Hearing aid wireless network

• US 8,571,241 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GN Resound A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Original Assignee: GN Resound A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Inventors: Larsen, Rene Rye
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, RYAN C
• Application Number:
  US12/858,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20110033071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 381/315, 709/209
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0667 Bidirectional timestamps, e.g. NTP or PTP for compensation of clock drift and for compensation of propagation delays arrangements for monitoring round trip delays in packet switching networks H04L43/0864
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/10 Arrangements for initial synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/33 Aspects relating to adaptation of the battery voltage, e.g. its regulation, increase or decrease
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting
• 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

A hearing aid includes a transceiver for interconnection of the hearing aid with a wireless network, and a communication controller that is adapted for controlling data exchange through the network in accordance with a network protocol, wherein the controller is further adapted for initialisation of the network in an acquisition mode by controlling the transceiver to transmit interrogation data repetitively, and upon receipt of an interrogation data received message from another device, in a connected mode acting as a master of the network by repetitively transmitting synchronization data at intervals that are longer than the intervals between transmitted interrogation data in the acquisition mode.

Claims

1. A method of initializing a wireless communication network comprising a hearing device including a wireless transceiver and a communication device comprising an other wireless transceiver, the method comprising:

transmitting interrogation data packets wirelessly by the hearing device and the communication device, respectively;

turning one of the hearing device and the communication device first receiving one of the interrogation data packets into a slave device in the wireless communication network; and

transmitting a reception acknowledgement data packet from the slave device indicating that the one of the interrogation data packets was received;

turning the other one of the hearing device and the communication device into a master device in the wireless communication network upon receipt of the reception acknowledgement data packet from the slave device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the slave device to timing information data contained in the one of the interrogation data packets received by the slave device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting an acknowledgement data packet from the master device to the slave device indicating that the wireless communication network is established.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reception acknowledgement data packet is transmitted from the slave device in a timeslot allocated for reception acknowledgement data packet transmission.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising controlling each of the transceivers in the wireless communication network to enable reception of data packets at a predetermined acquisition channel.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising selecting the acquisition channel according to a frequency hopping scheme.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting an additional interrogation data packet by the master device in a timeslot allocated to interrogation data packet transmission after the master device has received the reception acknowledgement data packet from the slave device.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising turning an additional communication device into an additional slave device when the additional communication device receives the additional interrogation data packet from the master device in the timeslot allocated to interrogation data packet transmission after the master device has received the reception acknowledgement data packet from the slave device.

9. The method according to claim 4, further comprising turning an additional communication device into an additional slave device when the master device receives an additional interrogation data packet from the additional communication device.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting an additional interrogation data packet by the slave device when the slave device does not receive any additional interrogation data packet from the master device in a predetermined period of time.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one frequency channel is allocated for transmission of data from remotely located devices with respect to the wireless communication network.

12. A method of initializing a wireless communication network comprising a hearing device including a wireless transceiver and a communication device comprising another wireless transceiver, the method comprising:

transmitting interrogation data packets wirelessly by the hearing device and the communication device, respectively;

turning one of the hearing device and the communication device first receiving one of the interrogation data packets into a slave device in the wireless communication network; and

transmitting a reception acknowledgement data packet from the slave device indicating that the one of the interrogation data packets was received.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising synchronizing the slave device to timing information data contained in the one of the interrogation data packets received by the slave device.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising transmitting a reception acknowledgement data packet from the slave device in a timeslot allocated for reception acknowledgement data packet transmission.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising controlling each of the transceivers in the wireless communication network to enable reception of data packets at a predetermined acquisition channel.

16. A hearing device comprising :

a wireless transceiver; and

a digital signal processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to transmit a first interrogation data packet wirelessly via the wireless transceiver;

wherein the digital signal processor is further configured to turn the hearing device into a slave in a wireless communication network when the hearing device receives a second interrogation data packet from another device in the wireless communication network.

17. The hearing device according to claim 16, wherein the digital signal processor is further configured to synchronize to timing information data contained in the second interrogation data packet received by the hearing device.

18. The hearing device according to claim 16, wherein the digital signal processor is further configured to transmit a reception acknowledgement data packet in a timeslot allocated for reception acknowledgement data packet transmission.

19. A hearing device comprising:

a wireless transceiver; and

a digital signal processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to transmit a first interrogation data packet wirelessly via the wireless transceiver;

wherein the digital signal processor is further configured to turn the hearing device into a master in a wireless communication network when the hearing device receives a reception acknowledgement data packet from a first communication device in the wireless communication network before the hearing device receives a second interrogation data packet from the first communication device or another communication device in the wireless communication network.

20. The hearing device according to claim 19, wherein the digital signal processor is further configured to transmit an acknowledgement data packet to the first communication device from which the reception acknowledgement data packet is received, wherein the acknowledgement data packet is for indicating that the wireless communication network is established.

21. The hearing device according to claim 19, wherein the digital signal processor is further configured to transmit an additional interrogation data packet in a timeslot allocated for transmitting the additional interrogation data packet after the hearing device has received the reception acknowledgement data packet.