Hearing Aid Adaptive Start Values for User Preferences
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing aids often require frequent adjustments due to incorrect volume settings in individual hearing situations, as they are initially calibrated in artificial environments, leading to bothersome re-calibration needs and user inconvenience, especially with multiple hearing programs.
Innovation Solution
A method for a hearing aid that automatically adjusts and stores start values for parameters like volume based on user interactions and signal analysis, using a non-volatile memory to preserve settings, allowing for automatic fine customization over time by averaging changes, ensuring settings align with user preferences and habits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If default settings are stored in non-volatile memory and automatically loaded upon startup, then the hearing aid operates consistently with previously optimized settings, but the settings cannot adapt to changes in user preferences or hearing situations over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adaptation by allowing the hearing aid to automatically adjust default settings based on detected changes in user preferences and hearing situations. The system transitions from static default values to dynamic settings that evolve over time through automated learning from user interactions and environmental analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The hearing aid performs self-customization by automatically analyzing user interactions and hearing situations to determine optimal parameter values. The system serves itself by learning from usage patterns and environmental data, eliminating the need for manual reconfiguration by the user while adapting to changing preferences.
2Ease of operation
If manual volume controls are provided on the hearing aid or via remote control, then users can correct volume settings for specific hearing situations, but the corrected settings are lost after the hearing aid is turned off and must be re-adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms that automatically detect and learn from user volume adjustments and hearing situation changes. This feedback loop enables the hearing aid to retain corrected settings across power cycles by updating its memory with new preferred values, eliminating the need for manual re-adjustment after each use.
Solution Approach 2:
The hearing aid performs preliminary learning of user preferences and optimal settings during normal operation before the user needs to use it again. By continuously analyzing usage patterns and environmental conditions, the system prepares and stores optimized default settings in advance, so that when the device is restarted, the correct settings are already in place without requiring user intervention.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple hearing programs with different parameter settings are provided, then the hearing aid can be customized to different hearing situations, but managing and switching between multiple sets of settings increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing aid automatically manages multiple hearing programs by analyzing the current hearing situation and selecting the most appropriate pre-configured program or generating new customized settings. The system self-navigates through the complexity of multiple parameter sets without requiring manual intervention, reducing the cognitive load on the user while maintaining access to diverse hearing optimization options.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements automated parameter adjustment based on detected hearing situations and user preferences. Instead of requiring manual switching between multiple programs, the system automatically modifies relevant parameters such as volume, frequency response, and directional characteristics to match the current acoustic environment, simplifying the user experience while maintaining program diversity.
Data Source
AI summary
Fine customization of a hearing aid to the individual hearing environments and habits of a user are to be simplified and improved. To this end, when the hearing aid is turned on or when the hearing aid is switched to a particular operating mode, neither the value most recently valid for the parameter prior to turning off or switching to a different operating mode nor the parameter value transferred to the hearing aid at the beginning of programming is set. Rather, from the changes to the value of the parameter taking place during operation of the hearing aid a new start value is ascertained and stored, which value is then set automatically after turning on or switching mode.