Assistive listening system adapted for using DECT

• US 8,488,822 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon Incorporated (Finn Reinholdts ApS)
• Inventors: Klemmensen, Bjarne
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, RYAN C
• Application Number:
  US12/970,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20110150249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 381 77- 79, 381/315
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

The invention relates to an assistive listening system comprising an audio transmitting device adapted for transmitting an audio signal and/or a control signal to a multitude of receiving listening devices and at least one receiving listening device adapted for receiving said audio signal and said control signal from said audio transmitting device. The invention further relates to a method of operating an assistive listening system and to its use. The object of the present invention is to provide an assistive listening system suitable for servicing a multitude of body worn listening devices in a wireless environment. The problem is solved in that the system is adapted to establish a digital link according to the DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the at least one receiving listening device, wherein the system is adapted to provide that said link is uni-directional. The system has the advantage of providing a reliable channel selection in a wireless assistive listening system comprising low power, body worn listening devices. The invention may e.g. be used for public address systems, e.g. educational listening systems, comprising listening devices adapted for being worn by a user.

Claims

1. An assistive listening system, comprising:

an audio transmitting device configured to transmit an audio signal and/or a control signal to a multitude of receiving listening devices, said audio transmitting device including a DECT transceiver;

at least one receiving listening device configured to receive said audio signal and said control signal from said audio transmitting device; and

a dummy unit comprising a DECT transceiver for providing feedback response to the DECT transceiver of the transmitting device, wherein

the system is configured to establish a digital DECT link according to DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the at least one receiving listening device, and

the system is configured to provide that said link is uni-directional.

2. An assistive listening system according to claim 1, wherein

at least a part of at least one listening device is configured to be located at the ear, in the ear or in the ear canal.

3. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 wherein the audio transmitting device comprises a microphone, a TV-set, a PC, a telephone or a dedicated base station, e.g. a gateway for a number of audio signals, or a combination thereof.

4. An assistive listening system according to claim 1, wherein

one or more channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal is allocated to the receiving listening device prior to the start of the transmission of the audio signal.

5. An assistive listening system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a slot controlling unit, wherein

the receiving listening device is configured to receive information about one or more channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal.

6. An assistive listening system according to claim 1, wherein one or more channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal are allocated to the receiving listening device during a pairing process.

7. An assistive listening system according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving listening device is configured to scan for channel and time slot(s) comprising the transmitted audio signal under predefined conditions.

8. An assistive listening system according to claim 7, wherein

the receiving listening device is configured to scan for the channel and time slot comprising the transmitted audio signal among a predefined set of one or more channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal.

9. An assistive listening system according to claim 1, wherein

the DECT transmitter of the transmitting device is configured to disregard or not require any feedback response from a DECT receiver.

10. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 wherein the transmitted signal comprises an audio signal and a control signal, which are transmitted via the uni-directional link.

11. A method of operating an assistive listening system, which includes an audio transmitting device for transmitting an audio signal and/or a control signal to a multitude of receiving listening devices and at least one receiving listening device configured to receive said audio signal and/or said control signal from said audio transmitting device, the method comprising:

establishing a digital link according to DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the at least one receiving listening device, said digital link being uni-directional; and

providing feedback response from a DECT transceiver of a dummy unit of the assistive listening system to a DECT transceiver of the audio transmitting device.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

providing that one or more channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal is allocated to the receiving listening device prior to the start of the transmission of the audio signal.

13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

providing that a DECT receiver of a receiving listening device scans for channel and time slot(s) comprising the transmitted audio signal from the DECT transceiver of the audio transmitting device under predefined conditions.

15. A data processing system comprising a processor and program code means for causing the processor to perform the steps of the method of claim 11.

14. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions, wherein the instructions when executed on a processor of an assistive listening system that includes an audio transmitting device for transmitting an audio signal and/or a control signal to a multitude of receiving listening devices and at least one receiving listening device configured to receive said audio signal and/or said control signal from said audio transmitting device, cause the assistive listening system to perform a method comprising:

establishing a digital link according to DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the at least one receiving listening device, said digital link being uni-directional; and

providing feedback response from a DECT transceiver of a dummy unit of the assistive listening system to a DECT transceiver of the audio transmitting device.

16. An assistive listening system, comprising:

an audio transmitting device for transmitting an audio signal to a multitude of receiving listening devices, the audio transmitting device comprising a DECT transceiver;

two or more receiving listening devices;

a dummy unit comprising a DECT transceiver for providing feedback response to the DECT transceiver of the audio transmitting device, wherein

the audio transmitting device is configured to receive a signal from said dummy unit, and

the system is configured to establish a uni-directional digital link according to DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the two or more receiving listening devices.

17. An assistive listening system, comprising:

an audio transmitting device, the audio transmitting device configured to transmit an audio signal and/or a control signal to a plurality of receiving listening devices; and

at least two receiving listening devices configured to receive said audio signal and/or said control signal from said audio transmitting device, wherein

the assistive listening system is configured to establish a digital DECT link according to DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the at least two receiving listening devices,

the assistive listening system is configured to provide that said digital DECT link is uni-directional, and

said digital DECT link uses same channel and same time slot for transmission of said audio signal from the audio transmitting device to each of the at least two receiving listening devices.

18. The assistive listening system according to claim 17, wherein

the audio transmitting device includes a DECT transceiver, and

the assistive listening system further comprises

a dummy unit including a DECT transceiver configured to provide feedback response to the DECT transceiver of the audio transmitting device.

19. A method of operating an assistive listening system which includes an audio transmitting device for transmitting an audio signal and/or a control signal to a plurality of receiving listening devices, and at least two receiving listening devices configured to receive said audio signal and/or said control signal from said audio transmitting device, the method comprising:

establishing a digital link according to DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the at least two receiving listening devices, said digital link being uni-directional; and

using same DECT channel and same DECT time slot in said digital link for transmission of said audio signal from the audio transmitting device to each of the at least two receiving listening devices.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

providing feedback response from a DECT transceiver of a dummy unit of the assistive listening system to a DECT transceiver of the audio transmitting device.