IP Library Granted Patent US 12702330
Granted Patent B2
US 12702330 · App. 18/327,222 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Method of fitting a hearing device and fitting device for fitting the hearing device

Inventors: Maja Serman (Erlangen, DE); Cecil Wilson (Erlangen, DE)
Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd.
A61B5/126H04R25/505H04R25/558H04R25/70H04R2225/61H04R2430/01
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12702330
App. No.
18/327,222
Filed
Jun 1, 2023
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2692
USPC
381/59
Abstract

A hearing device has an input transducer, a signal processor for signal amplification and generation of an output signal, and an output transducer for converting the output signal into a sound signal. In a fitting method for fitting the hearing device, at least one test measurement is carried out in which a test signal is generated as an acoustic signal, and in which the hearing device user assesses the resulting sound signal as a test result. A fitting formula is determined based on the test result, and the signal processing device is set based on the fitting formula such that if, during operation of the hearing device, a rise time of a signal start of the input signal is less than or equal to a stored threshold value, then the signal start of the output signal is amplified by a higher gain value than the remaining output signal.

Claims (27)

1 . A method of fitting a hearing device, wherein:

the hearing device comprises:

a) at least one input transducer for receiving an acoustic signal and converting the acoustic signal into an input signal; and

b) a signal processing device for signal amplification of the input signal and generation of an output signal; and

c) an output transducer for converting the output signal into a sound signal; and

the method comprises:

performing at least one test measurement in which a test signal is generated as an acoustic test signal and in which a hearing device user is prompted to judge the acoustic test signal to form a test result;

using the test result to determine a fitting formula; and

adjusting the signal processing device with the fitting formula such that, when, in operation of the hearing device, a rise time of a signal start of the input signal is less than or equal to a stored threshold value, the signal processing device causes the signal start of the output signal to be amplified by a higher gain value than a remainder of the output signal.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fitting formula is an estimated formula or a measured formula.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the fitting formula comprises determining a resolvable time difference for a presentation of test signals and an amplitude difference required to resolve the test signal.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , which comprises storing the time difference and using the time difference as a threshold value.

5 . The method according to claim 3 , which comprises determining a gain value on a basis of the amplitude difference.

6 . The method according to claim 3 , which comprises using a twin tone as the acoustic test signal.

7 . The method according to claim 3 , which comprises determining the time difference by way of a gap detection measurement and determining the amplitude difference by way of a level difference measurement.

8 . The method according to claim 3 , which comprises determining the time difference and the amplitude difference by way of a combined time-amplitude measurement in which:

a multi-tone measurement is used in a first test measurement, wherein two temporally separated sound signals are generated as a test signal, and wherein the temporal distance between the sound signals is iteratively reduced until the hearing device user perceives only one tone in the generated sound signal;

in a subsequent second test measurement the amplitude of one of the sound signals is successively increased until the hearing device user perceives two sounds in the generated sound signal; and

the first and second test measurements are repeated for different frequencies.

9 . The method according to claim 3 , which comprises calculating the gain value with the formula

oG ( f )= dA ( f )×[max({ dT ( f )− t rise( f )},0)+ t offset( f ))]× a offset( f )

wherein:

oG(f) is the gain value is the amplitude difference, dT(f) is the time difference, trise(f) is the rise time of the input signal, and toffset(f) and aoffset(f) are optimization constants.

10 . A fitting device for fitting a hearing device, the fitting device comprising:

a test device for carrying out test measurements to obtain at least one test result;

an adjustment device for adjusting the hearing device with a fitting formula; and

a controller for carrying out the method according to claim 1 .