Hearing Device Artifact Mitigation via Dynamic Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing devices often produce undesirable artifacts such as popping, sizzling, or volume changes due to software and hardware state changes, which can frustrate users by appearing as random spurious sound events.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a dynamic scheduling system that identifies and schedules reconfigurations of hearing device operating characteristics to occur during masking events, such as audio signals or system notifications, to minimize the perception of artifacts by analyzing audio signal characteristics and predicting future masking events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the hearing device switches between operating states to optimize functionality and performance, then the hearing device can provide additional features and improved performance, but undesirable artifacts such as popping, sizzling, or volume changes are introduced into the user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting upcoming reconfigurations before they occur and proactively scheduling masking events to coincide with the artifact generation. The artifact detection module identifies future reconfigurations that will produce artifacts, and the scheduling module then arranges masking events in advance to hide these artifacts when they occur, rather than reacting after the artifacts are generated.
Solution Approach 2:
The masking event acts as an intermediary element between the reconfiguration action and the user's perception. Instead of directly eliminating the artifact through complex signal processing, the system introduces a masking event (such as ambient noise or system notifications) that serves as an intermediary to hide the artifact's presence from the user's auditory perception.
2Speed
If reconfigurations are performed immediately to respond to user needs, then the hearing device responds quickly to user requirements, but artifacts are produced that can frustrate users
Solution Approach 1:
The system detects reconfigurations in advance and schedules masking events before the actual reconfiguration occurs. This allows the system to prepare the audio environment ahead of time, ensuring that when the reconfiguration happens, the masking event is already in place to hide the resulting artifact, thus maintaining quick response while preventing user frustration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where the artifact detection module continuously monitors system state and identifies reconfigurations that will produce artifacts. This feedback information is fed to the scheduling module, which then adjusts the timing of masking events accordingly, creating a closed-loop system that responds to user needs while mitigating artifacts through continuous monitoring and adaptive scheduling.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the hearing device monitors and schedules masking events to hide artifacts, then the user experience is improved by reducing artifact perception, but the device complexity increases due to additional scheduling and detection mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The scheduling module serves multiple functions: it monitors system state for upcoming reconfigurations, identifies potential artifacts, selects appropriate masking events from available audio sources, and coordinates the timing of masking events. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single multi-functional module, the system reduces overall complexity compared to having separate dedicated components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own existing audio resources (such as ambient noise captured by the microphone or system notifications already being generated) as masking events, rather than requiring external masking audio files or separate audio generation hardware. This self-service approach leverages the hearing device's existing components to achieve artifact masking, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for hearing devices with artifact mitigation. Some embodiments schedule, reschedule, or trigger, activities of a hearing device at points in time in order to achieve an artifact-free (or artifact-reduced) user experience. For example, some embodiments provide a method for scheduling reconfigurations of a hearing device to reduce an impact of resulting artifacts on a user experience. The method can include detecting a reconfiguration of operating characteristics (e.g., hardware or software) of a hearing device that will produce an artifact. Then, a masking event can be identified that can disguise the artifact produced by the reconfiguration of the operating characteristics. For example, the masking event can be an audio event from an audio signal received from a source external to the hearing device or a system notification generated by the hearing device. The reconfiguration can be scheduled or triggered so that the artifact is produced during the masking event.