Hearing Device Gait Stabilization via Predictive Acoustic Cues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of hearing devices, particularly those with hearing loss and Parkinson's disease, face challenges in maintaining a stable gait due to gait irregularities, which can lead to falls, and existing solutions like metronome-like sounds are intrusive and not effective.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a hearing device with a microphone, processor, and movement sensor to sense environmental and movement signals, predict step and sway timing, and generate tailored acoustic cues to stabilize gait by triggering output cues at optimal times, potentially incorporating electrical stimulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metronome-like acoustic stimulation is provided to stabilize gait, then gait stability is improved, but the solution becomes intrusive and unacceptable to users
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing device utilizes the user's own environmental sounds and biological signals (voice, breathing, footsteps) to generate gait-cueing acoustic stimulation. The device processes ambient audio signals and extracts features to create personalized cueing that reflects the user's natural gait pattern, eliminating the need for external metronome devices and improving user acceptance while maintaining gait stability benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts acoustic stimulation parameters (timing, intensity, frequency) based on real-time analysis of the user's gait parameters extracted from environmental sounds and movement sensors. By adapting the cueing parameters to match the user's individual gait characteristics and needs, the system provides effective gait stabilization without using fixed, intrusive metronome patterns
2Volume of moving object
If hearing devices are made small and compact, then wearability is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing device integrates multiple functions into a single platform: standard hearing amplification, gait analysis through environmental sound processing, movement sensing, and adaptive acoustic cueing generation. By making the device universal and multi-functional, the patent avoids the need for separate dedicated gait stabilization devices, thereby managing complexity while providing comprehensive benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines gait stabilization functionality with the existing hearing device structure by integrating movement sensors, audio processing capabilities, and cueing output into the hearing aid. This merging approach allows gait stabilization features to be added without requiring a completely new device architecture, thus controlling complexity while achieving the desired functionality in a compact form
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for stabilizing a gait of a user (40) wearing a hearing device (10) comprises: sensing an audio signal (26) with a microphone (18) of the hearing device (10); modifying the audio signal (26) with the hearing device (10) into a modified audio signal (30); sensing a movement signal (34) of the user (40) with a movement sensor (32) of the hearing device (10); determining a step signal (44) indicative of a timing of steps of the user (40) and/or a sway signal (42) of the user (40) indicative of a sway of the user (40) over time from the movement signal (34); predicting a future step signal (48) from the step signal (44), the future step signal (48) indicative of a timing of one or more future steps of the user (40) and/or a future sway signal (46) from the sway signal (42), the future sway signal (46) indicative of a sway of the user (40) over a future time; triggering a cue signal (60) depending on the future step signal (48) and/or the future sway signal (46), such that the cue signal (60) has a timing to cause the user (40) to initiate a next step to stabilize the gait of the user (40); generating a output cue (50, 52) to be output to the user (40), the output cue comprising an acoustic cue (50); adding the acoustic cue (50) to the audio signal (26) or the modified audio signal (30) at the timing of the cue signal (60); and outputting the modified audio signal (30) with the added acoustic cue (50) with a sound output device (20) of the hearing device (10) to the user (40).