Listening system comprising an alerting device and a listening device

• US 8,760,284 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Petersen, Svend Oscar, Aldaz, Gabriel, Pedersen, Mette Boel
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKKI, MUNEAR T
• Application Number:
  US13/336,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20120169454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.11, 340/4.1, 340/506, 381/315, 381/23.1
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/18 Prevention or correction of operating errors G08B29/02, G08B29/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• 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

Abstract

A listening system that eases the acknowledgement of ‘alarm signals’, as e.g. issued by alarm indicators, in the environment of a user in difficult listening situations. The listening system is adapted to issue specific ALARM mode signals to the user corresponding to said external alarm signals, when said listening system is in an ALARM mode. An advantage of the present system is that a user is able to take notice of alarms from normal indicators even in case of a hearing impairment and/or when located in a noisy environment. The system may e.g. be used for the hearing instruments, ear protection devices, earphones, headsets or combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A listening system, comprising:

a listening device adapted to provide a frequency dependent gain to compensate for a hearing loss of a user and to be worn at or in an ear of a user, and

an alerting device adapted to detect or receive an external alarm signal, wherein

the listening device and the alerting device each comprise at least one communication interface allowing to establish a communication link between them,

the alerting device is adapted to sense or receive information as to whether or not the listening device is in operational use, and

the listening system is adapted to operate in at least two modes,

a NORMAL mode, when said listening device is in operational use, and

an ALARM mode, when said listening device is NOT in operational use; and

wherein

said listening system is adapted to issue

specific NORMAL mode signals to the user corresponding to normal acoustic and/or optical alarm signals, when said listening system is in said NORMAL mode, and

specific ALARM mode signals to the user corresponding to said external alarm signals, when said listening system is in said ALARM mode, wherein said specific ALARM mode signals are adapted to catch the attention of the user considering that the listening device is not in operation,

and wherein said listening system is adapted to be brought

a) into said NORMAL mode when the listening device is switched ON, and

b) into said ALARM mode when the listening device is switched OFF.

2. A listening system according to claim 1 wherein the listening device comprises a sensor for detecting whether or not the listening device is in an operational state.

3. A listening system according to claim 2 wherein said specific ALARM mode signals comprise one or more of an acoustic signal, an optical signal and a vibrational signal.

4. A listening system according to claim 2 wherein said alerting device is adapted to generate or propagate one or more of said specific ALARM mode signals.

5. A listening system according to claim 4 wherein said alerting device is adapted to provide at least one of said specific ALARM mode signals as a vibrational signal.

6. A listening system according to claim 1 wherein said communication interface is adapted for establishing a wireless communication link.

7. A listening system according to claim 1 adapted to be brought into a NORMAL mode or an ALARM mode dependent on a quality measure of the wireless communication link between the listening device and the alerting device.

8. A listening system according to claim 7 wherein said alerting device is adapted to provide at least one of said specific NORMAL mode signals as a vibrational signal and/or as an acoustic signal via said listening device.

9. A listening system according to claim 1 wherein said alerting device comprises an input transducer for picking up an acoustic and/or an optical alarm signal.

10. A listening system according to claim 1 wherein said alerting device is adapted to be body-worn.

11. A listening system according to claim 1 wherein said alerting device forms part of a communication device, e.g. a telephone or an audio delivery device or an audio gateway device, or any other device that the user already carries for other purposes.

12. A listening system according to claim 1 wherein said listening device comprises a hearing instrument, an ear protection device, an earphone, a headset or combinations thereof.

13. A listening system according to claim 1 comprising a voice control interface, e.g. including an automatic speech recognition (ASR) algorithm, allowing the system to be controlled by spoken commands or words, e.g. spoken by a particular voice, e.g. the user'"'"'s own voice or a predetermined person, e.g. in the user'"'"'s normal environment.

14. A listening system according to claim 1 adapted to be brought into a LEARNING mode, wherein the system is adapted to learn specifics of external alarms that it is expected to react to and convey to the user.

15. A listening system according to claim 1 wherein the listening device comprises a leakage detector and the listening system is adapted to be brought into a NORMAL mode or an ALARM mode dependent on the amount of leakage detected by the leakage detector.

16. A listening system according to claim 1 adapted to alert the user through the listening device(s) in a NORMAL operational mode, and to use alternative alerts when the system is in an ALARM mode.

17. A listening system according to claim 1, wherein the communication link is bi-directional allowing status information to be transmitted from the listening device to the alerting device.

18. A listening system according to claim 14 wherein typical sources of alarm signals or sounds or voices that are relevant for a situation where the user is unable to hear such signals or sounds or voices are identified for a particular user and a particular environment.

19. A listening system according to claim 18 wherein sources of more than one typical environment are defined, resulting in one or more profiles each comprising relevant learned alarm signals for a given environment that may be activated in the alerting device according to the present environment.

20. A listening system according to claim 14 which, when brought into a LEARNING mode, is adapted to recognize the external alarm signals that a particular user is expected to encounter.

21. A listening system according to claim 14 wherein the listening system is adapted to recognize a sound from a particular door bell, a particular telephone, a particular alarm device, or a particular voice.

22. A listening system according to claim 21 wherein the particular voice is a voice of the person'"'"'s normal environment, e.g. a wife or husband or child or a care assistant.

23. A listening system according to claim 14 adapted to recognize one or more particular words when spoken by a particular voice.