Hearing Benefit Notification Using Acoustic Object Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
First-time hearing device users, particularly those with mild to moderate hearing loss, struggle to understand the benefits of aided hearing due to limited auditory memory and difficulty in comparing aided and unaided experiences, as well as variability in real-life listening situations.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilizes a hearing device and a mobile device to detect acoustic objects, estimate perception magnitude values, and notify users of hearing benefits by comparing current and reference audio processing profiles, allowing for switching between profiles when a predefined threshold is exceeded.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users with mild to moderate hearing loss use a hearing device, then their hearing benefit is improved in some situations, but they cannot easily imagine or compare how they would hear unaided versus aided
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary classification of the acoustic environment and pre-calculates perception magnitude values for both current and reference audio processing profiles before user comparison. This allows users to directly experience the difference between aided and unaided hearing in relevant situations without having to mentally reconstruct unaided hearing, resolving the contradiction by preparing the comparison data in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary mechanism (perception magnitude value calculation and notification system) that objectively quantifies and communicates the hearing benefit to the user. Instead of relying on the user's limited auditory memory to compare aided and unaided hearing, the system acts as a mediator that provides concrete feedback about the improvement, thus resolving the contradiction between hearing benefit and comparison capability.
2Reliability
If the hearing device processes all sound signals continuously, then hearing benefit is maintained, but users cannot identify specific situations where benefit is especially improved
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism that notifies users when a significant hearing benefit is detected in the current acoustic situation. By calculating perception magnitude values and comparing them against thresholds, the system provides selective feedback about when and where the hearing device is most effective, preventing information loss about perception opportunities while maintaining continuous processing for hearing benefit.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and highlights only the most relevant perception information - specifically, situations where the hearing benefit exceeds a predefined threshold. Instead of presenting all processed sound information to the user, the system takes out and emphasizes only the most beneficial perception opportunities, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining continuous hearing benefit and preventing perception information loss.
3Measurement precision
If the system calculates perception magnitude values for all audio processing profiles, then accurate hearing benefit information is provided, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by calculating perception magnitude values only when necessary - specifically, when comparing current and reference audio processing profiles in classified acoustic situations. Rather than continuously calculating for all possible profiles, the system performs calculations selectively based on acoustic classification and threshold conditions, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and processing complexity by doing just enough computation to provide accurate hearing benefit information.
Data Source
AI summary
A method informs a user of a hearing device about a current hearing benefit with the hearing device. The method is performed by a hearing system including the hearing device, which is worn by the user. The method includes: acquiring a sound signal with a microphone of the hearing device, processing the acquired sound signal with the hearing device via a current audio processing profile and outputting the processed sound signal to the user; detecting a presence of a acoustic object in the sound signal; when the presence of a acoustic object is detected, estimating a current perception magnitude value for the current audio processing profile and a corresponding reference perception magnitude value for a reference audio processing profile; and notifying the user with a message, when a deviation between the current perception magnitude value and the reference perception magnitude value exceeds a threshold.