EP2039216B1 - Method for monitoring a hearing device and hearing device with self-monitoring function - Google Patents
Method for monitoring a hearing device and hearing device with self-monitoring function Download PDFInfo
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- EP2039216B1 EP2039216B1 EP06762017A EP06762017A EP2039216B1 EP 2039216 B1 EP2039216 B1 EP 2039216B1 EP 06762017 A EP06762017 A EP 06762017A EP 06762017 A EP06762017 A EP 06762017A EP 2039216 B1 EP2039216 B1 EP 2039216B1
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- output transducer
- hearing device
- status
- loudspeaker
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 19
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 title claims description 12
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 title claims description 8
- 210000000613 ear canal Anatomy 0.000 claims abstract description 13
- 230000005236 sound signal Effects 0.000 claims description 11
- 238000011156 evaluation Methods 0.000 claims description 9
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 17
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 10
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 7
- 210000002939 cerumen Anatomy 0.000 description 6
- 206010050337 Cerumen impaction Diseases 0.000 description 5
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000001939 inductive effect Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000002457 bidirectional effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000007547 defect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 210000001747 pupil Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- 238000010998 test method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003990 capacitor Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003071 parasitic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004936 stimulating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/30—Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/30—Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
- H04R25/305—Self-monitoring or self-testing
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/50—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
- H04R25/505—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics using digital signal processing
Definitions
- the invention relates to a method for monitoring a hearing device comprising an electro-acoustic output transducer worn at a user's ear or in a user's ear canal.
- the invention also relates to such a hearing device having self-monitoring function:
- the invention relates to a method for adjusting a behind-the-ear hearing device and also to such an adjustable behind-the-ear hearing device.
- Ear-worn hearing devices such as hearing aids (which have an integrated microphone system) or wireless systems (which comprise a remote audio signal source, such as a remote microphone, and an ear-piece receiver) usually comprise an electro-acoustic output transducer (loudspeaker) which is located in or at least close to the ear canal.
- ITE in-the-ear
- CIC completely in-the-canal
- BTE behind-the-ear
- a frequent problem of such ear-worn hearing devices is that the performance of the loudspeaker may be significantly deteriorated due to blocking with ear wax (cerumen) from the ear canal.
- the loudspeaker performance is deteriorated by wax blocking, the user may not immediately notice this. This may be particularly true for systems used by children, since they usually have much more difficulty in noticing and communicating problems regarding the hearing device.
- EP 1 276 349 B1 relates to a hearing aid with a self-test capability, wherein the hearing-aid automatically undergoes a self-test procedure for determining whether the hearing aid comprises a defect.
- the hearing aid is capable to indicate the presence and the type of defect to the user, for example, on the display of a programming device connected to the hearing aid for service purposes.
- the self-test procedure it is checked whether each of the hearing aid microphones produces a signal. From the absence of such signal it is concluded that the input port to the respective microphone has been occluded by ear wax.
- US 2004/0202333 A1 relates to a hearing device, wherein for testing of the loudspeaker a test sound is reproduced by the loudspeaker, the energy level of which test sound is measured by the hearing aid microphone and is compared to a predetermined threshold level in order to determine whether the loudspeaker and the microphone, respectively, work properly
- a hearing device having a monitoring function should be provided.
- the above object is achieved by a method as defined in claim 1 and a hearing device as claimed in claim 11, respectively.
- the invention is generally beneficial in that, by measuring and analyzing the electrical impedance of the output transducer, the status of the output transducer and/or of an acoustical system cooperating with the output transducer, such as a tubing of a BTE hearing device, may be evaluated in a simple and efficient manner. Thereby it is enabled to automatically and immediately recognize when the output transducer or an acoustical system cooperating with the output transducer is blocked by ear wax or when the output transducer is damaged.
- Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a first example of a hearing device for which the invention can be used, wherein the hearing device is a hearing aid 10 which comprises a microphone arrangement 12 (which may consist of two spaced-apart microphones for enabling acoustic beam forming capability), a central processing unit 14 for processing the audio signals produced by the microphone arrangement 12, a power amplifier 16 for amplifying the processed audio signals from the central processing unit 14, and a loudspeaker 18 for stimulating the user's hearing with the processed amplified audio signals from the microphone arrangement 12.
- the hearing aid 10 could be of the ITE or CIC type, in which cases the loudspeaker 18 would be located in the ear canal of the user.
- the loudspeaker 18 may cooperate with an acoustical system 20 located downstream of the loudspeaker 18, which may comprise, for example, a wax filter 22, acoustical filters 24 and some kind of tubing 26.
- Such tubing 26 will have a significant length if the hearing aid 10 is of the BTE type, in which case the loudspeaker, together with the hearing aid 10, will be
- Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of a hearing device, wherein the hearing device is a wireless ear-piece 110 which represents the receiver unit of a wireless audio system and which receives audio signals from a remote transmission unit 143 via a wireless audio link 145.
- the transmission unit comprises a microphone arrangement 144 (which may consist of two or more spaced-apart microphones for enabling acoustic beam forming capability), an audio signal processing unit 146 for processing the audio signals from the microphone arrangement 144, a transmitter 148 and an antenna 150.
- the audio link 145 will be an FM link.
- the receiver unit 110 comprises an antenna 152, a receiver 154 for recovering the audio signals from the signal received at the antenna 152, a central processing unit 114 for processing the received audio signals, a power amplifier 116 for amplifying the processed audio signals, and a loudspeaker 118.
- the loudspeaker 118 may cooperate with an acoustical system located downstream of the loudspeaker 118, for example, a wax filter 22.
- the loudspeaker 118 will be located in or at the ear canal.
- the loudspeaker 118 may be integrated into the receiver unit 110, as shown in Fig. 2 , or it may be mechanically and electrically connected thereto.
- an analyzer unit 30 is provided which may be activated by the central processing unit 14, 114 and which serves to measure the electrical impedance as a function of frequency of the loudspeaker 18, 118 and to provide the corresponding measurement result to the central processing unit 14, 114 in order to enable the central processing 14, 114 to produce a status signal representative of the status of the loudspeaker 18, 118 and/or the acoustical system 20, 120 cooperating with the loudspeaker 18, 118.
- the measured electrical impedance as a function of frequency of the loudspeaker 18, 118 provided by the analyzer unit 30 is evaluated in the central processing unit 14, 114 in order to generate the respective status signal.
- an acoustic alarm signal may be produced by the central processing unit 14, 114 with the help of the loudspeaker 18, 118 in order to provide the user with an acoustic alarm.
- acoustic alarm may comprise an alarm tone and/or a voice
- the status signal may be transmitted from the central processing unit 14, 114 to a remote device 32 via a wireless link 34 which possibly is an inductive link utilizing an inductive antenna 38 included in the remote device 32 and an inductive antenna 36 connected to the central processing unit 14, 114.
- the remote device 32 further includes a signal processing unit 40 for processing the signals received by the antenna 38 and a display 40 for displaying the alarm signal received via the inductive link 34, which in this embodiment will be an optical alarm signal rather than an acoustic alarm signal.
- the remote device 32 could be used by the user of the hearing device 10, 110, or, in particular in the case of Fig. 2 , it could be used by the person using the transmission unit 143, for example, the teacher in a classroom of pupils using the receiver unit 110. In this case, the remote device 32 could be functionally integrated within the transmission unit 143.
- the inductive link 34 may be bidirectional link. In this case, transmission of the status signal from the hearing device 10, 110 may be initiated by receipt of a polling command at the hearing device 10, 110 transmitted from the remote device 32. Thereby, for example, the teacher in the classroom may check whether the loudspeaker 118 used by each pupil works properly.
- the bidirectional link 34 may serve to monitor also other components of the system, such as battery status, status of the audio link 145, etc.
- measurement of the electrical impedance of the loudspeaker 18, 118 and the subsequent analysis of the measured electrical impedance will be repeated in regular intervals.
- the measured electrical impedance as a function of frequency will be analyzed by comparing the measured electrical impedance to reference data stored in the hearing device 10, 110.
- reference data may be generated in the manufacturing process of the hearing device 10, 110.
- the resonance frequency and/or the quality factor of the loudspeaker 18, 118 are analyzed by measuring the electrical impedance as a function of frequency.
- the status signal will be provided as an alarm signal if the difference between the actually measured electrical impedance data and the stored reference data exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein the magnitude of the difference between the measured the loudspeaker 18, 118, for example of the degree of the mechanical obstruction of the loudspeaker 18, 118 by ear wax.
- the evaluation of the status of loudspeaker 18, 118 and/or the acoustical system 20, 120 cooperating with the loudspeaker 18, 118 may include an evaluation of whether the loudspeaker 18, 118 is working according to specification.
- such evaluation will include a check of whether the loudspeaker is still working properly or whether it is out of order.
- the system will include a tubing 26 extending from the loudspeaker 18 into the user's ear canal.
- the length and/or the diameter of such tubing 26 can be selected individually by the fitter. If the length/diameter of the tubing 26 is known, the acoustical performance of the BTE hearing aid can be optimized. Due to the acoustical coupling of the tubing 26 to the loudspeaker 18 it is possible to estimate from the measured electrical impedance of the loudspeaker 18 the length/diameter of the tubing 26 used for each BTE hearing aid 10.
- the central processing unit 14 of the hearing aid 10 may provide for a signal representative of the determined length/diameter of the tubing 26, which signal is supplied to the fitting computer.
- FIG. 3 An example of how the measurement of the electrical impedance of the loudspeaker 18, 118 can be done by the analyzer unit 30 as given in Fig. 3 .
- the voltage on a serial resistor 60 located between the ground and the loudspeaker 18 is measured by voltmeter 62.
- the voltage curve i.e. the voltage as a function of frequency
- the electric impedance - and hence the voltage measured by the voltmeter 62 - will be different depending on whether the loudspeaker is open or blocked. Even if the loudspeaker 18 is only partly blocked (resulting in a relatively small acoustic attenuation), a change in voltage will be observed.
- Fig. 5 shows the voltage measured at the resistor 60 as a function of frequency for different levels of obstruction, namely for totally closed filter (close acoustic output, labeled “close”), different intermediate levels of obstruction (partly closed acoustic output, labeled "Half 1" to "Half 4", measurement without filter (open acoustic output, labeled "Nofilter”) and measurement with filter (open acoustic output, labeled "Wsfilter”).
- the loudspeaker 18 was fluid damped.
- Fig. 5 different voltage levels are obtained for different obstruction levels of the loudspeaker 18, 118.
- the voltage difference is obviously the largest at the resonance frequency of the loudspeaker 18, 118 (in the present case about 3,200 Hz).
- the quality factor decreases due to the parasitic acoustical resistance.
- the air volume between the loudspeaker 18 and the "stopper" creates a compliance (acoustic capacitor) in parallel with the standard compliance of the loudspeaker diaphragm. If the acoustic resistor is replaced by a compliance, the quality factor increases, but the resonance frequency also increase to about 4,000 Hz.
- Fig. 6 shows the acoustic output level of the loudspeaker 18 measured in a 1.4 cc coupler as a function of frequency for the various obstruction levels of Fig. 5 .
- the resonance frequency of the loudspeaker in free space is stored in the hearing device 10, 110 during the manufacturing process. Later, when the hearing device 10, 110 is operated, the analyzer unit 30 generates the stored resonance frequency and measures the voltage on the resistor 60 at this frequency. If the measurement shows too much of a difference, an alarm signal is created, as already explained above, for example, telling the user that the loudspeaker is blocked and should be cleaned.
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- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Otolaryngology (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Neurosurgery (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Measurement Of The Respiration, Hearing Ability, Form, And Blood Characteristics Of Living Organisms (AREA)
- Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)
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Abstract
Description
- The invention relates to a method for monitoring a hearing device comprising an electro-acoustic output transducer worn at a user's ear or in a user's ear canal. The invention also relates to such a hearing device having self-monitoring function: According to another aspect, the invention relates to a method for adjusting a behind-the-ear hearing device and also to such an adjustable behind-the-ear hearing device.
- Ear-worn hearing devices, such as hearing aids (which have an integrated microphone system) or wireless systems (which comprise a remote audio signal source, such as a remote microphone, and an ear-piece receiver) usually comprise an electro-acoustic output transducer (loudspeaker) which is located in or at least close to the ear canal. This applies particularly to in-the-ear (ITE) or completely in-the-canal (CIC) systems. However, also behind-the-ear (BTE) systems have a tubing extending from the loudspeaker (which in this case is located behind the ear) into the ear canal. A frequent problem of such ear-worn hearing devices is that the performance of the loudspeaker may be significantly deteriorated due to blocking with ear wax (cerumen) from the ear canal.
- It is known to use special wax filters in order to protect the loudspeaker for preventing the loudspeaker from getting blocked by wax. However, none of these wax filters is capable of providing for a full protection from wax blocking.
- If the loudspeaker performance is deteriorated by wax blocking, the user may not immediately notice this. This may be particularly true for systems used by children, since they usually have much more difficulty in noticing and communicating problems regarding the hearing device.
-
EP 1 276 349 B1 relates to a hearing aid with a self-test capability, wherein the hearing-aid automatically undergoes a self-test procedure for determining whether the hearing aid comprises a defect. The hearing aid is capable to indicate the presence and the type of defect to the user, for example, on the display of a programming device connected to the hearing aid for service purposes. During the self-test procedure it is checked whether each of the hearing aid microphones produces a signal. From the absence of such signal it is concluded that the input port to the respective microphone has been occluded by ear wax. -
US 2004/0202333 A1 relates to a hearing device, wherein for testing of the loudspeaker a test sound is reproduced by the loudspeaker, the energy level of which test sound is measured by the hearing aid microphone and is compared to a predetermined threshold level in order to determine whether the loudspeaker and the microphone, respectively, work properly - It is an object of the invention to provide for a method for monitoring a hearing device comprising an electro-acoustic output transducer worn at a user's ear or in a user's ear canal, by which method it should be enabled to monitor the acoustic performance of the output transducer in a simple and efficient manner. In addition, such hearing device having a monitoring function should be provided.
- The above object is achieved by a method as defined in claim 1 and a hearing device as claimed in claim 11, respectively. The invention is generally beneficial in that, by measuring and analyzing the electrical impedance of the output transducer, the status of the output transducer and/or of an acoustical system cooperating with the output transducer, such as a tubing of a BTE hearing device, may be evaluated in a simple and efficient manner. Thereby it is enabled to automatically and immediately recognize when the output transducer or an acoustical system cooperating with the output transducer is blocked by ear wax or when the output transducer is damaged.
- Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.
- In the following, examples of the invention will be illustrated by reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
- Fig. 1
- is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a hearing device according to the invention;
- Fig. 2
- is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a hearing device according to the invention;
- Fig. 3
- is an example of how the electrical impedance of the output transducer of a hearing device according to the invention may be measured;
- Fig. 4
- shows schematically the set-up for the test measurements of
Figs. 5 and6 ; - Fig. 5
- is a plot of the voltage measured at the resistor of
Fig. 4 as a function of frequency obtained in test measurements with the set-up ofFig. 4 for different obstruction levels of the loudspeaker; and - Fig. 6
- is a plot of the acoustic output level curve of the loudspeaker measured with the set-up of
Fig. 4 in a 1.4 cc coupler for different loudspeaker obstruction levels. -
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a first example of a hearing device for which the invention can be used, wherein the hearing device is ahearing aid 10 which comprises a microphone arrangement 12 (which may consist of two spaced-apart microphones for enabling acoustic beam forming capability), acentral processing unit 14 for processing the audio signals produced by themicrophone arrangement 12, apower amplifier 16 for amplifying the processed audio signals from thecentral processing unit 14, and aloudspeaker 18 for stimulating the user's hearing with the processed amplified audio signals from themicrophone arrangement 12. Thehearing aid 10 could be of the ITE or CIC type, in which cases theloudspeaker 18 would be located in the ear canal of the user. - The
loudspeaker 18 may cooperate with anacoustical system 20 located downstream of theloudspeaker 18, which may comprise, for example, awax filter 22,acoustical filters 24 and some kind oftubing 26.Such tubing 26 will have a significant length if thehearing aid 10 is of the BTE type, in which case the loudspeaker, together with thehearing aid 10, will beFig. 2 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of a hearing device, wherein the hearing device is a wireless ear-piece 110 which represents the receiver unit of a wireless audio system and which receives audio signals from aremote transmission unit 143 via awireless audio link 145. - The transmission unit comprises a microphone arrangement 144 (which may consist of two or more spaced-apart microphones for enabling acoustic beam forming capability), an audio
signal processing unit 146 for processing the audio signals from themicrophone arrangement 144, atransmitter 148 and anantenna 150. Usually theaudio link 145 will be an FM link. - The
receiver unit 110 comprises anantenna 152, areceiver 154 for recovering the audio signals from the signal received at theantenna 152, acentral processing unit 114 for processing the received audio signals, apower amplifier 116 for amplifying the processed audio signals, and aloudspeaker 118. As in the example ofFig. 1 , theloudspeaker 118 may cooperate with an acoustical system located downstream of theloudspeaker 118, for example, awax filter 22. As in the case ofFig. 1 , theloudspeaker 118 will be located in or at the ear canal. Theloudspeaker 118 may be integrated into thereceiver unit 110, as shown inFig. 2 , or it may be mechanically and electrically connected thereto. - Both in the embodiment of
Fig. 1 and the embodiment ofFig. 2 ananalyzer unit 30 is provided which may be activated by thecentral processing unit loudspeaker central processing unit central processing loudspeaker acoustical system loudspeaker loudspeaker analyzer unit 30 is evaluated in thecentral processing unit - According to one embodiment, an acoustic alarm signal may be produced by the
central processing unit loudspeaker central processing unit remote device 32 via awireless link 34 which possibly is an inductive link utilizing aninductive antenna 38 included in theremote device 32 and aninductive antenna 36 connected to thecentral processing unit remote device 32 further includes asignal processing unit 40 for processing the signals received by theantenna 38 and adisplay 40 for displaying the alarm signal received via theinductive link 34, which in this embodiment will be an optical alarm signal rather than an acoustic alarm signal. - The
remote device 32 could be used by the user of thehearing device Fig. 2 , it could be used by the person using thetransmission unit 143, for example, the teacher in a classroom of pupils using thereceiver unit 110. In this case, theremote device 32 could be functionally integrated within thetransmission unit 143. - The
inductive link 34 may be bidirectional link. In this case, transmission of the status signal from thehearing device hearing device remote device 32. Thereby, for example, the teacher in the classroom may check whether theloudspeaker 118 used by each pupil works properly. In addition, thebidirectional link 34 may serve to monitor also other components of the system, such as battery status, status of theaudio link 145, etc. - According to an alternative embodiment, rather than being initiated by receipt of a polling signal, measurement of the electrical impedance of the
loudspeaker - Preferably, the measured electrical impedance as a function of frequency will be analyzed by comparing the measured electrical impedance to reference data stored in the
hearing device hearing device loudspeaker loudspeaker loudspeaker - The evaluation of the status of
loudspeaker acoustical system loudspeaker loudspeaker - Preferably such evaluation will include a check of whether the loudspeaker is still working properly or whether it is out of order.
- In the case of a BTE hearing aid the system will include a
tubing 26 extending from theloudspeaker 18 into the user's ear canal. The length and/or the diameter ofsuch tubing 26 can be selected individually by the fitter. If the length/diameter of thetubing 26 is known, the acoustical performance of the BTE hearing aid can be optimized. Due to the acoustical coupling of thetubing 26 to theloudspeaker 18 it is possible to estimate from the measured electrical impedance of theloudspeaker 18 the length/diameter of thetubing 26 used for eachBTE hearing aid 10. With this knowledge, it is possible to optimize the acoustical performance of the hearing device automatically by optimizing the setting the operation parameters of the hearing aid according to the determined length/diameter of thetubing 26, eliminating therefore the need for the fitter to enter the length/diameter data into the computer (not shown) for a fine tuning procedure, thus saving time and avoiding possible errors. To this end, thecentral processing unit 14 of thehearing aid 10 may provide for a signal representative of the determined length/diameter of thetubing 26, which signal is supplied to the fitting computer. - In addition to evaluating the length/diameter of the
tubing 26 from the measured electrical impedance of theloudspeaker 18 it is also possible to evaluate whether the end of thetubing 26 suffers from a mechanical obstruction, for example by ear wax. - An example of how the measurement of the electrical impedance of the
loudspeaker analyzer unit 30 as given inFig. 3 . According toFig. 3 , the voltage on aserial resistor 60 located between the ground and theloudspeaker 18 is measured byvoltmeter 62. For such an arrangement the voltage curve (i.e. the voltage as a function of frequency) on theresistor 60 becomes the image of the impedance curve of theloudspeaker 18. The electric impedance - and hence the voltage measured by the voltmeter 62 - will be different depending on whether the loudspeaker is open or blocked. Even if theloudspeaker 18 is only partly blocked (resulting in a relatively small acoustic attenuation), a change in voltage will be observed. - Test measurements have been performed with the set-up of
Fig. 4 , wherein theresistor 60 had a resistance of 22 Ohms, theloudspeaker 18 had a resistance of 260 Ohms and the acoustic output level measurements were performed in a 1.4 cc coupler with perfect sealing. -
Fig. 5 shows the voltage measured at theresistor 60 as a function of frequency for different levels of obstruction, namely for totally closed filter (close acoustic output, labeled "close"), different intermediate levels of obstruction (partly closed acoustic output, labeled "Half 1" to "Half 4", measurement without filter (open acoustic output, labeled "Nofilter") and measurement with filter (open acoustic output, labeled "Wsfilter"). Theloudspeaker 18 was fluid damped. - According to
Fig. 5 , different voltage levels are obtained for different obstruction levels of theloudspeaker loudspeaker 18, 118 (in the present case about 3,200 Hz). In the case of small obstruction the quality factor decreases due to the parasitic acoustical resistance. For a totally blocked filter, the air volume between theloudspeaker 18 and the "stopper" creates a compliance (acoustic capacitor) in parallel with the standard compliance of the loudspeaker diaphragm. If the acoustic resistor is replaced by a compliance, the quality factor increases, but the resonance frequency also increase to about 4,000 Hz. -
Fig. 6 shows the acoustic output level of theloudspeaker 18 measured in a 1.4 cc coupler as a function of frequency for the various obstruction levels ofFig. 5 . - According to one embodiment, the resonance frequency of the loudspeaker in free space is stored in the
hearing device hearing device analyzer unit 30 generates the stored resonance frequency and measures the voltage on theresistor 60 at this frequency. If the measurement shows too much of a difference, an alarm signal is created, as already explained above, for example, telling the user that the loudspeaker is blocked and should be cleaned.
Claims (11)
- A method for monitoring a hearing device (10, 110) comprising an electroacoustic output transducer (18, 118) worn at a user's ear or in a user's ear canal, comprising:(a) measuring the electrical impedance of the output transducer (18, 118);(b) analyzing the measured electrical impedance of the output transducer (18, 118) in order to evaluate the status of the output transducer (18, 118) and/or of an acoustical system (20, 120) cooperating with the output transducer (18, 118); and(c) outputting a status signal representative of the status of the output transducer (18, 118) and/or of the acoustical system (20, 120) cooperating with the output transducer (18, 118).
- The method of claim 1, wherein the steps (a) to (c) are repeated in regular intervals, wherein the output transducer (18, 118) is located in the user's ear canal, and wherein the hearing device is an ITE hearing aid (10) or a wireless audio signal receiver unit (110).
- The method of claim 2, wherein the evaluation of the status of the output transducer (18, 118) and/or of an acoustical system (20, 120) cooperating with the output transducer (18, 118) includes an evaluation of whether and/or to which extent the output transducer is mechanically blocked.
- The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein the evaluation of the status of the output transducer (18, 118) and/or of an acoustical system (20, 120) cooperating with the output transducer (18, 118) includes an evaluation of whether the output transducer (18, 118) is working according to specification.
- The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein an acoustic alarm signal is provided to the user according to said status signal, wherein the acoustic alarm signal is provided via said output transducer (18, 118) and wherein the acoustic alarm signal comprises an alarm tone and/or a voice message.
- The method of claim 1, wherein the hearing device is a BTE-hearing aid (10) comprising a tubing (26) extending from the output transducer (18, 118) into the user's ear canal and wherein the evaluation of the status of the output transducer (18, 118) and/or of the acoustical system (20, 120) cooperating with the output transducer (18, 118) includes an evaluation of at least one of a mechanical obstruction of the tubing (26), the length of the tubing (26) and the diameter of the tubing (26).
- The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein the status signal is transmitted from the hearing device (10, 110) to a remote device (32) via a tireless link (34), wherein an acoustic alarm signal and/or ain optical alarm signal is provided by the remote device (32) according to said status signal and wherein the status signal is transmitted from the hearing device (10, 110) to the remote device (32) upon receipt of a polling command at the hearing device (10, 110) transmitted from the remote device (32).
- The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein in step (b) the measured electrical impedance is analyzed by comparing the measured electrical impendance to reference data stored in the hearing device (10, 110), wherein in step (b) the resonance frequency and/or the quality factor of the output transducer (18, 118) ate analyzed, wherein the impedance is measures by measuring the voltage on a serial resistor (60) located between the ground and the output transducer (18, 118), wherein the reference data includes a resonance frequency of the output transducer and the voltage on the resistor (60) at that resonance frequency and wherein in step (a) the voltage on the resistor (60) at the stored reference resonance frequency is measured, and wherein in step (b) that measured value is compared to the stored reference voltage.
- The method of claim 8, wherein in step (c) the status signal is provided as an alarm signal if the difference between the measured value and the stored reference value exceeds a pre-determined threshold.
- The method of one of claims 8 and 9, wherein in step (c) the magnitude of the difference between the measured value and the stored reference value is taken as a measure of the degree of the mechanical obstruction of the output transducer (18, 118).
- A hearing device with self-monitoring function, comprising: an electroacoustic output transducer (18, 118) to be worn at or in a user's ear canal, means (60, 62) for measuring the electrical impedance of the output transducer (18, 118) and means (14, 18, 42, 114) for outputting a status signal representative of the status of the output transducer (18, 118) and/or of an acoustical system (20, 120) cooperating with the output transducer characterized by means (14, 114) for analyzing the measured electrical impedance of the output transducer (18, 118) in order to evaluate the status of the output transducer (18, 118) and/or or the acoustical system (20, 120) cooperating with the output transducer (18, 118).
Priority Applications (2)
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EP10172487.0A EP2244492B1 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2006-06-12 | Method for adjusting a behind-the-ear hearing device |
DK10172487.0T DK2244492T3 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2006-06-12 | Method for adjusting a rear-ear hearing aid |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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PCT/EP2006/005625 WO2007144010A1 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2006-06-12 | Method for monitoring a hearing device and hearing device with self-monitoring function |
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EP2039216A1 EP2039216A1 (en) | 2009-03-25 |
EP2039216B1 true EP2039216B1 (en) | 2010-09-01 |
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EP06762017A Active EP2039216B1 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2006-06-12 | Method for monitoring a hearing device and hearing device with self-monitoring function |
EP10172487.0A Active EP2244492B1 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2006-06-12 | Method for adjusting a behind-the-ear hearing device |
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EP10172487.0A Active EP2244492B1 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2006-06-12 | Method for adjusting a behind-the-ear hearing device |
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AT (1) | ATE480109T1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE602006016655D1 (en) |
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WO (1) | WO2007144010A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
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WO2016095986A1 (en) | 2014-12-17 | 2016-06-23 | Widex A/S | A hearing aid and a method of operating a hearing aid system |
US9924284B2 (en) | 2015-02-27 | 2018-03-20 | Oticon A/S | Method of adapting a hearing device to a user's ear, and a hearing device |
EP3707919B1 (en) * | 2017-08-31 | 2023-06-21 | Sonova AG | A hearing device adapted to perform a self-test and a method for testing a hearing device |
Families Citing this family (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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EP2150076B1 (en) * | 2008-07-31 | 2015-06-24 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. | Device for preventing loss of hearing aids |
DK2280560T3 (en) | 2009-07-03 | 2015-12-14 | Bernafon Ag | Hearing aid system comprising a receiver in the ear and a system for identifying the receiver type |
WO2011047707A1 (en) * | 2009-10-19 | 2011-04-28 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid system with lost partner functionality |
US9124991B2 (en) | 2011-10-26 | 2015-09-01 | Cochlear Limited | Sound awareness hearing prosthesis |
EP2605546A1 (en) | 2011-12-13 | 2013-06-19 | Oticon A/S | Configurable FM receiver for hearing device |
EP2744225B1 (en) * | 2012-12-17 | 2015-08-26 | Bernafon AG | Hearing instrument and method of identifying an output transducer of a hearing instrument |
DK3207719T3 (en) * | 2014-10-15 | 2019-03-11 | Widex As | PROCEDURE TO OPERATE A HEARING SYSTEM AND HEARING SYSTEM |
EP3207720B1 (en) * | 2014-10-15 | 2019-01-09 | Widex A/S | Method of operating a hearing aid system and a hearing aid system |
CN107005775B (en) | 2014-12-17 | 2020-04-10 | 唯听助听器公司 | Method for operating a hearing aid system and hearing aid system |
WO2016096011A1 (en) | 2014-12-18 | 2016-06-23 | Widex A/S | System and method for managing replacement parts for a hearing aid |
DE112018000317T5 (en) * | 2017-01-05 | 2019-10-02 | Knowles Electronics, Llc | Load change diagnosis for acoustic devices and methods |
US20240251212A1 (en) | 2018-10-22 | 2024-07-25 | Knowles Electronics, Llc | Diagnostics for acoustic devices and methods |
DK180964B1 (en) * | 2020-08-31 | 2022-08-18 | Gn Hearing As | DETECTION OF FILTER CLOGGING FOR HEARING DEVICES |
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JPS468640B1 (en) * | 1968-03-26 | 1971-03-04 | ||
US6269318B1 (en) * | 1997-04-30 | 2001-07-31 | Earl R. Geddes | Method for determining transducer linear operational parameters |
AU4676199A (en) * | 1998-06-29 | 2000-01-17 | Resound Corporation | High quality open-canal sound transduction device and method |
EP1276349B1 (en) | 2001-07-09 | 2004-09-15 | Widex A/S | A hearing aid with a self-test capability |
US7242778B2 (en) | 2003-04-08 | 2007-07-10 | Gennum Corporation | Hearing instrument with self-diagnostics |
WO2005122730A2 (en) * | 2004-06-14 | 2005-12-29 | Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. | At-home hearing aid tester and method of operating same |
DK1638367T3 (en) * | 2005-12-23 | 2015-11-23 | Sonova Ag | Wireless hearing system and method for monitoring the same |
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2006
- 2006-06-12 WO PCT/EP2006/005625 patent/WO2007144010A1/en active Application Filing
- 2006-06-12 AT AT06762017T patent/ATE480109T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2006-06-12 DK DK10172487.0T patent/DK2244492T3/en active
- 2006-06-12 DK DK06762017.9T patent/DK2039216T3/en active
- 2006-06-12 DE DE602006016655T patent/DE602006016655D1/en active Active
- 2006-06-12 EP EP06762017A patent/EP2039216B1/en active Active
- 2006-06-12 EP EP10172487.0A patent/EP2244492B1/en active Active
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2016095986A1 (en) | 2014-12-17 | 2016-06-23 | Widex A/S | A hearing aid and a method of operating a hearing aid system |
US10228402B2 (en) | 2014-12-17 | 2019-03-12 | Widex A/S | Hearing aid and a method of operating a hearing aid system |
US9924284B2 (en) | 2015-02-27 | 2018-03-20 | Oticon A/S | Method of adapting a hearing device to a user's ear, and a hearing device |
EP3707919B1 (en) * | 2017-08-31 | 2023-06-21 | Sonova AG | A hearing device adapted to perform a self-test and a method for testing a hearing device |
US11689866B2 (en) | 2017-08-31 | 2023-06-27 | Sonova Ag | Hearing device adapted to perform a self-test and a method for testing a hearing device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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EP2039216A1 (en) | 2009-03-25 |
WO2007144010A1 (en) | 2007-12-21 |
DK2039216T3 (en) | 2010-11-22 |
EP2244492B1 (en) | 2013-08-14 |
EP2244492A2 (en) | 2010-10-27 |
EP2244492A3 (en) | 2010-12-08 |
DE602006016655D1 (en) | 2010-10-14 |
ATE480109T1 (en) | 2010-09-15 |
DK2244492T3 (en) | 2013-11-04 |
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