EXTERNAL EAR CANAL VOICE DETECTION

• US 20110195676A1
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Victorian, Thomas A., Preves, David A., Bradley, J. Virgil
• Granted Patent: US 9,036,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/90.3
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• 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 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

Ear-level full duplex audio communication systems each include one or two ear attachment devices, such as in-the-ear (ITE) or behind-the-ear (BTE) devices, that wirelessly communicates to a remote device such as a computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a walkie talkie, or a language translator. When used as a hearing aid, such a system allows a hearing impaired individual to communicate with or through the remote device, such as to talk to another person through a cellular phone. When being used as an ear piece wirelessly extended from the remote device, such system allows an individual with normal hearing to privately communicate with or through the remote device without the need of holding the device or wearing any device wired to the remote device. Each ear attachment device includes a voice operated exchange (VOX), housed within the device, to preserve energy and hence, maximize the period between battery replacement or recharges. The VOX also gates various sounds detected by the system to control possible echoes and ringing.

Claims

1. A communication system configured to transmit sounds to and from an ear canal, the system comprising:

an ear canal microphone configured to receive a local sound from about the ear canal when being placed in the ear canal;

an ear canal speaker configured to transmit a processed remote sound to the ear canal, a processor coupled to the ear canal microphone and the ear canal speaker, the processor configured to process the local sound and the remote sound;

a transceiver coupled to the processor, the transceiver configured to transmit a first wireless signal representing the local sound and receive a second wireless signal representing the remote sound;

a voice operated exchange (VOX) circuit coupled to the processor, the VOX circuit configured to activate voice-activated portions of the system in response to detection of at least one of the local sound and the remote sound.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising an earmold housing the ear canal microphone, the ear canal speaker, the processor, the transceiver, and the VOX circuit, the earmold configured for use as an in-the-ear (ITE) device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the VOX circuit is configured to gate the occluded and the remote sound according to programmed gating coordination rules.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an external microphone coupled to the processor, the external microphone configured to receive an ambient sound from outside the ear canal, and wherein the processor is configured to process the local sound, the remote sound, and the ambient sound, the ear canal speaker is configured to transmit the processed remote sound and the processed ambient sound to the ear canal, and the VOX circuit is configured to power the voice-activated portions of the system in response to detection of at least one of the local sound, the remote sound, and the ambient sound and gate the local sound, the remote sound, and the ambient sound according to programmed gating coordination rules.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the VOX circuit is configured to deactivate the voice-activated portions of the system if none of the local sound, the remote sound, and the ambient sound is detected for a predetermined period of time.

6. The system of claim 4, comprising a hearing aid including the ear canal microphone, the ear canal speaker, the external microphone, the processor, the wireless transceiver, and the VOX circuit, the hearing aid configured for use as an in-the-ear (ITE) device

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the hearing aid is configured for use as an in-the-canal (ITC) device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the hearing aid is configured for use as a completely-in-the-canal (CIC) device.

9. The system of claim 4, comprising a hearing aid including the ear canal microphone, the ear canal speaker, the external microphone, the processor, the wireless transceiver, and the VOX circuit, the hearing aid configured for use as a behind-the-ear (BTE) device

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the VOX circuit comprises:

a local sound gating module configured to blank or substantially attenuate the local sound;

a remote sound gating module configured to blank or substantially attenuate the remote sound;

an ambient sound gating module configured to blank or substantially attenuate the ambient sound; and

a controller configured to coordinate the local sound gating module, the remote sound gating module, and the ambient sound gating module according to the programmed gating coordination rules.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to configured to coordinate the local sound gating module, the remote sound gating module, and the ambient sound gating module such that the local sound is gated off, the remote sound is gated on, and the ambient sound is gated off when the incoming radio signal is detected while the local sound is not detected.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to configured to coordinate the local sound gating module, the remote sound gating module, and the ambient sound gating module such that the local sound is gated off, the remote sound is gated on, and the ambient sound is gated on when the incoming radio signal is detected while the local sound is not detected.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to configured to coordinate the local sound gating module, the remote sound gating module, and the ambient sound gating module such that the local sound is gated on, the remote is gated sound off, and the ambient sound is gated off when the local sound is detected while the incoming radio signal is not detected.

14. A method, comprising:

detecting a local sound from about an ear canal using an ear canal microphone of an ear-level communication device, the ear canal microphone placed in the ear canal;

transmitting the detected local sound as an outgoing wireless signal to a remote device.

detecting a remote sound represented by an incoming wireless signal from the remote device;

transmitting the remote sound to the ear canal using an ear canal speaker of the ear-level communication device;

starting a voice operated exchange (VOX) in the ear-level communication device in response to detection of at least one of the local sound and the remote sound; and

stopping the VOX if none of the local sound and the remote sound is detected for a predetermined period of time.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising gating the occluded sound and the remote sound to prevent the remote sound from being detected by the ear canal microphone and transmitted to the remote device.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting an ambient sound from outside the ear canal using an external microphone and transmitting the ambient sound to the ear canal using the ear canal speaker, and wherein starting the VOX comprises starting the VOX in response to detection of at least one of the local sound, the incoming radio signal, and the ambient sound.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising gating the local sound off, gating the remote sound on, and gating the ambient sound off, when the incoming radio signal is detected while the local sound is not detected.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising gating the local sound off, gating the remote sound on, and gating the ambient sound on, when the incoming radio signal is detected while the local sound is not detected.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising gating the local sound on, gating the remote sound off, and gating the ambient sound off, when the local sound is detected while the incoming radio signal is not detected.

20. The method of claim 14, comprising receiving the incoming wireless signal from at least one of a computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a walkie talkie, or a language translator.