Apparatus and method for programming a hearing aid using a serial bidirectional transmission method and varying clock pulses

• US 6,088,339 A
• Filed: 12/03/1997
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Meyer, Wolfram
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US08/984,060
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 370/503, 370/522, 370/246, 370/296, 370/527, 370/529, 381/312, 381/314, 381/323, 381/320, 381/321
• US Class Current: 370/296
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/16 Half-duplex systems; Simplex/duplex switching; Transmission of break signals non-automatically inverting the direction of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0008 Synchronisation information channels, e.g. clock distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency

Abstract

In a data transmission method and circuit for communication between a programming apparatus and a user apparatus to be programmed, such as a hearing aid, data as well as clock pulses are transmitted by the programming apparatus to the user apparatus for the individual adjustment of application-specific data of the user apparatus. The data and clock pulses are transmitted in half-duplex operation using a single signal line. Differently fashioned clock pulses of an outgoing signal with digital information are supplied to the signal line, and the digital information is recovered at the user apparatus by means of clock pulse variation, and the recovered information is subsequently processed with the transmitted clock pulse.

Claims

1. A serial bidirectional data transmission method for communication between a programming apparatus and a user apparatus to be programmed, comprising the steps of:

providing a programming apparatus and at least one user apparatus remote from said programming apparatus, said user apparatus containing components requiring individual adjustment with programming data;

connecting said programming apparatus and said user apparatus with a single signal line;

transmitting said programming data and respectively different clock pulses via said single signal line from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus;

recovering said programming data at said user apparatus dependent on variation of said respectively different clock pulses and processing said programming data at said user apparatus together with said clock pulses.

2. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

upon receiving said programming data and said respectively different clock pulses at said user apparatus, operating on said respectively different clock pulses at said user apparatus to produce further-varied clock pulses;

transmitting said further-varied clock pulses from said user apparatus to said programming apparatus together with the programming data received by the user apparatus from the programming apparatus; and

recovering said programming data transmitted from the user apparatus to the programming apparatus, as a confirmation of correct receipt at the user apparatus, using said further-varied clock pulses.

3. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 1 comprising producing said respectively different clock pulses by producing clock pulses having respectively different amplitudes.

4. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of producing clock pulses with respectively different amplitudes comprises damping the amplitude of each clock pulse by a different amount at said programming apparatus before transmission to said user apparatus, and wherein the step of recovering said programming data includes identifying said amount of damping at said user apparatus for recovering said programming data.

5. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the step of damping the respective amplitudes of said clock pulses comprises:

placing said single signal line at a first voltage;

varying the respective amplitudes of the clock pulses transmitted from the programming apparatus to the user apparatus between said first voltage and a second, smaller voltage using a voltage limiting circuit;

identifying a data state when a reference voltage level is exceeded and storing the data state until a next clock pulse in a shift register using a trailing pulse edge of each clock pulse.

6. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the additional step of:

after transmitting said programming data and said clock pulses from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus, transmitting a programming voltage pulse on said single signal path from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus.

7. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

upon receiving said programming data and said respectively different clock pulses at said user apparatus, operating on said respectively different clock pulses at said user apparatus to produce further-varied clock pulses;

transmitting said further-varied clock pulses from said user apparatus to said programming apparatus together with the programming data received by the user apparatus from the programming apparatus;

recovering said programming data transmitted from the user apparatus to the programming apparatus, as a confirmation of correct receipt at the user apparatus, using said further-varied clock pulses;

producing said further-varied clock pulses at said user apparatus by damping respective amplitudes of clock pulses at said user apparatus by respectively different amounts; and

recovering said programming data at said programming apparatus depending on the differently damped clock pulses sent to the programming apparatus from the user apparatus.

8. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the step of producing said respectively different clock pulses by clock pulse frequency variation.

9. A data transmission method as claim in claim 8 wherein the step of connecting said programming apparatus and said user apparatus via a single signal line comprises establishing a wireless signal line between programming apparatus and said user apparatus.

10. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the step of producing said respectively different clock pulses using clock pulse frequency variation comprises the steps of:

superimposing a clock pulse frequency on a carrier frequency at said programming apparatus; and

before transmitting said clock pulses from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus via said carrier frequency, varying said clock pulse frequency.

11. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the step of producing said respectively different clock pulses using clock pulse frequency variation comprises the steps of:

superimposing a clock pulse frequency on a carrier frequency at said programming apparatus; and

before transmitting said clock pulses from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus via said carrier frequency, superimposing a further clock pulse frequency on said clock pulse frequency.

12. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the step of producing said different clock pulses using clock pulse frequency variation comprises employing a frequency gating method for producing said clock pulse frequency variation.

13. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of providing at least one user apparatus comprises providing a plurality of user apparatuses to be programmed by said programming apparatus and connecting each of said user apparatuses to said programming apparatus via a single signal line;

allocating a receiver having at least a first address and a second address to each user apparatus;

transmitting a signal from said programming apparatus to all of said user apparatuses at the respective first addresses for disenabling said user apparatuses and transmitting a signal to the second address of a user apparatus to be activated and subsequently transmitting said programming data and said clock pulses to said user apparatus to be activated, and subsequently transmitting said programming data and said clock pulses to said user apparatus to be activated, and thereafter again disenabling said user apparatus to be activated after transmitting said programming data and said clock pulses.

14. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of providing at least one user apparatus comprises providing at least one hearing aid as said user apparatus.

27. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said user apparatus comprises a hearing aid.

15. A serial bidirectional data transmission system comprising:

a programming apparatus;

at least one user apparatus remote from said programming apparatus, said user apparatus containing components requiring individual adjustment with programming data;

a single signal communication path between said programming apparatus and said user apparatus;

means in said programming apparatus for transmitting said programming data and respectively different clock pulses via said single signal path from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus; and

means at said user apparatus for recovering said programming data dependent on variation of said respectively different clock pulses and means for processing said programming data at said user apparatus together with said clock pulses.

16. A data transmission system as claimed in claim 15 comprising:

means at said user apparatus for, upon receiving said programming data and said respectively different clock pulses, operating on said respectively different clock pulses to produce further-varied clock pulses;

means at said user apparatus for transmitting said further-varied clock pulses from said user apparatus to said programming apparatus together with the programming data received by the user apparatus from the programming apparatus; and

means at said programming apparatus for recovering said programming data transmitted from the user apparatus to the programming apparatus, as a confirmation of correct receipt at the user apparatus, using said further-varied clock pulses.

17. A data transmission system as claimed in claim 15 comprising means for producing said respectively different clock pulses by producing clock pulses having respectively different amplitudes.

18. A data transmission system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said means producing clock pulses with respectively different amplitudes comprises means for damping the amplitude of each clock pulse by a different amount at said programming apparatus before transmission to said user apparatus, and wherein said means for recovering said programming data includes means identifying said amount of damping at said user apparatus for recovering said programming data.

19. A data transmission system as claimed in claim 18 wherein said single signal path comprises a single signal line and wherein said means for damping the respective amplitudes of said clock pulses comprises:

means for placing said single signal line at a first voltage;

means for varying the respective amplitudes of the clock pulses transmitted from the programming apparatus to the user apparatus between said first voltage and a second, smaller voltage using a voltage limiting circuit; and

means for identifying a data state when a reference voltage level is exceeded and for storing the data state until a next clock pulse in a shift register using a trailing pulse edge of each clock pulse.

20. A data transmission system as claimed in claim 15 comprising:

means for, after transmitting said programming data and said clock pulses from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus, transmitting a programming voltage pulse on said single signal line from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus.

21. A data transmission system as claimed in claim 15 comprising:

means at said user apparatus for, upon receiving said programming data and said respectively different clock pulses, operating on said respectively different clock pulses to produce further-varied clock pulses;

means at said user apparatus for transmitting said further-varied clock pulses from said user apparatus to said programming apparatus together with the programming data received by the user apparatus from the programming apparatus;

means at said programming apparatus for recovering said programming data transmitted from the user apparatus to the programming apparatus, as a confirmation of correct receipt at the user apparatus, using said further-varied clock pulses;

said means for producing said further varied clock pulses comprising means for producing said further-varied clock pulses by damping respective amplitudes of clock pulses at said user apparatus by respectively different amounts; and

said means for recovering said programming data at said programming apparatus comprising means for recovering said programming data depending on the differently damped clock pulses sent to the programming apparatus from the user apparatus.

22. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 15 comprising means for producing said respectively different clock pulses by clock pulse frequency variation and wherein said single signal path comprises a single wireless transmission path.

23. A data transmission system as claimed in claim 22 wherein said means for producing said respectively different clock pulses using clock pulse frequency variation comprises:

means for superimposing a clock pulse frequency on a carrier frequency at said programming apparatus; and

means, before transmitting said clock pulses from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus via said carrier frequency, for varying said clock pulse frequency.

24. A data transmission system as claimed in claim 22 wherein said means for producing said respectively different clock pulses using clock pulse frequency variation comprises:

means superimposing a clock pulse frequency on a carrier frequency at said programming apparatus; and

means, before transmitting said clock pulses from said programming apparatus to said user apparatus via said carrier frequency, for superimposing a further clock pulse frequency on said clock pulse frequency.

25. A data transmission system as claimed in claim 22 wherein said means for producing said different clock pulses using clock pulse frequency variation comprises means for employing a frequency gating method for producing said clock pulse frequency variation.

26. A data transmission method as claimed in claim 16 comprising a plurality of user apparatuses to be programmed by said programming apparatus, each of said user apparatuses communicating with said programming apparatus via a respective single signal path;

each user apparatus having a receiver with at least a first address and a second address;

said programming apparatus comprising means for transmitting a signal from said programming apparatus to all of said user apparatuses at the respective first addresses for disenabling said user apparatuses and for transmitting a signal to the second address of a user apparatus to be activated and for subsequently transmitting said programming data and said clock pulses to said user apparatus to be activated, and for thereafter again disenabling said user apparatus to be activated after transmitting said programming data and said clock pulses.