Hearing Device Speaker Prioritization and Muting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing devices with integrated wireless networks struggle to maintain a clear signal-to-noise ratio during conversations with multiple participants, particularly affecting hearing-impaired individuals in chaotic discussions where dominant speakers hinder others from participating.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses hearing devices with microphones and processors to detect speaking users, assign priority scores based on speaking time and behavior, and mute users with lower priority scores or punishment scores to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio by outputting only audio from higher-priority speakers, thereby improving communication clarity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all users' audio signals are transmitted and output in a multi-participant conversation, then complete communication information is preserved, but the signal-to-noise ratio deteriorates and communication clarity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio signals from multiple users into separate channels and applies individual priority scoring to each user's signal. The system divides the conversation stream into discrete user contributions, evaluates them independently based on speaking behavior patterns, and selectively transmits only those signals that meet priority thresholds, thereby maintaining information quality while filtering out excessive noise from chaotic multi-speaker interactions.
2Ease of operation
If dominant speakers are allowed to speak freely in a conversation, then their communication needs are met, but other participants' ability to participate deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors speaking patterns, detects dominant speakers, and adjusts signal transmission priorities in real-time. The system analyzes the duration and frequency of each user's speaking turns, provides feedback through priority score adjustments, and dynamically modifies which audio signals are transmitted to ensure balanced participation opportunities while maintaining communication freedom for all users.
3Productivity
If automated speaker selection is implemented to manage chaotic conversations, then communication order is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the hearing device system to automatically manage speaker prioritization without requiring external intervention or complex centralized control. Each hearing device independently analyzes local audio signals, computes priority scores based on speaking behavior patterns, and makes real-time transmission decisions autonomously. This self-service approach achieves effective conversation management while minimizing system complexity by distributing the control intelligence across individual devices rather than requiring a complex central authority.
Data Source
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Figure 3
AI summary
A method for controlling hearing devices (12) is presented. Each hearing device (12) is worn by a user (24), the hearing devices (12) being communicatively interconnected with each other for data exchange to form a hearing device system (10). The method comprises: acquiring a sound signal (30) of each user (24) with a microphone (14) of the hearing device (12) of the user (24); determining from the sound signal (30) a speaker signal (34), which indicates, whether the user (24) is a speaking user (28); determining a priority score (36) for each user (24) from the speaker signal (34) of the user (24); and outputting sound signals (30) from speaking users (28) to the users (24) via the hearing devices (12) of the users, such that sound signals from speaking users (28) with a priority score (36) smaller than a threshold are muted.