Wireless binaural hearing system
First Claim
1. A binaural hearing system, comprising:
- a left-ear hearing device;
a right-ear hearing device; and
an auxiliary device,each of the hearing devices being arrangeable at or in a corresponding ear of an individual,the hearing devices and the auxiliary device being adapted to communicate with each other in a network by transmitting and receiving messages within a predefined radio frequency range,the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device being adapted to alternatingly transmit beacon messages, the beacon messages comprising network data for control of the network, each of the beacon messages being transmitted at the start of a corresponding frame of the network,the auxiliary device having a connected mode wherein it transmits data messages and a disconnected mode wherein it does not transmit data messages,the auxiliary device being adaptedto enable the connected mode in dependence on receiving the beacon messages,to synchronise its transmission of data messages with the received beacon messages, andto switch from the connected mode to the disconnected mode in dependence on not receiving the beacon messages,wherein each of the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device is configuredto connect the auxiliary device to the network by executing an initialization procedure,to maintain a record indicating whether the auxiliary device is connected to the network through a respective one of the hearing devices, andto transmit information indicating that said auxiliary device is connected to the network through the respective one of the hearing devices to the respective other hearing device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A binaural healing system includes a left-ear hearing device, a right-ear hearing device and an auxiliary device. The auxiliary device has a connected mode wherein it transmits data messages and a disconnected mode wherein it does not transmit data messages, and the auxiliary device is adapted to enable the connected mode in dependence on receiving beacon messages, to synchronize its transmission of data messages with received beacon messages and to enable the disconnected mode in dependence on not receiving beacon messages. To avoid disconnection of the auxiliary device S during gaps, the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device are adapted to alternatingly transmit the beacon messages.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A binaural hearing system, comprising:
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a left-ear hearing device; a right-ear hearing device; and an auxiliary device, each of the hearing devices being arrangeable at or in a corresponding ear of an individual, the hearing devices and the auxiliary device being adapted to communicate with each other in a network by transmitting and receiving messages within a predefined radio frequency range, the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device being adapted to alternatingly transmit beacon messages, the beacon messages comprising network data for control of the network, each of the beacon messages being transmitted at the start of a corresponding frame of the network, the auxiliary device having a connected mode wherein it transmits data messages and a disconnected mode wherein it does not transmit data messages, the auxiliary device being adapted to enable the connected mode in dependence on receiving the beacon messages, to synchronise its transmission of data messages with the received beacon messages, and to switch from the connected mode to the disconnected mode in dependence on not receiving the beacon messages, wherein each of the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device is configured to connect the auxiliary device to the network by executing an initialization procedure, to maintain a record indicating whether the auxiliary device is connected to the network through a respective one of the hearing devices, and to transmit information indicating that said auxiliary device is connected to the network through the respective one of the hearing devices to the respective other hearing device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A first hearing device configured to be a part of a binaural hearing system, the binaural hearing system further comprising a second hearing device and an auxiliary device,
the first hearing device being arrangeable at or in an ear of an individual, the first hearing device being adapted to receive from the second hearing device beacon messages within a predefined radio frequency range, wherein the first hearing device is adapted to transmit beacon messages within the predefined radio frequency range and alternatingly with the received beacon messages, the beacon messages comprising network data for control of the network, each of the beacon messages being transmitted at the start of a corresponding frame of the network, each of the first hearing device and the second hearing device is configured to connect the auxiliary device to the network by executing an initialization procedure, to maintain a record indicating whether the auxiliary device is connected to the network through a respective one of the hearing devices, and to transmit information indicating that said auxiliary device is connected to the network through the respective one of the hearing devices to the respective other hearing device.
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10. A method for communicating within a predefined radio frequency range, the method comprising:
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alternatingly transmitting beacon messages by a left-ear hearing device and a right-ear hearing device, each being arranged at or in a corresponding ear of an individual, the beacon messages comprising network data for control of the network, each of the beacon messages being transmitted at the start of a corresponding frame of the network; receiving the beacon messages by an auxiliary device having a connected mode wherein it transmits data messages and a disconnected mode wherein it does not transmit data messages; enabling the connected mode in dependence on the auxiliary device receiving the beacon messages; synchronising the transmission of the data messages from the auxiliary device with the received beacon messages; switching from the connected mode to the disconnected mode in dependence on the auxiliary device not receiving the beacon messages; connecting the auxiliary device to the network by executing an initialization in each of the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device; maintaining a record indicating whether the auxiliary device is connected to the network through a respective one of the hearing devices in each of the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device; and transmitting information indicating that said auxiliary device is connected to the network through the respective one of the hearing devices from one of the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device to the respective other hearing device.
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Specification