Hearing system and finger ring for the hearing system

• US 9,020,170 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Finewell Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Finewell Co., Ltd., ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hosoi, Hiroshi, Hosoi, Yoji, Tanaka, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yu, Norman
• Application Number:
  US13/985,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20130322670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 381/151, 381/315, 381/380
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 9/00 Finger-rings settings for holding gems or the like A44C17/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/005 using a piezoelectric polymer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/023 Transducers incorporated in garment, rucksacks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/03 Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/04 comprising pocket amplifiers
• 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: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

The hearing system comprises a finger ring and a hearing device body. The finger ring includes: a first short-distance wireless communication portion; a vibration output portion disposed at a position that contacts a finger to convert a voice signal, which is received by the first short-distance wireless communication portion, into a cartilage conduction vibration and outputs it; and a first power source portion that supplies power to the first short-distance wireless communication portion and the vibration output portion. The talk device body includes: a second short-distance wireless communication portion that communicates with the first short-distance wireless communication portion; a microphone; a voice signal output portion that makes the second short-distance wireless communication portion output the voice signal according to a voice captured by the microphone; and a second power source portion that supplies power to the second short-distance wireless communication portion, the microphone, and the voice signal output portion.

Claims

1. A finger ring used for a hearing system, comprising:

a short-distance wireless communication portion;

a vibration output portion disposed at a position that contacts a finger to convert a voice signal, which is received by the short-distance wireless communication portion, into a cartilage conduction vibration and outputs the cartilage conduction vibration;

a power source portion that performs electric power supply to the short-distance wireless communication portion and the vibration output portion; and

a power-source switch that turns on/off a power source of the power source portion, wherein the short-distance wireless communication portion outputs an on/off-state of the power source portion to outside;

wherein the power-source switch includes a self-holding function that holds the on state for a predetermined self-time span; and

wherein count operation during the self-holding time span is reset at each turning on operation of the power source portion and restarted.

2. A finger ring used for a hearing system, comprising:

a short-distance wireless communication portion;

a vibration output portion disposed at a position that contacts a finger to convert a voice signal, which is received by the short-distance wireless communication portion, into a cartilage conduction vibration and outputs the cartilage conduction vibration; and

a power source portion that performs electric power supply to the short-distance wireless communication portion and the vibration output portion,

wherein the vibration output portion includes a piezoelectric bimorph; and

wherein the power source portion includes a voltage step-up circuit that drives the piezoelectric bimorph.

3. The finger ring according to claim 2, wherein the vibration output portion includes an electromagnetic vibration portion.

4. The finger ring according to claim 2, wherein the hearing system is a hearing aid system.

5. The finger ring according to claim 2, further comprising a microphone.

6. A finger ring used for a mobile phone system as a hearing system, comprising:

a short-distance wireless communication portion;

a vibration output portion disposed at a position that contacts a finger to convert a voice signal, which is received by the short-distance wireless communication portion, into a cartilage conduction vibration and outputs the cartilage conduction vibration;

a power source portion that performs electric power supply to the short-distance wireless communication portion and the vibration output portion;

a control portion that receives an incoming signal via the short-distance wireless communication portion to make the power source portion start the electric power supply; and

an incoming alert vibration portion that notifies a phone call based on the incoming signal.

7. The finger ring according to claim 6, wherein the vibration output portion doubles as the incoming alert vibration portion.

8. A finger ring used for a mobile phone system as a hearing system, comprising:

a short-distance wireless communication portion;

a vibration output portion disposed at a position that contacts a finger to convert a voice signal, which is received by the short-distance wireless communication portion, into a cartilage conduction vibration and outputs the cartilage conduction vibration;

a power source portion that performs electric power supply to the short-distance wireless communication portion and the vibration output portion; and

a manual operation switch, wherein the short-distance wireless communication portion outputs a signal corresponding to a call/answer operation by the manual switch to the mobile phone.

10. The finger ring according to claim 8, wherein the vibration output portion includes an electromagnetic vibration portion.

11. The finger ring according to claim 8, wherein the vibration output portion outputs the cartilage conduction vibration that is transmittable to an ear cartilage via a finger when the finger contacts the ear cartilage.

12. The finger ring according to claim 11, wherein the ear cartilage is of a tragus.

9. A finger ring used for a mobile phone system as a hearing system, comprising:

a short-distance wireless communication portion;

a vibration output portion disposed at a position that contacts a finger to convert a voice signal, which is received by the short-distance wireless communication portion, into a cartilage conduction vibration and outputs the cartilage conduction vibration; and

a power source portion that performs electric power supply to the short-distance wireless communication portion and the vibration output portion,

wherein the vibration output portion includes a piezoelectric bimorph; and

wherein the power source portion includes a voltage step-up circuit that drives the piezoelectric bimorph.