Body temperature hearing aid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10779090-B2
Application number	US-201916425486-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2019
Priority date	May 30, 2018
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A hearing aid device including sensors are disclosed. Specifically a hearing aid with a temperature sensor and a reference sensor. Also disclosed is a method for estimating body core temperature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hearing aid having a first housing, the first housing being configured to be positioned at least partly in an ear canal of a user,
a first temperature sensor arranged in the first housing,
an output transducer arranged in the first housing,
a temperature processor configured to process signals from the first temperature sensor, and
a reference temperature sensor in communication with the temperature processor,
the temperature processor being configured to estimate, based on the first measured body temperature of the user, the reference temperature, and one or more parameters obtained from sensor inputs or signal processing, a core body temperature of the user, and
wherein the one or more parameters include power consumption of the output transducer.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein first housing comprises a first end and an opposite second end, wherein the first temperature sensor is arranged in the second end of the first housing and the output transducer is arranged at a distal end of the second end.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the hearing aid further comprises a second housing, the reference temperature sensor being arranged in the second housing.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 3 , wherein the second housing is configured to be positioned behind the ear of the user, or wherein the second housing is configured to be positioned in the concha of the user and/or the fossa triangularis.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the reference temperature sensor is arranged in an external device in wired or wireless communication with the temperature processor.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 5 , wherein the external device is a telephone device or an auxiliary device having a microphone array.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the hearing aid further comprises a motion sensor configured to provide an indication of movement of the hearing aid, and the one or more parameters includes movement of the hearing aid as a measure of movement of the user when estimating the core body temperature of the user.

8. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the hearing aid further comprises a secondary sensor configured to obtain a measure indicative of wind at the hearing aid, and the one or more parameters include wind measure at the hearing aid when estimating the core body temperature of the user.

9. A method of obtaining an estimate of the core body temperature of a user, wherein a hearing aid comprising a first housing configured to be positioned at least partly in an ear canal of a user, the first housing including a first temperature sensor, a temperature processor configured to process signals from the first temperature sensor, a reference temperature sensor in communication with the temperature processor, the method including:
arranging the first housing in or at the ear canal of the user so that the first temperature sensor is in the ear canal of the user, the reference temperature sensor being arranged outside the ear canal of the user,
obtaining from the first temperature sensor a first measure of body temperature of the user,
obtaining a reference temperature from the reference temperature sensor,
estimating, based on the first measured body temperature of the user, the reference temperature, and one or more parameters obtained from sensor inputs or signal processing, a core body temperature of the user,
wherein the one or more parameters include power consumption of the output transducer.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the reference temperature sensor is arranged in an external device in wired or wireless communication with the temperature processor, the method comprises a step of:
communicating the reference temperature wired or wirelessly from the external device to the temperature processor.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the hearing aid further comprises a motion sensor configured to provide an indication of movement of the hearing aid,
the method includes a step of obtaining data relating to movement of the hearing aid as a measure of movement of the user, and
the one or more parameters include the data relating to movement of the hearing aid.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the hearing aid further comprises a secondary sensor configured to obtain a measure indicative of wind at the hearing aid, and the method includes a step of obtaining data relating to wind measure at the hearing aid, and
the one or more parameters includes the data relating to wind measure.

Assignees

• Oticon As

Inventors

• Larsen Mathias Bruun
• Nielsen Mikkel
• Møller Kenneth Rueskov
• Andersen Ole

Classifications

• H04R25/554

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

• H04R25/70

  Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting · CPC title

• A61B2562/0271

  Thermal or temperature sensors · CPC title

• H04R2225/61

  Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning · CPC title

• H04R1/1016

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title