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US 2026/0313303 A1Published application
Hearing aid comprising one or more sub-band filters
AssigneeOticon A/S
InventorsJan M. DE HAAN, Poul HOANG, Michael Noes GÄTKE, Alexander W KING, Katarzyna ORLINSKA, Philippe GONZALEZ
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Abstract
Embodiments of hearing aids having one or more sub-band filters are disclosed. The disclosure relates to the use of one or more sub-band filters in the frequency domain to attenuate background noise of a microphone signal. The disclosure relates to the use of two analysis filter banks where one of the two analysis filter banks has a low frequency resolution that outputs a set of low resolution sub-band input signals, and the other analysis filter bank has a higher frequency resolution that outputs a set of high resolution sub-band input signals.
Claims14
A hearing aid comprising:
- an input unit configured to pick-up sound and provide an electrical audio input signal representing the picked-up sound;
- a first signal processing system comprising a low-resolution analysis filter bank configured to provide MLR numbers of first sub-band input signals based on the electrical audio input signal, wherein the first signal processing system comprises one or more sub-band filters, and wherein the first signal processing system is configured to provide a plurality of processed sub-band signals based on filtering the first sub-band input signals using the one or more sub-band filters;
- a second signal processing system comprising a high-resolution analysis filter bank configured to provide MHR numbers of second sub-band input signals based on the electrical audio input signal, and wherein MHR is larger than MLR, wherein the second signal processing system comprises a sub-band filter estimator being configured to determine a plurality of sub-band filter coefficients of the one or more sub-band filters of the first signal processing system based on the second sub-band input signals to reduce noise in the first sub-band input signals;
- and
- an output unit comprising a loudspeaker configured to provide an audible processed sound based on the processed output signal;
- wherein the first signal processing system comprises a low-resolution synthesis filter bank being configured to provide a processed output signal based on the processed sub-band signals;
- wherein the sub-band estimator comprises a voice activity detector configured to detect the presence of speech based on the electrical audio input signal;
- wherein the sub-band estimator is configured to determine the plurality of sub-band filter coefficients of the one or more sub-band filters if speech is detected;
- and
- wherein, if speech is not detected, the sub-band estimator is configured to either determine a first sub-band filter coefficient of the plurality of sub-band filter coefficients and set the remaining sub-band filter coefficients to 0, or set a sub-band filter length of the one or more sub-band filters to 1.
7 more elements
A method for providing an audible processed sound, the method comprising:
- receiving, by an input unit, a picked-up sound;
- providing, by the input unit, an electrical audio input signal representative of the picked-up sound;
- providing, by a first signal processing system comprising a low-resolution analysis filter bank, MLR numbers of first sub-band input signals based on the electrical audio input signal;
- providing, by the first signal processing system comprising one or more sub-band filters, a plurality of processed sub-band signals based on filtering the first sub-band input signals using the one or more sub-band filters;
- providing, by a second signal processing system comprising a high-resolution analysis filter bank, MHR numbers of second sub-band input signals based on the electrical audio input signal, and wherein MHR is larger than MLR;
- determining, by the second signal processing system comprising a sub-band filter estimator, the one or more sub-band filters of the first signal processing system based on the second sub-band input signals to reduce noise in the first sub-band input signals;
- providing, by the first signal processing system comprising a low-resolution synthesis filter bank, a processed output signal based on the processed sub-band signals;
- providing, by an output unit comprising a loudspeaker, the audible sound based on the processed output signal;
- detecting, by the sub-band estimator comprising a voice activity detector, the presence of speech based on the electrical audio input signal;
- determining, by the sub-band estimator, the plurality of sub-band filter coefficients of the one or more sub-band filters if speech is detected;
- determining, by the sub-band estimator if speech is not detected, a first sub-band filter coefficient of the plurality of sub-band filter coefficients and set the remaining sub-band filter coefficients to 0;
- or
- setting, by the sub-band estimator if speech is not detected, a sub-band filter length of the one or more sub-band filters to 1.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.