# US 10,873,816 B2 · Providing feedback of an own voice loudness of a user of a hearing device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,873,816 B2 - Document ID: US10873816B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/692,994 - Filed: 2019-11-22 - Published: 2020-06-11 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-05 - Assignees: Sonova AG - Applicants: Sonova AG - Inventors: Manuela Feilner - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10873816B2 ## CPC - H04R 25/305: {Self-monitoring or self-testing} - H04R 25/554: {using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils} - G10L 25/51: for comparison or discrimination - H04R 25/70: {Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting} - H04R 2225/39: Aspects relating to automatic logging of sound environment parameters and the performance of the hearing aid during use, e.g. histogram logging, or of user selected programs or settings in the hearing aid, e.g. usage logging - H04R 2225/41: Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest - H04R 2460/07: Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection - 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) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING ## Abstract A method for providing feedback of an own voice loudness of a user of a hearing device comprises: extracting an own voice signal of the user from an audio signal acquired with a microphone of the hearing device; determining a sound level of the own voice signal from the audio signal; determining an acoustic situation of the user; determining at least one of a minimal threshold and a maximal threshold for the sound level of the own voice signal from the acoustic situation of the user; and notifying the user, when the sound level is at least one of lower than the minimal threshold and higher than the maximal threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for providing notice to a user of a hearing device, the method comprising: extracting an own voice signal of the user from an audio signal acquired with a microphone of the hearing device; determining a sound level of the own voice signal; determining, based on an operating mode of the hearing device, an acoustic situation of the user; determining at least one of a minimum threshold and a maximum threshold for the sound level of the own voice signal from the acoustic situation of the user; notifying the user, when the sound level is at least one of lower than the minimum threshold and higher than the maximum threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the minimal threshold and the maximal threshold are determined from a table of thresholds, the table storing different thresholds for a plurality of acoustic situations. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the acoustic situation is further determined from a further audio signal; wherein the further audio signal is extracted from the audio signal acquired by the hearing device and/or the further audio signal is acquired by a further microphone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the acoustic situation is further determined from at least one of: a room acoustics; a speech characteristics of another person; a further user voice signal, which is extracted from a further audio signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the acoustic situation further depends on a user input. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the user input includes at least one of: a number of persons, to which the user is speaking; a distance to a person, to which the user is speaking. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a location of the user; wherein determining the acoustic situation further depends on the location of the user. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the minimal threshold and/or the maximal threshold for an acoustic situation are set by user input. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user is notified via an output device of the hearing device; and/or wherein the user is notified by a portable device carried by the user, which is in data communication with the hearing device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the user is notified at least one of: acoustically, tactilely, visually. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: logging the sound level over time; visualizing a distribution of the sound level over time. ### Claim 12 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program that, when executed, direct a processor to: extract an own voice signal of a user from an audio signal acquired with a microphone of a hearing device; determine a sound level of the own voice signal; determine, based on an operating mode of the hearing device, an acoustic situation of the user; determine at least one of a minimum threshold and a maximum threshold for the sound level of the own voice signal from the acoustic situation of the user; notify the user, when the sound level is at least one of lower than the minimum threshold and higher than the maximum threshold. ### Claim 13 A hearing system comprising: a hearing device adapted to: extract an own voice signal of a user from an audio signal acquired with a microphone of the hearing device; determine a sound level of the own voice signal; determine, based on an operating mode of the hearing device, an acoustic situation of the user; determine at least one of a minimum threshold and a maximum threshold for the sound level of the own voice signal from the acoustic situation of the user; notify the user, when the sound level is at least one of lower than the minimum threshold and higher than the maximum threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The hearing system of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the minimal threshold and the maximal threshold are determined from a table of thresholds, the table storing different thresholds for a plurality of acoustic situations. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The hearing system of claim 13, wherein the acoustic situation is further determined from a further audio signal; wherein the further audio signal is extracted from the audio signal acquired by the hearing device and/or the further audio signal is acquired by a further microphone. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The hearing system of claim 13, wherein the acoustic situation is further determined from at least one of: a room acoustics; a speech characteristics of another person; a further user voice signal, which is extracted from a further audio signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The hearing system of claim 13, wherein determining the acoustic situation further depends on a user input. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The hearing system of claim 13, wherein the hearing device is further adapted to: determine a location of the user; wherein determining the acoustic situation further depends on the location of the user.