EEG-Based Annoyance Judgment for Hearing Aid Fitting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hearing aid fitting methods do not adequately assess user annoyance during speech sound listening, leading to potential discomfort and fatigue, as they focus solely on speech sound intelligibility without considering annoyance levels.
Innovation Solution
An annoyance judgment system that measures electroencephalogram signals to determine the peak latency of negative components in response to speech sounds, comparing it to reference latencies to assess user annoyance, allowing for adjustments to improve comfort during hearing aid use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If hearing aid amplification is increased to improve speech sound intelligibility, then aural distinction ability is improved, but user annoyance increases and comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system measures the user's electroencephalogram signals in real-time and uses this feedback to automatically adjust the hearing aid amplification levels. By continuously monitoring brain wave responses and comparing them against reference values, the system dynamically optimizes amplification to maintain speech intelligibility while preventing user annoyance, thus resolving the contradiction between improved hearing and comfort.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If hearing aid amplification is decreased to reduce user annoyance, then comfort is improved, but speech sound intelligibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses real-time electroencephalogram monitoring to detect when speech intelligibility is deteriorating and automatically increases amplification only to the extent needed to maintain understanding, thereby improving comfort without sacrificing speech intelligibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes amplification parameters based on measured brain wave responses, adjusting frequency-specific gain levels to optimize both comfort and intelligibility according to the user's real-time physiological state.
3Measurement precision
If traditional fitting methods are used to adjust amplification, then speech sound intelligibility is improved, but assessment of user comfort and annoyance is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces electroencephalogram signals as an intermediary measurement that objectively reflects user comfort and annoyance states. By measuring brain wave responses, the system gains access to physiological information about user experience that traditional subjective questionnaires cannot provide, enabling comprehensive assessment of both intelligibility and comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces traditional subjective comfort assessment methods with objective physiological measurement using electroencephalogram technology, substituting mechanical/questionnaire-based evaluation with biological signal analysis to obtain accurate user comfort data.
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 effectively evaluates user annoyance in speech sound listening, enabling more precise fitting adjustments to reduce discomfort and prevent hearing aid-related fatigue, enhancing the overall user experience.
Implementation Method 1
an electroencephalogram measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram of the user
Data Source
AI summary
An annoyance judgment system includes: a biological signal measurement section configured to measure an electroencephalogram signal of a user; a database retaining a plurality of monosyllabic speech sounds such that, for each speech sound, the speech sound and a reference latency of an electroencephalogram negative component corresponding to the speech sound are retained in association; a presented-speech sound determination section configured to determine a monosyllabic speech sound to be presented by referring to the database; and an annoyance judgment section configured to judge annoyance of the output speech sound by comparing a peak latency of a negative component of the electroencephalogram signal in a range from 50 ms to 350 ms from a starting point, the a starting point being a point in time at which the determined speech sound is presented, against the reference latency corresponding to the determined speech sound that is retained in the database.