System and method for enhancing the inductive coupling between a hearing aid operating in telecoil mode and a communication device

• US 8,300,865 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2010
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frerking, Melvin Duane, Hirvela, George O'Quinn
• Primary Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Application Number:
  US12/854,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20100303268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 381312-313, 381/315, 381/326, 381/331, 379/430, 455/95, 455/100, 455/351
• US Class Current: 381/331
• 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. A method, for assisting hearing of a user using a hearing assistive system comprising a hearing assistive apparatus and a communication apparatus, the hearing assistive apparatus having a telecoil and a telecoil orientation tag, and the communication apparatus having a reader, a steerable inductor, and a controller, comprising:

providing, by the telecoil orientation tag, telecoil location information;

obtaining, by the reader of the communication apparatus, the telecoil location information from the telecoil orientation tag;

receiving, by the controller, the telecoil location information from the reader; and

directing, by the controller, the steerable inductor to provide an inductive field in accordance with the telecoil location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the directing, by the controller, includes directing the steerable inductor to provide the inductive field to a desired location in a predetermined communication apparatus reference system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the telecoil orientation tag includes a radio-frequency identification tag providing the telecoil location information and the reader includes a radio-frequency identification reader obtaining the telecoil location information from the a radio-frequency identification tag.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a signal from a signal source and delivering the signal to the steerable inductor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the steerable inductor comprises a plurality of orthogonal telecoils, including said telecoil, and a plurality of phase control devices manipulating input to the telecoils.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the steerable inductor comprises a plurality of orthogonal telecoils, including said telecoil, and a plurality of amplifiers manipulating input to the telecoils.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the directing, by the controller, includes directing the steerable inductor to provide the inductive field to a desired location in a predetermined communication apparatus reference system, the desired location being parallel to the telecoil.

8. A hearing assistive system comprising:

a reader configured to obtain first telecoil location information and second telecoil information from a telecoil orientation tag; and

a controller configured to direct a steerable inductor to provide a first inductive field in accordance with the first telecoil location information and direct a second steerable inductor to provide a second inductive field in accordance with the second telecoil location information.

9. The hearing assistive system of claim 8, wherein the reader, in being configured to obtain the first telecoil location information and the second telecoil information, is configured to interrogate the telecoil orientation tag and receive a response signal from the tag comprising the first telecoil location information and the second telecoil location.

10. The hearing assistive system of claim 8, wherein the controller, in being configured to direct the first steerable inductor to provide the first inductive field in accordance with the first telecoil location information and direct the second steerable inductor to provide the second inductive field in accordance with the second telecoil location information, is configured to direct the first steerable inductor to provide the first inductive field proximate to a corresponding first telecoil and direct the second steerable inductor to direct the second inductive field proximate to a corresponding second telecoil.

11. The hearing assistive system of claim 8, wherein the controller, in being configured to direct the steerable inductor to provide the first inductive field in accordance with the first telecoil location information and direct the steerable inductor to provide the second inductive field in accordance with the second telecoil location information, is configured to direct the first steerable inductor to move the first inductive field from a first default position to a first position proximate to a first telecoil and to direct the second steerable inductor to move the second inductive field from a second respective default position to a second position proximate to a second telecoil.

12. The hearing assistive system of claim 8, wherein the controller, in being configured to direct the steerable inductor to provide the first inductive field in accordance with the first telecoil location information and direct the steerable inductor to provide the second inductive field in accordance with the second telecoil location information, is configured to direct the first steerable inductor and the second steerable inductor to generate a composite inductive field, including the first and second inductive field.

13. The hearing assistive system of claim 12, wherein the controller, in being configured to direct the steerable inductor to provide the first inductive field in accordance with the first telecoil location information and direct the steerable inductor to provide the second inductive field in accordance with the second telecoil location information to generate a composite inductive field, is configured to adjust a first amplitude of the first steerable inductor and a second amplitude of the second steerable inductor.

14. The hearing assistive system of claim 12, wherein the controller, in being configured to direct the steerable inductor to provide the first inductive field in accordance with the first telecoil location information and direct the steerable inductor to provide the second inductive field in accordance with the second telecoil location information to generate a composite inductive field, is configured to adjust a first phase of the first steerable inductor and a second phase of the second steerable inductor.

15. The hearing assistive system of claim 8, wherein the controller, in being configured to direct the first steerable inductor to provide the first inductive field in accordance with the first telecoil location information and direct the second steerable inductor to provide the second inductive field in accordance with the second telecoil location information, is configured to direct the first steerable inductor to provide the first inductive field to a first default location and direct the second steerable inductor to direct the second inductive field to a second default location.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a reader device, telecoil location information associated with a telecoil orientation tag;

directing a steerable inductor to provide an inductive field in accordance with the telecoil location information.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operation of directing the steerable inductor to provide the inductive field in accordance with the telecoil location information includes directing the steerable inductor to provide the inductive field to a desired location in a predetermined communication apparatus reference system.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a signal from a signal source and delivering the signal to the steerable inductor.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operation of directing the steerable inductor to provide the inductive field in accordance with the telecoil location information includes directing a plurality of orthogonal telecoils and a plurality of phase control devices manipulating input to the telecoils.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operation of directing the steerable inductor to provide the inductive field in accordance with the telecoil location information includes directing a plurality of orthogonal telecoils and a plurality of amplifiers manipulating input to the telecoils.