Patent ID: 7715571

Claim:
A method for individually fitting a hearing instrument to a user, comprising at least one microphone for generating an input audio signal from ambient sound, an audio signal processing unit for processing said input audio signal into a processed output audio signal, and a transducer for stimulation of a human auditory system of said user according to said processed output audio signal as input to said transducer, the method comprising: (a) providing said user with said hearing instrument and starting operation of said hearing instrument; (b) pre-defining a desired target loudness function, wherein loudness perception of a stimulus by said user when using said hearing instrument is defined as function of frequency and input sound pressure level at said microphone; (c) measuring for a given measurement parameter set of perceived loudness levels and frequencies or frequency bands, a respective transducer input audio signal level to be applied to an input of said transducer in order to achieve said respective perceived loudness level at said respective frequency or frequency band, said measurement parameter set comprising at least a low loudness level, an intermediate loudness level and a high loudness level, and said intermediate loudness level being measured for a larger number of frequencies or frequency bands and with a finer frequency resolution than said low and high loudness levels; (d) calculating an individual gain function to be implemented in said audio signal processing unit in order to achieve said pre-defined target loudness function of step (b) by taking into account said transducer input audio signal levels measured in step (c); and (e) operating the hearing instrument with said individual gain function of step (d).