Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research (대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지)

The Korean Society of Medical and Biological Engineering (대한의용생체공학회)
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A Study on the Performance of Companding Algorithms for Digital Hearing Aid Users

디지털 보청기 사용자를 위한 압신 알고리즘의 성능 연구

  • Hwang, Y.S. (Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University) ;
  • Han, J.H. (Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University) ;
  • Ji, Y.S. (Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University) ;
  • Hong, S.H. (Department of ORL-HNS, Sungkyunkwan University) ;
  • Lee, S.M. (Department of Electronic Engineering, Inha University) ;
  • Kim, D.W. (Bio & Health Lab, Samsung Advance Institute of Technology) ;
  • Kim, In-Young (Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University) ;
  • Kim, Sun-I. (Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University)
  • 황윤수 (한양대학교 의용생체공학과) ;
  • 한종희 (한양대학교 의용생체공학과) ;
  • 지윤상 (한양대학교 의용생체공학과) ;
  • 홍성화 (성균관대학교 의과대학 이비인후과학교실) ;
  • 이상민 (인하대학교 전자공학과) ;
  • 김동욱 (삼성종합기술원 바이오헬스연구실) ;
  • 김인영 (한양대학교 의용생체공학과) ;
  • 김선일 (한양대학교 의용생체공학과)
  • Received : 2011.02.16
  • Accepted : 2011.06.22
  • Published : 2011.09.30
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Abstract

Companding algorithms have been used to enhance speech recognition in noise for cochlea implant users. The efficiency of using companding for digital hearing aid users is not yet validated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of the companding for digital hearing aid users in the various hearing loss cases. Using HeLPS, a hearing loss simulator, two different sensorinerual hearing loss conditions were simulated; mild gently sloping hearing loss(HL1) and moderate to steeply sloping hearing loss(HL2). In addition, a non-linear compression was simulated to compensate for hearing loss using national acoustic laboratories-non-linear version 1(NAL-NL1) in HeLPS. In companding, the following four different companding strategies were used changing Q values(q1, q2) of pre-filter(F filter) and post filter(G filter). Firstly, five IEEE sentences which were presented with speech-shaped noise at different SNRs(0, 5, 10, 15 dB) were processed by the companding. Secondly, the processed signals were applied to HeLPS. For comparison, signals which were not processed by companding were also applied to HeLPS. For the processed signals, log-likelihood ratio(LLR) and cepstral distance(CEP) were measured for evaluation of speech quality. Also, fourteen normal hearing listeners performed speech reception threshold(SRT) test for evaluation of speech intelligibility. As a result of this study, the processed signals with the companding and NAL-NL1 have performed better than that with only NAL-NL1 in the sensorineural hearing loss conditions. Moreover, the higher ratio of Q values showed better scores in LLR and CEP. In the SRT test, the processed signals with companding(SRT = -13.33 dB SPL) showed significantly better speech perception in noise than those processed using only NAL-NL1(SRT = -11.56 dB SPL).

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