Real-time Multirate Multiband Amplification for hearing aids
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsHarinath Garudadri, Alice Sokolova, Frederic Harris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In accordance with a method for performing frequency subchannelization, a digital signal is received at an original sampling rate. A plurality of multirate frequency channels is produced by dividing the digital signal into an integer number of multirate frequency channels such that a sampling rate of each of the multirate frequency channels is proportional to a center frequency of the frequency channel. Signal processing is performed on each of the multirate frequency channels. The original sampling rate is reconstructed using the multirate frequency channels.
Claims11
A method for performing frequency sub channelization, comprising:
- receiving a digital signal at an original sampling rate;
- producing a plurality of multirate frequency channels by dividing the digital signal into an integer number of multirate frequency channels such that a sampling rate of each of the multirate frequency channels is proportional to a center frequency of the frequency channel;
- performing signal processing on each of the multirate frequency channels;
- and
- reconstructing the original sampling rate using the multirate frequency channels.
A hearing aid device, comprising:
- a microphone configured to receive an audible input signal from an environment and convert the audible input signal to an electrical audio input signal;
- a multi-band hearing aid processing circuit configured for processing the electrical audio input signal, the multi-band hearing aid processing circuit being further configured to:
- receive the electrical audio input signal and produce a digital signal at an original sampling rate;
- produce a plurality of multirate frequency channels that divide the digital signal into an integer number of multirate frequency channels per octave;
- perform envelope detection on each of the multirate frequency channels;
- perform automatic gain control (AGC) for WDRC using the detected envelope of each of the multirate frequency channels using an algorithm that has a closed form relationship between user compression parameters and compression gains and compression attack and release times;
- upsample the multirate frequency channels to the original sampling rate;
- recombine the upsampled multirate frequency channels to produce an electrical audio output signal;
- and
- a speaker configured to receive the electrical audio output signal from the multi-band hearing aid processing circuit and emit an audible output signal into an ear of a user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.