Hearing Aid Bit Error Concealment for Low-Power Wireless Audio

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Solution Overview

Problem

Hearing aids face challenges in receiving wireless audio signals due to limited processing power and battery capacity, leading to bit-errors and audible artefacts, with conventional error-correcting mechanisms being impractical.

Innovation Solution

A method for hearing aids that includes performing an error check on audio frames, determining difference values between expected and observed histogram values, and enabling rendering only if a fitness value satisfies a criterion, allowing frames with tolerable bit-errors to be rendered, while falling back to packet loss concealment for frames with excessive errors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If error-correcting mechanisms (FEC) are implemented to improve audio quality, then reliability of audio reception is improved, but processing power and battery consumption exceed available resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio reception reliabilityVSAvoidprocessing power

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial error correction by performing error checks on received audio frames and selectively correcting only those frames that fail error checks but show potential for recovery through histogram analysis. This partial approach provides better audio quality than complete packet loss concealment while consuming far less power than full FEC implementation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses self-service by leveraging the statistical properties of encoded audio data itself (histogram distributions) to detect and correct errors, rather than relying on external error correction codes. The audio data's own structure is used to identify and repair corrupted frames.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If error checks are performed on all audio frames to improve audio quality, then reliability is improved, but processing time and battery consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio frame accuracyVSAvoidbattery power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Error checks are performed selectively rather than universally. The system performs error checks on frames that fail initial reception and applies histogram-based correction only when appropriate, avoiding the energy cost of exhaustive error checking and correction on every frame.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses lightweight histogram calculations as a disposable, low-cost verification method that can be quickly computed and discarded. These simple statistical checks provide error detection capability without the heavy computational burden of full error correction algorithms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Productivity

If all received audio frames are rendered to maintain continuous audio output, then productivity is improved, but audio quality deteriorates due to rendering frames with bit-errors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio processing throughputVSAvoidaudio quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback through histogram analysis of received frames. By comparing expected histogram distributions against actual received frame histograms, the system can identify corrupted frames and apply selective correction, providing quality control without blocking audio processing flow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter being monitored from binary error check results to continuous histogram distribution metrics. This allows for nuanced decision-making about frame rendering, correcting frames with minor errors while rejecting those with severe corruption, thereby maintaining both throughput and quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Stability of the object's composition

If packet loss concealment is used to mask lost audio frames, then audio continuity is maintained, but audible artefacts occur due to masking rather than proper reconstruction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio stream continuityVSAvoidaudio quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of bit-errors into a beneficial opportunity for selective correction. By analyzing histogram deviations caused by errors, the system identifies which frames can be corrected and which should be concealed, transforming error conditions into actionable information for quality maintenance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS20250380093A1Hearing aid and method of performing bit error concealment

Publication Date: 2025.12.11 OTICON

AI summary

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a hearing aid configured to receive a wireless signal including a succession of frames including a first frame including first encoded audio samples, and determine a first codec, perform an error check based on the first frame, and in accordance with a determination that the first frame fails to pass the error check, perform a test.