Hearing aid compatible audio device with acoustic noise cancellation

• US 9,672,804 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Dave, Ruchir M., Chen, Shaohai
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): GANMAVO, KUASSI A
• Application Number:
  US14/795,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/16 Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general G10K11/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1783 handling or detecting of non-standard events or conditions, e.g. changing operating modes under specific operating conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17873 using a reference signal without an error signal, e.g. pure feedforward
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17885 additionally using a desired external signal, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1081 Earphones, e.g. for telephones, ear protectors or headsets
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/00 Digital stores characterised by the use of storage elements not covered by groups G11C11/00, G11C23/00, or G11C25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0023 Address circuits or decoders
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0061 Timing circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• 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 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/49 Reducing the effects of electromagnetic noise on the functioning of hearing aids, by, e.g. shielding, signal processing adaptation, selective (de)activation of electronic parts in hearing aid
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• 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 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A portable audio device, which includes active noise cancellation circuitry, a hearing aid compliant magnetic radiator, and a speaker/earpiece, is surrounded by ambient acoustic noise. The active noise cancellation circuitry provides an anti-noise signal at an input of the speaker to control/reduce the ambient acoustic noise outside of the device. In addition, the active noise cancellation circuitry provides an inverse anti-noise signal to an input of the magnetic radiator. The magnetic fields produced by the speaker driven by the anti-noise signal and the magnetic radiator driven by the inverse anti-noise signal cancel each other out through phase cancellation such that a hearing aid using a telecoil coupled to the audio device does not produce significant audio waves based on either of these signals. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. A mobile phone, comprising:

mobile phone network communications circuitry to generate a downlink audio signal;

an earpiece speaker having an input to receive the downlink audio signal;

a hearing aid compatible (HAC) radiator having an input to receive the downlink audio signal;

active noise cancellation (ANC) circuitry to generate an anti-noise signal to control ambient acoustic noise;

a signal generator to generate an inverse anti-noise signal that is configured to cancel the anti-noise signal;

a first driver to drive the earpiece speaker based on the downlink audio signal and the anti-noise signal; and

a second driver to drive the HAC radiator based on the downlink audio signal and the inverse anti-noise signal.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1, further comprising:

a first combiner to digitally combine the downlink audio signal and the anti-noise signal; and

a second combiner to digitally combine the downlink audio signal and the inverse anti-noise signal.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the signal generator is to generate the inverse anti-noise signal by inverting the anti-noise signal.

4. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the inverse anti-noise signal is an out-of-phase version of the anti-noise signal.

5. The mobile phone of claim 1, further comprising:

a microphone to pick up the ambient acoustic noise for use by the ANC circuitry.

6. The mobile phone of claim 5, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, wherein the mobile phone further comprises a second microphone, wherein the first and second microphones are configured to either jointly or individually pick up the ambient acoustic noise for use by the ANC circuitry.

7. The mobile phone of claim 5, wherein the HAC radiator and the microphone are located at a bottom of the mobile phone.

8. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the HAC radiator is positioned next to the earpiece speaker within a housing of the mobile phone.

9. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the HAC radiator is positioned outside of a housing of the mobile phone.

10. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the first driver drives the earpiece speaker contemporaneously as the second driver drives the HAC radiator.

11. For a mobile phone having an earpiece speaker and a hearing aid compatible (HAC) radiator, a method comprising:

receiving a downlink audio signal;

generating an anti-noise signal to control ambient acoustic noise;

generating an inverse anti-noise signal that is configured to cancel the anti-noise signal;

generating a first signal based on the downlink audio signal and the anti-noise signal to drive the earpiece speaker; and

generating a second signal based on the downlink audio signal and the inverse anti-noise signal to drive the HAC radiator.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the first signal comprises digitally combining the downlink audio signal and the anti-noise signal, wherein generating the second signal comprises digitally combining the downlink audio signal and the inverse anti-noise signal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein generating an inverse anti-noise signal comprises inverting the anti-noise signal to produce the inverse anti-noise signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the inverse anti-noise signal is an out-of-phase version of the anti-noise signal.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising detecting the ambient acoustic noise through a microphone of the mobile phone.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, wherein detecting comprises picking up the ambient acoustic noise either through both the first and second microphones or through one of the first or second microphones.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the HAC radiator and the microphone are located at a bottom of the mobile phone.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the HAC radiator is positioned next to the earpiece speaker within a housing of the mobile phone.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the HAC radiator is positioned outside of a housing of the mobile phone.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising driving, contemporaneously, both the earpiece speaker and the HAC radiator with the first and second signals, respectively.