User interface control using vibration suppression

1 . A hearing instrument comprising:

a vibration unit;

a motion sensor; and

one or more processors configured to:

cause the vibration unit to generate a vibration;

obtain, from the motion sensor, a motion signal indicative of motion of one or more parts of the hearing instrument while the vibration unit is generating the vibration;

determine, based on the motion signal, whether a user has further touched the hearing instrument while the vibration unit is generating the vibration by determining that the vibration has been dampened by the user touching the hearing instrument; and

execute a command in response to determining that the user has further touched the hearing instrument while the vibration unit is generating the vibration.

2 . The hearing instrument of claim 1 , wherein:

the motion signal is a first motion signal;

the vibration is a first vibration; and

the one or more processors are further configured to:

cause the vibration unit to generate a second vibration;

obtain, from the motion sensor, a second motion signal while the vibration unit is generating the second vibration and the user is not further touching the hearing instrument;

the one or more processors are configured to, as part of determining whether the user has further touched the hearing instrument:

compare the first motion signal and the second motion signal; and

determine, based on the comparison of the first motion signal and the second motion signal, whether the user has further touched the hearing instrument.

3 . The hearing instrument of claim 2 , wherein the second vibration and second motion signal are generated before the first vibration and the first motion signal.

4 . The hearing instrument of claim 1 , wherein

the motion signal is a first motion signal,

the vibration is a first vibration,

the one or more processors are further configured to:

cause the vibration unit to generate a second vibration; and

obtain, from the motion sensor, a second motion signal while the vibration unit is generating the second vibration;

determine, based on the second motion signal, that the user did not further touch the hearing instrument prior to an expiration of a time period; and

refrain from executing the command in response to the determination that the user did not further touch the hearing instrument prior to the expiration of the time period.

5 . The hearing instrument of claim 4 , wherein the command is a first command and the one or more processors are further configured to, in response to the determination that the user did not further touch the hearing instrument prior to the expiration of the time period, execute a second command.

6 . The hearing instrument of claim 1 , further comprising:

a speaker; and

a microphone;

wherein the one or more processors further configured to:

cause the speaker to generate an audio output;

obtain, from the microphone, an audio signal indicative of the audio output of the speaker while the speaker is generating the audio output; and

determine, based on the audio signal, whether the user has touched the hearing instrument while the speaker is generating the audio output, and

wherein the command is a first command and the one or more processors are configured to execute a second command in response to determining that the user has touched the hearing instrument while the speaker is generating the audio output.

7 . The hearing instrument of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

cause a speaker to generate a spoken description of a notification; and

cause the vibration unit to generate the vibration in response to determining the notification.

8 . The hearing instrument of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

cause the vibration unit to generate the vibration in a predetermined pattern to indicate a type of a notification to the user.

9 . The hearing instrument of claim 1 , wherein the hearing instrument is communicatively coupled to a second hearing instrument and is further configured to:

receive, from the second hearing instrument, data indicating that the user has provided input to the second hearing instrument; and

execute the command in response to receiving the data indicating that the user has provided the input to the second hearing instrument.

10 . The hearing instrument of claim 1 , wherein the hearing instrument is further configured to:

determine that alternate sound processing settings would be beneficial to the user; and

cause the vibration unit to generate the vibration in response to the determination that the alternate sound processing settings would be beneficial to the user.

11 . A method comprising:

causing, by a hearing instrument, a vibration unit to generate a vibration;

obtaining, by the hearing instrument and from a motion sensor, a motion signal indicative of motion of one or more parts of the hearing instrument while the vibration unit is generating the vibration;

determining, by the hearing instrument and based on the motion signal, while the vibration unit is generating the vibration, whether a user has further touched the hearing instrument while the vibration unit is generating the vibration by determining that the vibration has been dampened by the user touching the hearing instrument; and

executing, by the hearing instrument, a command in response to determining that the user has further touched the hearing instrument while the vibration unit is generating the vibration.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein:

the motion signal is a first motion signal;

the vibration is a first vibration; and

the method further comprises:

causing, by the hearing instrument, the vibration unit to generate a second vibration; and

obtaining, by the hearing instrument and from the motion sensor, a second motion signal while the vibration unit is generating the second vibration and the user is not further touching the hearing instrument; and

as part of determining whether the user has further touched the hearing instrument:

comparing, by the hearing instrument, the first motion signal and the second motion signal; and

determining, by the hearing instrument and based on the comparison of the first motion signal and the second motion signal, whether the user has further touched the hearing instrument.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the second vibration and second motion signal are generated before the first vibration and the first motion signal.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein

the motion signal is a first motion signal;

the vibration is a first vibration; and

further comprising:

causing, by the hearing instrument, the vibration unit to generate a second vibration;

obtaining, by the hearing instrument and from the motion sensor, a second motion signal while the vibration unit is generating the second vibration;

determining, by the hearing instrument and based on the second motion signal, that the user did not further touch the hearing instrument prior to an expiration of a time period; and

refraining, by the hearing instrument, from executing the command in response to the determination that the user did not further touch the hearing instrument prior to the expiration of the time period.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the command is a first command and the method further comprises, in response to the determination that the user did not further touch the hearing instrument prior to the expiration of the time period, executing, by the hearing instrument, a second command.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

causing, by the hearing instrument, a speaker to generate an audio output;

obtaining, by the hearing instrument and from a microphone, an audio signal indicative of the audio output of the speaker while the speaker is generating the audio output; and

determining, by the hearing instrument and based on the audio signal, whether the user has further touched the hearing instrument while the speaker is generating the audio output, and

wherein the command is a first command and further comprising executing, by the hearing instrument, a second command in response to determining that the user has touched the hearing instrument while the speaker is generating the audio output.

17 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

causing, by the hearing instrument, a speaker to generate a spoken description of a notification; and

causing, by the hearing instrument, the vibration unit to generate the vibration in response to determining the notification.

18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

causing the vibration unit to generate the vibration in a predetermined pattern to indicate a type of a notification to the user.

19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the hearing instrument is communicatively coupled to a second hearing instrument and the method further comprises:

receiving, by the hearing instrument and from the second hearing instrument, data indicating that the user has provided input to the second hearing instrument; and

executing, by the hearing instrument, the command in response to receiving the data indicating that the user has provided the input to the second hearing instrument.

20 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

determining that alternate sound processing settings would be beneficial to the user; and

causing the vibration unit to generate the vibration in response to the determination that the alternate sound processing settings would be beneficial to the user.