of the testing protocol. Generally, the qualitative hearing self-assessment survey is presented prior to any sound stimuli based auditory system testing, such that individuals presenting with a very low probability of hearing loss may be notified of such and consider if proceeding with the full HAAPF test is an ideal use of their time. It is recognized herein that there is currently a lack of available auditory testing protocols that combine one or more qualitative hearing self-assessments within a single auditory system testing battery, which may, in some embodiments, be completed in a single sitting, without the user having to rise from their seat, take a single step, or move from a desk to an audiometric testing environment.

[0316] II. Critical Hearing Bands

[0317] In an embodiment, the HAAPF testing protocol is established to include the critical hearing bands identified in 130300 in addition to the standard Hearing Ability frequencies. Test data resulting from this protocol will result in two regions of overlap between testing phases, assuming each phase's test composition is structured strategically, around 1kHz and 8 to 12.5kHz. One possible test of validity may include comparing the auditory threshold measured at 1kHz in testing phase 1 with the auditory threshold of the 16th ERB at 1.051 kHz. As the applied ERB model defines the 16th critical band to have a bandwidth of 138 Hz centered around its tested frequency, the 1kHz testing frequency falls well within this critical hearing band. As such, traditional analysis would predict that the two frequencies will have a very similar auditory threshold and this hypothesis is easily tested with a user's detailed test data. If, for example, the auditory threshold measured at 1kHz was OdB HL and the auditory threshold of the 16th ERB testing frequency was lOdB HL, a large deviation between is registered and the user's test results are deemed at least partially invalid around 1kHz.

[0318] In another embodiment, the user's measured 22nd Bark and the 34th ERB auditory thresholds are compared and found to be 12db HL and 12.5 dB HL, respectively. As the testing frequency of each critical hearing band falls within each model's definition of the critical hearing band including that range on the Basilar Membrane, it is reasonable to assume that regardless of what model is selected, the two auditory thresholds fall within the same critical band and should have similar auditory thresholds. As this is the case, and since the two critical hearing bands were tested in the second test phase, the second test phase is registered as valid within that phase and the auditory thresholds measured for the 22nd Bark and 34th ERB are also valid.

[0319] In another variation, the auditory threshold measured at 8kHz in the first testing phase is compared against the 22nd Bark and 34th Bark. The 8kHz tone also falls within the same critical hearing band regardless of what model is selected to define the band and is thus expected to have an auditory threshold similar to the 22nd Bark and 34th ERB. The measured auditory threshold at 8kHz was 13 dB HL, which is similar to the other two auditory threshold. As such, the 8kHz auditory threshold is registered as valid and the inter-phase validity between the first and second phase is deemed valid, i.e., the test results from both phases were consistent, implying the full HAAPF test battery as completed by the user is valid.

[0320] III. Forecasting Auditory Filter Bandwidth

[0321] In yet another aspect, the high resolution and sensitivity of the HAAPF test is used to forecast a user's auditory filter bandwidth and / or shape using tightly spaced auditory threshold measurements. The characteristic psychoacoustic function measurement desired may be critical band bandwidth, which may be measured through proxy by absolute threshold testing of a frequency that is centered at, or near, a critical hearing band's central frequency, for all hearing bands. Due to the high testing resolution as described above, the full continuum of test frequencies is of sufficient quantity and narrow spacing to allow for indirect measurement of an individual's general hearing band bandwidth through post-hoc analyses and modeling. Alternatively, an individual's bandwidth may be assumed to be represented by one of the psychoacoustic models applicable to the HAAPF test.

[0322] IV. Ambient Noise

[0323] Ambient noise conditions of the testing environment may be measured before and / or after, or before, and / or during, and / or after all test phases through a digital sound meter that may exists within, or external to, the HAAPF testing software code. The microphone(s) intake sound. Measures its characteristics, calculates a sound pressure reading of any technically appropriate scale, and may display the results to the user. The ambient noise reading may be compared against a standard acceptable ambient noise value, which may take into account the passive ambient noise isolation effects of the individual's calibrated listening device, and may inform the user if their environment is acceptable for testing or if they need to relocate to another environment. Real-time measurement of environment noise may function throughout the testing protocol to monitor for any spikes in environmental noise, which may be audible to the user and may result in a false positive heard response. If registered, the active test cycle in which the spike is measured may be repeated and results from the presentation cycle with the measured noise spike may be discarded. If many spikes are found within a testing sequence, the testing protocol may be aborted and the individual may be instructed to relocate and restart the test, take the test at another time of day, or a combination thereof.

[0324] In certain aspects (e.g., 122100 of FIG. 9, 123301 of FIG. 10, and 125104 of FIG. 11), ambient noise conditions of the testing environment are measured through a digital sound meter that is a component of the HAARF testing software code. A microphone connected to or built into a user's electronic processing device intakes (i.e., responds to) sound in the user's testing environment and the HAAPF test source code measures signal characteristics of the captured ambient noise to ultimately calculate sound pressure readings of any technically appropriate scale. These measurements may be taken before, before and after, and / or before, during, and after all test phases and the results may be presented to the user.

[0325] In one embodiment, ambient noise measurement(s) is taken after establishing setup parameters to administer a calibrated HAAPF test battery and prior to beginning the testing protocol. The resulting measurements are compared against a standard acceptable ambient noise value, which may take account for the passive noise isolation effects of the individual's calibrated listening device and informs the user if their environment is acceptable for testing. If the environment is deemed acceptable, the test protocol may commence. If, however, their environment is measured to have environmental noise above the standard acceptable level, they are instructed to relocate to another quite environment and repeat measurement of environmental noise. These measurements are then repeated at the end of a test phase to confirm the environmental noise is still within the acceptable range.

[0326] V. Hearing Survey

[0327] The HAAPF testing protocol may contain one or more qualitative hearing self-assessment surveys. Systems and methods related to this application may direct an individual to complete a selfdisclosed assessment of their hearing abilities through a standard survey method, which may be the Hearing Handicap Inventory Screening Questionnaire or any other qualitative system(s) and methods of technical merit. Qualitative assessments of this type have shown high sensitivity in detecting hearing impairment. The presentation of a hearing questionnaire and / or survey may include one or more questions or surveyed qualitative information, may be presented to the individual before, after, or within the HAAPF testing, and may be presented as a component of the HAAPF test software through its source code, separately from the HAAPF test software through any form of digital or analog transmission, which may include emailing the survey to the individual and receiving results by a return email, directing the individual to a website or server where the survey may exist for completion, allowing the individual to print the survey or mailing the survey to the individual and allowing them to return it by mail, faxing the survey to the individual, accepting a returned fax of their results, a picture and / or video of their results, and / or presenting the survey to the individual over the phone and accepting their results as spoken and / or a entered by key stokes. Results from the survey may be usedto dynamically change any systems and components of the HAAPF testing protocol and may be used in any meaningful way in subsequent systems and methods.

[0328] VI. Determining Auditory Threshold

[0329] As discussed above, HAAPF test systems and methods are intentionally flexible in the auditory characteristic targeted for measurement within a given testing protocol battery and between different forms the test may take, especially as it relates to the type of sound stimuli presented to the user. Generally, the test functions to identify the lowest threshold an individual responds as having heard a given stimulus, which may be broadly classified as their auditory threshold. As the test specifically targets varied forms of auditory function, the termed auditory threshold is used to indicated this minimum point at which a user responds to have heard, or in some testing methods not heard and / or no longer hears, the sound stimulus. Based on a given testing protocol and sound stimulus in use, varied technical terms may accurately describe this threshold level, which could be used in place of the termed Auditory Threshold, pending the description surrounding its use. The population of substitute terms is broad, but may generally include Hearing Threshold, Pure Tone Threshold, Absolute Threshold, Absolute Threshold of Hearing, Recognition Threshold, Differential Threshold, Hearing Sensitivity, Threshold of Hearing, and Audiometric Threshold. Use of these technical terms, however, are largely paired with a defined standard by which the minimum threshold point is determined, such as a Pure Tone Threshold being the lowest sound audible at least 50% of the time, and are specific to a singular testing modality administered at one time. As the HAAPF test deviates from these standards in the methods employed to measure an individual's auditory threshold, and may employ multiple testing modalities with multiple forms of sound stimuli in a single testing protocol, which includes Modified Sound Source Stimuli Sets previously nonexistent, the broader encompassing auditory threshold terminology is appropriate.

[0330] As with the termed auditory threshold, the termed Psychoacoustic Function is used as a similar broadly encompassing term. Its use as applied to the disclosure shall be viewed as a general term that describes a measurement associated with any characteristic of psychoacoustics, critical bands, critical hearing bands, bandwidth, and / or any other technical term commonly used in the otology arts. It is recognized herein that the use of the term "psychoacoustic function" may be replaced with any number of technical terms in certain scenarios and its usage does not exclude the applicability of these technical terms to the disclosure, the HAAPF test, and any permutations thereof.

[0331] In an aspect, determination of a complete testing cycle for a given stimulus is defined by two valid affirmative heard responses from the user, with certain control features to prevent two consecutive positive responses counting in situations described in prior, e.g., initial presentation stimuli sound level setting is too high. In most situations the two heard responses will be within l-3dB of eachother and the average is taken as the final results. In the event the two responses vary by 5dB or greater, the lower of the two responses may be accepted as the individual's auditory threshold. Other adaptative and static methods with the ability to tests sound increments smaller than 5dB may be implemented within the protocol.

[0332] VII. Using Other Sounds / Testing Measures - Masking

[0333] In an aspect, a simple modification is made to the HAAPF testing protocol, such that the bandwidth of a critical band of a user is tested in the place of an auditory threshold test within the critical band. This modification may be applied to a one or more critical band of one or more psychoacoustic models. Specifically, in a process referred to as masking, the Intended Sound Source Stimulus of the HAAPF test corresponding to the critical band destined for bandwidth testing is replaced with notched noise and a sinusoidal signal in combination, which are varied in width and asymmetry and frequency, respectively. Such a method is well described in the art, introduced by Patterson originally. Further modification is made to the HAAPF testing protocol to properly administer the variable Intended Sound Source Stimulus and to apply Bayesian active learning in the source code, which is a method shown to vastly reduce testing time required to estimate or measure the bandwidth and / or critical hearing band filter shape of the user.

[0334] While the above description of the HAAPF testing system and methods have focused heavily on its use with generally pure tone stimuli and testing the auditory threshold characteristic of a user's auditory system as described above, the HAAPF test is intentionally flexible well beyond the quantity and resolution of tested frequencies. It is recognized herein that the utility created by the fundamental aspects of the HAAPF testing protocol, namely calibration of testing equipment that is consumer-grade, calibration of the testing protocol to the same equipment and unique features of the user, systems and methods to inspect aspects of conventional medical and audiometric features of an individual's hearing ability paired with the same intent applied to characteristics of multiple psychoacoustic models, greater sensitivity in results, and a high resolution testing philosophy that covers the full audible spectrum are transferable to many auditory system testing paradigms. Broadly, transferring the utility of the HAAPF test involves modification of the Intended Sound Source Stimulus to meet the needs of measuring or testing an alternative or additional characteristic of a user's auditory system and / or hearing.

[0335] VIII. Alternative HAAPF Test Frequency and Band Embodiments

[0336] Referring to FIG. 15, in another embodiment 11200, the HAAPF testing protocol includes tested frequencies of the traditional required and optional sample points of the audiogram 10101, 11204 and the required and optional sample points of the EHF audiogram 10102, 11205, which include the Hearing Ability aspect 11201. In embodiments, three or more critical hearing bands from one or more samplepoints of a characteristic or characteristics of a critical hearing band as defined by the Bark Scale 10200, 11206, and one or more sample points of a characteristic or characteristics of a critical hearing band as defined by the ERB Scale 10300, 11207, which include the Psychoacoustic Function aspect 11202 and one or more qualitative hearing self-assessment surveys.

[0337] In yet another embodiment 11300 shown in FIG. 16, the HAAPF testing protocol includes tested frequencies of the traditional required and optional sample points of the audiogram and the required and optional sample points of the EHF audiogram, which include the Hearing Ability aspect 11301. One sample point of a characteristic of a critical hearing band as defined by the Bark Scale and one sample point of a characteristic of a critical hearing band as defined by the ERB Scale 10300, 11307, which include the Psychoacoustic Function aspect 11302. With an option to include one sample point of a characteristic of a critical hearing band as defined by a third psychoacoustic model, which may be the l / 3rd Octave Scalell308, and / or one or more highly optional frequencies from the EHF audiogramll309, which include the Expanded aspect of the HAAPF test 11303 and one or more qualitative hearing self-assessment surveys.

[0338] In still another embodiment 11400 shown in FIG. 17, the HAAPF testing protocol includes tested frequencies of the traditional required and optional sample points of the audiogram 10101, 11404 and the required and optional sample points of the EHF audiogram 10102, 11405, which include the Hearing Ability aspect 11401. And, one or more critical hearing bands from one or more sample points of a characteristic or characteristics of a critical hearing band as defined by the Bark Scale 10200, 11406, and one or more sample points of a characteristic or characteristics of a critical hearing band as defined by the ERB Scale 10300, 11407, which include the Psychoacoustic Function aspect 11402. With optionality to include one sample point of a characteristic of a critical hearing band as defined by a third psychoacoustic model, which may be the l / 3rd Octave Scale 90030, 11408, and / or one or more highly optional frequencies from the EHF audiogram 10104, 11409, which include the Expanded aspect of the HAAPF test 11403. And, one or more qualitative hearing self-assessment surveys 11500.

[0339] IX. Option of Leaving out a Frequency

[0340] In yet another embodiment, one or more tested frequencies of the Hearing Ability aspect of the HAAPF test, as defined by the optional and required frequencies of the traditional audiogram and EHF audiogram, are omitted from the testing protocol. Omitted frequencies may be related to the performance characteristics of the user's Calibrated Listening Device, such as the use of Etymotic earphones, which have a limited frequency range ending at or before 18kHz. As a result, the HAAPF test may be designed to exclude 18kHz and 20kHz from the Hearing Ability aspect. It is recognized herein that there are many justifiable reasons one or more tested frequencies may be omitted from theHearing Ability aspect of the HAAPF test and that doing so does not alter the HAAPF test's ability to obtain its intended outcomes or maintain its spirit and scope. In other words, as an example, a testing battery including 15 of the 16 traditional frequencies of the Hearing Ability aspect is still consistent with, and meeting the definition of, the HAAPF test's Hearing Ability aspect(s).

[0341] X. HAAPF Testing and ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli Set

[0342] Hearing Ability and / or Psychoacoustic Function testing and / or any testing of any aspect of an individual's auditory system may use an ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli set or single Stimulus when paired with a known calibrated ANC enable device, and / or a Generic ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli Set or Stimulus when paired with any ANC enabled device, calibrated and known or uncalibrated and / or unknown, or in any combination of ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli and Generic ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli set. Any approach or combined approach creates a set of testing sound sources that may be any number of signals equal to or greater than one. As applied to the HAAPF test, the testing setup may be altered to substitute ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli of any form in place of their corresponding Intended Sound Source Stimulus for use with a listening device that has ANC processing active, which may be a calibrated device or an unknown device.

[0343] The testing setup and environment of the HAAPF test when using ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli Sets may be further altered to include the presentation of known environmental noise into the individual's testing environment, which may be gaussian white noise that matches the noise signal used in the process of deriving the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli set or Stimulus. To accomplish this, the HAAPF test source code may playback a digital sound file of the applicable noise or play a real-time digitally synthesized noise signal that is output from the user's electronic processing device's embedded speakers. Alternatively, the HAAPF test source code may instruct the individual to use a secondary listening system placed within their testing environment to playback the applicable noise signal during their testing battery. The secondary listening system may be any artifact with the ability to produce sound, such as a secondary electronic processing device with embedded or attached, wirelessly or wired, speaker(s), a vehicle's sound system, a home theater's sound system, a wireless speaker(s), a TV, a Radio, or any device that may emit the noise signal into a listening environment. Access to the applicable noise signal may be granted through, for example, a download link of the digital sound file, playback of the digital sound file stored on any device capable of holding digital data (e.g., CD, DVD, Blu- ray, or the like), streaming of the digital sound file from a location such as a website, a server, an audio streaming service, an audio visual streaming service, an AM or FM radio broadcast, or others.

[0344] HAAPF test source code may present instructions to the individual, which may be delivered by text, audio, video, and / or analog mediums, that explain the desired sound pressure level the noise signalshould be played at and may assist the individual in achieving this setting by dynamically monitoring the signal and providing updated instructions based on the measured noise level. A sound level meter, which may be the same sound level meter used to measure ambient noise, may be used to measure the volume of noise introduced into the testing environment and compare it against a predefined acceptable range. The target noise sound level may be set based on known ANC capabilities of a calibrated listening device or may be based on general assumptions about the efficacy of ANC in general, such that noise is introduced to the environment at a level within the ANC's known cancelation effects. These systems and methods altering the testing setup and / or environment when functioning with ANC may create a testing environment largely representative of the conditions used to derive the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli set or Stimulus, furthering the efficacy of their use. They may also serve to at least partially mask other environmental noise in the testing environment, which may be especially useful in environments that would otherwise be deemed too noisy to proceed with calibrated testing.

[0345] In still further aspects, more complex modifications are made to the HAAPF testing protocol to employ the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Sets and / or the Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus sets. The aspects, systems, and methods of deriving the categories of modified stimuli were described in detail above and their application through modifications to the flexible HAAPF testing protocol permit the administration of calibrated testing on consumer-grade equipment that is known to impart its own DSP processing artifacts on reproduced audio that would break calibration if not corrected accordingly. Aspects of the HAAPF test using either category of Modified Sound Source Stimulus and Stimuli Sets may use a modified stimulus or DSP processing architecture from any of the corresponding systems and methods described in calibration related discussion above.

[0346] Returning to FIG. 11, which shows an embodiment of the HAAPF testing protocol modified for use with an ANC Modified Stimulus and Stimuli Sets, unlike other embodiments described above, 125000 deviates in step 125103 in which an ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus 125100 is loaded by the HAAPF test source code for application to a designed HAAPF testing battery. In other words, the HAAPF test does not load or use the Intended Sound Source Stimulus required for the auditory system test of interest, but instead uses an ANC Modified Stimulus that, through the calibration aspects executed in its origin, is known to present the user's auditory system with the Intended Sound Source Stimulus once processed through the Calibrated Listening Device's ANC DSP.

[0347] In such an embodiment, a user 125001 mounts their Calibrated Listening Device and the HAAPF test executes related aspects to identify their Calibrated Testing System 125005 and loads into memory the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli Set or ANC DSP Architecture(s) and Parameters matching the determined tested frequencies and resolution. The ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli Set loaded mayalso correlate directly with the Calibrated Listening Device and / or Testing System in use or may be a Generalized ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli Set. Setup aspects are executed by the HAAPF test to establish a Calibrated Testing Battery and Ambient Noise Testing may be completed 125104 before the user starts testing. Upon commencing the HAAPF test battery, ANC Modified Sound Stimuli are presented to the user as described above as related to the first and second testing phase. The user completes the first testing phase of the given battery 125200 through the same or similar repeated loop processes 125201, which may include short intra-test breaks 125203 and Dynamic Predictive Gain Analysis 125204. Upon completion of the 125200, the user may be presented with a prolonged break 125202 before repeating the process for their second test phase 125300. Again, the second test phase is administered in a repetitive testing loop 125301 that may include short intra-test breaks 125303 and Dynamic Predictive Gain Analysis 125304. If third and subsequent testing phases are required by the given protocol, the user may go through another prolonged break 125302 after completing the second test phase. If only two test phases are required by the protocol, the user has completed testing after the second phase 125400 and the HAAPF test concludes the test, persists testing data and auditory threshold results to a file store on the user's electronic processing device and / or pushes the same to a database 125500, 125006, and 125007. After which, the user proceeds to view their results in a step 125600.

[0348] In other words, as shown in FIG. 11, a user may modify their testing environment to include an external sound producing device, which has sufficient functionality to introduce mild volume noise into their tested frequencies, which may be Gaussian white noise or any other type of noise signal. Traditionally, auditory system testing methods that employ a sound source stimulus are either intended or required to be administered in a highly control sound environment that is as close to silent as technically feasible, leading audiometric and medical testing to be completed in a soundproof booth. Contrary to this philosophy, aspects are introduced to the HAAPF testing protocol to intentionally raise the environmental noise of the user's testing environment through the introduction of a predefined noise signal, such that the ambient noise may be greater than if no noise signal was introduced and is certainly higher than the maximum permissible ambient noise level for audiometric test rooms. The specified noise signal to be introduced to the testing environment 126300 is directly correlated with the noise signal used to calibrate the ANC Calibrated Listening Device and / or ANC DSP Model through simulation described in prior aspects, which ultimately generated the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli Set 126600. By matching the noise signal present in the testing and calibration environments, the ANC processing effects of the user's listening device may act for effectively on the Modified Stimulus, resulting in a closer output sound signal to the Intended Sound Source Stimulus.

[0349] In yet another embodiment, ambient noise conditions are also measured in real-time throughout the testing protocol of each phase. The real-time measurement of environment noise watches for any spikes in noise, which may be heard by the user and result in a false positive heard response, such that the active test cycle in which the spike is registered may be repeated and results from the presentation cycle with the measured noise spike are discarded.

[0350] To effectuate such an outcome, a user may be provided instructions by the HAAPF test on many options available to acquire the prescribed Environmental Noise Signal for playback in their testing environment, as shown in FIG. 19. FIG. 19 shows an exemplary aspect of the HAAPF test with ANC Testing Modifications, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0351] As an example, such an option may include instructions and supporting systems and methods for the user to access a digital representation of the noise signal by download, streaming, internet radio, or similar or in an alternative format, such as over AM or FM radio 126100. Through the HAAPF test the user may receive additional instruction to assist them in downloading, loading, streaming, and / or tuning into a live broadcast of the Environmental Noise Signal through use of a secondary Computing and / or Transmission Components. These may include varied forms of tablets, smartphones, desktop or laptop computers, TVs, and Radio Tuners 126101. Pending the method by which a user acquires the prescribed noise signal, they are presented with recommendations on how to playback the signal in their testing environment by the HAAPF test. These may include playing the signal through the speaker(s) 126201 in their TV, tablet, smartphone, desktop or laptop computer, radio tuner, smart speaker, home theater components, vehicle sound system, and / or stereo sound system, to only name a few options, 126200. Once the Environmental Noise Signal is propagating through the testing environment, the user mounts their Calibrated ANC Listening Device, enables and activates the device's ANC DSP processing, and proceeds to interact with the HAAPF test source code through an appropriate user interface 126400. The HAAPF test calls its ambient noise testing aspect 126501 to measure the level of environmental noise, which includes the Environmental Noise Signal 126300, and may instruct the user to raise or lower the volume of the prescribed noise signal.

[0352] For instance, the HAAPF test may assess the Environmental Noise Signal 126300 through 126501 to ensure that the measured sound pressure level is close to, but below, the ANC capabilities of the user's Calibrated ANC Listening Device. This ensures that the ANC DSP processing of the device is able to effectively cancel out the Environmental Noise Signal from the testing environment and while acting upon the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimulus. As an example, if the user's ANC listening device was measured during calibration systems and methods to reduce ambient noise by 35 dB, the HAAPF test may assist the user to set the volume of the Environmental Noise Signal to 32dB, which can reasonablybe assumed to be within the noise cancelation effects of the device. Such conditions may be within the capabilities of the device and structured to more closely emulate the conditions in which the device was calibrated and the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli Set was derived, which will lead to superior results. Further, introducing controlled noise into the environment also serves to mask already present ambient noise in the testing environment, which enables the HAAPF test to function in testing environments that would otherwise be deemed too noisy for testing.

[0353] Following successful setup of the testing environment and confirmation of such by the HAAPF test source code, the user may proceed to commence their testing battery 126700 through 127100, 126006, and 126007. The testing battery is delivered with use of the ANC Modified Sound Source Stimuli set and when the battery, including all test phases, is complete, the user proceeds to receive their testing results.

[0354] XI. HAAPF Testing with Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimuli Set

[0355] In a similar, yet different aspect of the technology, HAAPF testing and / or any testing of any aspect of an individual's auditory system may use the Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimuli Set or single Stimulus discussed above when the calibrated electronic processing device and calibrated listening device used to take the battery are paired for wireless sound transmission through the corresponding wireless protocol's codec.

[0356] As applied to the HAAPF test, the testing setup may be altered to substitute Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimuli of any form in place of their corresponding Intended Sound Source Stimulus for use with a listening device that receives its sound signal over the correspond wireless protocol and codec. In some applications, a Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus may be synthesized in realtime on the user's electronic processing device and / or may be obtained by inserting a digital filter system into the HAAPF test signal chain, which intakes the Intended Sound Source Stimulus and transforms it into the output Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus. Broadly, a Wireless Modified Sound Source Stimulus is transformed into the Intended Sound Source Stimulus when it is processed through the various processing stages and codec(s) that include a given wireless sound transmission protocol, such as Bluetooth, AIRPLAY® wireless transmission protocol (hereinafter, "AirPlay"), CHROMECAST® software (hereinafter, "Chromecast"), and others.

[0357] XII. Forced Breaks and Test Phases

[0358] In a mechanism to further enhance the validity of the HAAPF test, a multiphase testing protocol is employed with two or more test phases including a single full HAAPF test battery. Further, each phase is separated by a forced break. The prolonged break existing between testing phases is recognized to be different from the many short intra-phase test breaks employed to assist users maintaining a highdegree of concentration. Generally, a prolonged break between phases of the testing protocol requires a user to dismount their calibrated listening device, take time away from the HAAPF testing application of various durations and engage in actions that help their hearing to normalize to another environment. After completing the prolonged break and action(s), which may involve returning to the HAAPF test the next day or returning to the HAAPF test in a new physical location, the user remounts their calibrated listening device and proceeds to complete the next testing phase in their battery. This process may be repeated until all test phases are complete, resulting in the completion of a single HAAPF test battery.

[0359] A multiphase testing paradigm enables test-retest-like validity testing within a single test battery and without presenting individual the same stimulus twice. It is unique and different from standard test-retest systems and methods, which deliver the same testing protocol containing the same testing stimuli (frequencies) to the individual during two different testing sessions and / or sittings. In the multiphase testing paradigm of the HAAPF test, which may be as few as two test phases or any number of test phases that together form the full HAAPF test battery, each testing phase contains different tested frequencies and the full HAAPF test battery is complete once all phases, and thus all tested frequencies, are tested and completed.

[0360] Acknowledging the high level of concentration required to complete the HAAPF test, a testing phase may be broken by strategically placed short-term breaks (e.g., 122500 in FIG. 9) that permit a user to recover concentration before proceeding, which may last only a few seconds or as long as the user permits the break to persist. The number and cadence of short-term breaks may be governed by, for example, elapsed testing duration, the number of test stimuli presented, evidence of false-positive results or increasing response time by the user, or failure to respond to a catch presentation. Contrary to existing examples of self-administered hearing tests, which generally are taken on uncalibrated equipment, the described embodiments enable superior outcomes by providing a testing protocol that may be completed as quickly and generates valid results. While several aspects of the HAAPF test systems and methods greatly condense testing time compared to traditional methods, the technology's spirit and assumptions require actions known to increase validity at the cost of testing time to be considered, if not wholly included. The addition of testing breaks is an aspect meeting this need.

[0361] In another aspect of the HAAPF test systems and methods, forced breaks may be employed in two general implementations. The first may be a forced break of small duration, which the user may bypass when ready to continue testing and may appear after a certain period of testing time or a certain number of testing cycles. Such a method serves to assist the user's concentration, as it is difficult for individuals to intently concentrate, as required for the HAAPF test, over long periods. The specific break implemented may vary in frequency, duration, and override ability, for example. The second is a forcedprolonged break between testing phases, which implies that the HAAPF testing battery is intentionally broken into two or more test phases. This approach is in contrast from traditional auditory testing methods, which generally deliver the same testing protocol to the individual during two different testing sessions and / or sittings.

[0362] In an embodiment, determination of tested frequencies and their spacing for assessment of an individual's Hearing Ability included 16 frequencies from the mandatory and optional frequencies of the standard audiogram and EHF audiogram. The user has already completed the first test phase and enters the post test phase break period (e.g., 122800 of FIG. 9 and 123100 of FIG. 10). The HAAPF test presents a graphic description of the options the user may enact to complete their prolonged break period. From these three options the user decides and selects to end testing for the day and restart testing the following day. The user dismounts their Calibrated Listening Device, closes out of the HAAPF test application on their Calibrates Electronic Processing Device, and goes about the remainder of their day as they deem appropriate. The following morning the user returns to the same physical location occupied when testing the day prior, remounts the same Calibrated Listening Device and launches the HAAPF test application on the same Calibrated Electronic Processing Device.

[0363] For example, as shown in FIG. 10 described above, the HAAPF test source code navigates the user through some aspects of Establishing a Calibrated Testing System, which may include ambient noise testing of their environment 123301 and confirming through query their output volume system settings are the same as the day prior. HAAPF test source code retrieves testing data and results from a persistent storage location such as a location on the user's Electronic Processing Device, a database, the cloud, or other 123006, 123007, 123008. Acquired data is moved into memory on the user's Electronic Processing Device by the HAAPF test, which subsequently parses the data to determine that the user has completed testing phase 1, but not testing phase 2. Further coded analysis identifies testing phase 2 as the Psychoacoustic Function test battery to include critical hearing bands in the Bark Scale and ERB Scale within the referenced audible frequency range, such as 43 tested frequencies in each ear. The HAAPF testing protocol identifies the assigned testing modality to be measurement of auditory thresholds in the presence of a pure tone sound stimulus, which contains pulsation.

[0364] HAAPF test source code identifies and loads into memory the DSP architectures and parameters required to synthesize the 43 tested frequencies including the second test phase 123300, which represent critical hearing bands of the Bark and ERB scales. The user interacts with the graphic user interface of the HAAPF test code to trigger the start of the second test phase. From memory the HAAPF test instantiates an instance of the DSP architecture with the parameters required for the first Intended Sound Source Stimulus of test phase 2, synthesizes the tone and routes its audio signal to the user'sCalibrated Listening Device 123005 at the requisite gain setting determined in 123400. The user does not respond to the presentation of the stimulus, which triggers a +2dB adaptive reversal and the stimulus is represented. The adaptive reversal process and repeated stimulus presentation 122600 through 123604 until two valid Heard Responses are resisted by the HAAPF test. The user's measured auditory threshold is computed by the HAAPF test as the average of the sound pressure levels corresponding to the gain settings in action for the two Heard stimuli presentations. Dynamic Predictive Gain Analysis 123606 is executed within the HAAPF test source code before it proceeds forward to present the second synthesized stimulus to the user and the prior testing cycle is repeated. This testing cycle loop is repeated iteratively for approximately 3 minutes, after which the HAAPF test calls 123605 and the user completes a short intra-test break period. All remaining stimuli from the 43 designated tested frequencies are presented to the user and tested in this fashion, including execution of short break periods, until all Intended Sound Source Stimuli have been tested in both ears with valid auditory threshold measurements are registered by the HAAPF test, such as 86 auditory thresholds in this case. Step 123607 is executed to indicate the completion of the second test phase 123700 and the HAAPF test code calls 123901 to bring the full testing battery to completion 124001. Concurrently, background threads write test data and computed auditory thresholds to a file store on the user's Electronic Processing Device and pushed the same to a database 123800, 123006 and 123008. Recording successful persistence of testing data and auditory threshold results, the HAAPF test concludes the testing aspects.

[0365] Test Phase 2 Embodiment Example

[0366] In an embodiment, determination of tested frequencies and their spacing for assessment of an individual's Hearing Ability included 16 frequencies from the mandatory and optional frequencies of the standard audiogram and EHF audiogram. The user has already completed the first test phase and enters the post test phase break period (e.g., 122800 of FIG. 9 and 123100 of FIG. 10). The HAAPF test presents a graphic description of the options the user may enact to complete their prolonged break period. From these three options the user decides and selects to end testing for the day and restart testing the following day. The user dismounts their Calibrated Listening Device, closes out of the HAAPF test application on their Calibrates Electronic Processing Device, and goes about the remainder of their day as they deem appropriate. The following morning the user returns to the same physical location occupied when testing the day prior, remounts the same Calibrated Listening Device and launches the HAAPF test application on the same Calibrated Electronic Processing Device.

[0367] Again referring to FIG. 10, the HAAPF test source code navigates the user through some aspects of Establishing a Calibrated Testing System, which may include ambient noise testing of theirenvironment 123301 and confirming through query their output volume system settings are the same as the day prior. HAAPF test source code retrieves testing data and results from a persistent storage location such as a location on the user's Electronic Processing Device, a database, the cloud, or other 123006, 123007, 123008. Acquired data is moved into memory on the user's Electronic Processing Device by the HAAPF test, which subsequently parses the data to determine that the user has completed testing phase 1, but not testing phase 2. Further coded analysis identifies testing phase 2 as the Psychoacoustic Function test battery to include critical hearing bands in the Bark Scale and ERB Scale within the referenced audible frequency range, i.e., 43 tested frequencies in each ear. The HAAPF testing protocol identifies the assigned testing modality to be measurement of auditory thresholds in the presence of a pure tone sound stimulus, which contains pulsation.

[0368] HAAPF test source code identifies and loads into memory the DSP architectures and parameters required to synthesize the 43 tested frequencies including the second test phase 123300, which represent critical hearing bands of the Bark and ERB scales. The user interacts with the graphic user interface of the HAAPF test code to trigger the start of the second test phase. From memory the HAAPF test instantiates an instance of the DSP architecture with the parameters required for the first Intended Sound Source Stimulus of test phase 2, synthesizes the tone and routes its audio signal to the user's Calibrated Listening Device 123005 at the requisite gain setting determined in 123400. The user does not respond to the presentation of the stimulus, which triggers a +2dB adaptive reversal and the stimulus is represented. The adaptive reversal process and repeated stimulus presentation 122600 through 123604 until two valid Heard Responses are resisted by the HAAPF test. The user's measured auditory threshold is computed by the HAAPF test as the average of the sound pressure levels corresponding to the gain settings in action for the two Heard stimuli presentations. Dynamic Predictive Gain Analysis 123606 is executed within the HAAPF test source code before it proceeds forward to present the second synthesized stimulus to the user and the prior testing cycle is repeated. This testing cycle loop is repeated iteratively for approximately 3 minutes, after which the HAAPF test calls 123605 and the user completes a short intra-test break period. All remaining stimuli from the 43 designated tested frequencies are presented to the user and tested in this fashion, including execution of short break periods, until all Intended Sound Source Stimuli have been tested in both ears with valid auditory threshold measurements are registered by the HAAPF test, i.e., 86 auditory thresholds in this case. Step 123607 is executed to indicate the completion of the second test phase 123700 and the HAAPF test code calls 123901 to bring the full testing battery to completion 124001. Concurrently, background threads write test data and computed auditory thresholds to a file store on the user's Electronic Processing Device and pushed the same to a database 123800, 123006 and 123008. Recordingsuccessful persistence of testing data and auditory threshold results, the HAAPF test concludes the testing aspects and proceeds to a forced session break 123900.

[0369] Transforming Uncalibrated Testing Results into Calibrated Results

[0370] In another aspect, testing data from an uncalibrated test may be transformed into calibrated test results and tested for validity with post hoc calibration of the disclosed Uncalibrated Testing System, Uncalibrated Electronic Processing Device, and / or Uncalibrated Listening Device and / or System.

[0371] As discussed above, an individual's testing on an uncalibrated and or unknown testing system may be initially provided with a relative set of test results that may have unknown validity. Their reported testing system may be processed through the systems and methods of device and / or system calibration testing to identify the individual devices' and / or system's performance characteristics, such that these values may be applied to the individual's test results post hoc and arrive at a now calibrated test result data set. The post hoc calibrated results data set may be processed for subsequent systems and methods and replace the individual's initial relative test results, both internally to the disclosure and externally through the communication of test results to the individual. Post hoc calibration systems and methods may be used through any subsequent systems and methods of the disclosure that accept uncalibrated or partially calibrated test results to improve the validity of the data set and ultimately improve the outputs and outcomes of the disclosure.

[0372] Knowing the Uncalibrated Testing System components from the user's self-report of this equipment, permits the application of any one or more equipment calibration aspects, as described above, on the uncalibrated components after the user completes the HAAPF test. Following the completion of any meaningful application of calibration aspects, the performance characteristics of the Uncalibrated Testing System components are now known with certainty so as to yield Calibrated Equipment. The detailed test results for the user may be retrieved from a persistent storage database or similar component and processed through the HAAPF test source code's logic and computations. In other words, the HAAPF test may be virtually run with, or its calibration computations applied to, the user's testing data, which permits derivation of calibrated results post hoc from an uncalibrated test. The resulting calibrated test results may be packaged, stored, and transmitted.

[0373] HAAPF Test Electronic Processing Device

[0374] An individual generally completes the HAAPF test, regardless of what permutation the HAAPF testing protocol may take for a given testing battery, with the assistance of an electronic processing devices, which may be their own device, a borrowed device, and / or a rented device. This device may take the form of a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, a stationary computer, a single board computer, and / or any device with the necessary components to execute the source code and capture responsesfrom the individual. The binary code governing the HAAPF testing protocol, which may include audio data files, may be loaded on the individual's electronic processing device, which executes the source code to deliver the testing protocol battery. Such a device may also include earphones or headphones exclusively, many of which presently meet the processing capabilities of some single board computer variants. Any electronic processing device(s) and / or system(s) of any combination of components, existing in any combination of singular or multiple locations, physical or virtual, and with any combination of supportive software packages and / or binary code, and in combination thereof may be used to present the HAAPF testing protocol to the user. Further, through execution of its source and / or binary code the HAAPF test may monitor and record user responses, execute dynamic business logic within the protocol, store and / or transmit user data and / or testing results, accept free form user data entries or selection of data from a prepopulated list, present the use with instructions on taking the testing and training of the same, return and / or present results to the user, retrieve and push data of a database, for example.

[0375] Broadly, the electronic processing device(s) and system(s) include a power source; an operating system; a Mother Board, such as a Baseboard, Mainboard, or similar, or a Logic Board, such as a Main Logic Board; a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a dedicated core(s) or dedicated threads of the same; a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) that may be integrated or separate from the CPU; a memory to store of information for immediate use (e.g., primary storage and / or main memory, which may exist as static or dynamic or non-volatile Random-access Memory (RAM), cache memory, virtual memory, or the like; persistent storage device(s) or dedicated partitions of persistent storage of many forms that may include spinning-disk hard drives, solid state hard drives, flash memory storage drives, hybrid storage systems, RAID storage systems, or similar; an input and / or output interface that may be physical or virtual in nature; a user control interface of any form; executable code existing in any location for any use, which may be to control the electronic processing device, control the HAAPF testing protocol and / or software, control routing of data in to, within, or out of the device, the execution of coded commands, or other computing code characteristic. The device may exist as an analog computing device, a digital computing device, a hybrid computing device, a quantum computing device, or other. The presented description of the electronic processing device(s) is only descriptive in nature and meant to very broadly describe what such a device may be, but is in no way an exhaustive description and any device that is consistent with this description, or more generally, has the ability to complete computations, which includes the human brain(s), are included.

[0376] Often a Graphical User Interface (GUI) may also be present to permit the individual to interface with the HAAPF testing protocol and / or binary code, but any other interface may be used that permitsthe individual to receive communication from the HAAPF test source code and respond in some way, which may include a keyboard and a computer monitor, a haptic button(s) on earphones and / or headphones and / or other device, speech and / or natural language processing, and / or any other form or combination of user interface. The User Interface (Ul) common to the HAAPF test may include a visual presentation to the individual of salient characteristics of the source code, which may include a button, physical or virtual, for the individual to trigger when they hear a sound source stimulus; a physical or virtual keyboard, including any form of natural language processing speech to text functionality, alphanumeric fields for the individual to enter free form information that may include their name, demographic characteristics, testing system components, age, gender identity, sex, or any other relevant information; any form of prepopulated data displays that may allow the individual to select information; physical and / or virtual buttons to control functions of the HAAPF test source code that may include navigation through the software, pausing the test, restarting the test, answering hearing survey questions, and the like.

[0377] FIG. 20 shows an electronic processing device on which the HAAPF testing may be implemented, in accordance with embodiments.

[0378] In an embodiment, an electronic processing device 80000 may exist as a single physical or virtual unit of the various components and aspects, spread across multiple physical or virtual units of the various components and aspects, and / or exist in tangible or intangible form on site or in the cloud. Generally, an electronic processing device includes a universal input interface and / or gateway, which may also be or include a communication interface and / or a user interaction interface of varied form 80010; a general input mechanism that may include an Audio Digital Converter (ADC) 80011, a Generalized Input and / or Generalized User Input mechanism 80012, an audio input that may be a Microphone 80013, a flexible, open-ended input 80014, a Generalized Network Input that may include Generalized User Input and Interface mechanisms and / or Generalized Network Protocol input(s) 80015; a generalized Memory Store 80020, which may include ROM 80021 and / or RAM 80022, with additional forms of memory in the Cache 80034; a generalized Storage Object 80030, which may include varied forms of Datastore, Hard Drive (HDD), Solid State Hard Dive (SSD), Flash Memory Storage, and / or similar 80031, File Store 80032, and / or Persistent Disk 80033; varied Computing Engines, Computing Engine Chip(s), System(s) on a Chip, and / or similar 80040 that may include one or more Central Processing Units (CPU) 80041, one or more Graphics Processing Units (GPU) 80042, none or many Specialize Computing Engines that may be a Neural Engine or a DSP Specialized Processing Unit, to only name a few 80043, and none, one or many Corrective Processing Units that may be an independent circuit or a component of any combination, including only one, of the Computing Engines present 80044; acentralized Gateway that may be a System Controller, or a Mother Board, or a Logic Board, or a Data Flow mechanism, or similar 80050; a Universal Output Interface or Gateway or Individualized Output Interfaces 80060; a Network Interface that may include input and / or output functionality over wired or wireless connections 80070; a generalized Wireless Protocol output 80061; a general Networking and Content Delivery output mechanism 80063; a generalized, flexible, and open-ended output 80062; a flexible and open-ended output target 80064; a Digital Audio Converter 80080; a generalized audio router that may include audio signal amplification and / or other audio processing aspects 80081; a generalized speaker 80082; Wireless Bridge that may include varied Wireless Transmission Protocols, such as Bluetooth, Airplay, Chromecast, and similar 80083; and a generalized aspect capable of Code Execution, whether in binary or another format 80100.

[0379] FIG. 21 shows a generalized electronic processing device aspect as it may exist for use with a HAAPF test 140000, in accordance with embodiments. It is recognized herein that certain aspects of 140000 are similar to those illustrated in 80000 and that the exact composition of any implementation of an electronic processing device for use in the HAAPF testing protocol and / or supportive aspects will exist in varied forms.

[0380] In an embodiment, an electronic processing device 140000 may exist as a single physical or virtual unit of the various components and aspects, spread across multiple physical or virtual units of the various components and aspects, and / or exist in tangible or intangible form on site or in the cloud. Generally, an electronic processing device includes a universal input interface and / or gateway, which may also be or include a communication interface and / or a user interaction interface of varied form 140010; a general input mechanism that may include an Audio Digital Converter (ADC) 140011, a Generalized Input and / or Generalized User Input mechanism 140012, an audio input that may be a Microphone 140013 that may measure user speech commands 140014 from a user 140016 and / or ambient noise 140015, a flexible, open-ended input 140017, a Generalized Network Input that may include Generalized User Input and Interface mechanisms and / or Generalized Network Protocol input(s) 140070, 140012; a Wireless or Wired Internet Input 140018 that may push or fetch data from a database 140019, a generalized Memory Store 140020, which may include ROM 140021 and / or RAM 140022, with additional forms of memory in the Cache 140034; a generalized Storage Object 140030, which may include varied forms of Datastore, Hard Drive (HDD), Solid State Hard Dive (SSD), Flash Memory Storage, and / or similar 140031, File Store 140032, and / or Persistent Disk 140033; varied Computing Engines, Computing Engine Chip(s), System(s) on a Chip, and / or similar that may include one or more Central Processing Units (CPU) 140041 and one or more Graphics Processing Units (GPU) 140042; a centralized Gateway that may be a System Controller, or a Mother Board, or a Logic Board, ora Data Flow mechanism, or similar 140050; a Universal Output Interface or Gateway or Individualized Output Interfaces 140060; a Network Interface that may include input and / or output functionality over wired or wireless connections 140070; a general Networking and Content Delivery output mechanism that may push data to a database 140071; a generalized, flexible, and open-ended output 140080; a flexible and open-ended output target 140081; a Digital Audio Converter 140090; a generalized audio router that may include audio signal amplification and / or other audio processing aspects 140091; a generalized analog output to wired speaker, earphones, headphones, and / or listening system 140093; a Wireless Bridge that may include varied Wireless Transmission Protocols, such as Bluetooth, Airplay, Chromecast, and similar 140092; a generalized wireless speaker, earphones, headphones, and / or listening system 140094; and a generalized aspect capable of Code Execution, whether in binary or another format 140100. Further, aspects may be included with the ability to receive data, such as the HAAPF source code and / or calibration data from a database sent over any form of networked content delivery 140019.

[0381] APPLICATION OF HAAPF TEST PHP AND PPHP TO CORRECTIVE AUDIO PROCESSING

[0382] General Principles of Corrective Audio Processing

[0383] A fundamental premise of the present analysis is that all sonic content is valuable and effects the listening experience, and previously available technologies including lossy rendering of audio recordings result in inferior outcomes. In order to effectively improve the listening experience for any given individual, the hearing profile of the individual should be characterized with sufficient validity and granularity, as possible using the HAAPF test described above. Then, using the resulting valid test results, the principles of sound propagation, the presence of a singular sweet spot in most common diffuse field environments, and recognition of crosstalk may be combined to provide effective corrective processing in diffuse field use cases.

[0384] The establishing assumption of Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing systems and methods, as well as the overall disclosure, holds all spectral content present in the original audio production and / or master recording to be highly valuable to a listener's hearing perception and listening experience. In other words, the disclosure assumes that the complete perceptual hearing experience (i.e., to the same extent as what an individual would have heard if present for the live audio production and recording) may only happen when all spectral content present in the original master recording is presented to the listener upon playback. Lossless DSP systems and methods have this ability and can function with high-fidelity and / or high-resolution audio data streams, which may also include Bit-Perfect playback. Thus, these DSP architectures and systems have the technical requirements to provide a listener with the opportunity to hear and / or perceive the true source signal,as indented by its artistic creator(s), and as equivalent to that of the live audio production. Further, only systems and methods meeting these qualifications and based in the same spirit may afford the listener with the benefits of known perceptual response to spectral content, especially infrasonic and ultrasonic content, that falls outside the intentionally reduced frequency range of 10Hz to 20kHz (or most often narrower ranges) usually applied in prior applications of lossy DSP, codecs, and or encoding.

[0385] While the technology's lossless, high-fidelity and high resolution Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing presents systems and methods to resolve these failures and produce and improved outcome, its ability to achieve this aim is dependent on large improvements in the hearing ability and psychoacoustic function data accepted and used in an individual's Proper Hearing Profile. Acquisition of such information is enabled by the HAAPF testing protocols described herein that function through the application of a set of systems and methods to calibrate consumer grade equipment for use in testing, such that test results may be determined as valid or invalid.

[0386] In addition, a distinctive principle of the present disclosure assumes the presence of a singular ideal listening location in any listening environment, i.e., the "sweet spot. This principle implies it is only possible to optimize the listening experience for one individual at a time in a singular listening environment and / or system. This single ideal "sweet spot" exists in any and all listening systems and environments, regardless of the presence or absence of Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing.

[0387] This fact is true even in listening venues exclusively designed for use by many individuals, such as a concert hall or movie theater. The sweet spot in these venues is generally the physical location proximal to all audio sources and environmental boundaries (or lack thereof) with the best acoustic response, which is generally located half the distance from the left and right walls and two-thirds from the front wall (screen) in a movie theater. The sweet spot in a concert hall is predicated by the physical construction of the room and varies by room type, and is frequently located at the same single location within each type of physical room. Universally, the sweet spot in all rooms or acoustic environments is predicated by known physical properties of a room's effects on a soundwave's propagation as it travels from the sound source(s), throughout the room's Environmental Filter System, to the listener's auditory system. Factors known to influence this process include early and late reflections, perceived volume (sound pressure level), directivity (angle of incidence) to the sound source(s), and the listener's head transfer function, to only name a few. While it is possible to increase the size of the sweet spot at the listening location through architectural acoustic principles, there is often a preferable location better than the others in an expanded sweet spot, which may only reasonably be occupied by one listener at a time.

[0388] The Proper Hearing Profile

[0389] The HAAPF test provides valid test results suitable to serve as a crucial input to the Proper Hearing Profile, Proper Hearing Profile Function, and Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing.

[0390] As stated above, a Proper Hearing Profile generally refers to an individual's personalized hearing profile over a range of frequencies (e.g., 100Hz - 20kHz) as assessed using a calibrated HAAPF Test. That is, the PHP includes valid test results from the HAAPF test describing that particular individual's hearing ability and psychoacoustic function through empirical means, without forecasting estimations. More broadly, a Proper Hearing Profile at least includes: 1) valid Hearing Ability test results that include the full audible spectrum, which may be obtained through the inclusion of a majority of mandatory test frequencies of the traditional audiogram and EHF audiogram, and may be auditory threshold measurements and / or alternate valid auditory system test; 2) valid Psychoacoustic Function test results that include one or more critical hearing bands, as defined by at least one known or yet to be discovered psychoacoustic model, which may be auditory threshold measurements within the band, but may also be, or include, alternate valid psychoacoustic and / or critical hearing band test measurements (e.g., one or more psychoacoustic function frequencies / data points, such as within the 250 Hz - 16 kHz range);3) test results that are valid, generated through calibrated testing methods, and may be reproducible by a skilled otology professional; 4) a precise definition of its composition in any disclosure of a technology that uses it in any system, method, aspect, embodiment, or similar. These four (4) components form the minimum essential standard by which a PHP may be formed and defined. A PHP may include additional data that meet the prerequisite standards from any auditory system test, such that it is possible to create richer PHPs above and beyond the minimum essential standards, but an inferior PHP may never be created with less than the minimum essential standards.

[0391] Further, in certain embodiment, a Proper Hearing Profile does not include invalid data such as, for example: 1) invalid test results; 2) test results from an uncalibrated auditory system test(s); 3) data that is not wholly unique to the individual; 4) data derived from modeling, forecasting, estimation, or similar methods applied to uncalibrated or invalid auditory system test data; 5) derivative data in which the tested auditory system characteristic intended for use in the PHP is of a different classification or unit from the native testing measurement; or 6) interpolated data and / or other internally modeled data, which is based on uncalibrated or invalid data.

[0392] It is noted that a PHP is a snapshot at a particular time of a person's hearing ability, and time sensitive in its ability to function as an accurate representation of any characteristic of an individual's auditory system function. As hearing ability and psychoacoustic function is not static, but progressivelychanges over time, the speed with which an individual's PHP reaches its end of life is inversely related to a user's age. In other words, the life span of a user's PHP may be 3 years when they are 40 years old, but only 1 year when they are 75 years old. In practice, this means subsequent systems and methods operating with an individual's PHP as an input are only accurate for a finite duration of time, after which an updated PHP is needed if accurate outcomes are to be achieved.

[0393] In an aspect, an individual's PHP may exist in any form of persistent or transitory data storage, including those systems and methods that operate in the digital realm, the analog space, or any other categorical location. The PHP may exist as one or more binary bits, as any data representation and / or languages that accept binary digit(s) as an input, and as any analog representation of information, which includes any means to physically represent data and any analog representations derived from, or informed by, a binary bit or bits of digital data. The PHPF may also exist in any or all of these representations and may further contain real, complex or imaginary numbers, arbitrary values and / or variables.

[0394] In an embodiment, an individual's PHP is identified by their HAAPF test result data when viewed and used in an empirical form. Any embodiment of the HAAPF test meets the minimum essential standards of the PHP and all but one exceeds these standards. Thus, the individual's PHP resulting from their HAAPF testing battery provides a data rich profile of the user's auditory system for use in subsequent aspects, embodiments, systems, and methods. The individual's PHP data persists, at a minimum, on a database in the storage formats accepted by subsequent systems and methods, which may call for (i.e., fetch) an individual's PHP at will through any means of digital data transmission.

[0395] In an embodiment, an individual brings their own valid hearing ability data to the technology, which ingests and parses the user provided data into an appropriate format. As an example, a user notifies the HAAPF test source code prior to testing that they have recently completed a valid audiogram and provides an image of their plotted results. Systems and methods modify the HAAPF testing battery so that the individual does not repeat testing of the required audiogram tested frequencies when taking their HAAPF test. The data including these frequencies is extracted from the provided image file through varied methods of image processing and transformed into the same format as data produced by the HAPPF. The extracted data is combined with the user's HAAPF test results, which forms a full data set of equal resolution to what would have been produced in alternate HAAPF testing protocols. These general processes may be extended to form a PHP from multiple individual auditory system tests that were taken over a period of time and / or from different sources, assuming each test and test results meet the minimum essential standards of a PHP.

[0396] Partially Proper Hearing Profile

[0397] Further, a Partially Proper Hearing Profile (PPHP) includes valid test results from the Hearing Ability and Psychoacoustic Function test, along with some alternate test results that are valid at least through a minimum acceptable validity range, yet lacks one or more valid data points from the complete data set defining the PHP. A PPHP is also strictly unique to each individual and describes an individual's hearing ability and psychoacoustic function through empirical means.

[0398] More broadly, a Partially Proper Hearing Profile (PPHP) at least includes the same four (4) characteristics as the PHP, but may be missing one or more valid data points, but shall not be missing more than a small range or subset of valid data points. Thus a PPHP includes at least the four following characteristics, with accommodation made for the absences of one or more valid data points that shall not exceed a small range or subset of valid data points: 1) valid Hearing Ability test results that include the full audible spectrum, which may be obtained through the inclusion of all mandatory and optional test frequencies of the traditional audiogram and EHF audiogram, and may be auditory threshold measurements and / or alternate valid auditory system test; 2) valid Psychoacoustic Function test results that include one or more critical hearing bands, as defined by at least one known or yet to be discovered psychoacoustic model, which may be auditory threshold measurements within the band, but may also be, or include, alternate valid psychoacoustic and / or critical hearing band test measurements; 3) test results that are valid, generated through calibrated testing methods, and reproducible by another otology professional; 4) a precise definition of its composition in any disclosure of a technology that uses it in any system, method, aspect, embodiment, or similar.

[0399] When a PPHP is present, the technology permits some processing of the primary PPHP data set to account for regions containing invalid test result data or missing valid test result data, which are generally employed under strict confines. In other words, there are limitations by which auditory test results may be processed to form a complete PPHP and it is never possible to achieve one without a rich starting data set of valid test results in their native form. Further, it is virtually impossible to predict (i.e., forecast) a PPHP from only one or a small set of valid test results. The latter is especially true for a subset of valid test results that do not span the full audible spectrum.

[0400] In an embodiment, the valid test results forming the PPHP, which are by definition less than that forming a PHP, are accepted as the full PPHP as measured with no modifications to any data elements. The accepted PPHP is passed forward to subsequent systems and methods.

[0401] In another embodiment, invalid data point(s) and / or invalid data regions may be discarded from the data set used to construct the PPHP. The reduced data set is passed forward to subsequent systems and methods, which now contains missing data compared to a PHP, but only contains valid test result data.

[0402] In an embodiment modifying the prior embodiment, following discarding of invalid data, the reduced data set may be processed in such a manner where the retained valid data points are interpolated to fill in the discarded regions. This processing may happen within a specific model where valid data from psychoacoustic model A, which may be the Bark Scale is used in isolation to interpolate discarded and / or missing data of the same model, such as the Bark Scale.

[0403] In an aspect, any processing methods applied to a PPHP are reserved to instances in which a reasonably rich valid data set is already present, such that interpolation and / or extrapolation methods are grounded by a strong valid data set of the individual's auditory function. In examples this option need not be completed with any sparse and / or limited valid data set and / or a purely invalid data set, as is commonly done in existing processing protocols.

[0404] In a further aspect, any processing methods applied to the PPHP function are applied within the same domain and / or unit. This approach means that interpolating a missing or discarded auditory threshold at a given frequency based on valid auditory thresholds around the missing data point is permissible. However, measuring a user's psychophysical tuning curve at four frequencies in an uncalibrated test to derive estimations of the corresponding auditory thresholds and extrapolate those thresholds to even more frequencies, is not permissible and does not form any profile of hearing function holding utility in the proper sense.

[0405] It is noted that the present disclosure provides a complete Proper Hearing Profile (PHP) or a Partial Proper Hearing Profile (PPHP) using validated test result data, which is valid in its native form. That is, the system and methods presented herein does not require any additional derivation to validate the test result data and only uses test result data in its native form to derive the PPHP. Currently available methods forecast, estimate, or model a hearing profile and hearing profile function through the use of non-validated data, highly limited valid data (e.g., only using a standard audiogram), or derivation of quasi-valid data results in a different unit and / or domain from the native invalid data actually tested, all of which differs in intent, spirit and function of the embodiments presented herein.

[0406] Proper Hearing Profile Function

[0407] A Proper Hearing Profile Function (PHPF) provides an objective and quantitative expression of the PHP and / or PPHP and may include one or more mathematical formulas, constants, matrices, expressions, vectors, and combinations thereof. In the present context, PHPF differs from PHP and PPHP in that PHP and PPHP are the raw data obtained through calibrated, validated measurement systems and methods that are then used to derive PHPFs for a given individual.

[0408] The PHPF provides, at least partially, a flexible link between the rigidly defined PHP and the various input requirements used by subsequent systems and methods, such as audio output systems.For example, the PHPF described herein enable the optimization of the subsequent systems and methods based on the measured PHP and / or PPHP.

[0409] An individual's PHPF may be derived from their PHP, which exists on a database. The PHP data is pushed to, or fetched by, an electronic processing device, which may be a local server, a cloud-based server, a local computer, or any other device of technical merit. Upon receipt of the PHP the electronic processing device loads the data into a software application, which may be binary source code or any higher-level executable code, that is designed with the computational functionality required to derive PHPFs. The software processes the data according to any number of predefined or ad hoc codable instructions to derive at least one PHPF for the individual. The derived PHPFs may be retained in the software actively, such as through cache memory, for use in subsequent aspects, embodiments, systems, and methods of the technology. The PHPFs may also be exported to another software package through an interface, which may exist on the same device or another device, real or virtual, or exported and pushed back to the database or any other data routing method. All of these may be used or only a subset may be used and any step or all steps may function through automated code, a manual trigger starting an automated process, and / or a purely manual process.

[0410] In an aspect, an individual's PHPF is derived by first feeding their PHP data as an input into a matrix based mathematical and engineering software package. While the HAAPF testing protocol generates highly granular and sensitive results compared to standard testing protocols in the know prior art, even this data set is rather coarse for the intended Lossless, High-Fidelity and Lossless, High Resolution Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing aspects that follow. This is overcome by multiple computations on the full PHP data set to ultimately derive PHPFs for an individual that are in the format, domain, frequency resolution and / or scale, sample rate, and smoothness required by subsequent aspects, systems, and methods.

[0411] In one embodiment, derivation of an individual's PHPF follows a series of computational manipulations, which generally include establishing parameters, interpolating PHP results, and deriving the impulse response of the PHPF. Initially, the sample rate parameter is set to 44.1kHz and the audible spectrum frequency scale is defined in 1Hz increments from 10Hz to 20kHz. A linear spaced index vector is set with length equal to the sample rate and the frequency scale is converted to match the index vector's resolution (length). A corresponding, but separate process is completed to produce the same frequency vector defined in radians. Each variable vector is constructed for use in further computations in either radians or cycles per second (Hz). The PHP frequency response data is placed into corresponding arrays and cubic spline interpolation is applied to this data in radians from 0 to pi or in Hz. The interpolated response curve and its impulse response is derived by taking the Inverse FastFourier Transform. Finally, the psychoacoustic function test results from the PHP are broken into one or more data arrays based on the different psychoacoustic models included in the testing protocol. These data arrays are analyzed to derive a multitude of pole spacing frequency resolutions for use in subsequent optimization aspects, systems, and methods. The full composition of derived results, variables, pole spacing resolution arrays, and similar, form the derived PHPFs for the individual and are properly formatted for use in subsequent aspects, systems, and methods.

[0412] Reference Target Curves

[0413] A customized reference target curve of perfect human hearing is derived and represented in varied mathematical functions and formats. This may be accomplished through quantitative measures and artistic license applied to input data from known normal hearing abilities extending into the early high frequencies, such as that from ANSI S3.6, ISO 28961, ISO 7029, ISO 389-5, and similar, and leading scientific research on normal hearing function in the highest frequencies that has not developed sufficiently for inclusion in any scientific standard. Further, varied psychoacoustic models and a Customized Equal Loudness Contour function that extend beyond the published standard to include the full audible spectrum may serve as additional inputs. Derivation and storage of a customized reference target curve(s) may be completed through, and stored on, any electronic processing device(s) and / or system(s) of any combination of components.

[0414] A user's PHP and corresponding PHPFs may be viewed as the basis point describing features of their auditory system's function today, which also provides insight into their hearing perception and is the point from which improvement is possible by the Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing systems and methods. In other words, it is the lower bound. The upper bound is defined as the perception of perfect hearing when listening to a virtual sound image. Achieving this outcome first requires a quantitative definition of perfect hearing, which is a complicated process when acting upon the full audible frequency spectrum as done by the technology. According to published literature, perfect hearing is well defined in the low and mid frequencies, but there is less consensus regarding what is considered perfect hearing in the upper frequencies at 8kHz and above.

[0415] As a result, all reference targets representing perfect hearing include customization and artistic license, which is generally employed in the upper and highest frequencies to generate models that span the full audible spectrum. This is necessary, as many well recognized models of human hearing are only supported up to 8 to 12.5kHz, which is insufficient for the needs of the technology.

[0416] FIG. 22 shows three variations of customized reference targets of perfect hearing 150100, 150101, 150102, 150103 and supporting aspects of the systems and methods employed to derive thesereference functions 150000. A similar process is employed in 150000 as that used above regarding derivation of PHPFs, although different input data 151000 is required in this case.

[0417] In an aspect, reference target curve input data is aggregated form one or more sources 151000, which may include Customized Equal Loudness Contours 41000 partially based on the ISO 226 standard 151001, the ISO 28961 standard on the statistical distribution of hearing thresholds of otologically normal persons in the age range from 18 years to 25 years under free-field listening 151002, the ISO 7029 standard on the statistical distribution of hearing thresholds related to age and gender 151003, the ISO 389-5 standard on reference equivalent threshold sound pressure levels for pure tones in the frequency range 8 kHz to 16 kHz 151004, the ANSI S3.6 standard on specification for audiometers 151005, leading academic research on the subject 151006, and artistic license 151007. From these varied inputs a rich data set is available, which artistic license is applied to in the type and form of quantitative computations and transformations 152000 applied to the reference input data set 151000. Varied computation models and input data set assumptions are applied to generate baseline reference functions that exclude missing high frequency information not found in the reference inputs 153000. Customized algorithms 154000 are applied to 153000, such that missing information is model, forecasted, and / or derived 154001, resulting in three reference target functions of perfect human hearing 150100, 150101, 150102, and 150103.

[0418] In an embodiment, application of 152000, 154000, and 154001 involves a series of computational manipulations, which generally include establishing parameters, interpolating reference target curve input data 151000 in a manner informed by the Customized Equal Loudness Contours 41000. Initially, data aggregation is completed, which results in three categorical paradigms on the correct model of perfect hearing in the upper frequency and high frequency ranges. The three resulting data sets are overlaid by Customized Equal Loudness Contours of varied phon values, which shows strong correlation in the consensus frequencies with a 2.5 phon customized ELC phon curve. The audible spectrum frequency scale is defined in 1Hz increments from 10Hz to 20kHz. A linear spaced index vector is set with length equal to the frequency array and the frequency scale is converted to match the index vector's resolution (length). A corresponding, but separate process is completed to produce the same frequency vector defined in radians. The reference input data is placed into correspond arrays and cubic spline interpolation is applied to this data in radians from 0 to pi or in Hz. The interpolated response curve is now representing a customized model and function of perfect human hearing 154000 and 154001. This process is completed under the remaining two assumptions, resulting in three customized models and functions of perfect human hearing 150100, 150101, 150102, and150103.

[0419] Corrective Audio Processing Implementation

[0420] The corrective audio processing approach described herein provides optimization systems and methods that result in a Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective DSP Architecture System and / or Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing System, which may be implemented on an appropriate electronic processing device to correctively process an input digital audio data stream. Following such processing, a virtual sound image is eventually reproduced through the user's listening system, which is transmitted to their auditory system and perceived as representative of perfect hearing, e.g., an improved listening experience.

[0421] Initial Optimization

[0422] Application of these principles are present throughout the disclosure and readily codified in the systems and methods related to DSP architectures, identification of an optimal DSP architecture for an individual and / or given listening use case, and parameter optimization of the identified optimal DSP architecture. Broadly, these systems and methods partially function to incorporate information from, and operate based on, an individual's HAAPF test valid test result data and / or one or more selected psychoacoustic models.

[0423] The DSP architecture(s) employed in the disclosure value all audio content present in the original source signal and as a result, function as lossless, high-fidelity and / or lossless, high resolution corrective DSP systems, which are tailored to each unique individual, exploit one or more psychoacoustic principles, and may be Bit-Perfect, but are never lossy DSP systems, codecs, encoders, or similar in design, function, output, or intent.

[0424] Determination of the optimal DSP architecture and its optimal parameters may be broadly completed with as little as two inputs, the individual's PHPF(s) and a customized target reference function that is representative of normal hearing. Further inputs and arguments may be used, such as a Head Related Transfer Function(s) provided by the user for diffuse and / or free field listening use cases, predefined DSP parameter values, predefined listening system and listening environment (Environmental Filter System) parameter values, improved starting parameter values of a listening systems components and the listening environment from a simplified data set reported by the individual or retrieved by digital data transmission, which is especially applicable to vehicles, and vastly improved starting parameter values from highly specific data reported by the user or retrieved by digital data transmission.

[0425] Optimization methods are employed on these inputs to first find the optimal DSP architecture best suited to achieve the target refence response, based on an individual's PHPF and the specific listening use case. Each listening use case may require immensely divergent DSP architectures toachieve the target output at the listener's auditory system. Each use case is generally treated independently and an optimal DSP architecture for each is sought, which may happen serially or in parallel. Broadly, this form of optimization employs systems and methods to identify the optimal DSP architecture from an identified set of likely DSP architectures previously optimized and readily available from a database.

[0426] Identification of the likely population of DSP architectures may involve systems and methods that extract characteristics from a PHPF to compare against a large relational database of PHPFs with previously optimized DSP architectures. Those with strong correlation are aggregated to form a population of likely architectures, which serves as an input to subsequent optimization systems and methods. Generally, optimization at this stage may function to create predicted corrected response profiles for each likely DSP architecture included in the population of interest, which may employ a set of predetermined parameters for each architecture and quantitatively and / or qualitatively compare the predicted response from all architectures against the target reference response representative of normal hearing. The architecture with the lowest mean errors is generally chosen as the optimal DSP architecture. In other words, the optimization process functions to find the DSP architecture that minimizes mean errors through the frequency spectrum between the predicted processed response and the reference response using a predefined set of parameter values. This process may be repeated iteratively or in parallel for all architectures in the likely population and for all other use cases to identify the optimal DSP architecture for each use case.

[0427] The optimization described here is one exemplary approach to identify the optimal DSP architecture for a given use case, and other methods may be considered. Alternative systems and methods may include use of a weighted error calculation in place of a mean error calculation that may apply to different segmentations of the audio spectrum. Additional methods may be employed to use information about the intended use case, such as it being a multiple output listening setup, to rule out architectures that cannot fundamentally achieve the required corrective processing indicated and rule in those that can. Alternatively, identified characteristics of the individual's PHPF may be used in a comparable rule-in and rule-out paradigm. Further still, methods may be employed to account for desired and / or preferred sonic qualities reported by the individual to identify DSP architectures well suited to achieve these characteristics in the architecture(s) processed output. Individual preferences may also extend beyond their intended use case to include their preferred implementation system(s) and / or equipment.

[0428] A small sample of qualities a user may desire and report include, but are not limited to, minimal processing latency, linear phase, minimum phase, mixed phase, and / or require minimal processingresources, ability to function on a specific type of electronic processing device, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) system, or ability to function with a specific DSP implementation software that has known capabilities and limitations. A single desired quality, no qualities, or multiple qualities may be used, assuming that the desired qualities are not contradictory in principle, e.g., linear phase and mixed phase in a single processed output. If contradictory desired qualities are reported by the listener, the listener may be asked to select only one of the contradictory qualities for use or multiple DSP architectures may be produced for the user with each architecture individually meeting the desired qualities requested.

[0429] Second Phase Optimization of Parameters

[0430] Subsequent optimization methods are employed to optimize the efficacy of the corresponding transfer function between the individual's PHPF and reference target function to achieve the highest quality output possible. This optimization process may be repeated iteratively, in parallel, or in any other technically meaningful method. Broadly, this form of optimization may be employed to find the optimal parameters of the identified optimal DSP architecture such that the mean error(s) between the predicted processed (corrected) signal's response and the target reference response are minimized. Coefficients of a given DSP architecture system may be acquired by optimization in a closed form when filter weights are estimated by a least-squares equation.

[0431] Optimization functions may be used to identify the optimal set of filter weights that minimizes mean squares differences between the impulse response of the reference target function and that of the filter's in the time domain. Through the known relationship between time and frequency domains, a similar process may be completed in the frequency domain, which again optimizes coefficients by linear least-squares, but now has the ability to account for, and may correct for, magnitude and phase response.

[0432] Generalized Optimization Example

[0433] FIG. 23 shows a generalized embodiment of systems and methods that may be used to derive the optimal DSP architecture, parameters, and variable values that define a user's Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing System, and package and transmit specifications of such system to the user for their use on varied electronic processing devices 160000. To realize these outcomes, a reference target function(s) (curve) of perfect human hearing 160200 is retrieved from a database 160100. Concurrently, after, or before the user's PHP, and / or PPHP, and / or PHPF, and / or PPHF in any combination 160400 are retrieved from a database 160300. Retrieval execution may be completed by any form of electronic processing device and / or computing engine, which stores the fetched data in any form of memory or persistent storage for use in computational optimization bycustomized algorithms 160500. The user's PHPF 160400 and the selected target reference curve of perfect human hearing 160200 are loaded into customized algorithms, which may exist in any form of software or binary code capable of executing the necessary optimization computations. Optimization is executed by 160502 to first find the optimal DSP architecture for a given use case or PHPF, for example. Once the optimal DSP architecture is identified, additional optimization is executed by 160502 to derive the optimal transfer function, DSP architecture parameters, and variable values that will realize the optimal Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing for the user in a given use case 160501. Generally, the optimal solution is the one in which the predicted processed (corrected) output most closely matches the reference target curve by minimizing errors in a least-squares paradigm.

[0434] Results found in optimization aspects 160501, 160502 are exported in varied formats, which may include a convolution WAVE file and / or a DSP filter system's specification(s) including parameters, variable values, and weights 160503. Optimization may also function to derive varied levels of correction for a user for a given use case and may derive the same, or only one, for any and all uses cases desired by the user 160503. The exported specification files are pushed to a database for persistent storage 120601, which will push the files 160602 through the cloud or create download links to the files in any means of technical merit, such that the user receives or is able to download their specification files 160700. Regardless of the method employed, specification files 160701 are sent to the user 160800 or made available for download. The user retrieves their specification files and directs them to their desired listening system's computing engine, and / or electronic processing device, and / or third-party application 160801. Pending the direction applied by the user, the specification files are loaded 160901 into any desired location, Corrective Processing Unit, device, or file location 160902. These may include a tablet, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, email inbox or file store location, or any other location.

[0435] PHP, PHPF, Reference Curve, Optimization DSP computer system and GUI

[0436] Aspects, embodiments, systems, and methods related to the derivation of a user's PHP, PHPF, PPHP, PPHF and generalized optimization of their Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective DSP Architecture system, including specification files, are intended to function with an electronic processing device aspect. Further, the same is true to the following detailed description of the technology's optimization aspects, embodiments, diagrams, systems, and methods. The specific form an electronic processing device takes is varied and may be the same or similar as those as described in FIGS. 20 and / or 21.

[0437] To understand the application of optimization to the problem of identifying an optimal DSP architecture, parameters, and variable values as used by the technology, it is helpful to restate theoutcome intended by such an optimal system (i.e., Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing). The technology disclosed herein improves upon the prevalent lossy DSP systems by functioning as a lossless, high-fidelity and / or lossless high resolution DSP system, which may be bit perfect, and acts upon an input audio data stream in a way that accounts(i.e., perceptually corrects) for hearing impairment captured in an individual's PHPF to output a processed audio data stream that maintains the data quality, depth and content of the pure original signal-Lossless. Further, this output is eventually presented to the user as a virtual sound image, which is perceived to be representative of normal hearing once it is processed through their unique auditory filter system. In other words, it improves the listening experience through the perceptual restoration of normal hearing, such that the user may hear a lossless audio signal just as its artistic creator intended. Thus, all DSP architectures, systems, methods, and optimization aspects and embodiments generally function as lossless, high- fidelity and lossless-high resolution systems, which may also be bit-perfect.

[0438] Optimization of Personalized Psychoacoustic Corrective Audio Processing Architectures and Systems

[0439] FIGS. 24 -26 show optimization aspects, systems, and methods of the technology that describe one embodiment of optimization applied to the problem of identifying the optimal Personal Psychoacoustic Corrective DSP Architecture for a given user in a given user case. FIGS.27 and 28 show examples of the detailed information a user may supply regarding their diffuse field use case(s), which may be incorporated by many optimization aspects to produce an even superior outcome that is exceedingly tailored to the individual.

[0440] In an aspect 170000, the simplest optimization problem is shown, in which optimization serves to converge on a solution of parameters for the general filter system Hn(q) that minimizes the variance of en(k). At its most basic level, optimization of the technology serves to minimize the errors between the filtered (processed) output signal from the predefined target (reference) function. In other words, it iteratively searches for the ideal set of parameters for a given DSP filter architecture that produces a filtered output as close to the target output as possible.

[0441] Generally, a two phased optimization paradigm is employed by the technology, which starts with identifying a population of DSP architectures likely to be effective when presented with a given set of input parameters, output parameters, and supporting information for a given situation. The ideal architecture for one situation, diffuse field listening as an example, may vary from the ideal architecture for a different situation, headphone listening in this example. Given the many embodiments that require description, the systems and methods of FIGS. 24, 170100, and 26, 17110, are described in detail first. Supporting narratives and embodiments regarding aspects of 170100 and 171000 follow withdetailed descriptions. It is noted that the various parameter values described herein may include, for example, dynamic processing parameters that may be actively modified during the DSP, beyond simply the application of the filters described below.

[0442] In an embodiment, an individual's PHPF is compared against a large relational database of previously optimized PHPFs and their corresponding optimal DSP architecture. Included in the database are characteristic variables linked to each given PHPF and optimal architecture pair, which may include classifications of the PHPF, salient characteristics of the PHPF, limitations implied by the PHPF, the intended use case, user preferences, the device intended to act as the Corrective Processing Unit, limitations of the device, limitations of the optimal architecture, the PHP, and the like 170101. From the database of previously optimized DSP architectures, systems and methods are executed to parse and filter the population based on shared characteristics between the database population and the given situation presented for optimization. The resulting output is the population of likely DSP architectures, which are classified as likely given evidence of their efficacy in prior known instances stored in the database 170101.

[0443] Having identified the likely population of DSP architectures for assessment and optimization using the individual's PHPF, a query is executed to determine if the intended use case is diffuse and / or free field listening 170102. This is an important parameter to qualify, as diffuse field listening requires more complex DSP architectures that account for, and may correct for, crosstalk in the soundstage. If the use case is not diffuse field listening, code is called to compute the predicted processed response for all architectures within the likely population using sets of predefined parameters for each architecture 170300. The target reference response function of normal hearing is called 170400. An iterative or parallel comparative process is executed to compute each architecture's predicted processed output response, which is quantitatively compared against the target reference response function to derive errors between the two at each frequency. Generally, the architecture with the lowest mean errors is chosen as the optimal DSP architecture for the individual's PHPF for the particular use case 170500. In other words, the optimization process functions to find the DSP architecture that minimizes mean errors through the frequency spectrum. This process may be repeated iteratively, or in parallel, for all other use cases to identify the optimal DSP architecture for each use case 170600.

[0444] In 171100 a continuation of the embodiment proceeds in which optimization is completed on the previously identified optimal DSP architecture 171001. This ultimately derives the parameters and variable values of the architecture that produce a predicted response function with the greatest fit to the target reference function of normal hearing 171400. Inputting both the architecture and the reference function 171102 to the optimization algorithm 171200, an iterative computational procedureis executed in which the optimization algorithm in use calculates the predicted processed response of the architecture under many parameter values and compares the predicted response to the desired reference response 171300. This comparison is generally completed with a mean error calculation in the LS sense. If the mean error is large, implying the predicted response does not equal the desired reference response 171300, the computations are repeated with new parameter and variable values 171400. Over many iterations and adaptations during repetitive computations, the algorithm eventually converges on an optimal set or parameter and variables values. Having determined the optimal specifications of the optimal DSP architecture, the corresponding parameter values, coefficient values, weight values, and / or variable values are exported for storage in any form of persistent data store 171500. Following, the algorithm will check for additional desired use cases selected by the user, as the prior system and methods only derived the optimal DSP architecture specifications for a single use case. If no additional use cases were selected by the user, the optimization systems and methods are complete and terminate. If, however, one or more additional use cases were selected by the user, the process is repeated 171800 for all remaining use cases. As each use case may have a different optimal DSP architecture, the optimal DSP architecture of a give use case may be inserted at 171001 by coded query before optimization systems and methods repeat execution. Once all use cases have met the threshold of 171300, aspect 171500 is executed, 171600 results in a no determination, and the optimization cycle is complete.

[0445] In an embodiment, instead of applying a straight mean error calculation, a weighted error derivation is applied to 170500 and 170600. In such a method, the individual's PHPF is segregated into two components— the frequency region in which the individual's PHPF shows no measured hearing loss and the frequency region in which the individual's PHPF presents evidence of hearing loss. Operating under the assumption that the frequency region absent of hearing loss theoretically requires no corrective processing and should match the target response frequency response exactly within the same region, this normal hearing frequency region is given a higher weight, which may be any value greater than 0.50. Optimization is then applied to the predicted corrected response profiles of each DSP architecture to derive a weighted mean error for the response function compared to the target reference response function. Again, the architecture with the lowest mean error, which here is a weighted error, is selected as the optimal DSP architecture for the given use case. Further methods exist that may include segmenting the frequency range into more tranches, each having varied weights, or setting additional optimization parameters to the calculations, or any other method of technical merit.

[0446] In an embodiment of 170100, limitations of identified DSP architectures are compared against salient characteristics of the individual's PHPF, which imply any applicable DSP architecture should have one or more capabilities. This comparison serves to quickly rule out DSP architectures that do not contain the capabilities necessary to meet the needs of the HAAPF test, resulting in a reduced population of likely architectures for optimization systems and methods. The PHPF may be characterized as having, or not having, evidence of substantial hearing loss at any given frequency or critical band. As an example, an individual's PHPF shows material hearing loss in the upper most critical hearing band, which may mean a measured absolute hearing threshold below normal hearing of 20dB HL. DSP architectures applicable to this category of PHPF should be capable of first equally reducing amplitude of the full frequency range amplitude and deriving the optimal parameters normalized to this reduction and the desired reference function. It is known that DSP architectures of all forms operate in the digital domain, which has an absolute maximum digital volume output level of 0 dBFS. Processing aspects that increase amplitude of any spectral component above this level will result in digital clipping of the signal, which is fundamentally destructive and unintentionally modifies the processed signal truly output by the system. This effect is commonly perceived as distortion artifacts in the user's listening experience, which are generally unpleasant and undesirable. To avoid these destructive artifacts, the required 20dBHL amplitude change for the upper critical hearing band cannot be reasonably achieved through a simple increase of 20dBHL in that region, as this will most certainly lead to clipping and audible distortion at many volumes. The required sonic change may be achieved through a relative perceptual response, which is considered an overly simplistic generalization of the true process, by first reducing the full signal's amplitude by an arbitrary value. In this example a reduction equivalent of lOdBHL, which is taken to be lOdBFS for simplicity here, is applied. Following this reduction, corrective processing in a relative manner may proceed, which now only targets a lOdB HL increase in the affected region. This is taken to be equal to lOdBFS for simplicity here. This is an amplitude change reasonably achieved with a low risk of clipping and destructive artifacts. Optimization proceeds to identify the parameters resulting in an increase of lOdBFS in the affected region compared to the amplitude of the original signal's amplitude. As the original signal was actually first decreased by 10 dBFS, which is ignored in optimization, the unaffected regions are 10 dBFS below the original signal and 20dBFS below the corrected affected regions. Thus, a relative difference of 20dBFS (HL) is obtained between the two segments without a high risk of clipping.

[0447] In still another embodiment, characteristics of the PHPF are assessed for evidence of a feature(s) that would preclude the use of any known DSP architectures. Generally, this aspect functions in the same way as the aspect identifying limitation of DSP architectures for rule out, but with an inverseapplication. In other words, instead of limitations of DSP architectures as the basis of comparison, limitations of a characteristic(s) of the individual's PHPF are used as the basis of comparison to rule out DSP architectures for consideration in optimization systems and methods.

[0448] Turning briefly to FIG. 25, in an alternative embodiment, identification of the optimal DSP architecture and optimization aspects related to realizing such an outcome 170100 may be replaced by a simple assignment of any given DSP architecture. Having assigned a DSP architecture, there is no need for the technology to execute 170100 and instead may begin optimization mechanisms by inserting the assigned architecture at 171001 before completing subsequent optimization aspects and embodiments of 171100.

[0449] In yet another embodiment, an individual may report their desired or preferred sonic qualities in audio reproductions, which are taken as inputs to DSP architecture optimization. A small sample of qualities a user may desire and report are minimal processing latency, linear phase, minimum phase, mixed phase, require minimal processing resources, ability to function on a specific type of electronic processing device such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) system, and / or ability to function with a specific DSP implementation software that has known capabilities and limitations. A single desired quality, no qualities, or multiple qualities may be used, assuming that the desired qualities are not contradictory in principle, e.g., linear phase and mixed phase in a single processed output. If contradictory desired qualities are reported by the listener, the listener may be asked to select only one of the contradictory qualities or multiple DSP architectures may be produced for the user with each architecture individually meeting the desired qualities reported.

[0450] In still another embodiment starting at 170101, the listening use case is identified as dif...

Claims

Claims1. A method for generating a hearing profile of a person, the method comprising: providing calibrated audio equipment; testing a first set of frequencies as used in a standard audiogram and an extended high frequency (EHF) audiogram; testing a second set of frequencies not used in the standard and EHF audiograms; and generating the hearing profile as a result of testing the first and second sets of frequencies, wherein the second set of frequencies is determined according to a psychoacoustic model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing calibrated equipment further comprises: characterizing a collection of audio equipment; generating signal processing corrections for standardizing sound output used in generating the first and second sets of frequencies by the collection of audio equipment; and providing the collection of audio equipment so characterized as the calibrated audio equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising based on the hearing profile, providing a personalized correction profile for use in processing audio signals provided to the person using uncalibrated audio equipment.

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