Patent Publication Number: US-8532318-B2

Title: Hearing aid device

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a hearing aid device in which two hearing aids used on the two ears communicate with each other. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Binaural type of hearing aid that has been gaining popularity in recent years is mounted on both ears, and various modes are synchronized between the hearing aids through wireless communication. 
     However, it is possible that these hearing aids will end up in a state in which they cannot communicate with each other due to malfunction, communication interference, or some other such problem. Therefore, techniques have been disclosed with which there is no cooperation between the two ears if this happens, and the hearing aid device operates at just one ear (see Patent Literature 1, for example). 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2007-336308 
     SUMMARY 
     Nevertheless, the following problems were encountered with the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned publication. 
     Usually, when a binaural type of hearing aid is used, the power must be switched on to each of the hearing aids, but it may happen that the user turns on one power switch but forgets to turn on the power switch to the other hearing aid. In this case, the user must realize that he has forgotten to turn on the power after putting the hearing aid on the ear, then remove that hearing aid, turn on the power, and then put the hearing aid back on again, so this system is not very convenient. 
     Also, with a conventional hearing aid, there is the risk that the user will keep using the hearing aid without realizing that he has forgotten to turn on the power, or that he will keep using it without recognizing that a battery has died in one of the hearing aids during use. This is because when the hearing aid is not operating, it is hard for the user simply to recognize that “it was hard to hear,” and to recognize that a battery is dead or that he has forgotten to turn on the power. This problem is particularly likely to occur with open-type hearing aids. 
     The technique disclosed in the above-mentioned publication is for operating with just one hearing aid when communication cannot be established. Therefore, the user cannot be notified of a malfunction in one of the hearing aids, and the problem of inconvenience cannot be solved. 
     In view of this, it is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient binaural type of hearing aid device with which the user can be reliably advised that the power has been properly switched on to both hearing aids, and that the power to one hearing aid has been blocked due to a low battery during use. 
     To achieve this object, the hearing aid device of the present invention comprises first and second hearing aids separately mounted on the two ears of the user. The first and second hearing aids each have a main body, a sound collector, a hearing aid processor, a speech output section, a communication section, a notification controller, and a notification synthesizer. The main body has a mounting shape that conforms to the shape of the user&#39;s ear. The sound collector takes in ambient sound from around the main body. The hearing aid processor subjects the ambient sound taken in by the sound collector to hearing aid processing. The speech output section outputs to outside the main body the sound that has been processed by the hearing aid processor. The communication section communicates between the first and second hearing aids. The notification controller decides the communication state between the first and second hearing aids. The notification synthesizer that alerts the user according to the decision result for the communication state by the notification controller. 
     Furthermore, the hearing aid device of the present invention comprises first and second hearing aids separately mounted on the two ears of the user. The first and second hearing aids each have a main body, a sound collector, a hearing aid processor, a speech output section, a communication section, a remaining battery charge transmission section, a notification controller, and a notification synthesizer. The main body has a mounting shape that conforms to the shape of the user&#39;s ear. The sound collector that takes in ambient sound from around the main body. The hearing aid processor subjects the ambient sound taken in by the sound collector to hearing aid processing. The speech output section outputs to outside the main body the sound that has been processed by the hearing aid processor. The communication section communicates between the first and second hearing aids. The remaining battery charge transmission section notifies the first or the second hearing aid that the battery has died in the second or the first hearing aid. The notification controller determines the communication state between the first and second hearing aids and the state of the remaining battery charge of the first and second hearing aids. The notification synthesizer alerts the user to the determination result for the communication state by the notification controller, and at the first or the second hearing aid whose battery has not died according, on the basis of the determination result for the remaining battery charge of the second or first hearing aid. 
     ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS 
     With the hearing aid device of the present invention, a convenient hearing aid device can be provided because the user can be reliably advised that the power has been properly switched on to both hearing aids, and that the power to one hearing aid has been blocked due to a low battery during use. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of the configuration of the hearing aid device pertaining to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the hearing aid processor included in the hearing aid device in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the notification controller included in the hearing aid device in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the notification synthesizer included in the hearing aid device in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of the operation of the notification controller included in the hearing aid device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of the hearing aid device pertaining to another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of the notification controller included in the hearing aid device in  FIG. 6 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart of the operation of the notification controller in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments of the hearing aid device of the present invention will now be described along with the drawings. In the following description, the hearing aid on the side where the battery is not dead will be called the first hearing aid, and the hearing aid on the side with the dead battery will be called the second hearing aid, but it should go without saying that the same effect will be obtained if the two are switched around. 
     Embodiment 1 
       FIG. 1  shows the configuration of the hearing aid device in this embodiment.  FIG. 1   a  is a concept diagram of when the two hearing aids  100  (first and second hearing aids) constituting the hearing aid device have been mounted to the ears.  FIG. 1   b  is a block diagram of the configuration of the hearing aids  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the hearing aid device in this embodiment comprises the two hearing aids  100 ,  100 , which are mounted one each on the two ears. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1   b , each hearing aid  100  has a sound collector  101 , a hearing aid processor  102 , a notification controller  103 , a notification synthesizer  104 , a communication section  105 , and a speech output section  106 . Here, the two hearing aids  100 ,  100  have exactly the same configuration, and are in a completely equal relationship, with neither being inferior to the other. As shown in  FIG. 1   a , the hearing aids  100 ,  100  are constantly exchanging signals with each other via wireless radio waves  110   a.    
     The various elements shown in  FIG. 1   b  will now be described in detail. 
     The sound collector  101  includes a sound hole (not shown) provided to the main body of the hearing aid  100 , and a microphone (not shown) that collects ambient sound that comes in through the sound hole. The microphone converts the collected acoustic signals into analog electrical signals and outputs them. In this embodiment, the sound collectors  101  are provided with two pairs of sound hole and microphone in order to have directionality, and each output an analog input signal  111   a  and an analog input signal  111   b.    
     The hearing aid processors  102  subject the analog input signals  111   a  and  111   b  outputted from the sound collectors  101  to hearing aid processing, and adjust the volume to suit the hearing characteristics of the user, after which the products are outputted as analog hearing aid signals  111  to the notification synthesizers  104 . 
     The hearing aid processor  102  will now be described in detail through reference to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the hearing aid processor  102 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the hearing aid processor  102  includes an A/D (analog to digital) converter  201 , a directionality synthesizer  202 , a frequency analyzer  203 , a power calculator  204 , a gain controller  205 , a gain adjuster  206 , a frequency synthesizer  207 , and a D/A (digital to analog) converter  208 . 
     The A/D converters  201  digitally sample the analog input signals  111   a  and  111   b  outputted from the sound collectors  101 , and output the products as digital input signals  210   a  and  210   b  to the directionality synthesizers  202 . 
     The directionality synthesizers  202  magnify sound coming from a specific direction with respect to the user, and reduce sound from other directions. Specifically, they process and synthesize the digital input signals  210   a  and  210   b  so as to match the directionality of the hearing aids  100  in a specific direction. The synthesized signal is outputted as a synthesized signal  211  to the frequency analyzers  203 . The directionality synthesizers  202  have a plurality of adaptive filters and adders, and by varying the computation coefficients thereof, it is possible to match the directionality to a desired orientation, or to achieve a non-directional state in which the sound can be heard equally in all directions. 
     The frequency analyzers  203  convert the synthesized signal  211  inputted in time series from signals for a time region into signals for a frequency region, divide these into a plurality of frequency bands, and output them as a frequency signal group  212 . Methods that can be employed to this end include dividing the result of Fourier transformation, and a sub-band division method. 
     This division is performed by splitting the frequency handled by the hearing aids  100 ,  100  into a plurality of segments from the upper limit to the lower limit. For example, if the hearing aids  100 ,  100  handle ten channels (or ten bands), the frequency region is divided in ten by the frequency analyzers  203 . The frequency signals are outputted for each of the frequency bands. The frequency analyzers  203  output these ten frequency signals as the frequency signal group  212 . 
     The power calculators  204  calculate the power level for each frequency signal of the various bands of the frequency signal group  212  outputted from the frequency analyzers  203 . The term “power level” here is the magnitude of the electrical power of the signals inputted to the frequency analyzers  203 , and is correlated with the sound pressure level of the acoustic signals inputted to the sound collectors  101 . Specifically, the lower is the sound pressure level inputted to the sound collectors  101 , the higher is the power level, and the higher is the sound pressure level, the lower is the power level. The power level is found by taking the sum of squares for the real number section and the imaginary number section for every frequency signal in each band. The power level calculated for each band is outputted as a power level group  112  to the gain controllers  205 . 
     The gain controllers  205  decide the gain with respect to the frequency signal for each band on the basis of the power level group  112 . A gain table is used to decide the gain. The dynamic range of hearing varies from one user to the next, and nonlinear gain adjustment suited to a given user is necessary for the sound pressure level of an inputted acoustic signal. In view of this, with the hearing aid device of this embodiment, a gain table is produced that sets out the gain characteristics required for the user, which have been found ahead of time by audiogram or the like, for every inputted sound pressure level, that is, power level. The gain controllers  205  comprise this gain table for all frequency bands, and the corresponding gain is decided by referring to a gain table when the power level group  112  is inputted. These values are outputted as a gain control signal group  213  to the gain adjusters  206 . 
     The gain adjusters  206  perform gain computation for the frequency signal group  212 , which is a group of frequency signals for each band, on the basis of the gain control signal group  213 , and perform gain adjustment on the frequency signals. The frequency signals that have undergone gain adjustment are outputted as an adjusted frequency signal group  214  to the frequency synthesizers  207 . 
     The frequency synthesizers  207  combine the adjusted frequency signal groups  214  composed of ten divided frequency signals and convert from signals for a frequency region into signals for a time region. The frequency synthesis is accomplished, for example by reverse Fourier transformation when the frequency analysis is Fourier transformation, and by sub-band synthesis when it is sub-band division. The signals that have undergone frequency synthesis are outputted as digital hearing aid signals  215  to the D/A (digital to analog) converters  208 . 
     The D/A converters  208  perform the reverse conversion from that of the A/D converters  201 , and convert the digital hearing aid signals  215 , which are digital signals, into the hearing aid signals  111 , which are analog signals. 
     Next, the notification controller  103  will be described in detail through reference to  FIGS. 3 and 5 .  FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the notification controller  103 . The notification controller  103  shown in  FIG. 3  includes a communication establishment determination section  301 .  FIG. 5  is a flowchart of the flow of processing of the communication section  105 . 
     First, as shown in  FIG. 5 , when the power is turned on to the hearing aids  100 ,  100  (S 000 ), various initializations are performed, and the operation of the hearing aids  100 ,  100  begins. 
     After this, the communication section  105  of one of the hearing aids (the first hearing aid)  100  attempts to make a communication connection to begin communication with the communication section  105  of the other hearing aid (the second hearing aid)  100 . At this point, communication section  105  of the first hearing aid  100  notifies the communication establishment determination section  301  of the current communication establishment situation in the form of a communication status signal  115 . 
     The communication establishment determination section  301  monitors the establishment of this communication connection (S 001 ), and if communication has yet to be established, a signal of “0,” which indicates that communication has yet to be established, is sent to the notification synthesizer  104  (S 002 ). Upon receiving this notification, the notification synthesizer  104  generates a warning sound. 
     On the other hand, if communication has been established, the communication establishment determination section  301  sends a signal of “1,” which indicates that communication has been established, as a notification to the notification synthesizer  104  (S 003 ). Upon receiving this notification, the notification synthesizer  104  stops the warning sound. 
     In the flowchart of  FIG. 5 , if it is first determined in S 001  that communication has not been established, then in S 002  a warning sound is generated, but this is not the only option. For example, a step in which iterations are counted by a counter may be provided in between S 001  and S 002 , and a warning sound generated only when the count of times when it is determined that communication has not been established exceeds a specific count. If this is done, it avoids accidental generation of a warning sound in events such as when the power is on to the second hearing aid  100 , but the communication status just happens to be poor, and radio waves cannot be received form the first hearing aid  100 . As a result, a warning sound can be generated only in cases when a warning is really necessary. 
     Next, the notification synthesizer  104  will be described through reference to  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the notification synthesizer  104 . The notification synthesizer  104  has a sound signal producer  501 , a notification sound controller  502 , and a sound signal synthesizer  503 . 
     The sound signal producer  501  produces a specific sound upon receipt of a signal of “0” as the communication establishment signal  116 , that is, when notified that communication has yet to be established. The term “specific sound” here is a beeping sound that is repeated at a short interval. The sound signal producer  501  outputs this specific sound as a specific sound signal  511  to the notification sound controller  502 . In this embodiment, the specific sound signal  511  is an analog signal. 
     The notification sound controller  502  outputs the specific sound signal  511  outputted from the sound signal producer  501 , as a notification sound signal  512  to the sound signal synthesizer  503  upon receipt of a signal of “0” as the communication establishment signal  116 . 
     On the other hand, when a signal of “1” is received as the communication establishment signal  116 , that is, when communication has been established, the sound signal producer  501  ends the production of sound. The notification sound controller  502  then stops the output of the notification sound signal  512 . 
     The sound signal synthesizer  503  uses a multiplier to superimpose the hearing aid signal  111  outputted from the hearing aid processor  102  and the notification sound signal  512  outputted from the notification sound controller  502 , and outputs the result as a synthesized hearing aid signal  118  to the speech output section  106 . 
     If a warning sound is emitted for a certain length of time, it is conceivable that the user will not recognize that the power has not been turned on, so if a specific length of time has elapsed without communication being established, the sound signal producer  501  may end the production of the specific sound signal  511 . 
     As discussed above, with the hearing aid device of this embodiment (the first and second hearing aids  100 ,  100 ), the user can be reliably notified of whether or not the power has been turned on to the first and second hearing aids  100 ,  100 . Accordingly, if necessary, the user can be reliably instructed to replace the battery. As a result, the user is prevented from continuing to use the hearing aid device when a battery is dead, which means that a hearing aid device can be provided which is more convenient to use than in the past. 
     Embodiment 2 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram of the configuration of a pair of (left and right) first and second hearing aids  400 ,  400  included in the hearing aid device pertaining to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     This embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 6 , differs from Embodiment 1 above in that notification controller  407  and a remaining battery charge transmission section  408  are added, but the rest of the configuration and operation are the same as in Embodiment 1, so those sections will be numbered the same and not described again. 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram of the configuration of the notification controller  407 . The difference between the notification controller  407  and the notification controller  103  in Embodiment 1 above is that a battery state detector  302  is added. 
     If the battery should start to die and the power drop off in the second hearing aid  400  while the first and second hearing aids  400 ,  400  are both in use, the second hearing aid  400 , which is the one that has stopped functioning due to a dead battery, emits a warning sound itself. At the same time, the second hearing aid  400  that has stopped functioning sends the first hearing aid  400  a function stop signal  117  from the remaining battery charge transmission section  408  to the effect that its function has stopped due to battery failure. 
     After the first hearing aid  400  that still has a battery charge has received the function stop signal  117 , the battery state detector  302  recognizes that the second hearing aid  400  is in a dead battery state. After this, if the second hearing aid  400  has actually stopped functioning because of a dead battery, the first hearing aid  400  recognizes that communication has been blocked by the communication establishment determination section  301 , and concludes from this information that power to the second hearing aid  400  has actually been blocked due to a dead battery. 
     Once it has been decided that the second hearing aid  400  has stopped functioning due to a dead battery, the first hearing aid  400  periodically sends a communication establishment signal  116  to the notification synthesizer  104 , and the notification synthesizer  104  emits a warning sound, until the communication establishment determination section  301  recognizes that communication has once again been established. 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart of the flow of processing by the notification controller  407 . 
     First, whether or not communication has been established between the first and second hearing aids  400 ,  400  is checked (S 101 ). Possible reasons for communication not having been established are when the battery of the second hearing aid  400  is dead, and when communication is impossible due to some other communication interruption, and the reason here is identified (S 107 ). 
     Whether or not the battery of the second hearing aid  400  is dead is decided from a signal stored in a variance Bat. For example, if the variable Bat is “0,” there is some other communication interruption, but if the variable Bat is “1,” this means the battery is dead. If the battery is dead (Bat=1), the notification controller  407  emits a warning sound indicating that the battery is dead (S 109 ), and if there is some other communication interruption (Bat=0), a warning sound that is different from that used for a dead battery is emitted (S 108 ). 
     Here, if the notification controller  407  has decided in S 101  that communication has been established, then whether or not a warning sound is being emitted is confirmed (S 102 ). The purpose of this is to decide whether or not the communication state has been restored after a communication interruption. 
     If a warning sound is being emitted, it can be concluded that communication has been restored, in which case the notification controller  407  initializes the variable Bat to “0” (S 104 ). This is because if the initial value of the variable Bat is set to “0,” then if a communication interruption should suddenly occur in the future, it can be recognized as being caused by some kind of problem. After the variable Bat has been set to an initial value of “0,” the warning sound is stopped (S 105 ). 
     Next, the notification controller  407  confirms whether or not the function stop signal  117  has been received via the communication section  105  (S 103 ). If a function stop signal has been received, the notification controller  407  sets the variable Bat to “1” (S 106 ). Consequently, if a communication interruption should occur subsequently, it can be recognized that the second hearing aid  400  has a dead battery. 
     This warning sound may be a constant sound, or it may be a periodic sound, such as one that is emitted every 10 minutes. Also, the notification controller  407  may not emit a warning sound if it has been decided that there is some other communication interruption (Bat=0) (S 108 ). 
     As discussed above, with the hearing aid device of this embodiment, even if the second hearing aid  400  should stop functioning during its use due to a dead battery, the fact that the second hearing aid  400  side is in a dead battery state is conveyed to the first hearing aid  400 , which periodically emits a warning sound to reliably alert the user to the dead battery. As a result, the user will not just keep using the second hearing aid  400  that has stopped functioning because of a dead battery, and will instead be sure to replace the battery, so a hearing aid device that is more convenient to use can be provided. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The hearing aid device pertaining to the present invention reliably ensures that the power is properly switched on to first and second hearing aids, and notifies the user when one of the hearing aids has stopped function due to a dead battery, and is therefore useful as a binaural type of hearing aid that is more convenient to use. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       100 ,  100  hearing aid (first and second hearing aids) 
       110   a  wireless radio wave 
       101  sound collector 
       102  hearing aid processor 
       103  notification controller 
       104  notification synthesizer 
       105  communication section 
       106  speech output section 
       111  analog hearing aid signal 
       111   a ,  111   b  analog input signal 
       112  power level group 
       115  communication status signal 
       116  communication establishment signal 
       117  function stop signal 
       118  synthesized hearing aid signal 
       201  A/D converter 
       202  directionality synthesizer 
       203  frequency analyzer 
       204  power calculator 
       205  gain controller 
       206  gain adjuster 
       207  frequency synthesizer 
       208  D/A converter 
       210   a ,  210   b  digital input signal 
       211  synthesized signal 
       212  frequency signal group 
       213  gain control signal group 
       214  adjusted frequency signal group 
       215  digital hearing aid signal 
       301  communication establishment determination section 
       302  battery state detector 
       400  hearing aid (first and second hearing aids) 
       407  notification controller 
       408  remaining battery charge transmission section 
       501  sound signal producer 
       502  notification sound controller 
       503  sound signal synthesizer 
       511  specific sound signal 
       512  notification sound signal