# US 10,484,800 B2 · Configurable hearing aid comprising a beamformer filtering unit and a gain unit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,484,800 B2 - Document ID: US10484800B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/601,521 - Filed: 2017-05-22 - Published: 2017-11-23 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-23 - Assignees: Oticon A/S - Applicants: Oticon A/S - Inventors: Jan Mark De Haan; Fares El-Azm - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10484800B2 ## CPC - H04R 25/407: {Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers} - H04R 25/405: {by combining a plurality of transducers} - H04R 25/453: {electronically} - H04R 25/505: {using digital signal processing} - H04R 25/558: {Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency} - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) ## Abstract The application relates to a hearing aid comprising a forward path comprising a) a multitude of input units for providing a multitude of electric input signals INi, i=1, . . . , M, representative of sound, b) a multi input beam former filtering unit for providing a beam formed signal YBF from said multitude of electric input signals, c) a gain unit for applying a hearing aid gain GHA to said beam formed signal YBF, and providing a processed signal, and d) an output unit for providing stimuli perceivable by a user as sound based on said processed signal or a signal derived therefrom. The hearing aid further comprises e) a gain control unit for limiting said hearing aid gain GHA to a modified full-on gain value G′FOG. The multi input beam former filtering unit is configured to apply a current frequency dependent directional gain GDIR,i to each of said multitude of electric input signals INi, and the gain control unit is configured to determine the modified full-on gain value G′FOG in dependence of said current directional gains GDIR,i, i=1, . . . , M, and a previously determined full-on gain value GFOG. Thereby an improved hearing aid is provided. The invention may e.g. be used for hearing instruments, headsets, or active ear protection systems. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A hearing aid comprising a forward path comprising a multitude of input units for providing a multitude of electric input signals INi, i=1, . . . , M, representative of sound, a multi input beam former filtering unit for providing a beam formed signal YBF from said multitude of electric input signals, a gain unit for applying a hearing aid gain GHA to said beam formed signal YBF, and providing a processed signal, and an output unit for providing stimuli perceivable by a user as sound based on said processed signal or a signal derived therefrom, the hearing aid further comprising a gain control unit for limiting said hearing aid gain GHA to a modified full-on gain value G′FOG, wherein the multi input beam former filtering unit is configured to apply a current frequency dependent directional gain GDIR,i, to each of said multitude of electric input signals INi, and wherein the gain control unit is configured to determine the modified full-on gain value G′FOG in dependence of said current directional gains GDIR,i, i=1, . . . , M, and a previously determined full-on gain value GFOG, the gain control unit comprises a configurable smoothing unit configured to determine a smoothed value of the maximum value GDIR,max of the current directional gains, and to use the smoothed value in the determination of the modified full-on gain value G′FOG, e.g. G′FOG=GFOG−, and the gain control unit is configured to control a release time and/or an attack time of the smoothing unit in dependence of a current full on gain margin ΔGFOGm, ΔGFOGm being a difference between the previously determined full-on gain value GFOG and the sum of the current hearing aid gain GHA and the maximum value GDIR,max of the current directional gains ΔGFOGm =GFOG−(GHA+GDIR,max). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the gain control unit is configured to determine a current modified full-on gain value G′FOG in dependence of a maximum value GDIR,max of said current directional gains GDIR,i, i=1, . . . , M. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the gain control unit is configured to determine a current modified full-on gain value G′FOG in dependence of a maximum value GDIR,max of said current directional gains GDIR,i, i=1, . . . , M, and the previously determined full-on gain value GFOG. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the gain control unit is configured to determine the modified full-on gain value G′FOG as a difference between the previously determined full-on gain value GFOG and the maximum value GDIR,max of the current directional gains multiplied by a positive constant α, G′FOG=GFOG−αGDIR,max. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the gain control unit is configured to set a release time constant involved in determining the smoothed value to a value smaller than or equal to a first value πrel,FAST, in case the current full-on gain margin ΔGFOGm is below a first threshold value ΔGLIM,fast, i.e. for ΔGFOGm<ΔGth,LIM, where ΔGLIM,fast is larger than zero. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the gain control unit is configured to control the beam former filtering unit in dependence of the maximum value GDIR,max of the current directional gains. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the gain control unit is configured to control the beam former filtering unit in dependence of the previously determined full-on gain value GFOG, the current hearing aid gain GHA and the maximum value GDIR,max of the current directional gains. ### Claim 8 A hearing aid comprising a forward path comprising a multitude of input units for providing a multitude of electric input signals INi, i=1, . . . , M, representative of sound, a multi input beam former filtering unit for providing a beam formed signal YBF from said multitude of electric input signals, a gain unit for applying a hearing aid gain GHA to said beam formed signal YBF, and providing a processed signal, and an output unit for providing stimuli perceivable by a user as sound based on said processed signal or a signal derived therefrom, the hearing aid further comprising a gain control unit for limiting said hearing aid gain GHA, to a modified full-on gain value G′FOG, wherein the multi input beam former filtering unit is configured to apply a current frequency dependent directional gain GDIR,i to each of said multitude of electric input signals INi, and wherein the gain control unit is configured to determine the modified full-on gain value G′FOG in dependence of said current directional gains GDIR,i, i=1, . . . , M, and a previously determined full-on gain value GFOG, and the gain control unit is configured to control the beam former filtering unit in dependence of the current full on gain margin ΔGFOGm, ΔGFOGm being a difference between the previously determined full-on gain value GFOG and the sum of the current hearing aid gain GHA and the maximum value GDIR,max of the current directional gains. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A hearing aid according to claim 8 wherein the gain control unit is configured to control the beam former filtering unit to reduce said maximum value GDIR,max of the current directional gains, in case the current full on gain margin ΔGFOGm, is smaller than a threshold value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) A hearing aid according to claim 8 wherein the gain control unit is configured to determine a beam former control signal DIRctr for controlling the beam former filtering unit between an un-restrained ON-state, when said current full on gain margin ΔGFOGm is above a first threshold value ΔGDIR,ON, and an OFF-state, when said current full on gain margin ΔGFOGm is below a second threshold value ΔGDIR,OFF. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A hearing aid according to claim 10 wherein the gain control unit is configured to determine a smoothed value <ΔGFOGm> of said current full on gain margin ΔGFOGm, and to use said smoothed value <ΔGFOGm> in the determination of the beam former control signal DIRctr instead of said current full on gain margin ΔGFOGm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 comprising a multitude M of analysis filter banks each for providing a time-frequency representation INi(k,m) of a respective different one of the multitude of electric input signals INi, i=1, . . . , M, k being a frequency index and m being a time index. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 comprising a hearing instrument or an active ear-protection device or other audio processing device, which is adapted to improve, augment and/or protect the hearing capability of a user by receiving acoustic signals from the user's surroundings, generating corresponding audio signals, possibly modifying the audio signals and providing the possibly modified audio signals as audible signals to at least one of the user's ears. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the beamformer filtering unit comprises minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the beamformer filtering unit comprises generalized sidelobe canceller (GSC) structure. ### Claim 16 A method of operating a hearing aid comprising a forward path comprising a multitude of input units for providing a multitude of electric input signals INi, i=1, . . . , M, representative of sound, an output unit for providing stimuli perceivable by a user as sound based on a processed signal or a signal derived therefrom, the method comprising providing a beam formed signal YBF from said multitude of electric input signals, applying a current frequency dependent directional gain GDIR,i to each of said multitude of electric input signals INi, applying a hearing aid gain GHA to said beam formed signal YBF, and providing a processed signal, and providing a previously determined full-on gain value GFOG, limiting said hearing aid gain GHA to a modified full-on gain value G′FOG, determining said modified full-on gain value G′FOG in dependence of said current directional gains GDIR,i, i=1, . . . , M, and said previously determined full-on gain value GFOG, determining a smoothed value of the maximum value GDIR,max of the current directional gains, and using the smoothed value in the determination of the modified full-on gain value G′FOG, e.g. G′FOG=GFOG−, and controlling a release time and/or an attack time of the smoothing in dependence of a current full on gain margin ΔGFOGm, ΔGFOGm being a difference between the previously determined full-on gain value GFOG and the sum of the current hearing aid gain GHA and the maximum value GDIR,max of the current directional gains ΔGFOGm=GFOG−(GHA+GDIR,max). ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A data processing system comprising a processor and program code means for causing the processor to perform the steps of the method of claim 16. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored there on a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of claim 16.