Headphones with Sensor Feedback for Hearing Personalization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard audio headphones fail to account for individual differences in hearing, leading to suboptimal sound reproduction for users with varying hearing sensitivities, as they are not designed to adapt based on audiometric information.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating sensors and a signal processing module in headphones that measure user responses to audio stimuli, allowing for real-time adjustments to compensate for hearing differences, thereby personalizing the audio signal to simulate ideal or desired hearing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard audio headphones are used, then the device complexity is low, but the adaptability to individual hearing characteristics is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies feedback by incorporating sensors (microphones, EEG sensors, or acoustic sensors) that detect the user's auditory response to audio stimuli. The system uses this feedback information to automatically adjust and personalize the audio output signal, creating a closed-loop system that adapts to individual hearing characteristics without requiring manual user input.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically measuring and adapting to the user's hearing profile without requiring manual equalization adjustments. The sensor-based system autonomously characterizes the user's hearing characteristics and generates personalized audio signals, eliminating the need for users to manually adjust equalization settings.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual equalization controls are provided, then the ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability based on actual audiometric information is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensor feedback (acoustic, EEG, or other auditory response measurements) to automatically characterize the user's hearing profile. This feedback mechanism enables the system to adapt to actual audiometric information without requiring users to manually adjust equalization controls, thus maintaining ease of operation while improving adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/manual equalization system with an automated sensor-based system. Instead of requiring users to manually adjust equalization controls, the system uses sensors to detect auditory responses and automatically generates personalized audio signals, substituting manual operation with automated measurement and processing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If sensors and signal processing are added to headphones, then the personalization capability is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a multi-functional sensor system that can measure various types of auditory responses (acoustic emissions, EEG signals, or other sensory data) to characterize hearing characteristics. This universal sensor approach enables the same hardware to serve multiple measurement purposes, improving personalization capability while managing manufacturing complexity through shared components.
Data Source
AI summary
Technology presented herein increases a user's enjoyment of sound by personalizing an audio signal so that the user perceives the audio signal as if the user had ideal hearing and/or desired hearing. In one embodiment, headphones on a user's head include a sensor and a speaker. While the speaker plays an audio signal to the user, the sensor records the user's response to the audio signal. The sensor can be a microphone, a brainwave sensor, an EEG sensor, etc. The user's response can be the audio response inside the user's ear, the brainwave response associated with the user, electrical skin response associated with the user, etc. Based on the measured response, and based on the knowledge of how other people perceive sound, the audio signal is modified to compensate for the difference between the user's hearing and the ideal hearing and/or desired hearing, therefore increasing the user's enjoyment of sound.