Method of wireless transmission of digital audio

• US 9,813,815 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GN Hearing A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Original Assignee: GN Hearing A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Inventors: Pedersen, Brian Dam, Pedersen, Thorkild Find
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US14/303,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 381300
• 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 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: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method of wireless communication of data sets includes: transmitting a first data set of a first data category from a transmitter for reception by a receiver; and re-transmitting the first data set at a time after the first data set is transmitted if there is an absence of an acknowledgement of receipt from the receiver, or transmitting a second data set of a second data category that is different from the first data category from the transmitter to the receiver at the time if there is a presence of the acknowledgement of receipt from the receiver.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication of data sets, comprising:

transmitting a first data set with a first priority from a transmitter for reception by a receiver, wherein the first data set comprises a data field indicating whether a second data set with a second priority is waiting for transmission; and

at a time after the first data set is transmitted,

transmitting the second data set with the second priority that is different from the first priority from the transmitter to the receiver if there is a presence of an acknowledgement of receipt of the first data set from the receiver, and if the data field of the first data set indicates that the second data set is waiting for transmission; and

when the data field of the first data set indicates that no data in the second data set is awaiting for transmission to the receiver, abstaining from establishing a connection for transmission of the second data set between the transmitter and the receiver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second priority is lower than the first priority.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmissions of the first and second data sets, and receptions of the first and second data sets, are in compliance with a Bluetooth low energy standard.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising allocating L2CAP channels for the transmission of the first and second data sets.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first data set comprises control data relating to an audio data set.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first data set comprises a first audio data set, and one of the L2CAP channels is allocated for the first audio data set.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second data set comprises a second audio data set, and another one of the L2CAP channels is allocated for the second audio data set.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is a first receiver, and the method further comprises transmitting synchronization data from the transmitter to the first receiver or to the first receiver and a second receiver, the synchronization data containing timing information relating to a transmission delay difference between the first and second receivers.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising determining the synchronization data based on ping transmission from the transmitter to the first and second receivers.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the ping transmission utilizes a L2CAP control channel.

11. A method of wireless communication of data sets, comprising:

transmitting a first data set of a first data category with a first priority from a transmitter for reception by a receiver, wherein the first data set comprises a data field indicating whether a second data set of a second data category with a second priority is waiting for transmission;

signalling from the transmitter to the receiver, by transmission of the data field, whether or not a data in the second data set is awaiting for transmission to the receiver; and

after the first data set is transmitted, transmitting the second data set of the second data category that is different from the first data category from the transmitter to the receiver if the data field indicates that the second data set is waiting for transmission, wherein the first priority is greater than the second priority such that the transmission of the first data set is prioritized over the transmission of the second data set.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein information on whether or not the data of the second data set is awaiting transmission to the receiver is encoded into a single data bit.

13. A method of wireless communication of data sets, comprising:

transmitting a first data set of a first data category with a first priority from a transmitter for reception by a receiver; and

at a time after the first data set is transmitted, re-transmitting the first data set if there is an absence of an acknowledgement of receipt from the receiver, wherein the act of re-transmitting the first data set is performed as long as a number of attempted re-transmission(s) of the first data set is below a first predetermined maximum value;

wherein the method further comprises transmitting a second data set of a second data category with a second priority that is different from the first data priority from the transmitter to the receiver, and when no data in the second data set is awaiting for transmission to the receiver, abstaining from establishing a connection for transmission of the second data set between the transmitter and the receiver.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first predetermined maximum value is two.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first predetermined maximum value corresponds with the first data category, and wherein the second data category has a corresponding second predetermined maximum value of attempted re-transmission(s) that is different from the first predetermined maximum value.

16. A hearing device comprising:

a communication controller configured to control a transmitter to transmit a first data set of a first priority for reception by a receiver, the first data set comprising a data field indicating whether a second data set with a second priority is waiting for transmission;

wherein the communication controller is configured to control the transmitter, at a time after the first data set is transmitted,

to transmit the second data set of the second data priority that is different from the first priority to the receiver if there is a presence of an acknowledgement of receipt of the first data set from the receiver, and if the data field indicates that the second data set is waiting for transmission; and

when the data field of the first data set indicates that no data in the second data set is awaiting for transmission to the receiver, to abstain from establishing a connection for transmission of the second data set between the transmitter and the receiver.

17. The hearing device according to claim 16, wherein the hearing device is a hearing aid.

18. A hearing device comprising:

a communication controller configured to control a transmitter to transmit a first data set of a first data category with a first priority for reception by a receiver, wherein the first data set comprises a data field indicating whether a second data set of a second data category with a second priority is waiting for transmission;

wherein the communication controller is configured to control the transmitter to signal to the receiver, by transmission of the data field, whether or not a data in the second data set is awaiting for transmission to the receiver; and

wherein the communication controller is configured to control the transmitter, after the first data is transmitted, to transmit the second data set of the second data category that is different from the first data category to the receiver if the data field indicates that the second data set is waiting for transmission, wherein the first priority is greater than the second priority such that the transmission of the first data set is prioritized over the transmission of the second data set.