Dual Compression Pathways for Separate IHC and OHC Loss Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hearing aids often fail to optimally compensate for sensorineural hearing loss, as they cannot separately address the dysfunction of inner and outer hair cells, leading to suboptimal sound amplification and quality.
Innovation Solution
The development of a hearing aid system with separately adjustable compression pathways for sound processing, utilizing a combination of slow and fast gain calculations to compensate for inner hair cell (IHC) and outer hair cell (OHC) losses, allowing for optimized amplification and minimizing distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single compression pathway is used for sound processing, then the device complexity is reduced, but the hearing loss compensation effectiveness deteriorates because it cannot separately address inner and outer hair cell dysfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single compression pathway into two separate parallel compression pathways: a first compression pathway for processing audio signals related to inner hair cell loss, and a second compression pathway for processing audio signals related to outer hair cell loss. Each pathway has its own compression algorithm and parameters, allowing independent optimization for each hair cell type's specific dysfunction characteristics.
2Reliability
If separate compression pathways for IHC and OHC loss are implemented, then the hearing loss compensation effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the outputs of the first and second compression pathways by combining the processed audio signals to generate a final output signal. This allows the system to leverage the benefits of both separate compression pathways while maintaining a unified processing architecture that can be implemented in existing hearing aid devices.
3Reliability
If standard compression algorithms are used, then the ease of operation is maintained, but the sound quality and dynamic range adjustment deteriorate due to inability to address non-uniform hearing loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different compression parameters and algorithms optimized for each hair cell type's specific dysfunction. The first compression pathway uses parameters tailored to inner hair cell loss characteristics, while the second compression pathway uses parameters optimized for outer hair cell loss characteristics, allowing precise adjustment of compression ratios, attack times, and release times for each pathway independently.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and device for compensating sensorineural hearing loss in a manner that allows dysfunction of the inner and outer hair cells to be separately compensated is described. The disclosed techniques involve providing separately adjustable compression pathways for the received sound.