EP2200345B1 - Procédé de sélection d'une direction préférentiel d'un microphone directionnel et dispositif auditif correspondant - Google Patents

Procédé de sélection d'une direction préférentiel d'un microphone directionnel et dispositif auditif correspondant Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2200345B1
EP2200345B1 EP09177982A EP09177982A EP2200345B1 EP 2200345 B1 EP2200345 B1 EP 2200345B1 EP 09177982 A EP09177982 A EP 09177982A EP 09177982 A EP09177982 A EP 09177982A EP 2200345 B1 EP2200345 B1 EP 2200345B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
directional
frequency bands
directional microphone
estimated
signal
Prior art date
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Application number
EP09177982A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP2200345A1 (fr
Inventor
Henning Puder
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.)
Sivantos Pte Ltd
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Siemens Medical Instruments Pte Ltd
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    • 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
    • H04R25/43—Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics
    • 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
    • H04R25/40—Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic
    • H04R25/407—Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10L—SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
    • G10L21/00—Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility
    • G10L21/02—Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation
    • G10L21/0208—Noise filtering
    • G10L21/0216—Noise filtering characterised by the method used for estimating noise
    • G10L2021/02161—Number of inputs available containing the signal or the noise to be suppressed
    • G10L2021/02166—Microphone arrays; Beamforming
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2410/00—Microphones
    • H04R2410/01—Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2430/00—Signal processing covered by H04R, not provided for in its groups
    • H04R2430/03—Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
    • 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
    • H04R25/40—Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method for operating a hearing device with a directional microphone, which is switchable at least in a first and in a second directional characteristic. Moreover, the present invention relates to a corresponding hearing device.
  • hearing device is understood to mean here any sound-emitting device which can be worn on or in the ear or on the head, in particular a hearing aid, a headset, headphones and the like.
  • Hearing aids are portable hearing aids that are used to care for the hearing impaired.
  • different types of hearing aids such as behind-the-ear hearing aids (BTE), hearing aid with external receiver (RIC: receiver in the canal) and in-the-ear hearing aids (IDO), e.g. Concha hearing aids or canal hearing aids (ITE, CIC).
  • BTE behind-the-ear hearing aids
  • RIC hearing aid with external receiver
  • IDO in-the-ear hearing aids
  • ITE canal hearing aids
  • the hearing aids listed by way of example are worn on the outer ear or in the ear canal.
  • bone conduction hearing aids, implantable or vibrotactile hearing aids are also available on the market. The stimulation of the damaged hearing takes place either mechanically or electrically.
  • Hearing aids have in principle as essential components an input transducer, an amplifier and an output transducer.
  • the input transducer is usually a sound receiver, z. As a microphone, and / or an electromagnetic receiver, for. B. an induction coil.
  • the output transducer is usually used as an electroacoustic transducer, z. As miniature speaker, or as an electromechanical transducer, z. B. bone conduction, realized.
  • the amplifier is usually integrated in a signal processing unit. This basic structure is in FIG. 1 shown using the example of a behind-the-ear hearing aid. In a hearing aid housing 1 for Carrying behind the ear, one or more microphones 2 are installed for recording the sound from the environment.
  • a signal processing unit 3 which is also integrated in the hearing aid housing 1, processes the microphone signals and amplifies them.
  • the output signal of the signal processing unit 3 is transmitted to a loudspeaker or earpiece 4, which outputs an acoustic signal.
  • the sound is optionally transmitted via a sound tube, which is fixed with an earmold in the ear canal, to the eardrum of the device carrier.
  • the power supply of the hearing device and in particular the signal processing unit 3 is effected by a likewise integrated into the hearing aid housing 1 battery. 5
  • EP 1 827 058 A1 is a method for operating a hearing device with a directional microphone, which is switchable at least in a first and in a second directional characteristic known.
  • a modulation index provides information about the signal-to-noise ratio for omnidirectional and directional directivity.
  • a control parameter is chosen so that below a threshold in an operation of the directional microphone with omnidirectional characteristic and above a further threshold in an operation of the directional microphone is switched with directional characteristic. In the area of the sound pressure level between the two thresholds, the microphone is switched to a linear transition between the two directional characteristics.
  • a microphone antenna array with voice-active detection known.
  • a decision unit determines the presence or absence of voice by examining whether a functional output is above or below a threshold. If the output is 0, which means the absence of speech, the noise estimate is updated.
  • Directional microphones usually amplify signals from the direction of the hearing aid wearer. But there are situations in which this approach is more of a hindrance than useful, eg. As in cars, where the signals of other speakers for driver or front passenger rather have a lateral or backward facing direction of incidence. Then the directional microphone should react and focus on the direction from which the highest voice component is incident.
  • the object of the present invention is thus to automatically focus a directional microphone of a hearing device in that direction from which the highest speech component is incident.
  • a corresponding method and a corresponding hearing device are to be provided.
  • this object is achieved by a method according to claim 1.
  • a determined signal-to-noise ratio is used as the basis for selecting a directional characteristic of a directional microphone. This selection can be made automatically, so that the use of the hearing for each person is comfortable.
  • an interference power in each case is estimated in several frequency bands. It is particularly advantageous if a signal processing of the hearing device is performed in a plurality of frequency bands, but for determining the signal-to-noise ratios only in selected one of the frequency bands each an interference power is estimated. In this way, computing capacity can be saved, because experience has shown that the lower bands hardly contribute when it comes to determine the differences in the signal-to-noise ratios for the different directional characteristics.
  • the estimation of the interference power in one of the frequency bands only occurs when a noise reduction the respective frequency band component on the z. B. for the filter used maximum possible value attenuates. This is an indication that this frequency component contains no speech component. In the other case, d. H. at times when the noise reduction does not apply the maximum attenuation, it is assumed that a useful signal component in this frequency component. Then, no estimate of the disturbance power can be made, but the old estimate is held until the estimate is released again.
  • the switching of the directional microphone in one of the directional characteristics can also be done by a gradual blending. This means that switching is not done hard at one time, but soft over a period of time, which may increase hearing comfort.
  • first directivity may prefer a forward direction and the second directivity may prefer an opposite rearward direction.
  • the directional microphone can be switched into a third directional characteristic, which corresponds to an omnidirectional characteristic. This can be taken into account a situation in which voice components come from several directions.
  • the basis for the selection of a suitable directional characteristic of the directional microphone is the estimation of the useful portion and in particular of the voice component for, for example, three different adjustment variants of the directional microphone: 1) adaptive with the preferred direction forward, 2) omnidirectional and 3) preferred direction to the rear.
  • the choice of direction could be made for speech according to the amount of speech present, calculated on the basis of the amount of 4 Hz modulation of the envelope for each of these three signals.
  • Disadvantage of this method is a certain inertia of the 4-Hz modulation. Associated with this is the need for a speaker to speak from behind for a few seconds before his activity is detected, and the directional microphone fades in his direction.
  • an alternative for calculating the 4-Hz modulation is proposed, with the faster and more reliable the preferred direction of the directional microphone is detected and switched to this.
  • the idea is based on a special and very cost-efficient calculation of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each of the three different adjustment options of the directional microphone.
  • SNR signal-to-noise ratio
  • the basis for this are the three output signals of the three different directional microphone variants, for example in 48 frequency bands in which the directional microphone is currently being calculated.
  • the detection system which can be integrated, for example, in a hearing aid as part of a directional microphone control unit receives each multichannel (bold lines in FIG. 2 ) an input signal In1 from a directional microphone setting "omnidirectional", an input signal In2 from a directional microphone setting "directional forward”, and an input signal In3 for the directional microphone setting "directional backward". For each of the input signals, an SNR estimate is performed. First of all, the power of the respective overall signal is determined. Absolute value units 10 form band-specific or channel-specific the amount of each input signal.
  • the absolute value unit 10 is followed by a selector 11 to select only the desired bands.
  • the lower bands are usually not selected, as they usually do not contribute to the difference of the three signals.
  • the signals of the remaining bands are summed in adders 12.
  • a broadband overall signal results (the blocked bands do not contribute), which serves for a corresponding estimating device 13 for estimating the power of the overall signal (S + N).
  • Each estimation device 13 has, for example, a low-pass filter LP.
  • each estimator 13 requires a fixed, predetermined smoothing constant ks.
  • the power of the noise (N) is also estimated for each input signal In1, In2, In3.
  • the selected bands are fed, after the selectors 11, to further estimation devices 14 with multiple channels or multiple bands (in FIG FIG. 2 multi-channel connections with thick lines and single-channel connections with thin lines are shown).
  • Such an estimator 14 for multi-channel processing may include an IIR filter, e.g. As a low-pass filter first order included.
  • the interference power is thus calculated channel-specifically.
  • the respective estimating device 14 requires a fixed smoothing constant kn. It should be noted, however, that the disturbance can only be reliably estimated if none Net power in each band is present.
  • the information from a Vienna-based noise reduction can be used. This is done so that it is evaluated in each frequency band, whether the noise reduction at the current time the maximum attenuates the respective frequency component or passes to a certain extent. If a given maximum damping is applied, it can be assumed that there is only noise and the estimation is released. Otherwise, the estimate is paused and retained until the revaluation enable the old estimate.
  • Information about whether or not maximum attenuation is due to the noise reduction can be input to a further input In4 in a channel-specific manner.
  • a switch 15 switches the smoothing constant to kn, if only noise is present and otherwise to 0, even if a useful signal is present at the selected time.
  • Another selector 16 selects from the output channels of the switch 15 those who have also selected the selectors 11 from the input signals.
  • the interference power can now be estimated channel-specifically in the estimation means 14.
  • the channel-specific interference power is added up in adders 17 over all frequency bands. This results in a total interference power for each of the three input signals.
  • a level (in dB) of the total disturbances as well as the total signal powers is formed.
  • subtracters 20 the difference of the levels of total signal power and interference power is formed for each input signal. This difference gives an estimate of the SNR value. In this way, estimates can be made for the three microphone variants.
  • the SNR values are optionally subjected to a smoothing. For this purpose, they are first compared in comparison units 21 with a limit l. The larger value is output. If, therefore, the SNR falls below the value 1, the output value is set to the limit l. This can be avoided that at very low SNR switching already takes place. Subsequently, the resulting values are smoothed by low-pass filters 22 having a smoothing constant kg.
  • the smoothed output signals Out1, Out2, and Out3 can now be used for further signal processing. For example, they represent the SNR value for omnidirectional operation, the SNR value for directional operation, and the SNR value for antidirectional operation (opposite direction) in the order named.
  • the three values are compared, for example, and the variant with the largest SNR value is a hysteresis logic (just as little as the just-mentioned predicates in FIG. 2 is drawn) used to select the cheapest directional microphone variant.

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  • 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)
  • Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)

Claims (7)

  1. Procédé pour faire fonctionner une prothèse auditive ayant un microphone directionnel qui peut être commuté au moins dans une première et dans une deuxième caractéristique directionnelle,
    par
    - détermination d'un rapport ( 10 à 20 ) estimé signal-bruit des signaux d'entrée du microphone directionnel pour la première et pour la deuxième caractéristique directionnelle,
    caractérisé par
    - commutation du microphone directionnel dans celle des deux caractéristiques directionnelles qui donne le rapport estimé signal-bruit le plus grand, dans lequel
    - pour la détermination des rapports ( 10 à 20 ) estimés signal-bruit, on estime respectivement une puissance parasite spécifique à une bande dans plusieurs bandes de fréquence du signal d'entrée de la caractéristique directionnelle respective et on effectue l'estimation de la puissance ( 14 ) parasite dans l'une des bandes de fréquence, seulement si un algorithme de réduction du bruit applique dans la une des bandes de fréquence son atténuation maximum prescrite.
  2. Procédé suivant la revendication 1, dans lequel on effectue un traitement du signal de la prothèse auditive dans une pluralité de bandes de fréquence et, pour la détermination des rapports ( 10 à 20 ) estimés signal-bruit, on n'évalue respectivement la puissance parasite que dans certaines sélectionnées des bandes de fréquence.
  3. Procédé suivant l'une des revendications précédentes, dans lequel on effectue la commutation par un enchaînement progressif.
  4. Procédé suivant l'une des revendications précédentes, dans lequel la première caractéristique directionnelle préfère une direction avant et la deuxième caractéristique directionnelle préfère une direction arrière opposée.
  5. Procédé suivant l'une des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le microphone directionnel peut être commuté dans une troisième caractéristique directionnelle qui correspond à une caractéristique omnidirectionnelle.
  6. Prothèse auditive comprenant
    - un microphone directionnel qui peut être commuté dans une première et dans une deuxième caractéristique directionnelle,
    - un dispositif ( 10 à 20 ) informatique pour la détermination respectivement d'un rapport estimé de signal-bruit des signaux d'entrée du microphone directionnel pour la première et pour la deuxième caractéristique directionnelle,
    caractérisée par
    - un dispositif de commutation pour la commutation du microphone directionnel dans celle des deux caractéristiques directionnelles qui donne le rapport estimé signal-bruit le plus grand, dans laquelle
    - par le dispositif ( 10 à 20 ) informatique respectivement une puissance ( 14 ) parasite spécifique à une bande peut être évaluée dans plusieurs des bandes de fréquence du signal d'entrée de la caractéristique directionnelle respective et le dispositif ( 10 à 20 ) informatique est conçu pour effectuer une estimation de la puissance parasite dans l'une des bandes de fréquence, seulement si une unité de réduction du bruit applique dans la une des bandes de fréquence son atténuation maximum prescrite.
  7. Prothèse auditive suivant la revendication 6, dans laquelle par le dispositif ( 10 à 20 ) informatique, un traitement du signal peut être effectué dans une pluralité de bandes de fréquence et respectivement la puissance ( 14 ) parasite n'est estimée que dans certaines sélectionnées ( 11 à 16 ) des bandes de fréquence.
EP09177982A 2008-12-22 2009-12-04 Procédé de sélection d'une direction préférentiel d'un microphone directionnel et dispositif auditif correspondant Active EP2200345B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE102008064484A DE102008064484B4 (de) 2008-12-22 2008-12-22 Verfahren zum Auswählen einer Vorzugsrichtung eines Richtmikrofons und entsprechende Hörvorrichtung

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Publication Number Publication Date
EP2200345A1 EP2200345A1 (fr) 2010-06-23
EP2200345B1 true EP2200345B1 (fr) 2012-08-01

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EP09177982A Active EP2200345B1 (fr) 2008-12-22 2009-12-04 Procédé de sélection d'une direction préférentiel d'un microphone directionnel et dispositif auditif correspondant

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US (1) US9301058B2 (fr)
EP (1) EP2200345B1 (fr)
DE (1) DE102008064484B4 (fr)
DK (1) DK2200345T3 (fr)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102008049086B4 (de) * 2008-09-26 2011-12-15 Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. Hörhilfegerät mit einem Richtmikrofonsystem sowie Verfahren zum Betrieb eines derartigen Hörhilfegerätes
US9002045B2 (en) 2011-12-30 2015-04-07 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Hearing aids with adaptive beamformer responsive to off-axis speech
US9398379B2 (en) 2012-04-25 2016-07-19 Sivantos Pte. Ltd. Method of controlling a directional characteristic, and hearing system
DE102012206759B4 (de) * 2012-04-25 2018-01-04 Sivantos Pte. Ltd. Verfahren zum Steuern einer Richtcharakteristik und Hörsystem
US9424859B2 (en) * 2012-11-21 2016-08-23 Harman International Industries Canada Ltd. System to control audio effect parameters of vocal signals
EP3346725B1 (fr) 2017-01-05 2019-09-25 Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH Écouteurs à réduction active du bruit

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5119000A (en) * 1991-02-25 1992-06-02 Motorola, Inc. Low noise motor drive circuit
US6449593B1 (en) * 2000-01-13 2002-09-10 Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd. Method and system for tracking human speakers
US20030027600A1 (en) 2001-05-09 2003-02-06 Leonid Krasny Microphone antenna array using voice activity detection
DE10334396B3 (de) * 2003-07-28 2004-10-21 Siemens Audiologische Technik Gmbh Hörhilfegerät sowie Verfahren zum Betrieb eines Hörhilfegerätes mit einem Mikrofonsystem, bei dem unterschiedliche Richtcharakteristiken einstellbar sind
EP1827058A1 (fr) 2006-02-22 2007-08-29 Oticon A/S Appareil acoustique avec une transition graduelle entre des modes d'opération d'une prothèse auditive
EP2151821B1 (fr) * 2008-08-07 2011-12-14 Nuance Communications, Inc. Procédé de réduction de bruit de signaux vocaux

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE102008064484B4 (de) 2012-01-19
EP2200345A1 (fr) 2010-06-23
US20100158290A1 (en) 2010-06-24
US9301058B2 (en) 2016-03-29
DK2200345T3 (da) 2012-11-12
DE102008064484A1 (de) 2010-07-22

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