Ear device, mobile terminal, ear device control system, ear device control method and program

Abstract

To adjust the sound quality depending on how the sound is transmitted.SOLUTION: An ear device 100 includes a control unit 110 that performs acoustic processing on the basis of humidity data acquired by a humidity acquisition unit 150 when performing acoustic processing on the surrounding sound acquired by a sound acquisition unit 130 and outputting it from a sound output unit 140.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ear device, a mobile terminal, an ear device control system, an ear device control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For users of hearing aids, it is preferable that the sound audibility does not change as much as possible even when the situation changes (always achieving the same sound audibility). However, for example, on a bad day with high humidity, high-pitched sounds are easily absorbed by the moisture in the air, causing the sound audibility to change. Regarding technology for adjusting the sound audibility of hearing aids according to the situation, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a hearing aid that switches the hearing aid processing algorithm according to the situation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5485256 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The hearing aid disclosed in Patent Document 1 detects wind noise mixed in during sound collection, judges the situation based on the temporal fluctuations of the detected wind noise, and switches the hearing aid processing algorithm to adjust the sound audibility according to the situation. However, because the adjustment is based solely on the temporal fluctuations of the detected wind noise, it cannot respond to situations where humidity changes, such as bad weather.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and aims to provide an ear device, a mobile terminal, an ear device control system, an ear device control method, and a program that can adjust the hearing level depending on how sound is transmitted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the ear device according to the present invention is to When the sound acquisition unit performs acoustic processing on the surrounding sound acquired and outputs the processed sound from the sound output unit, the control unit performs the acoustic processing based on humidity data acquired by the humidity acquisition unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the audibility depending on how the sound is transmitted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ear device control system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining that amplification occurs regardless of frequency when humidity is low. [Figure 2B] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining that the amplification level of high frequencies is increased when the humidity is high. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining frequency compression processing. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a frequency transition process. [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an ear device according to embodiment 1. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a mobile terminal. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for adjustment processing. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ear device control system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an ear device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for air pressure processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The ear device control system and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the ear device control system 1000 of embodiment 1 comprises two ear devices 100 (when there is no need to distinguish between the ear device 100R worn on the right ear and the ear device 100L worn on the left ear, they will be referred to as ear devices 100) which are hearing assistance devices (hearing aids, sound amplifiers, etc.) worn by the user in the ears, and a mobile terminal 200, which communicate and operate via a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0011] Like a typical hearing aid, the ear device 100 picks up surrounding speech using the microphone 131, adjusts the speech to make it easier for the user to hear (for example, by removing noise or performing acoustic processing such as amplification for each frequency band), and outputs the adjusted speech from the speaker 141. At this time, the ear device 100 acquires humidity (from the humidity sensor 151 or the mobile terminal 200) and adjusts the content of the acoustic processing according to the humidity.

[0012] The mobile terminal 200 is equipped with a humidity sensor, acquires the current humidity, and transmits the acquired humidity to the ear device 100. Note that if the ear device 100 is equipped with a humidity sensor 151 or the like, and the humidity can be acquired without the mobile terminal 200, the ear device control system 1000 does not need to include the mobile terminal 200.

[0013] Here, we will explain why the ear device 100 adjusts the acoustic processing depending on the humidity. Sound is a wave that is transmitted by vibrating the air, but as the humidity increases, the amount of moisture in the air increases, making sound more likely to be absorbed by the moisture in the air. Low sounds have a low frequency of vibration per unit time and a large amplitude, so they are absorbed to a small extent, but high sounds have a high frequency of vibration per unit time and a small amplitude, so they are absorbed to a greater extent. Therefore, the higher the humidity, the more difficult it is for high-pitched sounds to be transmitted, resulting in a muffled sound that does not resonate.

[0014] In other words, when the humidity is high, it is considered advisable for the ear device 100 to perform acoustic processing that increases the amplification level (amount of amplification, degree of amplification) of high-pitched sounds. For example, when the humidity is low (e.g., 30%), high-pitched sounds are transmitted in the same way as low-pitched sounds. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the audiogram resulting from testing the hearing of a user without using the ear device 100 is represented by graph 300, the ear device 100 amplifies sounds regardless of their pitch, as shown in graph 310. However, when the humidity is high (e.g., 90%), high-pitched sounds are less transmitted. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the audiogram resulting from testing the hearing of a user without using the ear device 100 is represented by graph 320, the ear device 100 increases the amplification level for higher sounds, as shown in graph 330. Note that in this example, sounds above 1000 Hz are considered to be in the high-pitched range, and the amplification level is increased, but the high-pitched range is not limited to sounds above 1000 Hz and may be changed as appropriate.

[0015] Furthermore, some users may have lost the ability to detect high-frequency sounds. In such cases, no matter how much the amplification level of high-frequency sounds is increased, they remain difficult to hear. Therefore, in such cases, it is considered effective to use acoustic processing that converts high-frequency sounds to lower-frequency sounds (frequency compression or shifting). Frequency compression acoustic processing, as shown in Figure 3, is an acoustic processing that compresses and pushes high-frequency sound signals in the direction of lower frequencies. By performing this type of acoustic processing, high-frequency sounds that the user cannot hear (or cannot hear well) are converted to lower frequencies, making the sounds easier for the user to hear. Frequency shifting acoustic processing, as shown in Figure 4, is an acoustic processing that directly shifts high-frequency sound signals to lower frequencies. This acoustic processing also converts high-frequency sounds that the user cannot hear (or cannot hear well) to lower frequencies, making the sounds easier for the user to hear. Note that although Figures 3 and 4 show the pitch of sounds as piano keys, this is an illustration and does not actually represent the pitch of the piano.

[0016] The above has described an overview of the ear device control system 1000. Next, the functional configurations of the ear device 100 and the mobile terminal 200 included in the ear device control system 1000 will be described in order.

[0017] The ear device 100 is a small wearable device, specifically an earphone-type (in-the-ear) hearing aid worn in the user's ear as shown in Fig. 1. However, the form of the ear device 100 is not limited to an earphone-type, and it may also be, for example, a hook-and-ear type. As shown in Fig. 5, the ear device 100 has, as its functional configuration, a control unit 110, a memory unit 120, a sound acquisition unit 130, a sound output unit 140, a humidity acquisition unit 150, and a communication unit 160.

[0018] The control unit 110 is configured with at least one processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The control unit 110 performs various processes for operating the ear device 100 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 120. The control unit 110 supports multi-thread processing and can execute multiple processes in parallel, for example, the above-mentioned acoustic processing and the adjustment processing (FIG. 7) described below can be executed simultaneously in parallel. The control unit 110 also has a clock function and a timer function and can measure the date and time, etc.

[0019] The storage unit 120 stores programs executed by the control unit 110 and necessary data. The storage unit 120 may include, but is not limited to, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, etc. Note that the storage unit 120 may be provided inside the control unit 110.

[0020] The sound acquisition unit 130 includes a microphone 131, an A / D (Analog / Digital) converter, etc., and acquires ambient sounds. The control unit 110 then performs predetermined acoustic processing on the audio data obtained by A / D converting the sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit 130 with the microphone 131 at a predetermined sampling frequency (for example, 44.1 kHz), and adjusts the sound to be easy for the user to hear.

[0021] The sound output unit 140 includes a D / A (Digital / Analog) converter, a speaker 141, and the like, and outputs audio data adjusted by the control unit 110 from the speaker 141. More specifically, the control unit 110 performs audio processing such as amplification on the digital data of the sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit 130 (data obtained by acquiring and A / D converting sounds around the user) based on setting values ​​(various acoustic parameters related to hearing, such as the amplification degree of each frequency band) set for each user, and outputs the resulting sound from the speaker 141 of the sound output unit 140 as sound. The details of this audio processing are set in advance as normal processing (default processing) for each user in accordance with the user's hearing characteristics (which can be determined, for example, by an audiogram). In addition, the details of audio processing when the humidity is high are set in advance as high-humidity processing (processing when humidity is high) for each user in accordance with the user's hearing characteristics.

[0022] The humidity acquisition unit 150 includes a humidity sensor 151 and acquires the current humidity (humidity data) of the air surrounding the ear device 100. Note that the humidity acquisition unit 150 does not necessarily have to include the humidity sensor 151, and any sensor that enables the ear device 100 to acquire humidity can be used. For example, the ear device 100 may acquire humidity from another device such as a mobile terminal 200 using the communication unit 160, in which case the communication unit 160 also functions as the humidity acquisition unit 150.

[0023] The communication unit 160 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data via Bluetooth (registered trademark) to and from other devices such as the mobile terminal 200. Note that the communication standard supported by the communication unit 160 is not limited to Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the communication interface may be compatible with a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the like.

[0024] The mobile terminal 200 is, for example, a smartphone, and includes, as its functional configuration, a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, a display unit 230, an operation input unit 240, a communication unit 250, and a humidity acquisition unit 260, as shown in FIG.

[0025] The control unit 210 is configured with a processor such as a CPU, etc. The control unit 210 performs various processes for operating the mobile terminal 200 according to programs stored in the storage unit 220.

[0026] The storage unit 220 stores programs executed by the control unit 210 and necessary data. The storage unit 220 may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, flash memory, etc. Alternatively, the storage unit 220 may be provided inside the control unit 210.

[0027] The display unit 230 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

[0028] The operation input unit 240 is a user interface such as a push button switch or a touch panel integrated with the display unit 230, and receives operation input from the user. The control unit 210 can acquire what kind of operation input the user has performed based on the detection results of a tap operation or the like on the touch panel of the operation input unit 240 or the pressed state of a switch.

[0029] The communication unit 250 is a communication interface that enables the mobile terminal 200 to perform data communication with the ear device 100 and external devices (e.g., other smartphones, tablets, PCs (Personal Computers), etc.) and to acquire information from the Internet. The communication unit 250 may include a wireless communication interface for communication via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or wireless LAN, for example.

[0030] The humidity acquisition unit 260 includes a humidity sensor and acquires the current humidity of the air surrounding the mobile terminal 200. Note that the humidity acquisition unit 260 does not necessarily have to include a humidity sensor. For example, the humidity acquisition unit 260 may not include a humidity sensor and may acquire the current humidity of the location from the Internet via the communication unit 250.

[0031] When distinguishing between the control units 110 and 210 of the ear device 100 and the mobile terminal 200, the control unit 110 is called an ear device control unit, and the control unit 210 is called a terminal control unit. When distinguishing between the communication units 160 and 250 of the device, the communication unit 160 is called an ear device communication unit, and the communication unit 250 is called a terminal communication unit. The same applies to the storage units 120 and 220.

[0032] Next, the adjustment process, which is the process by which the ear device 100 adjusts the acoustic processing in accordance with humidity as described above, will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The adjustment process starts when the ear device 100 is turned on. However, the adjustment process may be started periodically (for example, every hour), or may be started by a user instruction (for example, by an instruction from the operation input unit if the ear device 100 has an operation input unit such as a push button switch, or by a user instructing the ear device 100 to start the adjustment process using the mobile terminal 200, and the instruction is received by the communication unit 160). Furthermore, the ear device 100 is normally placed in a charger when not in use, and is automatically turned on when removed from the charger and worn in the ear, so the adjustment process usually starts when the user attempts to use the ear device 100.

[0033] Furthermore, this adjustment process may be performed by the control units 110 of both ear devices 100 (ear devices 100L and 100R), or it may be performed by the control unit 110 of one of the ear devices 100 (ear device 100L or 100R), and the control unit 110 of the other ear device 100 may acquire the details of the acoustic processing from the ear device 100 that performed the adjustment process via the communication unit 160 and adjust the acoustic processing. Furthermore, if the ear device 100 is configured to acquire humidity from the mobile terminal 200, it is assumed that the ear device 100 and the mobile terminal 200 have been paired in advance via Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0034] First, the control unit 110 acquires the current humidity using the humidity acquisition unit 150 (step S101). Then, the control unit 110 determines whether the acquired humidity is equal to or higher than a reference humidity (step S102). Here, the reference humidity is set to a humidity (e.g., 70%) that is significantly higher than a standard humidity (e.g., 50%). Of the acoustic processes for each user, the processing content of the normal processing is determined based on the measurement results of the user's hearing characteristics in a standard humidity environment, and the processing content of the high-humidity processing is determined based on the measurement results of the user's hearing characteristics in an environment with humidity higher than the reference humidity.

[0035] If the acquired humidity is less than the reference humidity (step S102; No), the control unit 110 returns the processing content of the acoustic processing to normal processing (step S103) and ends the adjustment processing. On the other hand, if the acquired humidity is equal to or greater than the reference humidity (step S102; Yes), the control unit 110 adjusts the processing content of the acoustic processing to high humidity processing (step S104) and ends the adjustment processing.

[0036] When performing humid environment processing as part of the acoustic processing, the control unit 110 adjusts the sound signals in the high-frequency range based on the user's hearing characteristics. For example, for a user whose hearing for high-frequency sounds has weakened but who can still hear them if the volume is turned up, the control unit 110 performs gain adjustment to increase the amplification level of the high-frequency range (e.g., sounds above 8000 Hz) of the sounds acquired by the sound acquisition unit 130. In the gain adjustment, the amplification level is increased by a reference amount (e.g., 5 dB, 1.2 times, 1.5 times, etc.) compared to normal. However, the amount of increase (reference amount) may be changed as appropriate and does not need to be a fixed value as illustrated. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the gain may be changed for each frequency based on the user's audiogram. Furthermore, for users whose hearing for high-pitched sounds has weakened considerably and who can barely hear in high-humidity environments, instead of or in addition to the above-described gain adjustment, adjustment is made using a frequency conversion process (frequency compression process as shown in FIG. 3 or frequency shift process as shown in FIG. 4) that converts high-pitched sounds (for example, sounds above 8000 Hz) into low-pitched sounds (for example, sounds below 8000 Hz). In either case, in the high-humidity processing, only the high-pitched sounds (for example, sounds above 1000 Hz) are adjusted, and the low-pitched sounds (for example, sounds below 500 Hz) are not adjusted.

[0037] In addition, for people who cannot hear high-pitched sounds even when the humidity is standard, adjustment by frequency conversion processing may be performed not only in the high humidity processing but also in the normal processing.

[0038] Through the adjustment process described above, the ear device 100 adjusts the content of the acoustic processing according to the humidity. For example, in a situation where high-pitched sounds are difficult to hear (such as a high-humidity environment), the amplification level of high-pitched sounds is increased, or high-pitched signals are converted into lower-pitched signals. Therefore, the audibility can be adjusted according to how the sound is transmitted. In the adjustment process described above, only one reference humidity is set as a reference value, and the same processing is performed uniformly when the humidity is equal to or higher than the reference humidity (e.g., 70%). However, the reference value may be set in multiple stages (e.g., a first reference humidity of 70%, a second reference humidity of 80%, a third reference humidity of 90%, etc.) to perform multi-stage processing. For example, when the humidity is equal to or higher than the first reference humidity, the amplification level of sounds equal to or higher than a first reference frequency (e.g., 7000 Hz) is increased; when the humidity is equal to or higher than the second reference humidity, the amplification level of sounds equal to or higher than a second reference frequency (e.g., 6000 Hz) is increased; and when the humidity is equal to or higher than the third reference humidity, the amplification level of sounds equal to or higher than a third reference frequency (e.g., 5000 Hz) is increased.

[0039] On rainy days (or other bad weather days), humidity often increases and atmospheric pressure often decreases. In the above-mentioned first embodiment, an ear device control system 1000 that alleviates deterioration of hearing when humidity increases was described. Next, a second embodiment that alleviates problems (tinnitus and dizziness) that occur when atmospheric pressure is low will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the ear device control system 1001 according to the second embodiment also includes two ear devices 101 (when there is no need to distinguish between the ear device 101R worn on the right ear and the ear device 101L worn on the left ear), which are hearing assistance devices (hearing aids, sound collectors, etc.) worn by the user in their ears, and a mobile terminal 200, which are connected to each other via a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and operate together.

[0040] The ear device 101 is a device in which the ear device 100 according to embodiment 1 is added with a function to acquire air pressure (for example, an air pressure sensor 171) and a function to relieve dizziness, etc. The mobile terminal 200 is the same as the mobile terminal 200 according to embodiment 1, but if the ear device 101 does not have the air pressure sensor 171, the mobile terminal 200 may have an air pressure sensor and be able to transmit air pressure to the ear device 101. Note that if the ear device 101 can acquire both humidity and air pressure without the mobile terminal 200 (for example, if it has a humidity sensor 151 and an air pressure sensor 171 as shown in FIG. 8), the ear device control system 1001 does not need to have the mobile terminal 200.

[0041] 9, the ear device 101 has a functional configuration including a control unit 110, a memory unit 120, a sound acquisition unit 130, a sound output unit 140, a humidity acquisition unit 150, a communication unit 160, an air pressure acquisition unit 170, a heat generation unit 180, and a pulse wave acquisition unit 190. Of these, the control unit 110, the memory unit 120, the sound acquisition unit 130, the sound output unit 140, the humidity acquisition unit 150, and the communication unit 160 are the same as those in the ear device 100 according to the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0042] The atmospheric pressure acquisition unit 170 includes an atmospheric pressure sensor 171 and acquires the current atmospheric pressure of the surrounding air. Note that the atmospheric pressure acquisition unit 170 does not necessarily have to include the atmospheric pressure sensor 171, and any sensor that enables the ear device 101 to acquire atmospheric pressure can be used. For example, the ear device 101 may acquire atmospheric pressure from another device such as the mobile terminal 200 using the communication unit 160, in which case the communication unit 160 also functions as the atmospheric pressure acquisition unit 170.

[0043] Heat generating unit 180 has a heating element that generates heat when electricity is passed through it, and is installed in the part of ear device 101 that is inserted into the ear. It is desirable that the ear device have a function to adjust the temperature so that it does not exceed an upper temperature limit (for example, 45 degrees) to prevent the user from getting burned.

[0044] The pulse wave acquisition unit 190 includes a pulse wave sensor composed of an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a PD (Photodiode). The pulse wave sensor is installed in the portion of the ear device 101 that is inserted into the ear. Light emitted from the LED toward the skin of the ear is reflected by the living body inside the skin and received by the PD. The pulse wave is detected based on temporal changes in the intensity of the received light. The pulse wave acquisition unit 190 detects pulse waves from blood vessels flowing through the ear, allowing the control unit 110 to acquire the user's RRI (RR Interval) and estimate the autonomic nervous balance based on the RRI. Note that while the pulse wave sensor has been described as a reflective sensor inserted into the ear, the pulse wave sensor is not limited to a reflective sensor. For example, a transmissive sensor that clamps the earlobe may also be used. However, because a reflective sensor measures reflected light, it has the advantage of not being limited to a specific measurement location compared to a transmissive sensor.

[0045] Here, we will explain why the ear device 101 acquires air pressure. The inner ear, located deep inside the ear, contains the cochlea and semicircular canals, which are filled with lymphatic fluid. When air pressure drops, these expand and put pressure on the nerves in the ear. This has an adverse effect on hearing and balance, causing tinnitus and dizziness.

[0046] It is known that the adverse effects of low pressure on the ears can be reduced by generating a constant rhythmic sound pressure (rhythmic sound pressure) to compress the eardrum and increase inner ear pressure, or by warming the inside of the ear to promote blood circulation. It is also known that balancing the autonomic nervous system contributes to the improvement of not only tinnitus but also dizziness and other symptoms.

[0047] The ear device 101 periodically acquires atmospheric pressure, and when a drop in atmospheric pressure is detected, performs processing (atmospheric pressure processing) to alleviate tinnitus and dizziness by generating rhythmic sound pressure or by causing a heating element to heat up. This atmospheric pressure processing will be described with reference to FIG. 10. The atmospheric pressure processing starts when the ear device 101 is turned on, but may also be started by a user instruction. Although not shown in FIG. 10, the execution of the atmospheric pressure processing ends by a user instruction or when the ear device 101 is turned off.

[0048] Furthermore, this atmospheric pressure processing may be performed by the control units 110 of both ear devices 101 (ear devices 101L and 101R), or it may be performed by the control unit 110 of one of the ear devices 101 (ear device 101L or 101R), and the control unit 110 of the other ear device 101 performs the processes of steps S205 and S208, which will be described later, based on information from the control unit 110 performing the atmospheric pressure processing. In this case, when performing the processes of steps S205 and S208, the control unit 110 performing the atmospheric pressure processing transmits the process contents to the other ear device 101 via the communication unit 160, and the control unit 110 that receives the process contents of steps S205 and S208 performs the processes of steps S205 and S208 based on the received contents. Furthermore, if the ear device 101 is configured to acquire atmospheric pressure from the mobile terminal 200, it is assumed that the ear device 101 and the mobile terminal 200 have been paired in advance via Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0049] First, the control unit 110 acquires the current atmospheric pressure using the atmospheric pressure acquisition unit 170 (step S201). Then, the control unit 110 associates the acquired atmospheric pressure with information on the current time and records it in the storage unit 120 (step S202). As a result, the history of atmospheric pressure values ​​up to now (atmospheric pressure history) is recorded in the storage unit 120.

[0050] Then, the control unit 110 refers to the atmospheric pressure history recorded in the memory unit 120, compares the atmospheric pressure from a predetermined time ago (e.g., one hour) with the current atmospheric pressure (step S203), and determines whether the decrease in atmospheric pressure is greater than or equal to the change criterion (step S204).

[0051] The determination of whether the drop in atmospheric pressure is equal to or greater than the change criterion is based on whether at least one of the following conditions exceeds a predetermined threshold: the change in atmospheric pressure from a predetermined time ago, the current atmospheric pressure value, and the current rate of change in atmospheric pressure (other evaluation values ​​related to atmospheric pressure may also be used in addition to these). This determination condition can be freely set, for example, "the atmospheric pressure has dropped by more than a change threshold (e.g., 6 hectopascals)," "the atmospheric pressure value has fallen below a value threshold (e.g., 1000 hectopascals)," "the rate of change in atmospheric pressure is negative and its absolute value has exceeded a change rate threshold (e.g., 5 hectopascals / hour)," etc. The determination may also be based on a combination of these conditions (e.g., whether the change in atmospheric pressure has dropped by more than a change threshold or the atmospheric pressure value has fallen below a value threshold). Appropriate conditions for this change criterion are set in advance (e.g., according to the characteristics of the user's ear).

[0052] If the change in atmospheric pressure is less than the change criterion (step S204; No), the process returns to step S201. At this time, the control unit 110 may wait for a predetermined time (for example, one hour) before returning to step S201, rather than immediately returning to step S201. By waiting for the predetermined time before returning, the number of times atmospheric pressure is acquired can be reduced, which can reduce power consumption and the volume of atmospheric pressure history.

[0053] If the change in atmospheric pressure is equal to or greater than the change reference value (step S204; Yes), the control unit 110 starts sound pressure generation processing and heat generation processing (step S205). The sound pressure generation processing is processing for generating rhythmic sound pressure, and more specifically, is processing for periodically (for example, every second) outputting a predetermined sound (for example, a 440 Hz sound) from the speaker 141. The heat generation processing is processing for causing the heat generating element of the heat generating unit 180 to generate heat. In step S205, the control unit 110 may perform both the sound pressure generation processing and the heat generation processing, or may perform only one of them. If only the sound pressure generation processing is performed in step S205 (and not the heat generation processing), the ear device 101 does not need to include the heat generating unit 180.

[0054] Then, the control unit 110 measures the pulse wave using the pulse wave acquisition unit 190 to acquire the RRI and measure the balance of the autonomic nerves (sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves) (step S206). Specifically, the control unit 110 acquires the frequency spectrum of the RRI, defines the area of ​​the low frequency (0.04-0.15 Hz) region of the frequency spectrum as LF, and the area of ​​the high frequency (0.15-0.4 Hz) region as HF, and calculates the area ratio LF / HF as the autonomic nerve balance. When sympathetic nerve activity is dominant, the HF component is suppressed and LF / HF takes a large value. Conversely, when the parasympathetic nerve is dominant, LF / HF takes a small value. When a person is in a relaxed state, the parasympathetic nerve is dominant, so LF / HF is thought to take a small value.

[0055] Then, the control unit 110 determines whether the balance of the autonomic nerves measured in step S206 has improved (step S207). Here, the balance of the autonomic nerves is improved when the subject is in a relaxed state, that is, when LF / HF is equal to or less than a threshold value.

[0056] If the autonomic nervous system is out of balance (not yet relaxed) (step S207; No), the process returns to step S206. On the other hand, if the autonomic nervous system is now well-balanced (relaxed) (step S207; Yes), the control unit 110 stops the sound pressure generation process and heat generation process started in step S205 (if only one of the processes was started in step S205, then that process) (step S208), and returns to step S201. In this case, the control unit 110 may wait for a predetermined time (for example, one hour) before returning to step S201, rather than returning immediately to step S201. As described above, by waiting for a predetermined time before returning, the number of times atmospheric pressure is acquired can be reduced, which can reduce power consumption and the volume of atmospheric pressure history data.

[0057] Like ear device 100, ear device 101 can adjust the hearing level according to how humidity affects sound transmission, but also, through the air pressure processing described above, when air pressure drops, it applies pressure to the eardrum with rhythmic sound pressure and warms the ear with a heating element, thereby reducing tinnitus and dizziness caused by drops in air pressure.

[0058] In the above-described air pressure processing (FIG. 10), the control unit 110 measures the balance of the autonomic nervous system in step S206 and performs the sound pressure generation processing and the heat generation processing until the balance is improved, but measuring the balance of the autonomic nervous system is not a required processing. For example, the control unit 110 may wait for a predetermined time (which may be a time based on a user setting, such as one minute) after step S205 and then proceed to step S208. In this case, the control unit 110 does not need to perform the processing of steps S206 and S207, and the ear device 101 does not need to include the pulse wave acquisition unit 190.

[0059] Furthermore, if the ear device 101 does not require a function for adjusting the hearing level according to how humidity affects sound transmission, the ear device 101 does not need to include the humidity acquisition unit 150, and does not need to perform the adjustment process (FIG. 7). Even with this type of ear device 101, it is possible to reduce tinnitus and dizziness caused by a drop in atmospheric pressure.

[0060] In the above description, the adjustment process (FIG. 7) and the air pressure process (FIG. 10) are performed by the control unit 110 of the ear device 100, 101. However, the basic parts of both processes may be performed by the control unit 210 of the mobile terminal 200. In this case, the ear device 100, 101 may acquire humidity information and air pressure information and transmit the acquired information to the mobile terminal 200, or the mobile terminal 200 may be equipped with a humidity sensor and an air pressure sensor. In steps S103 and S104, the control unit 210 transmits to the ear device 100 instructions for changing the sound processing (humidity processing / normal processing), and the control unit 110 receives the information and changes the sound processing accordingly. In step S205, the control unit 210 transmits instructions to the ear device 101 to perform sound pressure generation processing and heat generation processing. In this way, the power consumption of the ear device 100, 101 can be reduced.

[0061] The ear devices 100, 101 are not limited to hearing aids, sound collectors, or other hearing aids, but can be realized by any device that can adjust the content of acoustic processing depending on humidity (for example, earphones with a sound collection function, a computer with the above-mentioned configuration, etc.). Furthermore, the mobile terminal 200 is not limited to a smartphone, but can also be realized by a smart watch, tablet, PC, or other computer that can communicate with the ear devices 100, 101.

[0062] Specifically, it has been described that the program executed by the control unit 110 of the ear devices 100, 101 is pre-stored in the storage unit 120, and the program executed by the control unit 210 of the mobile terminal 200 is pre-stored in the storage unit 220. However, the program may be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magneto-Optical disc), a memory card, or a USB memory, and the program may be read and installed on a computer to configure a computer that can execute each of the above-mentioned processes.

[0063] Furthermore, the program may be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program may be posted and distributed on a bulletin board system (BBS) on a communication network. The program may then be started and executed under the control of an operating system (OS) in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-described processes to be performed.

[0064] In addition, the control unit 110 and the control unit 210 may be configured by any single processor such as a single processor, a multiprocessor, or a multi-core processor, or may be configured by combining any of these processors with processing circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0065] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and the present invention includes the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 100, 100L, 100R, 101, 101L, 101R...Ear device, 110, 210...Control unit, 120, 220...Memory unit, 130...Sound acquisition unit, 131...Microphone, 140...Sound output unit, 141...Speaker, 150...Humidity acquisition unit, 151...Humidity sensor, 160, 250...Communication unit, 170...Air pressure acquisition unit, 171...Air pressure sensor, 180...Heat generation unit, 190...Pulse wave acquisition unit, 200...Mobile terminal, 230...Display unit, 240...Operation input unit, 260...Humidity acquisition unit, 1000, 1001...Ear device control system

Claims

1. An ear device having a control unit that performs acoustic processing on surrounding sounds acquired by a sound acquisition unit and outputs the processed sounds from a sound output unit based on humidity data acquired by a humidity acquisition unit.

2. The control unit The acoustic treatment includes: When the humidity data acquired by the humidity acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a reference value, an amplification level for a high-pitched range of the sound is increased. The ear device of claim 1 .

3. The control unit When the humidity data acquired by the humidity acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a reference value, a frequency conversion process is performed on the sound. The ear device of claim 1 .

4. The control unit When the atmospheric pressure acquired by the atmospheric pressure acquisition unit satisfies a preset condition, a sound pressure generation process is performed to periodically generate a predetermined sound from the sound output unit. The ear device of claim 1 .

5. Further comprising a heating element; The control unit When the atmospheric pressure acquired by the atmospheric pressure acquisition unit satisfies a preset condition, a heat generation process is performed to generate heat from the heat generating element instead of or in addition to the sound pressure generation process. The ear device of claim 4.

6. The Communications Department and a control unit that, when performing acoustic processing on the ambient sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit and outputting the sound from the sound output unit, causes the communication unit to transmit data corresponding to the humidity data to an ear device that includes a control unit that performs the acoustic processing based on humidity data; A mobile terminal comprising:

7. an ear device and a mobile terminal, The ear device comprises: a control unit that performs acoustic processing on the ambient sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit and outputs the processed sound from the sound output unit based on humidity data; The mobile terminal The Communications Department and a control unit that causes the ear device to transmit data corresponding to the humidity data from the communication unit; Equipped with Ear device control system.

8. The control unit When performing acoustic processing on the ambient sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit and outputting the processed sound from the sound output unit, the acoustic processing is performed based on humidity data acquired by the humidity acquisition unit. Ear device control method.

9. In the control section, When performing acoustic processing on the ambient sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit and outputting the processed sound from the sound output unit, the acoustic processing is performed based on humidity data acquired by the humidity acquisition unit. A program that executes a process.

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