BTE-Referenced Ear Canal Movement Separation in Hearing Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for separating ear canal wall movements from sensor data in hearing devices are processing-intensive and unreliable, leading to delays and inaccuracies in identifying intrinsic ear canal movements, which are crucial for timely activation of hearing device functions.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing BTE housing movement data to correlate and separate ear canal wall movements from sensor data, reducing processing intensity and improving reliability by employing BTE housing movement data to distinguish between ear canal wall movements relative to the BTE housing and other user movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing methods are used to separate ear canal wall movements from sensor data, then separation of movements is achieved, but processing intensity is high and reliability is low
Solution Approach 1:
The method segments the sensor data into two distinct components: ear canal wall movements and other user movements. By using BTE housing movement data as a reference, the system separates these components through correlation analysis, allowing independent processing of each movement type. This segmentation reduces the complexity of analyzing mixed sensor data while improving the reliability of identifying intrinsic ear canal movements.
Solution Approach 2:
BTE housing movement data serves as an intermediary reference signal in the separation process. The method correlates this intermediary data with the ear canal sensor data to identify and remove components related to head movements, thereby isolating the intrinsic ear canal wall movements. This intermediary approach simplifies the separation task compared to direct analysis of the complex sensor data alone.
2Productivity
If existing methods are used to separate ear canal wall movements from sensor data, then separation is achieved, but delays occur in identifying intrinsic ear canal movements
Solution Approach 1:
The method performs preliminary correlation analysis between BTE housing movement data and ear canal sensor data to pre-identify the relationship between head movements and ear canal sensor signals. By establishing this correlation in advance, the system can quickly separate intrinsic ear canal movements from head movement artifacts during actual operation, reducing processing delays and enabling faster activation of hearing device functions.
3Measurement precision
If existing methods are used to separate ear canal wall movements from sensor data, then separation is attempted, but inaccuracies occur in identifying intrinsic ear canal movements
Solution Approach 1:
The method uses feedback from BTE housing movement data to continuously refine the separation of ear canal wall movements from sensor data. By correlating the reference movement data with the sensor data and using this information to adjust the separation process, the system improves measurement precision and reliability of identifying intrinsic ear canal movements, reducing inaccuracies in the movement classification.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of processing sensor data generated in a hearing device is disclosed, the hearing device comprising a BTE housing configured to be worn behind an ear of a user and an ITE housing configured to be at least partially inserted into an ear canal of the ear. The method may include receiving, from a movement sensor included in the BTE housing, BTE housing movement data indicative of movements of the BTE housing; receiving, from an ear canal sensor included in the ITE housing, ear canal sensor data affected by movements of an ear canal wall, characterized by determining a correlation between the BTE housing movement data and at least part of the ear canal sensor data; and separating, based on the correlation, information about movements of the ear canal wall relative to the BTE housing from at least part of the ear canal sensor data.