HEARING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM INCLUDING DATA LOGGING CAPABILITY AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20080101635A1
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: MARQUIS, Francois, DIJKSTRA, Evert
• Granted Patent: US 8,077,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/39 Aspects relating to automatic logging of sound environment parameters and the performance of the hearing aid during use, e.g. histogram logging, or of user selected programs or settings in the hearing aid, e.g. usage logging
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

There is provided a method of operating a system for providing hearing assistance to a user (101), comprising: capturing and processing audio signals by a transmission unit (102) and transmitting the audio signals from the transmission unit (102) via a wireless audio link to a receiver unit (103); processing the received audio signals in the receiver unit (103); stimulating the user'"'"'s hearing, by stimulating means (38, 136) worn at or in the user'"'"'s ear, according to the audio signals from the receiver unit (103); logging data by recording the values of at least one operation parameter of the transmission unit (102) and/or the receiver unit (103) as a function of time and/or by recording data derived from the values of at least one operation parameter of the transmission unit (102) and/or the receiver unit (103) as a function of time in the transmission unit (102); and reading the logged data from the transmission unit (102).

Claims

1. A method of operating a system for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising:

(a) capturing and processing audio signals by a transmission unit and transmitting said audio signals from said transmission unit via a wireless audio link to a receiver unit;

(b) processing the received audio signals in said receiver unit;

(c) stimulating a hearing of said user, by stimulating means worn at or in an ear of said user, according to said processed audio signals from said receiver unit;

(d) logging data by at least one of recording values of at least one operation parameter of at least one of said transmission unit and said receiver unit as a function of time and recording data derived from values of at least one operation parameter of at least one of said transmission unit and said receiver unit as a function of time in said transmission unit; and

(e) reading said logged data from said transmission unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmission unit is a remote device used spaced apart from said user by another person.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmission unit is a device which is worn at a body of said user spaced apart from a head of said user and used by said user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said data derived from said values of at least one operation parameter of said transmission unit as a function of time is a time-average of said least one operation parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said data derived from said values of at least one operation parameter of said transmission unit as a function of time is a time-integrated value of said least one operation parameter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said logged data includes a total time of operation of said transmission unit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio signals are analyzed by a classification unit of said transmission unit prior to being transmitted in order to determine a present auditory scene category from a plurality of auditory scene categories.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said logged data includes said determined auditory scene categories.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein control commands for controlling operation of said receiver unit are transmitted from said transmission unit via a wireless data link to said receiver unit.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said data link and said audio link are realized as a common frequency modulated link with shared bandwidth.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said control commands are generated by manual operation of said transmission unit by said user or automatically according to a result of an auditory scene analysis performed in said transmission unit on audio signals captured by said transmission unit.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said logged data includes said control commands transmitted from said transmission unit.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said control commands include parameter settings for processing of said received audio signals in said receiver unit.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said logged data includes transmitted settings of parameters for said processing of said received audio signals in said receiver unit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said parameter settings include a value of a gain to be applied to said audio signals in said receiver unit.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said audio signals are captured by a microphone arrangement of said transmission unit.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said audio signal processing in said transmission unit is carried out according to one mode presently selected from a plurality of audio signal processing modes, and wherein said logged data includes said presently selected mode.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said logged data includes a total time of use of each of said audio signal processing modes.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said logged data includes an ambient acoustical noise level for each of said audio signal processing modes.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said logged data includes a time-averaged signal to noise ratio for each of said audio signal processing modes.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said presently selected audio signal processing mode is selected manually by said user or automatically according to a result of an auditory scene analysis performed on audio signals captured by said transmission unit.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said microphone arrangement of said transmission unit includes at least two spaced apart microphones and wherein said audio signal processing in said transmission unit includes acoustic beam forming according to one of a plurality of beam forming modes.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said acoustic beam forming modes are distinguished by a degree of acoustic beam forming.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein said logged data includes at least one parameter used in said audio signal processing performed in said transmission unit.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein said audio signals are captured by said transmission unit from a remote source via an audio input of said transmission unit.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said logged data includes a total time of capturing said audio signals via said audio input.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein said audio signals are captured by said transmission unit from a remote source via a wireless audio link.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the logged data includes a total time of capturing said audio signals via said wireless audio link from said remote source.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein an audio output of said receiver unit is connected to an audio input of a hearing instrument comprising said stimulation means and a microphone arrangement.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said audio input of said hearing instrument is in parallel to said microphone arrangement of said hearing instrument and wherein an output impedance of said receiver unit is controlled according to control commands received from said transmission unit in order to switch between a first receiver mode in which said output impedance of said receiver unit is low in order to mute said microphone arrangement of said hearing instrument and a second receiver mode in which said output impedance of said receiver unit is high in order to mix said audio signals from said receiver unit with audio signals captured by said microphone arrangement of said hearing instrument.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said logged data includes a total time during which said first receiver mode is set by said transmission unit.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said logged data includes the total time during which said second receiver mode is set by said transmission unit.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein said logged data includes a noise level in each of said first receiver mode and said second receiver mode.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein said logged data includes a time-averaged signal to noise ratio in each of said first receiver mode and said second receiver mode.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiver unit is integrated within a hearing instrument comprising said stimulation means and a microphone arrangement.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiver unit comprises said stimulation means.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein said logged data is read via a wired interface.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein said logged data is read via a wireless link.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said logged data is read via a modulation of an audio channel of said audio link.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein said logged data read from said transmission unit is supplied as input to an internet expert system.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein data to be logged in said transmission unit is sent via a wireless data link from said receiver unit to said transmission unit.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said wireless data link is part of a bidirectional data link between said transmission unit and said receiver unit for sending a polling signal from said transmission unit to said receiver unit, whereupon status information data regarding operation of said receiver unit is sent from said receiver unit to said transmission unit order to monitor a status of said receiver unit.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said logged data includes at least one of status information data regarding said status of said receiver unit as a function of time and the times of sending said polling signal.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein said status information data includes at least one of a signal strength of said audio link, a presence and an extent of interfering signals, a battery status of said receiver unit and the proper functioning of said stimulating means.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein a real time clock signal is generated in said transmission unit and is regularly sent via a wireless data channel from said transmission unit to said receiver unit in order to regularly synchronize a timer of said receiver unit to said clock signal of said transmission unit.

46. A method of operating a system for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising:

(a) capturing and processing audio signals by a transmission unit and transmitting said audio signals from said transmission unit via a wireless audio link to a receiver unit;

(b) processing the received audio signals in said receiver unit;

(c) stimulating a hearing of said user, by stimulating means worn at or in an ear of said user, according to said processed audio signals from said receiver unit;

(d) logging data by at least one of recording values of at least one operation parameter of at least one of said transmission unit and said receiver unit as a function of time and recording data derived from values of at least one operation parameter of at least one of said transmission unit and said receiver unit as a function of time in the receiver unit; and

(e) reading said logged data from said receiver unit.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein said logged data includes at least one of a signal strength of said audio link as detected by said receiver unit, a presence and an extent of interfering signals, a battery status of said receiver unit and a proper functioning of said stimulating means.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein at least one of values of at least one operation parameter of said transmission unit as a function of time and data derived from said values of at least one operation parameter of said transmission unit as a function of time are sent from said transmission unit via a wireless data link to said receiver unit in order to be recorded as logged data in said receiver unit.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein said logged data is read via a wired programming interface.

50. The method of claim 46, wherein said logged data is read via a wireless link.

51. A system for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising:

a transmission unit for capturing and processing audio signals and transmitting said audio signals via a wireless audio link, a receiver unit for receiving and processing said audio signals from said transmission unit via said wireless link;

stimulating means worn at or in an ear of said user for stimulating a hearing of said user according to said processed audio signals from said receiver unit, means for logging data by at least one of recording values of at least one operation parameter of at least one of said transmission unit and said receiver unit as a function of time and recording data derived from the values of at least one operation parameter of at least one of said transmission unit and said receiver unit as a function of time in said transmission unit; and

means for reading said logged data from said transmission unit.

52. A system for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising:

a transmission unit for capturing and processing audio signals and transmitting said audio signals via a wireless audio link, a receiver unit for receiving and processing said audio signals from said transmission unit via said wireless link;

stimulating means worn at or in an ear of said user for stimulating a hearing of said user according to said processed audio signals from said receiver unit, means for logging data by at least one of recording values of at least one operation parameter of at least one of said transmission unit and said receiver unit as a function of time and recording data derived from said values of at least one operation parameter of at least one of said transmission unit and said receiver unit as a function of time in said receiver unit; and

means for reading said logged data from said receiver unit.