Binaural Hearing System Power Optimization via Selective Beam-Forming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current binaural hearing systems face challenges in practicality due to high power consumption, processing power requirements, and lack of robustness in binaural beam-forming methods, leading to difficulties in acoustical localization and signal orientation.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where the dependency of input signals from one ear's speaker arrangement is established from the output signals of the same ear's microphone arrangement, with reduced dependency from the contra-lateral microphone arrangement, optimizing signal processing to conserve power and processing resources, and utilizing natural beam-forming abilities to enhance signal-to-noise ratios without additional technical beam-forming in specific directional ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If full binaural beam-forming with cross-communication between hearing devices is implemented, then acoustical localization and signal orientation are improved, but power consumption and processing requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the binaural beam-forming processing into different operational modes: monaural processing for each ear independently, and binaural processing with cross-communication only when needed. This segmentation allows the system to achieve accurate acoustical localization through selective binaural processing rather than continuous full binaural beam-forming, thereby reducing overall power consumption and processing requirements while maintaining localization precision when required.
2Measurement precision
If full binaural beam-forming with cross-communication between hearing devices is implemented, then acoustical localization and signal orientation are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic switching between monaural and binaural processing modes based on acoustic environment analysis and signal characteristics. The system adaptively activates cross-communication and binaural beam-forming only when beneficial for localization, rather than maintaining fixed complex binaural processing architecture always active. This dynamic approach reduces effective device complexity while preserving acoustical localization precision in relevant scenarios.
3Device complexity
If monaural beam-forming is performed separately at each hearing device, then processing is simpler and power consumption is lower, but complete loss of acoustical orientation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces cross-communication between hearing devices as an intermediary mechanism that enables binaural beam-forming processing. Through this intermediary communication channel, each device can exchange audio signals and processing information, allowing the system to achieve accurate acoustical orientation and localization by combining inputs from both ears in a coordinated manner, while still maintaining the option for simpler monaural processing when full binaural processing is not required.
Data Source
AI summary
So as to put binaural beam-forming into practice selected acoustical situations are dealt with having minimum processing power and power consumption ability at a binaural hearing system. For near-to-ear acoustical sources the contra-lateral (7L) as well as the ipsi-lateral (7R) output electrical-to-mechanical converters of two hearing devices of the binaural hearing system are operated substantially exclusively in dependency from the output signal of the one ipsi-lateral input acoustical-to-electrical converter arrangement (3R).