# US 12,225,355 B2 · Own voice detection on a hearing device and a binaural hearing device system and methods thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,225,355 B2 - Document ID: US12225355B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/503,986 - Filed: 2023-11-07 - Published: 2024-03-14 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2022-06-02 - Assignees: GN Hearing A/S - Applicants: GN Hearing A/S - Inventors: Rob De Vries; Changxue Ma; Srdjan Petrovic - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12225355B2 ## CPC - H04R 25/405: {by combining a plurality of transducers} - H04R 25/552: {Binaural} - H04R 25/407: {Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers} - H04R 2430/03: Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing - H04R 2460/01: Hearing devices using active noise cancellation - 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 A bilateral hearing device system includes a hearing device. The hearing device includes a first input transducer configured for providing a first electric input signal, a second input transducer configured for providing a second electric input signal, a voice detector module configured to detect own voice of a user, the voice detector comprising a first band-pass filter configured for band-pass filtering the first electric input signal and a second band-pass filter configured for band-pass filtering the second electric input signal. The hearing device comprises a processing unit configured to provide a first electric output signal based on the first and second electric input signals; and an output transducer configured to provide an acoustic output signal, wherein the voice detector module is configured for notifying a detection of the own voice to the processing unit if one or more detection criteria are satisfied. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bilateral hearing device system comprising: a first hearing device; and a second hearing device; wherein the first hearing device comprises: a first input transducer configured to provide a first electric input signal; a second input transducer configured to provide a second electric input signal; a voice detector module configured to detect own voice of a user of the first hearing device based on one or more detection criteria, the voice detector comprising a first band-pass filter configured for band-pass filtering the first electric input signal, and a second band-pass filter configured for band-pass filtering the second electric input signal; a processing unit configured to provide a first electric output signal based on the first electric input signal and the second electric input signal; and an output transducer configured to provide an acoustic output signal based on the first electric output signal; wherein the voice detector module is further configured to notify a detection of the own voice to the processing unit if one or more of the detection criteria are satisfied; and wherein the first hearing device further comprises a first wireless communication interface and a third input transducer configured to provide a third electric input signal, the second hearing device comprising a second wireless communication interface and a fourth input transducer configured to provide a fourth electric input signal; wherein the first hearing device further comprises a third band-pass filter configured for band-pass filtering the third electric input signal; and wherein the bilateral hearing device system further comprises a fourth band-pass filter configured for band-pass filtering the fourth electric input signal received from the second hearing device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 1, wherein the voice detector module of the first hearing device further comprises a transmission delay filter configured to transmission delay the band-pass filtered first electric signal to provide a transmission delayed band-pass filtered first electric input signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 2, wherein the voice detector module further comprises an adaptive filter configured to filter the transmission delayed band-pass filtered first electric input signal, the adaptive filter further configured to reduce or minimize an error signal resulted from subtracting the transmission delayed band-pass filtered first electric input signal from the band-pass filtered fourth electric input signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 3, wherein the adaptive filter is configured to provide a bilateral direction of arrival estimate; and wherein the voice detector module further comprises an attack-and-release filter configured to filter the bilateral direction of arrival estimate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more detection criteria comprises a bilateral direction of arrival criterion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more detection criteria comprises a monaural direction of arrival criterion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 1, wherein the first hearing device is configured to obtain a first power level difference estimate by comparing a power level of the band-pass filtered first electric input signal and a power level of the band-pass filtered second electric input signal; and wherein the voice detector module further comprises an attack-and-release filter configured to filter the first power level difference estimate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more detection criteria comprises a first own voice activity indicator criterion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more detection criteria comprises a first own voice activity indicator criterion, and a second own voice activity indicator criterion. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 1, wherein the first hearing device is configured to receive the fourth electric input signal from the second hearing device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 1, wherein the fourth band-pass filter is in the first hearing device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The bilateral hearing device system according to claim 1, wherein the fourth bane-pass filter is in the second hearing device. ### Claim 13 A hearing device comprising: a first input transducer configured to provide a first electric input signal; a second input transducer configured to provide a second electric input signal; a voice detector module configured to detect own voice of a user of the hearing device based on one or more detection criteria, the voice detector comprising a first filter configured for filtering the first electric input signal, and a second filter configured for filtering the second electric input signal; a processing unit configured to provide a first electric output signal based on the first electric input signal and the second electric input signal; and an output transducer configured to provide an acoustic output signal based on the first electric output signal; wherein the voice detector module further comprises: a first primary filter configured to filter the filtered first electric input signal to provide a first primary filtered signal; and a first secondary filter configured to filter the filtered second electric input signal to provide a first secondary filtered signal; wherein the first primary filter and the first secondary filter are further configured to provide a first directional pattern signal comprising a directional null into a direction of (1) the own voice or (2) a far field signal in front of the user, the first directional pattern signal being based on the first primary filtered signal and the first secondary filtered signal. ### Claim 14 A hearing device comprising: a first input transducer configured to provide a first electric input signal; a second input transducer configured to provide a second electric input signal; a voice detector module configured to detect own voice of a user of the hearing device based on one or more detection criteria, the voice detector comprising a first filter configured for filtering the first electric input signal, and a second filter configured for filtering the second electric input signal; a processing unit configured to provide a first electric output signal based on the first electric input signal and the second electric input signal; and an output transducer configured to provide an acoustic output signal based on the first electric output signal; wherein the voice detector module comprises a first adaptive filter configured to provide a monaural direction of arrival estimate; and wherein the voice detector module further comprises an attack-and-release filter configured to filter the monaural direction of arrival estimate. ### Claim 15 A hearing device comprising: a first input transducer configured to provide a first electric input signal; a second input transducer configured to provide a second electric input signal; a voice detector module configured to detect own voice of a user of the hearing device based on one or more detection criteria, the voice detector comprising a first filter configured for filtering the first electric input signal, and a second filter configured for filtering the second electric input signal; a processing unit configured to provide a first electric output signal based on the first electric input signal and the second electric input signal; an output transducer configured to provide an acoustic output signal based on the first electric output signal; a third input transducer configured to provide a third electric input signal; wherein the voice detector module is further configured to process the third electric input signal, the voice detector module further comprising a third filter configured to filter the third electric input signal; wherein the processing unit is further configured to process the third electric input signal; and wherein the first electric output signal is further based on the third electric input signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The hearing device according to claim 15, wherein the one or more of detection criteria comprises a power level difference criterion; wherein the first hearing device is configured to obtain a power level difference estimate by comparing a power level of the filtered first electric input signal and a power level of the filtered third electric input signal; and wherein the voice detector module further comprises an attack-and-release filter configured to filter the power level difference estimate. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The hearing device according to claim 15, wherein the one or more detection criteria comprises a first power level difference criterion; wherein the first hearing device is configured to obtain a first power level difference estimate by comparing a power level of the filtered first electric input signal and a power level of the filtered second electric input signal; and wherein the voice detector module further comprises an attack-and-release filter configured to filter the first power level difference estimate; wherein the one or more of detection criteria comprises a second power level difference criterion; wherein the first hearing device is configured to obtain a second power level difference estimate by comparing the power level of the filtered first electric input signal and a power level of the filtered third electric input signal; and wherein the voice detector module further comprises another attack-and-release filter configured to filter the second power level difference estimate. ### Claim 18 A hearing device comprising: a first input transducer configured to provide a first electric input signal; a second input transducer configured to provide a second electric input signal; a voice detector module configured to detect own voice of a user of the hearing device based on one or more detection criteria, the voice detector comprising a first filter configured for filtering the first electric input signal, and a second filter configured for filtering the second electric input signal; a processing unit configured to provide a first electric output signal based on the first electric input signal and the second electric input signal; and an output transducer configured to provide an acoustic output signal based on the first electric output signal; wherein the voice detector module comprises a first attack-and-release filter configured to filter a monaural direction of arrival estimate. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The hearing device according to claim 18, wherein the voice detector module comprises a second attack-and-release filter configured to filter a first power level difference estimate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The hearing device according to claim 19, wherein the voice detector module comprises a third attack-and-release filter configured to filter an own voice activity indicator estimate. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The hearing device according to claim 20, wherein the voice detector module comprises a fourth attack-and-release filter configured to filter a second power level difference estimate.