ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM ADAPTED FOR USING DECT

• US 20110150249A1
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: KLEMMENSEN, Bjarne
• Granted Patent: US 8,488,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

The invention relates to an assistive listening system comprising an audio transmitting device adapted for transmitting an audio signal and/or a control signal to a multitude of receiving listening devices and at least one receiving listening device adapted for receiving said audio signal and said control signal from said audio transmitting device. The invention further relates to a method of operating an assistive listening system and to its use. The object of the present invention is to provide an assistive listening system suitable for servicing a multitude of body worn listening devices in a wireless environment. The problem is solved in that the system is adapted to establish a digital link according to the DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the at least one receiving listening device, wherein the system is adapted to provide that said link is uni-directional. The system has the advantage of providing a reliable channel selection in a wireless assistive listening system comprising low power, body worn listening devices. The invention may e.g. be used for public address systems, e.g. educational listening systems, comprising listening devices adapted for being worn by a user.

Claims

1. An assistive listening system comprising an audio transmitting device adapted for transmitting an audio signal and/or a control signal to a multitude of receiving listening devices and at least one receiving listening device adapted for receiving said audio signal and said control signal from said audio transmitting device,

wherein

the system is adapted to establish a digital link according to the DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the at least one receiving listening device, wherein the system is adapted to provide that said link is uni-directional.

2. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of at least one listening device is adapted to be located at the ear, in the ear or in the ear canal.

3. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 wherein the audio transmitting device comprises a microphone, a TV-set, a PC, a telephone or a dedicated base station, e.g. a gateway for a number of audio signals, or a combination thereof.

4. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 adapted to provide that one or more corresponding channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal is allocated to the receiving listening device prior to the start of the transmission of the audio signal.

5. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 comprising a slot controlling unit, wherein the receiving listening device is adapted to receive information about one or more corresponding channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal.

6. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 adapted to provide that one or more corresponding channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal are allocated to the receiving listening device during a pairing process.

7. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 wherein the receiving listening device is adapted to scan for the corresponding channel and time slot(s) comprising the transmitted audio signal under predefined conditions.

8. An assistive listening system according to claim 7 wherein the receiving listening device is adapted to scan for the corresponding channel and time slot comprising the transmitted audio signal among a predefined set of one or more corresponding channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal.

9. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 wherein the transmitting device comprises a DECT transceiver and the system further comprises a dummy unit comprising a DECT transceiver for providing feedback response to the DECT transceiver of the transmitting device.

10. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 wherein the DECT transmitter of the transmitting device is adapted to disregard or not require any feedback response from a DECT receiver.

11. An assistive listening system according to claim 1 wherein the transmitted signal comprises an audio signal and a control signal, which are transmitted via the uni-directional link.

12. A method of operating an assistive listening system, the system comprising a transmitter for transmitting an audio signal and/or a control signal to a multitude of receiving listening devices and at least one receiving listening device adapted for receiving said audio signal and/or said control signal from said audio transmitting device,

the method comprising

providing that a digital link according to the DECT-standard is established from the audio transmitting device to the at least one receiving listening device and that said link is uni-directional.

13. A method according to claim 12 comprising providing that one or more corresponding channel and time slots of the DECT link intended for comprising the transmitted audio signal is allocated to the receiving listening device prior to the start of the transmission of the audio signal.

14. A method according to claim 12 comprising providing that the DECT receiver of a receiving listening device scans for the corresponding channel and time slot(s) comprising the transmitted audio signal from the DECT transmitter under predefined conditions.

15. A tangible computer-readable medium storing a computer program comprising program code means for causing a data processing system to perform the steps of the method of any one of claim 12, when said computer program is executed on the data processing system.

16. A data processing system comprising a processor and program code means for causing the processor to perform the steps of the method of any one of claim 12.

17. An assistive listening system comprising

a transmitting device for transmitting an audio signal to a multitude of receiving listing devices, the transmitting device comprising a DECT transceiver,

two or more receiving listening devices,

a dummy unit comprising a DECT transceiver for providing feedback response to the DECT transceiver of the transmitting device,

the transmitting device being adapted to receive a signal from said dummy unit, and the system being adapted to establish a uni-directional digital link according to the DECT-standard from the audio transmitting device to the two or more receiving listening device.