Hearing Aid Audio Source Tracking via Camera Beamforming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing aids are limited by a fixed directional reception, causing audio from other sources to be delayed or missed when the user turns away, such as during conversations.
Innovation Solution
A device with a processor, camera, and microphone that identifies sound sources and performs beamforming to provide audio from the targeted source, even when the user turns their head, using image and sound input to adjust audio presentation accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hearing aids use fixed directional reception, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of audio reception deteriorates when the user turns away from the sound source
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing aid system dynamically adjusts the beam direction based on real-time camera tracking of the sound source. The microphone array switches from a fixed directional pattern to a dynamically steerable beam that follows the user's line of sight, resolving the contradiction between fixed simplicity and adaptive reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical head movement requirements with an electronic/optical system combining camera-based sound source identification and electronic beamforming. This substitution allows the hearing aid to maintain reliable audio reception without requiring the user to physically reposition their head, addressing the reliability issue while managing complexity through integrated sensor processing
2Adaptability or versatility
If hearing aids require fixed head position for optimal audio reception, then the ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to user movement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing aid system performs self-adjustment by automatically tracking the sound source through camera input and reorienting the audio beam accordingly. This eliminates the need for user intervention to maintain optimal positioning, providing adaptability to movement while preserving ease of operation through automated control
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses camera feedback to continuously monitor the user's line of sight and adjusts the beamforming parameters in real-time. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the hearing aid to adapt to user movement automatically, maintaining conversational audio quality without requiring the user to consciously adjust their head position
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures continuous and clear audio from the intended source, such as a conversational partner, without interruption or delay, even when the user looks away.
Implementation Method 1
execute beamforming and provide audio at a hearing aid comprising sound from the source
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a device includes a processor, at least one camera accessible to the processor, and memory accessible to the processor. The memory bears instructions executable by the processor to identify, at least in part based on input from the at least one camera, a source of sound. The instructions are also executable to, based at toast in part on input from at least one microphone, execute beamforming and provide audio at a hearing aid comprising sound from the source.