External ear canal voice detection

• US 9,369,814 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Victorian, Thomas A., Preves, David A., Bradley, J. Virgil
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-See
• Application Number:
  US14/714,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20160021469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 381/315, 381/330, 381/322, 381/93, 381/312, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 704/233, 704/200, 704/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• 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: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

Ear-level full duplex audio communication systems each include one or two ear attachment devices, such as in-the-ear (ITE) or behind-the-ear (BTE) devices, that wirelessly communicates to a remote device such as a computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a walkie talkie, or a language translator. When used as a hearing aid, such a system allows a hearing impaired individual to communicate with or through the remote device, such as to talk to another person through a cellular phone. When being used as an ear piece wirelessly extended from the remote device, such system allows an individual with normal hearing to privately communicate with or through the remote device without the need of holding the device or wearing any device wired to the remote device. Each ear attachment device includes a voice operated exchange (VOX), housed within the device, to preserve energy and hence, maximize the period between battery replacement or recharges. The VOX also gates various sounds detected by the system to control possible echoes and ringing.

Claims

1. A system for communication between a remote device and a person having ear canals, comprising:

one or more hearing aids configured to provide full duplex audio allowing for two-way simultaneous communication between the person and the remote device, the one or more hearing aids including;

an ear canal microphone configured to detect a local sound from about an ear canal of the ear canals when being placed in the ear canal;

an ear canal speaker configured to transmit a processed remote sound to the person;

a processor configured to process the local sound and the remote sound;

a transceiver configured to transmit a first wireless signal representing the local sound to the remote device and receive a second wireless signal representing the remote sound from the remote device; and

a voice operated exchange (VOX) circuit configured to activate voice-activated portions of the one or more hearing aids in response to detection of the local sound and in response to reception of the second wireless signal, and configured to gate each of the local sound and the remote sound according to programmed gating coordination rules based on whether the local sound is detected and whether the second wireless signal is received, in response to the detection of the local sound and in response to the reception of the second wireless signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a speech recognition module configured to enhance one or more of the first wireless signal and the second wireless signal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more hearing aids comprise an earmold housing the ear canal microphone, the ear canal speaker, the processor, the transceiver, and the VOX circuit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the earmold is configured for use as an in-the-ear (ITE) device.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the earmold is configured for use as a behind-the-ear (BTE) device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hearing aids further comprise an external microphone configured to detect an ambient sound from outside the ear canals, and wherein the ear canal speaker is configured to transmit the processed remote sound and a processed ambient sound to the person, the processor is configured to process the local sound, the remote sound, and the ambient sound, and the VOX circuit is configured to activate voice-activated portions of the one or more hearing aids in response to the detection of the local sound and in response to the reception of the second wireless signal, and configured to gate each of the local sound, the remote sound, and the ambient sound according to the programmed gating coordination rules based on whether the local sound is detected and whether the second wireless signal is received, in response to the detection of the local sound and in response to the reception of the second wireless signal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the VOX circuit is configured to deactivate the voice-activated portions of the one or more hearing aids when none of the local sound, the remote sound, and the ambient sound is detected for a predetermined period of time.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hearing aids comprise:

a first hearing aid including;

the ear canal microphone;

a first processor of the processor, the first processor configured to convert the local sound to the first wireless signal;

a wireless transmitter of the transceiver, the wireless transmitter configured to transmit the first wireless signal to the remote device; and

a first VOX circuit of the VOX circuit, the first VOX circuit configured to activate voice-activated portions of the first hearing aid in response to the detection of the local sound; and

a second hearing aid including;

a wireless receiver of the transceiver, the wireless receiver configured to receive the second wireless signal from remote device;

a second processor of the processor, the second processor configured to convert the second wireless signal to the remote sound;

the ear canal speaker; and

a second VOX circuit of the VOX circuit, the second VOX circuit configured to activate voice-activated portions of the second hearing aid in response to the reception of the second wireless signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second hearing aid further comprises an external microphone connected to the second processor, the second microphone adapted to receive an ambient sound from outside the second ear canal, and wherein the second processor is further configured to process the ambient sound, and the ear canal speaker is configured to transmit the remote sound and the processed ambient sound to the person.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first and second hearing aids are each an in-the-ear (ITE) device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the first and second hearing aids are each a behind-the-ear (BTE) device.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising the remote device, wherein the remote devices comprises a computer.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising the remote device, wherein the remote devices comprises a cellular phone.

14. A method for operating one or more hearing aids to allow a person to communicate with a remote device, comprising:

detecting a local sound from about an ear canal of the person using an ear canal microphone of the one or more hearing aids, the ear canal microphone placed in the ear canal;

transmitting a first wireless signal representative of the detected local sound to the remote device;

receiving a second wireless signal representative of a remote sound from the remote device;

transmitting the remote sound to the person using an ear canal speaker of the one or more hearing aids;

starting a voice operated exchange (VOX) in the ear-level communication device in response to detection of the local sound and in response to reception of the second wireless signal; and

gating each of the local sound and the remote sound using a VOX circuit of the one or more hearing aids based on whether the local sound is detected and whether the remote sound is detected in response to the VOX being started,

wherein the transmitting the first wireless signal and the receiving the second wireless signal include transmitting the first wireless signal and receiving the second wireless signal simultaneously using full duplex audio.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting the local sound comprises detecting the local sound from about a first ear canal of the person using the ear canal microphone of a first hearing aid the one or more hearing aids, and transmitting the remote sound to the person comprises transmitting the remote sound to a second ear canal of the person using the ear canal speaker of a second hearing aid the one or more hearing aids.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting an ambient sound from outside the ear canal using an external microphone;

transmitting the ambient sound to the person using the ear canal speaker; and

gating each of the local sound, the remote sound, and the ambient sound on or off using the VOX circuit based on whether the local sound is detected and whether the remote sound is detected in response to the VOX being started.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising gating the local sound off, gating the remote sound on, and gating the ambient sound off, when the remote sound is detected while the local sound is not detected.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising gating the local sound off, gating the remote sound on, and gating the ambient sound on, when the remote sound is detected while the local sound is not detected.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising gating the local sound on, gating the remote sound off, and gating the ambient sound off, when the local sound is detected while the remote sound is not detected.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising stopping the VOX if none of the local sound and the remote sound is detected for a predetermined period of time.

21. The method of claim 14, comprising receiving the second wireless signal from a computer.

22. The method of claim 14, comprising receiving the second wireless signal from a cellular phone.