Method and system for wireless communication between a telephone and a hearing aid

• US 9,877,120 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Widex A/S (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Widex A/S (WS Audiology A/S)
• Inventors: Norgaard, Peter Magnus, Hellinghus, Jan, Kroman, Morten
• Primary Examiner(s): Etesam, Amir
• Application Number:
  US13/835,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,775 Days
• Field of Search: 381315, 381314, 381322
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/60 including speech amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts
• 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 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system comprising a telephone (10) and a hearing aid (40). The analog signal to the loudspeaker (11) of the telephone (10) is picked up and digitalized at the telephone where after it is wirelessly transmitted to the hearing aid (40) using a radio transceiver at the telephone (10), coupling with a radio at the hearing aid. The sound from the telephone (10) is hereby transmitted directly to the hearing aid without relying on the acoustic coupling between the telephone speaker (11) and the hearing aid microphones and may further be transmitted to both left and right hearing aid at the same time. The invention provides a telephone, a hearing aid and a method of communicating with a hearing aid.

Claims

1. A telephone having a microphone, a loudspeaker, an electrical signal line for exciting the loudspeaker, a radio transceiver adapted for communicating with a hearing aid radio unit, and an interface circuit, wherein:

said interface circuit is carried on an interface circuit module and includes an analogue to digital converter and is connected to obtain an electrical signal from said electrical signal line and adapted for converting said electrical signal into a digital signal by the analog to digital converter and for transmitting said digital signal via said radio transceiver to the hearing aid for processing of said digital signal in accordance with a hearing impairment; and

said interface circuit is adapted to receive and process data from said hearing aid representing a sound signal processed in accordance with a hearing impairment, and to convert data from the hearing aid into an analogue signal and to superimpose the analogue signal onto the microphone signal of the telephone.

2. The telephone according to claim 1, wherein the interface circuit is further connected to the telephone microphone.

3. The telephone according to claim 1, wherein the activation of the telephone when placing or receiving a call enables the radio transceiver for communication with a hearing aid.

4. The telephone according to claim 1, wherein a bias voltage for the telephone microphone enables the radio transceiver.

5. The telephone according to claim 1, wherein the telephone is adapted for adjusting one or more parameters of the hearing aid via said radio transceiver.

21. The telephone according to claim 5, wherein said telephone receives control signals from a remote location and said interface circuit is configured to transmit corresponding command signals to said hearing aid to adjust hearing loss compensation settings of said hearing aid.

6. A telephone having a microphone for picking up sound and providing a corresponding microphone output signal, a loudspeaker, an electronic processing circuit for processing an input signal derived from said microphone output signal and for providing a corresponding processor output, an electrical signal line providing an analog sound signal to said loudspeaker based on said processor output, and an interface module connected to said electrical signal line for picking up said analog sound signal, said interface module including all of the following carried on a common module connectable to said telephone:

an analog-to-digital converter converting the analog sound signal to a digital signal;

a processor preparing the digital signal for transmission; and

a radio transceiver and antenna circuitry establishing a wireless link between the telephone and at least one hearing aid, said radio transceiver and antenna circuitry transmitting the prepared signal over said wireless link to said at least one hearing aid.

9. A telephone according to claim 6, wherein said telephone is a cellular telephone.

10. A telephone according to claim 6, wherein said telephone is a DECT telephone.

11. A telephone according to claim 6, wherein said radio transceiver employs a hearing aid compatible radio protocol for transmission, and transmits to a plurality of hearing aids.

12. A telephone according to claim 6, wherein said telephone is an operable telephone without operation of any of said components carried on said interface module and performs normal telephone functions not involving said interface module, and inclusion of said interface module in said telephone does not impair or modify said normal telephone functions.

22. The telephone according to claim 6, wherein said telephone receives control signals from a remote location and said interface module is configured to transmit corresponding commands through said radio transceiver to said hearing aid to adjust hearing loss compensation settings of said hearing aid.

7. A method of modifying a telephone to obtain a telephone configured for transferring a speaker signal from the telephone to a hearing aid, said telephone including a microphone for picking up sound and providing a corresponding microphone output signal, an electronic processing circuit for processing an input signal derived from said microphone output signal and providing a processing result as an output, a loudspeaker, and an electrical signal line for supplying to said loudspeaker said speaker signal derived from said output of said processing circuit, said method comprising the steps of:

mounting an interface module on said telephone, said interface module including all of the following carried on a common module connectable to said telephone;

an input connectable to said electrical signal line for receiving said speaker signal, an analog-to-digital converter for converting the speaker signal to a digital signal, a processor for preparing the digital signal for transmission, and a transceiver and antenna circuitry configured to establish a wireless link between said telephone and said hearing aid by which a signal representing sound picked up at said telephone and is sent to said hearing aid for processing in accordance with a user'"'"'s hearing impairment; and

connecting said interface circuit to said electrical signal line for picking up said analog sound signal during a call.

13. A method according to claim 7, wherein said telephone is a cellular telephone.

14. A method according to claim 7, wherein said telephone is a DECT telephone.

15. A method according to claim 7, wherein said radio transceiver employs a hearing aid compatible radio protocol for transmission, and transmits to a plurality of hearing aids.

16. A method according to claim 7, wherein said telephone is an operable telephone without operation of any of said components carried on said interface module and performs normal telephone functions not involving said interface module, and inclusion of said interface module in said telephone does not impair or modify said normal telephone functions.

8. An interface module to be accommodated inside a telephone having a microphone for picking up sound and providing a corresponding microphone output signal, a loudspeaker, an electronic processing circuit for processing an input signal derived from said microphone output signal and for providing a corresponding output, and an electrical signal line supplying to said loudspeaker an analog sound signal derived from said output of said processing circuit, wherein the interface module includes all of the following carried on a common module connectable to said telephone:

an input connectable to said electrical signal line for receiving said analog sound signal;

an analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog sound signal to a digital signal;

a processor for preparing the digital signal for transmission; and

a radio transceiver and antenna circuitry configured to establish a wireless link between the telephone and at least one hearing aid, and to transmit the prepared signal over said wireless link to said at least one hearing aid.

17. An interface module according to claim 8, wherein said telephone is a cellular telephone.

18. An interface module according to claim 8, wherein said telephone is a DECT telephone.

19. An interface module according to claim 8, wherein said radio transceiver employs a hearing aid compatible radio protocol for transmission, and transmits to a plurality of hearing aids.

20. An interface module according to claim 8, wherein said telephone is an operable telephone without operation of any of said components carried on said interface module and performs normal telephone functions not involving said interface module, and said interface module is configure to be connected to said telephone such that operation of said interface module will not impair or modify said normal telephone functions.

23. The interface module according to claim 8, said interface module receiving control signals from a remote location and being configured to transmit corresponding commands through said radio transceiver to said hearing aid to adjust hearing loss compensation settings of said hearing aid.

24. A hearing aid system for handling phone calls and comprising:

a set of binaural hearing aids including a radio for inter-ear communication; and

a telephone having an interface module as claimed in claim 8;

wherein the radio of the interface module is adapted for communication with the radio for inter-ear communication.