Hearing assistance systems configured to detect and provide protection to the user from harmful conditions

• US 9,380,374 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hearglass, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Okappi, Inc.
• Inventors: Sprague, Peter J., Boyle, Wayne D., Baker, Janet M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Application Number:
  US14/686,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20150326965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 381/72, 381/73.1, 381327-328, 381/330, 381370-376, 381380-381
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/06 Hearing aids construction of hearing aids H04R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 5/02 Bridges; Browbars; Intermediate bars nose engaging-surfaces G02C5/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 5/12 Nose pads; Nose-engaging surfaces of bridges or rims
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 5/14 Side-members
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1066 Constructional aspects of the interconnection between earpiece and earpiece support earpiece support for monophonic headphones H04R1/105; earpiece support for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0213 Constructional details of earhooks, e.g. shape, material
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/21 Direction finding using differential microphone array [DMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• 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 25/554 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 25/602 of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/603 : of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/604 : of acoustic or vibrational transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/65 : Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 : Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659

Abstract

The present universal wearable computing device relates to a hearing assistance system, device, method, and apparatus that provide a discreet approach to user hearing assistance, without relying on a conventional hearing aid. The hearing assistance system and the requisite electronics may be incorporated into frames that also function as eyeglasses with earphone(s) that may be connected to the frame to assist user hearing. An earphone may be configured with minimal electronics, such that a power source enable sound transmissions to the ear, is provided by a connection to the frame of the eyeglasses. In another example, the earphone is configured without any electronics and sound is transmitted to the user/listener'"'"'s ear(s) via a psychoacoustic system. The sound quality of the transmissions to the earphones may be optimized using a tuning/equalizer application operating from a computing device, such as an app on a mobile device. The tuning/equalizer application can be used by the user/listener to optimize volume input levels to the earphone(s). The hearing assistance system may also protect from damaging environmental noise, provide heightened hearing capabilities, collect and process physiological and physical measurements, and provide communication capabilities for interacting with other computing devices.

Claims

1. A hearing system that protects from damaging noise, the hearing system comprising:

a frame configured to be worn on the head of a user;

a first transducer coupled to the frame, the first transducer including at least two microphones configured to receive an audio signal;

a converter configured to convert and to amplify the audio signal to an amplified representation of the audio signal, wherein the converter is configured to adjust the audio signal to an audio level non-damaging to hearing functions of the user by adjusting amplitude of at least one audio parameter of the audio signal detected by the converter to be at a damaging level;

an electronic interface communicatively coupled to the converter to tune and equalize sound playback, the electronic interface configured for the user to select a preferred non-damaging audio level for adjusting the amplitude of the at least one audio parameter of the audio signal; and

a second transducer for emitting the amplified representation of the audio signal to a pair of earbuds coupled to ears of the user and removably coupled to at least a portion of the frame, wherein the earbuds are configured to block environmental noise from reaching the ears of the user.

2. The hearing system as in claim 1, wherein the earbuds are made of soft rubber that creates a seal with each respective ear to block environmental noise from reaching the ears of the user.

3. The hearing system as in claim 1, wherein the earbuds include passive noise-canceling padding and high-density foam to block environmental noise from reaching the ears of the user.

4. The hearing system as in claim 1, wherein the earbuds include active noise-canceling to mask low-frequency sound waves of ambient noise to cancel unwanted sound.

5. The hearing system as in claim 1, wherein the at least one audio parameter of the audio signal includes volume, frequency, and pitch.

6. The hearing system as in claim 1, wherein the adjusted amplitude is stored as a preset, the user selecting the preset to set the adjusted amplitude when in an environment with damaging noise.

7. The hearing system as in claim 1, wherein the frame is configured with at least one sensor for measuring at least one of physiological functions of the user and physical surroundings of the user.

8. The hearing system as in claim 7, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of a temple area sensor for measuring the physiological functions and a capacitive touch sensitive area that the user touches with a body part for measuring the physiological functions.

9. The hearing system as in claim 7, wherein the at least one sensor measures the at least one of physiological functions and physical surrounds by use of at least one of electronic signals, sound pulses, light pulses, x-rays, odor detectors, accelerometer, and radiation.

10. The hearing system as in claim 1, wherein the converter is further configured to pitch shift the audio signal such that the user at least one of detects and hears sounds outside a detectable frequency range of hearing of the user.

11. The hearing system as in claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer coupled to the converter to reduce vibration noise detected by the hearing system to enhance clarity of the audio signal.

12. The hearing system as in claim 1, further comprising a transceiver coupled to one or more computer processors embedded in the frame, the transceiver configured to connect with communication devices, and together with the one or more processors, further configured to function as a mobile computing device.

13. A method of protecting from damaging noise, the method comprising:

processing an audio signal by a first transducer coupled to a frame configured to be worn on the head of a user, the first transducer further coupled to at least two microphones situated on the frame and configured to receive the audio signal;

converting and amplifying the audio signal to an amplified representation of the audio signal by a converter, wherein the converting adjusts the audio signal to an audio level non-damaging to hearing functions of the user by adjusting amplitude of at least one audio parameter of the audio signal detected by the converter to be at a damaging level, the at least one audio parameter adjusted to a preferred non-damaging audio level selected by the user using an electronic interface to tune and equalize sound playback; and

emitting the amplified representation of the audio signal, using a second transducer, to a pair of earbuds coupled to ears of the user and removably coupled to at least a portion of the frame, wherein the earbuds are configured to block environmental noise from reaching the ears of the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the earbuds are made of soft rubber that creates a seal with each respective ear to block environmental noise from reaching the ears of the user.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the earbuds include passive noise-canceling padding and high-density foam to block environmental noise from reaching the ears of the user.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the earbuds include active noise-canceling to mask low-frequency sound waves of ambient noise to cancel unwanted sound.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one audio parameter of the audio signal includes volume, frequency, and pitch.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the adjusted amplitude is stored as a preset, the user selecting the preset to set the adjusted amplitude when in an environment with damaging noise.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the frame is configured with at least one sensor for measuring at least one of physiological functions of the user and physical surroundings of the user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of a temple area sensor for measuring the physiological functions and a capacitive touch sensitive area that the user touches with a body part for measuring the physiological functions.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one sensor measures the at least one of physiological functions and physical surrounds by use of at least one of electronic signals, sound pulses, light pulses, x-rays, odor detectors, accelerometer, and radiation.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising pitch shifting the audio signal such that the user at least one of detects and hears sounds outside a detectable frequency range of hearing of the user.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising reducing vibration noise detected by the an accelerometer coupled to the converter, wherein the reducing of the vibration noise enhances clarity of the audio signal.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising, connecting with communication devices using a transceiver coupled to one or more computer processors embedded in the frame, and together with the one or more processors, functioning as a mobile computing device.