Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERACTIVE MOBILE FITTING OF HEARING
AIDS
Cross-Reference to Related Applications/
Incorporation by Reference
[0001] The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
119(e) to provisional
application Ser. No. 63/154,441 filed on February 26, 2021, entitled "SYSTEM
AND METHOD
FOR INTERACTIVE MOBILE FITTING OF HEARING AIDS." The above referenced
provisional application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
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Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to hearing aids. More
specifically, the present
disclosure relates to a system that reduces the complexity of modern digital
hearing aid fittings
and configuration data sets to a conceptually simple user interface,
manageable by a hearing aid
user, and available as an application on a mobile device, such as a smart-
phone or tablet
computer. The mobile device has a wireless connection to the hearing devices
allowing
configuration data to be communicated.
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Background
[0003] Hearing aids (HA) are typically customized for specific users by
manufacturers and
hearing care professionals (HCP). These customizations improve comfort and
acoustic
performance particular to a user's unique hearing impairment. The
customizations include
physical modifications to the device and configuration of electro-acoustic
characteristics.
[0004] Personal sound amplification products (PSAP) and other in-ear devices
that stream
audio or amplify sounds with ambient noise features are typically distributed
directly to a
consumer, without assistance of a hearing care professional. Customizations
made available to
the user are typically limited to basic adjustments, such as volume control,
low resolution
equalization, and program selection among pre-programmed generic fittings.
[0005] The distinction between hearing aids and personal sound
amplification products is
disappearing with new regulations, new modes of distribution, and new
technological
capabilities that bridge the gap between these former U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)
designations. For purposes of the present disclosure, personal sound
amplification products and
other in-ear devices that stream audio or amplify sounds with ambient noise
features are
considered to be in the same class as hearing aids.
[0006] Remote control devices and smart-phone applications are currently
available, which
allow a user to make basic adjustments to the hearing aid device
configuration, such as volume
control, program selection, or basic equalization. Some applications also
provide for remote
communication between the user and a hearing care professional, where the
hearing care
professional can prepare and send a digital package of fitting information to
the user's mobile
device, which the user can then load into the hearing aid to change its
electro-acoustic
performance.
[0007] In digital hearing aid devices, the configuration data set can be large
and complex,
with thousands of parameters. Compression hearing aids have arrays of data to
define a user's
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unique dynamic range and comfortable listening levels at many frequencies and
in multiple
compression channels. Algorithms for improved hearing in noisy, reverberant,
or windy
conditions, for example, contribute additional parametric complexity. Fitting
software used by
hearing care professionals provide access to a wide range of adjustments for
maximal freedom to
find solutions for a wide range of user problems. This type of fitting process
can be confusing
and time consuming without professional training. Furthermore, large data
sets, which must he
written to the hearing aid, introduce time delays long enough to prevent
incremental and
interactive adjustments. At the root, these adjustments are all based on the
user's perceptual
judgment of loudness and audibility.
[0008] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will
become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems
with some
aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present
application.
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Summary
[0009] Certain embodiments of the present technology provide a system and
method for
interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids, substantially as shown in and/or
described in
connection with at least one of the figures.
[0010] These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present
disclosure, as
well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully
understood from the
following description and drawings.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system configured to
provide
interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids, in accordance with embodiments of
the present
technology.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps that may be
utilized for providing
interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids, in accordance with embodiments of
the present
technology.
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface screenshot of an exemplary comfort
target for a left
hearing aid, by frequency, with a default target predicted by audiogram, in
accordance with
embodiments of the present technology.
[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a user interface screenshot of an exemplary advanced
view of a right
hearing aid most comfortable level (MCL) with a maximum output level (MOL)
target curve and
a maximum gain curve, in accordance with embodiments of the present
technology.
[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a user interface screenshot of exemplary
selectable loudness balance
adjustments for a plurality of frequency ranges, in accordance with
embodiments of the present
technology.
[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates a user interface screenshot of exemplary
selectable binaural balance
adjustments for a plurality of narrow frequency bands, in accordance with
embodiments of the
present technology.
[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates a user interface screenshot of an exemplary program
selector for
adjusting settings of a selected program, in accordance with embodiments of
the present
technology.
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[0018] FIG. 8 illustrates a user interface screenshot of an
exemplary indication that selected
settings are being stored to the hearing aid, in accordance with embodiments
of the present
technology.
[0019] FIG. 9 illustrates a user interface screenshot of exemplary
user-selectable options for
discarding setting changes or reverting to previous settings, in accordance
with embodiments of
the present technology.
[0020] FIG. 10 illustrates a user interface screenshot of an
exemplary user-selectable option
to lock programing to temporarily prevent accidental modifications to a
fitting, in accordance
with embodiments of the present technology.
[0021] FIG. 11 illustrates a mobile device having a touchscreen display
providing a user
interface presenting a continuous fitting curve represented as a cube shape,
in accordance with
embodiments of the present technology.
[0022] FIG. 12 illustrates a mobile device having a touchscreen display
providing a user
interface presenting a continuous fitting curve represented as a soccer ball
shape, in accordance
with embodiments of the present technology.
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Detailed Description
[0023] Embodiments of the present technology provide a system and
method for interactive
mobile fitting of hearing aids. Aspects of the present disclosure provide the
technical effect of
allowing a user to self-fit hearing aids without hearing care professional
assistance. Various
embodiments provide the technical effect of increasing user capability to
provide improved
adjustments that were formerly only possible with assistance from hearing care
professionals.
Certain embodiments provide the technical effect of making adjustments of the
acoustic response
in substantially real-time such that a user can hear the result of the
adjustments substantially in
real-time (i.e., within 500 milliseconds (ms) of the adjustment being made in
the application).
[0024] Aspects of the present disclosure provide the technical
effect of enabling remotely-
located hearing care professionals providing telehealth applications to assist
a user to create
fittings or make adjustments interactively. Various embodiments leverage the
training and
experience of the hearing care professional to know which adjustments to make
for particular
hearing difficulty situations. Usage patterns and other situational data may
be uploaded to a
central server or database, for research and analysis contributing to
continuous improvement of
sound processing methods.
[0025] Aspects of the present disclosure provide the technical
effect of reducing complex
multi-dimensional arrays of data to smooth parametric curves on a grid that
can be reshaped by a
user, for example, by touching and sliding the graph displayed on the touch
screen. Various
embodiments provide the technical effect of using a reduced sized data set of
parameters to
specify the fitting curves, limited to a subset of the data for a fitting
instead of the complete data
set used by the runtime code in the hearing aid sound processors. Certain
embodiments provide
the technical effect of sending adjustments to the hearing aid devices in a
flow-controlled stream
of reduced sized packet transfers, which are interpreted and elaborated on the
hearing aid device
into the complete data set used for real-time audio signal processing. Aspects
of the present
disclosure provide the technical effect of performing computation to
extrapolate and interpolate
at both the mobile device (via the application) and by the hearing aid devices
to reduce the
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bandwidth requirement in the communications channel between the mobile device
and hearing
aid devices. This redundant computation may assist the system in responding
fast enough for the
interactive user experience.
[0026] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed
description of certain
embodiments will be better understood when read in conjunction with the
appended drawings.
To the extent that the figures illustrate diagrams of the functional blocks of
various
embodiments, the functional blocks arc not necessarily indicative of the
division between
hardware circuitry. Thus, for example, one or more of the functional blocks
(e.g., processors or
memories) may be implemented in a single piece of hardware (e.g., a general-
purpose signal
processor or a block of random access memory, hard disk, or the like) or
multiple pieces of
hardware. Similarly, the programs may be stand alone programs, may be
incorporated as
subroutines in an operating system, may be functions in an installed software
package, and the
like. It should be understood that the various embodiments are not limited to
the arrangements
and instrumentality shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that
the embodiments
may be combined, or that other embodiments may be utilized, and that
structural, logical and
electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the various
embodiments.
The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a
limiting sense, and the scope
of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
[0027] As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular
and preceded with the word
"a" or "an" should be understood as not excluding plural of said elements or
steps, unless such
exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to "an exemplary
embodiment," "various
embodiments," "certain embodiments," "a representative embodiment," and the
like are not
intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional
embodiments that also
incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the
contrary, embodiments
"comprising", "including", or "having an element or a plurality of elements
having a particular
property may include additional elements not having that property.
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[0028] Additionally, the term interactive mobile fitting, as used
herein, refers to both the
creation of a fitting of hearing aids and the adjustment of a fitting of
hearing aids. Also, the term
hearing aid, as used herein, refers to hearing aids customized for specific
users by manufacturers
and hearing care professionals, personal sound amplification products, and any
suitable in-ear
devices that stream audio or amplify sounds with ambient noise features.
Furthermore, the term
processor or processing unit, as used herein, refers to any type of processing
unit that can carry
out the required calculations, execute algorithms, and make data-driven
decisions needed for the
various embodiments, such as single or multi-core: CPU, Accelerated Processing
Unit (APU),
Graphic Processing Unit (GPU), DSP, FPGA, ASIC or a combination thereof.
[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
100 configured to provide
interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids 130. Referring to FIG. 1, the
system 100 includes a
mobile smart-device (also referred to as a mobile device) 110, a hearing aid
130, a hearing care
professional (HCP) system 150, and one or more servers 160.
[0030] The mobile smart-device 110 may comprise, for example, a
smart phone, a tablet
computer, or other handheld electronic device capable of communication with
the hearing aid
130 via a wireless connection, such as Bluetooth, short-range, long range, Wi-
Fi, cellular,
personal communication system (PCS), or any suitable wireless connection. The
mobile smart-
device 110 may communicate with the one or more servers 160 via a wireless
network and the
Internet, for example. The wireless network may be one or more of a cellular,
PCS, Wi-Fi, or
other wireless communication network.
[0031] The mobile smart-device may include a display 111, user
input devices 111, a
memory, one or more processors 113, one or more communication components 112,
and the like.
The display 111 may be any device capable of communicating visual information
to a user. For
example, a display 111 may include a liquid crystal display, a light emitting
diode display, and/or
any suitable display. The display 111 can be operable to display information
from a software
application, such as an interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application, or
any suitable
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information. In various embodiments, the display 111 may display information
provided by the
one or more processors 113, for example.
[0032] The user input device(s) 111 may include a touchscreen.
button(s), motion tracking,
orientation detection, voice recognition, a mousing device, keyboard, camera,
and/or any other
device capable of receiving a user directive. In certain embodiments, one or
more of the user
input devices 1 1 1 may be integrated into other components, such as the
display 111, for example.
As an example, user input device may include a touchscreen display 111.
[0033] The memory (not shown) may be one or more computer-readable
memories, for
example, such as compact storage, flash memory, random access memory, read-
only memory,
electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory and/or any suitable
memory. The
memory may include databases, libraries, sets of information, or other storage
accessed by and/or
incorporated with the one or more processors 113, for example. The memory may
be able to
store data temporarily or permanently, for example. The memory may be capable
of storing data
generated by the one or more processors 113 and/or instructions readable by
the one or more
processors 113, among other things. In various embodiments, the memory stores
information
related to an interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application, for example.
[0034] The communication component(s) 112 allow communication
between the mobile
smart-device 110 and other external systems, such as the hearing aid 130 and
the server(s) 160,
for example. The communication component(s) 112 may include transceivers, such
as
Bluetooth, short-range, long range, Wi-Fi, cellular, personal communication
system (PCS), or
any suitable transceiver.
[0035] The one or more processors 113 may be one or more central
processing units,
microprocessors, microcontrollcrs, and/or the like. The one or more processors
113 may be an
integrated component, or may be distributed across various locations, for
example. The one or
more processors 113 may be capable of executing a software application,
receiving input
information from a user input device 111 and/or communication connection(s)
112, and
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generating an output displayable by a display 111, among other things. In
certain embodiments,
the one or more processors 113 may communicate via communication connection(s)
112 with
servers 160 to execute an interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application,
for example. In an
exemplary embodiment, the one or more processors 113 may communicate via
communication
connection(s) 112 with the hearing aid 130 to program the hearing aid with
user-adjusted
settings. For example, the one or more processor 113 may send adjustments to
the hearing aid
devices 130 in a flow-controlled stream of reduced sized packet transfers,
which are interpreted
and elaborated on the hearing aid device 130 into the complete fitting data
set used for real-time
audio signal processing.
[0036] The one or more processors 113 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, interfaces, or
code configured to reduce complex multi-dimensional arrays of data to smooth
parametric curves
on a grid that can be reshaped by a user. The processor(s) 113 may be
configured to receive a
reduced size fitting data set as communications 119 received from a hearing
aid 130 via a
communications component 112 at the mobile device 110. The reduced size
fitting data set may
be a set of sampling points from a complete fitting data set. The complete
fitting data set may be
a multi-dimensional array of fitting data. For example, the multi-dimensional
array of fitting
data may comprise a number of curves, such as a most comfortable level (MCL)
curve, a
maximum output level (MOL) curve designed to keep output audio levels below a
user's
loudness discomfort level (LDL), a maximum gain curve, a minimum gain curve,
an acoustic
audibility curve, an otoacoustic emissions (OAF) measurement curve, and the
like. Each of the
curves of the complete fitting data set may comprise a number of data points,
such as 32-128
data points or any suitable number of data points. The reduced size fitting
data set may comprise
a set of sampling points (e.g., 9 sample points or any suitable number of
sampling points less
than a total number of sampling points from a curve of the complete fitting
data set) from one of
the curves of the complete fitting data set, such as the most comfortable
level (MCL) curve or
any suitable curve. The complete fitting data set may be manufacturers
settings stored in the
hearing aid 130 as part of the manufacturing process. Other subsequent
processes may be used
to further configure the hearing aids prior to interactive end-user
adjustments. For example,
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fittings facilitated by a hearing care professional via the hearing care
professional system 150
executing advanced fitting software may be used to generate the complete
fitting data. As
another example, the complete data set may be generated based on fitting
algorithms for self-
assessment, to create initial fittings based on an audiogram, according to a
fitting rule, or
rationale. The complete data set may also include fittings optimized through
deep learning
algorithms designed to discover user-preferred settings in a wide range of
sound environments.
Any or all of these initial fitting processes may be implemented on the mobile
device 110, along
with the interactive adjustment capability as described below.
[0037] The processor(s) 113 may comprise control logic 114
configured to control a flow of
data between the processor(s) 113 and the other components of the mobile
device 110, such as
the communications component 112 and the touchscreen display 111. The
processor(s) 113 may
comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code configured to
interpolate and generate
dependent data 116 from the reduced size fitting data set 115 (also referred
to as condensed
fitting parameters as shown in FIG. 1). For example, the processor(s) 113 may
interpolate 116
the reduced size fitting data set 115 by generating piecewise polynomial
curves between
sampling points of the set of sampling points to generate a continuous fitting
curve represented
by a high resolution array of discrete samples presented as a smooth curve 117
at the touchscreen
111 of the mobile device 110. The processor(s) may additionally and/or
alternatively perform
linear interpolation or any suitable interpolation method to generate the
continuous fitting curve
represented by a high resolution array of discrete samples presented as a
smooth curve 117 at the
touchscreen 111 of the mobile device 110. In various embodiments, the
processor(s) may
comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code configured to generate
dependent data from
the continuous fitting curve. As an example, the processor(s) may be
configured to generate an
MOL curve, a maximum gain curve, a minimum gain curve, and/or any suitable
curve based on
an interpolated MCL continuous fitting curve. The dependent data curves may
additionally
and/or alternatively be presented 117 at the touchscreen 111 of the mobile
device 110.
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[0038] The processor(s) 113 may be configured to present the
continuous fitting curve with
user interface objects at the display 111 of the mobile device 110. The user
interface objects
may each correspond with one sampling point from the set of sampling points of
the reduced size
fitting data set. The user interface objects may include visual indications of
the objects or may
be hidden objects. For example, the user interface objects may include
sliders, handles, textual
or numerical indicators, buttons, drop down menus, or the like presented at
the display 111 for
adjusting a value of the corresponding sampling point. As another example, the
user interface
objects may not include a visual indicator. For example, the user interface
objects may be the
sampling points on the continuous fitting curve presented in a same manner as
the remainder of
the continuous fitting curve. The user interface objects may be manipulated
via a user input
device (also referred to as a user interface) to increase or decrease a value
of the sampling point.
For example, a user finger or pointing device (e.g., mousing device) may be
used to drag a user
interface object up or down to increase or decrease the value of the sampling
point. As another
example, a user interface object may be selected and a button or knob may be
manipulated to
increase or decrease the value of the sampling point corresponding with the
user interface object.
[0039] Additionally and/or alternatively, the processor(s) 113 may
be configured to present
a shape representing the continuous fitting curve with user interface objects
at the display 111 of
the mobile device 110. The shape may be a two-dimensional shape or three-
dimensional shape.
The shape may be a square, cube, circle, oval, or any suitable shape. The
shape may correspond
with the shape of an object, such as a soccer ball, star, apple, or any
suitable object. The user
interface objects may be sides, comers, edges, outer boundaries, points, or
any suitable portions
of the shape. The user interface objects may be manipulated, rotated or
otherwise selected by the
user through gesture controls such as dragging one's finger around the user
interface to move,
rotate or otherwise change the shape that appears on the touchscreen. The
different sides or
facets of the shape may be designated by different colors, shading, numbers,
or any suitable
indicator to help visualize which part of the shape is selected and active.
These different sides or
facets of the shape can in turn be mapped to sampling point combinations
representing different
configurations of the continuous fitting curve.
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[0040] The processor(s) 113 may be configured to receive a user
input 118 manipulating at
least one of the user interface objects. The user input 118 adjusts a value of
the one or more
sampling points corresponding to the at least one of the user interface
objects. The processor(s)
113 may be configured to generate an updated reduced size fitting data set 115
based on the
received user input 118. The processor(s) 113 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, interfaces,
or code configured to interpolate and generate dependent data 116 from the
updated reduced size
fitting data set 115 as discussed above to update the continuous fitting curve
117 and any
dependent data presented at the display 111 of the mobile device. The
processor( s) 113 may be
configured to communicate 119 the updated reduced size fitting data set 115,
via the mobile
device communication component 112, to the hearing aid 130 for application to
input audio at
the hearing aid 130 in substantially real-time (i.e., within 500 ms), such
that a user can hear the
result of the adjustments substantially in real-time.
[0041] The hearing aid 130 comprises an audio input 131, one or
more receivers 132,
memory 134, one or more hearing aid processors 135, and communication
component(s) 133.
The audio input 131 may comprise one or more microphones 141, streaming
digital audio 142
receiving via communication component(s) 133, and/or any suitable audio input.
The one or
more microphones 141 are configured to receive sound exterior to an ear canal.
The
microphone(s) 141 convert the sound to electrical signals and provide the
electrical signals to the
one or more hearing aid processors 135 via the audio input 131. Additionally
and/or
alternatively, the audio input 131 may provide the one or more hearing aid
processors 135 with
streaming digital audio 142 or any suitable audio input. The one or more
hearing aid processors
135 modify the sound level 139 by applying elaborated parameters 138 retrieved
from memory
134 and/or generated based on reduced fitting data sets provided by the mobile
smart-device 110.
The one or more hearing aid processors 135 pass the electrical signals having
the modified sound
level to the receiver 132. The receiver 132 converts the electrical signals to
sound, which is
communicated from the receiver 132 to a user's ear canal.
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[0042] The memory 134 may be a nonvolatile memory or any suitable
memory configured
to store a complete fitting data set, substitute complete fitting data set(s),
reduced size fitting data
sets, hearing aid processing instructions, and/or any suitable information.
[0043] The communication component(s) 133 allow communication
between the hearing
aid 130 and other external systems, such as the mobile smart-device 110 and
the hearing care
professional system 150, for example. The communication component(s) 133 may
include wired
and/or wireless communication interfaces. For example, the hearing aid 130 may
communicate
with the hearing care professional system 150 via wired communications, and
may communicate
with the mobile device 110 via wireless communications. The communications
component 133
may include transceivers, such as Bluetooth, short-range, long range, Wi-Fi,
cellular, personal
communication system (PCS), or any suitable transceiver, configured to wireles
sly communicate
with the communications component 112 of the mobile device 110.
[0044] The hearing aid processor(s) 135 may be configured to
generate, and/or retrieve from
memory 134, a reduced size fitting data set from the complete fitting data
set. The reduced size
fitting data set 136 may be communicated 140 to the mobile device 110 via the
communications
component 133. The hearing aid processor(s) 135 may he configured to receive
an updated
reduced size fitting data set 136 as communications 140 received from the
mobile device 110 via
a communications component 133 at the hearing aid 130. The hearing aid
processor(s) 135 may
be configured to store the updated reduced size fitting data set 136 at memory
134. The hearing
aid processor(s) 135 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or
code configured to
interpolate and generate dependent data 137 from the updated reduced size
fitting data set 136.
For example, the hearing aid processor(s) 135 may interpolate 137 the reduced
size fitting data
set 115 by generating piecewise polynomial curves between sampling points of
the set of
sampling points and/or by any suitable interpolation method. The hearing aid
processor(s) 135
may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code configured to
generate dependent data
from the interpolated curve.
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[0045] The hearing aid processor(s) 135 may be configured to
generate a substitute
complete fitting data set based on the interpolated curve and dependent data.
In various
embodiments, the substitute complete fitting data set is stored at memory 134
in addition to
and/or separate from the original complete fitting data set. In an exemplary
embodiment, the
substitute complete fitting data set is stored at memory 134 in response to a
command from the
mobile device 110. In certain embodiments, the substitute complete fitting
data set may be
stored as a program that is selectable at the mobile device 110 for
application at the hearing aid
130. The hearing aid processor(s) 135 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
interfaces, or code
configured to generate elaborated parameters for digital signal processing
138. For example, the
hearing aid processor(s) 135 may be configured to reformat the substitute
complete fitting data
set for application to the input audio. The hearing aid processor(s) 135 may
comprise suitable
logic, circuitry, interfaces, or code configured to apply the elaborated
parameters to input audio
to generate modified audio 139. The modified audio may be output by the
receiver 132 of the
hearing aid 130 into an ear canal of the user.
[0046] In various embodiments, the one or more hearing aid
processors 135, and
communication components 133 may share various characteristics with the
memory, one or more
processors 113, and communication components 112 as described about with
respect to the
mobile smart-device 110.
[0047] The hearing care professional system 150 may include a
personal computer,
workstation, and/or any suitable computing device operated by a hearing care
professional to
communicate with the hearing aid 130 and server(s) 160. For example, the
hearing care
professional system 150 may be configured to replace a default manufacturer
complete fitting
data set or other complete fitting data set with a new complete fitting data
set specific to a
particular user of the hearing aid 130. In various embodiments, the hearing
care professional
system 150 may access substitute complete fitting data sets generated by a
user of the mobile
device 110 and stored in memory 134 of the hearing aid 130. The hearing care
professional
system 150 may communicate with the server(s) 160 via the Internet or any
suitable
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communication connection to store or retrieve patient data, complete fitting
data sets, hearing aid
device information, purchase history, and/or any suitable information.
[0048] The one or more servers 160 may include web servers,
database servers, and/or
application servers, for example. The servers 160 may be configured to store a
complete fitting
data set, substitute complete fitting data sets, updated reduced fitting data
sets, client data, and
the like. For example, the mobile device 110 may communicate with the one or
more servers
160 via the Internet or any suitable communication connection to provide
updated reduced fitting
data sets and/or to receive updated reduced fitting data sets prepared by a
hearing care
professional. As another example, the hearing care professional system 150 may
communicate
with the one or more servers 160 via the Internet or any suitable
communication connection to
provide or retrieve client data, complete fitting data sets, substitute
complete fitting data sets,
hearing aid device information and purchase history, and/or any suitable
information. As
another example, intensive computations may be offloaded from the hearing aid
130 or mobile
device 110 to servers 160, and the computational results returned to the
mobile device 110 and
hearing aid 130 for real-time application.
[0049] In operation, the hearing aid 130 and mobile smart-device
110 establish a data
connection, such as via Bluetooth or any suitable data connection. The mobile
smart-device 110
may be configured to read condensed fitting parameters (i.e., reduced fitting
data set) from the
hearing aid 130. The condensed fitting parameters may be modified by the user
via the mobile
device user input device, such as a touchscreen 111, and written to the
hearing aid 130 by the
mobile smart-device 110.
[0050] A processor 135 of the hearing aid converts the condensed
fitting parameters into the
elaborated parameters for DSP (reformatted complete fitting data set). Either
the reduced fitting
data set, the complete fitting data set, or both may be stored in the
nonvolatile memory 134 of the
hearing aid 130. In addition, data sets may be stored in the hearing care
professional system 150
and/or in a central database via web services 160. The hearing care
professional system 150 and
mobile smart device 110 may also have access to the same client data via the
web service
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server(s) 160. The present disclosure primarily refers to a user's ability to
interactively
manipulate elaborated DSP parameters via a wireless connection. The redundant
computation on
a hearing aid 130 and mobile smart-device 110 reduce the data rate across the
wireless
connection.
[0051] FIG. 2 is a flow chart 200 illustrating exemplary steps 202-
228 that may be utilized
for providing interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids 130, in accordance
with embodiments of
the present technology. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a flow chart 200
comprising
exemplary steps 202 through 228. Certain embodiments may omit one or more of
the steps,
and/or perform the steps in a different order than the order listed, and/or
combine certain of the
steps discussed below. For example, some steps may not he performed in certain
embodiments.
As a further example, certain steps may be performed in a different temporal
order, including
simultaneously, than listed below.
[0052] At step 202, a mobile device 110 receives a reduced size
fitting data set from a
hearing aid 130. For example, at least one processor 113 of the mobile device
may be
configured to receive a reduced size fitting data set as communications 119
received from a
hearing aid 130 via a communications component 112 at the mobile device 110.
The reduced
size fitting data set may be a set of sampling points from a complete fitting
data set stored at
memory 134 of the hearing aid 130.
[0053] At step 204, at least one processor 113 of the mobile device
110 interpolates the
reduced size fitting data set into a continuous fitting curve 117. For
example, the at least one
processor 113 may be configured to interpolate 116 the reduced size fitting
data set 115 by
generating piecewise polynomial curves between sampling points of the set of
sampling points,
or any suitable interpolation method, to generate the continuous fitting curve
represented by a
high resolution array of discrete samples presented as a smooth curve 117 at a
display 111 of the
mobile device 110.
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[0054] At step 206, the at least one processor 113 of the mobile device 110
presents the
continuous fitting curve 117 with user interface objects at a display 111 of
the mobile device
110. For example, the user interface objects may each correspond with one
sampling point from
the set of sampling points of the reduced size fitting data set. The user
interface objects may
include visual indications of the objects or may be hidden objects. For
example, the user
interface objects may include sliders, handles, textual or numerical
indicators, buttons, drop
down menus, or the like presented at the display 111 for adjusting a value of
the corresponding
sampling point. As another example, the user interface objects may not include
a visual
indicator. For example, the user interface objects may be the sampling points
on the continuous
fitting curve presented in a same manner as the remainder of the continuous
fitting curve. In
various embodiments, the continuous fitting curve may be represented by a
shape presented at
the display 111 as described below with respect to FIGS. 11 and 12. For
example, the shape may
be a two-dimensional shape or three-dimensional shape. The shape may be a
square, cube,
circle, oval, or any suitable shape. The shape may correspond with the shape
of an object, such
as a soccer hall, star, apple, or any suitable object. The user interface
objects may he sides,
corners, edges, outer boundaries, points, or any suitable portions of the
shape. The user interface
objects may be different sides or facets of the shape, which in turn may be
mapped to sampling
point combinations representing different configurations of the continuous
fitting curve.
[0055] At step 208, a user input 118 manipulating at least one of
the user interface objects is
received at the mobile device 110 to generate an updated reduced size fitting
data set. For
example, the user interface objects may be manipulated via a user input device
to increase or
decrease a value of the sampling point. As another example, the user interface
objects of a shape
representing the continuous fitting curve may be manipulated, rotated or
otherwise selected via a
user input device to adjust values of one or more sampling points. The at
least one processor
113 of the mobile device 110 may be configured to generate an updated reduced
size fitting data
set 115 based on the received user input 118.
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[0056] At step 210, the mobile device 110 communicates the updated
reduced size fitting
data set to the hearing aid 130. For example, at least one hearing aid
processor 135 of the
hearing aid 130 may be configured to receive an updated reduced size fitting
data set 136 as
communications 140 received from the mobile device 110 via a communications
component 133
at the hearing aid 130.
[0057] At step 212, at least one hearing aid processor 135 of the
hearing aid 130 generates a
substitute complete fitting data set based on the updated reduced size fitting
data set. For
example, the at least one hearing aid processor 135 may interpolate 137 the
reduced size fitting
data set 115 by generating piecewise polynomial curves between sampling points
of the set of
sampling points and/or by any suitable interpolation method. The at least one
hearing aid
processor 135 may be configured to generate a substitute complete fitting data
set based on the
interpolated curve.
[0058] At step 214, the at least one hearing aid processor 135
applies the substitute
complete fitting data set to input audio to generate modified audio. For
example, the at least one
hearing aid processor 135 may be configured to generate elaborated parameters
for digital signal
processing 138 by reformatting the substitute complete fitting data set for
application to the input
audio. The at least one hearing aid processor 135 may apply the elaborated
parameters to input
audio to generate modified audio 139.
[0059] At step 216, the hearing aid 130 outputs the modified audio.
For example, the
modified audio may be output by a receiver 132 of the hearing aid 130 into an
ear canal of the
user.
[0060] At step 218, if a user is not satisfied with the modified
audio, the process proceeds to
step 220 as described below. If the user is satisfied with the modified audio,
the process
proceeds to step 226 as described below.
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[0061] At step 220, a user may continue making changes to the
continuous fitting curve as
modified by the previous user input manipulations by returning to step 208 to
provide additional
user input manipulations if the user is not satisfied with the modified audio.
If the user does not
want to continue making changes, the process proceeds to step 222.
[0062] At step 222, the user may provide a selection via the user
interface 111. 900. 910 to
forget the session changes 930. The process 200 then returns to step 206 where
the continuous
fitting curve prior to the user manipulations is presented with the user
interface objects at the
display 111 of the mobile device 110. If the user does not want to forget the
session changes and
return to the continuous fitting curve prior to user manipulations, the
process 200 proceeds to
step 224.
[0063] At step 224, the user may provide a selection via the user
interface 111. 900. 910 to
revert back to the original complete fitting data set (e.g., prior to any
substitute complete fitting
data set being generated). The process 200 then returns to step 202 where a
reduced size fitting
data set corresponding to the original complete fitting data set is received
from the hearing aid
130 at the mobile device 110. If the user does not want to revert back to the
original complete
fitting data set, the process returns to step 218.
[0064] At step 226, the user may provide a selection via the user
interface 111, 358, 720 of
the mobile device 110 to store the substitute complete fitting data set at
nonvolatile memory 134
of the hearing aid 130. In various embodiments, the user may select to store
the substitute
complete fitting data set as a program. For example, the substitute complete
fitting data may be
stored as a default program, a program for noisy environments, a program for
music listening, a
program for windy environments, or any suitable program. The stored program
may be selected
via the user interface 111 of the mobile device 110 for application by the
hearing aid 130 to input
audio.
[0065] At step 228, the process 200 ends.
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[0066] FIGS. 3-10 illustrate exemplary user interface screenshots
300-1000 that may be
provided to a user via the display 111 of the mobile smart-device 110.
Although FIGS. 3-10
illustrate an acoustic frequency range from 250 Hz to 6000 Hz, other frequency
ranges may be
provided, such as for devices having frequency ranges extending up to 20,000
Hz, among other
things.
[0067] Referring to FIG. 3, a user interface screenshot 300 of an exemplary
comfort target
320 for a left hearing aid, by frequency, with a default target 310 predicted
by audiogram is
shown. For example, the default target curve 310 may correspond with the
original complete
fitting data set and the comfort target curve 320 may correspond with the
substitute complete
fitting data set as modified by a user of the mobile device 110. The default
target curve 310 and
comfort target curve 320 may be most comfortable level (MCL) curves, or any
suitable curves.
The user interface 300 may include user selectable tools or options 350, such
as to select display
of curves corresponding with a left hearing aid 351, a right hearing aid 352,
both hearing aids
353, display of dependent data curves 354, an option to perform an automatic
sequential sweep
of audio stimulus test signals across a range of frequencies 355, an option to
modify the comfort
target curve 356, a program selector option 357, an option to save the
substitute complete fitting
data set at the hearing aid 358, an option 359 to revert to the original
complete fitting data set
920 and/or forget session changes 930, an option to lock programming 360, or
any suitable tools
or options. In various embodiments, the comfort target curve 320 may he
modifiable by a user
selecting a sampling point of the curve 320 and dragging the sampling point up
or down. As an
example, the sampling points may correspond with user interface objects that
may be hidden (as
shown in FIG. 3) or displayed (as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6). Modifications of
the sampling
points results in the real-time update of the continuous curve 320 by
interpolation of the
modified sampling points. The modified sampling points are provided as an
updated reduced
size fitting data set communicated to the hearing aid 130 for application to
input audio. In an
exemplary embodiment, the user interface 300 may be presented in response to a
user selected
option or tool 351.
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[0068] Referring to FIG. 4, a user interface screenshot 400 of an exemplary
advanced view
of a right hearing aid most comfortable level (MCL) 420 with a maximum output
level (MOL)
target curve 430 and a maximum gain curve 440 is shown. The user interface 400
may display a
default target curve 410 corresponding to the original complete fitting data
set, an MCL curve
420 corresponding with the substitute complete fitting data set as modified by
a user of the
mobile device 110, and curves 430, 440 dependent on the MCL curve 420, such as
an MOL
target curve 430, a maximum gain curve 440, a minimum gain curve, and/or any
suitable
dependent curve. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 3, the MCL curve 420
may be
modifiable by a user selecting a sampling point of the curve 420 and dragging
the sampling point
up or down. As an example, the sampling points may correspond with user
interface objects that
may be hidden (as shown in FIG. 4) or displayed (as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6).
Modifications of
the sampling points results in the real-time update of the continuous curve
420 and dependent
curves 430, 440 by interpolation of the modified sampling points. The modified
sampling points
are provided as an updated reduced size fitting data set communicated to the
hearing aid 130 for
application to input audio. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 400
may he
presented in response to a user selected option or tool 354.
[0069] Referring to FIG. 5, a user interface screenshot 500 of exemplary user-
selectable
loudness balance adjustments for a plurality of frequency ranges is shown. The
user interface
500 may include a left hearing aid MCL curve 510, a right hearing aid MCL
curve 520, and a
plurality of user interface objects 530, 540 each corresponding to a sampling
point of a reduced
size fitting data set. The user interface objects 530, 540 may include a
slider 530 operable to
slide within a sliding range 540 that defines an adjustment range of the
sampling point.
Although sliders 530 are shown for adjusting the sampling point of each band,
other graphical
user interface elements may be implemented, such as handles (as shown in FIG.
6), hidden user
interface objects (as described above with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4),
selectable numerical or
textual levels, increase and decrease buttons, drop down menu selections, and
the like. In
various embodiments, the hearing aid 130 may be configured to play source
tones in a narrow
band, and a user may adjust each frequency range to loudness such that all
bands are perceived
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as equal loudness at the most comfortable level. The process may be performed
monaurally (i.e.,
for each hearing aid side). In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 500
may be
presented in response to a user selected option or tool 356. Similar to real-
ear measurement
(REM) techniques, providing in-situ loudness balancing eliminates the need for
estimates and
transformations used in traditional fitting algorithms, such as using
population normal data to
predict MCL, or using standardized transformations to account for the acoustic
effects of a
unique ear canal on free-field audio input.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 6, a user interface screenshot 600 of exemplary
selectable binaural
balance adjustments for a plurality of narrow frequency bands is shown. The
user interface 600
may include a right hearing aid default MCL target curve 610 corresponding to
the original
complete fitting data set and a right hearing aid MCL curve 620 corresponding
with the
substitute complete fitting data set as modified by a user of the mobile
device 110. The user
interface 600 may include a plurality of user interface objects 630, 640 each
corresponding to a
sampling point of a reduced size fitting data set. The user interface objects
630, 640 may include
handles operable to be dragged up or down to adjust a corresponding sampling
point. Although
handles 630, 640 are shown for adjusting the sampling point of each band,
other graphical user
interface elements may be implemented, such as sliders (as shown in FIG. 5),
hidden user
interface objects (as described above with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4),
selectable numerical or
textual levels, increase and decrease buttons, drop down menu selections, and
the like. In
various embodiments, the hearing aid 130 may be configured to play source
audio in narrow
bands in both the left and right hearing aids simultaneously, and a user may
adjust the binaural
balance until the sounds are perceived as located in the medial plane. In
certain embodiments,
the user interface object 640 corresponding with the current narrow band being
played may be
enlarged as shown in FIG. 6. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface
600 may be
presented in response to a user selected option or tool 355.
[0071] Referring to FIG. 7, a user interface screenshot 700 of an exemplary
program selector
710 for adjusting settings of a selected program 720 is shown. The user
interface 700 may
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include a prompt 710 for selecting a program 720 to adjust. For example, the
prompt 710 may
be presented in response to a user selected option or tool 357. Adjustments
may be made for
independent programs in the hearing aid 130, such as a noisy environment
program, a windy
environment program, a music listening program, a standard program, and/or any
suitable
program. In various embodiments, each program 720 is an independent set of
configuration
parameters, optimized for unique acoustic environments and selected by the
user. The
interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application provides an option for
selecting the particular
program 720 being adjusted. In certain embodiments, the interactive mobile
hearing aid fitting
application may similarly provide options for storing a substitute complete
fitting data set as a
program and/or selecting a program to apply at the hearing aid 130.
[0072] Referring to FIG. 8, a user interface screenshot 800 of an exemplary
indication 810
that selected settings are being stored to the hearing aid is shown. For
example, a user may
determine when to commit the substitute complete fitting data to nonvolatile
memory 134 in the
hearing aids 130. In an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 800 may be
presented in
response to a user selected option or tool 358.
[0073] Referring to FIG. 9, a user interface screenshot 900 of exemplary user-
selectable
options 910 for discarding setting changes 930 or reverting to previous
settings 920 is shown.
The user interface 900 may include a prompt 910 providing options to revert to
an original
complete fitting data set 920, discarding a substitute complete filing data
set 930, canceling the
prompt 910, and/or any suitable option. The prompt 910 may be presented in
response to a user
selected option or tool 359. For example, the interactive mobile hearing aid
fitting application
may include options for allowing users to restart from a safe initial
condition, in case the user has
deviated from a useful configuration.
[0074] Referring to FIG. 10, a user interface screenshot 1000 of an exemplary
user-selectable
option 1010 to lock programing to temporarily prevent accidental modifications
to a fitting is
shown. For example, the interactive mobile hearing aid fitting application may
include an option
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1010 for locking the screen, to temporarily prevent accidental modifications
to a fitting that has
been settled. The option 1010 may be presented in response to a user selected
option or tool 360.
[0075] FIG. 11 illustrates a mobile device 110 having a touchscreen display
providing a user
interface 1100 presenting a continuous fitting curve represented as a cube
shape 1110, in
accordance with embodiments of the present technology. FIG. 12 illustrates a
mobile device 110
having a touchscreen display providing a user interface 1200 presenting a
continuous fitting
curve represented as a soccer ball shape 1210, in accordance with embodiments
of the present
technology.
[0076] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the user interface 1100, 1200 may include
a continuous
fitting curve represented by a shape 1110, 1210 and a plurality of user
interface objects each
corresponding to sampling points of a reduced size fitting data set. The shape
1110, 1210 may
be a two-dimensional shape or three-dimensional shape. The shape 1110, 1210
may be a square,
cube 1110, circle, oval, or any suitable shape. The shape may correspond with
the shape of an
object, such as a soccer ball 1210, star, apple, or any suitable object. The
user interface objects
may be sides, corners, edges, outer boundaries, points, or any suitable
portions of the shape
1110, 1210. The user interface objects may be manipulated, rotated or
otherwise selected by the
user through gesture controls such as dragging one's finger around the user
interface 1100, 1200
to move, rotate or otherwise change the shape 1110, 1210 that appears on the
touchscreen. The
different sides or facets of the shape 1110, 1210 may be designated by
different colors, shading,
numbers, or any suitable indicator to help visualize which part of the shape
1110, 1210 is
selected and active. These different sides or facets of the shape 1110, 1210
can in turn be
mapped to sampling point combinations representing different configurations of
the continuous
fitting curve. Additional hearing aid acoustic parameter settings may also be
included in the
various combinations. The different markings on the shape 1110, 1210 may allow
the user to
experiment with the shape 1110, 1210 and its corresponding hearing aid
acoustic performance,
and provide a way to guide the user to remember user preferences by
associating the acoustic
experience with the color, shading, or marking on the shape 1110, 1210.
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[0077] As the user rotates, manipulates, or otherwise selects the
user interface objects of the
onscreen digital shape 1110, 1210, the corresponding value adjustments of the
one or more
sampling points are received by the mobile device processor. Modifications of
the sampling
points results in the real-time update of the continuous curve and dependent
curves by
interpolation of the modified sampling points. The modified sampling points
are provided as an
updated reduced size fitting data set communicated to the hearing aid 130 for
application to input
audio. hi an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 1100, 1200 may be
presented in response
to a user selected option or tool. Different shapes may represent different
levels of control. For
example, a simple control might include a 6 sided cube 1110 as shown in FIG.
11, with each of
the 6 sides representing a specific combination of sampling point values,
whereas a more
complex shape, like a soccer ball 1210 as shown in FIG. 12, may offer a larger
number of facets
representing a larger number of combinations of sampling point values.
[0078] Aspects of the present disclosure provide a method 200 and system 100
for
interactive mobile fitting of hearing aids. In accordance with various
embodiments, the method
200 may comprise receiving 202, by at least one processor 113 of a mobile
device 110 from a
hearing aid 130 communicatively coupled to the mobile device 110, a reduced
size fitting data
set 119, 115 having a set of sampling points less than a number of data points
in a complete
fitting data set. The method 200 may comprise interpolating 204, by the at
least one processor
113, 116, the reduced size fitting data set 115 into a continuous fitting
curve 117, 320, 420, 510,
520, 620 (i.e., represented by a high resolution array of discrete samples
that is presented as a
smooth curve). The method 200 may comprise presenting 206, at a display 111 of
the mobile
device 110, the continuous fitting curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 with
user interface objects
530, 540, 630, 640, each of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640
corresponding with one
or more sampling points of the set of sampling points. The method 200 may
comprise receiving
208, at a user interface 111 of the mobile device 110, a user input 118
manipulating at least one
of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640, wherein the user input 118
adjusts a value of the
one or more sampling points corresponding to the at least one of the user
interface objects 530,
540, 630. 640 to generate an updated reduced size fitting data set 115, 119.
The method 200 may
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comprise communicating 210 the updated reduced size fitting data set 115, 119
to the hearing aid
130. The method 200 may comprise generating 212, by at least one hearing aid
processor 135, a
substitute complete fitting data set 137 based on the updated reduced size
fitting data set 136.
The method 200 may comprise applying 214, by the at least one hearing aid
processor 135, the
substitute complete fitting data set 139 to input audio to generate modified
audio. The method
200 may comprise outputting 216 the modified audio from the hearing aid 130,
132.
[0079] In a representative embodiment, the display 111 and the user interface
111 of the
mobile device 110 arc a touchscreen display 111. In an exemplary embodiment,
the
interpolating 204 the reduced size data set 115 comprises generating piecewi
se polynomial
curves between sampling points of the set of sampling points. In various
embodiments, the
complete fitting data set is generated based at least in part on one or more
of: an audiogram, an
otoacoustic emissions (OAE) measurement, and a hearing-in-noise test. In
certain embodiments,
the receiving 208 the user input 118 manipulating the at least one of the user
interface objects
530, 540, 630, 640 and the outputting 218 the modified audio are performed at
substantially a
same time (i.e., within 500 ms). In a representative embodiment, the input
audio is one of a live
ambient environment, band-limited audio stimulus test signals sourced from
within the hearing
aid 130, or an automatic sequential sweep of audio stimulus test signals
across a range of
frequencies. In an exemplary embodiment, the method 200 may comprise receiving
218-224, at
the user interface 111 of the mobile device 110, an additional user input 358,
359, 720, 920, 930
to one or more of: discard 224 the updated reduced size fitting data set and
revert back to the
complete fitting data set for application to the input audio by the hearing
aid processor 135, 139,
save 226 the substitute complete fitting data set at nonvolatile memory 134 of
the hearing aid
130 for application to the input audio by the hearing aid processor 135, 139,
or save 226 the
substitute complete fitting data set at the nonvolatile memory 134 of the
hearing aid 130 as a
program selectable 720 from the mobile device 110. In certain embodiments, the
continuous
fitting curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 presented at the display 111 of the
mobile device 110
may be represented by a shape 1110, 1210 having the user interface objects
represented by
different facets of the shape 1110, 1210. In a representative embodiment, the
each of the user
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interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 corresponds with only one of the sampling
points of the set
of sampling points.
[0080] Various embodiments provide an interactive mobile fitting system 100
comprising a
mobile device 110 and a hearing aid 130. The mobile device 110 may comprise at
least one
processor 113, a mobile device communication component 112, and a display 111.
The at least
one processor 113 may be configured to interpolate 116 a reduced size fitting
data set 115 into a
continuous fitting curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 (i.e., represented by a
high resolution array
of discrete samples that is presented as a smooth curve). The reduced size
fitting data set 115
having a set of sampling points less than a number of data points in a
complete fitting data set.
The at least one processor 113 may be configured to present the continuous
fitting curve 117,
320, 420, 510, 520, 620 with user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 at a
display 111. Each of
the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 may correspond with one or more
sampling points
of the set of sampling points. The at least one processor 113 may be
configured to receive a user
input 118 manipulating at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540,
630, 640. The user
input 118 adjusts a value of the one or more sampling points corresponding to
the at least one of
the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 to generate an updated reduced
size fitting data set
115. The mobile device communication component 112 may be configured to:
wirelessly
receive the reduced size fitting data set 119 from a hearing aid 130
communicatively coupled to
the mobile device 110, and wirelessly communicate the updated reduced size
fitting data 119 set
to the hearing aid 130. The display 111 may he configured to display the
continuous fitting
curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 with user interface objects 530, 540, 630,
640. The hearing
aid 130 may comprise at least one hearing aid processor 135, a hearing aid
communication
component 133, and a receiver 132. The at least one hearing aid processor 135
may be
configured to generate a substitute complete fitting data set 137 based on the
updated reduced
size fitting data set 136. The at least one hearing aid processor 135 may be
configured to apply
139 the substitute complete fitting data set 137 to input audio to generate
modified audio. The
hearing aid communication component 133 may be configured to wirelessly
communicate the
reduced size fitting data set 140 to the mobile device 110, and wirelessly
receive the updated
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reduced size fitting data set 140 from the mobile device 110. The receiver 132
may be
configured to output the modified audio from the hearing aid 130.
[0081] In an exemplary embodiment, the display 111 is a touchscreen display
111 configured
to receive the user input 118 manipulating the at least one of the user
interface objects 530, 540,
630, 640. In various embodiments, the at least one processor 113 may be
configured to
interpolate 116 the reduced size data set 115 by generating piecewise
polynomial curves between
sampling points of the set of sampling points. In certain embodiments, the
complete fitting data
set is generated based at least in part on one or more of an audiogram, an
otoacoustic emissions
(OAE) measurement, and a hearing-in-noise test. In a representative
embodiment, the user input
118 manipulating the at least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630,
640 and the output
132 of the modified audio are performed at substantially a same time (i.e.,
within 500 ms). In an
exemplary embodiment, the input audio is one of a live ambient environment,
band-limited audio
stimulus test signals sourced from within the hearing aid 130, or an automatic
sequential sweep
of audio stimulus test signals across a range of frequencies. In various
embodiments, the hearing
aid comprises nonvolatile memory 134. The at least one processor 113 of the
mobile device 110
may be configured to receive an additional user input 358, 359, 720, 920, 930
to one or more of:
discard the updated reduced size fitting data set and revert back to the
complete fitting data set
for application to the input audio by the at least one hearing aid processor
135, 139, save the
substitute complete fitting data set at the nonvolatile memory 134 of the
hearing aid 130 for
application to the input audio by the at least one hearing aid processor 135,
139, or save the
substitute complete fitting data set at the nonvolatile memory 134 of the
hearing aid 130 as a
program 720 selectable from the mobile device 110. In certain embodiments, the
continuous
fitting curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 presented at the display 111 of the
mobile device 110
may be represented by a shape 1110, 1210 having the user interface objects
represented by
different facets of the shape 1110, 1210. In a representative embodiment, the
each of the user
interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 corresponds with only one of the sampling
points of the set
of sampling points.
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[0082] Certain embodiments provide a non-transitory computer readable medium
having
stored thereon, a computer program having at least one code section, the at
least one code section
being executable by a machine for causing a mobile device 110 to perform steps
200. The steps
200 may comprise receiving 202 a reduced size fitting data set 115, 119 from a
hearing aid 130
communicatively coupled to the mobile device 110. The reduced size fitting
data set includes a
set of sampling points less than a number of data points in a complete fitting
data set stored at the
hearing aid 130. The steps 200 may comprise interpolating 204 the reduced size
fitting data set
115 into a continuous fitting curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 (i.e.,
represented by a high
resolution array of discrete samples that is presented as a smooth curve). The
steps 200 may
comprise presenting 206 the continuous fitting curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520,
620 with user
interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 at a display 111 of the mobile device
110. Each of the user
interface objects 530. 540, 630, 640 may correspond with one or more sampling
points of the set
of sampling points. The steps 200 may comprise receiving 208 a user input 118
manipulating at
least one of the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640. The user input 118
may adjust a value
of the one or more sampling points corresponding to the at least one of the
user interface objects
530, 540, 630, 640 to generate an updated reduced size fitting data set 115.
The steps 200 may
comprise communicating 210 the updated reduced size fitting data set 115, 119
to the hearing aid
130 used to create 212 a substitute complete fitting data set 137 applied 214
to input audio to
generate modified audio 139 output 132 from the hearing aid 130.
[0083] In various embodiments, the interpolating 204 the reduced size data set
115
comprises generating piecewise polynomial curves between sampling points of
the set of
sampling points. In certain embodiments, the complete fitting data set is
generated based at least
in part on one or more of an audiogram. an otoacoustic emissions (OAE)
measurement, and a
hearing-in-noise test. In a representative embodiment, the input audio is one
of a live ambient
environment, band-limited audio stimulus test signals sourced from within the
hearing aid 130,
or an automatic sequential sweep of audio stimulus test signals across a range
of frequencies. In
an exemplary embodiment, the receiving 208 the user input 118 manipulating the
at least one of
the user interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 and the output 216 of the
modified audio at the
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hearing aid 130 are performed at substantially a same time (i.e., within 500
ms). In various
embodiments, the steps 200 may comprise receiving 218-224 an additional user
input 358, 359,
720, 920, 930 to one or more of: discard 224 the updated reduced size fitting
data set and revert
back to the complete fitting data set for application to the input audio by
the hearing aid 130,
135, 139, save 226 the substitute complete fitting data set at nonvolatile
memory 134 of the
hearing aid 130 for application to the input audio by the hearing aid 130,
135, 139, or save 226
the substitute complete fitting data set at the nonvolatile memory 134 of the
hearing aid 130 as a
program selectable 720 from the mobile device 110. In certain embodiments, the
continuous
fitting curve 117, 320, 420, 510, 520, 620 presented at the display 111 of the
mobile device 110
may be represented by a shape 1110, 1210 having the user interface objects
represented by
different facets of the shape 1110, 1210. In a representative embodiment, the
each of the user
interface objects 530, 540, 630, 640 corresponds with only one of the sampling
points of the set
of sampling points.
[0084] As utilized herein the term "circuitry" refers to physical
electronic components (i.e.
hardware) and any software and/or firmware ("code") which may configure the
hardware, be
executed by the hardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As
used herein, for
example, a particular processor and memory may comprise a first "circuit" when
executing a
first one or more lines of code and may comprise a second "circuit" when
executing a second
one or more lines of code. As utilized herein, "and/or" means any one or more
of the items in
the list joined by "and/or". As an example, "x and/or y" means any element of
the three-element
set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example, "x, y, and/or z" means any element
of the seven-
element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized
herein, the term "exemplary"
means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As
utilized herein, the terms
"e.g.," and -for example" set off lists of one or more non-limiting examples,
instances, or
illustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is "operable" and/or "configured"
to perform a
function whenever the circuitry comprises the necessary hardware and code (if
any is necessary)
to perform the function, regardless of whether performance of the function is
disabled, or not
enabled, by some user-configurable setting.
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[0085] Other embodiments may provide a computer readable device and/or a non-
transitory
computer readable medium, and/or a machine readable device and/or a non-
transitory machine
readable medium, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer
program having at
least one code section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby
causing the machine
and/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for interactive
mobile fitting of hearing
aids.
[0086] Accordingly, the present disclosure may be realized in hardware,
software, or a
combination of hardware and software. The present disclosure may be realized
in a centralized
fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where
different elements are
spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer
system or other
apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited.
[0087] Various embodiments may also be embedded in a computer program product,
which
comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods
described herein, and
which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program
in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or
notation, of a set of
instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing
capability to perform a
particular function either directly or after either or both of the following:
a) conversion to
another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material
form.
[0088] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to
certain
embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various
changes may be made
and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure.
In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or
material to the
teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope.
Therefore, it is intended
that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment
disclosed, but that the
present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of
the appended claims.
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