WIRELESS BINAURAL HEARING SYSTEM

• US 20120121095A1
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Popovski, Petar, Hansen, Peter S.K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,860,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/23.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• 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

Abstract

A binaural healing system includes a left-ear hearing device, a right-ear hearing device and an auxiliary device. The auxiliary device has a connected mode wherein it transmits data messages and a disconnected mode wherein it does not transmit data messages, and the auxiliary device is adapted to enable the connected mode in dependence on receiving beacon messages, to synchronise its transmission of data messages with received beacon messages and to enable the disconnected mode in dependence on not receiving beacon messages. To avoid disconnection of the auxiliary device S during gaps, the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device are adapted to alternatingly transmit the beacon messages.

Claims

1. A binaural hearing system (1) comprising a left-ear hearing device (L), a right-ear hearing device (R) and an auxiliary device (S), each of the hearing devices (L, R) being arrangeable at or in a corresponding ear of an individual, the hearing devices (L, R) and the auxiliary device (S) being adapted to communicate with each other in a network by transmitting and receiving messages (34, 36, 37, 39, 42) within a predefined radio frequency range, the hearing system (1) comprising a network master (L, R) being adapted to repeatedly transmit beacon messages (34), the auxiliary device (S) having a connected mode wherein it transmits data messages (36, 37) and a disconnected mode wherein it does not transmit data messages (36, 37), the auxiliary device (S) being adapted to enable the connected mode in dependence on receiving beacon messages (34), to synchronise its transmission of data messages (36, 37) with received beacon messages (34) and to enable the disconnected mode in dependence on not receiving beacon messages (34), characterised in that the network master (L, R) comprises the left-ear hearing device (L) and the right-ear hearing device (R) and in that the left-ear hearing device (L) and the right-ear hearing device (R) are adapted to alternatingly transmit the beacon messages (34).

2. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary device (S) is adapted to enable the connected mode independently of which of the hearing devices (L, R) transmitted the received beacon messages (34).

3. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the hearing devices (L, R) is adapted to synchronise its transmission of beacon messages (34) with beacon messages (34) received from the respective other hearing device (L, R).

4. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1 and further comprising a broadcast device (B) adapted to transmit broadcast messages (42) within the predefined radio frequency range, wherein the network master (L, R) is adapted to synchronise its transmission of beacon messages (34) with broadcast messages (42) received from the broadcast device (B).

5. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the hearing devices (L, R) is adapted to change the rate of its transmission of beacon messages (34) in dependence on receiving beacon messages (34) from the respective other hearing device (L, R).

6. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, wherein each of the hearing devices (L, R) is adapted to connect the auxiliary device (S) to the network by executing an initialisation procedure, to maintain a record of connected auxiliary devices (S) and to transmit information on connected auxiliary devices (S) to the respective other hearing device (L, R).

7. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary device (S) is further adapted to relay network data received from one of the hearing devices (L, R) to the respective other hearing device (L, R).

8. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the predefined radio frequency range is subdivided into a number of frequency sub-ranges and wherein the beacon messages (34) are transmitted within changing frequency sub-ranges according to a frequency hopping scheme.

9. A first hearing device (L, R) being arrangeable at or in an ear of an individual, the first hearing device (L, R) being adapted to receive from a second hearing device (L, R) beacon messages (34) within a predefined radio frequency range, characterised in that the first hearing device (L, R) is adapted to transmit beacon messages (34) within the predefined radio frequency range and alternatingly with the received beacon messages (34).

10. A first hearing device (L, R) according to claim 9 and further being adapted to synchronise its transmission of beacon messages (34) with beacon messages (34) received from the second hearing device (L, R).

11. An auxiliary device (S) being adapted to communicate with two hearing devices (L, R) by transmitting and receiving messages (34, 36, 37, 39, 42) within a predefined radio frequency range, the hearing devices (L, R) being arranged at or in corresponding ears of an individual and being adapted to alternatingly transmit beacon messages (34), the auxiliary device (S) having a connected mode wherein it transmits data messages (36, 37) and a disconnected mode wherein it does not transmit data messages (36, 37), the auxiliary device (S) being adapted to enable the connected mode in dependence on receiving beacon messages (34), to synchronise its transmission of data messages (36, 37) with received beacon messages (34) and to enable the disconnected mode in dependence on not receiving beacon messages (34), characterised in that the auxiliary device (S) is adapted to enable the connected mode independently of which of the hearing devices (L, R) transmitted the received beacon messages (34).

12. An auxiliary device according to claim 11 and further being adapted to relay network data and/or commands received from one of the hearing devices (L, R) to the respective other hearing device (L, R).

13. A method for communicating within a predefined radio frequency range, the method comprising:

alternatingly transmitting beacon messages (34) by a left-ear hearing device (L) and a right-ear hearing device (R) each being arranged at or in a corresponding ear of an individual;

receiving the beacon messages (34) by an auxiliary device (S) having a connected mode wherein it transmits data messages (36, 37) and a disconnected mode wherein it does not transmit data messages (36, 37);

enabling the connected mode in dependence on the auxiliary device (S) receiving beacon messages (34);

synchronising the transmission of data messages (36, 37) from the auxiliary device (S) with received beacon messages (34); and

enabling the disconnected mode in dependence on the auxiliary device (S) not receiving beacon messages (34).