Low power intermittent messaging for hearing assistance devices

• US 9,426,586 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Solum, Jeffrey Paul, Kroenke, Randall A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRITCHARD, JASMINE L
• Application Number:
  US12/643,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20110150251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,437 Days
• Field of Search: 381/314, 381/311, 381/315
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/046 using a dotting sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0035 detecting errors in frequency or phase
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present subject matter includes a system for communications between a transmitter and a receiver. In various embodiments, the system uses a sleep interval to allow the receiver to go to sleep between wake up times to “sniff” for transmissions from the transmitter. The system adjusts the length of the preamble of the transmitted signal to allow the receiver to detect a transmitted signal based on drift in the clocks of the system. In various embodiments, a receive channel is changed if a signal is not received at a prior channel selection. In various embodiments, the transmission is determined by detection of an event. In various embodiments, the event is an ear-to-ear event. In various embodiments, the receiver and transmitter are in opposite hearing aids adapted to be worn by one wearer.

Claims

1. A method for hearing assistance device communications between a transmitter having a first clock and a receiver having a second clock, the method comprising:

synchronizing the first clock, having a first frequency drift, and the second clock, having a second frequency drift, at a synchronization time;

determining a time interval between the synchronization time and a transmission time of a transmission, wherein the transmission includes a packet;

calculating a drift window using an initial drift window and a potential drift amount between the first clock and the second clock over the time interval including using a calculation of a number of sleep window intervals between the transmission and a second transmission, wherein the initial drift window is a product of a sleep interval and clock accuracy; and

transmitting the transmission with the transmitter on a first channel, wherein the packet includes a packet length based on the first frequency drift and the second frequency drift and a preamble having a preamble length less than or equal to a duration of the drift window; and

retransmitting the transmission on a second channel when the receiver does not receive the packet on the first channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first clock or the second clock or both clocks are adjusted to compensate for any measured difference in rate between the first clock and the second clock.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the preamble length is at least the length of a clock accuracy multiplied by the time interval.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving with the receiver at a plurality of predetermined sleep intervals by activating the receiver for a duration of time of at least the drift window at each sleep interval to determine if a signal is present.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transmission includes one or more packets.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising:

changing to a new receive channel, if a signal is present and not recognized in a predetermined time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission includes one or more packets.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

receiving packets with the receiver until no packets are received for a predetermined time, if a signal is present.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitter sends a packet upon detection of an event, the packet including a preamble with the preamble length at least a duration of the drift window.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the event is an ear-to-ear event.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the packet is sent until it is acknowledged.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the packet is sent a plurality of times.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiver is disposed within a hearing assistance device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitter is disposed within a hearing assistance device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitter is disposed within a first hearing aid and the receiver is disposed within a second hearing aid, the first and second hearing aids adapted to be worn by one wearer.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first clock and the second clock are synchronized upon a successful receipt of the transmission.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first clock and the second clock are synchronized upon reaching time or data settings.

18. A system for hearing assistance device communications, comprising:

a receiver including a first clock having a first frequency drift, the receiver adapted to receive on sleep intervals using the first clock as a timer; and

a transmitter including a second clock, having a second frequency drift, the transmitter adapted to transmit at a time which is a multiple of the sleep interval using the second clock as a timer,

wherein the transmitter is adapted to transmit, on a first channel, a packet having a preamble of a preamble length that increases with a transmission time between transmissions and having the preamble length based on both the first and second frequency drifts and based a calculation of a number of sleep window intervals between transmissions, the preamble length selected to ensure detection of the packet by the receiver regardless of drift of the first and second clocks; and

wherein the transmitter is adapted to retransmit the packet on a second channel when the receiver does not receive the packet on the first channel.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the receiver is adapted to change channel of reception when signals are received but a packet is not detected.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the receiver is disposed in a housing of a first hearing aid and the transmitter is disposed in a housing of a second hearing aid.