Hearing systems and methods for operating a hearing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11044564-B2
Application number	US-201916587896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2019
Priority date	Sep 30, 2019
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

An exemplary hearing system that is configured to assist a user in hearing includes a behind-the-ear (BTE) component that includes a power source and an in-the-ear (ITE) component configured to fit at least partially within an ear canal of the user. The ITE component may include a microphone arranged so as to face outside of the ear canal of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user, a vent opening configured to ventilate the ear canal of the user to an environment outside of the ear canal, a receiver configured to provide an audio signal to the user based on an input audio signal detected by the microphone, and at least one of active noise control circuitry configured to reduce at least one of environmental noise entering the ear canal through the vent opening and occlusion and an active vent configured to control the vent opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hearing system configured to assist a user in hearing, the hearing system comprising:
a behind-the-ear (BTE) component that is configured to fit behind an ear of the user and that includes a power source and power management circuitry configured to control the power source; and
an in-the-ear (ITE) component configured to fit at least partially within an ear canal of the user while the hearing system is worn by the user, the ITE component including:
a microphone arranged so as to face outside of the ear canal of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user;
a vent opening configured to ventilate the ear canal of the user to an environment outside of the ear canal while the ITE component is worn by the user;
a receiver configured to provide an audio signal to the user based on an input audio signal detected by the microphone; and
at least one of
active noise control circuitry configured to reduce at least one of environmental noise entering the ear canal through the vent opening and occlusion and
an active vent configured to control the vent opening in the ITE component,

wherein all operating power used to operate the ITE component is provided by the power source of the BTE component as controlled by the power management circuitry.

2. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the BTE component and the ITE component further includes a processor configured to process the input audio signal detected by the microphone and direct the receiver to provide the audio signal to the user.

3. The hearing system of claim 2 , wherein:
the ITE component includes an additional microphone that is arranged so as to face outside of the ear canal of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user; and
the processor is configured to combine signals output from the microphone and the additional microphone based on the input audio signal to generate a directional microphone configuration in which sound coming from in front of the user is favored and sound coming from directions other than in front of the user is attenuated.

4. The hearing system of claim 3 , wherein the vent opening in the ITE component is positioned such that sound from the receiver that exits the vent opening impacts the microphone and the additional microphone from a direction that causes the sound from the receiver to be attenuated by the directional microphone configuration.

5. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the BTE component includes a wireless communication device that is configured to communicate with an external device by way of a wireless communication protocol.

6. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the ITE component further comprises at least one of:
a compass;
a gyroscope;
an accelerometer; and
a physiological sensor configured to detect a physiological attribute of the user while the hearing system is worn by the user.

7. The hearing system of claim 6 , wherein the physiological sensor includes at least one of a photoplethysmogram sensor, a humidity sensor, a body temperature sensor, a glucose sensor, a blood pressure sensor, an electrocardiogram sensor, an electrooculography sensor, and an electroencephalogram sensor.

8. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein:
the ITE component includes the active noise control circuitry;
the ITE component further includes an additional microphone arranged so as to face inside the ear canal of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user; and
the active noise control circuitry is configured to use the additional microphone to reduce occlusion artefacts.

9. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein:
the ITE component includes the active noise control circuitry;
the ITE component further includes a dynamic speaker configured to be provided within a concha of the ear of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user; and
the active noise control circuitry is configured to use the dynamic speaker to reduce at least one of the environmental noise and occlusion artefacts.

10. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the active vent is configured to be open while the user is speaking at a conversational level.

11. The hearing system of claim 1 , further comprising a cable that communicatively connects the BTE component with the ITE component.

12. The hearing system of claim 11 , wherein the cable includes at least one of a wire, an optical fiber, and a movable tube.

13. The hearing system of claim 12 , wherein, when the cable includes the movable tube and at least one of the wire and the optical fiber, the at least one of the wire and the optical fiber is straightened when a distance between the BTE component and the ITE component increases and coils when the distance between the BTE component and the ITE component decreases.

14. The hearing system of claim 11 , wherein the cable has a connector portion on one end such that the cable is removably attachable to one of the BTE component and the ITE component.

15. The hearing system of claim 11 , wherein the cable has a connector portion on each end such that the cable is removably attachable to both the BTE component and the ITE component.

16. The hearing system of claim 11 , wherein:
the cable uses a serial bus to facilitate communication between the BTE component and the ITE component; and
the serial bus is one of a proprietary bus, an inter-integrated circuit bus, a serial peripheral interface bus, an improved inter-integrated circuit bus, an optical bus, and an electrical system bus.

17. The hearing system of claim 1 , wherein the microphone is a boom microphone.

18. A hearing system configured to assist a user in hearing, the hearing system comprising:
a behind-the-ear (BTE) component configured to fit behind an ear of the user, the BTE component including:
a power source;
power management circuitry configured to control the power source; and
a wireless communication device;

an in-the-ear (ITE) component configured to fit at least partially within an ear canal of the user while the hearing system is worn by the user, the ITE component including:
a microphone arranged so as to face outside the ear canal of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user;
a processor configured to process an input audio signal detected by the microphone; and
a receiver configured to provide an audio signal to the user based on the input audio signal detected by the microphone and processed by the processor; and

a cable that communicatively couples the BTE component with the ITE component,
wherein all operating power used to operate the ITE component is provided by the power source of the BTE component as controlled by the power management circuitry.

19. A method of operating a hearing system configured to assist a user in hearing, the method comprising:
receiving, by an in-the-ear (ITE) component configured to fit at least partially within an ear canal of the user, operating power from a power source of a behind-the-ear (BTE) component configured to fit behind an ear of the user, the power source controlled by power management circuitry included in the BTE component, the operating power received by way of a cable that communicatively couples the BTE component with the ITE component; and
using, by the ITE component, the operating power received from the BTE component to power components of the ITE component, the ITE component including:
a microphone arranged so as to face outside the ear canal of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user;
a processor configured to process an i

Assignees

• Sonova Ag

Inventors

• Roeck Hans-Ueli
• Frei Christian
• Silberzahn Konstantin
• Mueller Markus
• Leuthold Markus

Classifications

• A61B2562/06

  Arrangements of multiple sensors of different types · CPC title

• A61B2562/029

  Humidity sensors · CPC title

• A61B5/6817

  Ear canal · CPC title

• A61B5/398

  Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG] · CPC title

• A61B5/369

  Electroencephalography [EEG] · CPC title