Hearing aid configured to be operating in a communication system

• US 10,149,075 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Porsbo, Michael, Rosenstand, Jens, Sandholm, Per
• Primary Examiner(s): Joshi, Sunita
• Application Number:
  US15/445,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20170257712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 381315
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/33 Aspects relating to adaptation of the battery voltage, e.g. its regulation, increase or decrease
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/45 Prevention of acoustic reaction, i.e. acoustic oscillatory feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/55 using an external connection, either wireless or wired
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication system comprising a hearing aid, a communication unit, a relay server, a rule processing server, and at least one external device, wherein the rule processing server comprises a data communication interface to communicate with said relay server and with a plurality of external devices over a plurality of data communication channels, a rule processor, and a rule base comprising a set of rules, each rule defining an action to be triggered in response to a trigger event. Said rule processor is configured to generate an action request signal in response to an event signal representing a trigger event. Said action request signal is configured to cause an action of at least one of the hearing aid, the communication unit, the relay server or the external device, and wherein said action request signal carries information that designates at least one of said devices and at least one action to be performed of said at least one device. Said communication system further comprises an event detector that is configured to detect a trigger event and to generate the event signal in response to a detection of the trigger event.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a hearing aid,

a communication unit,

a relay server,

a rule processing server, and

at least one external device,

wherein said hearing aid comprises

a microphone,

a sound signal processor,

an output transducer, and

a signal interface,

said microphone, said output transducer and said signal interface being operatively connected to said sound signal processor,

said microphone being configured to convert an acoustic sound signal into an electric sound signal,

said sound signal processor being configured to process said electric sound signal and to provide a processed electric sound signal to said output transducer,

said output transducer being configured to convert said processed electric sound into a mechanical signal, and

said sound signal processor being further configured to process signals received via said signal interface;

wherein said communication unit comprises

a signal transmission and/or receiving means to transmit and/or receive signals to and/or from said hearing aid via said signal interface,

a communication unit interface that is configured to receive and/or transmit data from and/or to said relay server; and

an application software that is configured to establish communication to said relay server via the communication unit interface and to said hearing aid via the signal transmission and/or receiving means,

wherein said relay server

comprises a network interface being at least indirectly connected to said rule processing server and one or more other rule processing servers, and

is at least indirectly connected to a communication gateway for communicating wirelessly with said communication unit interface of said communication unit dedicated to said relay server;

wherein said rule processing server comprises

a data communication interface to communicate with said relay server and with a plurality of external devices over a plurality of data communication channels,

a rule processor, and

a rule base comprising a set of rules, each rule defining an action to be triggered in response to a trigger event,

said rule processor being configured to generate an action request signal in response to an event signal representing a trigger event being associated to a rule of said set of rules,

said action request signal being configured to cause an action of at least one device of a device group comprising the hearing aid, the communication unit, the relay server and/or the external device,

said action request signal carrying information that designates at least one of said devices and at least one action to be performed of said at least one device,

said rule processing server being configured to dispatch said action request signal to a respective device of said device group via at least one of said plurality of data communication channels,

said communication system further comprising an event detector that is configured to detect a trigger event and to generate the event signal in response to a detection of the trigger event,

said event detector being part of said hearing aid and including an accelerometer that allows detection of predefined spatial positions of the hearing aid and/or specific head motions of the wearer.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit or the relay server or the hearing aid further comprise a sound signal memory, which is configured to store data representing at least one predefined sound signal that can be processed by the sound processor of the hearing aid and cause the hearing aid to put out an audible acoustic sound signal, and

wherein the action request signal is configured to cause the communication unit or the relay server to transmit said predefined sound signal to the hearing aid, and/or where the action request signal is configured to cause the hearing aid to transmit said predefined sound signal to said sound signal processor of the hearing aid.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the relay server is at least indirectly connected to a plurality of communication gateways for communicating with a corresponding plurality of communication units, wherein each communication unit comprises a signal transmission and/or receiving means to transmit and/or receive signals to and/or from a respective hearing aid.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the relay server is further configured to dispatch the action request signal to at least one of said hearing aids connected to said relay server according to the respective rule of said set of rules.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the action request signal comprises a representation of a sound signal.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising another event detector that is a part of the external device and is configured to detect

a beginning or end of a predefined process performed by the external device, or

a storing of a predefined content or a predefined content characteristic on a memory that is functionally connected to the external device, or

an activation or deactivation of the external device, or

a combination thereof

as a trigger event.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the action request signal carries information that designates an activation or a deactivation of the external device or of the hearing aid, or a predefined change of a sound level provided by the hearing aid.

8. A hearing aid configured for being used in a communication system according to claim 1, the hearing aid comprising

a microphone,

a sound signal processor,

an output transducer,

a signal interface, and

an event detector including an accelerometer that allows detection of predefined spatial positions of the hearing aid and/or specific head motions of the wearer, wherein

said microphone, said output transducer and said signal interface being operatively connected to said sound signal processor,

said microphone being configured to convert an acoustic sound signal into an electric sound signal,

said sound signal processor being configured to process said electric sound signal and to provide a processed electric sound signal to said output transducer,

said output transducer being configured to convert said processed electric sound signal into a mechanical signal,

said sound signal processor being further configured to process signals received via said signal interface, and

said event detector is configured to detect a predefined trigger event based on the spatial position of the hearing aid and/or head motion of the wearer and to generate an event signal in response to a detection of such a predefined trigger event,

wherein the event detector is further configured to provide the event signal such that the event signal is transmitted via the signal interface of the hearing aid.

9. The hearing aid according to claim 8, wherein the event detector forms a part of the hearing aid and is configured to further detect a change of a power level of the hearing aid under or above a predefined power level, a change of a feedback level determined by the hearing aid under or above a predefined feedback level, a malfunction of a component of the hearing aid, a current operation of a manual user input interface of the hearing aid, a reception of signals from the communication unit, the end of a measuring period of a biosensor arranged within the hearing aid and functionally connected with the sound signal processor, or a combination thereof as a trigger event.

14. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the relay server is at least indirectly connected to a plurality of communication gateways for communicating with a corresponding plurality of communication units, wherein each communication unit comprises a signal transmission and/or receiving means to transmit and/or receive signals to and/or from a respective hearing aid.

15. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the action request signal comprises a representation of a sound signal.

16. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the action request signal comprises a representation of a sound signal.

17. The communication system according to claim 2, further comprising another event detector that is a part of an external device and is configured to detect

a beginning or end of a predefined process performed by the external device, or

a storing of a predefined content or a predefined content characteristic on a memory that is functionally connected to the external device, or

an activation or deactivation of the external device, or

a combination thereof

as a trigger event.

18. The communication system according to claim 3, further comprising another event detector that is a part of an external device and is configured to detect

a beginning or end of a predefined process performed by the external device, or

a storing of a predefined content or a predefined content characteristic on a memory that is functionally connected to the external device, or

an activation or deactivation of the external device, or

a combination thereof

as a trigger event.

19. The communication system according to claim 4, further comprising another event detector that is a part of an external device and is configured to detect

a beginning or end of a predefined process performed by the external device, or

a storing of a predefined content or a predefined content characteristic on a memory that is functionally connected to the external device, or

an activation or deactivation of the external device, or

a combination thereof

as a trigger event.

10. A method for operating a communication system that comprises a hearing aid, a communication unit, a relay server, a rule processing server, and at least one external device, wherein the hearing aid comprises a microphone, a sound signal processor, an output transducer and a signal interface, the method comprises the steps of:

detecting a trigger event based on a spatial position of the hearing aid and/or a head motion of the wearer detected by an event detector including an accelerometer, the event detector being part of the hearing aid,

generating an event signal upon detection of said trigger event, said event signal being indicative of a detected trigger event,

generating an action request signal in response to an event signal based on a set of rules that define which action request signal is to be generated in response to a particular trigger event signal,

dispatching the action request signal to an external device, the relay server, the communication unit or the heating aid, and

performing an action as specified by the action request signal by the external device, the relay server, the communication unit or the hearing aid, respectively.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting a trigger event and generating an event signal is performed by the hearing aid and the event signal is dispatched to the rule processing server.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the action request signal is dispatched to the hearing aid and the hearing aid puts out an audio signal upon reception of the action request signal.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the action request signal is dispatched to the relay server or the communication unit and the relay server or the communication unit, respectively, transmits a predefined sound signal as specified by the action request signal to the hearing aid upon reception of the action request signal.