Hearing apparatus with unsymmetrical tone balance unit and corresponding control method
View Patent ↗For hearing apparatus and especially for hearing devices a tone balance unit is to be able to be used even under difficult general conditions. Therefore a hearing apparatus with a signal processing device, through which signals are able to be processed in a number of frequency channels, and a control device for controlling the level of the individual frequency channels are provided. The setting device features an unsymmetrical tone balance unit related to a predetermined frequency with which at least one lower and at least one upper channel of the number of frequency channels related to a predetermined frequency is able to be simultaneously unsymmetrically adjusted relative to the predetermined frequency. Thus for example a tone balance unit can also be used with a low feedback limit in the upper frequency range.
1. A hearing apparatus, comprising
a signal processing device to process a plurality of signals in a plurality of frequency channels including a first channel for a first frequency and at least a second channel for at least one higher frequency than the first frequency; and
a control device configured to control respective levels of the plurality of frequency channels with a tone balance unit related to a predetermined frequency, wherein the tone balance unit is configured to simultaneously and unsymmetrically adjust the first channel and the at least second channel relative to the predetermined frequency, wherein the tone balance unit is further configured to adjust a level of at least one signal corresponding to a respective higher frequency channel without affecting a level of a signal corresponding to a lowest frequency channel.
2. The hearing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tone balance unit is configured to provide a first amount of signal level adjustment at least to a signal corresponding to a respective highest frequency channel and provide a second amount of signal level adjustment to a signal in a frequency channel adjacent to a lowest frequency channel without affecting the level of the signal corresponding to the lowest frequency channel, wherein the first amount of signal level adjustment is larger relative to the second amount of signal level adjustment.
3. The hearing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a respective maximum control range of the tone balance unit in each of the frequency channels is restricted by a respective feedback limit.
4. A method for controlling a hearing apparatus by
processing a plurality of signals in the hearing apparatus via a plurality of frequency channels including a first channel for a first frequency and at least one upper frequency channel for at least one higher frequency than the first frequency;
controlling respective levels of the plurality of frequency channels via an asymmetric tone balance unit related to a predetermined frequency such that the first frequency channel and the at least one upper frequency channels are simultaneously and unsymmetrically adjustable relative to the predetermined frequency; and
adjusting a level of at least one signal corresponding to the at least one upper frequency channel without affecting a level of a signal corresponding to a lowest frequency channel.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , arranging the tone balance unit to provide a first amount of signal level adjustment at least to a signal corresponding to a respective highest frequency channel and provide a second amount of signal level adjustment to a signal in a frequency channel adjacent to a lowest frequency channel without affecting the level of the signal corresponding to the lowest frequency channel, wherein the first amount of signal level adjustment is larger relative to the second amount of signal level adjustment.
6. The method as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising restricting a respective maximum control range of the tone balance unit in each frequency channel by a respective feedback limit.