Personal Audio Filtering for Hearing Loss Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional volume adjustments in audio-capable devices fail to compensate for individual hearing loss in a personalized manner, leading to an uncomfortably loud and disturbing listening experience as they increase loudness across all frequencies rather than addressing specific hearing impairments.
Innovation Solution
A media system that selects and applies a personal level-and-frequency-dependent audio filter, corresponding to a user's hearing loss profile, to amplify audio input signals based on input level and frequency, ensuring clear sound perception.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If overall volume level is increased to compensate for hearing loss, then loudness is improved, but listening comfort deteriorates due to uncomfortably loud and disturbing experience across all frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different gain levels to different frequency bands based on the user's hearing loss profile. Instead of uniformly increasing volume across all frequencies, the system selectively amplifies only the frequency ranges where the user experiences hearing loss, thereby improving loudness perception without causing discomfort from over-amplification of frequencies that are already audible.
2Ease of operation
If conventional volume adjustment is used, then operation simplicity is maintained, but hearing loss compensation precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the user's hearing loss profile and pre-configures frequency-dependent gain settings. During actual audio playback, the pre-determined filter settings are automatically applied without requiring real-time user adjustment, thus maintaining operational simplicity while achieving precise hearing loss compensation tailored to the individual's auditory characteristics.
3Measurement precision
If frequency-dependent audio filtering is applied, then hearing loss compensation precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal audio processing architecture where a single audio filter module handles multiple functions: it can apply different frequency-dependent gain profiles for various hearing loss types, process different audio content types, and adapt to individual user profiles. This multi-functional design reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate dedicated circuits for each hearing loss compensation scenario.
Data Source
AI summary
A media system and a method of using the media system to accommodate hearing loss of a user, are described. The method includes selecting a personal level-and-frequency dependent audio filter that corresponds to a hearing loss profile of the user. The personal level-and-frequency dependent audio filter can be one of several level-and-frequency-dependent audio filters having respective average gain levels and respective gain contours. An accommodative audio output signal can be generated by applying the personal level-and-frequency dependent audio filter to an audio input signal to enhance the audio input signal based on an input level and an input frequency of the audio input signal. The audio output signal can be played by an audio output device to deliver speech or music that the user perceives clearly, despite the hearing loss of the user. Other aspects are also described and claimed.