Method and apparatus for synchronizing hearing instruments via wireless communication

• US 9,471,090 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Kindred, Jon S., Zhang, Tao, Merks, Ivo, Solum, Jeffrey Paul, Touriguian, Mihran H
• Primary Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh, Jaweed A
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, TERRELL S
• Application Number:
  US13/683,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20140143582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0664 unidirectional timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0697 Synchronisation in a packet node
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/405 by combining a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/005 compensating for timing error by adjustment in the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

A hearing assistance system including a hearing instrument designated as a master device and at least another hearing instrument designated as a slave device. The master device is communicatively coupled to the slave device via a wireless link. The master device has a master clock and generates master time stamps for specified events timed by the master clock. The master time stamps are sent to the slave device via the wireless link. The slave device has a slave clock and generates slave time stamps for specified events timed by the slave clock. The slave clock is adjusted for synchronization to the master clock using the master time stamps and the slave time stamps.

Claims

1. A hearing assistance system, comprising:

a first hearing instrument being a master device and including;

a master clock;

a master synchronization circuit configured to initiate a synchronization cycle and generate master time stamps for specified events during the synchronization cycle using the master clock;

wherein the master synchronization circuit comprises a master stamping module configured to generate the master time stamps;

a master device radio circuit configured to transmit the master time stamps via a wireless link; and

a second hearing instrument being a slave device and including;

a slave device radio circuit configured to receive the master time stamps via the wireless link;

a slave clock; and

a slave synchronization circuit configured to generate slave time stamps for specified events during the synchronization cycle using the slave clock and adjust the slave clock for synchronization with the master clock during the synchronization cycle using the master time stamps and the slave time stamps, wherein the slave synchronization circuit comprises;

a slave stamping module configured to generate the slave time stamps;

an offset calculator configured to calculate one or more offset parameters indicative of offset between the master clock and the slave clock using the master time stamps and the slave time stamps; and

a clock adjuster configured to adjust the slave clock for synchronizing the slave clock to the master clock using the one or more offset parameters;

wherein the clock adjuster comprises;

a comparator configured to compare the one or more offset parameters each to a specified offset threshold; and

an adjuster configured to adjust the slave clock in response to at least one offset parameter of the one or more offset parameters exceeding the corresponding specified offset threshold;

wherein the master device radio circuit and the slave device radio circuit are configured to transmit audio signals between the first hearing instrument and the second hearing instrument via the wireless link.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first hearing instrument comprises a first hearing aid, and the second hearing instrument comprises a second hearing aid.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first hearing aid comprises:

a first microphone;

a first receiver;

the master device radio circuit; and

a first control circuit coupled to the first microphone, the first receiver, and the master device radio circuit, the first control circuit including the master clock and the master synchronization circuit,

and the second hearing aid comprises;

a second microphone;

a second receiver;

the slave device radio circuit; and

a second control circuit coupled to the second microphone, the second receiver, and the slave device radio circuit, the second control circuit including the slave clock and the slave synchronization circuit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first control circuit comprises a first processor, the master synchronization circuit comprises portions of the first processor programmed to execute instructions to generate the master time stamps, the second control circuit comprises a second processor, and the slave synchronization circuit comprises portions of the second processor programmed to execute instructions to generate the slave time stamps and adjust the slave clock for synchronization with the master clock using the master time stamps and the slave time stamps.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the master synchronization circuit and the slave synchronization circuit are each configured to generate time stamps each time-stamping a transmission or reception of an interrupt.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first control circuit further comprises a first audio processing circuit including portions of the first processor programmed to execute instructions for processing signals received by the first microphone and the first radio circuit to generate a first audio signal to be transmitted by the first receiver, and the second control circuit further comprises a second audio processing circuit including portions of the second processor programmed to execute instructions for processing signals received by the second microphone and the second radio circuit to generate a second audio signal to be transmitted by the second receiver.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the signals received by the first microphone and the first radio circuit comprise signals received by the first microphone and the second microphone, the first audio processing circuit is programmed to enhance directionality of the first audio signal by combining the signals received by the first microphone and the second microphone, the signals received by the second microphone and the second radio circuit comprise the signals received by the first microphone and the second microphone, the second audio processing circuit is programmed to enhance directionality of the second audio signal by combining the signals received by the first microphone and the second microphone.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the signals received by the first microphone and the first radio circuit comprise signals received by the first microphone and the second microphone, the first audio processing circuit is programmed to reduce noise in the first audio signal by combining the signals received by the first microphone and the second microphone, the signals received by the second microphone and the second radio circuit comprise the signals received by the first microphone and the second microphone, the second audio processing circuit is programmed to reduce noise in the second audio signal by combining the signals received by the first microphone and the second microphone.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more offset parameters comprise a frequency offset and a phase offset, the comparator is configured to compare the frequency offset to a specified frequency offset threshold and compare the phase offset to a specified phase offset threshold, and the adjustor is configured to adjust the frequency of the slave clock in response to the frequency offset exceeding the specified frequency offset threshold and adjust the phase of the slave clock in response to the phase offset exceeding the specified phase offset threshold.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the slave synchronization circuit further comprises a low-pass filter to filter at least the frequency offset before the comparator compares the frequency offset to the specified frequency offset threshold.

11. A method for synchronizing a first hearing instrument with a second hearing instrument, the method comprising:

initiating a synchronization cycle using the first hearing instrument;

generating master time stamps for specified events timed using a master clock in the first hearing instrument during the synchronization cycle;

sending the master time stamps to the second hearing instrument via a wireless link;

generating slave time stamps for specified events timed using a slave clock in the second hearing instrument during the synchronization cycle;

adjusting the slave clock for synchronization of the slave clock to the master clock using the master time stamps and the slave time stamps; and

wherein synchronizing the slave clock to the master clock comprises;

calculating one or more offset parameters indicative of offset between the master clock and the slave clock using the master time stamps and the slave time stamps; and

adjusting the slave clock to synchronize the slave clock to the master clock using the one or more offset parameters;

wherein adjusting the slave clock to synchronize the slave clock to the master clock comprises;

comparing the one or more offset parameters each to a specified offset threshold; and

adjusting the slave clock in response to at least one offset parameter of the one or more offset parameters exceeding the corresponding specified offset threshold; and

transmitting audio signals between the first hearing instrument and the second hearing instrument via the wireless link.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the master time stamps comprises generating the master time stamps using a first hearing aid including the master clock, and generating the slave time stamps comprises generating the slave time stamps using a second hearing aid including the slave clock, the first hearing aid communicatively coupled to the second hearing aid via the wireless link.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein initiating the synchronization cycle comprises initiating the synchronization cycle periodically using the first hearing aid.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising filtering at least one offset parameter of the one or more offset parameters before comparing the one or more offset parameters each to the specified offset threshold.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more offset parameters comprises a frequency offset and a phase offset, comparing the one or more offset parameters each to the specified offset threshold comprises comparing the frequency offset to a specified frequency offset threshold and comparing the phase offset to a specified phase offset threshold, and adjusting the slave clock comprises adjusting the slave clock in response to at least one of the frequency offset and the phase offset exceeding the corresponding specified offset threshold.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein adjusting the slave clock comprises adjusting the frequency of the slave clock and subsequently the phase of the slave clock in response to the frequency offset exceeding the specified frequency offset threshold and the phase offset exceeding the specified phase offset threshold.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the master time stamps and generating the slave time stamps each comprise generating time stamps each time-stamping a transmission or reception of an interrupt.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating time stamps each time-stamping the transmission of reception of the interrupt comprises generating time stamps each time-stamping a transmission or reception of a software interrupt.