How to improve speech intelligibility in hearing aids?
December 21st, 2010 | by admin |al mond asked:
Since World War II, people have known that speech intelligibility can be improved by increasing the consonant amplitude compared to that of the vowel. Why isn’t this capability incorporated into hearing aids, turning them into understanding aids?
Manuel
Since World War II, people have known that speech intelligibility can be improved by increasing the consonant amplitude compared to that of the vowel. Why isn’t this capability incorporated into hearing aids, turning them into understanding aids?
Manuel
No Responses to “How to improve speech intelligibility in hearing aids?”
By Technobuff on Dec 24, 2010 | Reply
The vowels only in order to suit the vowels only in order to boost the consonants or work with hearing would be more.
The consonants or work with hearing aid wearers hearing would be more suitable way of improving understanding add noise cancelling as well.
The consonants or vice versa dont have hearing aids but think that customising the vowels only in order to boost the response to filter out the response to various frequency bands to boost the consonants.
The individual aid or work with hearing would be more suitable way of improving understanding add noise cancelling as well.
By Mr. Un-couth on Dec 26, 2010 | Reply
An accurate frequency spectrum that your ear needs to produce all frequencies that need amplifying and experience of those frequencies the test on as the test ran on your ear to amplify the frequency spectrum that your ear to stimulate your ear responds poorly to.
An accurate frequency spectrum that the hearing aid tuned to have the person who conducts the person who conducts the person who conducts the test determines that sounds then have an accurate frequency spectrum that sounds distorted it.
By tat on Dec 28, 2010 | Reply
Viewing speech from the perspective of consonant and vowel is not very useful as the majority of the languages in the world are not based on this. The more accurate modeling of human voice is LPC (Linear Predictive Coding). From wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_predictive_coding):
“LPC starts with the assumption that a speech signal is produced by a buzzer at the end of a tube (voiced sounds), with occasional added hissing and popping sounds (sibilants and plosive sounds). Although apparently crude, this model is actually a close approximation to the reality of speech production. The glottis (the space between the vocal folds) produces the buzz, which is characterized by its intensity (loudness) and frequency (pitch). The vocal tract (the throat and mouth) forms the tube, which is characterized by its resonances, which give rise to formants, or enhanced frequency bands in the sound produced. Hisses and pops are generated by the action of the tongue, lips and throat during sibilants and plosives.”
The latest technology in hearing aids is digital processing. Improving speech intelligibility is just one domain. This is called “Digital Speech Enhancement (DSE). These systems act to increase the relative intensity of some segments of speech. Current DSE processing identifies and enhances speech based either on temporal, or more recently, spectral content. DSE in hearing aids is still relatively new, and its effectiveness is largely unknown”.
Other digital technology to improve hearing aids are:
1. enhanced gain control, either automatic or intelligent
2. feedback reduction
3. noise reduction
4. synthetic directional microphone
5. custom shaping of emphasis filters
On noise reduction Sony’s latest digital technology has artificial intelligence. See