(19)
(11) EP 1 519 626 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
01.02.2006 Bulletin 2006/05

(43) Date of publication A2:
30.03.2005 Bulletin 2005/13

(21) Application number: 04405754.5

(22) Date of filing: 07.12.2004
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
H04R 25/00(2006.01)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR
Designated Extension States:
AL BA HR LV MK YU

(71) Applicant: PHONAK AG
8712 Stäfa (CH)

(72) Inventor:
  • Luo, Henry
    Waterloo N2L 5Y6 (CA)

(74) Representative: Frei Patent Attorneys 
Frei Patentanwaltsbüro Postfach 1771
8032 Zürich
8032 Zürich (CH)

   


(54) Method and device for processing an acoustic signal


(57) For reducing wind noise effects in a hearing instrument, a converted acoustic signal is processed in a number of frequency bands, a low frequency band of which is chosen to be a master band. A wind noise attenuation value is determined in each frequency band, based on a signal level in the frequency band concerned and on a signal level in the master band. A further wind noise reducing effect may be achieved in hearing instruments with at least two microphones where in the presence of wind noise the instrument may be switched from a direction al mode to a omnidirectional mode in which an average of the output signals of the two microphones is used as signal. In single microphone hearing instruments, the microphone signal and a delayed version of this signal are used to improve wind noise detection and reduction.







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