Binaural Hearing Aid Impulse Noise Synchronization for Spatial Cues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Binaural hearing aids face challenges in synchronizing impulse noise suppression across individual devices, leading to fluctuations in natural interaural level differences and impaired spatial perception due to differing attenuation curves.
Innovation Solution
A method for binaural hearing aids that determines a scalar limit value from individual attenuation curves and synchronizes it across devices, using a pseudo-synchronization approach to ensure consistent attenuation levels, thereby maintaining spatial perception.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If impulse noise suppression is implemented in each individual device independently, then impulse noise is reduced in each device, but interaural level differences fluctuate and spatial perception is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the impulse noise suppression operations of two independent hearing aid devices by introducing a synchronization mechanism. The master device generates a scalar limit value that is transmitted to the slave device, ensuring both devices apply consistent attenuation to impulse noise while preserving natural interaural level differences, thus maintaining spatial perception.
2Reliability
If precise frequency band synchronization is implemented between devices, then attenuation curves are synchronized, but device complexity and data transmission requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter representation from detailed frequency band-specific attenuation values to a single scalar limit value. This scalar value is sufficient to control the overall attenuation behavior for impulse noise suppression while significantly reducing data transmission requirements and synchronization complexity between devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The synchronization approach segments the problem by separating the master device (which generates the scalar limit value) from the slave device (which receives and applies it). This segmentation allows independent operation of each device while maintaining synchronized impulse noise suppression through minimal data exchange.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for operating a binaural hearing aid (2) with two individual devices (4a, 4b), wherein the individual devices (4a, 4b) each have at least one input transducer (10a, 10b) for receiving an acoustic signal and converting it into a multi-channel input signal (12a, 12b), an impulse noise suppressor (24a, 24b) for generating an attenuation curve (28a, 28b) for reducing impulse noise signal levels in the input signal (12a, 12b), an amplifier (26a, 26b) for multi-channel signal amplification of the input signal (12a, 12b) and generating an output signal (16a, 16b) based on the attenuation curve (28a, 28b), an output transducer (18a, 18b) for converting the output signal (16a, 16b) into an audio signal, and a transmitter and Receiving unit (22a, 22b) for signal coupling between the individual devices (4a, 4b), wherein in each individual device (4a, 4b) a scalar limit value (34a, 34b) is determined from the respective attenuation curve (28a, 28b),wherein the limit values (34a, 34b) are transmitted to the respective other individual device (4a, 4b), wherein a common limit value (36) is determined from the two limit values (34a, 34b), wherein the attenuation curves (28a, 28b) are limited by the common limit value (36), and wherein the signal gain is set on the basis of the limited attenuation curves (28a', 28b').