Hearing aid detection

• US 10,091,590 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Shaohai, Tam, Ching-Yu John
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sellers, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/747,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20150296310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 381315
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6016 in the receiver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A hearing aid compatible portable electronic audio device is configured to automatically determine whether or not the device is being used by a hearing impaired user who is wearing a hearing aid, and select a mode of operation based on this determination. The device includes a proximity sensor and a magnetic field sensor. The proximity sensor is used to detect a change in distance of the device to the user'"'"'s ear. The magnetic field sensor is used to detect a change in magnetic field caused by the device moving relative to the hearing aid. The device selects between a normal audio mode of operation and a hearing aid compatible mode of operation based on both the change in detected distance and the change in detected magnetic field. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A portable audio device suitable for use with a hearing aid, comprising:

a proximity sensor to detect a measure of distance of the device to an external object;

a magnetic field sensor to detect a measure of external magnetic field;

data processing circuitry coupled to the proximity sensor and the magnetic field sensor to compute a change in the distance to the external object and a change in the external magnetic field, over a same time interval, and then select between a normal audio mode of operation and a hearing aid compatible mode of operation, based on the computed changes in distance and magnetic field occurring over the same time interval;

audio processing circuitry having storage in which an audio application program is stored, and a processor to execute the audio application program so as to generate an audio output signal being one of a downlink communications signal for a call, a streaming audio signal from a remote server, or locally stored digital audio being played back, wherein the audio processing circuitry is to process the audio output signal according to the selected mode of operation; and

a speaker coupled to receive the processed audio output signal.

2. The portable audio device of claim 1, further comprising:

a telecoil coupled to receive the processed audio output signal.

3. The portable audio device of claim 1, wherein in the normal audio mode different audio equalization parameters are applied to process the audio output signal by the audio processing circuitry than in the hearing aid compatible mode.

4. The portable audio device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is to detect a decrease in distance of the device to the external object, and an increase in the external magnetic field, over the same time interval, and the data processing circuitry is to select the hearing aid compatible mode in response to the detected decrease in distance and the detected increase in magnetic field occurring over the same time interval.

5. The portable audio device of claim 4, further comprising a position orientation or movement (POM) sensor, wherein the data processing circuitry is to monitor data from the POM sensor, over the same time interval in which the increase in magnetic field and decrease in distance are detected, to detect that the device has changed orientation, and to select the hearing aid compatible mode in response to the detected orientation change.

6. The portable audio device of claim 1, wherein when the data processing circuitry detects a decrease in magnetic field simultaneous with a detected increase in distance, the data processing circuitry is to select the normal audio mode in response to both the detected decrease in magnetic field and the detected increase in distance.

7. The portable audio device of claim 6, further comprising a position orientation or movement (POM) sensor, wherein the data processing circuitry is to monitor data from the POM sensor, over the same time interval in which the decrease in magnetic field and increase in distance are detected, to detect that the device has changed orientation, and to select the normal audio mode in response to the detected orientation change.

8. The portable audio device of claim 1, wherein the speaker is a receiver integrated in a mobile phone handset housing and wherein the proximity sensor is positioned next to the speaker and aimed in the same direction as the speaker.

9. The portable audio device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is to detect an increase in distance of the device to an external object, the data processing circuitry to select the normal audio mode in response to the detected increase in distance.

10. A method performed in a portable audio device, comprising:

generating an audio output signal being one of a downlink communications signal for a call, a streaming audio signal from a remote server, or locally stored digital audio being played back, by a processor in the device executing an audio application program that is stored in the device;

detecting a change in distance of the device to an external object, by processing a proximity sensor signal over a period of time;

detecting a change in an external magnetic field, by processing a magnetic field sensor signal over the period of time; and

selecting between a normal audio mode of operation and a hearing aid compatible mode of operation based on the detected change in distance and the detected change in magnetic field over the period of time,

wherein the audio output signal is generated differently according to the selected mode of operation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio output signal is an audio signal that drives a speaker, the method further comprising:

filtering a magnetic field sensor signal in accordance with the audio signal to remove interference from the speaker.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the mode of operation comprises:

selecting the hearing aid compatible mode in response to simultaneously detecting an increase in magnetic field and a decrease in distance over the period of time.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the audio output signal is generated for driving a speaker for acoustic coupling to a microphone of a hearing aid.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the audio output signal is generated for driving a telecoil for inductive coupling to a telecoil of a hearing aid.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising detecting a change in orientation of the device, and wherein selecting the mode of operation comprises selecting the hearing aid compatible mode in response to detecting the change in orientation in the period of time.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the mode of operation comprises:

selecting the normal audio mode in response to simultaneously detecting a decrease in magnetic field and an increase in distance to the external object, wherein the detected decrease and the detected increase have a bandwidth less than twenty (20) hertz.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the audio output signal is for driving a speaker for acoustic coupling to a human ear.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising detecting a change in orientation of the device in the period of time, and wherein selecting the mode of operation comprises selecting the hearing the normal audio mode in response to simultaneously detecting that the device has change orientation.

19. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions that program a processor, the processor being a component of a portable audio device, to a) receive magnetic field data from a magnetic field sensor and proximity data from a proximity sensor, b) compute a distance change from the proximity data and a magnetic field change from the magnetic field data over a same time interval, and c) select between a normal audio mode of operation and a hearing aid compatible (HAC) mode of operation based on the computed changes occurring over the same time interval, and

wherein the storage medium has further stored therein an audio application program that programs the processor to generate an audio output signal being one of a downlink communications signal for a call, a streaming audio signal from a remote server, or locally stored digital audio being played back, wherein the audio output signal is generated according to the selected normal audio or hearing aid compatible mode of operation.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the processor is to select the HAC mode of operation in response to determining that the device has been placed against an ear of a user with a hearing aid therein, based on having computed a simultaneous increase in magnetic field and decrease in distance, and wherein in the HAC mode the audio output signal is adapted for one of acoustic coupling to a microphone of a hearing aid or inductive coupling to a T-coil of a hearing aid.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the storage medium has stored therein further instructions that program the processor to receive motion data from a position, orientation or movement sensor, and analyze the received proximity, magnetic field and motion data to find that the device is moving away from the user'"'"'s ear but is not sufficiently far to signal a release from the HAC mode, and in response signal an increase in strength of the audio output signal.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the processor is to select the normal audio mode of operation in response to determining that the device has been moved away from the ear of the user with the hearing aid therein based on having computed a simultaneous decrease in magnetic field and an increase in distance and wherein the in the normal audio mode the audio output signal is adapted for acoustic coupling to a human ear.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the processor is to select the normal audio mode of operation in response to determining that the device has been moved away from the ear of the user with the hearing aid therein based on having computed a simultaneous decrease in magnetic field and an increase in distance and wherein in the normal audio mode the audio output signal is adapted for acoustic coupling to a human ear.