Hearing Aid Context Adaptation from Wearer Interaction Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing devices often fail to deliver optimal sound for a particular wearer in specific situations, requiring manual intervention by the user, which can be inconvenient and may result in a sub-optimal hearing experience.
Innovation Solution
A hearing system that detects wearer interactions and contextual information to automatically adjust device operations, such as sound output, feature activation, or recommended changes, without direct user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual intervention is required to adjust hearing device settings, then the wearer can customize the device to their preferences, but the convenience and ease of operation deteriorates due to the need for frequent manual adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing device automatically monitors wearer interactions (such as volume adjustments) and autonomously adapts its settings based on detected patterns, eliminating the need for manual intervention while maintaining customization. The device serves itself by learning from user behavior and automatically optimizing parameters like gain, noise reduction, and program selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors wearer interactions and device performance, using this feedback to automatically adjust settings. When the device detects that manual adjustments are made frequently in certain situations, it learns from this feedback and automatically adapts its behavior in similar situations, improving convenience while preserving adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the hearing device operates with fixed settings, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to different situations and user preferences deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing device pre-configures multiple programs and settings optimized for different situations (e.g., quiet, noisy, music environments). The automatic adaptation system selects and switches between these pre-configured programs based on detected context, providing adaptability without requiring the wearer to understand or manage the underlying complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The hearing device divides its operation into distinct programs or modes, each optimized for specific situations. The system segments the complex adaptability task into manageable predefined states, automatically transitioning between them based on environmental and interaction context, thereby maintaining adaptability while simplifying the user experience.
3Ease of operation
If automatic adaptation is implemented based on wearer interactions, then the ease of operation improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing device uses its existing microphones and audio processing pathways for multiple purposes: both for their primary function of sound amplification and for detecting wearer interactions such as volume adjustments. This multi-functionality allows the system to implement automatic adaptation without adding dedicated sensors, thereby improving ease of operation while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A hearing system comprises a hearing device configured to be worn by a wearer, the hearing device comprising one or more microphones, an acoustic transducer, audio circuitry coupled to the one or more microphones and the acoustic transducer, and a controller coupled to the audio circuitry. The controller is configured to detect a wearer interaction with the hearing device, determine a context of the wearer's use of the hearing device, obtain user data for groups of a population of hearing device users based on user interaction with, and context of use of, the users' hearing devices, determine an operational change to the hearing device based on the wearer interaction, the context, and the user data that corresponds to the wearer's interaction and context, and apply the operational change to the hearing device.