Hearing aid comprising a left-right location detector
A hearing aid is configured to be located at or in an ear of a user. The hearing aid comprises a heartbeat detector providing a pulse control signal, and a processor. The processor is configured to estimate whether the hearing aid is located at a left or a right ear of the user in dependence of the pulse control signal. A method of operating a hearing aid and a binaural hearing aid system is further disclosed.
1. A hearing aid configured to be located at or in a first ear of a user, the hearing aid comprising
a heartbeat detector providing a pulse control signal indicative of a time variation of said user's heartbeat at said first ear of the user, and
a processor,
wherein the hearing aid is configured receive a second pulse control signal from a second hearing aid configured to be located at or in a second ear of the user, wherein said second pulse control signal is indicative of a time variation of said user's heartbeat at said second ear of the user;
wherein the processor is configured to estimate whether said hearing aid is located at a left or a right ear of the user in dependence of said pulse control signal and said second pulse control signal;
wherein the hearing aid is configured to perform the estimating of whether said hearing aid is located at a left or a right ear of the user in response to a specific criterion, which relates to the reliability of the pulse control signal, being fulfilled; and
wherein the specific criterion comprises any one or combination of the following:
the user is not moving,
the user is not talking, and
background noise is not above a predetermined level.
2. A hearing aid according to claim 1 comprising transceiver circuitry configured to establish a communication link to another device.
3. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the pulse control signal comprises a time dependent waveform of the heartbeat of the user.
4. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein said processor is configured to transmit said pulse control signal to another device.
5. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein said heartbeat detector comprises a microphone, a movement sensor, or a PPG sensor.
6. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein said processor is configured to automatically select appropriate processing parameters in dependence of said pulse control signals.
7. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein said processor is configured to issue an alarm in case that the hearing aid is not located at its appropriate ear.
8. A hearing aid according to claim 1 configured to monitor changes in timing of the pulse control signal.
9. A hearing aid according to claim 1 being constituted by or comprising an air-conduction type hearing aid, a bone-conduction type hearing aid, a cochlear implant type hearing aid, or a combination thereof.
10. A binaural hearing aid system comprising first and second hearing aids according to claim 1 configured to exchange said pulse control signals between them.
11. A binaural hearing aid system according to claim 10 configured to exchange said pulse control signals between them in dependence of a trigger event.
12. A binaural hearing aid system according to claim 10 further comprising or being configured to communicate with an auxiliary device.
13. A binaural hearing aid system according to claim 12 comprising a user interface implemented as a software application executed on the auxiliary device.
14. A binaural hearing aid system according to claim 10 configured to provide that the determination of whether a given one of the first and second hearing aids is located at a left or a right ear of the user in dependence of the first and second pulse control signals is performed in an auxiliary device.
15. Use of a hearing aid according to claim 1 .
16. A method of operating a hearing aid configured to be located at or in a first ear of a user, the method comprising
providing a first pulse control signal indicative of a time variation of said user's heartbeat at said ear of the user,
receiving a second pulse control signal from a second hearing aid configured to be located at or in a second ear of the user, wherein said second pulse control signal is indicative of a time variation of said user's heartbeat at said second ear of the user, and
estimating whether said hearing aid is located at a left or a right ear of the user in dependence of said first and second pulse control signals,
wherein the estimating of whether said hearing aid is located at a left or a right ear of the user is performed in response to a specific criterion, which relates to the reliability of the pulse control signal, being fulfilled; and
wherein the specific criterion comprises any one or combination of the following:
the user is not moving,
the user is not talking, and
background noise is not above a predetermined level.
17. A method according to claim 16 comprising
transmitting said first pulse control signal to a second hearing aid configured to be located at a second ear of the user.
18. A method according to claim 16 comprising
providing that the determination of whether the hearing aid is located at a left or a right ear of the user is performed in a separate device in communication with the hearing aid.