Hearing device providing spoken information on the surroundings

• US 8,886,451 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GN Store Nord A/S
• Original Assignee: GN Store Nord A/S
• Inventors: Christensen, Sren
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/559,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 701/409, 701/412, 701/418, 701/419, 701/426, 701/431, 701/438, 701/488, 701/491
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/38 Electronic maps specially adapted for navigation; Updating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

A navigation system includes a hearing device configured to be head worn and having loudspeakers for emission of sound towards ears of a user; a GPS unit for determining a geographical position of the system; a sound generator connected for outputting audio signals to the loudspeakers; and a processor configured for selecting Points-Of-Interest in a vicinity of the system, and controlling the sound generator to output the audio signals that represents spoken information on the selected Points-Of-Interest in sequence.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a hearing device configured to be head worn and having speakers for emission of sound towards ears of a user;

a GPS unit for determining a geographical position of the system;

a sound generator connected for outputting audio signals to the speakers;

a processor configured for;

selecting Points-Of-Interest in a vicinity of the system, and

controlling the sound generator to output the audio signals that represents spoken information on the selected Points-Of-Interest in sequence; and

a pair of filters with a Head-Related Transfer Function connected in parallel between the sound generator and the speakers for generation of binaural acoustic sound signals emitted towards eardrums of the user so that the binaural acoustic sound signals can be perceived by the user as coming from a sound source positioned in a direction corresponding to the Head-Related Transfer Function.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein

the hearing device accommodates an inertial measurement unit for determining head yaw, when the user wears the hearing device in its intended operational position on a head of the user;

and

the processor is configured for

determining respective directions towards the selected Points-Of-Interest with relation to the determined geographical position and the head yaw of the user,

selecting respective Head-Related Transfer Functions corresponding to the determined directions, and

controlling the sound generator for sequentially outputting the audio signals that represent the spoken information on the selected Points-Of-Interest in sequence through the pair of filters with the selected respective Head-Related Transfer Functions so that the user hears the spoken information on the Points-Of-Interest sequentially from the respective directions towards the Points-Of-Interest.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the selected Points-Of-Interest are selected from a subset of Points-Of-Interest specified by the user.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a database with information on Points-Of-Interest.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising an interface for connection with a Wide-Area-Network.

6. The navigation system according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured for requesting information on one of the Points-Of-Interest via the Wide-Area-Network and for receiving the requested information via the Wide-Area-Network.

7. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform word recognition and to perform speech synthesis for generation of the audio signals that represent spoken information on the selected Points-Of-Interest based on text information on the selected Points-Of-Interest.

8. The navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured for reception of spoken user commands.

9. The navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a hand-held device communicatively coupling with the hearing device.

10. The navigation system according to claim 9, wherein the hand-held device accommodates the sound generator and the pair of filters with Head-Related Transfer functions.

11. The navigation system according to claim 9, wherein the hand-held device accommodates a user interface configured for reception of spoken user commands.

12. The navigation system according to claim 9, wherein the hand-held device comprises a display, and a processor configured to display a map on the display with an indication of the determined geographical position and a head yaw of the user, and icons of the selected Points-Of-Interest at respective geographical positions of the selected Points-Of-Interest.

13. The navigation system according to claim 9, wherein the hand-held device accommodates the GPS unit.

14. The navigation system according to claim 9, further comprising a wireless connection for communicating signals between the hand-held device and the hearing device.

15. The navigation system according to claim 9, further comprising a wired connection for communicating signals between the hand-held device and the hearing device.

16. The navigation system according to claim 15, wherein the audio signals are transmitted from the hand-held device to the hearing device with the wired connection, and wherein sensor data is transmitted from the hearing device to the hand-held device with a wireless connection.