Hearing device adapted for matching input transducers using the voice of a wearer of the hearing device
A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, comprises first and second separate, interconnectable parts comprising first and second input transducers, respectively, for providing first and second electric input signals, respectively, representative of sound in an environment of the user, and a beamformer filtering unit configured to provide a spatially filtered signal based thereon, and a memory comprising a previously determined own voice transfer function corresponding to a target sound source located at said user's mouth. The hearing device is configured to determine an updated own voice transfer function according to activation of a predefined trigger, when the user's own voice is present, and to store an updated own voice transfer function in said memory. The hearing device further comprises at least one combination unit configured to apply a first multiplication factor to at least one of the first and second electric input signals, and a control unit configured to determine the first multiplication factor so as to decrease, e.g. minimize a difference measure representative of a difference between the previously determined own voice transfer function and the updated own voice transfer function.
1. A hearing device configured to be worn by a user, the hearing device comprising first and second separate parts, the first part comprising a first input transducer providing a first electric input signal representative of sound in an environment of the user, and the second part comprising a second input transducer providing a second electric input signal representative of sound in the environment of the user, wherein the first and second parts are electrically connectable with each other via a wired or wireless connection, and wherein the hearing device further
comprises a beamformer filtering unit configured to receive said first and second electric input signals and to provide a spatially filtered signal based thereon;
comprises or has access to a memory comprising a previously determined own voice transfer function corresponding to a target sound source located at said user's mouth;
wherein said hearing device is configured to determine an updated own voice transfer function according to activation of a predefined trigger, when the user's own voice is present, and to store an updated own voice transfer function, e.g. a relative transfer function, in said memory, and
at least one combination unit configured to apply a first multiplication factor to at least one of said first and second electric input signals, and
a control unit configured to determine said first, possibly complex, multiplication factor so as to decrease a difference measure representative of a difference between said previously determined own voice transfer function and said updated own voice transfer function.
2. A hearing device according to claim 1 wherein the control unit configured to determine said first, possibly complex, multiplication factor so as to minimize a difference measure representative of a difference between said previously determined own voice transfer function and said updated own voice transfer function.
3. A hearing device according to claim 1 wherein the first part is or comprises an ITE part configured to be located at or in an ear canal of the user.
4. A hearing device according to claim 1 wherein the second part is or comprises a BTE part configured to be located at or behind an ear of the user.
5. A hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the second part contains or comprises two input transducers.
6. A hearing device according to claim 5 , wherein the two input transducers comprise microphones.
7. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising a connecting element configured to electrically connect the first and second parts via one or more electrical conductors.
8. A hearing device according to claim 1 configured to provide that said predefined trigger is activated by a power on of the hearing device.
9. A hearing device according to claim 1 configured to provide that said predefined trigger is activated when said first and second units are electrically connected after having been electrically disconnected.
10. A hearing device according to claim 1 configured to provide that said predefined trigger is activated when said first and/or said second input transducers have been replaced.
11. A hearing device according to claim 1 configured to provide that re-matching of a replaced first or second input transducer is provided by replacing a previously used own voice look vector d stored in said memory, by an updated own voice look vector d′, said updated own voice look vector d′ being determined by applying a, generally complex-valued, frequency-dependent scaling factor to the electric input signal of the replaced first or second input transducer such that the squared difference ∥d−α 1 d′∥ 2 is minimized.
12. A hearing device according to claim 1 comprising an own voice detector for estimating whether or not, or with what probability, a given input sound originates from the voice of the user of the hearing device.
13. A hearing device according to claim 1 constituting or comprising a hearing aid, a headset, an earphone, an ear protection device or a combination thereof.
14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an application, termed an APP, comprising executable instructions configured to be executed on an auxiliary device to implement a user interface for a hearing device according to claim 1 .
15. A hearing system comprising a hearing device according to claim 1 AND an auxiliary device, wherein the hearing system is adapted to establish a communication link between the hearing device and the auxiliary device to provide that information can be exchanged or forwarded from one to the other.
16. A method of matching input transducers of a hearing device configured to be worn by a user, the hearing device comprising first and second separate parts, the first part comprising a first input transducer providing a first electric input signal representative of sound in an environment of the user, and the second part comprising a second input transducer providing a second electric input signal representative of sound in the environment of the user, wherein the first and second parts are electrically connectable with each other via a wired or wireless connection, the method comprising
receiving said first and second electric input signals;
providing a spatially filtered signal based on said first and second electric input signals;
storing previously determined own voice beamformer weights or an own voice transfer function corresponding to a previously determined or reference own voice beamformer adapted to pick up said user's own voice;
updating said own voice beamformer weights or said own voice transfer function according to activation of a predefined trigger, when the user's own voice is present;
storing said updated own voice beamformer weights or said updated own voice transfer function in said memory;
providing matched first and second electric input signals based on said previously determined own voice beamformer weights or own voice transfer function and said updated own voice beamformer weights or own voice transfer function.
17. A method according to claim 16 wherein said predefined trigger may be generated via a user interface and/or by a signal from one or more sensors.
18. A method according to claim 16 wherein said hearing device constitutes or comprises a hearing aid, a headset, an earphone, an ear protection device or a combination thereof.
19. A computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of claim 16 .
20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an application, termed an APP, comprising executable instructions configured to be executed on an auxiliary device to implement a user interface for a hearing device and configured to activate and/or control a microphone matching (calibration) procedure according to claim 16 .