SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENHANCING THE INDUCTIVE COUPLING BETWEEN A HEARING AID OPERATING IN TELECOIL MODE AND A COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20140369539A1
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frerking, Melvin Duane, Hirvela, George O'Quinn
• Granted Patent: US 9,326,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/603 of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements

Abstract

A method and system to optimize the relative position of an inductive field of a hearing aid compatible device and a telecoil of a hearing assistive device, are provided. A Steerable Hearing Aid Compatible Device (SHAD) has a steerable inductive field for locating an inductive field in accordance with the location of a telecoil in the hearing assistive device. A Telecoil Hearing Assistive Device (THAD) has a telecoil and telecoil orientation tag. The location of the telecoil of the THAD is determined with respect to a reference system and this telecoil location information is stored on the telecoil orientation tag as Telecoil Location Information (TLI) and provided to the SHAD. In an exemplary embodiment the telecoil orientation tag may be an RFID tag that is read by a tag reader of the SHAD. The SHAD receives the TLI and generates an inductive field in accordance with the TLI, such as a position that is parallel to the telecoil of the THAD.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a signal output by a signal source; and

controlling a steerable inductor to provide an inductive field in accordance with telecoil location information to transmit the signal received.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises controlling a plurality of phase-control sub-devices of the steerable inductor.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein:

the signal is a received signal;

each of the phase-control sub-devices is configured to adjust a phase of the received signal to render a respective phase-adjusted signal; and

the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises controlling the steerable inductor to provide a composite field using the phase-adjusted signals.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of orthogonal telecoils in communication with the phase-control devices and configured to provide the inductive field using the phase-adjusted signals.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein:

the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises sending respective phase-control signals to the plurality of phase-control sub-devices; and

the phase-control sub-devices are configured to adjust the phase of the received signal according to the respective phase-control signals to render the phase-adjusted signals.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the composite field has an orientation based on phases of the phase-adjusted signals.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises controlling a plurality of amplifiers of the steerable inductor.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein:

the signal is a received signal;

each of the amplifiers is configured to adjust an amplitude of the received signal to render a respective amplitude-adjusted signal; and

the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises controlling the steerable inductor to provide a composite field using the amplitude-adjusted signals.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of orthogonal telecoils in communication with the amplifiers and configured to provide the inductive field using the amplitude-adjusted signals.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:

the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises sending respective gain signals to the plurality of amplifiers; and

the amplifiers are configured to adjust an amplitude of the received signals according to the respective gain signals to render the amplitude-adjusted signals.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the composite field has an orientation based on amplitudes of the amplitude-adjusted signals.

12. A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a signal output by a signal source; and

controlling a steerable inductor to provide an inductive field in accordance with telecoil location information to transmit the signal received.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises controlling a plurality of phase-control sub-devices of the steerable inductor.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the signal is a received signal, and the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises controlling the steerable inductor to provide a composite field using phase-adjusted signals from the phase-control devices.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises sending respective phase-control signals to the plurality of phase-control sub-devices.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises controlling a plurality of amplifiers of the steerable inductor.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the signal is a received signal, and the operation of controlling the steerable inductor comprises controlling the steerable inductor to provide a composite field using amplitude-adjusted signals from the amplifiers.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, a signal output by a signal source; and

controlling, by the system, a steerable inductor to provide an inductive field in accordance with telecoil location information to transmit the signal received.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein controlling the steerable inductor comprises performing at least one operation selected from a group consisting of:

sending phase-control signals to a plurality of phase-control devices of the steerable inductor; and

sending gain signals to a plurality of amplifiers of the steerable inductor.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving the telecoil location information from a telecoil orientation tag.