US20180109887A1 - Binaural hearing aid with multi functions - Google Patents
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- 230000005236 sound signal Effects 0.000 claims description 82
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- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000009532 heart rate measurement Methods 0.000 claims description 4
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- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 8
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 6
- 230000002457 bidirectional effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 206010011878 Deafness Diseases 0.000 description 1
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- 210000005069 ears Anatomy 0.000 description 1
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- 230000010370 hearing loss Effects 0.000 description 1
- 231100000888 hearing loss Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 208000016354 hearing loss disease Diseases 0.000 description 1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/55—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception using an external connection, either wireless or wired
- H04R25/552—Binaural
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
- A61B5/02—Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
- A61B5/024—Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate
- A61B5/02416—Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation
- A61B5/02427—Details of sensor
- A61B5/02433—Details of sensor for infrared radiation
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
- A61B5/68—Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient
- A61B5/6801—Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
- A61B5/6813—Specially adapted to be attached to a specific body part
- A61B5/6814—Head
- A61B5/6815—Ear
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/50—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
- H04R25/505—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics using digital signal processing
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/30—Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
- H04R25/305—Self-monitoring or self-testing
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/55—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception using an external connection, either wireless or wired
- H04R25/554—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception using an external connection, either wireless or wired using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a binaural hearing aid with multiple functions in which multiple functions such as a wireless headset function, a measuring pulse function, a pulse information transmitting function, etc. in addition to a hearing aid function are implemented to improve user convenience.
Description
- This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0134414, filed on Oct. 17, 2016, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- The following description relates to a hearing aid, and more particularly, a binaural hearing aid.
- Korean Laid-open Patent Application No. 10-2015-0020874 (Feb. 27, 2015) suggests a hearing aid with a binaural hearing aid function, including a hearing aid module including a microphone, a digital signal processor, a synchronization unit, and a transmission unit, and an assistant device including a reception unit configured to receive a signal transmitted from the transmission unit and a receiver configured to deliver the signal transmitted from the reception unit to a user, wherein the hearing aid module and the assistant device are synchronized by the synchronization unit, and a signal having a delay time according to a transmission distance is delivered to the user's ears.
- This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
- The following description relates to a binaural hearing aid with multiple functions including a wireless headset function in addition to a hearing aid function.
- The following description also relates to a binaural hearing aid with multiple functions including a pulse measuring function and a pulse information transmitting function in addition to a hearing aid function.
- In one general aspect, a binaural hearing aid includes a master hearing aid and a slave hearing aid, and the master hearing aid includes: a microphone configured to receive an analog audio signal from the outside; a signal processing unit configured to amplify the analog audio signal input by the microphone, perform automatic gain control and AD conversion, and output the result; a first wireless communication unit configured to receive a digital audio signal from a smart device using a first wireless communication protocol; an ear speaker configured to output a digital audio signal for a hearing aid output by the signal processing unit or output a digital audio signal for a wireless headset received by the first wireless communication unit; and a control unit configured to control performance of a hearing aid function performed by the signal processing unit and a wireless headset function performed by the first wireless communication unit.
- The master hearing aid may further include a second wireless communication unit configured to transmit the digital audio signal for the wireless headset received by the first wireless communication unit to the slave hearing aid using a second wireless communication protocol.
- The slave hearing aid may include: a microphone configured to receive an analog audio signal from the outside; a signal processing unit configured to amplify the analog audio signal input by the microphone, perform automatic gain control and AD conversion, and output the result; a second wireless communication unit configured to receive a digital audio signal from the master hearing aid using a second wireless communication protocol; an ear speaker configured to output a digital audio signal for a hearing aid output by the signal processing unit or output a digital audio signal for a wireless headset received by the second wireless communication unit; and a control unit configured to control performance of a hearing aid function performed by the signal processing unit and a wireless headset function performed by the second wireless communication unit.
- The slave hearing aid may further include: a pulse measuring device configured to measure a pulse of a user; and a memory configured to locally store pulse information measured by the pulse measuring device.
- The control unit of the slave hearing aid may perform a pulse measuring function of performing control such that the pulse of the user is measured using the pulse measuring device, and the pulse information of the user is stored and accumulated in the memory.
- The control unit of the slave hearing aid may perform a pulse information transmitting function of performing control such that the pulse information stored in the memory is read, and the pulse information is transmitted to the master hearing aid through the second wireless communication unit of the slave hearing aid.
- The control unit of the master hearing aid may perform a pulse information transmitting function of performing control such that the pulse information transmitted from the slave hearing aid is received through the second wireless communication unit of the master hearing aid, and the pulse information is transmitted to the smart device through the first wireless communication unit.
- The control unit of the master hearing aid may control delay of an output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of the ear speaker of the master hearing aid to synchronize the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of the ear speaker of the master hearing aid and the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of the ear speaker of the slave hearing aid.
- The control unit of the master hearing aid may perform control such that the hearing aid function of the master hearing aid is stopped when a first wireless communication function is activated.
- The control unit of the master hearing aid may transmit an instruction to stop the hearing aid function of the slave hearing aid to the slave hearing aid through the second wireless communication unit of the master hearing aid when the first wireless communication function is activated.
- The control unit of the slave hearing aid may perform control such that the hearing aid function of the slave hearing aid is stopped when the instruction to stop the hearing aid function of the slave hearing aid is received.
- The control unit of the slave hearing aid may control a pulse measurement period of the pulse measuring device by comparing a state of charge of a battery of the master hearing aid with a state of charge of a battery of the slave hearing aid.
- The master hearing aid or the slave hearing aid may further include an audio mixer configured to amplify or reduce the digital audio signal for the hearing aid or the digital audio signal for the wireless headset by a frequency channel and output the result.
- Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims.
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FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a binaural hearing aid with multiple functions according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a master hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions according to the embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a slave hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions according to the embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pulse measuring device implemented in the slave hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions according to the embodiment of the present invention. - Throughout the drawings and the detailed description, unless otherwise described, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. The relative size and depiction of these elements may be exaggerated for clarity, illustration, and convenience.
- Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so as to enable one skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains to easily carry out.
- Further, in the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.
- As terminology used herein, general terms currently in wide use are selected wherever possible in consideration of functions in the present disclosure, but may vary according to intentions of those of ordinary skill in the art, precedent cases, the advent of new technology, and so on. Therefore, the terms used in this specification should be defined based on the meanings of the terms together with the description throughout the specification rather than their simple names.
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FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a binaural hearing aid with multiple functions according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated inFIG. 1 , the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions according to the embodiment of the present invention includes amaster hearing aid 100 and aslave hearing aid 200. - The
master hearing aid 100 is wearable on one ear of the user, and theslave hearing aid 200 is wearable on the other ear of the user. Themaster hearing aid 100 may communicate with smart devices such as a smartphone, a smart TV, a laptop computer, etc. using a first wireless communication protocol. Theslave hearing aid 200 may communicate with themaster hearing aid 100 using a second wireless communication protocol. - For example, the first wireless communication protocol may be a Bluetooth communication protocol, and the second wireless communication protocol may be a Gaussian frequency-shift keying (GFSK) communication protocol that is a type of frequency-shift keying.
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FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a master hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions according to the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated inFIG. 2 , themaster hearing aid 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes amicrophone 110, asignal processing unit 120, a firstwireless communication unit 130, anear speaker 140, and acontrol unit 150. - The
microphone 110 receives an analog audio signal from the outside. The analog audio signal within an audible frequency band that is generated near the user is input to themaster hearing aid 100 through themicrophone 110. - The
signal processing unit 120 amplifies the analog audio signal input by themicrophone 110, performs automatic gain control and analog to digital (AD) conversion, and outputs the result. - For example, the
signal processing unit 120 may include anamplifier 121 which amplifies the analog audio signal input by the microphone and outputs the result, an automatic gain controller (AGC) 122 which automatically controls gain of the analog audio signal amplified by the amplifier, and anAD converter 123 which converts the analog audio signal, of which gain is controlled by the AGC, into a digital audio signal. - The first
wireless communication unit 130 receives the digital audio signal from smart devices such as a smartphone, a smart TV, a laptop computer, etc. using the first wireless communication protocol. In this case, the first wireless communication protocol may be a Bluetooth communication protocol. - For example, a smart device having a Bluetooth communication function is set to communicate with the
master hearing aid 100 which is found by searching for Bluetooth devices near the smart device via Bluetooth communication so that bidirectional wireless communication between the smart device and themaster hearing aid 100 may be established. - The
ear speaker 140 outputs a digital audio signal for a hearing aid output by thesignal processing unit 120, or a digital audio signal for a wireless headset received by the firstwireless communication unit 130. For example, theear speaker 140 may be a digital speaker which is manufactured to be inserted into an earhole. - The
control unit 150 controls performance of a hearing aid function performed by thesignal processing unit 120 and a wireless headset function performed by the firstwireless communication unit 130. For example, thecontrol unit 150 may perform control such that the digital audio signal for the hearing aid processed by thesignal processing unit 120 is output through theear speaker 140 in a hearing aid mode and the digital audio signal for the wireless headset received by the firstwireless communication unit 130 is output through theear speaker 140 in a wireless headset mode. - In the present invention, the master hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions includes a wireless headset function in addition to a hearing aid function so that the user can listen to music played on the smart device and make a call in a hands-free mode through the master hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions, thus improving user convenience.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the
master hearing aid 100 may further include a secondwireless communication unit 160. The secondwireless communication unit 160 transmits the digital audio signal for the wireless headset received by the firstwireless communication unit 130 to theslave hearing aid 200 using the second wireless communication protocol. In this case, the second wireless communication protocol may be a GFSK communication protocol that is a type of frequency-shift keying. - According to the embodiment of the present invention, the
master hearing aid 100 transmits the digital audio signal for the wireless headset, which is received from the smart device by the firstwireless communication unit 130, to theslave hearing aid 200 through the secondwireless communication unit 160 such that the slave hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions performs a wireless headset function in addition to the hearing aid function. - Accordingly, the user can listen to music played on the smart device and make a call in a hands-free mode through the slave hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions, and thus user convenience can be improved.
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FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a slave hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions according to the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated inFIG. 3 , theslave hearing aid 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes amicrophone 210, asignal processing unit 220, a secondwireless communication unit 230, anear speaker 240, and acontrol unit 250. - The
microphone 210 receives an analog audio signal from the outside. The analog audio signal with in an audible frequency band that is generated near the user is input to theslave hearing aid 200 through themicrophone 210. - The
signal processing unit 220 amplifies the analog audio signal input by themicrophone 210, performs automatic gain control and AD conversion, and outputs the result. - For example, the
signal processing unit 220 may include anamplifier 221 which amplifies the analog audio signal input by the microphone, anAGC 222 which automatically controls gain of the analog audio signal amplified by the amplifier, and anAD converter 223 which converts the analog audio signal, of which gain is controlled by the AGC, into a digital audio signal. - The second
wireless communication unit 230 receives the digital audio signal from themaster hearing aid 100 using the second wireless communication protocol. In this case, the second wireless communication protocol may be a GFSK communication protocol that is a type of frequency-shift keying. - For example, the
master hearing aid 100 and theslave hearing aid 200 are set to be connected via GFSK communication to establish bidirectional wireless communication between themaster hearing aid 100 and theslave hearing aid 200 so that the secondwireless communication unit 230 of theslave hearing aid 200 may receive the digital audio signal transmitted from themaster hearing aid 100. - The
ear speaker 240 outputs a digital audio signal for a hearing aid output by thesignal processing unit 220, or a digital audio signal for a wireless headset received by the secondwireless communication unit 230. For example, theear speaker 240 may be a digital speaker which is manufactured to be inserted into an earhole. - The
control unit 250 controls performance of a hearing aid function performed by thesignal processing unit 220 and a wireless headset function performed by the secondwireless communication unit 230. For example, thecontrol unit 250 may perform control such that the digital audio signal for the hearing aid processed by thesignal processing unit 220 is output through theear speaker 240 in a hearing aid mode and the digital audio signal for the wireless headset received by the secondwireless communication unit 230 is output through theear speaker 240 in a wireless headset mode. - In the present invention, the slave hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions includes a wireless headset function in addition to a hearing aid function so that the user can listen to music played on the smart device and make a call in a hands-free mode through the slave hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions, thus improving user convenience.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the
slave hearing aid 200 may further include apulse measuring device 260 which measures a pulse of the user and amemory 270 in which pulse information measured by thepulse measuring device 260 is stored locally. -
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pulse measuring device implemented in the slave hearing aid of the binaural hearing aid with multiple functions according to the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated inFIG. 4 , thepulse measuring device 260 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an infrared emitting diode (IRED) 261, a photo diode (PD) 262, a current/voltage converter 263, anamplifier 264, afilter 265, asquare wave generator 266 and apulse calculator 267. - The
IRED 261 radiates infrared light (IR) to skin at a rear side of the user's ear. ThePD 262 receives the IR reflected from the skin at the rear side of the user's ear and outputs a signal of a current component according to the amount of the received IR. - The current/
voltage converter 263 converts the signal of the current component output from thePD 262 into a signal of a voltage component. Theamplifier 264 amplifies the signal of the voltage component output from the current/voltage converter 263. - The
filter 265 filters noise included in the signal of the voltage component that is amplified by theamplifier 264. Thesquare wave generator 266 compares the signal of the voltage component from which the noise is filtered by thefilter 265 with a signal of a standard level and outputs a square wave according to the difference of the signals. - The
pulse calculator 267 calculates the pulse by counting the number of square waves output by thesquare wave generator 266 per minute and stores the pulse information in thememory 270. Accordingly, the user's pulse information measured by thepulse measuring device 260 is stored and accumulated in thememory 270. - According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the
control unit 250 of theslave hearing aid 200 may be implemented to perform a function of transmitting the pulse information which performs control such that the pulse information stored in thememory 270 is read and the pulse information is transmitted to themaster hearing aid 100 through the secondwireless communication unit 230 of theslave hearing aid 200. - Accordingly, the pulse information of the user which is measured by the
pulse measuring device 260 of theslave hearing aid 200 without a function of communicating with the smart device and stored in thememory 270 is transmitted to themaster hearing aid 100 with a function of communicating with a smart device. - According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the
control unit 150 of themaster hearing aid 100 may be implemented to perform a function of transmitting the pulse information which performs control such that the pulse information transmitted from theslave hearing aid 200 is received through the secondwireless communication unit 160 of themaster hearing aid 100 and transmitted to the smart device through the firstwireless communication unit 130. - Accordingly, the
master hearing aid 100 which receives the pulse information of the user transmitted from theslave hearing aid 200 without the function of communicating with the smart device may transmit the pulse information to the smart device. - The smart device can be applied for healthcare, for example, by analyzing big data using the pulse information of the user received from the
master hearing aid 100 to anticipate abnormalities in the user's heartbeat. - According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the
control unit 150 of themaster hearing aid 100 may be implemented to control delay of an output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of theear speaker 140 of themaster hearing aid 100 to synchronize the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of theear speaker 140 of themaster hearing aid 100 and an output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of theear speaker 240 of theslave hearing aid 200. - Since the digital audio signal for the wireless headset is transmitted to the second
wireless communication unit 230 of theslave hearing aid 200 through the secondwireless communication unit 160 of themaster hearing aid 100, transmission delay is caused. - When a phase difference of the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset due to the transmission delay is not corrected, the digital audio signal for the wireless headset may be output later in the
ear speaker 240 of theslave hearing aid 200 than theear speaker 140 of themaster hearing aid 100. - Therefore, the phase difference of the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset due to the transmission delay is resolved by controlling delay of the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of the
ear speaker 140 of themaster hearing aid 100 through thecontrol unit 150 of themaster hearing aid 100 for a certain time. - The delay time is calculated by looping back the signal for time synchronization through the second wireless communication between the
master hearing aid 100 and theslave hearing aid 200 to synchronize the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of theear speaker 140 of themaster hearing aid 100 and the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of theear speaker 240 of theslave hearing aid 200, and the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of theear speaker 140 of themaster hearing aid 100 is delayed as much as the calculated delay time. - According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the
control unit 150 of themaster hearing aid 100 performs control such that the hearing aid function of themaster hearing aid 100 is stopped when the first wireless communication function is activated. - In this case, the
control unit 150 of themaster hearing aid 100 may be implemented to transmit an instruction to stop the hearing aid function of the slave hearing aid to theslave hearing aid 200 through the secondwireless communication unit 160 of the master hearing aid when the first wireless communication function is activated. - Then, the
control unit 250 of theslave hearing aid 200 stops the hearing aid function of the slave hearing aid when the instruction to stop the hearing aid function of the slave hearing aid is received. - This is an embodiment of stopping the hearing aid function in the wireless headset mode, because if the digital audio signal for the hearing aid and the digital audio signal for the wireless headset are output at the same time when the first wireless communication function is activated, that is, in the wireless headset mode, the digital audio signal for the hearing aid may interrupt listening of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the
control unit 250 of theslave hearing aid 200 may control a pulse measurement period of thepulse measuring device 260 by comparing a state of charge of a battery (not shown in the drawings) of themaster hearing aid 100 with a state of charge of a battery (not shown in the drawings) of theslave hearing aid 200. - The
master hearing aid 100 and theslave hearing aid 200 are operated separately using a battery such as a mercury battery, and when thepulse measuring device 260 of theslave hearing aid 200 wakes up to measure the user's pulse too often, the consumption of the battery of theslave hearing aid 200 may be much greater than the consumption of the battery of themaster hearing aid 100. - Therefore, when the pulse measurement period (wake-up period) of the
slave hearing aid 200 is appropriately controlled in real time by monitoring and comparing a state of charge of the battery (not shown in the drawings) of themaster hearing aid 100 with a state of charge of the battery (not shown in the drawings) of theslave hearing aid 200, the difference of the state of charge between the batteries of themaster hearing aid 100 and theslave hearing aid 200 can be reduced. - According to an additional aspect of the present invention, the
master hearing aid 100 or theslave hearing aid 200 may separately further include anaudio mixer audio mixer - The user of a hearing aid generally has hearing loss for audio signals in a high frequency band rather than a low frequency band. Therefore, the user may achieve improved quality for hearing audio through amplification or attenuation of the audio signal by a frequency channel, that is, relatively attenuating the digital audio signal for the hearing aid or the digital audio signal for the wireless headset in a low frequency band and relatively amplifying the digital audio signal for the hearing aid or the digital audio signal for the wireless headset in a high frequency band by the
audio mixer - Since multiple functions such as a wireless headset function, a function of measuring pulse, a function of transmitting the pulse information, etc. in addition to a hearing aid function are implemented in the binaural hearing aid of the present invention, user convenience can be improved.
- The present invention can be utilized in technical fields of hearing aids and hearing aid applications.
- A number of examples have been described above. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order and/or if components in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.
Claims (13)
1. A binaural hearing aid with multiple functions, comprising:
a master hearing aid; and
a slave hearing aid,
wherein the master hearing aid comprises:
a microphone configured to receive an analog audio signal from outside;
a signal processing unit configured to amplify the analog audio signal input by the microphone, perform automatic gain control and AD conversion, and output a result;
a first wireless communication unit configured to receive a digital audio signal from a smart device using a first wireless communication protocol;
an ear speaker configured to output a digital audio signal for a hearing aid output by the signal processing unit or output a digital audio signal for the wireless headset received by the first wireless communication unit; and
a control unit configured to control performance of a hearing aid function performed by the signal processing unit and a wireless headset function performed by the first wireless communication unit, and perform control such that the hearing aid function is stopped when a first wireless communication function is activated.
2. The binaural hearing aid of claim 1 , wherein the master hearing aid further comprises a second wireless communication unit configured to transmit the digital audio signal for the wireless headset received by the first wireless communication unit to the slave hearing aid using a second wireless communication protocol.
3. The binaural hearing aid of claim 2 , wherein the slave hearing aid comprises:
a microphone configured to receive an analog audio signal from the outside;
a signal processing unit configured to amplify the analog audio signal input by the microphone, perform automatic gain control and AD conversion, and output the a result;
a second wireless communication unit configured to receive a digital audio signal from the master hearing aid using a second wireless communication protocol;
an ear speaker configured to output a digital audio signal for a hearing aid output by the signal processing unit or output a digital audio signal for the wireless headset received by the second wireless communication unit; and
a control unit configured to control performance of a hearing aid function performed by the signal processing unit and a wireless headset function performed by the second wireless communication unit.
4. The binaural hearing aid of claim 3 , wherein the slave hearing aid further comprises:
a pulse measuring device configured to measure a pulse of a user; and
a memory configured to locally store pulse information measured by the pulse measuring device.
5. The binaural hearing aid of claim 4 , wherein the control unit of the slave hearing aid is further configured to perform a pulse measuring function of performing control such that the pulse of the user is measured using the pulse measuring device and the pulse information of the user is stored and accumulated in the memory.
6. The binaural hearing aid of claim 4 , wherein the control unit of the slave hearing aid is further configured to perform a pulse information transmitting function of performing control such that the pulse information stored in the memory is read and the pulse information is transmitted to the master hearing aid through the second wireless communication unit of the slave hearing aid.
7. The binaural hearing aid of claim 6 , wherein the control unit of the master hearing aid is further configured to perform a pulse information transmitting function of performing control such that the pulse information transmitted from the slave hearing aid is received through the second wireless communication unit of the master hearing aid and the pulse information is transmitted to the smart device through the first wireless communication unit.
8. The binaural hearing aid of claim 3 , wherein the control unit of the master hearing aid is further configured to control a delay of an output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of the ear speaker of the master hearing aid to synchronize the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of the ear speaker of the master hearing aid and the output of the digital audio signal for the wireless headset of the ear speaker of the slave hearing aid.
9. (canceled)
10. The binaural hearing aid of claim 1 , wherein the control unit of the master hearing aid is further configured to transmit an instruction to stop a hearing aid function of the slave hearing aid through the second wireless communication unit of the master hearing aid when the first wireless communication function is activated.
11. The binaural hearing aid of claim 10 , wherein a control unit of the slave hearing aid is configured to perform control such that the hearing aid function of the slave hearing aid is stopped when the instruction to stop the hearing aid function of the slave hearing aid is received.
12. The binaural hearing aid of claim 5 , wherein the control unit of the slave hearing aid is further configured to control a pulse measurement period of the pulse measuring device by comparing a state of charge of a battery of the master hearing aid with a state of charge of a battery of the slave hearing aid.
13. The binaural hearing aid of claim 3 , wherein the master hearing aid or the slave hearing aid further comprises an audio mixer configured to amplify or attenuate the digital audio signal for the hearing aid or the digital audio signal for the wireless headset by a frequency channel, and output a result of the amplification or attenuation.
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KR1020160134414A KR101887411B1 (en) | 2016-10-17 | 2016-10-17 | Binaural hearing aid with multi functions |
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US6834308B1 (en) * | 2000-02-17 | 2004-12-21 | Audible Magic Corporation | Method and apparatus for identifying media content presented on a media playing device |
US10972845B1 (en) * | 2019-09-30 | 2021-04-06 | Sonova Ag | Hearing device and systems and methods for communicating with the same |
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US20020076073A1 (en) * | 2000-12-19 | 2002-06-20 | Taenzer Jon C. | Automatically switched hearing aid communications earpiece |
US20050090295A1 (en) * | 2003-10-14 | 2005-04-28 | Gennum Corporation | Communication headset with signal processing capability |
EP2132957B1 (en) * | 2007-03-07 | 2010-11-17 | GN Resound A/S | Sound enrichment for the relief of tinnitus |
EP2129088A1 (en) * | 2008-05-30 | 2009-12-02 | Oticon A/S | A hearing aid system with a low power wireless link between a hearing instrument and a telephone |
US9937355B2 (en) * | 2010-11-08 | 2018-04-10 | Zoll Medical Corporation | Remote medical device alarm |
KR101209126B1 (en) | 2011-06-27 | 2012-12-06 | 경북대학교 산학협력단 | Active delay method, and improving wireless binaural hearing aid using this |
US9131322B2 (en) * | 2013-07-08 | 2015-09-08 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. | Method and apparatus for communication between hearing assistance devices in a bluetooth network |
KR101504721B1 (en) | 2013-08-19 | 2015-03-20 | 주식회사 바이오사운드랩 | Hearing Aid with Binaural Function |
EP3713254A3 (en) * | 2013-11-07 | 2020-11-18 | Oticon A/s | A binaural hearing assistance system comprising two wireless interfaces |
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