Remote microphone devices for auditory prostheses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11057720-B1
Application number	US-201916424673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 29, 2019
Priority date	Jun 6, 2018
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

Presented herein are techniques for adapting settings/operations of a remote microphone device associated with an auditory prosthesis based on a desired/preferred listening direction of a recipient of the auditory prosthesis. More specifically, an auditory prosthesis worn by a recipient and a remote microphone device, which are configured to wirelessly communicate with one another, are both positioned in the same spatial area. At least one of a recipient-specified (e.g., recipient-preferred) region of interest within the spatial area, or a recipient-specified listening direction, is determined. Based on a determined relative positioning (e.g., location and orientation) of the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis, operation of the remote microphone device is dynamically adapted so that the remote microphone device can focus on (e.g., have increased sensitivity to) sounds originating from the recipient-specified region of interest/listening direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining a relative location and a relative orientation of a remote microphone device to an auditory prosthesis, wherein the auditory prosthesis and the remote microphone device are each located within a same spatial area and wherein the remote microphone device comprises a plurality of microphones;
determining a recipient-specified region of interest within the spatial area; and
using the relative location and the relative orientation of the remote microphone device to the auditory prosthesis to focus the plurality of microphones of the remote microphone device on the recipient-specified region of interest within the spatial area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a recipient-specified region of interest within the spatial area comprises:
determining a primary gaze direction of a recipient of the auditory prosthesis; and
correlating the primary gaze direction of the recipient with the spatial area to determine the recipient-specified region of interest.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
capturing one or more inertial measurements representing motion of the head of the recipient of the auditory prosthesis; and
determining the primary gaze direction of the recipient based on the one or more inertial measurements.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
capturing, via one or more image capture devices, image data from the spatial area; and
performing image analysis techniques to determine the primary gaze direction of the recipient based on the image data.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a recipient-specified region of interest within the spatial area comprises:
receiving, via a user interface, one or more inputs identifying at least one of a person or a region of the spatial area.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the relative location of the remote microphone device to the auditory prosthesis in relation to a stationary reference point in the spatial area.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
capturing, using the plurality of microphones of the remote microphone device, sound signals from the recipient-specified region of interest; and
wirelessly sending the sound signals to the auditory prosthesis.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relative location of the remote microphone device to an auditory prosthesis and the recipient-specified region of interest within the spatial area are determined at the auditory prosthesis, and wherein the method further comprises:
sending recipient-specified directional data indicating the recipient-specified area of interest from the auditory prosthesis to the remote microphone device; and
using the recipient-specified directional data at the remote microphone device to focus the plurality of microphones of the remote microphone device on the recipient-specified region of interest.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relative location of the remote microphone device to an auditory prosthesis and the recipient-specified region of interest within the spatial area are determined at a mobile computing device in wireless communication with the auditory prosthesis and the remote microphone device, and wherein the method further comprises:
sending recipient-specified directional data indicating the recipient-specified area of interest from the mobile computing device to the remote microphone device; and
using the recipient-specified directional data at the remote microphone device to focus the plurality of microphones of the remote microphone device on the recipient-specified region of interest.

10. A method, comprising:
synchronizing location and orientation information of a remote microphone device with location and orientation information of an auditory prosthesis worn by a recipient, wherein the auditory prosthesis and the remote microphone device are each located within a same spatial area;
determining, based on the synchronized location and orientation information, a physical separation between the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis and orientation angles of each of the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis;
determining a substantially real-time recipient-specified listening direction for the remote microphone device; and
wirelessly sending directional data to the remote microphone device indicting the substantially real-time recipient-specified listening direction, the physical separation between the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis, and the orientation angles of each of the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
based on the directional data, configuring a microphone array of the remote microphone device for increased sensitivity to sounds originating from the recipient-specified listening direction.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining a recipient-specified listening direction comprises:
determining a primary gaze direction of the recipient; and
correlating the primary gaze direction of the recipient with the location and orientation information of a remote microphone device.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
capturing one or more inertial measurements representing motion of the head of the recipient of the auditory prosthesis; and
determining the primary gaze direction of the recipient based on the one or more inertial measurements.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
capturing, via one or more image capture devices, image data from the spatial area; and
performing image analysis techniques to determine the primary gaze direction of the recipient based on the image data.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining a recipient-specified listening direction comprises:
receiving, via a user interface, one or more inputs identifying at least one of a person or a region of the spatial area.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
synchronizing the location and orientation information of the remote microphone device with the location and orientation information of the auditory prosthesis in relation to a stationary reference point in the spatial area.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
capturing, using the increased sensitivity of the microphone array, sounds originating from the recipient-specified listening direction; and
wirelessly sending the sound signals to the auditory prosthesis.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining the physical separation between the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis and the orientation angles of each of the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis at the auditory prosthesis.

19. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining the physical separation between the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis and the orientation angles of each of the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis at a mobile computing device.

20. An auditory prosthesis system, comprising:
an auditory prosthesis;
a remote microphone device; and
one or more processors configured to determine a relative location difference between the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis, determine a relative angular orientation difference between the remote microphone device and the auditory prosthesis, and to determine a recipient-specified listening direction,
wherein the remote microphone device comprises:
a wireless transce

Assignees

• Cochlear Ltd

Inventors

• Frieding Jan Patrick
• Nilsson Soren
• Oplinger Kenneth
• von Brasch Alexander
• Smith Roger
• Murphy Richard

Classifications

• H04R25/554

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

• H04R25/405 Primary

  by combining a plurality of transducers · CPC title

• H04R2225/55

  Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title