Hearing augmentation systems and methods

• US 10,341,791 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2017
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: K/S HIMPP
• Original Assignee: K/S HIMPP
• Inventors: Simonides, Ted, Manser, Steve, Keller, Dan, Wuensch, Larry, Kisch, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Sean H
• Application Number:
  US15/424,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20170230763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 381315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• 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 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

Various systems and methods are disclosed herein to increase the quality of the sound delivered to a user and allow personalization to optimize listening performance and comfort under atypical listening conditions, environment specific adjustment, and data capture to assist in the personalization of the system to the user'"'"'s needs and preferences. Features disclosed include sound level rating systems that aggregate noise data detected by user'"'"'s mobile phones or hearing devices to provide a database of real-time noise levels. Additionally, a user'"'"'s sound settings may be saved in the system by location so that they may be recalled when re-entering a specific location. A remote clinician may tune a hearing device, or a user can tune the device using a pre-recorded audio sample. Also, a user may replay the last X seconds of audio recorded by their hearing device.

Claims

1. A hearing system capable of replaying recent sound data recorded by the hearing system, the hearing system comprising:

a speaker configured to direct sound into a user'"'"'s ear;

a microphone configured to detect ambient sound and generate an audio signal representing the ambient sound that is recorded as audio data in sets of audio data blocks;

a memory comprising a machine readable medium that stores machine executable code instructions and said audio data in the sets of audio data blocks; and

a control system coupled to the memory, the control system configured to execute the machine executable code instructions to cause the control system to perform the functions of;

selecting a predetermined length of the audio data that comprises one or more of the sets of the audio data blocks, so that the predetermined length of the audio data is the same length or longer than each audio data block of the sets of audio data blocks, the process of selecting the predetermined length of the audio data comprising referencing most recently recorded audio data blocks from the sets of audio data blocks until the predetermined length of the audio data is achieved;

replaying the predetermined length of audio data upon receiving an instruction to replay the audio data; and

transmitting the predetermined length of audio data to a mobile device configured to store the predetermined length of audio data.

2. The hearing device of claim 1, wherein the process of replaying the predetermined length of audio data is performed through the speaker.

3. The hearing device of claim 1, wherein the process of replaying the predetermined length of audio data is performed through a second speaker on the mobile device.

4. The hearing device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined length is adjustable.

5. The hearing device of claim 1, wherein the memory includes a buffer.

6. The hearing device of claim 1, wherein the replay instruction is received from the mobile device.

7. A method for using a hearing system to replay recent sound data recorded by the hearing system the method comprising:

detecting ambient sound with a microphone;

generating audio data representing the ambient sound that comprises sets of audio data blocks;

a computer program product comprising machine executable code instructions executable to cause operations comprising;

selecting a predetermined length of the audio data that comprises one or more of the sets of audio data blocks, so that the predetermined length of the audio data is the same length or longer than each audio data block of the sets of audio data blocks, the process of selecting the predetermined length of audio data comprising referencing most recent audio data blocks of the sets of audio data blocks until the predetermined length of the audio data is achieved;

replaying the predetermined length of audio data upon receiving a command to replay the audio data; and

transmitting the predetermined length of audio data to a mobile device configured to store the predetermined length of audio data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising replaying the predetermined length of audio data through the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined length is adjustable.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the replay command is received from the mobile device.