Active delay method and a improved wireless binaural hearing device using the same method

• US 8,989,394 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyungpook National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
• Original Assignee: Kyungpook National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
• Inventors: Cho, Jin Ho, Seong, Ki Woong, Lee, Jyung Hyun, Kim, Myoung Nam, Woo, Sang Hyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Leshui
• Application Number:
  US13/244,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20120328111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,277 Days
• Field of Search: 381/1, 381/2, 381/6, 381/14, 381/16, 381/22, 381/23, 381/23.1, 381/26, 381/61, 381/314, 381/315, 381/74, 381/332, 381/91, 381/92, 381/97, 381/98, 381/99, 381/100, 381/101, 381/102, 381/103, 381/110, 381/119, 381/122, 455/575.2, 455/575.3, 455/575.4, 700/94
• US Class Current: 381/23.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/00 Two-channel systems H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

Disclosed are an active delay method and an improved wireless binaural hearing device. The binaural hearing device includes: a first hearing device including a first microphone, an amplifier and a wireless transmitter; and a second hearing device including a second microphone, an amplifier, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver which receives a signal from the wireless transmitter, an active delay circuit which synchronizes the received signal with a signal acquired by the second microphone, a neural network which synchronizes the delayed signal, and a speaker which converts the synchronized signal into a voice signal. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent incorrect detection of the position of the sound source or paralalia due to a time delay which is produced in the wireless binaural hearing device and reduce noises due to a time difference between both hearing devices, thereby providing a binaural hearing device with high quality.

Claims

1. A binaural hearing device with improved performance through an adaptive delay, comprising:

a first hearing device acquiring a first sound signal, and transmitting a digital signal corresponding to the first sound signal; and

a second hearing device receiving the digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device, wherein

the second hearing device comprises;

a received signal strength indication measuring unit configured to measure a strength of the received digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device, and

an adaptive delay circuit configured to adaptively synchronize the received digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device with a second sound signal acquired by the second hearing device, the adaptive synchronization being performed by equalizing a phase of the received digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device to a phase of the second sound signal acquired by the second hearing device,

the adaptive delay circuit further configured to determine a time delay generated per wireless data packet of the received digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device based on the measured strength of the received digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device by the RSSI measuring unit and to adaptively synchronize the received digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device with the second sound signal acquired by the second hearing device based on the determined time delay.

2. The binaural hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the adaptive delay circuit includes a local oscillator and a PLL circuit.

3. An adaptive delay method in a binaural hearing device, comprising the steps of:

acquiring a first sound and a second sound signals through a first and a second microphones of a first and a second hearing devices respectively;

converting the first sound signal into a digital RF signal, and converting the second sound signal into a digital sound signal;

wirelessly transmitting the digital RF signal to the second hearing device;

receiving the digital RF signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device to the second hearing device, the second hearing device having a received signal strength indication RSSI measuring unit configured to measure a strength of the received digital RF signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device; and

adaptively actively synchronizing the received digital RF signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device with the digital sound signal of the second hearing device, the adaptive synchronization being performed by

equalizing a phase of the received digital RF signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device to a phase of the second sound signal of the second hearing device in response to detection of the strength of the received digital RF signal transmitted from the first hearing device,

determining a time delay generated per wireless data packet of the received digital RF signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device based on the strength measured by the RSSI measuring unit, and

adaptively synchronizing the received digital RF signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device with the second sound signal of the second hearing device based on the determined time delay.

4. The adaptive delay method according to claim 3, wherein the first and second sound signals are amplified to produce amplified first and second sound signals respectively and the amplified first and second sound signals are filtered to produce filtered first and second sound signals respectively in a predetermined frequency band, and

the filtered first and second sound signals are converted into the digital RF signal and the digital sound signal, respectively.

5. The adaptive delay method according to claim 3, wherein the data packet of the received digital RF signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device contains time data.

6. The adaptive delay method according to claim 3, wherein

the determined time delay is acquired per wireless data packet and then a total delay time is determined by a binaural algorithm.

7. The adaptive delay method according to claim 3, wherein the digital RF signal received in a RF receiver of the second hearing device is compared with a signal of a local oscillator;

and

phases are adaptively synchronized between the received digital RF signal wirelessly transmitted from the first hearing device and the digital sound signal of the second hearing device using a PLL circuit.

8. A binaural hearing device comprising:

a first hearing device comprising a first microphone configured to receive a first sound and a transmitter configured to receive a RF digital signal corresponding to the first sound signal; and

a second hearing device wirelessly communicating with the first hearing device, the second hearing device comprising;

a second microphone;

a receiver configured to receive the RF digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter of the first hearing device;

a received signal strength indication RSSI measuring unit configured to measure a strength of the received RF digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter of the first hearing device;

an adaptive delay circuit configured to adaptively synchronize the received RF digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter of the first hearing device with a second sound signal acquired by the second microphone of the second hearing device by determining a time delay generated per wireless data packet of the received RF digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter of the first hearing device in response to a detection of the measured strength of the received RF digital signal wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter of the first hearing device by the RSSI measuring unit.

9. The binaural hearing device according to claim 8, wherein the adaptive delay circuit includes a local oscillator and a PLL circuit.

10. The binaural hearing device according to claim 8, wherein the second hearing device further comprises a converting converter configured to convert the adaptively synchronized signal into a voice signal.