Active cancellation hearing assistance device

• US 8,594,352 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2010
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frerking, Melvin Duane, Hirvela, George O'Quinn, Specht, Philip R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRITCHARD, JASMINE L
• Application Number:
  US12/779,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20100220867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 381/317, 381/71.6, 381/71.1, 381/71.9, 381/94.7
• US Class Current: 381/317
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/49 Reducing the effects of electromagnetic noise on the functioning of hearing aids, by, e.g. shielding, signal processing adaptation, selective (de)activation of electronic parts in hearing aid
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/50 Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics

Abstract

An apparatus and method for active cancellation of interference at a hearing assistive devices are presented. The apparatus includes an interference cancellation circuit for cancelling an interference component of a composite signal, and an activator circuit for enabling interference cancellation circuit. The interference cancellation circuit generates an estimated replica of the interference from an interference profile, inverts the replica to form a cancellation waveform, then adds the cancellation waveform to the composite signal to cancel the interference component. An interference profile can be provided by performing a training sequence on a composite signal to detect a repetitive signal and building a profile using its parameters, retrieving a profile stored in memory, or using an antenna to capture an RF signal. The activator circuit may enable the interference cancellation circuit when RF energy is detected, when composite signal characteristics match one or more stored profiles, or in response to user input.

Claims

1. A hearing assistive device, for cancelling interference, comprising:

an interference processor; and

a memory configured to store a plurality of interference profiles, the memory further having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the interference processor, cause the interference processor to perform operations comprising

receiving a composite signal including a repetitive signal component;

accessing the stored plurality of interference profiles;

comparing the repetitive signal component to the stored plurality of interference profiles to determine whether there is a stored interference profile among the plurality of stored interference profiles that is an optimal match to the repetitive signal for canceling the interference; and

responsive to determining there is a stored interference profile that is an optimal match to the repetitive signal component, generating a replica waveform of the interference and outputting the replica waveform to an inverter, wherein the inverter creates, using the replica waveform, a cancellation waveform, and a summer adds the cancellation waveform to the composite signal, yielding an interference-cancelled signal.

2. The hearing assistive device of claim 1, wherein generating the replica waveform of the interference comprises selecting a stored interference profile using a signal parameter of the composite signal and generating the replica waveform based on the selected stored interference profile.

3. The hearing assistive device of claim 1, wherein generating the replica waveform of the interference comprises:

capturing a radio-frequency signal at an antenna;

receiving, using the receiver, the radio-frequency signal captured;

determining a signal parameter of the radio-frequency signal received;

selecting a stored interference profile using the signal parameter of the radio-frequency signal received; and

generating the replica waveform based on the selected stored interference profile.

4. The hearing assistive device of claim 1, wherein generating the replica waveform of the interference comprises generating the replica waveform based on the stored interference profile that is determined to be the optimal match to the repetitive signal component.

5. The hearing assistive device of claim 1, wherein the inverter creates the cancellation waveform by inverting in phase the replica waveform.

6. The hearing assistive device of claim 1, wherein generating the replica waveform of the interference comprises:

selecting a stored interference profile based on information identifying the hearing assistive device; and

generating the replica waveform based on the selected stored interference profile.

7. A method, for cancelling interference in a hearing assistive device, comprising:

receiving, by an interference processor, a composite signal including a repetitive signal component;

accessing, by the interference processor, a stored plurality of interference profiles;

comparing, by the interference processor, the repetitive signal component to the stored plurality of interference profiles to determine whether there is a stored interference profile among the plurality of stored interference profiles that is an optimal match to the repetitive signal for canceling the interference; and

responsive to determining there is a stored interference profile that is an optimal match to the repetitive signal component, generating, by the interference processor, a replica waveform of the interference, creating, by an inverter, using the replica waveform, a cancellation waveform, and adding, by a summer, the cancellation waveform to the composite signal, yielding an interference-cancelled signal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the replica waveform of the interference comprises selecting a stored interference profile using a signal parameter of the composite signal and generating the replica waveform based on the selected stored interference profile.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the replica waveform of the interference comprises:

capturing a radio-frequency signal at an antenna;

receiving, using the receiver, the radio-frequency signal captured;

determining a signal parameter of the radio-frequency signal received;

selecting a stored interference profile using the signal parameter of the radio-frequency signal received; and

generating the replica waveform based on the selected stored interference profile.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the replica waveform of the interference comprises generating the replica waveform based on the stored interference profile that is determined to be the optimal match to the repetitive signal component.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein creating the cancellation waveform comprises inverting in phase the replica waveform.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the replica waveform of the interference comprises:

selecting a stored interference profile based on information identifying the hearing assistive device; and

generating the replica waveform based on the selected stored interference profile.