Hearing aid wireless communication adaptor
Contents
1. adaptor is further adapted to automatically turn off upon disconnection from the hearing aid 3 An adaptor according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the adap tor is further adapted to enter a pairing mode when the adaptor is not connected with the hearing aid 4 An adaptor according to any of the preceding claims wherein the adaptor housing is adapted for interconnection with a Behind The Ear hearing aid 5 An adaptor according to any of the preceding claims which is adapted for wireless transmission in accordance with the Bluetooth standard 6 An adaptor according to any of the preceding claims further comprising a charging connector 7 An adaptor according to any of the preceding claims wherein the adaptor comprises a directional microphone pro viding the hearing aid audio input signal to the hearing aid when the adaptor is interconnected with the hearing aid 8 An adaptor according to any of the preceding claims further comprising an actuator for pairing the adaptor with another device before interconnection of the adaptor with the hearing aid 9 An adaptor according to any of the preceding claims wherein the power supply is automatically interconnected with the hearing aid circuitry upon interconnection of the adaptor with the hearing aid for power supplying the hearing aid circuitry2. click in response to pressing the multi function button 4 briefly 0045 A mobile phone call may be rejected by pressing the multi function button 4 for approximately 1 second The adaptor provides an audible indication such as two clicks in response to pressing the multi function button 4 for approxi mately 1 second 0046 FIGS 4 6 illustrate various ways of charging the adaptor 12 In the illustrated embodiment the charging socket of the adaptor mates a mini USB connector FIG 4 shows the adaptor connected to an AC power adaptor with a USB cable with a mini USB connector 0047 FIG 5 shows the adaptor connected to a USB socket on a charger with a USB PC cable The other end of the USB PC cable is connected to the charging socket on the adaptor 0048 FIG 6 shows the adaptor connected to a USB socket on a PC with a USB PC cable The other end of the USB PC cable is connected to the charging socket on the adaptor 0049 During charging the LED 1 emits solid yellow light The LED 1 turns green when the adaptor has been fully charged 0050 FIG 7 is a diagram showing the modes or states of an adaptor according to the invention Most frequently the adaptor will be in standby 100 idle 102 or active 104 mode Less frequently the adaptor will be pairing 106 charging 108 or completely off 110 i e the battery is empty 0051 When the adaptor is not interconnected with a hear ing aid it is turned off i e the adaptor is in it
3. the hearing aid user Such functions are for example disclosed in the Jabra BT500 headset user s manual available from the GN Netcom NS home page http www gnnetcom com 0012 The wireless adaptor may provide wireless commu nication at 2 4 GHz In various embodiments the wireless communications can include standard or nonstandard com munications Some examples of standard wireless communi cations include but are not limited to Bluetooth IEEE 802 11 wireless LANs wi fi 802 15 WPANs 802 16 WiMAX cellular protocols including but not limited to CDMA and GSM ZigBee and ultra wideband UWB tech nologies 0013 In a preferred embodiment the adaptor performs wireless communication in accordance with the Bluetooth standard c f http www bluetooth com However other past and present standards may also be used It is further contem plated that future versions of these standards and new future standards may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention 0014 Various forms of data can be communicated For example data such as voice data streaming audio data appli cation data and or functional parameters may be communi cated according to the present invention 0015 Bluetooth devices must be paired in order to be able to communicate with each other Pairing creates a unique and encrypted communication link between two Bluetooth devices so that they may communicate with each other 0016 It i
4. 740 Al US 2010 0142740 A1 Jun 10 2010 Sheet 2 of 6 Patent Application Publication Patent Application Publication Jun 10 2010 Sheet 3 of 6 US 2010 0142740 Al WI Fig 3 JENAN n SA e A e N pure A t i 4 Owe we tae se Se he he Se we Patent Application Publication Jun 10 2010 Sheet 4 of 6 US 2010 0142740 Al Patent Application Publication Jun 10 2010 Sheet 5 of 6 US 2010 0142740 Al Detach from hearing aid Attach to hearing aid Battery empty Pairing User actuation Std by Pairing Attach USB Detach USB Charging Fig 7 Patent Application Publication Jun 10 2010 Sheet 6 of 6 Ae POWER SOURCE SA CONTROLLER q BLUETOOTH d MEMORY MICROPHONE N US 2010 0142740 A1 SOA i ON OFF i PAIR INDICATOR 306 INCOMING CALL INDICATOR Cosi emma amam s o t o US 2010 0142740 Al HEARING AID WIRELESS COMMUNICATION ADAPTOR 0001 The present invention relates to an apparatus for interconnection with a hearing aid and providing wireless communication between the hearing aid and another device such as a mobile phone 0002 Itis well known to use a mobile phone together with a Bluetooth headset Recently Bluetooth adaptors forhearing aids have been introduced providing the hearing aid user with numerous possibilities ofusing her orh
5. US 20100142740A1 19 United States a2 Patent Application Publication o Pub No US 2010 0142740 Al Roerup 43 Pub Date Jun 10 2010 54 HEARING AID WIRELESS Related U S Application Data FONMMUNICATIONAZARLOR 60 Provisional application No 60 912 082 filed on Apr 16 2007 75 Inventor David Roerup Frederiksberg C 3 bruma E DK 30 Foreign Application Priority Data Apr 16 2007 DK PA 2007 00556 Correspondence Address on j Vista IP Law Group LLP GN Resound Publication Classification 1885 Lundy Ave Suite 108 51 Int Cl San Jose CA 95131 US H04R 25 00 2006 01 52 USC seio sigilo eens 381 330 73 Assignee e RNAS ASS Ballerup 57 ABSTRACT The present invention relates to a new apparatus for intercon 21 Appl No 12 596 432 nection with a hearing aid such as a Behind The Ear hearing BRR ig aid The apparatus provides wireless communication e g in accordance with the Bluetooth standard between the hearing 22 PCT Filed Apr 11 2008 aid and another device such as a mobile phone The apparatus has a housing with a connector mating the hearing aid housing 86 PCT No PCT DK08 00129 and providing electrical interconnection with the hearing aid The adaptor further comprises a power supply and is adapted 371 c 1 to automatically turn on upon interconnection with the hear 2 4 Date Feb 19 2010 ing aid Patent Application Publication Jun 10 2010 Sheet 1 of 6 US 2010 0142
6. ashing yellow When the battery is empty the adaptor enters the battery empty mode 110 in which no circuits of the adaptor receive power Supplying power to the adaptor through the charging connector 2 brings the adaptor into the charging mode 108 from each of the modes standby 100 pairing 106 and battery empty 110 0055 As shown in FIG 8 the adaptor 12 further com prises a hearing aid interface 318 for data communication with the hearing aid 10 a wireless transmitter and receiver 324 for wireless communication a controller 320 for control ling the hearing aid interface 322 and the wireless transmitter and receiver 324 anda power supply 312 for supplying power to the adaptor The controller 320 is adapted to automatically turn the hearing adaptor 12 on upon interconnection with the hearing aid 10 In a preferred embodiment the adaptor 12 has an automatic volume control that elevates sound level and quality to match the environment If necessary the volume may be adjusted by adjusting the volume of the other device e g the mobile phone 1 A hearing aid wireless communication adaptor for inter connection with a hearing aid and having a housing with a connector mating the hearing aid housing and providing elec trical interconnection with the hearing aid the adaptor further comprising a power supply and being adapted to automati cally turn on upon interconnection with the hearing aid 2 An adaptor according to claim 1 wherein the
7. asing the amplitude of the US 2010 0142740 Al square wave on the sense terminal so that the hearing aid can sense that it has been connected to the adaptor The adaptor senses disconnection of the adaptor from the hearing aid by disappearance of the low amplitude square wave and the hearing aid senses disconnection by increase of the amplitude of the square wave 0043 Various types of functions can be performed using the multi function button 4 for example pairing the adaptor with a mobile phone In the illustrated embodiment pairing is performed when the adaptor is not connected from the hear ing aid and when the adaptor is in proximity to a device or devices to be paired with For example in order to pair the adaptor with a mobile phone the multi function button 4 is pressed for app 1 second and pairing starts The mobile phone is then set to discover the adaptor and the instructions displayed by the mobile phone are followed During pairing the LED1emitsa solid blue light When the mobile phone has detected the adaptor the mobile phone typically requires user acceptance of pairing with the adaptor and confirmation with PIN entry 0000 as is well known in the art of mobile phones with Bluetooth Upon completion of pairing the LED 1 emits blue flashes and turns off 0044 Further a mobile phone call may be answered or ended by pressing the multi function button 4 briefly The adaptor provides an audible indication such as a
8. ciated compo nents 0039 FIG 2 illustrates an interconnected hearing aid 10 and hearing aid wireless communication adaptor 12 mounted on an ear 20 of a user The combined hearing aid 10 and wireless communication adaptor 12 can communicate infor mation between the hearing aid 10 and another device not shown A variety of other devices can be employed In one example the other device is a cellular telephone capable of wireless communication in accordance with the Bluetooth standard 0040 FIG 3 illustrates in perspective a wireless commu nication adaptor with an indicator LED 1 a socket 2 for a hearing aid a charging socket 3 inside the socket for the hearing aid a multi function push button 4 and a microphone 5 0041 Insome embodiments the electronic circuits of the hearing aid wireless communication adaptor operate inde pendent of notification to a user but the illustrated embodi ment communicates information to the user using the visual indicator 1 and specific sounds 0042 The adaptor 12 is automatically turned on when the adaptor is interconnected with a hearing aid In the illustrated embodiment the connector 16 includes a sense terminal The hearing aid applies a signal such as a square wave on the corresponding sense terminal of the hearing aid connector At interconnection of the hearing aid and the adaptor the adaptor senses the square wave on the sense terminal and pulls down the sense terminal thereby decre
9. d not be construed as limited to the embodi ments set forth herein Rather these embodiments are pro vided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art 0031 FIG 1 illustrates in perspective a BTE hearing aid 10 and a hearing aid wireless communication adaptor 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention 0032 The adaptor 12 has a housing 14 with a connector 16 mating the hearing aid housing 18 and providing electrical interconnection with the hearing aid 10 Preferably the con nector 16 is a DAI type connector 0033 The adaptor housing 14 further accommodates a hearing aid interface circuit not visible for communication with the hearing aid a wireless transmitter and receiver not visible for wireless communication a controller not visible for controlling the hearing aid interface circuit and the wire Jun 10 2010 less transmitter and receiver and a power supply not visible for supplying power to the adaptor The controller is adapted to automatically turn the hearing adaptor on upon intercon nection with the hearing aid 0034 The automatic turn on of the hearing aid adaptor 12 upon interconnection with the hearing aid 10 relieves the user from the task of manually turning on the adaptor 0035 The illustrated adaptor 12 is formed in such a way that the interconnected hearing aid and adaptor has an appear ance sim
10. ilar to the Jabra BT500 headset manufactured and marketed by GN Netcom A S whereby the adaptor serves to camouflage the fact that the user uses a hearing aid Instead the hearing aid user appears as a user of a wireless headset which is the latest fashion 0036 Upon interconnection with the hearing aid the adaptor makes all the wireless communication functions known from the Jabra BT500 headset available to the hear ing aid user These functions are disclosed in the Jabra BT500 headset user s manual available from the GN Netcom A S home page http www gnnetcom com 0037 The illustrated adaptor performs wireless commu nication in accordance with the Bluetooth standard http www bluetooth com However other past and present stan dards may also be used It is further contemplated that future versions of these standards and new future standards may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention 0038 The connector 16 provides for a wired connection in the illustrated embodiments In one embodiment the connec tor 16 includes pads such as gold plated metallic pads suit able for forming multiple connections with terminals such as spring loaded pin shaped terminals However in additional examples the connector 16 includes a mechanical lock In various embodiments the mechanical lock is releasable In one example the mechanical lock is constructed to support the weight of a mating connector and its asso
11. ion worn by a user 0023 FIG 3 illustrates in perspective a wireless commu nication adaptor according to an embodiment of the present invention 0024 FIG 4 illustrates in perspective a charging configu ration of a wireless communication adaptor according to an embodiment of the present invention 0025 FIG 5 illustrates in perspective another charging configuration of a wireless communication adaptor according to an embodiment of the present invention 0026 FIG 6 illustrates in perspective yet another charging configuration of a wireless communication adaptor according to an embodiment of the present invention 0027 FIG 7 illustrates a state diagram of a wireless com munication adaptor according to an embodiment of the present invention and 0028 FIG 8 illustrates a block diagram of an intercon nected BTE hearing aid and wireless communication adaptor according to an embodiment of the present invention 0029 The figures are schematic and simplified for clarity and they merely show details which are essential to the under standing of the invention while other details have been left out Throughout the same reference numerals are used for identical or corresponding parts 0030 The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying draw ings in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown The invention may however be embodied in different forms and shoul
12. is hearing aid together with other Bluetooth devices such as mobile phones MP3 players computers etc 0003 An example of such a device is disclosed in WO 2006 023920 Al 0004 Itis an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus with improved features for interconnection with a hearing aid for provision of wireless communication between the hearing aid and another device such as a mobile phone a MP3 player a computer etc 0005 According to the present invention the above men tioned and other objects are fulfilled by a hearing aid wireless communication adaptor for interconnection with a hearing aid the adaptor having a housing with a connector mating the hearing aid housing and providing electrical interconnection with the hearing aid Preferably the connector is a Direct Audio Input DAI type connector The adaptor housing fur ther accommodates a hearing aid interface circuit for com munication such as data communication communication of analog audio signals etc with the hearing aid a wireless transmitter and receiver for wireless communication a con troller for controlling the hearing aid interface circuit and the wireless transmitter and receiver and a power supply for supplying power to the adaptor The controller is adapted to automatically turn the adaptor on upon interconnection with the hearing aid 0006 The automatic turn on of the hearing aid adaptor upon interconnection with the hearing aid re
13. lieves the user from the task of manually turning on the adaptor Turn on of the adaptor brings the adaptor into an idle state in which circuitry in the adaptor is powered so that the adaptor may communicate with another device 0007 Further the controller may be adapted to automati cally turn the adaptor off upon disconnection from the hearing aid Turn off of the adaptor brings the adaptor into a standby state in which the power consumption is minimized and only circuitry required for turning the adaptor on upon intercon nection with the hearing aid is powered 0008 In a preferred embodiment the adaptor housing is adapted for interconnection with a Behind The Ear hearing aid 0009 The adaptor housing may be formed in such a way that the interconnected hearing aid and adaptor has an appear ance similar to an existing headset whereby the adaptor serves to camouflage the fact that the user uses a hearing aid Instead the hearing aid user appears as a user of a wireless headset which is the latest fashion 0010 For example in a preferred embodiment the adap tor is formed in such a way that the interconnected hearing aid and adaptor has an appearance similar to one of the Jabra headsets manufactured and marketed by GN Netcom NS e g the Jabra BT500 headset Jun 10 2010 0011 Upon interconnection with the hearing aid the adaptor may make all the wireless communication functions known from existing headsets available to
14. s standby mode 100 wherein the power consumption is minimized For example in the illustrated embodiment the only circuitry that is powered in the standby mode is the circuitry required for turning the adaptor on upon interconnection with the hearing aid As previously explained pressing the multi function but ton 4 for app 1 second brings the adaptor into pairing 106 Upon completion of pairing the adaptor returns to the standby mode 100 Bluetooth devices must be paired in order to be able to communicate with each other Pairing creates a unique and encrypted communication link between two Blue tooth devices so that they may communicate with each other Jun 10 2010 0052 When the adaptor is interconnected with a hearing aid the adaptor goes into the idle mode 102 awaiting com munication with another device such as a mobile phone to take place The adaptor returns to the standby mode 100 when the adaptor is disconnected from the hearing aid 0053 The adaptor enters the active mode 104 when sig nals are transmitted between the adaptor and the other device for example a call may be received on a mobile phone or a call may be initiated from the mobile phone The adaptor returns to the idle mode 102 after a time out period in which no signals have been transmitted between the adaptor and a paired other device 0054 The battery may run empty in each of the modes 100 102 104 and 106 A low battery is indicated by the LED 1 fl
15. s well known to provide a hearing aid with a directional microphone or with two microphones providing the hearing aid with directionality i e a directional beam of sound signals within which received sound signals are ampli fied compared with sound signals arriving from outside the directional beam For example the directional beam may point directly in front of the hearing aid user in order to amplify speech from a speaker located in front of the hearing aid user in relation to noise from the environment However the small size of hearing aids limits the directionality i e the beam width is wide that may be made available to the hearing aid user 0017 Thus in a preferred embodiment of the present invention the larger size of the adaptor is exploited for pro vision of improved directionality to the hearing aid user For example an array of microphones may be provided in the adaptor that substitutes the microphone of the hearing aid when the adaptor is interconnected with the hearing aid thereby resulting in a narrow beam width Alternatively one or more microphones in the adaptor may co operate with one or more microphones in the hearing aid for provision of improved directionality to the hearing aid user when the adaptor is interconnected with the hearing aid 0018 Ina preferred embodiment of the adaptor the power supply is one or more batteries such as a Lithium ion poly mer battery 0019 The power supply of the adaptor ma
16. y automatically be interconnected with the hearing aid circuitry upon inter connection of the adaptor with the hearing aid for power supplying the hearing aid circuitry and relieving the hearing aid battery of this task In this way operating time of the hearing aid battery is saved and hearing aid battery exchange or recharge is postponed Due to the small size of hearing aid batteries the hearing aid user has to recharge a hearing aid US 2010 0142740 Al rechargeable battery frequently typically once a day Non rechargeable hearing aid batteries typically need to be exchanged every 4 10 days Often it is a cumbersome and tedious task for hearing aid user to handle the small hearing aid batteries and also the small battery door to the battery compartment in the hearing aid housing Thus less frequent battery exchange or recharge represents a significant reliefto the hearing aid user 0020 The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art by the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which 0021 FIG 1 illustrates in perspective a BTE hearing aid and wireless communication adaptor according to an embodi ment of the present invention 0022 FIG 2 illustrates in perspective an interconnected BTE hearing aid and wireless communication adaptor according to an embodiment of the present invent
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