Smart Device Audio Segmentation for Hearing Aid Noise Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hearing aids often fail to effectively filter out unwanted background noises, leading to discomfort and reduced effectiveness for individuals with hearing impairments, and there is a need for improved devices that can selectively enhance desired sounds while minimizing distractions.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a smartphone or smart device with software that digitizes audio signals, categorizes sound patterns, and allows users to selectively activate or deactivate specific sound patterns through an earpiece, enabling personalized sound filtering and enhancement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If hearing aids amplify all sounds to help hearing impaired persons, then speech comprehension is improved, but background noises are also amplified making it difficult to hear desired sounds
Solution Approach 1:
The audio signal is segmented into multiple sound patterns representing different sound sources (e.g., speech, music, background noise). Each sound pattern is independently identified and can be selectively amplified or attenuated, allowing the hearing aid to enhance desired speech while reducing background noise interference.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality adjustments are applied to different sound patterns. The system identifies specific sound sources and applies localized amplification or attenuation to each, rather than uniformly amplifying all sounds. This allows speech to be enhanced while background noises are selectively reduced based on their identification.
2Reliability
If hearing aids provide continuous amplification, then hearing ability is improved, but user comfort and selectivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing aid provides dynamic amplification that automatically adjusts based on the identified sound patterns. The system continuously monitors the audio environment, identifies different sound sources, and dynamically adjusts amplification levels for each pattern, providing reliable hearing enhancement while maintaining user comfort through automatic adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from sound pattern identification to automatically adjust amplification settings. By continuously analyzing the audio input and identifying sound patterns, the hearing aid provides feedback-driven adjustments that enhance desired sounds while reducing unwanted noises, improving both reliability and user comfort without requiring manual intervention.
3Use of energy by moving object
If hearing aids amplify all sound patterns equally, then overall hearing is improved, but the ability to selectively hear desired sounds is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The audio signal is segmented into multiple sound patterns representing different sound sources (e.g., speech, music, background noise). Each sound pattern is independently identified and can be selectively amplified or attenuated, allowing the hearing aid to enhance desired speech while reducing background noise interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes amplification parameters selectively for different sound patterns. By identifying specific sound sources and adjusting amplification parameters (gain, frequency response) for each pattern independently, the hearing aid achieves both overall hearing enhancement and sound pattern selectivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A hearing improvement system for use with a user's smart device and earpiece/headphones includes software stored on a memory device of the smart device, the software configured to be executed by a processor of the smart device to cause an audio signal received from a microphone of or operating with the smart device if containing two or more sound patterns to be separated into a plurality of individualized sound patterns; categorize the individualized sound patterns; display an icon representing each categorized sound pattern on a screen of the smart device; enable a user viewing the icons to at least one of deactivate or activate each of the individualized sound patterns; and enable each of the non-deactivated individualized sound patterns to be delivered to the user's earpiece/headphones.