Synchronised binaural hearing system
First Claim
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1. A binaural hearing system comprising a first and a second hearing prosthesis adapted for wireless bi-directional communication of digital data signals;
- the first hearing prosthesis comprises;
a first microphone adapted to generate a first input signal in response to receiving acoustic signals, a first analogue-to-digital converter adapted to sample the first input signal by a first sampling clock signal to generate a first digital input signal, a first clock generator adapted to generate a coding clock signal, a data rate clock signal and the first sampling clock signal synchronously with respect to each other, a first sequence generator adapted to generate a repetitive coding sequence synchronously to the coding clock signal, first data generating means adapted to provide a first data signal synchronously to the data rate clock signal, a first wireless transceiver adapted to receive and modulate the first data signal with the repetitive coding sequence to transmit a first modulated data signal to a second wireless transceiver of the second hearing prosthesis and to retrieve a second data signal from a second modulated data signal received from the second wireless transceiver, first output means adapted to convert a first processed data signal to a first acoustical or electrical output signal; and
the second hearing prosthesis comprises;
a second microphone adapted to generate a second input signal in response to receiving acoustic signals, a second analogue-to-digital converter adapted to sample the second input signal by a second sampling clock signal to generate a second digital input signal, a second sequence generator adapted to generate a version of the repetitive coding sequence of the first sequence generator synchronously to a second coding clock signal, second data generating means adapted to provide a second data signal synchronously to a retrieved clock signal, a second wireless transceiver adapted to receive the first modulated data signal from the first wireless transceiver and to modulate the second data signal with the version of the repetitive coding sequence to transmit a second modulated data signal to the first wireless transceiver, second clock and data retrieval means adapted to lock onto the first modulated data signal to retrieve the first data signal and to generate the second sampling clock signal and the retrieved clock signal, synchronously to the first coding clock signal, by correlating said first modulated data signal with the version of the repetitive coding sequence, second output means adapted to convert a second processed data signal to a first acoustical or electrical output signal;
whereby the respective sampling clock signals of the hearing prostheses are synchronised in time so as to provide a hearing system with synchronous sampling of the respective microphone input signals.
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Abstract
A wireless binaural hearing aid system that utilises direct sequence spread spectrum technology to synchronise operation between individual hearing prostheses is provided.
68 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A binaural hearing system comprising a first and a second hearing prosthesis adapted for wireless bi-directional communication of digital data signals;
- the first hearing prosthesis comprises;
a first microphone adapted to generate a first input signal in response to receiving acoustic signals, a first analogue-to-digital converter adapted to sample the first input signal by a first sampling clock signal to generate a first digital input signal, a first clock generator adapted to generate a coding clock signal, a data rate clock signal and the first sampling clock signal synchronously with respect to each other, a first sequence generator adapted to generate a repetitive coding sequence synchronously to the coding clock signal, first data generating means adapted to provide a first data signal synchronously to the data rate clock signal, a first wireless transceiver adapted to receive and modulate the first data signal with the repetitive coding sequence to transmit a first modulated data signal to a second wireless transceiver of the second hearing prosthesis and to retrieve a second data signal from a second modulated data signal received from the second wireless transceiver, first output means adapted to convert a first processed data signal to a first acoustical or electrical output signal; and
the second hearing prosthesis comprises;
a second microphone adapted to generate a second input signal in response to receiving acoustic signals, a second analogue-to-digital converter adapted to sample the second input signal by a second sampling clock signal to generate a second digital input signal, a second sequence generator adapted to generate a version of the repetitive coding sequence of the first sequence generator synchronously to a second coding clock signal, second data generating means adapted to provide a second data signal synchronously to a retrieved clock signal, a second wireless transceiver adapted to receive the first modulated data signal from the first wireless transceiver and to modulate the second data signal with the version of the repetitive coding sequence to transmit a second modulated data signal to the first wireless transceiver, second clock and data retrieval means adapted to lock onto the first modulated data signal to retrieve the first data signal and to generate the second sampling clock signal and the retrieved clock signal, synchronously to the first coding clock signal, by correlating said first modulated data signal with the version of the repetitive coding sequence, second output means adapted to convert a second processed data signal to a first acoustical or electrical output signal;
whereby the respective sampling clock signals of the hearing prostheses are synchronised in time so as to provide a hearing system with synchronous sampling of the respective microphone input signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- the first hearing prosthesis comprises;
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10. A wireless synchronised hearing aid system comprising a first and a second hearing prosthesis, wherein the first hearing prosthesis comprises:
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a first microphone adapted to generate a first input signal in response to receiving acoustic signals, a first analogue-to-digital converter adapted to sample the first input signal by a first sampling clock signal to generate a first digital input signal, a first clock generator adapted to generate a coding clock signal and a first sampling clock signal synchronously with respect to each other, a first sequence generator adapted to generate a repetitive coding sequence synchronously to the coding clock signal, a first wireless transmitter adapted to transmit a synchronisation signal based on the repetitive coding sequence to a second wireless receiver of the second hearing prosthesis, a first Digital Signal Processor and first output means, operated synchronously to the the coding clock signal, and adapted to process the second digital input signal in accordance with a predetermined second signal processing algorithm to provide a first acoustical output signal; and
the second hearing prosthesis comprises;
a second microphone adapted to generate a second input signal in response to receiving acoustic signals, a second analogue-to-digital converter adapted to sample the second input signal by a second sampling clock signal to generate a second digital input signal, a second sequence generator adapted to generate a version of the repetitive coding sequence of the first sequence generator synchronously to a retrieved clock signal, the second wireless receiver being adapted to receive the synchronisation signal and retrieve the repetitive coding sequence, second clock retrieval means adapted to lock onto the synchronisation signal to retrieve to generate the retrieved clock signal and the second sampling clock signal, synchronously to the first coding clock signal, by correlating said synchronisation signal with the version of the repetitive coding sequence, a second Digital Signal Processor and second output means, operated synchronously to the retrieved clock signal, and adapted to process the second digital input signal in accordance with a predetermined second signal processing algorithm to provide a second acoustical output signal;
whereby the hearing prostheses are operated in a time-synchronised manner so as to provide a DSP based hearing aid system with matched signal delay through the hearing prostheses. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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Specification