Adaptive Hearing Augmentation via Mobile Profile Selection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hearing aids are limited to single hearing profiles and fail to adequately augment user hearing in multiple use scenarios and varying physical settings, thus not effectively addressing the diverse hearing needs of individuals across different environments.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a mobile computing device and connected audio output devices to generate a hearing profile based on user responses to tones, qualifying audio signals, and selecting appropriate sound profiles to dynamically adapt audio output in real-time, tailoring the audio experience to the user's specific hearing needs and environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional hearing aids use a single hearing profile, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to different use scenarios and physical settings deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a mobile computing device to perform multiple functions: conducting hearing tests, generating hearing profiles, classifying audio signals, and selecting sound profiles. This multi-functional approach enables adaptability to different scenarios without increasing the complexity of the hearing aid device itself, as the processing is offloaded to the universal mobile device.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile computing device acts as an intermediary between the user and the hearing aid. It generates hearing profiles and sound profiles, then transmits them to the hearing aid. This intermediary handles the complex processing tasks, allowing the hearing aid to remain relatively simple while achieving high adaptability through the intermediary's capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If hearing aids are designed for specific settings, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the versatility across varying physical settings deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to different physical settings by classifying audio signals in real-time and selecting appropriate sound profiles. The hearing profile and sound profile are applied dynamically based on the current environment, allowing the system to maintain precision across varying settings rather than being optimized for a single static setting.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters (sound profiles) based on the classified audio signal type and environment. Different sound profiles with different parameter sets are selected for different physical settings, allowing the hearing augmentation to maintain precision across diverse environments by adjusting parameters rather than being fixed for manufacturing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sound profiles are maintained for different audio types, then the adaptability to various audio types is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments sound profiles by audio type (music, speech, etc.) and stores them separately. The audio signal classification module identifies the type of audio signal, and the system selects the corresponding segmented sound profile. This segmentation allows multiple profiles to be managed efficiently without overwhelming device complexity, as each profile is dedicated to a specific audio type.
Solution Approach 2:
Sound profiles for different audio types are pre-generated and stored in the system. When an audio signal is received, the system quickly classifies it and retrieves the pre-prepared corresponding sound profile, rather than generating it in real-time. This preliminary action reduces the processing complexity during actual use while maintaining adaptability to different audio types.
Data Source
AI summary
One variation of a method for augmenting sound includes: at a mobile computing device and a connected audio output device, outputting a tone in a hearing test; based on a response to the tone entered by a user, generating a hearing profile for the user and corresponding to the mobile computing device and the audio output device; receiving an audio signal; qualifying the audio signal as a particular audio type from a set of audio types; selecting, from a set of sound profiles, a particular sound profile corresponding to the particular audio type; at the mobile computing device, transforming the audio signal into a processed audio signal according to the particular sound profile and the hearing profile of the user; and outputting the processed audio signal at the connected audio output device.