Hearing Aid Tinnitus Frequency Inversion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current hearing aids fail to effectively address tinnitus and provide enhanced speech and sound intelligibility, particularly for individuals with hearing loss, as they do not adequately mitigate tinnitus sensations and often distort the ear's natural pressure system.

Innovation Solution

A hearing aid with electronic signal processors programmed for individual ear sound ranges and tinnitus frequencies, capable of amplifying or inversely amplifying sound at tinnitus frequencies, and featuring modes to suppress ambient noise, paired with smart devices for distributed computing and user control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If hearing aids amplify sound across all frequencies to compensate for hearing loss, then overall sound volume is improved, but tinnitus sensations are exacerbated and speech intelligibility is reduced due to amplifying unwanted frequencies

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesound amplification effectivenessVSAvoidtinnitus sensation and speech intelligibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The hearing aid applies different amplification characteristics to different frequency ranges. Specifically, it provides gain in qualified sound ranges (where the user has hearing loss) while providing 0 dB gain at tinnitus frequencies. This localized differentiation allows the device to amplify needed frequencies without exacerbating tinnitus or amplifying unwanted sounds that would reduce speech intelligibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of uniformly amplifying all frequencies to compensate for hearing loss, the invention inverts the approach by selectively suppressing amplification at tinnitus frequencies (setting gain to 0 dB) while maintaining amplification in qualified sound ranges. This inverted strategy prevents tinnitus exacerbation while still providing beneficial amplification where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If hearing aids use broad-spectrum amplification to improve overall hearing, then volume is increased, but speech intelligibility deteriorates due to amplification of ambient noise and non-speech sounds

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehearing assistance effectivenessVSAvoidspeech intelligibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The hearing aid implements frequency-selective processing where different amplification strategies are applied to different frequency bands. Speech frequencies within qualified ranges receive appropriate gain, while non-speech frequencies and ambient noise frequencies receive reduced or no amplification. This localized quality control preserves speech intelligibility while providing hearing assistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The frequency spectrum is segmented into qualified sound ranges and non-qualified ranges (including tinnitus frequencies and ambient noise frequencies). The device processes these segments differently, applying amplification only to qualified ranges and suppressing or leaving unchanged the non-qualified ranges, thereby separating speech enhancement from noise amplification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Object-affected harmful factors

If hearing aids amplify tinnitus frequencies to mask the sensation, then tinnitus perception is reduced, but natural sound quality is distorted and speech intelligibility is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetinnitus sensationVSAvoidsound quality and speech intelligibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of amplifying tinnitus frequencies to mask the sensation (conventional approach), the invention inverts the strategy by applying 0 dB gain at tinnitus frequencies. This prevents further exacerbation of tinnitus while avoiding distortion of natural sound quality. The inversion approach recognizes that additional amplification at these frequencies harms overall sound quality and speech intelligibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention converts the harmful effect of tinnitus frequency amplification into a benefit by deliberately setting gain to 0 dB at these frequencies. This prevents tinnitus exacerbation and maintains natural sound quality, turning what would normally be a harmful amplification into a beneficial suppression that protects overall hearing quality.

Inventive Principle:

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

Data Source

PatentUS20210306769A1Hearing Aid and Method for Use of Same

Publication Date: 2021.09.30 CHIMNEY ROCK INNOVATIONS LLC

AI summary

A hearing aid and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the hearing aid includes a body having various electronic components contained therein, including an electronic signal processor that is programmed with a respective left ear qualified sound range and a right ear qualified sound range. Each of the left ear qualified sound range and the right ear qualified sound range may be a range of sound corresponding to a preferred hearing range of an ear of the patient. The electronic signal processor is also programmed with a tinnitus frequency which is a range of sound corresponding to a sensation of tinnitus in the ear of the patient. Sound received at the hearing aid is converted to the qualified sound range prior to output with the output amplified at 0 dB at the tinnitus frequency or an inverse amplitude signal applied at the tinnitus frequency.