Hearing device and monitoring system thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10313802-B2
Application number	US-201816001419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2018
Priority date	Mar 30, 2016
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A system for monitoring the status and/or performance of one or more hearing devices is disclosed. The system comprises a number of access points configured to receive wireless signals transmitted by the hearing devices, wherein the access points are connected to a central unit communicatively connected to the Internet/cloud, wherein the system is configured to automatically monitor the status and/or performance of one or more parameter of the one or more hearing devices received by access points, wherein the monitored parameters are accessible from the central unit and/or from a cloud service.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A monitoring system for monitoring parameters of hearing devices, wherein the monitoring system comprises
a central unit configured to communicate with an internet and/or cloud service;
a plurality of hearing devices worn by a plurality of users, each of said hearing devices having
one or more sensors configured to perform measurements from said hearing device, and
a memory configured to
store a set of measurement parameters based on said measurements, and/or
store a set of performance parameters of said hearing device,
wherein each of said hearing devices is configured to transmit said stored performance and/or measurement parameters through a wireless signal;

said monitoring system furthermore comprising
a number of access points configured to receive said transmitted stored performance and/or measurement parameters through said wireless signal transmitted by each of said plurality of hearing devices,
wherein said number of access points furthermore are configured to transmit said received performance and/or measurement parameters to said central unit,
wherein said number of access points are communicatively connected to one other, to said plurality of hearing devices, and to said central unit via a wireless network such that
each of said number of access points is configured to communicate via said wireless network with at least one other access point of said monitoring system, and with any of said plurality of hearing devices within a predefined range, and
said performance and/or measurement parameters transmitted by each of said plurality of hearing devices is relayed to said central unit through a combination of said one or more access points dependent on the corresponding user's location relative to said number of access points;

said central unit comprising
a processing unit having a set of stored normal values representing each of said one or more measurements and/or performance parameters for each of said plurality of users, and
said processing unit being configured to evaluate said received performance and/or measurements parameters relayed from each of said plurality of hearing devices against said set of stored normal values for the corresponding one of said plurality of users, in order to detect a deviation from said normal value, wherein when a deviation is detected said processing unit triggers said central unit to prompt an alarm to a supervisory unit of said monitoring system and/or to transmit a notification signal directly to said hearing device via said personal wireless network.

2. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein said transmitted performance and/or measurements parameters are communicated to said central unit through at least two access points.

3. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein said transmitted performance and/or measurement parameters comprises an identification parameter, wherein said central unit is configured to receive said identification parameter and correlate said received identification parameter with a set of identification parameters stored in said central unit, so as to identify the hearing device of said transmitted parameters.

4. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the number of access points is configured to request a status from one or more hearing devices, said request being made periodically and/or in response to instructions transmitted from said central unit.

5. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the hearing devices continuously transmits performance and/or measurement parameters to said access points, wherein said access point is configured to store said performance and/or measurement parameter, such that upon request from said central unit, said performance and/or measurement parameters are transmitted to said central unit.

6. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein said central unit is communicatively connected to an internet and/or cloud service, wherein said cloud is configured to store said performance and/or measurement parameters transmitted to said central unit through said access points, wherein said internet and/or cloud service is configured to transmit said measurement and/or performance data to a remote location of said location of said central unit.

7. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein said measurement parameters transmitted by said one or more hearing devices includes stored measurements of:
a blood sugar value, and/or
a heart rate and/or
a temperature and/or
an acceleration and/or
a vibration and/or
a blood pressure and/or
a skin conductance and/or
an ultraviolet light exposure and/or
a pH level and/or
a bacteria level and/or
a humidity and/or
an electrical activity of the brain of the hearing device user(s) and/or
wherein said performance parameters includes a registration of:
a battery status of the hearing devices and/or
a surroundings and/or a positioning.

8. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit of said monitoring system upon a detected deviation in said transmitted one or more parameters of said one or more hearing device is configured to automatically notify an external device.

9. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system is configured as a service platform configured to be installed in a care center environment, wherein said performance and/or measurement parameters may be monitored for said plurality of hearing devices at the same time through said central unit in a structured manner.

10. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein said number of access points are configured as a plurality of communication devices comprising a battery electrically connected to a printed circuit board having an integrated transmitter unit comprising a radio unit and an antenna for transmission of wireless radio signals, and wherein said plurality of communication devices are installed in a common facility.

11. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system is configured to send one or more notifications to one or more of the hearing device users.

12. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more access points comprises a memory for storing the transmitted performance and/or measurement parameters.

13. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors are arranged at least in connection with the hearing devices and/or are in communication with one or more sensors placed on a body part of a user.

14. A monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein a signal transmitter is arranged in connection with a first hearing device of a particular user, and a signal sensor is arranged in connection with a second hearing device of the particular user, wherein said signal transmitter is configured to transmit a signal to said signal sensor and said signal sensor is configured to receive a signal from said signal transmitter to measure magnetic and/or electric conductance in the particular user's head.

15. A monitoring system according to claim 2 , wherein said transmitted performance and/or measurement parameters comprises an identification parameter, wherein said central unit is configured to receive said identification parameter and correlate said received identification parameter with a set of identification parameters stored in said central unit, so as to identify the hearing device of said transmitted parameters.

16. A monitoring system according to claim 2 , wherein the number of access points is configured to request a status from one or more hearing devi

Assignees

• Oticon As

Inventors

• Frederiksen Lars Pinnerup
• Bodvarsson Thorvaldur Oli
• Larsen Søren Hesselballe
• Bramsløw Lars
• JENSEN Niels Søgaard
• Rønne Filip Marchman
• Laplante-Lévesque Ariane
• Petersen Eline Borch
• Graversen Carina
• Villadsen Lasse Juul
• Rossing Rikke Birksteen
• Bjelosevic Adis

Classifications

• A61B5/0464

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• H04R25/554

  using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils · CPC title

• A61B5/6817

  Ear canal · CPC title

• G06F19/00

  Physics · mapped topic

• A61B5/02438

  with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient · CPC title