JP7167220B2 - Hearing aid, voice control method, and voice control program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hearing aid worn by a wearer on the ear, a voice control method thereof, and a voice control program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, hearing aids such as hearing aids are used to make it easier for a wearer wearing a hearing aid to hear sounds. Patent Literature 1 discloses a hearing aid capable of collecting information by mounting various sensors on the hearing aid.

Retable 2014-010165

By the way, in recent years when the number of people who work remotely is increasing, it is conceivable to wear hearing aids as described above all the time. There is a problem that it may become a physical burden for the person. In addition, depending on the physical condition of the wearer, there is a problem that the sound may become more difficult to hear than in normal times.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hearing aid, a voice control method, and a voice control program capable of adjusting the output voice according to the physical condition of the wearer. and

In order to solve the above problems, a hearing aid according to an aspect of the present invention includes a body temperature measurement unit that measures the body temperature of the wearer, a heartbeat measurement unit that measures the heartbeat of the wearer, and an output unit that outputs audio. and a control unit for controlling sound output from the output unit based on body temperature and heartbeat.

In order to solve the above problems, a voice control method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a body temperature measurement step of measuring the body temperature of the wearer, a heartbeat measurement step of measuring the heartbeat of the wearer, and a voice and a control step of controlling the sound output in the output step based on body temperature and heart rate.

In order to solve the above problems, a voice control program according to an aspect of the present invention provides a computer with a body temperature measurement function that causes a computer to measure the body temperature of the wearer, a heart rate measurement function that causes the computer to measure the heart rate of the wearer, and outputs voice. and a control function for controlling the sound output by the output function based on body temperature and heart rate.

In the above hearing aid, the control unit may execute volume control processing for controlling the volume of the sound output by the output unit.

In the above hearing aid, when the volume of the sound output by the output unit when the wearer has a normal temperature and a normal heartbeat is set as the reference volume, the control unit measures the body temperature. When the body temperature measured by the unit is a first body temperature higher than the normal body temperature of the wearer, and the heartbeat measured by the heart rate measurement unit is faster than the normal heartbeat of the wearer, the volume of the voice is changed to Control may be performed to output at a first volume that is smaller than the reference volume.

In the above hearing aid, the controller controls that the body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement part is a second body temperature higher than the first body temperature, and the heart rate measured by the heart rate measurement part is higher than the wearer's normal heart rate. Also, when the speed is fast, the volume of the voice may be controlled to be output at a second volume that is lower than the first volume.

In the above hearing aid, the control unit may execute frequency control processing for controlling the frequency of the sound output by the output unit.

In the above hearing aid, when the frequency of the sound output by the output unit and output by frequency control processing when the wearer has a normal temperature and a normal heartbeat is set as a reference frequency, the control unit is the first body temperature that is higher than the wearer's normal body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement unit, and the heartbeat measured by the heart rate measurement unit is faster than the wearer's normal heartbeat, the frequency As the control process, a process of converting the frequency of the voice to a first frequency that is easier for the wearer to hear than the reference frequency may be executed.

In the above hearing aid, the controller controls that the body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement part is a second body temperature higher than the first body temperature, and the heart rate measured by the heart rate measurement part is higher than the wearer's normal heart rate. Also, if the sound is fast, the frequency of the voice may be converted to a second frequency that is easier for the wearer to hear than the first frequency.

In the hearing aid, the hearing aid may include a sound collecting unit that collects sound of the hearing aid, and the output unit may output sound based on the sound collected by the sound collecting unit.

In the above hearing aid, the reference volume is the volume of the sound collected by the sound collecting unit at the time of collection, and the reference frequency is the frequency of the sound collected by the sound collection unit at the time of collection. good.

In the hearing aid, the hearing aid includes a first storage unit that stores a predetermined keyword, and the control unit detects that the sound collected by the sound collecting unit includes the keyword. Alternatively, the output unit may be controlled to output sound at a predetermined volume and frequency.

In the hearing aid, the first storage unit further stores the sound corresponding to the keyword, and the control unit stores the part of the sound collected by the sound collecting unit that corresponds to the keyword in the first storage unit. It may be replaced with the stored voice and output.

In the hearing aid, the hearing aid has a communication unit that communicates with an information processing device that has a display unit, and the control unit indicates the control content when controlling audio output from the output unit. The control document information may be transmitted to the communication unit, and the information processing apparatus may display the document indicated by the control document information.

In the hearing aid, the hearing aid includes a predetermined specific sound and a second storage section that stores document information corresponding to the specific sound and related to the specific sound, and the control section controls the sound collection section to When it is determined that there is a predetermined correlation or more between the collected sound and the sound stored in the second storage unit, the document information corresponding to the specific sound is processed by the communication unit. It may be transmitted to the information processing device for display on the device.

In the above-described hearing aid, when the control unit determines that the sound collected by the sound collecting unit and the sound stored in the second storage unit have a predetermined correlation or higher, the second 2 The output unit may be controlled to output a specific sound stored in the storage unit at a predetermined volume and frequency.

In the hearing aid, the hearing aid may include a recording unit that records the sound collected by the sound collecting unit, and the control unit may cause the output unit to output the sound recorded by the recording unit.

In the above hearing aid, the communication unit may transmit the sound recorded by the recording unit to the information processing device.

In the hearing aid, the hearing aid includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information indicating the position of the wearer, and a second that stores range information that indicates the range of positions to be output at a predetermined volume and frequency. 3 a storage unit, wherein when the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit is included in the range information, the control unit controls the output unit to output sound at a predetermined volume and frequency. may be
In the hearing aid, the control unit uses a learning model that learns the relationship between the environment of the hearing aid and the voice control process to be executed in that environment, based on the environment of the hearing aid, from the output unit It is also possible to execute a control process for the audio to be output.

In the hearing aid, the hearing aid may be a hearing aid.

A hearing aid according to an aspect of the present invention includes a body temperature measurement unit that measures the body temperature of the wearer and a heart rate measurement unit that measures the heart rate of the wearer. Since the voice to be output is controlled, voice output can be executed according to the physical condition of the wearer.

(a) is an external view showing an example of the external appearance of the hearing aid, and (b) is a diagram showing one usage pattern of the hearing aid. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a hearing aid. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the information processing terminal which communicates with a hearing aid. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a control table related to voice control processing by the hearing aid; 4 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the hearing aid; It is an example of a display screen of an information processing terminal for showing an example of second voice control processing based on position information by a hearing aid. 9 is a flow chart showing an operation example of executing a second audio control process of the hearing aid; It is an example of a display screen of an information processing terminal for showing an example of a third voice control process based on a specific keyword by a hearing aid. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation example of executing a third audio control process of the hearing aid; FIG. It is an example of a display screen of an information processing terminal for showing an example of a fourth voice control process based on a specific sound by a hearing aid. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation example of executing a fourth audio control process of the hearing aid; FIG. (a), (b) is a figure which shows the notification example of having performed the audio|voice control process by a hearing aid. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation example related to notification of voice control processing by the hearing aid; 4 is a flow chart showing an operation example of an information processing device that notifies that a voice control process has been executed by a hearing aid. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of communication with an information processing terminal related to audio reproduction processing by the hearing aid; FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the hearing aid for realizing the sequence diagram according to FIG. 15; FIG. FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the information processing terminal for realizing the sequence diagram according to FIG. 15; It is an example of a display screen of an information processing terminal relating to a hearing test using a hearing aid. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of communication with an information processing terminal related to a hearing test using an assistive hearing device; FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the hearing aid for realizing the sequence diagram according to FIG. 19; FIG. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an operation example of an information processing terminal for realizing the sequence diagram according to FIG. 19; FIG.

<Embodiment>
One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Overview>
FIG. 1(a) is an external view showing an example of a hearing aid 100 according to this embodiment. Moreover, FIG.1(b) is a figure which shows the usage example which the wearer U wears the hearing aid 100. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), the hearing aid 100 has a function of outputting sound to the wearer. is not limited to hearing aids. As described above, the hearing aid 100 only needs to have at least a function of outputting sound and a function of identifying the physical condition of the wearer U. It may be implemented by a head-mounted display or the like.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the hearing aid 100 is used with the speaker unit 101 inserted into the wearer's U ear.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), a DIP switch 102 for starting and ending (on/off) the hearing aid 100 and whether voice control processing based on the physical condition of the wearer U according to the present embodiment can be executed. , a jog dial key 104 that allows the wearer U to actively specify the volume of the sound output from the speaker unit 101, a sound collecting unit 150 for collecting surrounding sounds, etc. may be provided. In addition, the hearing aid 100 may be provided with various switches and the like for realizing various other functions as necessary, though not shown in FIG. 1 .

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the hearing aid 100 may be communicably connected to an information processing device 200 (see FIG. 3) held by the wearer U via a network. By interlocking with , the functions described below may be realized.

Note that the network is a network for interconnecting various devices, and is, for example, a wireless network or a wired network. Specifically, the network includes wireless LAN (WLAN), wide area network (WAN), ISDNs (integrated service digital networks), wireless LANs, LTE (long term evolution), LTE-Advanced, Fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), CDMA (code division multiple access), WCDMA (registered trademark), Ethernet (registered trademark), and the like. In addition, the network is not limited to these examples, for example, public switched telephone network (PSTN), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy, optical line, ADSL ( Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) line, satellite communication network, or any other network. A network is sometimes referred to as a home network if it is provided at the user's residence. Also, the network may be, for example, NB-IoT (Narrow Band IoT) or eMTC (enhanced Machine Type Communication). NB-IoT and eMTC are wireless communication schemes for IoT, and are networks capable of long-distance communication at low cost and low power consumption. Also, the network may be a combination of these. A network may also include multiple different networks that combine these examples. For example, the network may include a wireless network based on LTE and a wired network such as an intranet, which is a closed network.

<Configuration>
<Configuration example of hearing aid 100>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the hearing aid 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 , the hearing aid 100 includes a body temperature measuring section 120 , a heart rate measuring section 130 , a sound collecting section 150 , a control section 170 , a storage section 180 and an output section 190 . Further, the hearing aid 100 may include the communication section 110 , the location information acquisition section 140 and the recording section 160 . Each part of the hearing aid 100 may be communicatively connected to each other.

The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for executing communication with an external device. The communication unit 110 has a function of receiving audio data or audio files (hereinafter referred to only as audio data) addressed to the hearing aid 100 and transmitting them to the control unit 170 . The communication unit 110 also has a function of transmitting data designated by the control unit 170 to the information processing device 200 .

The body temperature measurement unit 120 is a thermometer having a function of measuring the wearer's U body temperature. As an example, the body temperature measurement unit 120 may be realized by an infrared sensor that measures the eardrum temperature of the wearer U, but is not limited to this. Body temperature measurement unit 120 transmits the measured body temperature to control unit 170 .

The heart rate measurement unit 130 is a heart rate meter having a function of measuring the heart rate of the wearer U from the blood flow in the blood vessels of the wearer's U ears. Heart rate measurement unit 130 transmits the measured heart rate to control unit 170 . The heart rate referred to here is the heart rate per unit time, and may basically be the heart rate for one minute, but is not limited to one minute. For example, the heart rate measurement unit 130 is composed of an emitter (LED) that emits light toward the wearer when the hearing aid 100 is worn, and a photodetector that receives the light emitted from the emitter and reflected inside the human body. may be In other words, the heartbeat measurement unit 130 may be configured as a reflective pulse wave sensor. Light emitted from the emitter is absorbed by blood vessels whose volume changes with pulsation. Therefore, since the absorbance of light also changes due to the change in volume due to the pulsation, the pulsation is detected as the difference in the attenuation rate in the detected reflected wave. Note that the method for realizing the heart rate measurement unit 130 is not limited to this.

The position information acquisition unit 140 acquires position information of the hearing aid 100 . The location information acquisition unit 140 can be realized by a generally known GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), but is not limited to this. Further, the position information acquisition unit 140 may acquire the position information acquired by the information processing device held by the wearer U as the position information of the hearing aid 100 . The position information acquisition unit 140 transmits the acquired position information to the control unit 170 .

The sound collector 150 is a microphone that collects sounds around the hearing aid 100 . The sound collector 150 converts the collected sound into a sound signal and transmits the sound signal to the controller 170 . Note that the sound collecting unit 150 may have a noise canceling function for removing noise from the collected sound. Also, this noise canceling function may be implemented as a function of the control unit 170 .

The recording unit 160 has a function of storing the sound collected by the sound collecting unit 150 in the storage unit 180 . The recording of the sound collected by the sound collecting unit 150 may be performed by the information processing apparatus 200 by sequentially transmitting the sound collected by the sound collecting unit 150 to the information processing apparatus 200 via the communication unit 110. good. Recording by the recording unit 160 may be performed sequentially, or may be performed based on a recording instruction from the wearer U. FIG.

The control section 170 is a processor having a function of controlling each section of the hearing aid 100 . The control unit 170 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 180 and uses data stored in the storage unit 180 to realize various functions of the hearing aid 100 . Based on the body temperature of the wearer U measured by the body temperature measurement unit 120 and the heart rate measured by the heart rate measurement unit 130, the control unit 170 controls (adjusts) and outputs the volume or frequency of the sound as necessary. Output from the unit 190 . Further, the control unit 170 performs voice control processing on the sound collected by the sound collection unit 150, and performs voice control processing corresponding to the case where a specific keyword is included. Further, when the sound collected by the sound collecting unit 150 includes a specific sound, the control unit 170 executes corresponding sound control processing. In addition, when the hearing aid 100 is at a specific position, the control section 170 executes voice control processing corresponding to that position. Further details of the control contents executed by the control unit 170 will be described later.

The storage unit 180 has a function of storing programs and data required for the hearing aid 100 to operate. The storage unit 180 can be realized by various recording media such as HDD (Hard Disc Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), flash memory, etc., but is not limited to these.

The storage unit 180 stores a voice control table that the control unit 170 refers to in order to perform voice control processing based on the wearer's U physical condition. Details of the voice control table will be described later with reference to FIG.

The storage unit 180 may include a first storage unit 181 , a second storage unit 182 and a third storage unit 183 . The first storage unit 181, the second storage unit 182, and the third storage unit 183 may be implemented as separate memories, or may be implemented as separate areas within the storage area of the storage unit 180. .

The first storage unit 181 has a function of storing specific keywords specified by the wearer U or specified in advance. Here, the specific keyword is a phrase set by the wearer U and may be a phrase that is difficult for the wearer U to hear. Further, the specific keyword may be a phrase that is important to the wearer U, and may be, for example, a word such as "DANGEROUS!" that informs the wearer U of danger. Alternatively, the specific keyword may be words including voiced sounds and semi-voiced sounds. When the sound collected by the sound collector 150 is subjected to speech recognition processing and the obtained data contains a specific keyword stored in the first storage unit 181, the control unit 170 performs a process of converting the volume and frequency to a more audible volume and frequency as voice control processing. Note that the sound to be subjected to the sound control process in this case may be the sound continuously collected by the sound collecting unit 150 after the specific keyword is detected, or the sound containing the specific keyword may be the sound collected by the recording unit. It may also be audio as recorded by 160 and played back.

The second storage unit 182 has a function of storing a specific sound (audio data) specified by the wearer U or specified in advance by the manufacturer of the hearing aid 100 or the like. Here, the specific sound may be a sound set in advance by the wearer U, or may be a sound set by the manufacturer of the hearing aid 100 or the like. The specific sound may be, for example, the sound of an emergency vehicle's siren, the sound of a vehicle's horn, or the sound of notifying a disaster early warning, but is not limited to these. The second storage unit 182 stores the content of sound control processing to be executed by the control unit 170 when a specific sound is detected in the sound collected by the sound collection unit 150 .

The third storage unit 183 has a function of storing information indicating a specific position range. Further, the third storage unit 183 stores the content of the voice control process executed by the control unit 170 when the hearing aid 100 is present within the stored specific position range. Here, the specific position range is the range in which predetermined voice control processing is executed. Further, the predetermined voice control processing means that the output unit 190 outputs voice at the volume and frequency of the sound to be output, which is stored in the third storage unit 183 as initial information or as information set by the wearer U. This is the process of outputting from

The output unit 190 outputs data specified by the control unit 170 . The output unit 190 may be implemented as a speaker that outputs audio, and outputs audio data transmitted from the control unit 170 . Further, the output unit 190 transmits data designated by the control unit 170 to the information processing device 200 via the communication unit 110, and the information processing device 200 realizes output by displaying the data. good too.

The above is the description of the hearing aid 100 .

<Configuration example of information processing device 200>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the information processing apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. The information processing device 200 is a computer system capable of exchanging various data such as voice data with the hearing aid 100 . The information processing apparatus 200 may be, for example, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or the like, but is not limited to these, and may be a PC, a notebook PC, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the information processing device 200 includes a communication section 210 , an input section 220 , a control section 230 , a storage section 240 and an output section 250 .

The communication unit 210 is a communication interface having a function of communicating with other devices. The communication unit 210 receives audio data transmitted from the hearing aid 100 via the network 300 . Communication unit 210 then transmits the received audio data to control unit 230 . In addition, the communication unit 210 transmits designated data to the hearing aid 100 according to instructions from the control unit 230 .

The input unit 220 is an input interface that receives input from the user (wearer U) of the information processing device 200 . The input unit 220 may be realized by hard keys, a touch panel, or the like for realizing various inputs, but is not limited to these. Also, the input unit 220 may realize voice input using a microphone or the like. The input unit 220 transmits the received input content to the control unit 230 .

The control unit 230 is a processor having a function of controlling each unit of the information processing device 200 . The control unit 230 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 240 and uses data stored in the storage unit 240 to realize various functions of the information processing device 200 . The control unit 230 stores the audio data received from the hearing aid 100 in the storage unit 240 and causes the output unit 260 to reproduce the audio data stored in the storage unit 240 according to the input from the wearer U.

Storage unit 240 has a function of storing programs and data required for operation of information processing apparatus 200 . The storage unit 240 can be realized by, for example, various storage media such as HDD, SSD, flash memory, etc., but is not limited to these.

The output unit 250 has a function of outputting data specified by the control unit 230 . The output unit 250 may output images, characters, and sounds, and may be realized by a monitor, a speaker, or the like provided in the information processing device 200, or may be a hearing aid connected to the information processing device 200. The data may be output by transmitting the data to be output to various instruments including the instrument 100 .

The above is the configuration of the information processing apparatus 200 .

<Data>
FIG. 4 is a data conceptual diagram showing a data configuration example of a voice control table 400 that indicates the content of voice control processing based on the physical condition of the wearer U by the hearing aid 100 . As shown in FIG. 4, the voice control table 400 is information in which body temperature 401 and heart rate 402 indicating the physical condition of the wearer U are associated with volume 403 and tone quality 404 of voice control processing.

The body temperature 401 is the body temperature of the wearer U and is information corresponding to the body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement unit 120 . Here, 36° C., 37° C., and 38° C. are shown as an example, which means 36° C., 37° C., and 38° C., respectively. Note that the numerical value of the body temperature is an example, and the preferred temperature for the wearer U here is set for the hearing aid 100 and stored in the storage unit 180 .

A heartbeat 402 is the heartbeat of the wearer U and is information corresponding to the heartbeat measured by the heartbeat measurement unit 130 . In FIG. 4, the heartbeat is indicated as “normal”, “fast”, etc. The “normal” heartbeat means the average value of the normal heartbeat for the wearer U or the error range including the average value. It can be In addition, the term “fast” as used herein may be a value that is faster than “normal” (higher heart rate). In terms of actual data, the heart rate 402 is information indicating the numerical range of the heart rate when executing each voice control process, and as an example, "normal" is registered as "65 to 75 bpm". Well, the earliest in that case may be registered as "76 to bpm".

The volume 403 is information specifying the volume of the sound to be output when the physical condition of the wearer U indicates a combination of the body temperature 401 and the heartbeat 402 . "Normal" of the volume 403 in FIG. 4 means the volume value specified by the wearer U as the normal output sound, and may be a volume control value as actual data. Similarly, "small" refers to a volume value lower than the volume set as "normal". In addition, when the sound collected by the sound collection unit 150 is output, the normal volume may be the sound that is output as it is. It is sufficient if the volume is lower than the volume of the voice that is played. The volume 403 may be defined by information indicating the level of volume of audio that the hearing aid 100 is capable of outputting. For example, if the audio volume that can be output by the hearing aid 100 can be output in 10 levels from 0 to 10, the normal volume is set to "5" and the low volume is set to "3". may be

The sound quality 404 is information specifying the sound quality of the sound to be output when the physical condition of the wearer U indicates a combination of the corresponding body temperature 401 and heart rate 402 . In FIG. 4, "normal", "large noise suppression", "low noise suppression", etc. are described, but these are information that substantially designates the frequency of the voice to be output. “Normal” in the sound quality 404 may refer to a frequency designated by the wearer U as the normal output sound quality. In general, human audible frequencies are said to be in the range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and among them, it is said that sounds with frequencies in the range of 2000 Hz to 4000 Hz are particularly easy to hear. Therefore, in the case of small noise suppression, as an example, setting to 2000 Hz, and in the case of large noise suppression, setting to 3000 Hz, which is easier to hear, can be considered, but it is not limited to this. do not have. In addition, since the frequencies that are easy to hear differ depending on the individuality of the wearer U, it is preferable to individually set the volume 403 and the sound quality 404 . In FIG. 4, the normal sound quality 404 may be the one that outputs the sound with the frequency of the sound collected by the sound collecting unit as it is. It is sufficient if the frequency is easier to hear than that frequency.

In the case of the voice control table 400 shown in FIG. 4, as an example, when the body temperature 401 of the wearer is "37° C." and the heartbeat 402 is "fast", the control unit 170 controls the volume of the voice to be output as voice control processing. is made “smaller” than normal, and the sound quality 404 is a process of slightly applying noise suppression, that is, converting the frequency to a frequency that is slightly easier to hear than normal.

In this embodiment, the voice control table is stored in the storage unit 180 of the hearing aid 100, but it may be realized by a program for executing equivalent voice control processing. Also, the control contents included in the voice control table 400 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 4, and may include other combinations of body temperature and heart rate and voice control processing therefor. Also, regarding the states not stored in the voice control table 400, the voice control processing may be the same as in the normal state. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, if the body temperature is 37° C. and the heartbeat is normal, the sound volume and sound quality may be normal.

When the wearer U is in poor physical condition, the wearer's consciousness tends to be cloudier than usual, and voices tend to be difficult to hear. Therefore, it is desired to output sound with a frequency that is easy for humans to hear so that the sound can be easily heard. On the other hand, if the wearer U is in such poor physical condition, loud noises are not preferable for the wearer U (for example, if the body temperature is high, there is a possibility that the wearer U has a cold, and in such a case a headache or the like may occur. It is not preferable for the wearer to hear a loud sound because it causes headaches), so it is preferable to lower the volume. Therefore, the audio control processing by the hearing aid 100 is to reduce the volume and convert the frequency to a frequency that is easier to hear when it is estimated that the physical condition of the wearer U has deteriorated. It is desirable to configure

<Action>
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the hearing aid 100 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the body temperature measurement unit 120 of the hearing aid 100 measures the body temperature of the wearer U (step S501). Then, body temperature measurement unit 120 transmits information indicating the measured body temperature to control unit 170 .

In addition, the heartbeat measurement unit 130 of the hearing aid 100 measures the heartbeat of the wearer U (step S502). Then, heart rate measurement section 130 transmits information indicating the measured heart rate to control section 170 .

The control unit 170 of the hearing aid 100 controls the body temperature of the wearer U transmitted from the body temperature measurement unit 120, the heartbeat of the wearer U transmitted from the heartbeat measurement unit 130, and the voice control table 400 shown in FIG. Then, audio control processing for adjusting the volume and frequency of the audio output from the output unit 190 is executed (step S503). Note that the sound (sound source) to be subjected to the sound control process may be the sound collected by the sound collecting unit 150, or the other sound. good too.

Then, the control unit 170 causes the output unit 190 to output the sound whose volume and frequency are adjusted by the sound control process (step S504), and ends the process. In the process shown in FIG. 5, the execution order of the processes in steps S501 and S502 may be reversed, or may be executed in parallel.

In this manner, the hearing aid 100 automatically adjusts the output sound based on the physical condition of the wearer U, so that the sound is easy to hear without imposing a burden on the physical condition of the wearer U. can be output.

<Voice control processing based on the position of the hearing aid>
So far, the voice control processing based on the physical condition of the wearer U has been described. From here, a method for making it easier to hear the voice under a situation where it is difficult for other wearers U to hear will be described. That is, an example of performing voice control processing according to the position of the wearer U will be described.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a display screen 600 for the wearer U to perform position-based voice control processing using his/her own information processing device 200, to specify the position and to set the details of control. A sound quality setting 601 indicates that the frequency of the output sound is specified, a volume setting 602 indicates that the volume of the output sound is specified, and a position information setting 603 indicates that the position-based sound is specified. This indicates that the position where the control process is to be executed or its range is specified.

With respect to the sound quality setting 601 and the volume setting 602, when the wearer U sets the sound quality and volume for the information processing device 200 by himself/herself, the sample sound is output with the set sound quality and volume. It may be set after verifying whether the voice is easy for the wearer U to hear.

As the position information setting 603, the current position of the wearer U, that is, the current position of the information processing apparatus 200 may be displayed and set, or the position of the wearer U may be specified on the displayed map. It may be set according to circumstances. Alternatively, the wearer U may designate a range for executing the voice control process on the map.

After setting the sound quality setting 601 , the volume setting 602 , and the position information setting 603 , the wearer U presses a registration button 604 . As a result, the set content is registered (stored) in the information processing device 200 and transmitted from the information processing device 200 to the hearing aid 100 . Then, the hearing aid 100 stores the content of the received voice control processing based on the position information in the storage unit 180 as the first sound control information. This location-based voice control process may be able to register multiple locations. Also, the contents of the voice control process may be the same, or individual voice control processes may be executed depending on the respective positions. For example, the storage unit 180 stores {position: ((X1, Y1) to (X2, Y2)), volume: V1, sound quality: F1 as first audio control information for execution as position-based audio control processing. }, the position, the volume, and the sound quality may be associated and stored. When unifying the contents of voice control, the volume and sound quality of this first voice control information may be omitted. Good to keep. Here, the positions (X1, Y1) and (X2, Y2) may be latitude and longitude information, and (X1, Y1) to (X2, Y2) are the points (X1, Y1) and (X2 , Y2) may be shown as a diagonal, but is not limited to this. Alternatively, the position may be indicated only by the point (X1, Y1), in which case the control range is the inside of a circle centered at the point (X1, Y1) and having a radius of a predetermined distance H. You can do it.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation example when the hearing aid 100 executes voice control processing based on position information.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the position information acquisition unit 140 of the hearing aid 100 acquires the position information of the hearing aid 100 (step S 701 ) and transmits it to the control unit 170 .

Control unit 170 determines whether or not the transmitted position information is included within the range of position information defined by any of the first audio control information set in storage unit 180 (step S702).

If the transmitted position information is included in the range of any position information of the first audio control information (YES in step S702), control unit 170 stores in storage unit 180 Based on the first audio control information, audio control processing is performed on the audio output from the output unit 190 so as to achieve the associated volume and tone quality (step S703).

The control unit 170 causes the output unit 190 to output the sound subjected to the sound control processing designated by the first sound control information (step S704).

The position information acquisition unit 140 appropriately transmits the acquired position information to the control unit 170 . The control unit 170 determines whether or not the position indicated by the transmitted position information is out of the position range indicated by the first audio control information (step S705). If not (NO in step S705), the process returns to step S703 to continue the voice control process based on the first voice control information, that is, the voice control process based on the position information.

On the other hand, if control unit 170 determines that the position indicated by the transmitted position information is outside the range of the position indicated by the first audio control information (YES in step S705), control unit 170 changes the position information to The voice control process based on the control is canceled (step S706), and the process ends.

In this way, the hearing aid 100 is configured to output sounds (collected The user U performs a process of converting the sound collected by the sound unit 150 (which may be, but is not limited to) into a sound that is set by the wearer U himself to make it easier to hear, so that the user can hear even in a noisy environment. A comfortable sound can be provided to the wearer U.

Although the processing shown in FIG. 7 has been described as the operation of the hearing aid 100 , this may be implemented in conjunction with the information processing device 200 . For example, as an example, when the hearing aid 100 does not include the position information acquisition unit 140, the information processing device 200 measures the position information, and the information processing device 200 is set by the position information setting 603. The information processing device 200 may instruct the hearing aid 100 to perform a position-based voice control process when the user enters the position range.

<Voice control processing based on specific keywords>
In the above description, an example of voice control processing based on the physical condition of the wearer U and voice control processing based on the position of the wearer U (the hearing aid 100 or the information processing device 200) has been described. Here, an example of performing voice control processing based on a specific keyword will be described. For example, there may be sounds that are difficult for the wearer U to hear, such as voiced sounds and semi-voiced sounds. In addition, depending on the wearer U, there are words that are difficult to recognize as a series of words as a phrase. Therefore, when the hearing aid 100 detects a specific keyword, the hearing aid 100 performs voice control processing so that the wearer U can easily hear the word. This is useful when the same words are used continuously in a conversation between the wearer U and another person, and is particularly useful when re-listening to recorded conversations.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a display screen 800 when setting a specific keyword and setting the sound control process at that time in the information processing apparatus 200 for performing the sound control process based on the specific keyword. .

A sound quality setting 801 indicates that the frequency of the output sound is specified, a volume setting 802 indicates that the volume of the output voice is specified, and a specific keyword 803 indicates that the specific keyword is specified. This indicates that a word that serves as a trigger for executing the voice control process based on this is specified.

With respect to the sound quality setting 801 and the volume setting 802, when the wearer U sets the sound quality and volume for the information processing device 200 by himself/herself, the sample sound is output with the set sound quality and volume. It may be set after verifying whether the voice is easy for the wearer U to hear.

After setting the sound quality setting 801 , volume setting 802 , and specific keyword 803 , the wearer U presses a registration button 804 . As a result, the set content is registered (stored) in the information processing device 200 and transmitted from the information processing device 200 to the hearing aid 100 . Then, the hearing aid 100 stores the content of the received voice control process based on the specific keyword in the storage unit 180 as the second voice control information. This specific keyword-based voice control process may allow registration of multiple keywords. Also, the contents of the voice control process may be the same, or individual voice control processes may be executed according to the respective keywords. For example, the storage unit 180 stores a specific keyword such as {specific keyword: XXXXXX, volume: V2, sound quality: F2} as second audio control information for executing audio control processing based on a specific keyword. A word or a character string indicating , the volume, and the sound quality may be stored in association with each other.

The hearing aid 100 performs well-known speech recognition processing on the sound collected by the sound collecting unit 150, converts the sound into text data, and if the text data matches a specific keyword, Voice control processing based on a specific keyword, that is, voice control processing based on second voice control information is executed.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an operation example when the hearing aid 100 performs voice control processing based on a specific keyword.

As shown in FIG. 9, the sound collector 150 of the hearing aid 100 collects surrounding sounds (step S901). The sound collecting unit 150 transmits collected sound information indicating the collected sound to the control unit 170 .

The control unit 170 performs well-known speech recognition processing on the transmitted collected sound information (step S902). The speech recognition processing referred to here means extracting a person's voice from collected sound information, which is an audio signal, and converting the content of the conversation into text data.

The control unit 170 determines whether or not the converted text data includes the keyword registered as the second voice control information (step S903). If the converted text data includes the keyword registered as the second voice control information (YES in step S903), the control unit 170 converts the voice to be output from the output unit 190 into the second voice. The voice is converted into voice having the volume and quality set by the control information (step S904).

Then, the control unit 170 causes the output unit 190 to output the converted voice (step S905), and ends the process.

If the text data does not contain the keyword registered as the second voice control information (NO in step S903), the process ends.

FIG. 9 does not particularly show conditions for ending the voice control process based on a specific keyword. The keyword-based voice control process may be terminated. Alternatively, when another condition for starting voice control processing is satisfied (for example, when the wearer U becomes unwell, or when the wearer U enters the position indicated by the first voice control information) , the voice control process based on the specific keyword may be terminated and the voice control process satisfying the conditions may be started. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which speech corresponding to a specific keyword is stored in advance in the storage unit, and the portion corresponding to the specific keyword is replaced with the stored speech and output. This configuration is particularly effective in voice control processing when playing back recorded voice, which will be described later.

In this way, when the interlocutor speaks a word that is difficult for the wearer U to hear, the hearing aid 100 uses a specific keyword to make it easier for the wearer U to hear the subsequent conversation with the interlocutor U. based voice control processing can be executed.

<Voice Control Processing Based on Specific Sound>
In the above description, voice control processing based on the physical condition of the wearer U, the position of the wearer U, and specific keywords for the wearer U has been described. Further, an example of voice control processing based on a specific sound will be described here. If the wearer U is hard of hearing, he or she may miss very important sounds. For example, the sound of an emergency disaster alert, the sound of an emergency vehicle's siren, the sound of a fire bell, or the cry of a baby. There are sounds that can Voice control processing by the hearing aid 100 when such sounds are detected will be described.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a display screen 1000 when setting a specific sound and setting the sound control process at that time in the information processing apparatus 200 for performing the sound control process based on the specific sound. .

A sound quality setting 1001 indicates that the frequency of the sound to be output is specified, a volume setting 1002 indicates that the volume of the sound to be output is specified, and a specific sound 1003 indicates that a specific sound is specified. This indicates that a word that serves as a trigger for executing the voice control process based on this is specified.

As for the sound quality setting 1001 and the volume setting 1002, when the wearer U sets the sound quality and volume for the information processing device 200, the sound to be registered is output with the set sound quality and volume. By doing so, it may be verified whether the voice is easy for the wearer U to hear, and the setting may be made.

The specific sound 1003 is a sound that the wearer U wants to make easier to hear when it is heard in the surroundings. may be obtained from a device or network.

A play button 1005 is an input interface for playing back and outputting a corresponding specific sound 1003 by touching it. The particular sound 1003 played by the play button 1005 may be the voice converted to the corresponding sound quality setting, volume setting.

After setting the sound quality setting 1001 , volume setting 1002 , and specific sound 1003 , the wearer U presses a registration button 1004 . As a result, the set content is registered (stored) in the information processing device 200 and transmitted from the information processing device 200 to the hearing aid 100 . Then, the hearing aid 100 stores the contents of the received voice control process based on the specific sound in the storage unit 180 as the third voice control information. This particular sound-based voice control process may allow registration of multiple sounds. Also, the contents of the voice control process may be the same, or separate voice control processes may be executed according to each specific sound. For example, the storage unit 180 stores {specific sound: YYYYYY (actual data of specific sound), volume: V3, sound quality: F3, as third audio control information to be executed as audio control processing based on a specific sound. }, sound data indicating a specific sound, volume, and sound quality may be associated with each other and stored.

When the sound collected by the sound collecting unit 150 matches the specific sound stored in the storage unit 180, the hearing aid 100 performs sound control processing based on the specific sound, that is, based on the second sound control information. Perform voice control processing.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation example when the hearing aid 100 executes voice control processing based on a specific sound.

As shown in FIG. 11, the sound collector 150 of the hearing aid 100 collects surrounding sounds (step S1101). Sound collector 150 transmits the collected sound to controller 170 .

The control unit 170 determines whether or not the sound transmitted from the sound collecting unit 150 includes the specific sound stored in the storage unit 180 (step S1102). As an example, the control unit 170 obtains the correlation between the transmitted sound and the sound registered as the third sound control information, and determines whether or not there is a correlation equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. It is also possible to determine whether or not the generated voice includes a specific sound.

If the collected sound contains the specific sound (YES in step S1102), the sound control process based on the specific sound, that is, the sound based on the third sound control information stored in the storage unit 180 Control processing is executed (step S1103).

Then, the control unit 170 causes the output unit 190 to output the sound after performing the sound control processing based on the third sound control information (step S1104), and ends the processing.

On the other hand, if the collected sound does not include a specific sound (NO in step S1102), the process ends without performing the sound control process.

Here, in addition to performing voice control processing on the collected sound, or without performing voice control processing on the collected sound, the same sound as the collected sound and pre-stored in the storage unit 180 is used instead of the collected sound. may be output from the output unit 190 to . Since the sound of an emergency disaster alert, the siren of an emergency vehicle, or the like is a predetermined sound, outputting the sound stored in the storage unit 180 provides the wearer U with a clearer sound than the collected sound. can be provided to Further, in the case of an emergency disaster early warning, the data may be provided to the wearer U from the public entity that has notified the emergency disaster early warning in a manner in which the audio data acquired via the network is reproduced. Also, this notification may be notification by document data instead of notification by voice. Document information or images corresponding to the received information may be displayed. For example, when a specific sound is the siren of an ambulance, information such as "An ambulance is passing nearby. Please be careful." It may be displayed on the display screen of the device 200 . Further, when the sound of an emergency disaster early warning is detected as a specific sound, document information or an image sent by e-mail or the like from the disaster prevention center or the like may be displayed on the display screen of the information processing apparatus 200 .

In addition, in FIG. 11, the timing of ending the voice control process based on the specific sound is not specified, but it may be ended after a predetermined time has elapsed since the detection of the specific sound, or other processing may be performed. When the condition of the audio control process is satisfied, the provision of audio based on the third audio control process may be stopped, and the process may be shifted to the audio control process that satisfies the condition.

In this way, when the hearing aid 100 detects a sound that the wearer U should not miss or that is not desired to be missed, the hearing aid 100 can perform voice control processing to make the sound easier to hear. . Therefore, the wearer U can reduce the possibility of missing the important sound.

<Summary>
As described above, the hearing aid 100 can perform voice control processing on the output voice according to the wearer's U physical condition. Therefore, the hearing aid 100 can provide easy-to-hear sounds depending on the physical condition of the wearer U, and the wearer U can listen to easy-to-hear sounds regardless of his/her physical condition. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the conversation content of the interlocutor becomes difficult to hear even when there is In addition, the hearing aid 100 executes voice control processing according to the environment in which the wearer U is placed (being in a specific position, hearing a specific sound, etc.). It is possible to provide a voice that is easy to hear in an environment where it is difficult to hear.

<Modification>
It goes without saying that the base station according to the above embodiments is not limited to the above embodiments, and may be implemented by other techniques. Various modifications will be described below.

(1) In the above embodiment, the hearing aid 100 performs voice control processing based on various conditions, ie, the physical condition of the wearer U, a specific position, a specific keyword, and a specific sound. Although these conditions are not described above, there are cases where a plurality of conditions for executing the respective voice control processes are naturally established. Assuming such a case, priority information may be set in the hearing aid 100 in advance as to which audio control process should be prioritized when a plurality of conditions are satisfied. Basically, it may be a specification that prioritizes the voice control process based on the physical condition of the wearer U, but it is not limited to this. As for the priority information, for example, the priority of the voice control process may be set in the order of physical condition, specific sound, specific keyword, and specific position, but the order is not limited to this order. Also, this priority information may be set in advance, or may be set by the wearer U himself. Also, although not described above, the hearing aid 100 or the information processing device 200 may include a setting unit for setting priority information for the hearing aid 100 . Thereby, the hearing aid 100 can determine the audio control process to be executed when a plurality of conditions overlap. In addition, the wearer U can give priority to the preferred voice control process.

Here, an example of performing control based on priority is shown, but when multiple conditions are satisfied, the average value of the voice control processing executed under each condition is calculated and the voice control processing is executed. It may be an aspect.

(2) In the above embodiment, the hearing aid 100 may notify the wearer U that the voice control process has been executed. A specific description will be given with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14. FIG.

FIGS. 12A and 12B show how the hearing aid 100 performs voice control processing based on the physical condition of the wearer U, a specific position, a keyword, or a sound. It is a figure which shows the example which notifies to that effect. FIG. 12(a) shows an example of display on the information processing apparatus 200, and FIG. 12(b) shows notification using smart glasses (glasses) capable of displaying characters and images on lenses or the like. shows an example.

As shown in FIG. 12(a), when the hearing aid 100 executes the voice control process, it transmits information indicating that the voice control process has been executed and the details of the control to the information processing device 200. . Then, the information processing apparatus 200 displays, as a display screen example 1200, a display screen showing, as control contents, voice contents indicating the target voice for which the voice control process has been executed and voice control indicating the executed control contents. indicate. In addition, the display screen example 1200 of the information processing apparatus 200 may also display various input keys related to voice control processing. For example, as shown in FIG. 12A, a play button 1201 for playing back the displayed speech content, a difficult-to-hear word registration button 1202 for registering the above-described specific keyword, A volume/sound quality adjustment button 1203 for adjusting the volume and sound quality in , and other setting buttons 1204 for executing other settings related to the hearing aid 100 may be displayed.

When the play button 1201 is touched, the audio data displayed as audio content from the information processing device 200 is transmitted to the hearing aid 100 and output from the output unit 190 of the hearing aid 100 . In addition, it is good also as outputting from the output part 250 of the information processing apparatus 200. FIG.

If the hard-to-hear word registration button 1202 is touched, the display is switched to, for example, the display screen example 800 shown in FIG.

When the volume/sound quality adjustment button 1203 is touched, for example, among the display screen examples shown in FIGS. The wearer U can manually adjust the frequency and volume of the sound output from the output unit 190 .

If the other setting button 1204 is touched, the screen shifts to a display screen for making other settings.

Note that the display example shown here is just an example, and these buttons may be omitted, and other buttons may be included.

The example of FIG. 12(a) shows an example of displaying that the "lower volume" process has been executed for the voice "Hello! It's nice weather today!". Also, an example is shown in which the heartbeat and body temperature of the wearer U are shown as the reason for the voice control processing.

12(a) may be displayed on lenses 1211a and 1211b of smart glasses (glasses) as exemplified in FIG. 12(b). The example shown in FIG. 12B shows an example in which voice content is displayed on the left lens 1211a of the smart glasses, and voice control content is displayed on the right lens 1211b.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the hearing aid 100 for realizing such display processing. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the information processing apparatus 200 and smart glasses shown in FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b). FIG. 14 will be described as the operation of the information processing apparatus 200 here.

First, as shown in FIG. 13, it is assumed that the hearing aid 100 executes any of the audio control processes shown in FIGS. 5, 7, 9, and 11 (step S1301).

The communication unit 110 of the hearing aid 100 transmits information indicating the details of the voice control process executed in step S1301 to the information processing apparatus 200 (step S1302), and ends the process. Thereby, the contents of the voice control are transmitted from the hearing aid 100 to the information processing device 200 .

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the information processing device 200 . As shown in FIG. 14, the communication unit 210 of the information processing device 200 receives audio control processing information indicating the content of audio control processing transmitted from the hearing aid 100 (step S1401). Here, the audio control processing information indicating the content of the audio control processing includes the content of the control executed as the audio control processing (volume up/down, frequency up/down, or specified volume or frequency), as well as It may contain information indicating the cause of the change. Communication unit 210 transmits the received information to control unit 230 .

Based on the information transmitted from the communication unit 210, the control unit 230 notifies that the hearing aid 100 has executed the voice control process (step S1402). That is, the control unit 230 causes the output unit 250 to display, for example, a message such as "Voice control processing has been executed."

Then, the control unit 230 notifies the contents of the executed voice control process based on the voice control process information (step S1403), and ends the process. That is, the control unit 230 causes the output unit 250 to display, for example, a message such as "The volume has been lowered. The frequency has been raised." At that time, information indicating the reason for the voice control process (for example, the body temperature of the wearer is "37.8°C" and the heartbeat is "78 bps") may be displayed. .

Here, as an example, an example of notifying the wearer U by displaying information indicating that the voice control process has been executed in text on the display unit (output unit 250) of the information processing device 200 is shown. However, the mode of notification is not limited to the display of text. The information processing device 200 or the hearing aid 100 may give the notification by voice. In this case, by pre-storing a voice message such as "Voice control processing has been executed" in the storage unit in advance, the execution of the voice control processing is notified by reproducing the voice message. be able to. Alternatively, the hearing aid 100 or the information processing device 200 may be notified using an indicator (for example, an LED) for notifying that the voice control process has been executed.

In addition, although FIG. 14 shows an example in which both the notification of the execution of the voice control process and the notification of the contents of the voice control process are executed, these notifications may be either one of them. good.

Thereby, the wearer U can recognize that the hearing aid 100 has performed the voice control process. At that time, if the reason is also displayed, the wearer U can recognize his or her own environment. For example, it is possible to recognize slight changes in physical condition that are difficult to notice by oneself.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the hearing aid 100 may record the conversation of the wearer U with another person and reproduce the recorded voice. A specific description will be given with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17. FIG.

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of exchanges between the hearing aid 100 and the information processing device 200. As shown in FIG. The sequence diagram shown in FIG. 15 shows an example of processing in which the hearing aid 100 and the information processing device 200 are linked to record the sound collected by the hearing aid 100 and reproduce the recorded sound. .

As shown in FIG. 15, the hearing aid 100 records surrounding sounds and transmits the recorded sounds to the information processing device 200 (step S1501). Data of the recorded voice may be transmitted by streaming or may be transmitted as data of a fixed length.

When receiving the recorded sound from the hearing aid 100, the information processing apparatus 200 stores the received recorded sound in the storage unit 240 (step S1502).

After that, the information processing apparatus 200 receives from the wearer U an instruction input to reproduce the recorded voice that the wearer U wants to hear (step S1503). Then, the information processing device 200 transmits the specified recorded voice to the hearing aid 100 (step S1504).

Upon receiving the recorded sound, the hearing aid 100 performs sound control processing on the received recorded sound as necessary (step S1505). Then, the voice that has undergone the recording voice control processing is reproduced (step S1506).

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the hearing aid 100 for realizing the interaction shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 16, the recording unit 160 of the hearing aid 100 records the sound collected by the sound collecting unit 150 (step S1601). The recorded voice may be stored in the storage unit 180 .

Control unit 170 transmits the recorded voice to information processing apparatus 200 via communication unit 110 (step S1602). Thereby, the recorded voice is stored in the information processing device 200 .

The control unit 170 determines whether the recorded voice is received from the information processing device 200 via the communication unit 110 (step S1603). If the recorded voice has not been received (NO in step S1603), the process ends.

If the recorded voice has been received (YES in step S1603), voice control processing is executed for the received recorded voice. The voice control processing to be executed here may be any of the voice control processing based on the physical condition of the wearer U, the position, the specific keyword, and the sound shown in the above embodiment. For specific keywords and sounds, whether the voice control processing is executed by scanning the received recorded voice in advance (detecting whether or not the specific keyword or sound is included in advance) is performed. You can decide whether

Then, the control unit 170 causes the output unit 190 to output the recorded voice subjected to the voice control processing (step S1605), and ends the processing. If the condition is not satisfied in step S1604, the received recorded voice is output as it is.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the information processing apparatus 200 for realizing the exchange shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 17, the communication unit 210 of the information processing device 200 receives the recorded sound transmitted from the hearing aid 100 (step S1701). The communication unit 210 transmits the received recorded voice to the control unit 230 .

Control unit 230 stores the transmitted recorded voice in storage unit 240 (step S1702).

After that, the control unit 230 determines whether or not the input unit 220 has received an instruction to reproduce the recorded voice (step S1703). If an input to play a recorded voice has been received via input unit 220 (YES in step S1703), control unit 230 reads the specified recorded voice from storage unit 240, and sends communication unit 210 to it. to the hearing aid 100 via (step S1704), and the process ends. If the input of the instruction to reproduce the recorded voice has not been received (NO in step S1703), the process ends.

Here, an example is shown in which the hearing aid 100 and the information processing device 200 are interlocked to realize the recording/playback process. If there is, it may be realized by the hearing aid 100 alone.

In this way, the hearing aid 100 can record and reproduce conversations that the wearer U has with others. Therefore, if the wearer U cannot hear or understand the content during the conversation, the wearer U can confirm the content of the conversation by listening to the recorded voice again.

(4) In the above embodiment, the hearing aid 100 may be used as a hearing test instrument. A method of hearing test using the hearing aid 100 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 21 .

FIGS. 18A and 18B show examples of display screens in the information processing apparatus 200 when performing a hearing test. FIG. 18(a) shows an example display screen 1800 before hearing test results are available, and FIG. 18(b) shows an example display screen 1802 after hearing test results are available.

As shown in FIG. 18(a), during the hearing test, when the wearer U hears a sound, a button 1801 is displayed for indicating that the wearer U has heard the sound. The timing at which the wearer U touches the button 1801 is recorded in the information processing device 200 as the timing at which the wearer U recognizes that the sound of the hearing test was heard.

As shown in FIG. 18(b), after conducting the hearing test, the information processing device 200 displays the test result. Here, as an example of the results of the hearing test, an example of displaying a graph indicating at what volume (how many dB) the sound of each frequency of the hearing test was heard is displayed. It should be noted that the results of the hearing test may be presented in sentences such as "I can hear well", "I can't hear", and "It seems that there are sounds that are difficult to hear".

FIG. 19 shows an example of communication between the hearing aid 100 and the information processing device 200 when a hearing test is performed using the hearing aid 100 .

As shown in FIG. 19, the information processing apparatus 200 receives input from the wearer U indicating that a hearing test is to be performed (step S1901). Thus, a hearing test is performed. In the hearing test, the subsequent steps S1902 to S1906 are repeatedly executed until all the sound sources that need to be tested in the hearing test are completed.

The information processing device 200 transmits the recorded data to be tested, that is, the audio data stored in the storage unit 240 for the hearing test or the information indicating the frequency of the sound output as the sound for the hearing test to the hearing aid 100. (step S1902).

The hearing aid 100 reproduces the received audio data (step S1903). At this time, the hearing aid 100 reproduces the audio data while gradually increasing the volume of the reproduction of the audio data from the minimum value. Further, when only the frequency is notified, the hearing aid 100 may reproduce the sound for hearing test stored in the storage unit 180 of the hearing aid 100 at the specified frequency.

In the example of FIG. 18A, the wearer U performs an input to the information processing apparatus 200 to the effect that the sound was heard at the timing when the sound being reproduced is heard, using the button 1801 (step S1904). ). Upon receiving this input, the information processing apparatus 200 transmits to the hearing aid 100 that there is an input for listening (step S1905).

The hearing aid 100 receives the information from the information processing apparatus 200 indicating that the hearing has been performed, and finishes reproducing and outputting the sound (step S1906). Then, the hearing aid 100 transmits to the information processing apparatus 200 volume information indicating the volume of the sound being reproduced at that time (step S1907).

If the test for sounds of all frequencies to be reproduced as the hearing test has not finished, the process returns to step S1902 to test the next audio data. Transition. Note that the information processing apparatus 200 may transmit information indicating that the hearing test has ended to the hearing aid 100 at the timing when all of the hearing tests have ended.

The information processing apparatus 200 displays information indicating the results of the hearing test from the results obtained by the processing of steps S1902 to S1906 (step S1908).

FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the hearing aid 100 for realizing the interaction shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 20, the control unit 170 of the hearing aid 100 determines whether audio data for hearing test is received from the information processing device 200 via the communication unit 110 (step S2001). . If not received (NO in step S2001), it waits.

If audio data for hearing test has been received (YES in step S2001), control unit 170 causes output unit 190 to output the received audio data (step S2002). Here, the control unit 170 reproduces the audio data at a predetermined volume (basically the minimum volume) at the first stage.

The control unit 170 determines whether or not it has received a notification from the information processing device 200 via the communication unit 110 that there is an input for interview from the wearer U (step S2003). If the notification of the listening input has not been received (NO in step S2003), the control unit 170 increases the volume of the sound being reproduced (step S2004). Then, the process returns to step S2002. The predetermined volume in step S2002 in this case means the volume after control unit 170 increases the volume.

On the other hand, when receiving a notification that a listening input has been made (YES in step S2003), control unit 170 terminates the reproduction of the voice, and transmits volume information indicating the volume at that time to communication unit 110. It is sent to the device 200 (step S2005).

Then, the control unit 170 determines whether or not hearing test end information has been received from the information processing apparatus 200 via the communication unit 110 (step S2006). If the hearing test end information has not been received (NO in step S2006), the process returns to step S2001, and if it has been received (YES in step S2006), the process ends.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the information processing apparatus 200 for realizing the exchange shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 21, the input unit 220 of the information processing device 200 receives an input to perform a hearing test from the wearer U (step S2101). The input unit 220 transmits the received input content to the control unit 230 . Thereby, the control unit 230 starts the hearing test using the hearing aid 100 .

The control unit 230 reads the audio data for hearing test from the storage unit 240 and transmits it to the hearing aid 100 via the communication unit 210 (step S2102).

The control unit 230 determines whether or not an input indicating that the voice has been heard from the wearer U has been received via the input unit 220 (step S2103). It waits until there is an input for listening to voice (NO in step S2103). At this time, if there is no listening input for an excessively long time (for example, two minutes), the control unit 170 determines that the wearer U cannot hear the sound of that frequency, and automatically performs step S2105. It may be configured to shift to processing.

If there is a listening input (YES in step S2103), the control unit 230 transmits a notification that there is a listening input to the hearing aid 100 via the communication unit 210 (step S2104). Then, the communication unit 210 receives the volume information transmitted from the hearing aid 100 (step S2105) and transmits it to the control unit 230. FIG. Control unit 230 stores the received volume information in storage unit 240 . Then, the control unit 230 determines whether or not there is audio data to be reproduced next (step S2106). NO in step S2106), the process proceeds to step S2107.

After completing the hearing test, the control unit 230 generates a test result indicating the result of the hearing test based on the volume information stored in the storage unit 240 and the frequency of the sound output at that time, The output unit 190 is caused to output (step S2105), and the process ends. As an example, the control unit 230 displays a graph as shown in FIG. 18(b) as the inspection result.

Thus, the hearing aid 100 can also be used as a hearing test instrument. Therefore, the wearer U can be provided with the multifunctional hearing aid 100, which contributes to the convenience of the wearer U.

Here, an example of performing a hearing test by interlocking the hearing aid 100 and the information processing device 200 is shown, but this may be realized by the hearing aid 100 alone. That is, the hearing aid 100 may be provided with an input button for hearing test, and the input button may be pressed when a sound is heard, and the result of the test may be transmitted to the wearer U by voice message.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the hearing aid 100 may include a learning unit for learning voice control that the wearer U prefers. In other words, if an input such as a change in volume or frequency is performed within a predetermined time after the assistive hearing instrument 100 executes the voice control process, it is assumed that the assistive hearing instrument 100 does not like the voice control process executed by the assistive hearing instrument 100. can be estimated. Therefore, as an example, when the same voice control process is executed a plurality of times and the wearer U performs a predetermined input a predetermined number of times or more, the voice control after the change is performed by the wearer U. U's preferred volume or tone quality may be learned. After that, voice control processing after learning may be executed.

In the above-described embodiment, the hearing aid 100 executes rule-based voice control processing. By learning the surrounding environment at that time, the sound being collected or the content of the sound, etc., and the volume and frequency after adjustment, it is possible to perform what kind of sound control processing in what kind of environment and when. It is also possible to generate a learning model capable of estimating whether to perform voice control processing based on estimation using the generated learning model. That is, the environment of the hearing aid 100 (the wearer's physical condition is different from usual, the wearer is in a specific place, the sound including the keyword is being collected, the specific sound is being collected, etc.) and the wearer's Estimation using information indicating the environment of the hearing aid 100 as an input, using a learning model that has learned as teacher data information that associates the input contents (volume up/down, frequency designation) with respect to the voice executed by U. The voice control process to be executed may be estimated by processing, and the estimated voice control process may be executed.

(6) The program of each embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can store the program in a "non-temporary tangible medium". Storage media may include any suitable storage media such as HDDs, SSDs, etc., or a suitable combination of two or more thereof. Storage media may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile. Note that the storage medium is not limited to these examples, and may be any device or medium as long as it can store the program.

Note that the hearing aid 100 can realize the functions of the plurality of functional units shown in each embodiment by, for example, reading a program stored in a storage medium and executing the read program. Also, the program may be provided to the hearing aid 100 via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.). The hearing aid 100 realizes the functions of a plurality of functional units shown in each embodiment, for example, by executing a program downloaded via the Internet or the like. This program may be executed by the information processing device 200 .

The program can be implemented using, for example, script languages such as ActionScript and Javascript (registered trademark), object-oriented programming languages such as Objective-C and Java (registered trademark), markup languages such as HTML5, and the like.

At least part of the processing in the hearing aid 100 may be realized by cloud computing configured by one or more computers. Further, each functional unit of the hearing aid 100 may be implemented by one or more circuits that implement the functions shown in the above embodiments, and one circuit implements the functions of multiple functional units. good too.

(7) Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on drawings and examples, it should be noted that a person skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and modifications based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations and modifications are included within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and it is possible to combine a plurality of means, steps, etc. into one or divide them. . Also, the configurations shown in the respective embodiments may be appropriately combined.

100 Hearing aid 110 Communication unit 120 Body temperature measurement unit 130 Heart rate measurement unit 140 Location information acquisition unit 150 Sound collection unit 160 Recording unit 170 Control unit 180 Storage unit 181 First storage unit 182 Second storage unit 183 Third storage unit 190 Output Unit 200 Information processing device 210 Communication unit 220 Input unit 230 Control unit 240 Storage unit 250 Output unit

Claims (11)

a body temperature measuring unit for measuring body temperature of the wearer;
a heartbeat measurement unit that measures the heartbeat of the wearer;
an output unit that outputs audio;
Based on the body temperature and the heartbeat, a control unit that controls the volume of the sound output from the output unit and performs a frequency control process that controls the frequency of the sound output from the output unit,
When the volume of the sound output by the output unit and output when the wearer has a normal temperature and a normal heartbeat is set as a reference volume,
The control unit
The body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement unit is a first body temperature higher than the wearer's normal body temperature,
When the heartbeat measured by the heartbeat measuring unit is faster than the normal heartbeat of the wearer,
controlling the volume of the voice to be output at a first volume smaller than the reference volume ;
When the frequency of the sound output by the output unit and output by the frequency control process when the wearer has a normal temperature and a normal heartbeat is set as a reference frequency, the frequency control process and converting the frequency of the voice to a first frequency that is easier for the wearer to hear than the reference frequency.
Hearing aid. The control unit
The body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement unit is a second body temperature higher than the first body temperature,
When the heartbeat measured by the heartbeat measuring unit is faster than the normal heartbeat of the wearer,
2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the volume of said voice is controlled to be output at a second volume smaller than said first volume. The control unit
The body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement unit is a second body temperature higher than the first body temperature,
When the heartbeat measured by the heartbeat measuring unit is faster than the normal heartbeat of the wearer,
The hearing aid according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the frequency of the sound is converted to a second frequency that is easier for the wearer to hear than the first frequency. The hearing aid comprises:
A sound collecting unit for collecting sound of the hearing aid,
The hearing aid according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the output unit outputs sound based on the sound collected by the sound collecting unit. The reference volume is the volume of the sound collected by the sound collecting unit at the time of sound collection,
5. The hearing aid according to claim 4 , wherein the reference frequency is a frequency at which the sound collected by the sound collecting unit is collected. The hearing aid comprises:
A first storage unit that stores a predetermined keyword,
The control unit controls the output unit to output sound at a predetermined volume and frequency when detecting that the keyword is included in the sound collected by the sound collection unit. 6. A hearing aid according to claim 4 or 5 . The hearing aid includes a communication unit that communicates with an information processing device that includes a display unit,
The control unit causes the communication unit to transmit control document information indicating control details of the control when performing control related to audio output from the output unit,
7. The hearing aid according to claim 4 , wherein said information processing device displays a document indicated by said control document information. The hearing aid comprises:
a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information indicating the position of the wearer;
a third storage unit that stores range information indicating a range of positions to be output at a predetermined volume and frequency;
with
When the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit is included in the range information, the control unit controls the output unit to output sound at the predetermined volume and frequency. The hearing aid according to any one of claims 5 to 7 . The control unit uses a learning model that learns the relationship between the environment of the hearing aid and the audio control process to be executed in the environment, and controls the sound output from the output unit based on the environment of the hearing aid. The hearing aid according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , characterized in that it executes control processing. hearing aids are
a temperature measurement step of measuring the body temperature of the wearer;
a heartbeat measurement step of measuring the heartbeat of the wearer;
an output step for outputting audio;
Based on the body temperature and the heartbeat, a control step of controlling the volume of the sound output in the output step and performing a frequency control process of controlling the frequency of the sound output in the output step ;
and run
When the volume of the audio output in the output step is the volume of the audio output when the wearer has a normal temperature and a normal heartbeat,
The control step includes:
the body temperature measured in the body temperature measurement step is a first body temperature higher than the normal body temperature of the wearer;
When the heartbeat measured by the heartbeat measuring step is faster than the normal heartbeat of the wearer,
controlling the volume of the voice to be output at a first volume smaller than the reference volume ;
When the sound output in the output step is the frequency of the sound output by the frequency control process when the wearer has a normal temperature and a normal heartbeat, the frequency control process is and converting the frequency of the voice to a first frequency that is easier for the wearer to hear than the reference frequency.
Voice control method. to the computer,
A body temperature measurement function that measures the body temperature of the wearer,
a heartbeat measurement function for measuring the heartbeat of the wearer;
An output function that outputs audio,
Based on the body temperature and the heartbeat, control of the volume of the sound output from the output function and a control function of executing frequency control processing for controlling the frequency of the sound output from the output function are realized,
When the volume of the sound output by the output function, which is output when the wearer has a normal temperature and a normal heartbeat, is set as a reference volume,
The control function is
the body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement function is a first body temperature higher than the normal body temperature of the wearer;
When the heartbeat measured by the heartbeat measurement function is faster than the normal heartbeat of the wearer,
controlling the volume of the voice to be output at a first volume smaller than the reference volume ;
When the sound output by the output function is the frequency of the sound output by the frequency control process when the wearer has a normal temperature and a normal heartbeat, the frequency control process and converting the frequency of the voice to a first frequency that is easier for the wearer to hear than the reference frequency.
Voice control program.

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