Hearing Test Signal Mixing for Background Noise Impairment Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hearing aid adjustment methods do not provide information about which background noises affect individual patients and when their hearing is impaired during everyday life, leading to suboptimal adjustments.
Innovation Solution
Generate test signals by decomposing acoustic signals into frequency bands and superimposing speech or background noise components to simulate realistic listening situations, allowing precise determination of hearing impairments and optimal compensation methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional hearing test procedures are used (measuring hearing threshold in complete silence and playing word groups at normal conversation volume), then the hearing threshold can be measured, but no information is obtained about which background noises particularly affect the individual patient and when their hearing is impaired during everyday life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments background noise into individual frequency bands and creates separate test signals for each band. This allows the system to identify which specific frequency ranges of background noise affect the patient's hearing, transforming a general hearing test into a detailed frequency-specific analysis that reveals real-world hearing impairments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts test signal generation by adapting to the patient's specific hearing responses. Based on measured thresholds and speech understanding results, the system modifies subsequent test signals to target specific frequency bands and noise conditions, enabling personalized identification of problematic background noises
2Ease of operation
If hearing aid parameters are adjusted based on standard procedures, then basic hearing threshold compensation is achieved, but optimal adjustment to individual needs cannot be realized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback loop where the patient's responses to test signals (hearing thresholds and speech understanding) are used to adjust and optimize hearing aid parameters. This closed-loop approach ensures that the hearing aid is precisely tuned to the individual's specific hearing impairments and background noise sensitivities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent systematically varies test signal parameters including frequency bands, noise levels, and speech signals to comprehensively assess hearing capabilities. These parameter changes enable the identification of optimal hearing aid settings tailored to each patient's unique auditory profile
3Measurement precision
If frequency bands are decomposed and test signals are generated for each band, then precise identification of background noise impact is achieved, but the complexity of the test procedure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides complex background noise into manageable frequency bands and generates separate test signals for each band. This segmentation simplifies the analysis by isolating specific frequency ranges, making it easier to identify which bands cause hearing problems while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional test signal generation system that can produce various types of test signals (different frequency bands, noise levels, and speech signals) using a unified approach. This universal system handles multiple testing scenarios through a single integrated methodology
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for generating test signals for determining a person's hearing impairment, the method comprising the following steps: - providing at least one first acoustic signal representing at least one background noise (2); - providing at least one second acoustic signal representing speech (3); - for each of the at least one first signal, decomposing the corresponding signal into at least one first frequency band and generating test signals for testing a person's hearing ability by, for each of the at least one first frequency band, superimposing at least one part of the at least one second acoustic signal with the corresponding frequency band (4), and - outputting the generated test signals (5).