System and method for providing a notification of device orientation

• US 9,936,274 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Meskens, Werner, Bennett, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D
• Application Number:
  US14/543,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 381312, 381313, 381315, 381 91, 381 92, 381122, 381355, 381356, 381 37, 381358, 600 25, 607 55, 607 56, 607 57
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/10 Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones H04R1/28 takes precedence; stereophonic headphones H04R5/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• 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 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/40 Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/405 by combining a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A device includes a microphone, a sensor that generates a first signal that is indicative of an orientation of the microphone, and a processor. The processor uses the first signal to determine if the microphone is in a predetermined orientation. Further, the processor, responsive to determining that the microphone is not in the predetermined orientation, generates a second signal that is used to provide a notification that the microphone is not in the predetermined orientation.

Claims

1. A hearing prosthesis, comprising:

a first component, which includes;

a housing, wherein the housing has a substantially symmetrical shape;

a magnet that couples the first component to a separate second component;

a microphone;

a sensor that generates a first signal that is indicative of an orientation of the microphone; and

a processor that uses the first signal to determine if the microphone is in a predetermined orientation, wherein the processor, responsive to determining that the microphone is not in the predetermined orientation, generates a second signal that is used to provide a notification that the microphone is not in the predetermined orientation, wherein the microphone, the sensor, and the magnet are disposed within the housing; and

a second component, which includes;

an actuator that uses the second signal to generate an output that provides the notification that the microphone is not in the predetermined position, and wherein the output generated by the actuator is perceivable as sound and is selected from the group consisting of an audible sound, a vibration, and an electrical signal.

2. The hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the processor uses the first signal to determine an extent of orientation error between the orientation of the microphone and the predetermined orientation, and wherein the second signal is adapted to provide a notification that is indicative of the extent of orientation error.

3. The hearing prosthesis of claim 2, wherein the processor sets one or more attributes of the second signal in accordance with the extent of orientation error, wherein the second signal with the set one or more attributes is adapted to be used by the actuator to generate the output that is indicative of the extent of orientation error and that is perceivable as sound.

4. The hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first component includes a second sensor that generates a third signal that is indicative of whether the first component is coupled to the second component, wherein the processor uses the third signal to determine whether the first component is coupled to the second component, and wherein the processor, responsive to determining that the first component is coupled to the second component, uses the first signal to determine if the microphone is in the predetermined orientation.

5. The hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a hall sensor, a tilt sensor, an inductor, a light sensor, a polarized antenna, and a proximity sensor.

6. A method comprising:

determining, by a medical device, that a first component of the medical device is coupled with a second component of the medical device;

responsive to determining that the first component is coupled with the second component, determining, by the medical device, an orientation of the first component with respect to the second component;

determining, by the medical device, an orientation error between the determined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component and a predetermined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component; and

generating, by the medical device, an error signal that is indicative of the orientation error.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising using, by an actuator of the medical device, the error signal to generate an output that is indicative of the orientation error, wherein the output can be perceived as sound.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining, by the medical device, an extent of orientation error between the determined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component and the predetermined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component, wherein the medical device generates the error signal to be indicative of the extent of orientation error, and further comprising using, by an actuator of the medical device, the error signal to generate an output that is indicative of the extent of orientation error, wherein the output can be perceived as sound.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising setting, by the medical device, at least one of a pattern, amplitude, or frequency of the error signal, wherein at least one of the pattern, amplitude, or frequency of the error signal is indicative of the extent of orientation error.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the medical device is a hearing prosthesis, wherein the first component includes a directionally-sensitive microphone, and wherein the orientation of the first component with respect to the second component is based on the orientation of the directionally-sensitive microphone with respect to the second component.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating, by the medical device, a confirmation signal in response to the medical device determining that the orientation of the first component matches the predetermined orientation, and using, by an actuator of the medical device, the confirmation signal to generate a second output that is indicative of the determination that the orientation of the first component matches the predetermined orientation, wherein the second output can be perceived as sound.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising detecting, by the medical device, a changed orientation of the first component with respect to the second component, and responsive to detecting the changed orientation, the medical device determining a second orientation error between the changed orientation of the first component with respect to the second component and the predetermined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component, and generating, by the medical device, a second error signal that is indicative of the second orientation error.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining the predetermined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component, wherein determining the predetermined orientation includes a step selected from the group consisting of determining, by a clinician, the predetermined orientation during a medical device configuration process, determining, by the medical device, the predetermined orientation according a machine-learning process, and determining, by a user, the predetermined orientation according to a user input.

14. A hearing prosthesis comprising:

a first component that includes a microphone, a sensor, and a processor; and

a second component that includes an actuator,

wherein the sensor is configured to generate a first signal that is indicative of an orientation of the first component,

wherein the processor is configured to use the first signal to determine if the first component is in a predetermined orientation, wherein the processor is configured to, responsive to determining that the microphone is not in the predetermined orientation, generate a second signal that is indicative of an orientation error between the orientation of the microphone and the predetermined orientation,

wherein the actuator is configured to use the second signal to generate an output that can be perceived as sound, and wherein the output generated by the actuator includes at least one of audible sounds, vibrations, or electrical signals,

wherein the first component is configured to detect whether the first component is coupled with the second component, and wherein the processor is configured to, responsive to detecting that the first component is coupled to the second component, use the first signal to determine if the microphone is in the predetermined orientation.

15. The hearing prosthesis of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to use the first signal to determine an extent of orientation error between the orientation of the first component and the predetermined orientation, wherein the processor is configured to vary one or more of a signal pattern, signal amplitude, or signal frequency of the second signal in accordance with the extent of orientation error, and wherein the actuator is configured to use the second signal to generate the output that is indicative of the extent of orientation error.

16. The hearing prosthesis of claim 14, wherein the predetermined orientation is defined at least in part by the microphone facing in a forward direction with respect to a recipient of the hearing prosthesis.

17. A medical device, comprising:

a second component;

a first component, comprising a processor configured to;

determining that the first component is coupled with the second component of the medical device;

responsive to determining that the first component is coupled with the second component, determine an orientation of the first component with respect to the second component;

determine an orientation error between the determined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component and a predetermined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component; and

cause the medical device to generate an error signal that is indicative of the orientation error.

18. The medical device of claim 17, further comprising an actuator configured to use the error signal to generate an output that is indicative of the orientation error, wherein the output can be perceived as sound.

19. The medical device of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an extent of orientation error between the determined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component and the predetermined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component, wherein the medical device generates the error signal to be indicative of the extent of orientation error.

20. The medical device of claim 19, wherein the medical device is configured to set at least one of a pattern, amplitude, or frequency of the error signal, wherein at least one of the pattern, amplitude, or frequency of the error signal is indicative of the extent of orientation error.

21. The medical device of claim 17, wherein the medical device is a hearing prosthesis, wherein the first component includes a directionally-sensitive microphone, and wherein the orientation of the first component with respect to the second component is based on the orientation of the directionally-sensitive microphone with respect to the second component.

22. The medical device of claim 21, wherein the medical device is configured to generate a confirmation signal in response to a determination that the orientation of the first component matches the predetermined orientation, and further comprising actuator configured to use the confirmation signal to generate a second output that is indicative of the determination that the orientation of the first component matches the predetermined orientation, wherein the second output can be perceived as sound.

23. The medical device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to detect a changed orientation of the first component with respect to the second component, and responsive to a detection of the changed orientation, the medical device is configured to determine a second orientation error between the changed orientation of the first component with respect to the second component and the predetermined orientation of the first component with respect to the second component, and generate a second error signal that is indicative of the second orientation error.