Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
  • H04R25/50—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
  • H04R25/502—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics using analog signal processing
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
  • H04R25/50—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
  • H04R25/505—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics using digital signal processing
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
  • H04R25/55—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception using an external connection, either wireless or wired
  • H04R25/558—Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency

Definitions

• Hearing aid and external unit for communication therewith.
• the invention relates to a hearing aid comprising at least one first transducer for converting sound into an electric signal, a second transducer for converting an electric signal into sound, first means for processing and amplifying an electric signal from the first transducer and supplying the processed and amplified electric signal to the second transducer, and second means linked to said first means for storing signal processing parameters, as well as to an external unit arranged for communication with a hearing aid.
• a hearing aid of this kind and an external unit of this kind are generally known.
• the prior art external unit is used for storing signal processing parameters that have been set by an adjuster of hearing aids in the prior art hearing aid.
• the number of repeat visits will be relatively small, and consequently the adjustment steps will be relatively large.
• the adjustment steps are too large, there is a possibility that the person who is hard of hearing will prefer the previous, actually less optimum setting and ask the adjuster to use the previous setting and subsequently leave it at that, or that he or she will refrain from further use of the hearing aid yet, with all its negative consequences.
• the object of the invention is to provide a hearing aid and an external unit which enable an essential improvement as regards the above-described practice, and in order to accomplish that objective the invention provides a hearing aid of the kind referred to in the introduction, which is characterised in that the hearing aid comprises third means linked to said second means for the stepwise adjustment from a starting point of a predetermined range to an end point of said range of one or more signal processing parameters from the second means in response to successive trigger signals, as well as an external unit of the kind referred to in the introduction, which is characterised in that it is arranged for communication with the third means of a hearing aid according to the invention, and which comprises fourth means for the selecting and setting in said third means of one or more parameters to be adjusted, fifth means for the setting in the third means of the range of said one or more parameters to be adjusted, and sixth means for the setting in said third means of the magnitude of the steps to be used in said stepwise adjustment, and, if the hearing aid includes a time clock, seventh means for the setting of the repeat interval of the successive trigger signals in the time
• the hearing aid automatically adjusts itself in time, irrespective of the fact whether the trigger signals are generated manually or automatically.
• the adjustment of the setting can take place gradually, in small steps thereby.
• the difference between two steps hardly needs to be audible, if at all; the difference between the first step and the last step of a succession of steps must be audible, however.
• the starting point of a parameter range is defined by an initial setting that is acceptable to an intended user of the hearing aid, wherein the amplification of high tones is less than optimal and consequently the audibility as regards speech is less than optimal
• the end point of a parameter range is defined by a final setting that is optimal for the intended user, wherein the amplification of high tones is optimal and consequently the audibility as regards speech is optimal .
• the hearing aid is not limited to adjustment of the amplification parameter, but that instead thereof or in addition thereto other parameters can be used, such as filter function parameters, noise suppression parameters, etc.
• the time that is required for going from the initial setting to the final setting is the habituation period, it may last a number of weeks, for example.
• Both the initial setting and the final setting are pre-set, or in other words, pre- programmed by the adjuster.
• the hearing aid subsequently arranges the gradual shift from the initial setting to the final setting in sufficiently small steps.
• the magnitude of the steps can be programmable. Furthermore it is possible to preset the desired habituation period.
• the hearing aid may include a time clock for supplying the successive trigger signals: a knob for supplying the successive trigger signals in response to repeated operation of the knob; eighth means for supplying the successive trigger signals in response to repeated turning on of the hearing aid; or ninth means for detecting the placing of a battery in the hearing aid and supplying the successive trigger signals in response to the repeated placing of a battery.
• the third means of the hearing aid and the external unit are arranged for communication with each other, in which case the second means of the hearing aid and the external unit will be arranged for communication with each other, exactly as may the case in the prior art hearing aid.
• a person who is hard of hearing will receive a hearing aid which sounds acceptable and pleasant. After the habituation period, the hearing aid will automatically have been adjusted optimally without the person having had to go through a period of unpleasant sound and repeated visits to an adjuster.
• An adjuster supplies a hearing aid which sounds pleasant from the outset, whilst nevertheless an optimum setting will be achieved after the habituation period without any interim adjustments.
• Hearing aid 1 comprises at least one transducer (microphone) 2 for converting sound into an electric signal, a second transducer (loudspeaker) 3 for converting an electric signal into sound, first means 4 for processing and amplifying an electric signal from the first transducer 2 and supplying the processed and amplified electric signal to the second transducer 3, second means (memory) 5 linked to said first means 4 for storing signal processing parameters, and third means 6 linked to said second means 5 for the stepwise adjustment of one or more signal processing parameters from second means 5 from a starting point of a predetermined range to an end point of said range in response to successive trigger signals 7.
• the starting point of said range is defined by an initial setting that is acceptable to an intended user of the hearing aid, wherein the amplification of high tones is less than optimal and consequently the audibility as regards speech is less than optimal
• the end point of said range is defined by a final setting that is optimal for the intended user, wherein the amplification of high tones is optimal and consequently the audibility as regards speech is optimal .
• each parameter has a range which is defined by a predetermined initial setting and a " predetermined final setting.
• the first, second and third means 4 - 6 form part of one or more integrated circuits.
• An embodiment of the hearing aid 1 includes a time clock
• Another embodiment of the hearing aid includes eighth means 9 for supplying the successive trigger signals 7 in response to repeated turning on of the hearing aid 1.
• Yet another embodiment of the hearing aid 1 includes ninth means 10 for detecting the placing of a battery in the hearing aid 1 and supplying the successive trigger signals 7 in response to the repeated placing of a battery.
• Yet another embodiment of the hearing aid 1 includes a knob 11 for supplying the successive trigger signals 7 in response to repeated operation of said knob 11.
• the hearing aid 1 as shown in the drawing includes the time clock 8, eighth means 9, ninth means 10 as well as knob 11, the hearing aid 1 will generally include either the time clock 8, or the eighth means 9, or the ninth means 10 or the knob 11.
• time clock 8, eighth and ninth mans 9, 10 and knob 11 can be arranged or be provided with electronics that may form part of the aforesaid one or more integrated circuits, such that the successive trigger signals 7 will be supplied, so that this will not be discussed in more detail herein. Manuals can be consulted for this purpose, if desired. As a matter of fact, a person of average skill in the art will be able to think of a great many other means for realising the desired successive trigger signals.
• Hearing aid 1 could include fourth means (not shown) for the selecting and setting in the third means 6 of one or more parameters to be adjusted, fifth means (not shown) for the setting in the third means 6 of the range of said one or more parameters to be adjusted, sixth means (not shown) for the setting in the third means 6 of a step magnitude to be used in the stepwise adjustment, and, in the case that the hearing aid 1 includes the clock 8, seventh means (not shown) for the setting of the repeat interval of the successive trigger signals 7 in the time clock 8.
• the external unit 20 comprises communication means 21 and the aforesaid fourth to seventh means 22 - 25, which in an embodiment comprise software which runs on a PC.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Neurosurgery (AREA)
• Otolaryngology (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Telephone Function (AREA)
• Telephone Set Structure (AREA)
• Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)
• Control Of Amplification And Gain Control (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=8240600

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (11)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2000
  • 2000-08-14 WO PCT/NL2000/000571 patent/WO2001026419A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-08-14 EP EP00957131A patent/EP1208723B8/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-08-14 DK DK00957131T patent/DK1208723T3/da active
  • 2000-08-14 AT AT00957131T patent/ATE253288T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-08-14 DE DE60006255T patent/DE60006255T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-08-14 AU AU68788/00A patent/AU6878800A/en not_active Abandoned

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