Hearing Instrument Directional Processing for 3D Sound Source Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing directional signal processing in hearing instruments struggles to accurately distinguish relevant sound sources from irrelevant ones in complex conversation situations with multiple participants and background noise, particularly in environments like restaurants, leading to imprecise signal processing.
Innovation Solution
A method for directional signal processing in hearing instruments that utilizes two input transducers to determine the angular and orientation directions of sound sources relative to the wearer, employing filters and artificial neural networks to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant sound sources based on angular and orientation-dependent features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional directional signal processing is used in hearing instruments, then the device can suppress background noise, but it cannot accurately distinguish relevant sound sources from irrelevant ones in complex conversation situations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends traditional 2D directional processing (azimuth only) to 3D spatial processing by incorporating elevation angle detection. This dimensional expansion enables more precise sound source localization and differentiation in complex environments, resolving the limitation of coarse sound source discrimination while maintaining manageable system complexity through systematic integration of vertical and horizontal angle processing.
2Productivity
If coarse directional processing is used to simplify computation, then processing speed is improved, but sound source relevance detection becomes imprecise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sound processing task into distinct computational stages: initial coarse directional filtering for rapid background suppression, followed by refined 3D spatial analysis for precise sound source discrimination. This segmentation enables efficient real-time processing while achieving high accuracy in sound source relevance detection through progressive refinement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary directional filtering and beamforming techniques to pre-process audio signals before detailed analysis. This preliminary action reduces computational load by eliminating obviously irrelevant sounds early in the processing pipeline, while preserving sufficient signal information for subsequent precise relevance detection.
3Measurement precision
If multiple input transducers are used to improve directional accuracy, then sound source localization is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the input transducer array to serve multiple functions simultaneously: background noise suppression, sound source localization, elevation angle detection, and relevance classification. This multi-functionality approach achieves enhanced directional accuracy without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same hardware infrastructure supports multiple processing objectives.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for directional signal processing for a hearing instrument (1), wherein a first input signal (E1) is generated from an ambient sound (2) by a first input transducer (M1) of the hearing instrument (1), and a second input signal (E2) is generated from the ambient sound (2) by a second input transducer (M2) of the hearing instrument (1), wherein an angular direction (α) of a sound source (16, 17) relative to a first reference direction (R1), in particular to a frontal direction (12) of a carrier (10) of the hearing instrument (1), is at least approximately detected on the basis of the first input signal (E1) and the second input signal (E2), and wherein an orientation direction (vw1-3, vwk) of said sound source (16, 17), in particular relative to a second reference direction (R2), is at least approximately detected on the basis of the first input signal (E1) and the second input signal (E2).