Patent ID: 7715576

Claim:
A hearing aid system comprising a hearing aid and a control device removed from the hearing aid and linked to the hearing aid by a communications interface for autonomously controlling the hearing aid, the hearing aid comprising: a microphone for receiving sound; a speaker for imparting enhanced sound; an amplifier in communication with the microphone and the speaker, the amplifier being configured to (i) perform digital signal processing in accordance with a predetermined algorithm in order to perform a processing operation on a first electrical signal derived from the sound received by the microphone to produce a second electrical signal which is output to the speaker, and (ii) derive data representing the acoustic environment external to the ear from sound received by the microphone; and a transmitter for transmitting the data representing the acoustic environment external to the ear via a first signal interface; the control device comprising: second signal interface in communication with the first signal interface and adapted to (i) receive the data representing the acoustic environment external to the ear, and (ii) transmit an optimal algorithm to the first signal interface; and a module for (i) analyzing the data representing the acoustic environment external to the ear, and (ii) calculating the optimal algorithm for digital signal processing, the control device being operable in a first mode to perform an audiometric process in cooperation with the hearing aid to adapt the hearing aid to the hearing loss of a specific user; and the control device being adapted to utilise feedback provided by the user relating to acoustic test signals output by the hearing aid as part of the audiometric process; and the control device being operable in a second mode to be responsive to the acoustic environment data transmitted thereto to derive the optimal algorithm based upon the data and to transmit the optimal algorithm to the hearing aid; wherein the hearing aid is adapted to receive the optimal algorithm transmitted thereto by the control device and to perform said processing using the received optimal algorithm as the predetermined algorithm.