Binaural hearing assistance system comprising two wireless interfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9712927-B2
Application number	US-201414534282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2014
Priority date	Nov 7, 2013
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

The application relates to a binaural hearing assistance system comprising first and second hearing assistance devices adapted for being located at or in left and right ears of a user. The application further relates to a method of operating a binaural hearing assistance system. The object of the present application is to provide an improved binaural hearing assistance system. The problem is solved in that each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises a) a first wireless interface comprising first antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a first communication link to the respective other hearing assistance device based on near-field communication; b) a second wireless interface comprising second antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a second communication link to an auxiliary device based on far-field communication; c) a link control unit operatively coupled to the second antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a second link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the second communication link; wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are configured to exchange said respective second link quality measures between them via said first and/or second communication links. This has the advantage of providing a robust and flexible system. The invention may e.g. be used for binaural hearing assistance systems, e.g. binaural hearing aid systems, where audio quality and power consumption has to be mutually optimized.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A binaural hearing assistance system comprising first and second hearing assistance devices adapted for being located at or in or fully or partially implanted in the head at left and right ears of a user;
wherein
each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises
a) a first wireless interface comprising first antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a first communication link to the respective other hearing assistance device based on near-field communication;
b) a second wireless interface comprising second antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a second communication link to an auxiliary device based on far-field communication;
c) a link control unit operatively coupled to the second antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a second link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the second communication link;
wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are configured to exchange said respective second link quality measures between them via said first and/or second communication links; and
wherein said system is configured to receive an audio signal in one of said first and second hearing assistance devices from the auxiliary device via said second communication link and to relay it via said first communication link to the other hearing assistance device, in case the link quality measures as determined in said first and second hearing assistance devices fulfil a predefined criterion.

2. A binaural hearing assistance system according to claim 1 wherein said link control unit is configured to control the first communication link dependent of the respective second link quality measures.

3. A binaural hearing assistance system according to claim 1 wherein the link control unit is operatively coupled to the first antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a first link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the first communication link.

4. A binaural hearing assistance system according to claim 1 wherein said first communication link is an inductive link.

5. A binaural hearing assistance system according to claim 1 wherein said second communication link is based on Bluetooth technology.

6. A binaural hearing assistance system according to claim 1 wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are adapted to establish the second communication link to an auxiliary device according to different standardized or proprietary wireless communication technologies.

7. A binaural hearing assistance system according to claim 1 wherein threshold values LQ1 th and LQ2 th of the first and second link quality measures LQ1 and LQ2 are defined that separate a GOOD from a BAD link quality for the first and second communication links, respectively.

8. A binaural hearing assistance system according to claim 1 wherein each of the hearing assistance devices comprise an energy source status monitoring circuit configured to monitor the current status of the local energy source and to provide a corresponding energy status indication signal, and to exchange said energy status indication signal with the other hearing assistance device of the binaural hearing assistance system via the first communication link.

9. A binaural hearing assistance system according to claim 8 wherein at least one of the hearing assistance devices is configured to control the first and/or second communication link dependent of the energy status indication signal(s).

10. A binaural hearing assistance system according to claim 1 wherein each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises one or a combination of: a hearing aid, a headset, an earphone, and an ear protection device.

11. A binaural hearing assistance system comprising first and second hearing assistance devices adapted for being located at or in or fully or partially implanted in the head at left and right ears of a user,
wherein each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises
a) a first wireless interface comprising first antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a first communication link to the respective other hearing assistance device based on near-field communication;
b) a second wireless interface comprising second antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a second communication link to an auxiliary device based on far-field communication;
c) a link control unit operatively coupled to the second antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a second link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the second communication link;
wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are configured to exchange said respective second link quality measures between them via said first and/or second communication links;
wherein the link control unit is operatively coupled to the first antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a first link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the first communication link; and
wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are configured to exchange said respective first link quality measures between them via said first and/or second communication links.

12. A binaural hearing assistance system comprising first and second hearing assistance devices adapted for being located at or in or fully partially implanted in the head at left and right ears of a user,
wherein each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises
a) a first wireless interface comprising first antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a first communication link to the respective other hearing assistance device based on near-field communication;
b) a second wireless interface comprising second antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a second communication link to an auxiliary device based on far-field communication;
c) a link control unit operatively coupled to the second antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a second link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the second communication link;
wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are configured to exchange said respective second link quality measures between them via said first and/or second communication links;
wherein the link control unit is operatively coupled to the first antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a first link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the first communication link; and
wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are configured to exchange said respective first and/or second link quality measures between them via said second communication link and said auxiliary device.

13. A binaural hearing assistance system comprising first and second hearing assistance devices adapted for being located at or in or fully or partially implanted in the head at left and right ears of a user,
wherein each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises
a) a first wireless interface comprising first antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a first communication link to the respective other hearing assistance device based on near-field communication;
b) a second wireless interface comprising second antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a second communication link to an auxiliary device based on far-field communication;
c) a link control unit operatively coupled to the second antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provi

Assignees

• Oticon
• Oticon As

Inventors

• Pedersen Michael Syskind
• Jensen Jesper
• Hansen Peter S K
• Kielsholm-Ribalaygua Bjarne
• Christensen Kåre Tais
• Troelsen Jens
• Schott Hans Christian
• Sø Rune

Classifications

• A61N1/37252

  Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data · CPC title

• H04R25/606

  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

• H04R2460/13

  Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/1041

  Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H) · CPC title

• A61N1/36038

  Cochlear stimulation · CPC title