Multifunction system and method for integrated hearing and communication with noise cancellation and feedback management

• US 8,401,212 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Original Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Inventors: Puria, Sunil, Perkins, Rodney C., Fay, Jonathan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Jr., Jerome
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jiang, Fang-Xing
• Application Number:
  US12/251,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20090097681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 381/94.2, 381312-328, 381/401, 600/25
• US Class Current: 381/318
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/265 of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/405 by combining a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• 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 25/453 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308

Abstract

Systems, devices and methods for communication include an ear canal microphone configured for placement in the ear canal to detect high frequency sound localization cues. An external microphone positioned away from the ear canal can detect low frequency sound, such that feedback can be substantially reduced. The canal microphone and the external microphone are coupled to a transducer, such that the user perceives sound from the external microphone and the canal microphone with high frequency localization cues and decreased feedback. Wireless circuitry can be configured to connect to many devices with a wireless protocol, such that the user can receive and transmit audio signals. A bone conduction sensor can detect near-end speech of the user for transmission with the wireless circuitry in noisy environment. Noise cancellation of background sounds near the user can improve the user'"'"'s hearing of desired sounds.

Claims

1. A communication device for use with an ear of a user, the ear comprising a pinna, an eardrum, an ear canal and an opening of the ear canal, the device comprising:

an ear canal input transducer to detect high frequency localization cues of the pinna comprising high frequencies of sound above a resonance frequency of the ear canal when placed at least one of inside the ear canal or near the opening of the ear canal;

an external input transducer to detect sound comprising frequencies of sound at or below the resonance frequency when placed outside the ear canal away from the ear canal opening;

at least one output transducer sized for placement inside the ear canal to vibrate the eardrum of the user; and

circuitry comprising a processor and amplifiers coupled to the ear canal input transducer, the external input transducer and the at least one output transducer, the processor configured to output the high frequencies of sound with a first high frequency gain from the ear canal input transducer and a second high frequency gain from the external input transducer, the first high frequency gain greater than the second high frequency gain in order to vibrate the eardrum with amplified high frequency localization cues of the pinna from the ear canal input transducer and wherein the processor outputs the frequencies of sound at or below the resonance frequency with a first gain from the ear canal input transducer and a second gain from the external input transducer, the second gain greater than the first gain to provide sound from the external input transducer to the user.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the ear canal input transducer comprises at least one of a first microphone configured to detect sound from air or a first acoustic sensor configured to detect vibration from tissue and wherein the external input transducer comprises at least one of a second microphone configured to detect sound from air or a second acoustic sensor configured to detect vibration from tissue.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the ear canal input transducer comprises a microphone configured to detect the localization cues comprising the high frequencies and wherein the at least one output transducer is acoustically coupled to the ear canal input transducer when the ear canal input transducer is positioned in the ear canal and wherein the external input transducer is positioned away from the ear canal opening to reduce feedback when the ear canal input transducer detects the high frequency localization cues.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the localization cues comprising the high frequencies of sound comprise frequencies above about 4 kHz and wherein the ear canal input transducer is coupled to the circuitry and at least one output transducer to transmit the frequencies above at least about 4 kHz to the user with the first high frequency gain and to transmit low frequencies below about 3 kHz with the first gain and wherein the first high frequency gain is greater than the first gain so as to reduce feedback from the output transducer to the ear canal input transducer.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the high frequency localization cues from the pinna comprise a sound diffraction cue from the pinna and wherein the ear canal input transducer, the circuitry and the at least one output transducer are configured to detect and amplify the sound diffraction cue from the pinna of the ear of the user.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the resonance frequency-of the ear canal comprises frequencies within a range from about 2 to 3 kHz.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the ear canal input transducer is coupled to the at least one output transducer to vibrate the eardrum with a first resonance gain for first sound frequencies corresponding to the resonance frequencies of the ear canal and wherein the first high frequency gain is greater than the first resonance gain to reduce feedback.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the ear canal input transducer is coupled to the at least one output transducer to vibrate the eardrum with a first resonance gain for sound frequencies corresponding to the resonance frequencies of the ear canal and wherein the external input transducer is coupled to the at least one output transducer to vibrate the eardrum with a second resonance gain for the sound frequencies corresponding to the resonance frequencies of the ear canal and wherein the second resonance gain is greater than the first resonance gain amplify the sound frequencies corresponding to the resonance frequencies and to reduce feedback.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the external input transducer is configured to detect low frequency sound without high frequency localization cues from the pinna of the ear when placed outside the ear canal to reduce feedback from the transducer.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the low frequency sound comprises frequencies below about 3 kHz.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the high frequencies of sound comprise frequencies above about 4 kHz.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is coupled to the external input transducer and the at least one output transducer to transmit low frequency sound comprising frequencies below about 4 kHz from the external input transducer to the user.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the circuitry comprising the processor and amplifiers is coupled to the ear canal input transducer, the external input transducer and the at least one output transducer to transmit high frequencies from the ear canal input transducer and low frequencies from the external input transducer to the user so as to provide the localization cues and reduce feedback.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one output transducer comprises a first output transducer and a second output transducer, wherein the circuitry is coupled to the first output transducer and the ear canal input transducer and configured to transmit the high frequencies of sound, and wherein the circuitry is coupled to the second output transducer and the external input transducer and configured to transmit low frequencies of sound.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one output transducer comprises at least one of an acoustic speaker configured for placement inside the ear canal, a magnet supported with a support configured for placement on an eardrum of the user, an optical transducer supported with a support configured for placement on the eardrum of the user, a magnet configured for placement in a middle ear of the user, or an optical transducer configured for placement in the middle ear of the user.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the at least one output transducer comprises the magnet supported with the support configured for placement on an eardrum of the user, and wherein the at least one output transducer further comprises at least one coil configured for placement in the ear canal to couple to the magnet to transmit sound to the user.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the at least one coil comprises a first coil and a second coil, the first coil coupled to the ear canal input transducer and configured to transmit first frequencies from the ear canal input transducer to the magnet, the second coil coupled to the external input transducer and configured to transmit second frequencies from the external input transducer to the magnet.

18. The device of claim 15 wherein the at least one output transducer comprises the optical transducer supported with the support configured for placement on the eardrum of the user and wherein the optical transducer further comprises a photodetector coupled to at least one of a coil or a piezo electric transducer supported with the support and configured to vibrate the eardrum.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein the ear canal input transducer is configured to generate a first audio signal and the external input transducer is configured to generate a second audio signal and wherein the at least one output transducer is configured to vibrate with the first high frequency gain in response to the first audio signal and the second high frequency gain in response to the second audio signal to reduce feedback.

20. The device of claim 1 further comprising wireless communication circuitry configured to transmit near-end sound from the user to a far-end person when the user speaks.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to transmit the near-end sound from at least one of the ear canal input transducer or the external input transducer.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to transmit the near-end sound from the external input transducer.

23. The device of claim 20 further comprising a third input transducer coupled to the wireless communication circuitry, the third input transducer configured to couple to tissue of the user and transmit near-end speech from the user to the far-end person in response to bone conduction vibration when the user speaks.

24. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a second device for use with a second contralateral ear of the user, the second device comprising, a third input transducer configured for placement inside a second ear canal or near an opening of the second ear canal to detect second high frequency localization cues, a fourth input transducer configured for placement outside the second ear canal, and a second at least one output transducer configured for placement inside the second ear canal, and wherein the second at least one output transducer is acoustically coupled to the third input transducer when the second at least one output transducer is positioned in the second ear canal and wherein fourth input transducer is positioned away from the second ear canal opening to reduce feedback when the third input transducer detects the second high frequency localization cues.

25. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry comprises a high pass filter, a low pass filter, the amplifiers, and the processor.