Hearing device with neural network-based microphone signal processing
AssigneeStarkey Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsBuye Xu, Ivo Merks, Frederic Philippe Denis Mustiere
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Abstract
A hearing system performs nonlinear processing of signals received from a plurality of microphones using a neural network to enhance a target signal in a noisy environment. In various embodiments, the neural network can be trained to improve a signal-to-noise ratio without causing substantial distortion of the target signal. An example of the target sound includes speech, and the neural network is used to improve speech intelligibility.
Claims20
A system for transmitting an output sound to a listener using hearing devices configured to be worn by the listener, the hearing devices configured to produce the output sound using an output signal and including microphones configured to receive input sounds and to produce microphone signals using the input sounds, the system comprising:
- a control circuit configured to produce the output signal using a processed signal and including a neural network configured to receive the microphone signals and to control directionality of the microphones by processing the microphone signals using a nonlinear signal processing algorithm to produce the processed signal.
A system for transmitting an output sound to a listener, the system comprising:
- hearing devices configured to be worn by the listener and configured to produce an output sound using an output signal, the hearing devices including microphones configured to receive input sounds and to produce microphone signals using the input sounds;
- and
- a control circuit configured to produce the output signal using a processed signal and including a neural network configured to receive the microphone signals and to control directionality of the microphones by processing the microphone signals using a nonlinear signal processing algorithm to produce the processed signal.
A method for transmitting an output sound to a listener, the method comprising:
- receiving microphone signals produced by microphones in hearing devices worn by the listener, the microphone signals representing an input sound received by the microphones;
- processing the microphone signals to control directionality of the microphones using a neural network of a control circuit, the processing including processing the microphone signals using a nonlinear signal processing algorithm to produce a processed signal;
- producing an output signal based on the processed signal using the control circuit;
- and
- producing an output sound based on the output signal using the hearing devices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.