Adaptive null-forming scheme in digital hearing aids

Abstract

We propose an effective adaptive null-forming scheme for two nearby microphones in endfire orientation that are used in digital hearing aids and in many other hearing devices. This adaptive null-forming scheme is mainly based on an adaptive combination of two fixed polar patterns that act to make the null of the combined polar pattern of the system output always be toward the direction of the noise. The adaptive combination of these two fixed polar patterns is accomplished by simply updating an adaptive gain following the output of the first polar pattern unit. The value of this gain is updated by minimizing the power of the system output, and related adaptive algorithms to update this gain are also given in this paper. We have implemented this proposed system on the basis of a programmable DSP chip and performed various tests. Theoretical analyses and testing results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed system and the accuracy of its implementation.