IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,302,067
Granted Patent B2
US 12,302,067 · App. 18/608,499 · Granted May 13, 2025

Hearing device comprising a transmitter

Inventors: Nels Hede Rohde (Smørum, DK); Thomas Bentsen (Smørum, DK); Anders Brødløs Olsen (Smørum, DK); Asger Heidemann Andersen (Smørum, DK); Michael Syskind Pedersen (Smørum, DK); Svend Oscar Petersen (Smørum, DK); Jesper Jensen (Smørum, DK); Michael Smed Kristensen (Ballerup, DK)
Assignee: OTICON A/S
H04R25/558G10L15/22G10L15/16G10L2015/223H04R2225/61
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,302,067
App. No.
18/608,499
Granted
May 13, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, is configured to be arranged at least partly on a user's head or at least partly implanted in a user's head. The hearing device comprises a) at least one input transducer for picking up an input sound signal from the environment and providing at least one electric input signal representing said input sound signal; b) a signal processor connected to the at least one input transducer, the signal processor being configured to analyze the electric input signal and to provide a transmit control signal in dependence thereof; c) a memory buffer, e.g. a cyclic buffer, for storing a current time segment of a certain duration of said at least one electric input signal, or a processed version thereof; and a transmitter for transmitting at least a part of said time segment, or a processed version thereof, to an external device in dependence of said transmit control signal.

Claims (19)

1. A hearing device configured to be arranged at least partly on a user's head or at least partly implanted in a user's head, the hearing device comprising

at least one input transducer for picking up an input sound signal from the environment and providing at least one electric input signal representing said input sound signal;

a signal processor connected to the at least one input transducer, the signal processor being configured to analyze the electric input signal and to provide a transmit control signal in dependence thereof;

a memory buffer, for storing a current time segment of a certain duration of said at least one electric input signal, or a processed version thereof; and

a transmitter for transmitting at least a part of said time segment, or a processed version thereof, to an external device in dependence of said transmit control signal,

wherein a transmit period is limited to a duration of time depending on the expected length of the keyword, wherein the keyword includes a wake-word and one of a command word and a command sentence, and

wherein the signal processor comprises an own voice detector connected to the at least one input transducer, the own voice detector being configured to provide an own voice indicator estimating whether or not, or with what probability, a given input sound signal originates from the voice of the user of the hearing device.

2. A hearing aid according to claim 1 comprising a voice control interface.

3. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the signal processor comprises a controller configured to provide the transmit control signal in dependence of the own-voice indicator.

4. A binaural hearing system comprising:

a first hearing device and a second hearing device,

wherein each of the first hearing device and the second hearing device comprise:

at least one input transducer for picking up an input sound signal from the environment and providing at least one electric input signal representing said input sound signal;

a signal processor connected to the at least one input transducer, the signal processor comprises an own voice detector, the own voice detector being configured to provide an own voice indicator estimating whether or not, or with what probability, a given input sound signal from the at least one electric input signal originates from the voice of the user of the hearing device, the signal processor being configured to identify a keyword in the input sound signal,

wherein each of the first hearing device and the second hearing device are configured to exchanging and comparing decisions regarding identification of said keyword.

5. The binaural hearing system according to claim 4 , wherein the binaural hearing system is configured to provide a binaural decision regarding identification of said keyword, wherein said binaural decision is based on a logic criterion.

6. The binaural hearing system according to claim 4 , wherein when both the first hearing device and the second hearing device have to come to the same decision of a given keyword, the binaural decision is positive regarding that given keyword.

7. The binaural hearing system according to claim 5 , wherein a binaural decision is based on a combination of probabilities from the first hearing device and the second hearing device.

8. The binaural hearing system according to claim 7 , wherein the probabilities are calculated as: p(left)*p(right)≥p(thr), where p(thr) is a threshold value.

Priority Claims (2)
EP 19169789 · Apr 17, 2019 · regional
EP 19210634 · Nov 21, 2019 · regional
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17994568 · Nov 28, 2022
Division 16850884 · Apr 16, 2020
Related Publication 20240223973A1 · Jul 4, 2024
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