Multifunction system and method for integrated hearing and communication with noise cancellation and feedback management

• US 9,226,083 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Original Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Inventors: Puria, Sunil, Perkins, Rodney C., Fay, Jonathan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaufman, Joshua A
• Application Number:
  US13/768,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20140003640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 381/94.2, 381/312, 381/315, 381/317, 381/318, 381/320, 381/322, 381/324, 381/326, 381/328, 381/329, 600/25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/265 of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/405 by combining a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• 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 25/453 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308

Abstract

Systems, devices and methods for communication include an ear canal microphone configured for placement in the ear canal to detect high frequency sound localization cues. An external microphone positioned away from the ear canal detects low frequency sound, such that feedback is substantially reduced. The canal microphone and the external microphone are coupled to a transducer, such that the user perceives sound from the external microphone and the canal microphone with high frequency localization cues and decreased feedback. Wireless circuitry is configured to connect to many devices with a wireless protocol, such that the user receives and transmits audio signals. A bone conduction sensor detects near-end speech of the user for transmission with the wireless circuitry in noisy environment. Noise cancellation of background sounds near the user improves the user'"'"'s hearing of desired sounds.

Claims

1. An audio listening system for use with an ear of a user, the system comprising:

a canal microphone configured for placement in an ear canal of the user and to measure a canal sound pressure;

an external microphone configured for placement external to the ear canal and to measure external sound pressure;

a transducer coupled to the external microphone and configured for placement inside the ear canal on an eardrum or in a middle ear of the user to vibrate the eardrum and transmit sound to the user in response to the external microphone;

a sound processor configured with active noise cancellation to cause the transducer to adjust vibration of the eardrum to minimize or cancel an external sound perceived by the user based on the canal sound pressure measured by the canal microphone and the external sound pressure measured by the external microphone; and

a bone vibration sensor configured to detect near-end speech, the bone vibration sensor coupled to wireless communication circuitry, and wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to transmit near-end speech to a far-end person in response to bone vibration when the user speaks.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the transducer comprises a magnet and a support configured for placement on the eardrum to vibrate the eardrum in response to a wide bandwidth signal comprising frequencies from about 0.1 kHz to about 10 kHz.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the sound processor is coupled to the canal microphone and configured to receive an input from the canal microphone and wherein the sound processor is configured to cause vibration of the eardrum in response to the input from the canal microphone.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the sound processor is configured to minimize feedback from the transducer.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the sound processor is coupled to the external microphone and configured to cause vibration of the eardrum in response to an input from the external microphone.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the sound processor is configured to cancel feedback from the transducer to the canal microphone with a feedback transfer function.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the sound processor is configured to determine a feedback transfer function in response to the canal sound pressure and the external sound pressure.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the sound processor is configured to measure feedback from the transducer to the canal microphone and wherein the processor is configured to minimize the vibration of the eardrum in response to the feedback.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising an external input for listening.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the external input comprises an analog input configured to receive an analog audio signal from an external device.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication circuitry is coupled to the transducer and configured to vibrate the transducer in response to far-end speech.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the sound processor is coupled to the wireless communication circuitry and to process the far-end speech to generate processed far-end speech and wherein the processor is configured to vibrate the transducer in response to the processed far-end speech.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein wireless communication circuitry is configured to receive far-end speech from a communication channel of a mobile phone.

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a mixer configured to mix a signal from the canal microphone and a signal from the external microphone to generate a mixed signal comprising near-end speech and wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to transmit the mixed signal comprising the near-end speech to a far-end person.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the sound processor is configured to provide mixed near-end speech to the user.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the system is configured to transmit near end speech from a noisy environment to a far-end person.

17. A method of transmitting sound to an ear of a user, the method comprising:

measuring a canal sound with a first microphone placed inside an ear canal or near an opening of the ear canal;

measuring an external sound pressure with a second microphone placed external to

the ear canal;

transmitting the external sound to the user with at least one output transducer placed inside the car canal on an eardrum or in a middle ear of the user to vibrate the eardrum and transmit sound to the user in response to the external microphone;

generating signals, with a sound processor configured with active noise cancellation, to cause the transducer to adjust vibration of the eardrum to minimize or cancel an external sound perceived by the user based on the canal sound pressure measured by the canal microphone and the external sound pressure measured by the second microphone; and

detecting near-end speech with a bone vibration sensor, the bone vibration sensor coupled to wireless communication circuitry, and transmitting the near-end speech to a far-end person with the wireless communication circuitry in response to bone vibration when the user speaks.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the measured sound comprises high frequency spatial localization cues.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein transmitting the sound to the user comprises vibrating the eardrum with a magnet and a support.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein vibrating the eardrum with the magnet and the support comprises vibrating the eardrum in response to a wide bandwidth signal comprising frequencies from about 0.1 kHz to about 10 kHz.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising measuring and/or minimizing feedback from the at least one output transducer with the sound processor.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein minimizing feedback from the at least one output transducer comprises canceling feedback from the at least one transducer to the first microphone with a feedback transfer function.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the sound processor is coupled to wireless communication circuitry and configured to vibrate the at least one output transducer in response to far-end speech received by the wireless communication circuitry.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising processing the far-end speech with the sound processor to generate processed far-end speech and vibrating the at least one output transducer in response to the processed far-end speech.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the far-end speech is received from a communication channel of a mobile phone.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising generating the near-end speech by mixing a first signal from the first microphone and a second signal from the second microphone.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the near-end speech is transmitted from a noise environment to the far-end person.