52 results about "Sound perception" patented technology

The application relates to a method of improving a user's perception of an input sound. The application further relates to an audio processing device and to its use. The object of the present application is to increase the sound quality of a sound signal as perceived by a user, e.g. a hearing impaired user. The method comprises a) Defining a critical frequency fcrit between a low frequency range and a high frequency range; b) Analyzing an input sound in a number of frequency bands below and above said critical frequency; c) Defining a cut-off frequency fcut below said critical frequency fcrit; d) Identifying a source frequency band above said cut-off frequency fcut; e) Extracting the envelope of said source band; f) Identifying a corresponding target band below said critical frequency fcrit; g) Extracting the phase of said target band; h) Combining the envelope of said source band with the phase of said target band. This has the advantage of increasing the sound quality, and the potential to further improve speech intelligibility in frequency transposition, e.g. frequency lowering systems. The invention may e.g. be used in communication devices, such as telephones, or listening devices, e.g. hearing instruments, headsets, head phones, active ear protection devices or combinations thereof.

The invention relates to simulation of sound fields in enclosures, for instance for application in listening tests, where test subjects assess the sound quality or other sound perception characteristics of the sound field. According to a specific embodiment, the system comprises a binaural synthesis portion which synthesises sound for instance from a sound-reproduction equipment based on measured impulse responses of an actual room stored in a data base (31) and a binaural recording portion comprising a data base 32 for storing binaural recordings of other sound signals made in the room. Data from these databases are mixed (41) and reproduced by means of a headphone (39) provided with a head tracker (42) for tracking the movements of the listener's head. The invention furthermore comprises the use of cross-fading functions (36, 37) to enable the dynamic listening conditions, where the movements of the listener's head are taken into account during the simulation process.

The stimulation provided in the electrically stimulated cochlea is modulated in accordance with the amplitude of a received acoustic signal and the onset of a sound in a received acoustic signal to provide increased sound perception. An onset time that corresponds to the onset of a sound is detected in an acoustic signal associated with a frequency band. A forcing voltage and a transmitting factor are determined, wherein the forcing voltage and the transmitting factor are associated with the frequency band at the detected onset time. The acoustic signal is modulated as a function of the forcing voltage and the transmitting factor to generate an output signal. The generated output signal can be used to stimulate the cochlea. The modulation strategy can be used in conjunction with sound processing strategies that employ frequency modulation, amplitude modulation, or a combination of frequency and amplitude modulation.

A cochlear implant arrangement is described for creating sound perception in an implanted patient. An implant electrode contains electrode wires for carrying stimulation signals to corresponding electrode contacts distributed along a length of an outer surface of an apical electrode array section of the implant electrode. An apical portion of the electrode array is characterized by a tendency to fold back against a more basal section of the electrode array when inserted into a cochlea of the patient. An implantable stimulation processor produces the stimulation signals such that each electrode contact, including any in a folded back portion, delivers stimulation signals for a frequency band defined based on a function of spatial spread of stimulation voltage and correctly associated with tonotopic frequency response of the adjacent neural tissue.

The present invention relates to implantable medical devices for improving sound perception by individuals with severe to profound hearing loss or tinnitus. In particular, the present invention provides methods and devices for stimulating structures of the ear via multiple signal transducers.

A bone conduction device, comprising: a sound input element configured to receive an acoustic sound signal; an electronics module configured generate an electrical signal representing said acoustic sound signal; and a transducer configured to generate motion of a mass component based on said electrical signal so as to generate one or more mechanical forces resulting in one or more of motion and vibration of a recipient's skull thereby causing sound perception, wherein one or more of the size and shape of said mass component is selectable at least partially based on a desired mechanical force to be generated by said transducer.

The invention relates to simulation of sound fields in enclosures, for instance for application in listening tests, where test subjects assess the sound quality or other sound perception characteristics of the sound field. According to a specific embodiment, the system comprises a binaural synthesis portion which synthesizes sound for instance from a sound-reproduction equipment based on measured impulse responses of an actual room stored in a data base (31) and a binaural recording portion comprising a data base 32 for storing binaural recordings of other sound signals made in the room. Data from these databases are mixed (41) and reproduced by means of a headphone (39) provided with a head tracker (42) for tracking the movements of the listener's head. The invention furthermore comprises the use of cross-fading functions (36, 37) to enable the dynamic listening conditions, where the movements of the listener's head are taken into account during the simulation process.

Methods and systems for providing auditory messages for medical devices are provided. One system includes at least one medical device configured to generate a plurality of medical messages and a processor in the at least one medical device configured to generate an auditory signal corresponding to one of the plurality of medical messages. The auditory signal is configured based on a functional relationship linking psychological sound perceptions in a clinical environment to acoustic and musical sound variables.

The invention relates to a method for autonomously identifying a dangerous article target. The method is based on a mobile robot with multi-senses including olfactory sensation, vision and hearing, and comprises the following steps: firstly, corresponding sensory information of the dangerous target is respectively acquired by a vision sensor, a sound perception sensor and an olfactory sensor which are arranged on the mobile robot in an off-line manner, and a model base incorporating the dangerous article target information is established; secondly, at least one of the vision sensor, the sound perception sensor and the olfactory sensor finds a signal of the detected target in an operating mode, and then instantly compares the signal of the detected target with the model base of the dangerous article target information to preliminarily determine identity of the detected target; thirdly, the detected target is accurately positioned by multi-senses including the olfactory sensation, the vision and the hearing, and then the information acquisition is performed and the model base is searched and matched by integrally using the vision sensor, the sound perception sensor and the olfactory sensor after the robot is driven to be close to the detected target; finally, the identity of the detected target is autonomously identified by the characteristic judgment algorithm of a voting mechanism.

This device, by its organization and operation, processes sound, usually music. It provides output voltages, for driving lights, which is proportionally representative of input sound levels. Range of sound perception of the human ear exceeds the range of perception of the human eye. It is necessary to adjust the sound level by compression and Automatic Gain Control, particularly by compression, to accommodate the eyes.A requirement to have the output drive voltage drive the lights is to have a linear response to the compressed audio signal. This requirement is met with an output drive circuit which, has a linear response to the compressed signal. This is achieved with a linear firing circuit when providing output voltage using SCR's or Triacs. In a straightforward variation of the output circuit to improve the power factor, the linear response is maintained by modulating the output with transistors instead of using SCR's or Triacs.

The invention provides an electrical auditory prosthesis signal processing method, and belongs to the field of medical instruments. The method comprises the following steps: firstly utilizing a band-pass filter group to carry out filtering on a collected sound signal; extracting a slow-varying signal u<k>(t) after signals x<k>(t) output by all band-pass filters are subjected to the downward frequency shift to a low-frequency range, wherein in the downward frequency shift processing procedure, the movable frequency of the x<k>(t) is equal to lower cut-off frequency fcl<k> of a kth band-pass filter minus the lowest frequency fl<k> of a kth electrode channel within a time-domain pitch processing range; finally, processing the extracted slow-varying signal u<k>(t), and modulating the processed slow-varying signal on a carrier wave to be transmitted out. According the method, frequency allocation of the band-pass filters is realized through the time-domain processing capability in a single electrode channel of an implant user, the slow-varying signal is extracted according to the time-domain processing capability of the single electrode channel, and the extracted slow-varying signal can be transmitted to auditory nerves near to corresponding electrodes, so that the overall sound perception of the implant user can be improved.

Presented herein are substantially automated techniques that enable an electro-acoustic or other hearing prosthesis implanted in a recipient to use objective measurements to determine when the recipient is likely experiencing sound perception changes. Once one or more perception changes are detected, the hearing prosthesis may initiate one or more remedial actions to, for example, address the perception changes. As described further below, the one or more remedial actions may include adjustments to the recipient's operational map to reverse the one or more perception changes.

Devices with both electrical and mechanical signal transducers can be used for improving sound perception by individuals with severe to profound hearing loss or tinnitus.

The invention discloses an application method of a VR virtual technology experience center in vocational education. The method includes a special topic display area, an immersion experience area, a virtual simulation area, a panoramic teaching area, a desktop training area and a somatosensory interaction area, wherein the special topic display area is used for realizing a whole experience hall; the immersion experience area is used for users to perceive scene changes from sound perception, vision and touch perception; the virtual simulation area carries out virtual simulation experiment operation through a computer terminal and an integrated machine; the panoramic teaching area is used for open teaching to create an immersive teaching experience; the desktop training area operates a 3D scene through stylus triggering and glasses sensing tracking; and the somatosensory interaction area adopts a 3D somatosensory camera technology to sense the changes of human bones, joints, eyeballs andheartbeat in all directions. The method can help vocational schools to achieve teaching effects that real experiments do not have or are difficult to complete, provide reliable, safe and economic experimental items for vocational education, and meet the all-round experimental demands of students.

The invention discloses a speech rehabilitation training system, which relates to the technical field of electronic information and auxiliary rehabilitation and is used for solving the problem of thepoor training effect caused by the signal stimulation form of a traditional speech training method. The system comprises a question setting module, display equipment, an acquisition module, a playingmodule, vibration equipment and a vibration module, wherein the question setting module is used for obtaining training questions; the display equipment is used for displaying the training questions; the acquisition module is used for acquiring an audio finished by a user according to the training questions and recording the audio as a feedback audio; the playing module is used for playing the feedback audio and a standard audio; and the vibration module is connected with the playing module and the vibration equipment and is used for controlling the vibration equipment to output a correspondingly matched standard vibration sense / feedback vibration sense when the standard audio / the feedback audio is played. The speech rehabilitation training system can enhance the sound perception ability ofthe user in a stimulation form of multi-sensory fusion of an auditory sense, a visual sense and a tactile sense, thereby promoting the development of the speech function of the user and improving thespeech training effect.

A system includes at least one medical device configured to generate a plurality of messages and a control unit in the at least one device. The control unit is configured to generate an auditory signal corresponding to one of the plurality of messages, wherein the auditory signal is configured based on a functional relationship linking psychological sound perceptions in a clinical environment to acoustic and musical sound properties. The functional relationship includes a plurality of types of auditory messages defining seven unique categories.

A system includes at least one medical device configured to generate a plurality of messages and a control unit in the at least one device. The control unit is configured to generate an auditory signal corresponding to one of the plurality of messages, wherein the auditory signal is configured based on a functional relationship linking psychological sound perceptions in a clinical environment to acoustic and musical sound properties. The functional relationship includes a plurality of types of auditory messages defining seven unique categories.

A hearing system for stimulating an auditory system for sound perception by activating a particular region of a cochlea of a user using ultrasound signals, the particular region corresponding to a target frequency range, the system including: an ultrasonic transducer configured to deliver an ultrasound signal via an interface medium; and a processor communicatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, the processor to: obtain an audio signal, extract at least one of a temporal feature or a spectral feature from the audio signal, transpose the audio signal to the target frequency range based on extracting the at least one of the temporal feature or the spectral feature from the audio signal, generate a modulated ultrasound signal based on modifying a carrier signal having at least one frequency between 100 kHz and 4 MHz by the transposed audio signal, and provide the modulated ultrasound signal to the ultrasonic transducer for delivery via an interface medium.

A hearing system for stimulating an auditory system for sound perception by activating a particular region of a cochlea of a user using ultrasound signals, the particular region corresponding to a target frequency range, the system including: an ultrasonic transducer configured to deliver an ultrasound signal via an interface medium; and a processor communicatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, the processor to: obtain an audio signal, extract at least one of a temporal feature or a spectral feature from the audio signal, transpose the audio signal to the target frequency range based on extracting the at least one of the temporal feature or the spectral feature from the audio signal, generate a modulated ultrasound signal based on modifying a carrier signal having at least one frequency between 100 kHz and 4 MHz by the transposed audio signal, and provide the modulated ultrasound signal to the ultrasonic transducer for delivery via an interface medium.

Methods and systems for providing auditory messages for medical devices are provided. One system includes at least one medical device configured to generate a plurality of medical messages and a processor in the at least one medical device configured to generate an auditory signal corresponding to one of the plurality of medical messages. The auditory signal is configured based on a functional relationship linking psychological sound perceptions in a clinical environment to acoustic and musical sound variables.

The invention discloses a system for achieving low-speed warning tone AVAS and active sound enhancement ASE on an automobile, low-speed warning tone and active sound enhancement processing is carried out through cooperation of two processing units, and a low-speed warning tone and active sound enhancement function is achieved in cooperation with a rear-end AVAS module. When the system realizes the low-speed warning tone function, an additional analog audio channel specially used for a low-speed warning tone loudspeaker does not need to be configured in the same vehicle machine system device, and the rear-end AVAS module realizes the low-speed warning tone function in a mode of sharing a certain in-vehicle analog audio channel and using an independent PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) transmission channel. And the system has the functions of judging and switching working modes. The sound generated by the system can be changed and matched along with the change of the vehicle state and the driving style of the user, so that information is effectively transmitted to other road users, and the sound perception in the driving process is enhanced or changed.

A dynamic sound enhancement system and method which produces non-linear dynamic gain, time domain offset, and damping control in relation to frequency components of an applied audio signal. The functions and characteristics of the system make it feasible to extend the ability of small speakers to distinctly reproduce natural low frequencies including bass and sub-bass frequencies concurrently with high frequencies. Further, the system provides customization of system characteristics for obtaining optimized sound quality, audibility, and sound perception from diverse sound producing devices, and which satisfies diverse user hearing needs and listening preferences.

The invention discloses an automobile low-speed warning tone implementation system which comprises a front end and a rear end, the front end comprises a vehicle state acquisition unit, a digital-to-analog conversion and power amplification unit and a plurality of processing units, and the rear end comprises an AVAS output module, a PWM-AVAS module and a loudspeaker system which share an in-vehicle analog audio channel. The front-end processing unit is further provided with a low-speed prompt tone personalized processing module which is used for tracking and analyzing the real-time state of a vehicle and the driving habit of a user, recognizing and generating the state of the vehicle and the driving style of the user, selecting an associated sound feature database and displaying the sound feature database. Through real-time matching of parameters such as a key state of a vehicle and a specific driving style of a user, a low-speed prompt sound associated with the key state is generated and is output by a rear end. According to the system, at least two processing units cooperatively execute a low-speed warning tone (AVAS) program instruction, low-speed warning tone output is achieved in the mode that an in-vehicle analog audio channel is shared and an independent PWM transmission channel is used in a combined mode, and the low-speed warning tone function is achieved at low cost under the condition that an existing audio output channel of a vehicle is not added. And the generated sound can be changed and matched along with the change of the vehicle state and the driving style of the user, so that information is effectively transmitted to other road users, and the sound perception in the driving process is enhanced or changed.

The invention discloses a sound output method and a terminal device. The terminal device comprises a boosting module, an audio amplification module and an exciter. The boosting module is electricallyconnected with the audio amplification module and the audio amplification module is electrically connected with the exciter. When the terminal device is in an output sound state, According to the corresponding relationship between the noise volume value and the output voltage value of the booster module, the output voltage of the booster module is adjusted to be the output voltage value corresponding to the noise volume value of the current environment, and when the exciter is in an on state, the exciter outputs sound with the volume value corresponding to the output voltage value. The invention can reduce or even avoid the electric sound perception of the user, and improve the experience of the user in using the sound output function.

The invention discloses an auditory rehabilitation training system, which relates to the technical fields of electronic information and auxiliary rehabilitation and is used for solving the problem ofpoor training effect caused by single signal stimulation form of the traditional auditory training method. The auditory rehabilitation training system specifically comprises display equipment, an information acquisition module, an audio playing module, vibration equipment and a vibration module, wherein the display equipment is used for providing visual information to a user; the information acquisition module is used for acquiring user information; the audio playing module is used for playing standard audio corresponding to the user information; and the vibration module is connected with thevibration equipment and is used for controlling the vibration equipment to output a standard vibration feeling matched with the standard audio when the standard audio is played. The auditory rehabilitation training system can enhance the user's sound perception ability through the stimulation form of multi-sensory integration of auditory, vision and touch, so as to improve the auditory training effect.

In an earpiece 10 of the present invention, mainly, a plug section 15 is fitted into a sound channel space 13A of a central tube section 13, and the plug section 15 is formed with a sound channel long hole 15B penetrating in a longitudinal direction thereof and sound channel short holes 15G penetrating in lateral directions thereof. With this structure, a very small part of sound transmitted from a stem section 12 is directly transmitted to the eardrum through an aperture 15A, but most of the sound transmitted from the stem section 12 is directly transmitted via an internal space 20 to the eardrum. Then, the user perceives the sound having detoured as indirect sound that comes from the front of himself / herself with a time difference, and thereby can feel out-of-head sound localization and sound spread, thereby experiencing a sense of direction from the front and realistic sensation.

The invention relates to a method and a system for sensing and detecting sound by using terahertz waves. Comprising a terahertz emission source, a sound insulation box body, a gain antenna and a terahertz detector. The surface of the sound insulation box body is covered with a damping material to achieve the purpose of sound insulation. Terahertz waves are emitted by the emission source, pass through the gain antenna and then are collected to directly irradiate the surface of a sounding object or irradiate the surface of the sounding object through the sound insulation box body. And the terahertz detector measures the intensity of reflected terahertz waves and recovers the sound through a time-frequency analysis principle. According to the invention, expensive microphone array detection and an optical fiber detection method with relatively high process requirements are not needed, and the vibration state and the sound production frequency of the detected sound source are obtained by emitting terahertz waves to an unknown sound object in an environment with or without sound insulation, collecting echo data for analysis and performing time-frequency analysis on phase information. And faster and more accurate terahertz wave sound sensing and detection in a sound insulation or non-sound insulation environment can be realized.

The invention discloses a sound output method and a terminal device. The terminal device comprises a boosting module, an audio amplification module and an exciter. The boosting module is electricallyconnected with the audio amplification module and the audio amplification module is electrically connected with the exciter. When the terminal device is in an output sound state, According to the corresponding relationship between the noise volume value and the output voltage value of the booster module, the output voltage of the booster module is adjusted to be the output voltage value corresponding to the noise volume value of the current environment, and when the exciter is in an on state, the exciter outputs sound with the volume value corresponding to the output voltage value. The invention can reduce or even avoid the electric sound perception of the user, and improve the experience of the user in using the sound output function.