Hearing prosthesis with accessory detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9357318-B2
Application number	US-201414194061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2014
Priority date	Sep 30, 2011
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

The present application discloses hearing prostheses with two modes of operation and methods for operating the prostheses. In the first mode of operation, a hearing prosthesis receives a microphone input and produces an output based on the microphone input. In the second mode of operation, the hearing prosthesis may detect an accessory input signal and switch to an accessory input mode. The second mode of operation may produce an output that is based at least in part on the accessory input signal. Some embodiments may include detecting an accessory input signal with a detector. In response to detecting an accessory input signal, the hearing prosthesis may switch to an accessory operation mode. When the accessory input signal is not detected, the hearing prosthesis may operate in microphone operation mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an accessory input configured to receive a first input signal from an accessory;
a detector coupled to the accessory input and configured to determine whether the first input signal includes audio data;
a microphone input configured to receive a second input signal from a microphone; and
signal processing circuitry including:
a first automatic sensitivity control (ASC) coupled to the microphone input, and configured to apply attenuation or gain to the second input signal, and to provide a first output signal, at an output of the first ASC, based on the attenuation or gain applied to the second input signal;
a mixer coupled to the output of the first ASC and to the accessory input, and configured to provide a second output signal, at an output of the mixer, based on at least one of the first input signal or the first output signal;
a second ASC coupled to the output of the mixer, and configured to apply attenuation or gain to the second output signal, and to provide a third output signal based on the attenuation or gain applied to the second output signal; and
a processor coupled to the output of the detector and the third output signal,

and configured to, in response to, the detector determining that the first input signal includes audio data, process the first input signal and generate a fourth output signal based at least in part on the processed first input signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first ASC is configured to apply dynamic attenuation or dynamic gain to the second input signal based on a signal strength of the second input signal, and wherein the second ASC is configured to apply dynamic attenuation or dynamic gain to the second output signal based on a signal strength of the second output signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the signal processing circuity further includes an amplifier coupled between the first ASC and the mixer, and wherein the amplifier is configured to apply attenuation to the second input signal in response to the detector determining that the first input signal includes audio data.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the mixer is configured to provide, in response to the detector determining that the first input signal includes audio data, the second output signal based on the first input signal and the attenuated second input signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute a noise-suppression algorithm to process the first input signal in response to the detector determining that the first input signal includes audio data.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to choose, based on a type of accessory from which the first input signal was received, the noise-suppression algorithm from a set of noise-suppression algorithms.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the detector is configured to measure a signal level of the first input signal, time average the measured signal level, and compare the time average with a threshold level for detecting data corresponding to the audio signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising alert generation circuitry configured to generate an error indication in response to the detector determining that the first input signal does not include audio data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the alert generation circuitry is configured to generate, in response to the detector determining that the first input signal does include audio data, an indication that the accessory is functioning correctly.

10. An apparatus comprising:
an accessory input configured to receive a first input signal from an accessory;
a detector coupled to the accessory input and configured to determine whether the first input signal includes audio data;
a microphone input configured to receive a second input signal from a microphone; and
signal processing circuitry coupled to the accessory input and to the microphone input, and configured to:
apply attenuation or gain to the second input signal and provide a first output signal based on the attenuation or gain applied to the second input signal;
mix the first input signal and the first output signal to provide a second output signal;
apply attenuation or gain to the second output signal and provide a third output signal based on the attenuation or gain applied to the second output signal; and
in response to the detector determining that the first input signal includes audio data, process the first input signal and generate a fourth output signal based at least in part on the processed first input signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the signal processing circuitry is configured to apply dynamic attenuation or dynamic gain to the second input signal based on a signal strength of the second input signal, and to apply dynamic attenuation or dynamic gain to the second output signal based on a signal strength of the second output signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the signal processing circuitry is further configured to apply attenuation to the first output signal in response to the detector determining that the first input signal includes audio data.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the signal processing circuitry is configured to mix, in response to the detector determining that the first input signal includes audio data, the first input signal and the attenuated first output signal to provide the second output signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the signal processing circuitry is further configured to execute a noise-suppression algorithm to process the first input signal in response to the detector determining that the first input signal includes audio data.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the signal processing circuity is further configured to choose, based on a type of accessory from which the first input signal was received, the noise-suppression algorithm from a set of noise-suppression algorithms.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the detector is configured to measure a signal level of the first input signal, time average the measured signal level, and compare the time average with a threshold level for detecting data corresponding to the audio signal.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising alert generation circuitry configured to generate an error indication in response to the detector determining that the first input signal does not include audio data.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the alert generation circuitry is configured to generate, in response to the detector determining that the first input signal does include audio data, an indication that the accessory is functioning correctly.

Assignees

• Cochlear Ltd

Inventors

• Case Alexander
• Banna Rami
• Thambiratnam David
• Allen Felicity

Classifications

• H04R25/305

  Self-monitoring or self-testing · CPC title

• H04R25/43 Primary

  Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics (H04R25/407 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R25/606 Primary

  acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window · CPC title

• H04R2225/59

  Arrangements for selective connection between one or more amplifiers and one or more receivers within one hearing aid · CPC title

• H04R2420/05

  Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers · CPC title