Hearing Device Feedback-Canceller Analysis for Ear-Canal Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing devices, particularly hearing aids, often require physiological fitting by audiologists, which is not always accessible, leading to challenges in proper positioning and user experience, especially for those purchasing devices without professional assistance.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a feedback canceller to retrieve data representing the acoustic feedback path, applying data manipulation steps, and inputting the data to a neural network to determine proper or improper positioning of the hearing device within the ear canal, providing user feedback for correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If hearing devices require physiological fitting by audiologists, then positioning accuracy is improved, but accessibility and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing device automatically detects its own positioning status within the ear canal using internal sensors and algorithms, eliminating the need for external audiologist intervention. The device self-evaluates insertion depth and orientation, providing automated feedback to guide the user for proper positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback to the user about the positioning status of the hearing device. Through visual, auditory, or haptic feedback mechanisms, the device communicates whether it is properly positioned or needs adjustment, enabling users to achieve correct positioning without professional assistance.
2Measurement precision
If data processing is performed without data reduction, then measurement precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the most relevant features from the raw sensor data that are necessary for positioning determination. By identifying and processing only the critical parameters (such as key acceleration components or orientation angles) rather than all available data, the computational load and energy consumption are significantly reduced while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs partial processing of the data stream, focusing computational resources on the specific aspects of data that most strongly indicate positioning status. Rather than comprehensively analyzing all possible parameters, the system applies targeted processing to the most informative subset of data, achieving sufficient precision with lower energy cost.
Data Source
AI summary
A signal processor of a hearing device has a feedback canceller for determining and, if present, canceling feedback. A method of operating the hearing device includes retrieving for a predetermined sample period a set of data of the feedback canceller that represents an acoustic feedback path between the speaker and the microphone; reducing an amount of the data within the set of data; applying a denoising step to the set of data; generating a representative set that is representative for the data within the set; inputting the representative set to a neural network that is trained to retrieve from the input data a measure indicating proper or improper positioning of the hearing device within the ear canal; and issuing a notice to a user of the hearing device at least when the measure indicates an improper positioning.