External Hearing Aid Configuration Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
The cumbersome and complex process of configuring hearing devices requires specialized personnel and environments, as users struggle to remember sound preferences over time due to the need for iterative evaluation of parameter settings.
Innovation Solution
An external configuration unit with a programming host, processing unit, interface, and playback device processes sound recordings with varying parameter settings, allowing users to compare and choose the best settings directly, bypassing the hearing device's internal processing and microphone, enabling independent configuration using a PC, mobile phone, or similar devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the hearing device uses iterative parameter evaluation through internal processing, then the user can compare different parameter settings, but the user cannot remember sound preferences over time and the process becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing sound recordings with different parameter settings using an external processing unit before playback. The external configuration unit generates multiple versions of the same sound recording, each processed with different parameter sets, and stores them for sequential playback during the fitting procedure. This allows the user to compare processed versions without the hearing device's internal processing, reducing the time needed for iterative evaluation while maintaining accurate sound preference assessment.
2Ease of operation
If the hearing device processes sounds internally through its microphone and processing unit, then the device can evaluate parameter settings, but specialized personnel and fitting rooms are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sound processing function from the hearing device and relocates it to an external configuration unit. The external processing unit handles all parameter processing of sound recordings, and the processed sounds are played back through the hearing device's receiver without passing through the internal microphone and processing unit. This extraction enables users to independently configure their hearing devices using common devices like PCs or mobile phones, eliminating the need for specialized personnel and fitting rooms while reducing the complexity of the configuration process.
3Measurement precision
If the fitting procedure uses pre-recorded sounds played through audio devices, then the user can evaluate parameter settings, but environmental disturbances affect the evaluation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using the hearing device's own receiver as the playback medium instead of external audio devices. The processed sound recordings are fed directly into the receiver, which plays them back in the user's ear canal. This eliminates environmental noise interference that would affect evaluation when using external audio devices like stereos or CD players, as the sound is delivered directly to the user's ear without being subject to room acoustics or background disturbances.
4Manufacturing precision
If the configuration process requires multiple parameter adjustments and evaluations, then the best parameter set can be determined, but the process becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by creating multiple copies of the same sound recording, each processed with different parameter settings by the external processing unit. Instead of requiring the user to evaluate different original recordings or undergo multiple fitting sessions, the system generates processed copies that can be sequentially played back and compared. This allows comprehensive parameter optimization to be achieved in a single fitting session, significantly improving configuration efficiency while maintaining the accuracy needed to determine the best parameter set.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a system and a method for configuring a hearing device by means of an external configuration unit, the hearing device comprising a microphone, an A/D-converter, a processing unit with a memory, a D/A-converter and a receiver, the external configuration unit comprising a programming host, an external processing unit, an interface and a playing device, the method including the steps of processing a sound recording from the playing device with a parameter setting externally, feeding the processed sound recording to the receiver of the hearing device via the interface and the D/A-converter, emitting the processed sound recording through the receiver, repeating steps a) to c) with varying parameter settings until a match between the quality of the signal and the requirements of the user is reached, and transmitting and storing the chosen parameter setting in the memory of the hearing device.