Selection of communication connections in hearing aids

• US 7,174,026 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2003
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Gmbh (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Niederdrank, Torsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah; Melur
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dabney; Phylesha
• Application Number:
  US10/341,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20030133582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/315, 381/314, 381/313, 381320-321, 381/323, 381/328, 381/331, 381/380, 455 411- 413, 455/569.1, 455/415
• US Class Current: 381/315
• 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 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A hearing aid and a corresponding method are provided in which address data and/or channel data with respect to a plurality of signal sources are stored in a memory of the hearing aid. As a result of a priority-driven address management system, the hearing aid user can very conveniently automatically engage in communication with an interface having the highest priority.

Claims

1. A hearing aid, comprising:

a hearing aid housing designed to be worn as a conventional hearing aid including within;

an acoustic signal input and an acoustic signal;

a radio interface configured to receive radio signals from a plurality of external signal sources and to directly convert the radio signals into electrical signals representing address data of said plurality of external signal sources;

a memory device configured to store said address data; and

an address management system configured to allocate priorities to the plurality of external signal sources whoso address data are stored in said memory device; and

wherein one of the signal sources can be automatically selected based on a priority or on a basis of an external control signal or can be manually selected using a push-button.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input unit connected to the memory device and configured to initiate storing at least one of address data and channel date.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 2, wherein the input unit includes a push-button.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal generator device for generating an acoustic signal when signals from a signal source of said external signal sources with a higher priority are received during a reception of signals from a signal source of said external signal sources with a lower priority.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the radio interface is a bluetooth interface.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

generating an audio signal by the hearing aid when signals from an external signal source with a higher, second priority are received during reception of signals from an external signal source with a first priority.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein:

the radio interface is a bluetooth interface;

the external signal sources are bluetooth signal sources; and

the address date are bluetooth address date.

8. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein:

the radio interface is configured to simultaneously receive radio signals from a plurality of external signal sources and to directly and convert the simultaneously received radio signals into electrical signals; and

the address management system is configured to allocate priorities to the plurality of simultaneously received external signal sources.

9. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein:

the memory device is configured to dynamically store said address data when the radio interface receives the radio signals; and

the address management system is configured to allocate priorities to the plurality of external signal sources whose said address data were dynamically stored in said memory device.

10. A method for operating a hearing aid, comprising, within a housing of the hearing aid:

receiving radio signals from a plurality of external signal sources;

directly converting the received radio signals from one of the plurality of external signal sources into electrical signals representing address date of said plurality of external signal sources;

storing said address date; and

allocating priorities to the plurality of external signal sources whose address date are stored;

automatically selecting based on a priority or on a basis of an external control signal or can be manually selected using a push-button.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising

manually presetting presenting at least one of address data and channel date having the highest priority or the highest priorities.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

actuating an input unit connected to a memory device of the hearing aid; and

storing at least one of address data and channel date by the actuating of the input unit of the hearing aid.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

automatically selecting one of the signal sources baaed on a priority or based on an external control signal or manual selection.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

manually selecting one of the external signal sources.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

providing a bluetooth standard receiver for the reception of the radio signals.