Contralateral Hearing Interference Reduction via SNR Comparison
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing assistance devices often struggle to effectively manage signal-to-noise ratios between two ears, leading to interference and reduced speech intelligibility in noisy environments, particularly for individuals with contralateral interference.
Innovation Solution
A hearing device system with first and second hearing devices, each equipped with a microphone to sense acoustic waves and convert them into audio signals. A controller determines and compares the signal-to-noise ratios of both audio signals, modifying the receiver signal based on the difference to enhance listening by prioritizing the better ear and reducing interference from the non-preferred ear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If both hearing devices process and output audio signals from both ears, then comprehensive audio information is provided, but contralateral interference increases and speech intelligibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and removes the contralateral audio signal from the processing pipeline. The controller identifies which ear has the better signal-to-noise ratio and suppresses or eliminates the audio signal from the non-preferred ear, preventing it from interfering with the preferred ear's signal. This extraction of harmful interference directly improves speech intelligibility by removing the source of contralateral interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potentially harmful contralateral signal into a beneficial indicator for determining preferred ear status. By analyzing the signal-to-noise ratio of both ears, the system uses the contralateral signal characteristics to identify which ear provides better audio quality, then leverages this information to selectively process only the preferred ear's signal, transforming the harmful interference problem into a useful detection mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If the system processes audio signals from both ears equally, then binaural processing is maintained, but listening effort increases due to interference management
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and eliminates the need for complex interference management by removing the contralateral signal before it can cause interference. Instead of processing both signals and then managing interference, the system identifies the preferred ear and processes only that signal, significantly reducing listening effort while maintaining manageable processing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the conventional approach of processing both ear signals and then managing interference, the system inverts the approach by selectively processing only the preferred ear's signal from the outset. This inversion simplifies the processing pipeline and reduces listening effort by avoiding the need to manage contralateral interference in the first place.
3Loss of information
If signal processing includes both ears, then audio coverage is maximized, but speech intelligibility is reduced in noisy environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and removes the contralateral audio signal that contributes to interference in noisy environments. By eliminating the signal from the non-preferred ear, the system reduces the total quantity of audio signals processed while improving speech intelligibility, as the remaining preferred ear signal is free from contralateral interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different quality standards to different ear signals by identifying which ear provides superior audio quality (higher signal-to-noise ratio) and selectively processing only that signal. This local quality assessment allows the system to maximize speech intelligibility by focusing resources on the higher-quality signal rather than processing both signals equally.
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
The system improves speech intelligibility and reduces listening effort by dynamically adjusting the receiver signal to favor the ear with the better signal-to-noise ratio, thereby mitigating contralateral interference and enhancing overall listening comfort in noisy environments.
Implementation Method 1
a microphone configured to sense acoustic waves from an environment of the wearer and convert such waves to a first audio signal
Implementation Method 2
a receiver configured to be in fluid communication with the first ear or the second ear, and output acoustic energy based on a receiver signal
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of a hearing device system are disclosed. The system includes a first hearing device, a second hearing device, and a receiver operatively coupled to one or both of the first hearing device and the second hearing device. The system further includes a controller configured to provide a receiver signal to the receiver based on at least one of a first audio signal received from the first hearing device or a second audio signal received from the second hearing device, determine a first signal to noise ratio of the first audio signal, and determine a second signal to noise ratio of the second audio signal. The controller is further configured to compare the first signal to noise ratio and the second signal to noise ratio, and modify the receiver signal based on a difference between the first signal to noise ratio and the second signal to noise ratio.