Portable electronic system with improved wireless communication

• US 10,224,975 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2014
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Petersen, Morten Elo, Gleerup, Thomas, Andersen, Troels
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Julie X
• Application Number:
  US14/459,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20150048976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: 381315-318, 381 23, 381370-375, 343337, 342 13, 345158, 348382, 348741, 455456, 455455
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0602 using antenna switching H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0802 using antenna selection H04B7/0868 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

The application relates to a portable electronic system comprising a first electronic device and an auxiliary device. The first electronic device comprises a first antenna defining a first spatial direction, and a first wireless unit operationally coupled to the first antenna. The auxiliary device comprises a second antenna defining a second spatial direction, the second antenna comprising a multitude of antenna elements, each defining a specific spatial direction, a second wireless unit operationally coupled to the second antenna, a direction detector configured to provide a direction-signal indicating an estimate of a current value of said second spatial direction relative to a reference direction, and a control unit configured to selectively control the connection of said multitude of antenna elements of the second antenna to said second wireless unit based on said direction-signal from the direction detector. Thereby a wireless link between a hearing assistance device and an auxiliary device can be optimized.

Claims

1. A portable electronic system comprising:

a first electronic device; and

an auxiliary device, the first electronic device and the auxiliary device each comprising circuitry allowing the establishment of a uni- or bi-directional wireless link between the devices, wherein the first electronic device comprises

a first antenna defining a first spatial direction, and

a first wireless unit operationally coupled to the first antenna, and

wherein the auxiliary device comprises

a second antenna defining a second spatial direction, the second antenna comprising a multitude of antenna elements, each antenna element defining a specific spatial direction, said second spatial direction being defined relative to said one or more specific spatial directions,

a second wireless unit operationally coupled to the second antenna,

a direction detector configured to provide a direction-signal indicating an estimate of a current value of said second spatial direction relative to a reference direction, the reference direction being defined relative to a direction of the force of gravity on the auxiliary device, and

a control unit configured to selectively control the connection of said multitude of antenna elements of the second antenna to said second wireless unit based on said direction-signal from the direction detector and transmit the same information signal in said multitude of antenna elements of the second antenna.

2. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein the second wireless unit is configured to individually stimulate the multitude of antenna elements of the second antenna.

3. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein the first antenna comprises an inductor comprising a coil defining said first spatial direction.

4. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein said multitude of antenna elements of the second antenna each comprises an inductor comprising a coil defining a respective specific spatial direction.

5. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein said direction detector comprises a movement detector.

6. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein said direction detector comprises an accelerometer capable of detecting acceleration in one, two or three dimensions.

7. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein said direction detector comprises a gyroscope capable of detecting angular movement about an axis.

8. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 comprising a memory for storing said reference direction.

9. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein said first and second wireless units comprise respective receiver and transmitter circuitry allowing a uni-directional wireless link to be established from the auxiliary device to the first electronic device.

10. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein said first and second wireless units each comprises receiver and transmitter circuitry allowing a bi-directional wireless link to be established between the auxiliary device and the first electronic device.

11. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein said control unit is configured to provide that said second wireless unit selectively stimulates at least one of said multitude of antenna elements according to a predefined scheme related to said current value of said direction-signal.

12. A portable electronic system according to claim 11 wherein said predefined scheme is stored in a memory of the system as a lookup-table or an algorithm.

13. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein said second antenna comprises three antenna elements each having mutually perpendicular specific spatial directions.

16. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein the first electronic device comprises or is constituted by a hearing assistance device.

17. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein the first antenna is constituted by a single antenna element.

18. A portable electronic system according to claim 1 wherein the first electronic device and the auxiliary device are adapted to be worn by one person, the user.

19. A portable electronic system according to claim 13 wherein said control unit is configured to transmit the same information signal in three mutually perpendicular first, second and third antenna elements in first and second time slots of a time-division multiplexing scheme, wherein the information signal applied to the first and second antenna elements are phase shifted 90°

relative to each other and transmitted in the first time slot, and wherein the information signal applied to the third antenna element is transmitted in the second time slot.

20. A portable electronic system according to claim 2 wherein said selective stimulation includes electric stimulation with a different signal level and/or phase depending on the current direction-signal from the direction detector.

21. A portable electronic system according to claim 16 wherein the hearing assistance device comprises a hearing aid, a headset, an earphone, an ear protection device or a combination thereof.

22. A portable electronic system according to claim 21 wherein the hearing aid comprises a hearing instrument adapted for being located at the ear or fully or partially in the ear canal of a user or fully or partially implanted.

14. A portable electronic system comprising:

a first electronic device; and

an auxiliary device, the first electronic device and the auxiliary device each comprising circuitry allowing the establishment of a or bi-directional wireless link between the devices,

wherein the first electronic device comprises

a first antenna defining a first spatial direction,

a first wireless unit operationally coupled to the first antenna, and

a first direction detector configured to provide a first direction-signal indicating an estimate of a current value of said first spatial direction relative to a first reference direction, and

wherein the auxiliary device comprises

a second antenna defining a second spatial direction, the second antenna comprising a multitude of antenna elements, each antenna element defining a specific spatial direction, said second spatial direction being defined relative to said one or more specific spatial directions,

a second wireless unit operationally coupled to the second antenna,

a direction detector configured to provide a direction-signal indicating an estimate of a current value of said second spatial direction relative to a second reference direction, and

a control unit configured to selectively control the connection of said multitude of antenna elements of the second antenna to said second wireless unit based on said direction-signal from the direction detector and transmit the same information signal in said multitude of antenna elements of the second antenna.

15. A portable electronic system according to claim 14, wherein the first electronic device comprises a first control unit configured to forward the first direction-signal to the auxiliary device.