EP0836363B1 - Lautstärkebegrenzung - Google Patents

Lautstärkebegrenzung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0836363B1
EP0836363B1 EP96115687A EP96115687A EP0836363B1 EP 0836363 B1 EP0836363 B1 EP 0836363B1 EP 96115687 A EP96115687 A EP 96115687A EP 96115687 A EP96115687 A EP 96115687A EP 0836363 B1 EP0836363 B1 EP 0836363B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
loudness
signal
output
input
unit
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP96115687A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0836363A1 (de
Inventor
Herbert Dr.sc.techn. Dipl.-EL-Ing. Bächler
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sonova Holding AG
Original Assignee
Phonak AG
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Publication date
Application filed by Phonak AG filed Critical Phonak AG
Priority to EP96115687A priority Critical patent/EP0836363B1/de
Priority to DE69629814T priority patent/DE69629814T2/de
Priority to DK96115687T priority patent/DK0836363T3/da
Priority to AT96115687T priority patent/ATE249134T1/de
Publication of EP0836363A1 publication Critical patent/EP0836363A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0836363B1 publication Critical patent/EP0836363B1/de
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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Electric hearing aids
    • H04R25/35—Electric hearing aids using translation techniques
    • H04R25/356—Amplitude, e.g. amplitude shift or compression
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Electric hearing aids
    • H04R25/50—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
    • H04R25/505—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics using digital signal processing

Definitions

  • the present invention is directed to a method for limiting the signal transmitted to the human ear in dependence on an incoming acoustical signal and is further directed to a hearing apparatus which comprises an input acoustical/electric transducer, the output thereof being operationally connected to the input of a signal processor unit with a controllable spectral transfer characteristic, the output of this processor unit being operationally connected to the input of an output transducer for the human ear.
  • Loudness of an audio signal is a psycho-acoustical entity.
  • Several models have been developed to quantify the loudness which a standard individual will perceive dependent on incoming audio signals. We refer as examples to:
  • the auditory filterbank is performing a transformation of the physical spectrum into a so-called excitation pattern.
  • the excitation pattern, output response of the auditory filterbank can be calculated for arbitrary signal spectra, procedures are described in the literature (Moore).
  • the loudness provided by the respective cochlear excitation is calculated from the contributions in each critical band, called the specific loudness and is further integrated or summed over all the bands of the auditory filterbank, yielding the total loudness of the signal spectrum.
  • the parameters of the loudness model are known and standardised for normal hearing listeners and can be modified for impaired subjects accordingly, methods for the measurement of loudness model parameters of individual subjects have been proposed (S. Launer, "Loudness Perception in Listeners with Sensorineural hearing Impairment", Dissertation, Dept. of Physics, University of Oldenburg, Germany, 1995.)
  • Loudness of an audio signal spectrum can be generically expressed by:
  • hearing aids necessitate a system for limiting the power of signals, as especially the sound pressure for electric/acoustical output transducers, which is transmitted to the human ear in dependence on incoming acoustical signals. Even under broader aspect and thus under the aspect of human ear protection in very loud environment, the need of such limiting is evident.
  • PC peak clipping
  • AGC automatic gain control
  • the transmitted power is clamped to a threshold value.
  • This has obviously the disadvantage that a considerable amount of harmonic distortion occurs as soon as the transmitted signal reaches the clipping level. It is thereby customary at hearing aids of this technique to provide the limiting threshold adjustable.
  • the transmitted power is measured, compared to an admitted level and according to the result of this comparison the gain of the hearing aid apparatus is adjusted as by feedback control.
  • the loudness of a transmitted signal is monitored or modelled as a test entity. This is performed by applying a model calculating the perceived loudness out of a spectrum representing an acoustical signal, and it is this loudness which is compared with a comfort loudness threshold which is standard and/or individually determined by experiments so as to limit the loudness of the transmitted signal.
  • lowering the loudness is performed by lowering the loudness contributions in all or in a predominant part of the critical bands individually or by equal percentage.
  • the inventive method is predominantly applied with hearing aid apparatus as the limiting apparatus.
  • the spectral transfer characteristic of the apparatus is set or permanently adjusted in dependence on the loudness perceived by an individual carrying the hearing aid and of the reference loudness which would be perceived by a standard individual without hearing aid.
  • the inventive hearing apparatus construed to perform the object as mentioned above comprises a presettable storing unit and a calculating unit with an input operationally connected to the output of the processor unit which calculating unit generates an output signal which is dependent on loudness of an acoustical signal represented by the signal at the input of the output transducer.
  • the output of the presettable storing unit and the output of the calculating unit are operationally connected to respective inputs of a comparing unit, the output of which being operationally connected to adjusting inputs at the signal processor unit, thereby automatically adjusting its transfer characteristic.
  • the transfer characteristic of the signal processor unit the resulting loudness as monitored by the calculating unit according to a preselected model is accordingly lowered down to reaching, e.g. in a negative feedback control loop or by iteration, the value as preset in the storing unit which accords to the loudness level of maximum acceptable loudness, MAL.
  • an inventive limiting apparatus comprises an input acoustical/electrical transducer 1, the output thereof being operationally connected to the input of a processor unit 3, the output of which being operationally connected to an output transducer, as shown to an output electrical/mechanical transducer 5.
  • the signal processor unit 3 has a transfer characteristic T(f) as a function of frequency f (in Hz, Bark or ERB) which is adjustable at control inputs E 3 as examplified with the characteristics in unit-block 3.
  • the transfer function T is preferably formed by a bank of filters e.g. in parallel structure, each filter defining and thus predominantly acting in a specific spectral band, e.g. according to the critical bands of human hearing.
  • a calculating unit 7 has its input operationally connected to the output of processor unit 3 and calculates loudness L(S,P) of the output signal of unit 3. This unit performs calculation of loudness L following a selected loudness model, as e.g. disclosed in the EP-0 661 905 or in S. Launer, which both references are incorporated with respect to loudness modelling into the present description.
  • Selected model parameters P are input to the calculation unit 7.
  • the output of the calculation unit 7 representing loudness as a psychoacoustical entity is fed to an input of a comparing unit 9, the other input of which being operationally connected to a storing unit 11 which has been loaded with the MAL-value, be it of an individual or be it as a generic standard safety value. If the loudness L-value as calculated by unit 7 reaches or exceeds the MAL-value, the comparator unit 9 acts on an adjusting unit 13 wherein transfer function control signals applied to E 3 are adjusted so as to reduce loudness L(S,P) as modelled by calculation unit 7.
  • the actual loudness as transmitted to the human ear and thus perceived is monitored and the signal transferred to the human ear is reduced as soon as the monitored loudness reaches MAL.
  • the processor unit 30 is construed as a filter bank with a number of band-pass filters, e.g. in parallel structure, and acting preferably each predominantly in one of the critical frequency bands or realized as a Fast-Fourier transform unit. Attention is drawn to the EP-0 661 905, especially to figs. 12a to 16, and the respective description with respect to such filter bank provided for loudness correction on an individual "I" to which, via output transducer 5, loudness corrected acoustical signals are transmitted.
  • calculating unit 70a calculates, according to a loudness model selected, the loudness L I (S,P I ) which the individual "I" will perceive and as corrected by the processor unit 30 of the hearing aid.
  • the model parameters P I of the individual are entered into unit 70a, for instance the parameters according to the Leijon-model, whereabout the EP-0 661 905 or S. Launer (see above) shall be considered as integral part of the present application. We draw especially the attention to fig. 15 as well as to figs. 3 to 9 and the according description of EP-0 661 905.
  • the signal input to the processor unit 30 is led to a calculating unit 70b which may be implied at the same hardware unit as unit 70a and may in fact be the same unit.
  • standard (N) loudness L N (S,P N ) of the incoming signal S is calculated according to standard parameters P N as also described in the EP-0 661 905 and in Launer which, here too, shall be considered as integral parts of the present description.
  • the output signal of the calculating units 70 respectively representing loudness L N and L I are operationally connected to a control unit 72 wherein the two loudness values are compared.
  • the control unit 72 which acts with its outputs on the control inputs E 30 which control the loudness-relevant parameters P 30 at the processor unit 30, i.e.
  • the perceived and calculated actual loudness L I is compared as a single time-varying value at comparing unit 90 with the MAL-value, output from storage 110.
  • the comparison result i.e. the output of the comparator unit 90, acts on an encoder unit 112 which generates a number of output signals led to weighing unit 114 whereat the parameter values emitted from control unit 72 to adjust the transfer function of unit 30 are further adjusted, thereby preventing L I to increase over MAL.
  • the spectrum a) of a signal A output from the processor unit 30 is shown over frequency e.g. scaled in Barks.
  • the spectrum a) leads to loudness L Ia as represented by the area which is shaded under spectrum a) well above the MAL-value.
  • this is detected and the transfer function of unit 30 is adjusted, e.g. to result in a signal A according to characteristic b) which now and according to the hatched surface area below characteristic b) accords with a loudness L Ib well below MAL.
  • the signal transferred to the human ear is limited according to psychoacoustical loudness perception of the human ear and not by preselecting any physical limit values.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Neurosurgery (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Mechanical Vibrations Or Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
  • Transition And Organic Metals Composition Catalysts For Addition Polymerization (AREA)
  • Amplifiers (AREA)
  • Furan Compounds (AREA)
  • Tone Control, Compression And Expansion, Limiting Amplitude (AREA)
  • Confectionery (AREA)
  • Coloring Foods And Improving Nutritive Qualities (AREA)
  • Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)
  • Soundproofing, Sound Blocking, And Sound Damping (AREA)

Claims (8)

  1. Verfahren zum Begrenzen eines an das menschliche Ohr übertragenen Signals in Abhängigkeit von einem ankommenden Schallsignal, gekennzeichnet durch die folgenden Schritte:
    Vorsehen einer begrenzenden Hörvorrichtung, die aus einem eingehenden Schallsignal (S) ein Signal (A) erzeugt, das an das menschliche Ohr mit einer steuerbaren Übertragungscharakteristik übertragen wird;
    Speichern eines Schwellenwertes (MAL) in der Vorrichtung;
    Erzeugen eines von der Lautheit (L(S, P); LI(S, PI)) des übertragenen Signals abhängenden Signals in der Vorrichtung;
    Verringern der Lautheit des an das Ohr übertragenen Signals (A) durch Einstellen von Parametern der Übertragungscharakteristik, die die Lautheit (L; LI) des an das Ohr übertragenen Signals (A) bestimmen, sobald das von der Lautheit (L; LI) des übertragenen Signals (A) abhängende Signal den Schwellenwert (MAL) erreicht.
  2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, gekennzeichnet durch Implementieren der Hörvorrichtung in einem Hörgerät.
  3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, gekennzeichnet durch die Schritte, bei denen die Übertragungscharakteristik in Abhängigkeit von der Lautheit, die von einer bestimmten einzelnen Person wahrgenommen wird und in Abhängigkeit von der Lautheit, die von einem Standard wahrgenommen wird, individuell eingestellt wird.
  4. Verfahren nach Anspruch 2 oder 3, das ferner die Schritte umfaßt, bei denen:
    die Lautheit (LN(S, PN)), die durch einen Standard bei einem in die Vorrichtung eingegebenen Schallsignal (S) wahrgenommen wird, berechnet wird;
    die Lautheit (LI(S, PI)), die von der einzelnen Person bei dem Schallsignal wahrgenommen wird, in Abhängigkeit von der Lautheit des übertragenen Signals (A) berechnet wird;
    eine gewünschte Hörgerät-Übertragungscharakteristik aus den berechneten Lautheiten des Standards bzw. der einzelnen Person berechnet wird;
    die Übertragungscharakteristik (T) des Hörgeräts in Übereinstimmung mit der gewünschten Übertragungscharakteristik eingestellt wird;
    die Begrenzung durch zusätzliches Einstellen der gewünschten Übertragungscharakteristik in Abhängigkeit von der Lautheit des übertragenen Signals (A) und des Schwellenwertes (MAL) ausgeführt wird.
  5. Hörvorrichtung, mit
    einem Eingangs-akustisch/elektrischen Wandler (1), dessen Ausgang wirkverbunden ist mit dem Eingang
    einer Signalprozessoreinheit (3; 30) mit einer steuerbaren Übertragungscharakteristik (T), deren Ausgang wirkverbunden ist mit einem Eingang von
    einem Ausgangs-Wandler (5) für das menschliche Ohr,
       dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß vorgesehen sind:
    eine im voraus setzbare Speichereinheit (11; 110);
    eine Recheneinheit (7, 70a), deren Eingang mit dem Ausgang der Prozessoreinheit (3, 30) wirkverbunden ist und die ein Ausgangssignal erzeugt, das von der Lautheit eines Schallsignals abhängt, das durch das Signal am Eingang des Ausgangs-Wandlers (5) repräsentiert wird, wobei
    die Ausgänge der Recheneinheit (7; 70a) bzw. der im voraus setzbaren Einheit (11; 110) mit entsprechenden Eingängen einer Vergleichseinheit (9; 90) wirkverbunden sind;
    der Ausgang der Vergleichseinheit (9; 90) mit Einstelleingängen (E3; E30) für die Charakteristik der Prozessoreinheit (3; 30) wirkverbunden ist.
  6. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Wandler (1, 5) und die Prozessoreinheit (3; 30) Teil eines Hörgeräts sind.
  7. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 6, gekennzeichnet durch
    eine zweite Recheneinheit (70b), deren Eingang mit dem Ausgang des Eingangs-Wandlers (1) wirkverbunden ist und die ein Ausgangssignal erzeugt, das eine Standardlautstärke eines an den Eingangs-Wandler (1) eingegebenen Schallsignals repräsentiert;
    wobei die Ausgänge der einen und der weiteren Recheneinheit (70a, 70b) mit einer dritten Recheneinheit (72) wirkverbunden sind;
    und der Ausgang der weiteren Recheneinheit (72) mit den Einstelleingängen (E30) wirkverbunden ist.
  8. Vorrichtung nach den Ansprüchen 5 bis 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Prozessoreinheit (3; 30) eine vorgegebene Anzahl von Bandpaßfiltern umfaßt, wovon jedes hauptsächlich in einem entsprechenden Spektralband wirkt, wobei die Einstelleingänge (E3, E30) mit Einstelleingängen der Filter wirkverbunden sind,
EP96115687A 1996-10-01 1996-10-01 Lautstärkebegrenzung Expired - Lifetime EP0836363B1 (de)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP96115687A EP0836363B1 (de) 1996-10-01 1996-10-01 Lautstärkebegrenzung
DE69629814T DE69629814T2 (de) 1996-10-01 1996-10-01 Lautstärkebegrenzung
DK96115687T DK0836363T3 (da) 1996-10-01 1996-10-01 Begrænser for lydindtryk
AT96115687T ATE249134T1 (de) 1996-10-01 1996-10-01 Lautstärkebegrenzung

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP96115687A EP0836363B1 (de) 1996-10-01 1996-10-01 Lautstärkebegrenzung

Publications (2)

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EP0836363A1 EP0836363A1 (de) 1998-04-15
EP0836363B1 true EP0836363B1 (de) 2003-09-03

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EP96115687A Expired - Lifetime EP0836363B1 (de) 1996-10-01 1996-10-01 Lautstärkebegrenzung

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EP (1) EP0836363B1 (de)
AT (1) ATE249134T1 (de)
DE (1) DE69629814T2 (de)
DK (1) DK0836363T3 (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8965520B2 (en) 2004-06-15 2015-02-24 Cochlear Limited Automatic determination of the threshold of an evoked neural response
US10842418B2 (en) 2014-09-29 2020-11-24 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Method and apparatus for tinnitus evaluation with test sound automatically adjusted for loudness

Families Citing this family (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8260430B2 (en) 2010-07-01 2012-09-04 Cochlear Limited Stimulation channel selection for a stimulating medical device
AUPS318202A0 (en) 2002-06-26 2002-07-18 Cochlear Limited Parametric fitting of a cochlear implant
US7801617B2 (en) 2005-10-31 2010-09-21 Cochlear Limited Automatic measurement of neural response concurrent with psychophysics measurement of stimulating device recipient
US8190268B2 (en) 2004-06-15 2012-05-29 Cochlear Limited Automatic measurement of an evoked neural response concurrent with an indication of a psychophysics reaction
US8571675B2 (en) 2006-04-21 2013-10-29 Cochlear Limited Determining operating parameters for a stimulating medical device
US8213653B2 (en) 2006-05-10 2012-07-03 Phonak Ag Hearing device
US8401213B2 (en) 2008-03-31 2013-03-19 Cochlear Limited Snap-lock coupling system for a prosthetic device
US8571242B2 (en) 2008-05-30 2013-10-29 Phonak Ag Method for adapting sound in a hearing aid device by frequency modification and such a device
EP2560410B1 (de) 2011-08-15 2019-06-19 Oticon A/s Ausgangsmodulationsregelung in einem hörgerät
DE102024113882A1 (de) * 2024-05-17 2025-11-20 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft Vorrichtung und Verfahren zum Anpassen der Lautstärke eines Audiosignals in einem Audiosystem

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6032400B2 (ja) * 1981-08-07 1985-07-27 リオン株式会社 補聴器
US4792977A (en) * 1986-03-12 1988-12-20 Beltone Electronics Corporation Hearing aid circuit
US5706352A (en) * 1993-04-07 1998-01-06 K/S Himpp Adaptive gain and filtering circuit for a sound reproduction system
EP1207718A3 (de) * 1995-03-13 2003-02-05 Phonak Ag Verfahren zur Anpassung eines Hörgerätes, Vorrichtung hierzu und Hörgerät

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8965520B2 (en) 2004-06-15 2015-02-24 Cochlear Limited Automatic determination of the threshold of an evoked neural response
US10842418B2 (en) 2014-09-29 2020-11-24 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Method and apparatus for tinnitus evaluation with test sound automatically adjusted for loudness

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0836363A1 (de) 1998-04-15
DK0836363T3 (da) 2003-12-15
DE69629814T2 (de) 2004-08-05
DE69629814D1 (de) 2003-10-09
ATE249134T1 (de) 2003-09-15

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