Method of fitting a binaural hearing aid system
AssigneeBernafon AG
InventorsFritz Rieger, Reinhard Winter, Monika Bertges Reber
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method fits a binaural hearing aid system for a person with a small or moderate asymmetrical hearing loss. The method comprises providing first hearing loss data for a right ear of a user; providing second hearing loss data for a left ear of a user; determining a difference between the first and second hearing loss data; classifying the degree of similarity of the first and second hearing loss data; determining basic hearing loss data to for each of the first and second hearing instruments depending on hearing loss classes; and calculating frequency dependent target gain values for each of the first and second hearing instruments.
Claims25
A method of fitting a binaural hearing aid system to a user by a hearing aid fitting system, the binaural hearing aid system comprising first and second hearing instruments adapted for being located at or in the right and left ear, respectively, of the user, the first and second hearing instruments being adapted to apply a frequency dependent gain to an input signal according to the user's hearing impairment, and for presenting an enhanced output signal to the user, the method comprising:
- providing first hearing loss data for a right ear of the user to the hearing aid fitting system;
- providing second hearing loss data for a left ear of the user to the hearing aid fitting system;
- determining a hearing loss difference measure indicative of a difference between said first and second hearing loss data;
- classifying a degree of similarity of the first and second hearing loss data based on said hearing loss difference measure into at least one of three different hearing loss classes EQUAL, SIMILAR and DIFFERENT;
- determining basic hearing loss data to form the basis for calculating sets of frequency dependent target gain values for each of the first and second hearing instruments depending on said hearing loss classes, wherein said basic hearing loss data are identical for the first and second hearing instruments, if said hearing loss class is EQUAL or SIMILAR;
- wherein said basic hearing loss data are different for the first and second hearing instruments, if said hearing loss class is DIFFERENT;
- and
- calculating the sets of frequency dependent target gain values for each of the first and second hearing instruments based on said basic hearing loss data.
A binaural hearing aid system comprising first and second hearing instruments adapted for being located at or in the right and left ear, respectively, of a user, the first and second hearing instruments each comprising:
- an input transducer for providing an electric input signal representing an audio signal;
- an output transducer for converting a processed electric signal to a stimulus perceivable as sound to the user;
- a forward path being defined between the input and output transducers, the forward path comprising a signal processing unit being adapted to apply time and frequency dependent gain values to an input signal according to the user's hearing impairment;
- a memory unit comprising a set of target gain values for the respective hearing instrument;
- a programming interface to a hearing aid fitting system for exchanging data between said fitting system and the binaural hearing aid system, wherein
- said target gain values are determined by a method including
- providing first hearing loss data for a right ear of the user;
- providing second hearing loss data for a left ear of the user;
- determining a hearing loss difference measure indicative of a difference between said first and second hearing loss data;
- classifying a degree of similarity of the first and second hearing loss data based on said hearing loss difference measure into at least one of three different hearing loss classes EQUAL, SIMILAR and DIFFERENT;
- determining basic hearing loss data to form the basis for calculating sets of frequency dependent target gain values for each of the first and second hearing instruments depending on said hearing loss classes, wherein said basic hearing loss data are identical for the first and second hearing instruments, if said hearing loss class is EQUAL or SIMILAR;
- wherein said basic hearing loss data are different for the first and second hearing instruments, if said hearing loss class is DIFFERENT;
- and
- calculating the sets of frequency dependent target gain values for each of the first and second hearing instruments based on said basic hearing loss data, and
- said target gain values are transferred to the memory units of the respective first and second hearing instruments of the binaural hearing aid system via said programming interface.
A hearing aid fitting system, comprising:
- a processor configured to perform the a method of fitting a binaural hearing aid system to a user;
- and
- a programming interface to the binaural hearing aid system, wherein the method of fitting the binaural hearing aid system includes
- providing first hearing loss data for a right ear of the user;
- providing second hearing loss data for a left ear of the user;
- determining a hearing loss difference measure indicative of a difference between said first and second hearing loss data;
- classifying a degree of similarity of the first and second hearing loss data based on said hearing loss difference measure into at least one of three different hearing loss classes EQUAL, SIMILAR and DIFFERENT;
- determining basic hearing loss data to form the basis for calculating sets of frequency dependent target gain values for each of the first and second hearing instruments depending on said hearing loss classes, wherein said basic hearing loss data are identical for the first and second hearing instruments, if said hearing loss class is EQUAL or SIMILAR;
- wherein said basic hearing loss data are different for the first and second hearing instruments, if said hearing loss class is DIFFERENT;
- and
- calculating the sets of frequency dependent target gain values for each of the first and second hearing instruments based on said basic hearing loss data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.