Wireless sound transmission system and method

• US 10,084,560 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Gehring, Stephan, El-Hoiydi, Amre
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bokhari, Syed M
• Application Number:
  US15/708,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20180006752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 370330, 381 56, 381312
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/06 Synchronising arrangements for television systems H04N5/04; bit-synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1694 Allocation of channels in TDM/TDMA networks, e.g. distributed multiplexers Passive Optical Networks H04Q11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/02 Amplifying systems for the deaf
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/15 Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction

Abstract

A method for providing sound to at least one user, in which audio signals are captured and transformed into audio data that is transmitted to at least one receiver unit; audio signals are generated from the received audio data and the hearing of the user(s) stimulated thereby; wherein the audio data is transmitted as audio data packets in separate slots of a TDMA frame structure, wherein the transmission unit and the receiver unit(s) are synchronized to form a wireless network, wherein each TDMA frame structure has at least one listening slot during which the synchronized network members do not transmit data and at least one network members listens, and wherein control data is transmitted from an external control device according to a sequence pattern selected according to the duration and periodicity of the listening slot(s) to be received by the at least one synchronized network member during said listening slot(s).

Claims

1. A method for providing sound, the method comprising:

converting received audio into audio data;

transmitting the audio data via a digital wireless link from a transmission unit to a receiver unit;

synchronizing the receiver unit and the transmitting unit to form a wireless network comprising the transmission unit and the receiver unit as synchronized network members;

providing sound to a user based at least partially on the audio data received at the receiver unit,

wherein the audio data is transmitted as audio data packets in separate slots of a frame structure,

wherein the frame structure comprises a listening slot during which at least one of the synchronized network members listens; and

transmitting control data from an external control device to the receiver unit in a control data block

wherein the control data block has a length that includes at least two repeated control data packets,

wherein the listening slot has a length at least twice the length of the control data block, and

wherein the external control device is not a synchronized network member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio data is repeated at least once in the separate slots of the frame structure during the transmission.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the listening slot is at least twice the duration of the transmission of the control data from the external device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is at least one of the following:

a television;

a mobile phone;

a portable music streaming device;

a FM radio;

a telephone;

or

a body-worn microphone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital link operates on at least one of the following frequencies:

865 MHz;

915 MHz;

or

2.45 GHz.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the audio data further comprises:

implementing a frequency hopping scheme,

wherein each slot is transmitted at a different frequency accordingly to a frequency hopping sequence based on a pseudo-random algorithm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the external control device is a remote control.

8. A system for providing sound, the system comprising:

an audio receiving device, wherein the audio receiving device is configured to;

receive audio sounds and convert the audio sounds to audio data;

transmit the audio data via a digital wireless link,

wherein the audio data is transmitted as audio data packets in separate slots of a frame structure,

wherein the frame structure comprises a listening slot during which at least one of the synchronized network members listens;

a listening device, wherein the listening device is configured to;

receive the transmitted audio data and provide an output audio signal to a user;

synchronize the audio receiving device and the listening device to form a wireless network comprising the audio receiving device and the listening device as synchronized network members;

and

a remote control device configured to transmit control data to the listening device or the audio receiving device in a control data block

wherein the control data block has a length that includes at least two repeated control data packets,

wherein the listening slot has a length at least twice the length of the control data block, and

wherein the remote control device is not a synchronized network member.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the audio receiving unit is at least one of the following:

a television;

a mobile phone;

a portable music streaming device;

a FM radio;

a telephone;

or

a body-worn microphone.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the remote control device is a remote control.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the audio receiving device is further configured to:

implement a frequency hopping scheme,

wherein each slot is transmitted at a different frequency accordingly to a frequency hopping sequence based on a pseudo-random algorithm.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the listening device is a hearing aid.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the audio receiving device is further configured to transmit repeated audio data packets at least once in the separate slots of the frame structure.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the listening device is further configured to not acknowledge receipt of the audio data packets.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium cause a system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

converting received audio into audio data;

transmitting the audio data via a digital wireless link from a transmission unit to a receiver unit;

synchronizing the receiver unit and the transmitting unit to form a wireless network comprising the transmission unit and the receiver unit as synchronized network members;

providing sound to a user based at least partially on the audio data received at the receiver unit,

wherein the audio data is transmitted as audio data packets in separate slots of a frame structure,

wherein the frame structure comprises a listening slot during which at least one of the synchronized network members listens; and

transmitting control data from an external control device to the receiver unit in a control data block

wherein the control data block has a length that includes at least two repeated control data packets,

wherein the listening slot has a length at least twice the length of the control data block, and

wherein the external control device is not a synchronized network member.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the audio data is repeated at least once in the separate slots of the frame structure during the transmission.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the listening slot is at least twice the duration of the transmission of the control data from the external device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the transmission unit is at least one of the following:

a television;

a mobile phone;

a portable music streaming device;

a FM radio;

a telephone;

or

body-worn microphone.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein transmitting the audio data further comprises:

implementing a frequency hopping scheme,

wherein each slot is transmitted at a different frequency accordingly to a frequency hopping sequence based on a pseudo-random algorithm.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the receiver unit does not acknowledge receipt of the audio data packets.