Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid Gain Setting for Asymmetric Thresholds

Solution Overview

Problem

Bone-anchored hearing aids fitted for individuals with asymmetric monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds often produce undesirably high sound levels in the good ear, as vibrations intended for the bad ear also propagate to the good ear, and measuring binaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds is time-consuming and costly.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that determine the gain setting for each frequency band of a bone-anchored hearing aid by obtaining and using monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds for both ears, estimating which ear is more sensitive, and adjusting the gain accordingly, without requiring additional measurements beyond those typically taken during the diagnostic phase.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the bone-anchored hearing aid is fitted to the bad ear using monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds, then the hearing loss in the bad ear is compensated, but undesirably high sound levels are produced in the good ear

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehearing loss compensationVSAvoidhigh sound levels in good ear

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by obtaining monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds for both ears before determining the gain setting. This advance information about the good ear's sensitivity allows the system to pre-calculate appropriate gain values that prevent excessive sound levels in the good ear, rather than dealing with the problem after it occurs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter used for gain determination from solely bad ear thresholds to a combination of both ears' thresholds. By incorporating the good ear's threshold data and calculating the difference between ears, the system adjusts the gain parameter to achieve balanced sound levels across both ears, eliminating the harmful effect of excessive sound in the good ear.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If binaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds are measured to avoid high sound levels in the good ear, then sound levels are properly controlled, but the measurement process becomes time-consuming and costly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesound level controlVSAvoidmeasurement time

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses copying by obtaining the good ear's monaural threshold data as a substitute for performing full binaural measurements. Instead of conducting time-consuming binaural measurement procedures, the system copies the necessary information from separate monaural measurements that are already part of the standard diagnostic process, achieving the same goal more efficiently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by obtaining monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds for both ears before determining the gain setting. This advance information about the good ear's sensitivity allows the system to pre-calculate appropriate gain values that prevent excessive sound levels in the good ear, rather than dealing with the problem after it occurs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If the gain setting is determined solely from bad ear thresholds, then the fitting process is simple, but individual preferences and deviations from theoretical values cannot be compensated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefitting process simplicityVSAvoidindividual preference compensation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by obtaining monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds for both ears before determining the gain setting. This advance information about the good ear's sensitivity allows the system to pre-calculate appropriate gain values that prevent excessive sound levels in the good ear, rather than dealing with the problem after it occurs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach allows the hearing aid to avoid producing high sound levels in the good ear while compensating for frequency-dependent differences in hearing thresholds, reducing the need for additional and costly measurements.

Implementation Method 1

The coil cooperates with the magnet and the ferromagnetic properties of the bone anchor to induce vibrations into the bone structure

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Implementation Method 2

The vibrations propagate from the bone anchor to the cochlea of the aided ear mainly through the bone structure

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVibration propagation through bone conduction: Vibration

Data Source

PatentUS8517910B2Method of determining a gain setting of a bone-anchored hearing aid

Publication Date: 2013.08.27 OTICON MEDICAL AS

AI summary

The invention regards a method for determining a gain setting of a bone-anchored hearing aid comprising a bone anchor, the proximal and the distal ears having respective first and second monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds, the first monaural bone-conduction hearing threshold being higher than the second monaural bone-conduction hearing threshold. The method comprises: obtaining respective first and second measured monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds for the proximal and the distal ear; and determining the gain setting in dependence on the first and the second measured monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds.The execution of the method does not require obtaining other hearing thresholds than such that are typically determined or measured anyway during the diagnostic phase. Still, using both the first and the second measured monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds as a basis for determining the gain setting allows the hearing aid to avoid producing undesirably high sound levels in the good ear, even when the individual has asymmetric monaural bone-conduction hearing thresholds.