Hearing aid attached to mobile electronic device

• US 9,392,381 B1
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Postech Academy-Industry Foundation
• Original Assignee: Postech Academy-Industry Foundation
• Inventors: Cho, Seong Eun, Yeo, Dong Hee, Jang, Young Jae, Noh, Hyeon Kyu, Park, Sang Hu, Park, Hong June
• Primary Examiner(s): Joshi, Sunita
• Application Number:
  US14/795,266
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 381/74, 381/92, 381/23.1, 381/73.1, 381/72, 381313-315, 381/317, 381/318, 381/334, 381/306, 381/361, 381/364, 381/365, 381/367, 381/388
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/401 2D or 3D arrays of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2203/12 Beamforming aspects for stereophonic sound reproduction with loudspeaker arrays
• 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 2420/09 Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/20 Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic H04R2203/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• 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 25/556 External connectors, e.g. plugs or modules H04R25/607 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed is a hearing aid attached to a mobile electronic device. Elements forming the hearing aid are separated into a main hearing aid device and a sub-hearing aid device. The main hearing aid device is attached to the casing of a mobile electronic device and connected to the mobile electronic device through a wired cable, and the sub-hearing aid device is placed in an ear of a user. Other people rarely notice that a user uses the hearing aid because the main hearing aid device is mounted on the casing of a mobile electronic device. The hearing aid is supplied with power from the battery of the mobile electronic device, and has the same size as the casing of the mobile electronic device. Accordingly, a beamforming operation through a microphone array is possible, and use convenience and a level of satisfaction of the hearing aid can be improved.

Claims

1. A hearing aid attached to a mobile electronic device, comprising:

a first hearing aid device configured to convert an external audio signal into an audio signal suitable for hearing characteristics of a user by processing the external audio signal and output the converted audio signal; and

a second hearing aid device configured to comprise a speaker and placed in an ear of the user,

wherein the first hearing aid device is mounted on a casing of the mobile electronic device and connected to the mobile electronic device through a first connection device, and the second hearing aid device is connected to the first hearing aid device through a second connection device, and

wherein the first hearing aid device comprises;

a microphone array configured to receive the external audio signal;

a beamformer unit configured to receive a plurality of output signals of the microphone array and output a beamformer unit output signal;

a MUX configured to select one of the beamformer unit output signal and a sound output data signal from the mobile electronic device and output the selected signal;

a digital signal processor configured to receive the output signal of the MUX, perform signal processing on the received signal, and output the processed signal;

a modulation signal generation unit configured to receive the output signal of the digital signal processor and generate a pulse width modulation signal or a pulse density modulation signal;

a controller configured to receive an external signal or a control signal from the mobile electronic device and control an operation of the first heating aid device and the mobile electronic device;

a first connection device conversion unit connected to the mobile electronic device through the first connection device; and

a second connection device conversion unit connected to the second hearing aid device through the second connection device.

2. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the microphone array is configured to have m microphones arrayed in the microphone array in a one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional manner, wherein m is a natural number of four or more;

and

the beamformer unit is configured to delay the output signals by respective predetermined times, and add up the delayed signals to output the beamformer unit output signal that is a digital signal.

3. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the mobile electronic device comprises a smart phone, a tablet PC, or a portable multimedia player in which a central processing unit (CPU) and a battery are embedded.

4. The hearing aid of claim 1, further comprising a third hearing aid device configured to have a structure identical with a structure of the second hearing aid device and connected to the first hearing aid device through the second connection device, wherein the second hearing aid device and the third hearing aid device are placed in left and right ears of the user.

5. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the first hearing aid device is supplied with power from the mobile electronic device through a conducting wire for power supply included in the first connection device.

6. The hearing aid of claim 5, wherein the first connection device uses a digital data transmission method other than the conducting wire for power supply.

7. The hearing aid of claim 6, wherein:

the first connection device uses interface methods according to a universal serial bus (USB) standard and a mobile high definition link (MHL) standard, and

the first connection device uses only one of the interface methods according to the two standards on a specific time.

8. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the second connection device comprises an earphone cable or a wireless transmission device.

9. The hearing aid of claim 2, wherein:

the beamformer unit further comprises a storage device configured to comprise information about the delay times of the plurality of output signals of the microphone array, and

the storage device is included in a single integrated circuit chip along with the beamformer unit.

10. The hearing aid of claim 9, wherein contents of the storage device are downloaded from the mobile electronic device to the storage device only once through the first connection device when the first hearing aid device is first connected to the mobile electronic device or right after the first hearing aid device is reset.

11. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the first hearing aid device operates in a hearing aid mode and a telephone call mode.

12. The hearing aid of claim 11, wherein:

when the first hearing aid device operates in the hearing aid mode, the MUX selects the beamformer unit output signal and transfers the selected beamformer unit output signal to the digital signal processor,

when the first hearing aid device operates in the telephone call mode, the MUX selects an audio signal output by the mobile electronic device through the first connection device conversion unit and transfers the selected audio signal to the digital signal processor, and

the controller performs control so that the speaker of the mobile electronic device connected to the first hearing aid device is turned off through the first connection device conversion unit.

13. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein parameter values for an operation of the first hearing aid device are controllable through an application program operating in the mobile electronic device.

14. The hearing aid of claim 2, wherein each of the microphones forming the microphone array outputs a differential analog signal.

15. The hearing aid of claim 2, wherein the beamformer unit comprises:

m channels each configured to comprise a pre-processing amplifier, a variable gain amplifier, a filter, and an analog to digital converter; and

a single digital beamformer, wherein m is a natural number of four or more.

16. The hearing aid of claim 15, wherein:

all of the pre-processing amplifiers, the variable gain amplifiers, the filters, and the analog to digital converters are formed to a fully-differential circuit, and

the output signals of the analog to digital converters are subjected to the respective predetermined delay times and added up in the digital beamformer and are output as the beamformer unit output signal.

17. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the first connection device conversion unit comprises:

a USB transceiver configured to send and receive a USB input signal and a USB output signal;

a HDMI receiver configured to alternately output a video signal and an audio signal;

an audio data extractor configured to extract only an audio signal from outputs of the HDMI receiver and output the sound output data signal; and

a USB/MHL switch connected to a micro-USB port of the mobile electronic device through the first connection device.

18. The hearing aid of claim 17, wherein the first connection device is implemented using a USB cable.

19. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the second connection device conversion unit comprises:

a loop antenna for near field magnetic induction (NFMI) transmission;

a voltage to current converter configured to receive the output signal of the first hearing aid device and output a change of a magnetic field by driving the loop antenna for NFMI transmission;

a class D amplifier and a low pass filter configured to receive the output signal of the modulation signal generation unit of the first hearing aid device, amplify the received signal into an audible audio signal, and output the audible audio signal; and

an audio jack configured to output the output signal of the low pass filter.

20. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein all circuits forming the first hearing aid device are disposed on a single printed circuit board (PCB).

21. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein a central point of the first hearing aid device is placed within 30 cm from a center of the mobile electronic device.

22. The hearing aid of claim 2, wherein the microphones of the microphone array are exposed to an outer surface of the casing of the mobile electronic device.

23. The hearing aid of claim 22, wherein a color or pattern of the microphones exposed to the outer surface of the casing of the mobile electronic device are similar to or identical with a color or pattern of an outside of the casing of the mobile electronic device so that the microphones are rarely distinguished from the casing of the mobile electronic device.

24. The hearing aid of claim 22, wherein a thin cloth or film through which a sound passes on the outer surface of the casing of the mobile electronic device is used as a protection device.

25. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein a second hearing aid device further comprises a driving circuit optionally.