In September 2024 Apple announced that its AirPods Pro 2 would double as an over-the-counter hearing aid, courtesy of a software update. Now the tech giant has filed for a patent for “Own Voice Audio Processing for Hearing Loss.”
About the patent filing
The patent filing relates generally to audio processing and more particularly, but not exclusively, to own voice audio processing for hearing loss. In the filing, Apple notes that powered headphones with audio processing may analyze and optimize audio signals in real-time to create a realistic and immersive soundstage.
Additionally, these headphones may integrate active noise cancellation technology, utilizing microphones to capture ambient noise and process and/or filter audio signals containing unwanted sounds. A user’s own voice may be transmitted and perceived differently than ambient sounds given that, for example, a user’s own voice may be perceived through both a bone conduction pathway and an air conduction pathway.
Apple notes that, however, loudness compensation (or amplification) for users with impaired hearing is mainly derived from ambient sound sensing. Applying this same loudness compensation to a user’s own voice may be perceived unnaturally for users with impaired hearing.
Apple patent filing involves technology designed to make the own voice of users with impaired hearing sound more natural. By providing a user with impaired hearing a better perception of their own voice, users with impaired hearing can, for example, achieve better control of the level of their own voice.
Summary of the patent filing
Here’s Apple’ abstract of the patent filing: “Aspects of the subject technology relate to a device including a microphone and a processor. The processor receives an audio signal corresponding to the microphone. The processor detects one or more of an ambient sound or a voice of a user of the device in the received audio signal. The processor applies a first gain to the ambient sound when the ambient sound is detected in the received audio signal and apply a second gain different than the first gain to the voice of the user of the device when the voice of the user of the device is detected in the received audio signal.”
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