Abstract:
A calibrated tuning appliance is provided herein. While listening to standardized pre-recorded sound files reproduced via a calibrated set of speakers, hearing aid users can subjectively evaluate hearing aid performance and tuning in a consistent manner. Subjective evaluation results may thus remain consistent from user to user, and for a single user, results may remain consistent over time.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to hearing aids, and more particularly to a calibrated tuning appliance for tuning hearing aids. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    At some point in their lives, many people may experience a full or partial decrease in their ability to detect or understand some or all sounds, i.e., a hearing impairment. For many such hard of hearing individuals, the degree of hearing impairment varies by sound frequency. For example, many hard of hearing individuals may have little or no impairment at low sound frequencies, but varying degrees of impairment at higher frequencies. Loss of the ability to understand speech is generally regarded as one of the more detrimental aspects of hearing impairment. The frequency range from about 100 Hz-8 kHz is generally regarded as being the most important for being able to understand speech. 
         [0003]    In some cases, certain groups of hard of hearing individuals may share certain general characteristics. For example, statistical thresholds of hearing have been developed for men and women of various ages. However, most individuals have a distinct pattern of impairment that may vary from the statistical thresholds. Consequently, devices that are intended to compensate for an individual&#39;s personal hearing impairment often perform better when they are matched to the individual&#39;s distinct pattern of impairment. 
         [0004]    Many hearing aids include one or more adjustable audio-processing circuits and/or routines. For example, hearing aids commonly include one or more equalization filters and/or amplifiers that may be used to selectively boost or cut various portions of the audible frequency spectrum. In addition, many hearing aids also include other adjustable audio-processing circuits and/or routines, such as gain controls, limiters, compressors, and the like. By adjusting a hearing aid&#39;s audio-processing parameters, a hearing aid can often be “tuned” to compensate for an individual&#39;s distinct pattern of impairment. 
         [0005]    Currently, hearing aids are generally tuned by an auditory healthcare professional, often in a clinical setting. As part of the tuning process, an audiogram (a standardized plot representing the individual&#39;s hearing threshold) may be created, generally by performing a “pure tone audiometry” hearing test. Pure tone audiometry hearing tests usually involve presenting pure tones at varying frequencies and levels to an individual wearing calibrated headphones in a sound-controlled environment. The resulting audiogram may provide a starting point for tuning a hearing aid, but it is generally regarded that pure tone audiometry may not accurately measure the full extent of an individual&#39;s hearing impairment. For example, pure tone audiometry may not be able to accurately measure the effect of “dead regions” in an individual&#39;s basilar membrane. In addition, pure tone audiometry may not measure various factors that are important to speech intelligibility. 
         [0006]    Consequently, a further step in tuning a hearing aid generally includes assessing speech intelligibility, often by asking the hearing aid wearer to subjectively evaluate spoken words and/or phrases. Often, the auditory healthcare professional will use his or her own voice as an intelligibility test signal, speaking words or phrases and asking the hearing aid wearer to evaluate the spoken words or phrases. In many cases, the spoken words may include words selected from several pairs of words that differ only by an initial, final, or intervocalic consonant. The auditory healthcare professional may then use the individual&#39;s responses to adjust various hearing aid audio-processing parameters. 
         [0007]    However, this approach to speech intelligibility tuning may have drawbacks. For example, it may be difficult to achieve consistent results from tuning session to tuning session. In many cases, a hearing aid may need to be tuned multiple times, often over a period of days or weeks, before the wearer finds its performance acceptable. In many cases, the auditory healthcare professional&#39;s voice may change slightly or significantly from session to session (e.g., the professional&#39;s voice may be altered when he or she has a cold), so it may be difficult compare results from session to session. In other cases, an auditory healthcare professional may retire or move, in which case, subsequent speech intelligibility evaluations may be based on a completely different test signal. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a system diagram of a calibrated tuning appliance, a host device, and hearing aids in accordance with one embodiment. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a calibrated tuning appliance in accordance with one embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating a calibrated tuning appliance tuning routine in accordance with one embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined, without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. 
         [0012]    Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described using terms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, the embodiments described herein may be practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations may be set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative embodiments. However, the embodiments described herein may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the illustrative embodiments. 
         [0013]    Further, various operations and/or communications may be described as multiple discrete operations and/or communications, in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding the embodiments described herein; however, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations and/or communications are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations and/or communications need not be performed in the order of presentation. 
         [0014]    The phrase “in one embodiment” is used repeatedly. The phrase generally does not refer to the same embodiment; however, it may. The terms “comprising,” “having” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a system diagram of a calibrated tuning appliance  200 , a host device  115 , and hearing aids  130 A-B in accordance with one embodiment. Using various embodiments of such a system  100 , a hearing aid wearer  105  may be able to tune his or her own hearing aid or hearing aids  130 A-B via heuristic tuning routine  285  (see  FIG. 2 , discussed below) and sound waves  140  produced by calibrated electro-acoustic transducers  235 . In one embodiment, calibrated tuning appliance  200  communicates with a host  115 , via a host connection  150 , and one or more hearing aids  130 A-B, via one or more hearing aid connections  135 . Although calibrated tuning appliance  200  and its associated tuning routines  285  may be utilized by a hearing aid wearer  105  to tune his or her own hearing aids  130 A-B, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may also be utilized by a auditory healthcare professional to provide a consistent tuning experience to one or more hearing aid wearers  105 . 
         [0016]    In the exemplary embodiment, calibrated tuning appliance  200  comprises a single enclosure, but in other embodiments, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may comprise one or more separate enclosure. For example, in one embodiment, electro-acoustic transducers  235  may be housed in one or more separate enclosures. 
         [0017]    In various embodiments, host  115  may comprise a personal computer, laptop, set top box, mobile device, game console, and/or other computing device having a display capability and user-input capability. In alternate embodiments, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may include its own display and/or input device. In still further embodiments, host  115  may comprise a display and/or an input device, but calibrated tuning appliance  200  may use its own internal processor. In some embodiments, calibrated tuning appliance  200  and host  115  may be combined into a single device. 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  illustrates a calibrated tuning appliance  200  in accordance with one embodiment. In one embodiment, calibrated tuning appliance  200  includes a host interface  205 , processing unit  210 , hearing aid programming interface  215 , optional input device  220 , optional display  225 , an audio interface  230 , and a memory  250 , all connected to a bus  270 . 
         [0019]    In one embodiment, host interface  205  comprises a wired serial or parallel data interface, such as Universal Serial Bus (“USB”), IEEE 1394, and the like. In other embodiments, host interface  205  may comprise a wireless data interface, such as an Infrared Data Association (“IrDA”) interface, Bluetooth, wireless USB, and the like. In still other embodiments, host interface  205  may comprise a wired or wireless network connection, such as IEEE 802.3 (i.e., Ethernet), IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wi-Fi), and the like. 
         [0020]    In one embodiment, processing unit  210  may comprise a processor sufficient to control communications between host interface  205 , memory  250 , and audio interface  230  and optional interfaces  220  and  225 . In other embodiments, processing unit  210  may comprise a more powerful central processing unit, such as those found in personal computers, laptops, mobile devices, and the like. 
         [0021]    In one embodiment, hearing aid programming interface  215  comprises a data interface coupled to calibrated tuning appliance  200  via a fixed or removable coupler, and coupled to one or more hearing aid earpieces  130 A-B via a removable coupler. In one embodiment, hearing aid programming interface  215  comprises a wired data connection. In other embodiments, hearing aid programming interface  215  may comprise a wireless data connection. In one embodiment, hearing aid programming interface  215  is coupled to one or more hearing aid earpieces  130 A-B via a magnetic-inductive data coupler, as described in co-filed application entitled “MAGNETIC EARPIECE COUPLING SYSTEM,” with inventors Daniel Wiggins and Donald Bowie and having Attorney Docket No. AURA-2009002, which is hereby fully incorporated by reference. 
         [0022]    Optional input device  220 , if present, may include a pointing device, such as a mouse, track pad, track ball, touch screen, and the like. In other embodiments, optional input device  220 , if present, may include voice input capacity. Similarly, optional display  225 , if present, may include an optical display screen and/or a voice interface. 
         [0023]    In various embodiments, memory  250  may comprise volatile random access memory, such as dynamic random access memory; non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (“ROM”) and/or flash memory; non-volatile storage devices, such as a hard disk drive, optical disk, and/or holographic data storage; and/or other memory device. Memory  250  may include internal and/or external memory devices. In one embodiment, memory  250  includes software  255  used to interface with and/or be controlled by a host  115 , including one or more device drivers  255  and/or an installation routine. 
         [0024]    In one embodiment, drivers/installation routine  255  may include “auto-run” or other automatic installation routines such that in many cases, a hearing aid wearer  105  may be able to initiate a tuning session simply by connecting the calibrated tuning appliance  200  to a host  115 . For example, when connected to a host  115 , a calibrated tuning appliance  200  may initially identify itself as a common mass storage device, such as a CD-ROM, disk image, flash drive, and the like. Many current operating systems allow such mass storage devices to provide an executable, script, file, or the like that will be automatically opened, launched, and/or executed when a mass storage device mounts and/or is connected. Using such functionality, in one embodiment, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may cause the host  115  operating system to automatically install a device driver to enable the host  115  operating system to interact in a meaningful manner with calibrated tuning appliance  200 . 
         [0025]    Furthermore, in various embodiments, once host  115  is able to meaningfully interact with calibrated tuning appliance  200 , heuristic tuning routine  285  may automatically launch. The operations of heuristic tuning routine  285  are set forth in greater detail in co-pending applications entitled “HEARING AID TUNING METHOD” and “HEURISTIC HEARING AID TUNING SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” with inventors Daniel Wiggins and Donald Bowie, and having Attorney Docket Numbers AURA-2009003 and AURA-2009005, respectively. Each of the above-referenced applications is hereby fully incorporated by reference. 
         [0026]    In some embodiments, heuristic tuning routine  285  may also automatically utilize a network connection on host  115  to provide automatic self-update functionality, such that users may have access to the most recent software version without requiring the user to take any explicit steps to maintain his or her installation of the heuristic tuning routine  285 . 
         [0027]    In various embodiments, heuristic tuning routine  285  may provide a platform-neutral user interface. For example, in one embodiment, heuristic tuning routine  285  may be implemented as a local or remote web page or web site that provides a user interface via a web browser on host  115 . In other embodiments, heuristic tuning routine  285  may be implemented as an interpreted script, interpreted byte code, compiled byte code, virtual machine instructions, and the like. For example, in various embodiments, heuristic tuning routine  285  may be implemented in Java, Flash, and/or other cross-platform development platform. In still further embodiments, heuristic tuning routine  285  may be implemented as one or more conventional single-platform executables. 
         [0028]    Thus, in accordance with various embodiments, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may provide an entirely self-contained, “plug and play,” solution, in which a user is not required to use or retain a separate software installation disc nor to even download software via the Internet or other data network. 
         [0029]    In various embodiments, memory  250  may also include one or more pre-recorded sound files  260 . As used herein, the term “sound file” refers to an electronic file containing data from which an audio signal may be constructed. For example, a “sound file” may include pulse-code modulation (“PCM”) data, compressed or uncompressed, stored in various file formats, including Audio Interchange File Format (“AIFF”), Waveform audio format (“WAV”), and the like. A sound file may also include lossy compressed audio data, such as audio data encoded in MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (“MP3”) format, Advanced Audio Coding (“AAC”) format, Vorbis format, and the like. 
         [0030]    In some embodiments, a sound file may also include data from which an audio signal may be constructed according to one or more synthesis routines. For example, in one embodiment, an audio file may include linear predictive coding (“LPC”) coefficients for synthesizing a speech audio signal or other audio signal. An audio file may also include data and/or routines to produce audio signals other than speech, including pure tones, tone combinations, noise, music, and the like. 
         [0031]    In one embodiment, some or all pre-recorded sound files  260  may be based on standardized sound files used for subjective evaluation of telecommunication systems, such as sound files prepared in accordance with TIA-920 standard promulgated by the U.S. Telecommunications Industry Association (“TIA”). In some embodiments, pre-recorded sound files  260  may comprise other recordings of speech, including recordings of words, word pairs, phrases, and the like recorded by one or more speakers having determined vocal characteristics (e.g., low male voice, high female voice, and the like). In some embodiments, pre-recorded sound files  260  may further comprise other recorded material, including musical recordings (or excerpts thereof), soundtrack recordings (or excerpts thereof), pure tone recordings, noise recordings (e.g., white noise, pink noise, and other forms of noise having predetermined frequency spectra), and the like. 
         [0032]    Memory  250  may also include user data  265 . In some embodiments, some or all of memory  250  may be accessible by a user as, for example, a data volume mounted on host  115 . In such embodiments, a user may store arbitrary data in memory  250 . In other embodiments, a user may not have direct access to memory  250 , but heuristic tuning routine  285  may securely store data associated with a user in user data  265 . For example, heuristic tuning routine  285  may store in user data  265  user preferences, user hearing aid tuning settings, user hearing aid presets, past user hearing aid tuning settings, and the like. In some embodiments, a user may be able to provide custom-recorded sound files for use with heuristic tuning routine  285 , in which case user data  265  may also include one or more custom-recorded sound files. In some such embodiments, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may further comprise a microphone and/or other audio input circuitry. 
         [0033]    Audio interface  230  is further connected via an audio bus  275  to amplification circuitry  240  and via at least one amplified audio bus  280 , to one or more calibrated electro-acoustic transducers  235 . In one embodiment, audio interface  230  comprises a digital-to-analog converter (“DAC”). In other embodiments, a DAC may be included elsewhere in the audio chain, including audio interface  230  through calibrated transducer(s)  235 . In various embodiments, amplification circuitry  240 , amplified audio bus  280 , and one or more calibrated electro-acoustic transducers  235  may be housed in one or more separate enclosures. In one embodiment, amplification circuitry may comprise a Class D (or “switching”) amplifier. In other embodiments, other classes of amplification may be utilized, including Classes A, B, A/B, and the like. 
         [0034]    In one embodiment, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may include one or more calibrated electro-acoustic transducers  235  capable of transducing electrical signals into sound waves  140  according to one or more predetermined performance parameters. For example, in one embodiment, electro-acoustic transducers  235  may be capable of producing sound waves from 150 Hz-8 kHz at 85-90 dB (SPL) (measured at 1 meter) with no more than +/−3 dB of deviation in frequency response and no more than 3% total harmonic distortion (“THD”). In one embodiment, a calibrated electro-acoustic transducer  235  may comprise a single wide-range transducer between approximately 1-3 inches in diameter. In other embodiments, a calibrated electro-acoustic transducer  235  may comprise one or more individual transducers of varying sizes. For example, in one embodiment, electro-acoustic transducer  235  may comprise a low-frequency transducer, a high-frequency transducer, and an analog and/or digital frequency-dividing network. 
         [0035]    In some embodiments, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may employ analog and/or digital response shaping networks to enable electro-acoustic transducers  235  to meet some or all of the one or more performance parameters. In some embodiments, such analog and/or digital response shaping networks may be incorporated with and/or coupled to audio interface  230 , amplification circuitry  240 , audio bus  275 , amplified audio bus  280 , and/or calibrated electro-acoustic transducer  235 . In some embodiments, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may also employ analog and/or digital response shaping networks when reproducing a pre-recorded sound file  260  to alter the reproduced frequency spectrum of the audio signal propagating in the air to suit a desired frequency spectrum. 
         [0036]    Because electro-acoustic transducers  235  are calibrated to perform to a known standard, in various embodiments, calibrated tuning appliance  200  may be capable of consistently reproducing one or more pre-recorded sound files  260  (and/or custom-recorded sound files) such that propagated sound waves  140  in the air have frequency response, sound pressure level (“SPL”), and distortion characteristics within predetermined tolerances. Thus, different users may have a similar experience when similar sound files  260  are reproduced on different calibrated tuning appliances  200 . Similarly, a user&#39;s calibrated tuning appliance  200  may provide a consistent tuning standard with little or no variation from tuning session to tuning session, reducing or eliminating inconsistencies such as variations in a human auditory healthcare professional&#39;s voice from session to session. 
         [0037]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating a calibrated tuning appliance tuning routine  300  in accordance with one embodiment. At block  301 , a calibrated tuning appliance  200  is connected to a host  115  and to one or more hearing aids  130 A-B. At block  305 , a device driver  255  is automatically installed (if needed) at host  115 , and at block  310 , heuristic tuning routine  285  is automatically launched. At block  315 , routine  300  determines whether a software update is available. If so, the updated software is obtained in block  320 , stored in memory  250 , and the updated heuristic tuning routine  285  is re-launched in block  310 . When no more software updates are available, routine  300  proceeds to block  325 , one or more pre-recorded sound files are audibly reproduced for the user via calibrated electro-acoustic transducer  235 . In block  330 , the user&#39;s hearing aid settings are adjusted in accordance with feedback obtained from the hearing aid wearer  105 . If additional tuning is desired, routine  300  repeats blocks  325 - 35  until tuning is complete. Once tuning is complete, the final set of hearing aid settings is stored in block  340  in user data  265  in memory  250 . Routine  300  ends at block  399 . 
         [0038]    Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a whole variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein.