Hearing Aid Signal Processing with High Band Attenuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hearing aid processing techniques for broadband audio signals from television sets and optical disk players suffer from excessive bandwidth, leading to inadequate amplification of low-frequency signals and degradation of sound quality due to compression encoding, particularly affecting elderly listeners who require hearing assistance.
Innovation Solution
A signal processing device incorporating a high band attenuation filter to reduce high-frequency components and a hearing aid processor that performs precise hearing aid processing, along with a compression encoder that assigns more bits to the target frequency bandwidth for hearing aid processing, ensuring high-quality sound reproduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If hearing aid processing is applied to broadband audio signals from television sets, then small amplitude signals are amplified, but high frequency components obstruct the amplification of low frequency signals that should be amplified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the broadband audio signal into multiple frequency bands using band separation filters. The hearing aid processor then processes each frequency band independently, allowing precise amplification of low frequency signals (below 10kHz) without interference from high frequency components (above 10kHz). This segmentation resolves the contradiction by isolating the harmful high frequency signals from the processing of beneficial low frequency signals.
2Productivity
If compression encoding is applied to broadband signals, then transmission efficiency is improved, but sound quality degrades due to insufficient bit assignment in target bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different encoding parameters to different frequency bands. In the target bandwidth for hearing aid processing (below 10kHz), a higher number of bits are assigned to maintain high sound quality. In higher frequency bands, fewer bits are assigned since these signals do not require hearing aid processing. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing bit allocation according to the specific requirements of each frequency band.
3Adaptability or versatility
If default sounds are output from speakers and hearing aid processed sounds from headphones, then elderly persons receive appropriate sound, but additional equipment and complexity are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the hearing aid processing function with the existing television set and audio output system. The processing unit integrates with the speaker system, allowing hearing aid processed sounds to be output from the same speakers as default sounds. This merging eliminates the need for separate headphone equipment while maintaining the adaptability to provide hearing aid processing, thus resolving the contradiction between versatility and device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A signal processing device, comprising a high band attenuation filter which attenuates a signal component in a bandwidth of frequency higher than at least a predetermined frequency in an audio signal that is input, and a hearing aid processor which performs hearing aid processing on a signal output from the high band attenuation filter, wherein the predetermined frequency is determined according to the upper limit of a target bandwidth of frequency for hearing aid.