Hearing Aid RF Phase Reference for Spatial Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Binaural hearing assistance systems struggle to provide accurate spatial information about sound sources, leading to difficulties in localizing sounds for hearing-impaired individuals due to unsynchronized clocks, low signal-to-noise ratios, reverberation, and multiple sound sources, which affects the reliability and robustness of angular localization estimation.
Innovation Solution
The system uses the RF audio signal as a phase reference to determine the interaural phase difference between hearing devices, eliminating the need for audio signal exchange and reducing data transmission, while incorporating interaural audio signal level and RF signal differences to enhance the stability and robustness of angular localization estimation against reverberation and background noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If audio signals are exchanged between hearing devices to determine interaural phase difference, then spatial localization accuracy is improved, but data transmission requirements and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential phase difference information from the full audio signals and transmits this condensed data between hearing devices. By taking out only the necessary phase information rather than transmitting complete audio streams, the system achieves accurate interaural phase difference determination while significantly reducing data transmission requirements and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a simplified representation (copy) of the audio signal containing only phase difference information rather than transmitting the complete original signal. This copying approach allows the hearing devices to work with reduced data while maintaining the essential information needed for spatial localization, thereby reducing energy consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If binaural processing is used to provide spatial information, then sound localization capability is improved, but system complexity and synchronization difficulties increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary synchronization mechanism that coordinates the timing and phase information exchange between hearing devices. This intermediary layer handles the complexity of synchronization automatically, allowing the hearing devices to perform binaural processing for sound localization without the users needing to manually manage synchronization issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where hearing devices continuously monitor and adjust their phase information based on received signals from the other device. This feedback loop automatically compensates for synchronization variations, maintaining accurate spatial localization while managing the complexity of coordinated operation between multiple devices.
3Reliability
If audio signals from wireless microphone are transmitted to both ears, then signal-to-noise ratio is improved, but spatial information is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different signal processing qualities to different spatial channels. While maintaining the high signal-to-noise ratio through wireless microphone transmission to both ears, the system introduces localized phase and amplitude modifications specific to each ear's spatial position. This allows the system to preserve the reliability of the wireless signal while adding back the necessary spatial information through localized processing adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a hearing assistance system, comprising a transmission unit comprising a microphone arrangement for capturing audio signals from a voice of a speaker using the transmission unit and being adapted to transmit the audio signals as radio frequency signal via a wireless RF link; a left ear hearing device and a right ear hearing device, each hearing device being adapted to stimulate the user's hearing and to receive an RF signal from the transmission unit via the wireless RF link and comprising a microphone arrangement for capturing audio signals from ambient sound.