Hearing aid device

Abstract

To provide a hearing aid device.SOLUTION: A hearing aid device comprises: a plurality of microphones configured to receive an initial audio signal and convert the initial audio signal into an electrical signal; a processor configured to process the electrical signal and generate a control signal; and a speaker configured to convert the control signal into an assisted audio signal. The processing includes adjusting a directivity for receiving the initial audio signals of the plurality of microphones such that the intensity of sound from the direction of the speaker in the initial audio signal received by the plurality of microphones is always greater or always smaller than the intensity of sound from other directions of the environment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application relates to the field of acoustics, and in particular to hearing aids. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of hearing aids, hearing compensation is typically provided to hearing-impaired individuals using air conduction hearing aids or bone conduction hearing aids. Air conduction hearing aids are equipped with air conduction speakers to amplify air conduction sound signals, thereby providing hearing compensation to hearing-impaired individuals. Bone conduction hearing aids are equipped with bone conduction speakers to convert sound signals into vibration signals (bone conduction sound), thereby providing hearing compensation to hearing-impaired individuals. Because the amplified air conduction sound signals (bone conduction sound may also contain air conduction leakage sound) are easily picked up again by the hearing aid's microphone, the sound signal forms a closed-loop signal circuit, causing signal oscillation, which is known as hearing aid feedback and affects user experience. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] A hearing assistance device according to some embodiments of the present application includes a plurality of microphones configured to receive an initial sound signal and convert the initial sound signal into an electrical signal, a processor configured to process the electrical signal and generate a control signal, and a speaker configured to convert the control signal into a hearing aid sound signal, wherein the processing includes adjusting the directivity of the plurality of microphones for receiving the initial sound signal so that the intensity of sound from the speaker direction in the initial sound signal received by the plurality of microphones is always greater or always less than the intensity of sound from other directions in the environment.

[0004] In some embodiments, the hearing aid device further includes a support structure that is worn on the user's head, the support structure carrying the speaker, and the support structure positions the speaker close to the user's ear but not blocking the ear canal.

[0005] In some embodiments, the plurality of microphones includes a first microphone and a second microphone, and the first microphone and the second microphone are spaced apart.

[0006] In some embodiments, the distance between the first microphone and the second microphone is between 5 mm and 70 mm.

[0007] In some embodiments, the angle between a line connecting the first microphone and the second microphone and a line connecting the first microphone and the speaker does not exceed 30°, and the first microphone is farther from the speaker than the second microphone.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first microphone, the second microphone and the speaker are arranged in a straight line.

[0009] In some embodiments, the speaker is placed on the perpendicular bisector of a line connecting the first microphone and the second microphone.

[0010] In some embodiments, after adjustment, the directivity of the plurality of microphones for receiving the initial audio signal exhibits a cardioid pattern.

[0011] In some embodiments, the cardioid pattern has poles pointing towards the speaker and zeros pointing away from the speaker.

[0012] In some embodiments, the cardioid pattern has nulls pointing towards the speaker and poles pointing away from the speaker.

[0013] In some embodiments, after adjustment, the directivities of the plurality of microphones for receiving the initial audio signal exhibit a figure-eight shaped pattern.

[0014] In some embodiments, the distance between any one of the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker is 5 millimeters or more.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first microphone receives a first initial audio signal and the second microphone receives a second initial audio signal, and the distance from the first microphone to the speaker is different from the distance from the second microphone to the speaker.

[0016] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to determine a proportional relationship between the hearing aid sound signals contained in the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal based on a distance between the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker.

[0017] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to obtain signal average powers of the first initial audio signal and the second initial audio signal, and determine audio signals from directions other than a direction of a speaker in the environment in the initial audio signals based on the proportional relationship and the signal average powers.

[0018] In some embodiments, the hearing assistance device further comprises a filter configured to feed back a portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal to a signal processing circuit and filter out the portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal.

[0019] In some embodiments, the speaker includes an acoustoelectric transducer, and the hearing aid audio signal includes a first air-conducted sound wave generated by the acoustoelectric transducer based on the control signal and audible to the user's ear.

[0020] In some embodiments, the speaker includes a first vibration assembly electrically connected to the processor to receive the control signal and vibrate based on the control signal, and a housing coupled to the first vibration assembly to transmit the vibrations to a user's face.

[0021] In some embodiments, the hearing aid sound signal includes bone-conducted sound waves generated based on the vibrations and / or second air-conducted sound waves generated when the vibrations are generated and / or transmitted by the first vibrating assembly and / or the housing.

[0022] In some embodiments, the hearing aid device further comprises a vibration sensor configured to acquire a vibration signal of the speaker, and the processor is further configured to remove the vibration signal from the initial audio signal.

[0023] In some embodiments, the vibration sensor picks up vibrations from the position of the speaker to obtain the vibration signal.

[0024] In some embodiments, the number of the vibration sensors is the same as the number of the microphones, each of the plurality of microphones corresponds to one vibration sensor, and the vibration sensor picks up vibrations from the respective positions of the plurality of microphones to obtain the vibration signal.

[0025] In some embodiments, the vibration sensor comprises a sealed microphone having both a front cavity and a rear cavity sealed.

[0026] In some embodiments, the vibration sensor includes a dual-channel microphone having holes formed in both the front and rear cavities.

[0027] A hearing assistance device according to some embodiments of the present application includes one or more microphones configured to receive an initial sound signal and convert the initial sound signal into an electrical signal, a processor configured to process the electrical signal and generate a control signal, and a speaker configured to convert the control signal into a hearing aid sound signal, wherein the one or more microphones include at least one directional microphone, and the at least one directional microphone exhibits a cardioid pattern of directionality such that the intensity of sound from the speaker direction in the sound signal acquired by the at least one directional microphone is always greater or always less than the intensity of sound from other directions in the environment.

[0028] In some embodiments, the one or more microphones include a directional microphone, and the cardioid pattern has a null point towards the speaker and a pole point away from the speaker.

[0029] In some embodiments, the one or more microphones include a directional microphone and an omnidirectional microphone, and the cardioid pattern has a pole point facing towards the speaker and a zero point facing away from the speaker, or the cardioid pattern has a zero point facing towards the speaker and a pole point facing away from the speaker.

[0030] In some embodiments, the one or more microphones include a first directional microphone and a second directional microphone, the directionality of the first directional microphone exhibiting a first cardioid pattern and the directionality of the second directional microphone exhibiting a second cardioid pattern, the first cardioid pattern having a pole point facing towards the speaker and a zero point facing away from the speaker, and the second cardioid pattern having a zero point facing towards the speaker and a pole point facing away from the speaker.

[0031] In some embodiments, the hearing assistance device further comprises a filter configured to feed back a portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal to a signal processing circuit and filter out the portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal.

[0032] A hearing assistance device according to some embodiments of the present application includes a first microphone configured to receive a first initial sound signal, a second microphone configured to receive a second initial sound signal, a processor configured to process the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal and generate a control signal, and a speaker configured to convert the control signal into a hearing aid sound signal, wherein a distance from the first microphone to the speaker is different from a distance from the second microphone to the speaker.

[0033] In some embodiments, the distance between any one of the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker does not exceed 500 millimeters.

[0034] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to determine a proportional relationship between the hearing aid sound signals contained in the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal based on a distance between the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker.

[0035] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to obtain signal average powers of the first initial audio signal and the second initial audio signal, and determine audio signals from directions other than a direction of a speaker in the environment in the initial audio signals based on the proportional relationship and the signal average powers.

[0036] The present application will be further illustrated by exemplary embodiments, which are illustrated in detail in the drawings, which are not limiting and in which like numbers represent like structures. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] 1 is an exemplary structural block diagram of a hearing aid device according to some embodiments of the present application; [Figure 2A] 1 is a schematic diagram of a hearing aid device according to some embodiments of the present application; [Figure 2B] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a hearing aid device according to some other embodiments of the present application. [Figure 2C] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a hearing aid device according to still other embodiments of the present application. [Figure 2D] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a hearing aid device according to still other embodiments of the present application. [Figure 2E] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a hearing assistance device according to still further embodiments of the present application. [Figure 3A] 1 is a schematic diagram of the directionality of multiple microphones according to some embodiments of the present application; [Figure 3B] 10 is a schematic diagram of the directionality of multiple microphones according to some further embodiments of the present application. [Figure 3C] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the directionality of multiple microphones according to some further embodiments of the present application. [Figure 3D] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the directionality of multiple microphones according to further some embodiments of the present application. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of the relative positions of a microphone, a speaker, and an external sound source according to some embodiments of the present application. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of a signal processing principle according to some embodiments of the present application; [Figure 6A] 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conduction microphone according to some embodiments of the present application. FIG. [Figure 6B] 1 is a schematic diagram of a vibration sensor according to some embodiments of the present application; [Figure 6C] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of a vibration sensor according to some other embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] In order to more clearly describe the technical means of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings necessary for describing the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only examples or parts of the embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can apply the present application to other similar scenarios based on these drawings without any creative effort. Unless otherwise clear from the language environment or otherwise described, the same symbols in the drawings indicate the same structures or operations.

[0039] It should be understood that the terms "system," "device," "unit," and / or "module" used herein are ways of distinguishing between various levels of assemblies, elements, components, parts, or structures. However, other terms may be used in place of the above terms if they achieve the same purpose.

[0040] As used in this application and the claims, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, terms such as "a," "one," "one kind," and / or "the" do not specifically refer to the singular but may also include the plural. In general, the terms "comprise" and "containing" are intended to indicate only the inclusion of explicitly identified steps and elements, and these steps and elements are not an exclusive listing, and a method or apparatus may include other steps or elements.

[0041] This application uses flowcharts to describe operations performed by systems according to embodiments of the application. It should be understood that the preceding and subsequent operations do not necessarily have to be performed in exact order. Instead, steps may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously. Also, other operations may be added to these processes, or one or more operations may be removed from these processes.

[0042] Hearing assistive devices according to embodiments of the present specification can be applied to assist a hearing-impaired person in receiving external audio signals and provide hearing compensation to the hearing-impaired person. In some embodiments, the hearing assistive device may provide hearing compensation to the hearing-impaired person using an air conduction hearing aid or a bone conduction hearing aid. An air conduction hearing aid includes an air conduction speaker to amplify air conduction audio signals to provide hearing compensation to the hearing-impaired person. A bone conduction hearing aid includes a bone conduction speaker to convert audio signals into vibration signals (bone conduction audio) to provide hearing compensation to the hearing-impaired person. Because the amplified air conduction audio signals (bone conduction audio may also contain air conduction leakage sound) are easily recaptured by the microphone of the hearing aid, the audio signal forms a closed-loop signal circuit, causing signal oscillation, which is referred to as hearing aid feedback and affects the user's experience.

[0043] In order to reduce or eliminate feedback from hearing aids, the hearing aid device according to the embodiments of this specification sets the directionality of the microphone to selectively collect audio signals and prevents the speaker signal from re-entering the signal processing circuit, thereby preventing the occurrence of feedback in the hearing aid.

[0044] In some embodiments, the hearing aid device may include one directional microphone. In some embodiments, by pointing the zero point of the directional microphone toward the speaker, the audio signal collected by the directional microphone from the speaker can be reduced or avoided, thereby preventing feedback. In some embodiments, the hearing aid device may further include an omnidirectional microphone. In some embodiments, by pointing the pole point of the directional microphone toward the speaker, the directional microphone mainly collects audio signals from the speaker. Then, by removing the audio signal from the speaker from the audio signals collected by the omnidirectional microphone, the speaker signal can be prevented from re-entering the signal processing circuit, thereby preventing feedback.

[0045] In some embodiments, the hearing aid device may include multiple omnidirectional microphones, and by positioning the multiple omnidirectional microphones and processing the audio signals collected by the multiple omnidirectional microphones, the multiple omnidirectional microphones will collectively exhibit directionality, thereby selectively collecting audio signals and preventing speaker signals from re-entering the signal processing circuit, thereby avoiding the occurrence of feedback in the hearing aid.

[0046] FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a hearing aid device according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0047] The hearing aid device 100 may include a microphone 110, a processor 120, and a speaker 130. In some embodiments, each assembly of the hearing aid device 100 (e.g., the microphone 110 and the processor 120, or the processor 120 and the speaker 130) may be connected to each other by wire or wirelessly to achieve signal conversion.

[0048] In some embodiments, microphone 110 may be configured to receive an initial audio signal and convert the initial audio signal into an electrical signal. The initial audio signal may be an audio signal from any direction in the environment collected by the microphone (e.g., a user's voice, a speaker's voice). In some embodiments, microphone 110 may include an air conduction microphone, a bone conduction microphone, a remote microphone, a digital microphone, etc., or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the remote microphone may include a wired microphone, a wireless microphone, a broadcast microphone, etc., or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, microphone 110 may capture audio propagating through the air. For example, microphone 110 may convert the collected air vibrations into an electrical signal. In some embodiments, the form of the electrical signal may include, but is not limited to, an analog signal or a digital signal.

[0049] In some embodiments, microphone 110 may include an omnidirectional microphone and / or a directional microphone. An omnidirectional microphone is a microphone that can collect sound signals in each direction in space. A directional microphone is a microphone that mainly collects sound signals in a specific direction in space, and the sensitivity to collecting the sound signals indicates the directionality. In some embodiments, the number of microphones 110 may be one or more. In some embodiments, when there are multiple microphones 110, the type of microphones 110 may be one or more. For example, the number of microphones 110 may be two, and both microphones may be omnidirectional microphones. Alternatively, the number of microphones 110 may be two, and one of the two microphones may be an omnidirectional microphone and the other a directional microphone. Alternatively, the number of microphones 110 may be two, and both microphones may be directional microphones. In some embodiments, when the number of microphones 110 is one, the type of microphone 110 may be a directional microphone. For more details about microphones, please refer to the descriptions elsewhere in this specification.

[0050] In some embodiments, processor 120 may be configured to process the electrical signal and generate a control signal. The control signal may control speaker 130 to output bone-conducted sound waves and / or air-conducted sound waves. In embodiments herein, bone-conducted sound waves are sound waves perceived by a user when mechanical vibrations are conducted through bone to a user's cochlea (also referred to as "bone-conducted sound"), and air-conducted sound waves are sound waves perceived by a user when mechanical vibrations are conducted through air to a user's cochlea (also referred to as "air-conducted sound").

[0051] In some embodiments, processor 120 may include an audio interface configured to receive an electrical signal (e.g., a digital signal or an analog signal) from microphone 110. In some embodiments, the audio interface may include an analog audio interface, a digital audio interface, a wired audio interface, a wireless audio interface, etc., or any combination thereof.

[0052] In some embodiments, the processing of the electrical signal by the processor 120 may include adjusting the directivity of the multiple microphones for receiving the initial audio signal so that the intensity of audio from the speaker direction in the initial audio signal is always greater than or always less than the intensity of audio from other directions in the environment. Audio from other directions in the environment may be audio from non-speaker directions in the environmental audio, for example, audio from the direction of the user. In some embodiments, the processing of the electrical signal by the processor 120 may further include calculating a portion of the audio signal corresponding to the speaker direction in the electrical signal or calculating a portion of the audio signal corresponding to the non-speaker direction in the electrical signal. In some embodiments, the processor 120 may include a signal processing unit, and the signal processing unit may process the electrical signal.

[0053] In some embodiments, the multiple microphones may include a first microphone and a second microphone, and a processor (e.g., a signal processing unit) performs a time delay or phase shift process on the audio signal acquired by the first microphone, performs differential processing between the audio signal after the time delay or phase shift process and the audio signal acquired by the second microphone to obtain a differential signal, and adjusts the differential signal to make the multiple microphones directional. When the multiple directional microphones receive an initial audio signal, the intensity of audio from the speaker direction in the initial audio signal can be always greater or always smaller than the intensity of audio from other directions in the environment. For more details on microphone directionality, please refer to the descriptions elsewhere in this specification (e.g., Figures 3A to 3D).

[0054] It should be understood that the processing of an audio signal or vibration signal by a processor as described herein means that the processor processes an electrical signal corresponding to the audio signal or vibration signal, and that the resulting signal obtained by processing is also an electrical signal.

[0055] In some embodiments, the processor 120 may amplify the processed electrical signal to generate a control signal. In some embodiments, the processor 120 may include a signal amplification unit configured to amplify the electrical signal to generate a control signal. In some embodiments, the order in which the signal processing unit and the signal amplification unit process signals in the processor 120 is not limited herein. For example, in some embodiments, the signal processing unit may first process the electrical signal output from the microphone 110 into one or more signals, and then the signal amplification unit may amplify the one or more signals to generate a control signal. In other embodiments, the signal amplification unit may first amplify the electrical signal output from the microphone 110, and then the signal processing unit may process the amplified electrical signal to generate one or more control signals. In some embodiments, there may be multiple signal amplification units, and the signal processing unit may be located between the multiple signal amplification units. For example, the signal amplification unit may include a first signal amplification unit and a second signal amplification unit, and the signal processing unit is located between the first signal amplification unit and the second signal amplification unit, where the first signal amplification unit first amplifies the electrical signals output from each of the multiple microphones 110, and the signal processing unit then processes the amplified electrical signals to adjust the directivity for receiving the initial sound signals of the multiple microphones, and then the second signal amplification unit performs amplification processing on the initial sound signals received by the directional multiple microphones. In another embodiment, the processor 120 may not include a signal amplification unit and may include only a signal processing unit.

[0056] In some embodiments, the control signal generated by the processor 120 may be transmitted to the speaker 130, which may be configured to convert the control signal into a hearing aid audio signal. In some embodiments, the speaker may convert the control signal into different forms of hearing aid audio signals based on its type. The types of speakers may include, but are not limited to, air conduction speakers, bone conduction speakers, etc. The different forms of hearing aid audio signals may include air conduction sound waves and / or bone conduction sound waves.

[0057] In some embodiments, the speaker 130 may include an acoustoelectric transducer, and the hearing aid audio signal may include first air-conducted sound waves generated by the acoustoelectric transducer based on a control signal and audible to the user's ear (the speaker may be referred to as an "air conduction speaker"). The first air-conducted sound waves may be sound waves conducted through the air generated by the acoustoelectric transducer based on a control signal.

[0058] In some embodiments, the speaker 130 may include a first vibration assembly and a housing. The first vibration assembly is electrically connected to a processor to receive a control signal and vibrates based on the control signal. In some embodiments, the first vibration assembly may generate bone-conducted sound waves (the speaker may be referred to as a "bone-conduction speaker") when vibrating. That is, the hearing aid audio signal may include bone-conducted sound waves generated based on the vibration of the first vibration assembly. In some embodiments, the first vibration assembly may be any element (e.g., a vibration motor, an electromagnetic vibration device, etc.) that converts a control signal into a mechanical vibration signal. The signal conversion method may include, but is not limited to, electromagnetic (moving coil, moving iron, magnetostrictive), piezoelectric, electrostatic, etc. The internal structure of the first vibration assembly may be a single resonance system or a multi-resonance system. In some embodiments, when a user wears a hearing aid device, a portion of the first vibration assembly may be attached to the skin of the user's head to conduct bone-conducted sound waves to the user's cochlea through the user's skull. In some embodiments, the first vibration assembly may transmit vibrations to the user's face through a housing coupled thereto. The housing may be a case and / or a container that secures or houses the first vibration assembly. In some embodiments, the housing may be made of any one of polycarbonate, polyamide, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer. In some embodiments, the coupling method may include, but is not limited to, adhesive bonding, fastening, etc.

[0059] In some embodiments, the first vibrating assembly and / or the housing may push air during vibration to generate second air-conducted sound waves, i.e., the hearing aid audio signal may include the second air-conducted sound waves. In some embodiments, the second air-conducted sound waves may be leakage sound generated by a speaker.

[0060] In some embodiments, the first air-conducted sound wave or the second air-conducted sound wave generated by the speaker 130 is collected by the microphone 110 of the hearing aid device and sent back to a signal processing circuit for processing, forming a closed-loop signal circuit. This can affect the user's experience, as it can be referred to as speaker feedback of the hearing aid device. In some embodiments, the processor can adjust the microphone's directivity for acquiring the initial sound signal to reduce or eliminate speaker feedback. In some embodiments, if the speaker is a bone-conducted speaker, vibration signals generated by the speaker may be mixed into the initial sound signal, affecting the accuracy of the processor 120's adjustment of the microphone's directivity for acquiring the initial sound signal. Therefore, in some embodiments, the hearing aid device can include a vibration sensor to pick up the vibration signal received by the microphone 110, and the processor can process the vibration signal to eliminate the effect.

[0061] In some embodiments, the hearing prosthetic device 100 further includes a vibration sensor 160 configured to acquire a vibration signal of the speaker, and the processor is further configured to remove the vibration signal from the initial audio signal.

[0062] In some embodiments, the vibration sensor 160 may be installed at a location where a speaker is located and directly physically connected to the speaker to acquire a vibration signal. Then, the processor converts the vibration signal into a vibration signal at the microphone using a conversion function (e.g., a transfer function) based on the positional relationship between the speaker and the microphone, so that the vibration signal acquired by the vibration sensor and the vibration signal acquired by the microphone are the same or substantially the same. In some embodiments, the vibration sensor may be installed at a location where a microphone is located and directly physically connected to the microphone to acquire a vibration signal, so that the vibration signal acquired by the vibration sensor is the same or substantially the same as the vibration signal acquired by the microphone. In some embodiments, the vibration sensor may be indirectly connected to the speaker or microphone via another solid medium to acquire a vibration signal, and the vibration signal transmitted to the speaker or microphone may be transmitted to the vibration sensor via the solid medium. In some embodiments, the solid medium may be a metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc.), a non-metal (e.g., wood, plastic, etc.), etc.

[0063] In some embodiments, the processor may remove the vibration signal from the initial audio signal based on signal features of the vibration signal. The signal features may be related information reflecting signal characteristics. The signal features may include, but are not limited to, one or more combinations of the number of peaks, signal strength, frequency range, signal duration, etc. The number of peaks may be the number of amplitude sections in which the amplitude is greater than a predetermined value. The signal strength may be the strength of the signal. In some embodiments, the signal strength may reflect intensity features of the initial audio signal and / or vibration signal, such as the user's speaking intensity or the vibration strength of the first vibration assembly and / or the housing. In some embodiments, the greater the user's speaking intensity or the vibration strength of the first vibration assembly and / or the housing, the greater the intensity of the generated signal. The frequency components of the signal are distribution information of each frequency band of the initial audio signal and / or the vibration signal. In some embodiments, the distribution information of each frequency band includes, for example, the distribution of high-frequency signals, mid-high-frequency signals, mid-frequency signals, mid-low-mid-frequency signals, low-frequency signals, etc. In some embodiments, the high frequency, medium frequency, mid-frequency, mid-low frequency, and / or low frequency may be artificially defined. For example, a high frequency signal may be a signal having a frequency greater than 4000 Hz. For example, a medium frequency signal may be a signal having a frequency in the range of 2420 Hz to 5000 Hz. For example, a medium frequency signal may be a signal having a frequency in the range of 1000 Hz to 4000 Hz. For example, a medium frequency signal may be a signal having a frequency in the range of 600 Hz to 2000 Hz. The signal duration may be the duration of the entire initial audio signal and / or vibration signal, or the duration of a single peak in the initial audio signal and / or vibration signal. For example, the entire initial audio signal and / or vibration signal may include three peaks, and the duration of the entire initial audio signal and / or vibration signal is 3 seconds.

[0064] In some embodiments, the vibration signal received by the vibration sensor 160 passes through an adaptive filter (also referred to as a first filter) and is then superimposed with the vibration noise signal received by the microphone. The first filter adjusts the vibration signal received by the vibration sensor (e.g., adjusts the amplitude and / or phase of the vibration signal) based on the superposition result, thereby canceling out the vibration signal received by the vibration sensor and the vibration noise signal received by the microphone to achieve the purpose of noise removal. In some embodiments, the parameters of the first filter are invariable. For example, because factors such as the connection positions and connection methods of the vibration sensor and microphone to the earphone case are invariable, the amplitude frequency response and / or phase frequency response of the vibrations generated by the vibration sensor and microphone do not change. Therefore, after the parameters of the first filter are determined, they may be stored in a storage device (e.g., a signal processing chip) and directly used by a processor. In some embodiments, the parameters of the first filter are variable. In the process of noise removal, the first filter may adjust its parameters based on the signals received by the vibration sensor and / or microphone to achieve the purpose of noise removal.

[0065] In some embodiments, the processor 120 may use one signal amplitude modulation unit and one signal phase modulation unit instead of the first filter. The vibration signal received by the vibration sensor undergoes amplitude modulation and phase modulation, and is then offset with the vibration signal received by the microphone, thereby achieving the purpose of eliminating the vibration signal. In some embodiments, neither the signal amplitude modulation unit nor the signal phase modulation unit is required, i.e., the processor may be equipped with only one signal amplitude modulation unit or only one signal phase modulation unit.

[0066] For a more detailed description of the vibration sensor, see FIGS. 6B-6C and their descriptions.

[0067] In some embodiments, to further prevent audio signals from the speaker (i.e., hearing aid audio signals) from entering the signal processing circuitry, the processor may perform pre-processing on the electrical signal before generating the control signal, such as filtering, noise reduction, etc.

[0068] In some embodiments, hearing aid device 100 may further include filter 150 (also referred to as a second filter). In some embodiments, filter 150 may filter out a portion of the electrical signal that corresponds to the hearing aid audio signal. For a more detailed description of filter 150, see FIG. 5 and its accompanying description.

[0069] In some embodiments, hearing prosthetic device 100 may further include a support structure 140. In some embodiments, the support structure may be worn on the user's head and may carry speakers such that the speakers are positioned adjacent to the user's ears but do not block the ear canals. In some embodiments, the support structure may be made of a soft material to improve the wearing comfort of the hearing prosthetic device. In some embodiments, the material of the support structure may include polycarbonate (PC), polyamides (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU), polyethylene (PE), phenolic resin (PF), urea-formaldehyde resin (UF), melamine-formaldehyde resin (MF), silicone rubber, etc., or any combination thereof. For more details about the support structure 140, please refer to the descriptions elsewhere herein (e.g., FIGS. 2A-2D).

[0070] To more clearly explain the hearing aid device, the following description will be made with reference to Figures 2A to 2D.

[0071] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D , hearing aid device 200 may include first microphone 210, second microphone 220, speaker 230, a processor (not shown), and support structure 240. In some embodiments, support structure 240 may include ear-hook assembly 244 and at least one cavity. The cavity may have an internal storage space. In some embodiments, the cavity may house a microphone (e.g., first microphone 210, second microphone 220), a speaker (e.g., speaker 230), and a processor. In some embodiments, the ear-hook assembly may be physically connected to at least one cavity and may be hung on the outside of each of the user's ears, thereby supporting the cavity (e.g., first cavity 241) housing the speaker in a position close to the user's ear but not blocking the ear canal, allowing the user to wear the hearing aid device. In some embodiments, the ear hook assembly and cavity may be connected by any one or combination of adhesive, locking, threaded connection, or integral molding.

[0072] In some embodiments, the number of cavities may be one, and the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, the speaker 230, and the processor are all mounted in a single cavity. In some embodiments, the number of cavities may be multiple. In some embodiments, the cavity may include a first cavity 241 and a second cavity 242 that are separated from each other. Note that the support structure may have more cavities, such as a third cavity, a fourth cavity, etc. In some embodiments, the first cavity 241 and the second cavity 242 may or may not be in communication with each other. Note that the speaker and microphone are not limited to being located in the cavity. In some embodiments, all or part of the speaker and microphone structures may be located on the outer surface of the support structure.

[0073] In some embodiments, to effectively solve the feedback problem in hearing aid devices, the distance between the microphone and the speaker or their positions relative to the user's pinna may be set so that the microphone collects as little sound emitted from the speaker as possible. In some embodiments, the distance between any one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to 5 millimeters or more. In some embodiments, the distance between any one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to 30 millimeters or more. In some embodiments, the distance between any one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to 35 millimeters or more. In some embodiments, the microphone and the speaker may be installed in different cavities. 2A-2C, first microphone 210 and second microphone 220 are disposed in first cavity 241, and speaker 230 is disposed in second cavity 242. In some embodiments, first cavity 241 and second cavity 242 are located on the front and rear sides of a user's pinna, respectively, so that the microphone and speaker are located on either side of the user's pinna. The user's pinna can block the propagation of air-conducted sound waves and increase the length of the effective transmission path of the air-conducted sound waves, thereby reducing the volume of the air-conducted sound waves received by the microphones. 2A-2C, the first cavity 241 and the second cavity 242 may be connected by an ear-hook assembly 244, which may be positioned near the user's pinna such that, when the user is wearing the hearing prosthetic device 200, the first cavity 241 is positioned behind the pinna and the second cavity 242 is positioned in front of the pinna. The front of the pinna refers to the side of the pinna that faces the front of the human body (e.g., a person's face). The back of the pinna refers to the side opposite the front, i.e., the side that faces the back of the human body (e.g., the back of the human head).At this time, the presence of the user's auricle increases the length of the effective transmission path for the air-conducted sound waves generated by the speaker 230 to be transmitted to the microphone, thereby reducing the volume of the air-conducted sound waves received by the microphone and effectively suppressing howling in the hearing aid device.

[0074] The positions of the microphone and the speaker are not limited to the microphone being located behind the user's pinna and the speaker being located in front of the user's pinna. For example, in some embodiments, the microphone may be located in front of the user's pinna and the speaker may be located behind the user's pinna. Also, for example, in some embodiments, when a user is wearing a hearing aid, both the microphone and the speaker may be located on the same side of the user's pinna (e.g., in front of and / or behind the pinna). Both the microphone and the speaker may be located in front of and / or behind the user's pinna, where "in front" and / or "behind" may be directly in front of and / or directly behind the user's pinna, or diagonally in front of and / or diagonally behind the user's pinna. Both the microphone and the speaker may be located on the same side of the user's pinna (e.g., in front of or behind the user's pinna). In some embodiments, a microphone and a speaker may be located on both sides of the support structure. Furthermore, if the speaker on one side of the support structure generates air-conducted or bone-conducted sound waves, the air-conducted or bone-conducted sound waves must bypass the support structure before they can be transmitted to the microphone on the other side of the support structure, and the support structure itself can also act to block or attenuate the air-conducted or bone-conducted sound waves.

[0075] In some embodiments, the processor and the microphone or speaker may be located in the same cavity. For example, the processor, the first microphone 210, and the second microphone 220 may be located in the first cavity 241. For example, the processor and the speaker 230 may be located in the second cavity 242. In other embodiments, the processor and the microphone or speaker may be located in different cavities. For example, the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 may all be located in the second cavity 242, and the processor may be located in the first cavity 241.

[0076] In some embodiments, the microphone and the speaker may be located within the same cavity. For example, as shown in FIG. 2D , the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are all located within the second cavity 242. In some other embodiments, the speaker 230 and the second microphone 220 may be located within the second cavity 242, and the first microphone 210 may be located within the first cavity 241. The first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 may all be located within the first cavity 241.

[0077] In some embodiments, the position between the microphone and the speaker, or the distance between the two microphones, may be adjusted to reduce feedback from the hearing aid. For example, the microphone may be positioned away from the speaker to prevent the sound played from the speaker from affecting the sound received by the microphone. For example, if the speaker and microphone are placed in the same cavity, and the speaker is placed in the upper left corner of the cavity, the microphone may be placed in the lower right corner of the cavity.

[0078] In some embodiments, the support structure 240 may further include a back-hanging assembly 243, which can assist the user in wearing the hearing aid device 200. In some embodiments, the back-hanging assembly 243 can be hung on the back of the user's head when the user is wearing the hearing aid device 200. In this manner, when the hearing aid device 200 is worn, the two ear-hook assemblies 244 are located on the left and right sides of the user's head, respectively. Through the cooperation of the two ear-hook assemblies 244 and the back-hanging assembly 243, the cavity can clamp the user's head and come into contact with the user's skin, and sound can be transmitted based on air conduction and / or bone conduction.

[0079] It should be noted that the speaker 230 shown in FIGS. 2A-2D may have a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and in some embodiments, the speaker may have other geometric structures, such as (regular and / or irregular) polygonal solid structures, cylinders, truncated cones, vertebral bodies, etc.

[0080] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A , the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are disposed in a first cavity 241, and the speaker 230 is disposed in a second cavity 242. The processor may be disposed in either the first cavity or the second cavity. In some embodiments, the microphones and the speaker may not be disposed in a straight line, i.e., the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 may not be disposed on a straight line. In some embodiments, the line connecting the first microphone and the second microphone and the line connecting the first microphone and the speaker may form a certain angle. In some embodiments, if the first microphone is farther from the speaker than the second microphone, the angle between the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 may be set so as not to exceed a predetermined angle threshold. In some embodiments, the angle threshold may be set based on different needs and / or functions. For example, the angle threshold may be 15°, 20°, 30°, etc. In some embodiments, to minimize the amount of sound from the speaker direction in the initial sound signal, the angle between the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 may be set to not exceed 30°. In some embodiments, the angle between the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 does not exceed 25°. In some embodiments, the angle between the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 does not exceed 20°.

[0081] In some embodiments, based on different installation manners of the microphone and the speaker, the distance between the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker may be limited to meet the requirement of howling reduction.

[0082] In some embodiments, to facilitate processing of the audio signals collected by the first microphone and the second microphone, the microphones and the speaker are placed in different cavities, as shown in FIG. 2A, and when the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 have a certain included angle (e.g., greater than 0° and less than 30°), the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 5 mm to 40 mm. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A , when the microphone and the speaker are installed in different cavities and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 form a certain angle (e.g., greater than 0° and less than 30°), the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 8 mm to 30 mm. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A , when the microphone and the speaker are installed in different cavities and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 form a certain angle (e.g., greater than 0° and less than 30°), the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 10 mm to 20 mm. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A, the microphone and the speaker are placed in different cavities, and the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 5 to 50 millimeters when the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 have a certain included angle (e.g., greater than 0° and less than 30°).

[0083] In some embodiments, a minimum distance between the microphone and the speaker may be limited to prevent the speaker from being too close to the microphone and entering the directional field that collects the microphone's initial sound signal. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A , the microphone and the speaker are installed in different cavities, and when the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 form a certain angle (e.g., greater than 0° and less than 30°), the distance between either one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 30 millimeters or greater. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A , when the microphone and the speaker are installed in different cavities and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 form a certain angle (e.g., greater than 0° and less than 30°), the distance between either one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 35 millimeters or more. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A , when the microphone and the speaker are installed in different cavities and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the speaker 230 form a certain angle (e.g., greater than 0° and less than 30°), the distance between either one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 40 millimeters or more.

[0084] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2B , the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are disposed in a first cavity 241, and the speaker 230 is disposed in a second cavity 242. The processor may be disposed in either the first cavity or the second cavity. In some embodiments, the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 may be disposed in a straight line. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B , the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 may be disposed in a straight line.

[0085] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 2B, the microphone and speaker are installed in different cavities, and when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are installed in a straight line, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 5 mm to 40 mm. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are installed in a straight line, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be set with reference to the scheme in Figure 2A.

[0086] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 2B, the microphone and speaker are installed in different cavities, and when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are installed in a straight line, the distance between any one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 30 millimeters or more. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are installed in a straight line, the minimum distance between the speaker 230 and the first microphone 210 and the minimum distance between the speaker 230 and the second microphone 220 may be set with reference to the scheme in Figure 2A.

[0087] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 2C, the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are placed in a first cavity 241, and the speaker 230 is placed in a second cavity 242. In some embodiments, the speaker may be placed on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone and the second microphone.

[0088] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 2C, when the microphone and speaker are placed in different cavities and the speaker 230 is placed on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 5 mm to 35 mm. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 2C, when the microphone and speaker are placed in different cavities and the speaker 230 is placed on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 8 mm to 30 mm. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2C, the microphone and speaker are placed in different cavities, and when the speaker 230 is placed on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 10 to 25 millimeters.

[0089] In some embodiments, to prevent the speaker from being too close to the microphone and entering the directional area where the microphone collects the initial sound signal, the microphone and the speaker may be installed in different cavities, and when the speaker 230 is installed on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220, the distance between the line connecting either one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 30 millimeters or more, as shown in FIG. 2C . In some embodiments, when the microphone and the speaker are installed in different cavities, and when the speaker 230 is installed on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220, the distance between the line connecting either one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 35 millimeters or more, as shown in FIG. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2C, when the microphone and speaker are installed in different cavities and the speaker 230 is installed on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220, the distance between either one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 40 millimeters or more.

[0090] Note that speaker 230 may be slightly deviated from the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting first microphone 210 and second microphone 220, and does not have to be placed strictly on the perpendicular bisector. For example, the line connecting speaker 230 to the midpoint of the line connecting first microphone 210 and second microphone 220 does not have to be strictly perpendicular to the line connecting first microphone 210 and second microphone 220, and the included angle between these two connecting lines (i.e., the line connecting the midpoint and the speaker, and the line connecting the first microphone and second microphone) may be set within a range of 70° to 110°.

[0091] 2D , the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are all installed in the second cavity 242. In some embodiments, the speaker 230 may be installed on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are all installed in the second cavity 242, the support structure 240 may not have the first cavity 241 installed, and only have the second cavity 242 installed. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 are all installed in the second cavity 242, the support structure 240 may be installed in both the first cavity 241 and the second cavity 242, and the first cavity 241 may be equipped with a processor and may be installed with an operation button for operating the hearing assistance device 200.

[0092] In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are all located within the second cavity 242, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be between 5 millimeters and 40 millimeters. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are all located within the second cavity 242, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be between 8 millimeters and 30 millimeters. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are all located within the second cavity 242, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be between 10 millimeters and 20 millimeters. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are all installed in the second cavity 242, the distance between any one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 5 millimeters or more. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are all installed in the second cavity 242, the distance between any one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 6 millimeters or more. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 are all installed in the second cavity 242, the distance between any one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 8 millimeters or more.

[0093] Note that the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C may be installed in the same cavity (e.g., the second cavity 242), and the positions between the microphones and the speaker may be set as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C. Similarly, the positions between the microphones and the speaker may include other installation methods as long as the time delay difference and amplitude difference between the two microphones when receiving the hearing aid audio signal from the speaker can be measured. For example, the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be installed in different cavities. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2E, the first microphone 210 is installed in the first cavity 241, and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 are installed in the second cavity 242. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are installed in different cavities, the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 may be installed on a single line. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are installed in different cavities, the first microphone 210, the second microphone 220, and the speaker 230 do not have to be installed on a single line. The line connecting the first microphone and the second microphone and the line connecting the first microphone and the speaker may have a certain angle, and the angle may not exceed 30°. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are installed in different cavities, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 30 millimeters to 70 millimeters. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are placed in different cavities, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be between 35 millimeters and 65 millimeters.In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are installed in different cavities, the distance between the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be 40 to 60 millimeters. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are installed in different cavities, the distance between the speaker 230 and any one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be set to be 5 millimeters or more. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are installed in different cavities, the distance between the speaker 230 and any one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 may be set to be 6 millimeters or more. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 are installed in different cavities, the distance between either one of the first microphone 210 and the second microphone 220 and the speaker 230 may be set to be 8 millimeters or more.

[0094] In some embodiments, the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320 are omnidirectional microphones, and the processor 120 adjusts the directivities of the multiple microphones with which the initial sound signals are received so that the directivities of the multiple microphones with which the initial sound signals are received may have a specific shape, such as a cardioid, figure-of-eight, or supercardioid. In some embodiments, after adjustment by the processor, the directivities of the multiple microphones with which the initial sound signals are received may exhibit a cardioid pattern. A cardioid pattern may be a pattern whose shape resembles or is close to a heart shape. In some embodiments, after adjustment by the processor, the directivities of the multiple microphones with which the initial sound signals are received may exhibit a figure-of-eight pattern. A figure-of-eight pattern may be a pattern whose shape resembles or is close to a figure-of-eight.

[0095] In some embodiments, the audio signal received by the first microphone 310 may be a first initial audio signal, and the audio signal received by the second microphone 320 may be a second initial audio signal. In some embodiments, the processor may process the first initial audio signal and the second initial audio signal to adjust the directionality of the multiple microphones for receiving the initial audio signals. The first initial audio signal may be an audio signal received by the first microphone from any direction in the environment. The second initial audio signal may be an audio signal received by the second microphone from any direction in the environment.

[0096] In some embodiments, the processor 120 may adjust the directivity of the multiple microphones to receive the initial audio signal in the following manner.

[0097] The processor 120 may convert the first initial audio signal into a first frequency-domain signal and the second initial audio signal into a second frequency-domain signal. The processor 120 may calculate directional data toward the speaker 330 and directional data away from the speaker in the first frequency-domain signal and the second frequency-domain signal based on the positions and / or distances between the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320. In some embodiments, the processor may perform a phase transformation on the second frequency-domain signal based on the sampling frequencies of the first initial audio signal and the second initial audio signal and the positions and / or distances between the first microphone and the second microphone so that the phase of the second frequency-domain signal matches the phase of the first frequency-domain signal, and perform subtraction between the first frequency-domain signal and the phase-transformed second frequency-domain signal to obtain directional data toward the speaker. In this way, the multiple microphones have directivity toward the speaker, and the directivity exhibits a cardioid pattern, with the poles of the cardioid pattern pointing toward the speaker. In some embodiments, the processor may perform a phase transformation on the first frequency domain signal based on the sampling frequencies of the first and second initial audio signals and the positions and / or distances between the first and second microphones so that the phase of the first frequency domain signal matches the phase of the second frequency domain signal, and perform subtraction between the second frequency domain signal and the phase-transformed first frequency domain signal to obtain directivity data away from the speaker direction. In this manner, the multiple microphones have directivities away from the speaker direction, and the directivities exhibit a cardioid pattern, with the poles of the cardioid pattern being away from the speaker direction. In some embodiments, the processor may process the first and second initial audio signals to cause the directivities of the multiple microphones to exhibit a figure-eight pattern.In some embodiments, the figure-8-like pattern has a first axis S1 and a second axis S2, the direction of the first axis S1 being the direction in which the microphones exhibiting the directivity of the figure-8-like pattern have the lowest (or zero) sensitivity to audio signals, and the direction of the second axis S2 being the direction in which the microphones exhibiting the directivity of the figure-8-like pattern have the highest sensitivity to audio signals. In some embodiments, the speaker is located on or near the first axis S1. In some embodiments, the speaker is located on or near the second axis S2.

[0098] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320 may be positioned on an axis of symmetry of a cardioid pattern. The axis of symmetry of a cardioid pattern may be a straight line along which a portion of the cardioid pattern can be folded and overlap with the remaining portion of the cardioid pattern. For example, the axis of symmetry of the cardioid pattern may be the dotted line shown in FIGS. 3A-3B. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3C, the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320 may be positioned on a second axis S2 of a figure-eight shaped pattern. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3D, the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320 may be positioned on a first axis S1 of a figure-eight shaped pattern. For more details on the directional patterns of multiple microphones (e.g., cardioid pattern, figure-eight shaped pattern), please refer to the description of FIGS. 3A-3D herein. In some embodiments, when the first microphone 310, the second microphone 320, and the speaker 330 are on the same straight line (as shown in FIG. 2B ), or when the angle between the line connecting the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320 and the line connecting the first microphone 310 and the speaker 330 is less than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 30° as shown in FIG. 2A ), the directivity of the multiple microphones exhibits a cardioid pattern, and the cardioid pattern may be installed with reference to the scheme of FIG. 3A or 3B . In some embodiments, when the speaker 330 is installed on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320 (as shown in FIGS. 2C-2D ), the directivity of the multiple microphones exhibits a figure-eight-like pattern, and the figure-eight-like pattern may be installed with reference to the scheme of FIG. 3C or 3D .

[0099] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a cardioid pattern according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0100] 3A, the directivity of the multiple microphones receiving the initial audio signal may exhibit a first cardioid pattern 340, with the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320 positioned on the symmetry axis of the first cardioid pattern 340. In some embodiments, the first cardioid pattern 340 has a pole point facing the speaker 330 and a zero point away from the speaker 330. In some embodiments, the pole point may be a protruding point opposite a depression point along the symmetry axis of the cardioid pattern, corresponding to the direction in which the microphone is most sensitive to the audio signal, and the zero point may be a depression point of the cardioid pattern, corresponding to the direction in which the microphone is least (or zero) sensitive to the audio signal.

[0101] In this way, the intensity of sound from the speaker direction in the initial sound signal collected by multiple microphones (i.e., the first microphone and the second microphone) is always greater than the intensity of sound from other directions in the environment, and the processor extracts the hearing aid sound signal emanating from the speaker in the initial sound signal, and then subtracts the portion corresponding to the hearing aid sound signal emanating from the speaker from the electrical signal corresponding to the sound signal acquired by any one or two of the first microphone and the second microphone (e.g., the first initial sound signal, the second initial sound signal, or the initial sound signal), thereby obtaining an electrical signal corresponding to the sound signal from other directions in the environment, and generating a control signal based on the electrical signal corresponding to the sound signal from other directions in the environment can avoid the occurrence of a howling phenomenon.

[0102] FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of a cardioid pattern according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0103] 3B, the directivity of the multiple microphones receiving the initial audio signal may exhibit a second cardioid pattern 350, with the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320 positioned on the axis of symmetry of the second cardioid pattern 350. In some embodiments, the second cardioid pattern 350 has a zero point facing toward the speaker 330 and a pole point facing away from the speaker 330.

[0104] In this way, the intensity of the sound from the speaker direction in the initial sound signals collected by multiple microphones (i.e., the first microphone and the second microphone) is always smaller than the intensity of the sound from other directions in the environment, and the first microphone and the second microphone collect as many sound signals as possible from directions other than the direction of the speaker in the environment, and collect as few or no hearing aid sound signals emitted from the speaker as possible, and generate a control signal based on an electrical signal corresponding to the sound signal from other directions in the environment, thereby avoiding the occurrence of the howling phenomenon.

[0105] FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram of a figure-eight quasi-pattern according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0106] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3C , the directivity of the multiple microphones receiving the initial audio signals may exhibit a first figure-eight-like pattern 360, and the first axis S1 of the first figure-eight-like pattern 360 overlaps with the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320, so that the speaker 330 is located in the direction of the first axis S1.

[0107] In this way, the intensity of the sound from the speaker direction in the initial sound signal collected by the multiple microphones (i.e., the first microphone and the second microphone) is always greater than the intensity of the sound from other directions in the environment.

[0108] FIG. 3D is a schematic diagram of a figure-eight approximation pattern shown in some other examples of the present application.

[0109] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3D , the directivity of the multiple microphones receiving the initial audio signals may exhibit a second figure-eight-like pattern 370, and the second axis S2 of the second figure-eight-like pattern 370 overlaps with the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320, thereby positioning the speaker 330 in the direction of the second axis S2.

[0110] In this way, the intensity of the sound from the speaker direction in the initial sound signal collected by multiple microphones (i.e., the first microphone and the second microphone) is always smaller than the intensity of the sound from other directions in the environment.

[0111] In some alternative embodiments, the first microphone 310 receives a first initial sound signal, and the second microphone 320 receives a second initial sound signal. The processor may determine the speaker's sound signal based on a difference between the hearing aid sound signals included in the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal. In some embodiments, the first microphone and the second microphone may include omnidirectional microphones. In some embodiments, the hearing aid sound signal emitted from the speaker 330 may be considered a near-field sound signal relative to the first microphone and the second microphone. Because the distance between the first microphone and the speaker is different from the distance between the second microphone and the speaker, the hearing aid sound signals in the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal have a certain difference. Therefore, the proportion of the hearing aid sound signal in the first initial sound signal is different from the proportion of the hearing aid sound in the second initial sound signal. In some embodiments, the distance between either the first microphone or the second microphone and the speaker does not exceed 500 millimeters. In some embodiments, the distance between any one of the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker does not exceed 400 millimeters. In some embodiments, the distance between any one of the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker does not exceed 300 millimeters. The processor 120 can determine a sound signal from the near field (i.e., a hearing aid sound signal emanating from the speaker) and a sound signal from the far field (i.e., a sound signal other than the hearing aid sound signal in the environment) based on different hearing aid sound signals included in the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal, and for this method, reference can be made specifically to the description of FIG. 4 in this specification.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first microphone 310 and the second microphone 320 may include at least one directional microphone, which can capture sound from the speaker or from directions other than the direction of the speaker in the environment, since the at least one directional microphone exhibits a cardioid pattern of directionality such that the intensity of sound from the speaker direction in the sound signal captured by the at least one directional microphone is always greater or always less than the intensity of sound from other directions in the environment.

[0113] By way of example only, the first microphone may be a directional microphone. In some embodiments, the first microphone has a cardioid pattern with a pole point toward the speaker 330 and a zero point away from the speaker 330, such that the first initial sound signal collected by the first microphone is primarily a sound signal from the speaker (i.e., a hearing aid sound signal). In some embodiments, the second microphone may be an omnidirectional microphone, and the processor 120 may acquire sounds from directions other than the direction of the speaker in the environment by subtracting the first initial sound signal (which can be approximately considered to include only a sound signal from the speaker) from the second initial sound signal acquired by the second microphone.

[0114] In some embodiments, the second microphone 320 may be a directional microphone to further improve the accuracy of capturing sounds from directions other than the direction of the speaker in the environment. In some embodiments, the directionality of the second microphone 320 may be the opposite of the directionality of the first microphone 310, i.e., the cardioid pattern of the second microphone has its poles pointing away from the speaker 330 and its zero point pointing toward the speaker 330. Because the sensitivity of a directional microphone to sound signals from different directions is affected by its own accuracy, if the speaker is closer to the second microphone, the second microphone may still collect a small amount of sound signal from the speaker. Therefore, the processor 120 may be further configured to capture sounds from directions other than the direction of the speaker in the environment by subtracting the first initial sound signal (which can be approximately considered to include only sound signals from the speaker) from the second initial sound signal captured by the second microphone. In some embodiments, the processor may directly use the audio signal collected by the second microphone as the initial audio signal, and since the second microphone is directional, the initial audio signal contains less hearing aid audio signals, and then the hearing aid audio signals in the initial audio signal can be filtered out by means such as filtering, thereby reducing the amount of calculation and the burden on the processor.

[0115] The placement of the first and second microphones may be interchangeable. For example, the first microphone 310 may be an omnidirectional microphone, and the second microphone 320 may be a directional microphone. Alternatively, the first and second microphones may be directional microphones, with the cardioid pattern of the first microphone having a pole point away from the speaker 330 and a zero point facing the speaker 330, and the cardioid pattern of the second microphone having a pole point facing the speaker and a zero point away from the speaker.

[0116] In some embodiments, there may be only one microphone, which may be a directional microphone that exhibits a cardioid pattern of directionality such that the intensity of sounds from the speaker direction in an audio signal captured by the directional microphone is always smaller than the intensity of sounds from other directions in the environment.

[0117] In some embodiments, by setting the position and distance between the speaker and the directional microphone, the directional microphone collects more audio signals from directions other than the speaker direction in the environment and collects fewer or no audio signals from the speaker, thereby avoiding the occurrence of a howling phenomenon. In some embodiments, by setting the cardioid pattern of the directional microphone so that the zero point faces the speaker and the pole point faces away from the speaker, the directional microphone collects fewer or no audio signals from the speaker. In some embodiments, the distance between the speaker and the directional microphone may be set to a range of 5 mm to 70 mm. In some embodiments, the distance between the speaker and the directional microphone may be set to a range of 10 mm to 60 mm. In some embodiments, the distance between the speaker and the directional microphone may be set to a range of 30 mm to 40 mm.

[0118] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the relative positions of a microphone, a speaker, and an external sound source according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0119] As shown in Fig. 4, Fig. 4 illustrates a speaker 410, a first microphone 420, a second microphone 430, and an external sound source 440 of a hearing aid device 400. The distance between the speaker 410 and the first and second microphones 420 and 430 is much smaller than the distance between the external sound source 440 and the first and second microphones 420 and 430. Based on near-field acoustics and far-field acoustics, the sound field formed by the speaker 410 with the first and second microphones 420 and 430 can be regarded as a near-field model, and the sound field formed by the external sound source 440 with the first and second microphones 420 and 430 can be regarded as a far-field model.

[0120] In the near-field model, when an audio signal (i.e., a hearing aid audio signal) emitted from speaker 410 reaches first microphone 420 and second microphone 430, the distance between speaker 410 and first microphone 420 is different from the distance between speaker 410 and second microphone 430. Therefore, due to the difference between these two distances, the amplitude of the hearing aid audio signal received by first microphone 420 and second microphone 430 is different, i.e., the audio signal emitted from speaker 410 contained in the initial audio signal received by first microphone 420 and second microphone 430 is considered to be different.

[0121] In the far-field model, because the external sound source 440 is far away from both the first microphone 420 and the second microphone 430, the distance between the external sound source 440 and the first microphone 420 and the distance between the external sound source 440 and the second microphone 430 are different, but the difference between these two distances causes only a small change in the amplitude of the audio signal of the external sound source 440 received by the first microphone 420 and the second microphone 430. Therefore, it is considered that the audio signals emitted from the external sound source 440 and included in the initial audio signals received by the first microphone 420 and the second microphone 430 are the same.

[0122] In some embodiments, the first initial sound signal acquired by the first microphone 420 may include the sound signal N1 (i.e., the hearing aid sound signal) from the speaker 410 and the sound signal S from the external sound source 440, and the second initial sound signal acquired by the second microphone 430 may include the sound signal N2 (i.e., the hearing aid sound signal) from the speaker 410 and the sound signal S from the external sound source 440. In some embodiments, the processor may determine a sound signal from the far field (e.g., a sound signal from an external sound source) other than a near-field sound signal (e.g., a hearing aid sound signal from a speaker) in the environment based on different hearing aid sound signals included in the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal.

[0123] In some embodiments, if the distance between the first microphone 420 and the second microphone 430 is represented by dm and the distance between the first microphone 420 and the speaker 410 is represented by ds, the distance ratio between the two microphones (the first microphone 420 and the second microphone 430) and the speaker is given by Equation (1).

[0124]

number

[0125] where 0<η<1. Once the positions of the first microphone 420, the second microphone 430 and the speaker 410 are determined, the value of η is determined.

[0126] If the sound waves propagating to the first microphone 420 and the second microphone 430 of the speaker 410 are approximated as spherical waves, and the sound waves propagating to the first microphone 420 and the second microphone 430 of the external sound source 440 are approximated as far-field plane waves, then the first initial audio signal and the second initial audio signal received by the first microphone 420 and the second microphone 430 are transformed into the frequency domain, and the signal average power of each frequency domain subband can be approximately expressed by Equation 2.

[0127]

number

[0128] where Y1 is the signal average power of each frequency domain subband corresponding to the first initial audio signal, Y2 is the signal average power of each frequency domain subband corresponding to the second initial audio signal, S is the frequency domain representation of the audio signal from the external audio source 440 in the initial audio signal, and N is the frequency domain representation of the audio signal from the speaker 410 in the first initial audio signal.

[0129] According to Equation 2, Equation 3 can be obtained.

[0130]

number

[0131] That is, by measuring the signal average power of each frequency domain subband of the first and second initial audio signals, a frequency domain representation S of the audio signal from the external sound source 440 in the initial audio signals can be calculated. In some embodiments, the processor 120 can obtain the audio signal from the external sound source 440 in the initial audio signals by performing an inverse Fourier transform of S and converting it into the time domain. In this way, the hearing aid audio signal in the initial audio signals can be removed, and feedback can be prevented from occurring in the hearing aid device 400.

[0132] As described in the embodiments of the present specification, the processor 120 may remove the hearing aid sound signal from the initial sound signal by adjusting the directivity of multiple microphones, performing a phase modulation process or an amplitude modulation process on the initial sound signal (e.g., the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal), and then performing a subtraction operation, or the processor may remove the hearing aid sound signal from the initial sound signal by using a near-field model and a far-field model processing method. In some embodiments, the processor may remove the hearing aid sound signal from the initial sound signal by combining the above two methods.

[0133] In some embodiments, the processor 120 may obtain two different processing results for the initial sound signal, using a method for adjusting the directivity of multiple microphones and a processing method using a near-field model and a far-field model, respectively, and then combine (e.g., signal superposition, weighted integration, etc.) the two signals obtained by the two different processing methods to generate a control signal based on the combined signal. Because the processor removes the hearing aid sound signal from the initial sound signal using two different processing methods, even if a small amount of the hearing aid sound signal may still exist in the two different processing results, the hearing aid sound signal can be further removed by the subsequent combining process, thereby preventing feedback from occurring in the hearing aid device.

[0134] In some embodiments, the processor 120 may first adjust the directivities of the microphones to primarily remove the hearing aid sound signal from the initial sound signal, and then further remove the remaining hearing aid sound signal from the initial sound signal using a near-field model and a far-field model. In other embodiments, the processor may first adjust the directivities of the microphones to primarily remove the hearing aid sound signal from the initial sound signal using a near-field model and a far-field model, and then adjust the directivities of the microphones to perform a phase modulation or amplitude modulation process on the initial sound signal and then a subtraction operation to further remove the remaining hearing aid sound signal from the initial sound signal. By performing two consecutive processes, the processor can remove more of the hearing aid sound signal from the initial sound signal and prevent feedback from occurring in the hearing aid device.

[0135] In actual use, due to the insufficient accuracy of the hearing aid device, a small amount of hearing aid audio signal still exists in the processed initial audio signal, resulting in an unsatisfactory feedback cancellation effect. Therefore, in order to achieve a more satisfactory feedback cancellation effect, in some embodiments, the hearing aid device may further include a filter (e.g., filter 150, also referred to as a second filter), which is configured to feed back the portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal to the signal processing circuit and filter out the portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal. In some embodiments, the second filter may be an adaptive filter.

[0136] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the signal processing principle according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0137] 5, the hearing aid device 500 may include a speaker 510, a first microphone 520, and a second microphone 530. The electrical signals corresponding to the initial sound signals collected by the first microphone 520 and the second microphone 530 are processed by a signal processing unit (e.g., by adjusting the directivities of the first microphone 520 and the second microphone 530 or by processing based on the near-field model and the far-field model described in FIG. 4) to remove as much as possible the portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the sound signal from the speaker (i.e., the hearing aid sound signal), thereby preventing the occurrence of a howling phenomenon. In some embodiments, the signal processing circuit that processes the electrical signal corresponding to the initial sound signal may include a signal processing unit, an adder, a forward amplification unit G, and an adaptive filter F (i.e., a second filter). The electrical signal processed by the signal processing unit is amplified by a forward amplification unit G, and the portion of the amplified electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid sound signal contained in the amplified electrical signal is fed back to the adder by an adaptive filter F (i.e., a second filter). The adder can then use the portion of the amplified electrical signal as reference information to further filter out the portion corresponding to the hearing aid sound signal from the electrical signal of the signal circuit. By installing the adaptive filter F, the portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid sound signal is further filtered out, and the processor can then generate a control signal based on the electrical signal and transmit the control signal to the speaker 510.

[0138] In some embodiments, when the positions and distances between the speaker 510 and the first and second microphones 520 and 530 are constant, the parameters of the adaptive filter are invariant. Therefore, after the parameters of the adaptive filter are determined, they may be stored in a storage device (e.g., a signal processing chip) and directly used by the processor 120. In some embodiments, the parameters of the adaptive filter are variable. During the process of noise reduction, the adaptive filter may adjust its parameters based on the signals received by the microphones to achieve the purpose of noise reduction.

[0139] FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of an air conduction microphone 610 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the air conduction microphone 610 (e.g., the first microphone and / or the second microphone) may be a MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical System) microphone. MEMS microphones have characteristics such as small size, low power consumption, high stability, and excellent consistency between amplitude frequency response and phase frequency response. As shown in FIG. 6A , the air conduction microphone 610 includes an opening 611, a case 612, an integrated circuit (ASIC) 613, a printed circuit board (PCB) 614, a front cavity 615, a diaphragm 616, and a rear cavity 617. The opening 611 is located on one side of the case 612 (the upper side, i.e., the top, in FIG. 6A ). The integrated circuit 613 is attached to the PCB 614. The front cavity 615 and the rear cavity 617 are separated by the diaphragm 616. As shown, the front cavity 615 includes the space above the diaphragm 616 and is formed by the diaphragm 616 and the case 612. The rear cavity 617 includes the space below the diaphragm 616 and is formed by the diaphragm 616 and the PCB 614. In some embodiments, when the air conduction microphone 610 is placed in a hearing aid device, air-conducted sound from the environment (e.g., a user's voice) can enter the front cavity 615 through the opening 611 and cause the diaphragm 616 to vibrate. At the same time, a vibration signal generated by a speaker can cause the support structure of the hearing aid device to vibrate the case 612 of the air conduction microphone 610, which in turn drives the diaphragm 616 to vibrate, thereby generating a vibration noise signal.

[0140] In some embodiments, the air conduction microphone 610 may be replaced with a system in which a hole is formed in the rear cavity 617 and the front cavity 615 is sealed off from the outside air.

[0141] In some embodiments, if the speaker is a bone conduction speaker, the hearing aid audio signal may include bone-conducted sound waves and second air-conducted sound waves. In some embodiments, the processor may remove a portion of the hearing aid audio signal corresponding to the second air-conducted sound waves in the initial audio signal using a processing scheme that adjusts the directivity of multiple microphones or a processing scheme that uses a near-field model and a far-field model. The processing schemes that adjust the directivity of multiple microphones and the processing schemes that use a near-field model and a far-field model may be described elsewhere in this specification, and their description will be omitted here. In some embodiments, the processor may remove a portion of the hearing aid audio signal corresponding to the bone-conducted sound waves in the initial audio signal by processing a vibration signal that corresponds to the bone-conducted sound waves. Therefore, in some embodiments, the hearing aid device may include a vibration sensor to pick up a vibration signal received by a microphone (e.g., microphone 610). In some embodiments, in order to match the amplitude frequency response / phase frequency response of the vibrations from the vibration sensor and the microphone as closely as possible, the vibration sensor and the microphone are connected within the cavity of the support structure of the hearing aid device using the same connection method (e.g., one of cantilever connection, base connection, and edge connection), and the respective dispensing positions of the vibration sensor and the microphone are kept the same or as close as possible.

[0142] 6B is a schematic diagram of a vibration sensor 620 according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown, the vibration sensor 620 includes a case 622, an integrated circuit (ASIC) 623, a printed circuit board (PCB) 624, a front cavity 625, a diaphragm 626, and a rear cavity 627. In some embodiments, the vibration sensor 620 is obtained by sealing the opening 611 of the air conduction microphone in FIG. 6A. That is, the vibration sensor 620 may be referred to as a sealed microphone 620, and both the front cavity 625 and the rear cavity 627 of the sealed microphone 620 are sealed. In some embodiments, when the sealed microphone 620 is placed in a hearing aid device, air-conducted sound from the environment (e.g., a user's voice) cannot enter the sealed microphone 620 and cause vibration of the diaphragm 626. The vibrations generated by vibrating the speaker cause the case 622 of the sealed microphone 620 to vibrate via the earphone case, connection structure, etc., and further drive the diaphragm 626 to vibrate, generating a vibration signal.

[0143] 6C is a schematic diagram of another vibration sensor 630 according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown, the vibration sensor 630 includes an aperture 631, a case 632, an integrated circuit (ASIC) 633, a printed circuit board (PCB) 634, a front cavity 635, a diaphragm 636, a rear cavity 637, and an aperture 638. In some embodiments, the vibration sensor 630 is obtained by forming an aperture at the bottom of the rear cavity 637 of the air conduction microphone in FIG. 6A to connect the rear cavity 637 to the outside. That is, the vibration sensor 630 may also be referred to as a dual-communication microphone 630, and the dual-communication microphone 630 has apertures formed in both the front cavity 635 and the rear cavity 637. In some embodiments, when dual-channel microphone 630 is placed in a hearing aid device, air-conducted sounds from the environment (e.g., the user's voice) enter dual-channel microphone 630 through apertures 631 and 638, respectively, and the air-conducted sound signals received by both sides of diaphragm 636 cancel each other out. Therefore, the air-conducted sound signals cannot induce obvious vibrations of diaphragm 636. Vibrations generated by a vibrating speaker induce vibrations of case 632 of dual-channel microphone 630 through the support structure of the hearing aid device, which in turn drives diaphragm 636 to vibrate, generating a vibration signal.

[0144] For a more specific description of the vibration sensors (e.g., vibration sensor 620, vibration sensor 630), please refer to PCT application No. PCT / CN2018 / 083103, "Device and method for vibration elimination in earphones with dual microphones," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0145] The above description of the air conduction microphone and vibration sensor is merely a specific example and should not be considered as the only possible embodiment. Obviously, after understanding the basic principles of microphones, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the specific structures of the microphone and / or vibration sensor without departing from these principles, but these modifications and changes will still fall within the scope described above. For example, those skilled in the art will understand that the opening 611 or 631 of the air conduction microphone 610 or the vibration sensor 630 may be located on the left or right side of the case 612 or the case 632, as long as the opening of the microphone can achieve the purpose of connecting the front cavity 615 or 635 to the outside. Furthermore, the number of openings is not limited to one, and the air conduction microphone 610 or the vibration sensor 630 may include multiple openings similar to the opening 611 or 631.

[0146] In some embodiments, after acquiring the microphone vibration signal by the vibration sensor, the processor may remove the vibration signal from the initial audio signal by a method such as filtering to prevent the vibration signal from affecting subsequent processing of the initial audio signal by the processor.

[0147] Having described the basic concepts above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the detailed disclosure above is provided by way of example only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Although not expressly described herein, those skilled in the art may make various changes, improvements, and modifications to the present application. These changes, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested by the present application and are therefore within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present application.

[0148] Furthermore, certain terms are used herein to describe embodiments of the present application. For example, "one embodiment," "one embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to particular features, structures, or characteristics associated with at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, it is emphasized and understood that the appearances of "one embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "one alternative embodiment" more than once in various parts of this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments of the present application may be combined as appropriate.

[0149] Additionally, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, aspects of the present application may be illustrated and described in several patentable classes or contexts, including any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or combination of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereto. Accordingly, aspects of the present application may be implemented entirely in hardware, entirely in software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software. Such hardware or software may be referred to as a "data block," "module," "engine," "unit," "assembly," or "system." Additionally, aspects of the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable medium(s) containing computer-readable program code.

[0150] The computer storage medium may include a propagated data signal, propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, for carrying computer program code. The propagated signal may take various forms, such as an electromagnetic signal, an optical signal, or a suitable combination. The computer storage medium may be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, which can be coupled to an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus to achieve communication, propagation, or transmission of a program used therein. The program code on the computer storage medium may be propagated via any suitable medium, including wireless, cable, fiber optic cable, RF, or similar media, or any combination of the above media.

[0151] Computer program code necessary for the operation of portions of this application may be coded in one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C#, VB.NET, Python, and the like; traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as C, Visual Basic, Fortran 2003, Perl, COBOL 2002, PHP, ABAP, and the like; dynamic programming languages ​​such as Python, Ruby, and Groovy, or other programming languages. The program code may run entirely on the user's computer, on the user's computer as a separate software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter case, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer by any network topology, such as a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet), in a cloud computing environment, or used as a service, such as Software as a Service (SaaS).

[0152] Furthermore, unless expressly stated in the claims, the enumerated order, use of alphanumeric characters, or other designations of processing elements or sequences described herein do not limit the order of procedures and methods herein. While the above disclosure has set forth through various examples what are presently believed to be various useful embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that such details are merely illustrative, and that the appended claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but rather are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent combinations within the spirit and scope of the embodiments herein. For example, the system assembly described above may be implemented by a hardware device, or may be implemented as a software-only solution, e.g., by installing the described system on an existing server or mobile device.

[0153] Similarly, in the foregoing description of embodiments of the present application, various features may be grouped together in a single embodiment, drawing, or description for the purpose of simplifying the application and facilitating an understanding of one or more embodiments of the present invention. However, this method of disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are recited in each claim. In fact, an embodiment may include fewer than all features of a single embodiment disclosed above.

[0154] In some embodiments, numbers describing the number of components and attributes are used; it should be understood that the numbers describing such embodiments are, in some instances, modified by the modifiers "about," "approximately," or "generally." Unless otherwise specified, "about," "approximately," or "generally" indicates that the number may vary by ±20%. Thus, in some embodiments, all numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending on the specific characteristics of a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, numerical parameters should be used with the stated number of significant digits and with ordinary rounding techniques. While in some embodiments, the numerical ranges and parameters used to determine ranges are approximations, in specific embodiments, such values ​​are set as precisely as possible.

[0155] All patents, patent applications, published patent applications, and other materials, such as papers, books, specifications, publications, and documents, referenced in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, except for any prosecution history documents that are inconsistent or inconsistent with the content of this application and any documents that may have a limiting effect on the broadest scope of the claims of this application (now or later related to this application). Further, in the event that any explanation, definition, and / or term usage in the accompanying materials of this application is inconsistent or inconsistent with the content set forth in this application, the explanation, definition, and / or term usage in this application shall control.

[0156] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the present embodiments. Other variations may be within the scope of the present application. Thus, by way of example, and not of limitation, alternative configurations of the present embodiments may be considered consistent with the teachings of the present application. Thus, the present embodiments are not limited to the embodiments expressly introduced and described herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0157] 100 Hearing Assistive Devices 110 Microphone 120 processors 130 speakers 140 Support structure 150 filters 160 Vibration Sensor 200 Hearing Assistive Devices 210 First Microphone 220 Second Microphone 230 speakers 240 Support structure 241 First Cavity 242 Second Cavity 243 Back-hanging assembly 244 Earhook Assembly 310 First Microphone 320 Second Microphone 330 speakers 340 Primary Cardioid Pattern 350 Secondary Cardioid Pattern 360 First 8-shaped similar pattern 400 Assistive Hearing Devices 410 Speaker 420 First Microphone 430 Second Microphone 440 External Sound Source 500 Assistive Hearing Devices 510 Speaker 520 First Microphone 530 Second Microphone 610 Air Conduction Microphone 611 Open hole 612 cases 613 Integrated Circuits 614 Printed Circuit Board 615 Front Cavity 617 Rear cavity 620 Vibration Sensor 622 cases 624 Printed Circuit Board 625 Front Cavity 627 Rear Cavity 630 Vibration Sensor 631 Open hole 632 cases 633 Integrated Circuits 634 Printed Circuit Board 635 Front Cavity 636 Vibrating membrane 637 Rear Cavity 638 Open hole

Claims

1. a plurality of microphones configured to receive initial audio signals and convert the initial audio signals into electrical signals; a processor configured to process the electrical signal and generate a control signal; a speaker configured to convert the control signal into a hearing aid audio signal; Including, The processing includes adjusting the directivity of the multiple microphones for receiving the initial sound signals so that the intensity of sound from the direction of the speaker in the initial sound signals received by the multiple microphones is always greater or always less than the intensity of sound from other directions in the environment.

2. 10. The hearing aid device of claim 1, further comprising a support structure adapted to be worn on the user's head, the support structure carrying the speaker, and the support structure positions the speaker close to the user's ear but not blocking the ear canal.

3. The hearing aid device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of microphones includes a first microphone and a second microphone, the first microphone and the second microphone being spaced apart.

4. The hearing aid device of claim 3, wherein the distance between the first microphone and the second microphone is between 5 mm and 70 mm.

5. 4. The hearing assistance device of claim 3, wherein the angle between a line connecting the first microphone and the second microphone and a line connecting the first microphone and the speaker does not exceed 30°, and the first microphone is farther from the speaker than the second microphone.

6. The hearing aid device of claim 3 , wherein the first microphone, the second microphone, and the speaker are arranged in a straight line.

7. The hearing aid device of claim 3 , wherein the speaker is located on a perpendicular bisector of a line connecting the first microphone and the second microphone.

8. The hearing aid device of claim 3 , wherein the directivity of the plurality of microphones for receiving the initial audio signal after adjustment exhibits a cardioid pattern.

9. 9. The hearing aid of claim 8, wherein the cardioid pattern has poles pointing towards the speaker and zeros pointing away from the speaker.

10. 9. The hearing aid of claim 8, wherein the cardioid pattern has nulls pointing towards the speaker and poles pointing away from the speaker.

11. The hearing aid device of claim 3 , wherein after adjustment, the directivities of the microphones for receiving the initial audio signal exhibit a figure-eight approximation pattern.

12. The hearing assistance device of claim 3 , wherein the distance between the speaker and either one of the first microphone and the second microphone is 5 millimeters or more.

13. 4. The hearing assistance device of claim 3, wherein the first microphone receives a first initial sound signal, the second microphone receives a second initial sound signal, and the distance from the first microphone to the speaker is different from the distance from the second microphone to the speaker.

14. 14. The hearing assistance device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a proportional relationship of the hearing aid sound signals contained in the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal based on a distance between the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker.

15. The processor further comprises: obtaining an average signal power of the first initial speech signal and the second initial speech signal; The hearing assistance device of claim 14, configured to determine, based on the proportional relationship and the signal average power, audio signals from directions other than a direction in which a speaker in the environment is located in the initial audio signal.

16. further comprising a filter; 2. The hearing assistance device of claim 1, wherein the filter is configured to feed back a portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal to a signal processing circuit, thereby filtering out the portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal.

17. A hearing assistance device as described in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the speaker includes an acoustoelectric transducer, and the hearing aid audio signal includes a first air-conducted sound wave audible to the user's ear, generated by the acoustoelectric transducer based on the control signal.

18. The speaker is a first vibration assembly electrically connected to the processor to receive the control signal and vibrate based on the control signal; a housing coupled to the first vibration assembly for transmitting the vibrations to a user's face; 17. A hearing aid device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising:

19. The hearing assistance device of claim 18, wherein the hearing aid sound signal includes bone-conducted sound waves generated based on the vibrations and / or second air-conducted sound waves generated when the vibrations are generated and / or transmitted by the first vibration assembly and / or the housing.

20. further comprising a vibration sensor configured to acquire a vibration signal of the speaker; 20. The hearing assistance device of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to remove the vibration signal from the initial audio signal.

21. The hearing aid device of claim 20, wherein the vibration sensor picks up vibrations from the position of the speaker to obtain the vibration signal.

22. 21. The hearing assistance device of claim 20, wherein the number of vibration sensors is the same as the number of microphones, each of the plurality of microphones corresponds to one vibration sensor, and the vibration sensor picks up vibrations from the respective positions of the plurality of microphones to obtain the vibration signal.

23. 23. The hearing assistance device of claim 22, wherein the vibration sensor comprises a sealed microphone having sealed front and rear cavities.

24. 23. The hearing aid of claim 22, wherein the vibration sensor comprises a dual-channel microphone having holes in both the front and rear cavities.

25. one or more microphones configured to receive an initial audio signal and convert the initial audio signal into an electrical signal; a processor configured to process the electrical signal and generate a control signal; a speaker configured to convert the control signal into a hearing aid audio signal; Including, A hearing assistance device, wherein the one or more microphones include at least one directional microphone, the at least one directional microphone exhibiting a cardioid pattern of directionality such that the intensity of sound from the direction of the speaker in the audio signal acquired by the at least one directional microphone is always greater or always less than the intensity of sound from other directions in the environment.

26. 26. The hearing aid device of claim 25, wherein the one or more microphones include a directional microphone, and the cardioid pattern has a null point toward the speaker and a pole point away from the speaker.

27. 26. The hearing aid device of claim 25, wherein the one or more microphones include a directional microphone and an omnidirectional microphone, and the cardioid pattern has a pole point facing the speaker and a zero point away from the speaker, or the cardioid pattern has a zero point facing the speaker and a pole point away from the speaker.

28. 26. The hearing assistance device of claim 25, wherein the one or more microphones include a first directional microphone and a second directional microphone, the directivity of the first directional microphone exhibiting a first cardioid pattern and the directivity of the second directional microphone exhibiting a second cardioid pattern, the first cardioid pattern having a pole point toward the speaker and a zero point away from the speaker, and the second cardioid pattern having a zero point toward the speaker and a pole point away from the speaker.

29. Further comprising a filter, said filter comprising: A hearing assistance device as described in any one of claims 25 to 28, configured to feed back a portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal to a signal processing circuit and filter out the portion of the electrical signal corresponding to the hearing aid audio signal.

30. a first microphone configured to receive a first initial audio signal; a second microphone configured to receive a second initial audio signal; a processor configured to process the first initial audio signal and the second initial audio signal and generate a control signal; a speaker configured to convert the control signal into a hearing aid audio signal; Including, A hearing aid device, wherein the distance from the first microphone to the speaker is different from the distance from the second microphone to the speaker.

31. 31. The hearing assistance device of claim 30, wherein the distance between any one of the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker does not exceed 500 millimeters.

32. 32. The hearing assistance device of claim 31, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a proportional relationship of the hearing aid sound signals contained in the first initial sound signal and the second initial sound signal based on a distance between the first microphone and the second microphone and the speaker.

33. The processor further comprises: obtaining an average signal power of the first initial speech signal and the second initial speech signal; 33. The hearing assistance device of claim 32, configured to determine, based on the proportional relationship and the signal average power, audio signals from directions other than a direction in which a speaker in the environment is located in the initial audio signal.

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