Wireless binaural hearing system

• US 9,860,655 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Popovski, Petar, Hansen, Peter S. K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saunders, Jr., Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOONEY, JAMES K
• Application Number:
  US13/281,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20120121095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,260 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• 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 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency

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.

Claims

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 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.

2. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary device is adapted to enable the connected mode independently of which of the hearing devices transmitted the received beacon messages.

3. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the hearing devices is adapted to synchronise its transmission of beacon messages with beacon messages received from the respective other hearing device.

4. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a broadcast device adapted to transmit broadcast messages within the predefined radio frequency range, wherein at least one of the left-ear hearing device and the right-ear hearing device is adapted to synchronise its transmission of beacon messages with the broadcast messages received from the broadcast device.

5. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the hearing devices is adapted to change the rate of its transmission of beacon messages in dependence on receiving beacon messages from the respective other hearing device.

6. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary device is further adapted to relay network data received from one of the hearing devices to the respective other hearing device.

7. A binaural hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the predefined radio frequency range is subdivided into a number of frequency sub-ranges and wherein the beacon messages are transmitted within changing frequency sub-ranges according to a frequency hopping scheme.

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.

9. A first hearing device according to claim 8 and further being adapted to synchronise its transmission of beacon messages with beacon messages received from the second hearing device.

10. A method for communicating within a predefined radio frequency range, the method comprising:

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.