Audio system for audio streaming and associated method

• US 9,497,541 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GN Hearing A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Original Assignee: GN Resound A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Inventors: Siegumfeldt, Peter, Gudiksen, Ole
• Primary Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US13/849,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20140241545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 381312-316, 381320-321, 381 77- 83
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A method for operating an audio system for transmitting wireless audio streams to a hearing system, the wireless audio streams comprising a first audio stream and a second audio stream, the audio system comprising a communication unit and a radio system comprising stationary transmitter units for transmitting at least the first audio stream with first audio identification data indicative of the first audio stream and the second audio stream with second audio identification data indicative of the second audio stream, the stationary transmitter units including a first transmitter unit and a second transmitter unit, the method includes: receiving a request indicative of an audio track; determining configuration data based on the request indicative of the audio track; and transmitting the configuration data to the hearing system for allowing the hearing system to receive one of the first and second audio streams representative of the audio track indicated in the request.

Claims

1. A phone comprising:

a processing unit configured to provide an interfacing function to interconnect a hearing aid and an audio system having a plurality of transmitters, wherein the processing unit is configured to obtain configuration data from the audio system transmitted based on a request for an audio track; and

a communication device configured to transfer the configuration data to the hearing aid to enable the hearing aid to receive a desired audio stream that is associated with the requested audio track, the desired audio stream being one of a plurality of audio streams transmitted by the audio system, wherein other one(s) of the plurality of audio streams is associated with other audio track(s) that is different from the requested audio track;

wherein the configuration data comprises information identifying one of the transmitters that is configured to transmit the desired audio stream.

2. The phone of claim 1, wherein the phone comprises a smart phone.

3. The phone of claim 1, wherein the phone and the hearing device form parts of a hearing system.

4. The phone of claim 1, wherein the request comprises information regarding a phone type, a hearing aid identification, a telephone number, or a combination of two or more of the foregoing.

5. The phone of claim 1, wherein the information is for configuring the hearing aid.

6. The phone of claim 1, wherein the information is configured to identify the one of the transmitters by identifying an optimum audio stream from a plurality of audio streams.

7. The phone of claim 1, wherein the information is for identifying the one of the transmitters as the optimal transmitter.

8. A method for operating an audio system for transmitting wireless audio streams to a hearing system, the wireless audio streams comprising a first audio stream and a second audio stream, the audio system comprising a communication unit and a radio system comprising a plurality of transmitter units, the plurality of transmitter units including a first transmitter unit and a second transmitter unit, the first transmitter unit configured for transmitting at least the first audio stream with first audio identification data indicative of the first audio stream, the second transmitter unit configured for transmitting at least the second audio stream with second audio identification data indicative of the second audio stream, the method comprising:

receiving a request indicative of an audio track;

determining configuration data for the hearing system based on the request indicative of the audio track; and

transmitting the configuration data to the hearing system for allowing the hearing system to receive a desired audio stream that is associated with the audio track indicated in the request, the desired audio stream being one of a plurality of audio streams including the first audio stream and the second audio stream, wherein other one(s) of the plurality of audio streams is associated with other audio track(s) that is different from the audio track indicated in the request;

wherein the act of transmitting the configuration data to the hearing system comprises transmitting the configuration data to a phone in the hearing system;

wherein the configuration data comprises information identifying one of the transmitter units that is configured to transmit the desired audio stream associated with the audio track indicated in the request.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the act of transmitting the configuration data to the hearing system comprises transmitting the configuration data at a frequency anywhere from 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz, at a frequency anywhere from 800 MHz to 1 GHz, and/or at a frequency anywhere from 13 MHz to 14 MHz.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the information comprises at least a part of an audio identification data of one of the first and second audio streams representative of the audio track indicated in the request.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the information comprises one or more of transmitter identification data, transmitter group identification data, audio group identification data, audio type identification data, and audio protocol identification data.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the configuration data comprises first configuration data for a first hearing system model or type, or second configuration data for a second hearing system model or type.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the request indicative of the audio track comprises hearing system data.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first transmitter unit is at the first auditorium, and the second transmitter unit is at the second auditorium.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the hearing system comprises a hearing aid having a hearing loss compensation processor, the hearing aid being in communication with the phone.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive the first audio stream or the second audio stream.

17. An audio system for transmitting wireless audio streams to a hearing system, comprising:

a radio system comprising a plurality of stationary transmitter units, the plurality of stationary transmitter units comprising a first stationary transmitter unit for a first auditorium and a second stationary transmitter unit for a second auditorium, the first stationary transmitter unit configured to transmit at least a first audio stream with first audio identification data indicative of the first audio stream, the second stationary transmitter unit configured to transmit at least a second audio stream with second audio identification data indicative of the second audio stream; and

a communication unit for transmitting configuration data for the hearing system, wherein the communication unit is configured to;

receive a request indicative of an audio track;

determine configuration data for the hearing system based on the request indicative of the audio track; and

transmit the configuration data to the hearing system for allowing the hearing system to receive a desired audio stream that is associated with the audio track indicated in the request, the desired audio stream being one of a plurality of audio streams including the first audio stream and the second audio stream, wherein other one(s) of the plurality of audio streams is associated with other audio track(s) that is different from the audio track indicated in the request;

wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit the configuration data to a phone in the hearing system; and

wherein the configuration data comprises information identifying one of the stationary transmitter units that is configured to transmit the desired audio stream associated with the audio track indicated in the request.

18. The audio system according to claim 17, wherein the communication unit comprises a wireless transmitter for transmitting the configuration data to a hearing device of the hearing system.

19. The audio system according to claim 17, wherein the communication unit comprises a near field communication device configured to transmit the configuration data based on the request indicative of the audio track to the hearing system.

20. The audio system according to claim 17, wherein the radio system comprises a radio system control unit connected to the transmitter units, and wherein the radio system control unit is configured to control the transmitter units.

21. The audio system according to claim 17, further comprising a user interface unit connected to the communication unit, wherein the user interface unit is configured to receive the request indicative of the audio track, and transmit the received request to the communication unit.

22. The audio system according to claim 17, wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit the configuration data based on the request indicative of the audio track to the phone.

23. The audio system according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the stationary transmitter units is configured to transmit one of the first and second audio streams in a form of electromagnetic signals representative of the audio track.

24. The audio system of claim 17, wherein the first stationary transmitter unit is at the first auditorium, and the second stationary transmitter unit is at the second auditorium.

25. The audio system of claim 17, wherein the hearing system comprises a hearing aid having a hearing loss compensation processor, the hearing aid being in communication with the phone.

26. The audio system of claim 25, wherein the hearing aid is configured to receive the first audio stream or the second audio stream.

27. An audio system for transmitting wireless audio streams to a hearing system, comprising:

a radio system comprising a plurality of stationary transmitter units, the plurality of stationary transmitter units comprising a first stationary transmitter unit for a first auditorium and a second stationary transmitter unit for a second auditorium, the first stationary transmitter unit configured to transmit at least a first audio stream with first audio identification data indicative of the first audio stream, the second stationary transmitter unit configured to transmit at least a second audio stream with second audio identification data indicative of the second audio stream; and

a communication unit for transmitting configuration data for the hearing system, wherein the communication unit is configured to;

receive a request indicative of an audio track;

determine configuration data for the hearing system based on the request indicative of the audio track; and

transmit the configuration data to the hearing system for allowing the hearing system to receive a desired audio stream that is associated with the audio track indicated in the request, the desired audio stream being one of a plurality of audio streams including the first audio stream and the second audio stream, wherein other one(s) of the plurality of audio streams is associated with other audio track(s) that is different from the audio track indicated in the request;

wherein the hearing system comprises a hearing aid having a hearing loss compensation processor; and

wherein the configuration data comprises information identifying one of the stationary transmitter units that is configured to transmit the desired audio stream associated with the audio track indicated in the request.

28. The audio system according to claim 27, wherein the hearing system comprises an accessory device, and wherein the accessory device comprises a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a hearing device remote control unit, or a key card.