IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,251,292
Granted Patent B2
US 12,251,292 · App. 17/487,920 · Granted Mar 18, 2025

Multi-device integration with hearable for managing hearing disorders

Inventors: Amol Jayant Pangarkar (Fremont, CA); Matthew Corbin Wiggins (San Jose, CA); Swapnil Prabhakar Vinod (Fremont, CA)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
A61F11/00A61B5/0004A61B5/125A61B5/128A61B5/6817G06N20/00G10K11/17837G10K2210/1081
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,251,292
App. No.
17/487,920
Granted
Mar 18, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Hearing management, using a portable device or integrated portable devices, can include generating during a hearing diagnostics phase an audiogram based on responses of a user to signals conveyed to the user. In response to detecting ambient noises during the hearing diagnostics phase, noise cancellation can be performed to cancel the ambient noises in conjunction with conveying the signals to the user. During a hearing enhancement phase, sounds can be captured with the portable device. The captured sounds can be enhanced in real-time during the hearing enhancement phase by amplifying select frequencies of the captured sounds using signal gain. The frequencies can be selected, and the signal gain determined based on the audiogram. The captured sounds, now enhanced, can be conveyed to the user as frequency-enhanced sounds.

Claims (58)

1. A method comprising:

generating an audiogram based on responses of a user to signals conveyed to the user by a portable device;

capturing sounds with the portable device;

generating frequency-enhanced sounds by amplifying select frequencies of at least some of the captured sounds in real time based on the audiogram, and wherein the frequency-enhanced sounds are conveyed to the user;

converting speech of the user during a conversation to text by execution of a voice recognition engine;

detecting one or more predetermined words or repetition of a phrase within the speech of the user indicating the user does not understand the conversation; and

in response to the detecting the one or more predetermined words or the repetition of the phrase, generating text captions of the conversation that visually supplement the enhanced sound and displaying the text captions on a display of the portable device.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

generating a hearing assessment by analyzing the audiogram with the portable device; and

providing with the portable device a hearing treatment recommendation in response to determining from the hearing assessment a potential hearing degradation of the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

establishing with the portable device a wireless connection with a communication network for conveying the audiogram to a predetermined communication network site or importing from the predetermined communication network site an audiogram generated under direction of a hearing professional.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein

the voice recognition engine uses a machine learning model to detect the one or more predetermined words or the repetition of the phrase based on classifying one or more words or phrases detected during the conversation.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

detecting with the portable device potentially harmful sound during a monitoring phase; and

responsive to determining that the potentially harmful sound exceeds a predetermined threshold, generating a warning conveyed to the user by the portable device.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

providing a tinnitus therapy to the user comprising removing one or more identified tinnitus frequencies of the user from the captured sounds.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein

the one or more identified tinnitus frequencies are identified by performing tinnitus sound matching using sounds generated by and conveyed to the user with the portable device.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

in response to detecting a rest state of the user based on a motion sensor of the device, initiating an audible tinnitus treatment performed by the portable device, wherein the audible tinnitus treatment includes generating white noise while the user is in the rest state; and

stopping generation of the white noise in response to detecting movement of the user by the motion sensor.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors configured to initiate operations including:

generating an audiogram based on responses of a user to signals conveyed to the user by a portable device;

capturing sounds with the portable device;

generating frequency-enhanced sounds by amplifying select frequencies of at least some of the captured sounds in real time based on the audiogram, and wherein the frequency-enhanced sounds are conveyed to the user; converting speech of the user during a conversation to text by execution of a voice recognition engine;

detecting one or more predetermined words or repetition of a phrase within the speech of the user indicating the user does not understand the conversation; and

in response to the detecting the one or more predetermined words or the repetition of the phrase, generating text captions of the conversation that visually supplement the enhanced sound and displaying the text captions on a display of the portable device.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to initiate operations including:

generating a hearing assessment by analyzing the audiogram with the portable device; and

providing with the portable device a hearing treatment recommendation in response to determining from the hearing assessment a potential hearing degradation of the user.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to initiate operations including:

establishing with the portable device a wireless connection with a communication network for conveying the audiogram to a predetermined communication network site or importing from the predetermined communication network site an audiogram generated under direction of a hearing professional.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein

the voice recognition engine uses a machine learning model to detect the one or more predetermined words or the repetition of the phrase based on classifying one or more words or phrases detected during the conversation.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to initiate operations including:

detecting with the portable device potentially harmful sounds during a monitoring phase; and

responsive to determining that the potentially harmful sounds exceed a predetermined threshold, generating a warning conveyed to the user by the portable device.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to initiate operations including:

providing a tinnitus therapy to the user comprising removing one or more identified tinnitus frequencies of the user from the captured sounds.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein

the one or more identified tinnitus frequencies are identified by performing tinnitus sound matching using sounds generated by and conveyed to the user with the portable device.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to initiate operations including:

in response to detecting a rest state of the user based on a motion sensor of the device, initiating an audible tinnitus treatment performed by the portable device, wherein the audible tinnitus treatment includes generating white noise while the user is in the rest state; and

stopping generation of the white noise in response to detecting movement of the user by the motion sensor.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium, and program instructions collectively stored on the computer readable storage medium, wherein the program instructions are executable by computer hardware of a portable device to initiate operations including:

generating an audiogram based on responses of a user to signals conveyed to the user by the portable device;

capturing sounds with the portable device;

generating frequency-enhanced sounds by amplifying select frequencies of at least some of the captured sounds in real time based on the audiogram, and wherein the frequency-enhanced sounds are conveyed to the user;

in response to detecting a rest state of the user based on a motion sensor of the portable device, initiating an audible tinnitus treatment performed by the portable device, wherein the audible tinnitus treatment includes generating white noise while the user is in the rest state; and

stopping generation of the white noise in response to detecting movement of the user by the motion sensor.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the program code is executable by the computer hardware to initiate operations including:

generating a hearing assessment by analyzing the audiogram with the portable device; and

providing with the portable device a hearing treatment recommendation in response to determining from the hearing assessment a potential hearing degradation of the user.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 28, 2021
From: PANGARKAR, AMOL JAYANT; WIGGINS, MATTHEW CORBIN; VINOD, SWAPNIL PRABHAKAR
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 057628/0491 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63192518 · May 24, 2021
Related Publication 20220370249A1 · Nov 24, 2022
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Cited By (1)
US 12,488,799