Hearing aid using wireless test modes as diagnostic tool

• US 10,257,618 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2018
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Solum, Jeffrey Paul, Polinske, Beau Jay, Flood, Stephen Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US15/942,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20180227675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 381 60, 381312-316, 370437, 4551611, 4551612, 4551613
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/05 Electronic compensation of the occlusion effect
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/55 using an external connection, either wireless or wired
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

Various system embodiments comprise a plurality of devices configured to wirelessly communicate with each other. The plurality of devices includes a battery-operated hearing aid configured to communicate with another device using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless communication technology. A BLE tester is configured to test the hearing aid for the performance of BLE wireless communication via a wireless link. One embodiment uses a wireless test mode as a diagnostic tool for analyzing the wireless communication environment, such as when the communication with the hearing aid is interfered in a noisy environment.

Claims

1. A method for managing wireless communication for a hearing aid, comprising:

establishing communication between the hearing aid and a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tester via a wireless link using BLE wireless communication technology;

initiating a wireless test mode in response to a test command;

testing each channel of a plurality of wireless communication channels of the wireless link while performing data transmission between the hearing aid and the BLE tester according to the wireless test mode; and

producing a channel map indicative of one or more channels of the plurality of wireless communication channels available for communicating with the heating aid via the wireless link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein testing each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels comprises producing a channel metric indicative of quality of the data transmission performed through that channel, and producing the channel map comprises producing the channel map based on the channel metrics produced for the plurality of wireless communication channels.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising enabling or disabling each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels for performing the wireless communication based on the produced channel map.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein producing the channel metric comprises producing at least one of a bit error rate, a packet error rate, indication of cyclic redundancy check errors, indication of forward error correction errors, a signal to noise ratio, a number of retransmissions, or a receive signal strength indicator for the each channel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein performing the data transmission between the hearing aid and the BLE tester according to a wireless test mode comprises performing the data transmission in a manner specified by the test command.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein performing the data transmission comprises transmitting packets with pseudo random data from the heating aid to the BLE tester.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein performing the data transmission comprises transmitting bursts of data from the BLE tester to the hearing aid.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein performing the data transmission comprises transmitting bursts of data from the hearing aid to the BLE tester.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein performing the data transmission comprises transmitting a packet from the BLE tester to the hearing aid and transmitting the packet echoed from the hearing aid back to the BLE tester.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein performing the data transmission comprises:

transmitting a command from the BLE tester to the hearing aid causing the hearing aid to calculate the receive signal strength indicator; and

transmitting a packet including the calculated receive signal strength indicator from the hearing aid to the BLE tester.

11. A system for managing wireless communication for a hearing aid, comprising:

a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tester circuit configured to communicate with the hearing aid via a wireless link including a plurality of wireless communication channels using BLE wireless communication technology, to test each channel of a plurality of wireless communication channels while data transmission is performed between the hearing aid and the BLE tester according to a wireless test mode, and to produce a channel map indicative of one or more channels of the plurality of wireless communication channels available for communicating with the hearing aid via the wireless link;

a user interface configured to receive a test command; and

an analysis initiator circuit coupled to the BLE tester circuit and the user interface, the analysis initiator configured to initiate the wireless test mode in response to the test command.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the BLE tester circuit is configured to produce a channel metric for each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels under the wireless test mode and to produce the channel map using the produced channel metrics, the channel metric for each channel indicative of quality of the data transmission performed through that channel.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the BLE tester circuit is configured to enable or disable each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels based on the channel map.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the BLE tester circuit is configured to produce a bit error rate as the channel metric for each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels under the wireless test mode.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the BLE tester circuit is configured to produce a packet error rate as the channel metric for each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels under the wireless test mode.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the BLE tester circuit is configured to produce an indication of cyclic redundancy check errors as the channel metric for each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels under the wireless test mode.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the BLE tester circuit is configured to produce an indication of forward error correction errors as the channel metric for each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels under the wireless test mode.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the BLE tester circuit is configured to produce a signal to noise ratio as the channel metric for each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels under the wireless test mode.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the BLE tester circuit is configured to produce a number of retransmissions as the channel metric for each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels under the wireless test mode.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the BLE tester circuit is configured to produce a received signal strength indicator as the channel metric for each channel of the plurality of wireless communication channels under the wireless test mode.