Dual wireless audio streaming allowing spatial diversity or own voice pickup (OVPU)

Abstract

Provided is a method of audio transmission between at least two audio communication systems, the audio communication systems comprising a transmitting audio communication system having first and second audio transmitting devices and a receiving audio communication system having at least one audio receiving device. The method comprises: transmitting, by the first audio transmitting device, a first wireless audio stream via a first wireless audio link and transmitting, by the second audio transmitting device, a second wireless audio stream via a second wireless audio link; and selecting, by the at least one audio receiving device, one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream based on quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and the second wireless audio link.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following description generally relates to audio communication systems and methods for operating audio communication systems. More specifically, the following description relates to a scheme for improving communication distance or improving audio quality by utilizing diversity in transmission. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless technology allows for wireless communication between hearing devices and / or between a hearing device and an audio source. For example, the audio source can be an external device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet, iPod, etc.) or a microphone used to capture the speaker's voice. In wireless communication between hearing devices, the user's voice is captured by a microphone, which can be part of the transmission unit of the hearing device worn by the user. The captured audio is transmitted directly wirelessly to another hearing device, which receives the audio packets. Due to power consumption limitations, hearing devices typically transmit at 0 dBm power. The antennas of hearing devices are very small and experience losses on both the transmitting and receiving sides. Therefore, for example, the transmission distance from the transmitting hearing device cannot be as large as the transmission distance from the wireless microphone. For example, it might be desirable to increase the transmission distance from the transmitting hearing device to be comparable to the transmission distance from the wireless microphone. Furthermore, due to the large distance between the user's ear and mouth, using a microphone located at the user's ear to perform own-voice pickup (OVPU) is not ideal. Further improvements in OVPU audio quality in noisy environments can be expected. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides improved audio transmission between audio communication systems comprising multiple audio communication devices worn by at least two users. At least one of the audio communication devices is an audio transmitting device, and at least one audio communication device is an audio receiving device. Specifically, the invention proposes a solution for increasing the transmission distance from an audio transmitting device by having each audio transmitting device pick up and transmit its own user speech, such that the audio receiving device can receive the best stream from both streams (i.e., transmit diversity). Therefore, for example, the achieved transmission distance can be unlimited even when the audio transmitting device might be obstructed by the user's head. Improved receiving distance (i.e., receive diversity) can also be achieved. Combining transmit diversity and receive diversity can provide improved distance regardless of the orientation of the user's head on both the transmitter and receiver sides.

[0004] In a general aspect, an audio transmission method may be provided between at least two audio communication systems, including a wearable transmitting audio communication system and a receiving audio communication system. The transmitting audio communication system may include a first audio transmitting device and a second audio transmitting device. The receiving audio communication system may include at least one audio receiving device. The audio transmission method may include: transmitting a first wireless audio stream via a first wireless audio link through the first audio transmitting device, and transmitting a second wireless audio stream via a second wireless audio link through the second audio transmitting device. The audio transmission method may further include: at least one audio receiving device selecting one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream based on quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and / or the second wireless audio link.

[0005] In the method according to the above aspects, at least one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream may contain the voice of the first user.

[0006] In the method according to the above aspects, at least one of the first audio transmitting device or the second audio transmitting device may be configured to be worn by a first user, and at least one audio receiving device may be configured to be worn by a second user.

[0007] In the method according to the above aspects, both the first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream are transmitted as audio data packets, and the transmission of at least some of the audio data packets overlaps in time but not in frequency.

[0008] In the method according to the above aspects, each audio data packet of the first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream is transmitted in a separate time slot of the time division multiple access (TDMA) frame.

[0009] In the method according to the above aspects, at least one audio receiving device selects one of a first wireless audio stream or a second wireless audio stream, and the method may include: selecting the first wireless audio stream when the quality parameters of the first wireless audio link are higher than a predefined quality threshold or better than the quality parameters of the second wireless audio link.

[0010] In the method according to the above aspects, at least one audio receiving device selects one of a first wireless audio stream or a second wireless audio stream, and the method may include: selecting the second wireless audio stream when the quality parameters of the second wireless audio link are higher than a predefined quality threshold or better than the quality parameters of the first wireless audio link.

[0011] In the method according to the above aspects, the quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and the quality parameters of the second wireless audio link may be link quality parameters including audio received signal strength, audio signal strength-to-noise ratio, or packet error rate.

[0012] In the method according to the above aspects, the quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and the quality parameters of the second wireless audio link can be audio quality parameters including the signal-to-noise ratio.

[0013] In another general aspect, an audio transmission method may be provided between at least two audio communication systems, including a transmitting audio communication system and a receiving audio communication system. The transmitting audio communication system may include a first audio transmitting device and a second audio transmitting device. The receiving audio communication system may include at least one audio receiving device. The audio transmission method may include: transmitting a first wireless audio stream via a first wireless audio link through the first audio transmitting device, and transmitting a second wireless audio stream via a second wireless audio link through the second audio transmitting device. The audio transmission method may further include: at least one audio receiving device selecting one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream based on quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and / or the second wireless audio link. When at least one audio receiving device selects both the first and second wireless audio streams, the audio transmission method may include: applying a signal processing algorithm utilizing both the first and second wireless audio streams, wherein the signal processing algorithm improves the signal-to-noise ratio of its own voice pickup signal.

[0014] In the method according to the above aspects, at least one of the first audio transmitting device or the second audio transmitting device is configured to be worn by a first user, and at least one audio receiving device is configured to be worn by a second user.

[0015] In the method according to the above aspects, at least one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream contains the user's voice.

[0016] In the method according to the above aspects, both the first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream are transmitted as audio data packets, and the transmission of at least some of the audio data packets does not overlap in time.

[0017] In the method according to the above aspects, at least one audio receiving device selects one of a first wireless audio stream or a second wireless audio stream, and the method may include: selecting the first wireless audio stream when the quality parameters of the first wireless audio link are higher than a predefined quality threshold or better than the quality parameters of the second wireless audio link.

[0018] In the method according to the above aspects, at least one audio receiving device selects one of a first wireless audio stream or a second wireless audio stream, and the method may include: selecting the second wireless audio stream when the quality parameters of the second wireless audio link are higher than a predefined quality threshold or better than the quality parameters of the first wireless audio link.

[0019] In the method according to the above aspects, the quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and the quality parameters of the second wireless audio link may be link quality parameters including audio received signal strength, audio signal strength-to-noise ratio, or packet error rate.

[0020] In the method according to the above aspects, the quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and the quality parameters of the second wireless audio link can be audio quality parameters including the signal-to-noise ratio.

[0021] In the methods described above, the signal processing algorithm can be a binaural beamforming algorithm or a blind source separation algorithm.

[0022] In the method described above, a binaural beamforming algorithm can be executed at the receiving audio communication system.

[0023] In another general aspect, an audio communication network may include: a first audio communication system comprising a first audio transmitting device and a second audio transmitting device; and a second audio communication system comprising at least one audio receiving device. The first and second audio transmitting devices may be configured to transmit a first wireless audio stream via a first wireless audio link and a second wireless audio stream via a second wireless audio link, respectively. The at least one audio receiving device may be configured to select either the first or the second wireless audio stream based on quality parameters of the first and / or second wireless audio links.

[0024] In the audio communication network according to the above aspects, the first audio transmitting device and the second audio transmitting device can be configured to be worn on one of the ears of the first user, respectively.

[0025] In an audio communication network according to the above aspects, at least one audio receiving device can be configured to be worn by a second user.

[0026] In another general aspect, an audio transmission method may be provided between at least two audio communication systems, including a transmitting audio communication system and a receiving audio communication system. The transmitting audio communication system may include a first audio transmitting device and a second audio transmitting device. The audio receiving device system may include at least one audio receiving device. The audio transmission method may include: transmitting a first wireless audio stream via a first wireless audio link through the first audio transmitting device, and transmitting a second wireless audio stream via a second wireless audio link through the second audio transmitting device. The audio transmission method may further include: receiving both the first and second wireless audio streams at a receiving device, and applying a signal processing algorithm utilizing both the first and second wireless audio streams, wherein the signal processing algorithm improves the signal-to-noise ratio of its own voice pickup signal.

[0027] Other features and aspects may be apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The foregoing and other aspects of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of audio transmission between two audio communication systems according to an embodiment;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the problem of reduced transmission distance from the hearing device depending on the position of the user's head, according to an embodiment;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an improvement in transmission distance with transmit diversity according to an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a distance-improved combination method with transmit diversity and receive diversity according to an embodiment;

[0033] Figure 5A This is a schematic diagram illustrating time division multiple access (TDMA) scheduling for transmit diversity according to an embodiment, wherein audio from both the left and right hearing devices is transmitted simultaneously;

[0034] Figure 5B This is a schematic diagram illustrating time division multiple access (TDMA) scheduling of transmit diversity according to an embodiment, wherein audio is transmitted from the right hearing device to both the left hearing aid and the remote device;

[0035] Figures 6A-6C It is shown Figure 5A A diagram illustrating the benefits of the transmit diversity method;

[0036] Figure 7A This is a schematic diagram illustrating a 2-out-of-4 wireless network with transmit diversity according to an embodiment;

[0037] Figure 7B This is a schematic diagram illustrating a single receiving device (e.g., a single hearing aid, a neckband hearing gateway device, or a teleconference-assisted listening device) with transmit diversity according to an embodiment;

[0038] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating time division multiple access (TDMA) scheduling of transmit diversity according to an embodiment, wherein audio from the left and right hearing devices is transmitted at different times;

[0039] Figures 9A-9C It is shown Figure 8A diagram illustrating the benefits of the transmit diversity method;

[0040] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating transmit diversity in full-duplex mode according to an embodiment;

[0041] Figure 11A-11C This is a schematic diagram illustrating three methods for improving audio quality in self-voice pickup (OVPU) according to three embodiments;

[0042] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a two-stage method for binaural beamforming according to an embodiment;

[0043] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a receiver-side binaural beamforming self-voice pickup (OVPU) for a wireless network according to an embodiment.

[0044] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram illustrating adaptive binaural beamforming according to an embodiment; and

[0045] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of blind source separation (BSS) according to an embodiment.

[0046] Throughout the accompanying drawings and detailed embodiments, unless otherwise described, the same reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. For clarity, illustration, and convenience, the relative sizes and depictions of these elements may be exaggerated. Detailed Implementation

[0047] Example embodiments comprising one or more aspects of apparatus and methods are described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These illustrated examples are not intended to be limiting of this disclosure. For example, one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be utilized in other embodiments and even other types of devices. Furthermore, certain terms are used herein for convenience only and should not be considered limiting.

[0048] In the context of the following description, hearing devices (e.g., hearing aids, hearing prostheses, cochlear implants, headphones, etc.) are used by an individual specifically to hear audio from another device or the user's surroundings and can be used, for example, to compensate for hearing loss and / or improve hearing. A pair of interconnected hearing devices (one designed to be worn in the user's left ear and the other designed to be worn in the user's right ear) is called a binaural hearing system. Different types of hearing devices exist in the form of behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE), completely in-the-canal (CIC) types, and hybrid designs consisting of an external and an internal portion, the latter typically including a receiver (i.e., a miniature speaker), and are therefore commonly referred to as in-the-ear receiver (RITE), in-the-canal receiver (RIC), or in-the-canal receiver technology (CRT) hearing devices. Depending on the severity and / or cause of the user's hearing loss, other electromechanical output transducers (e.g., bone-anchored vibrators, direct acoustic cochlear simulators (DACS), or cochlear implants (CI)) may be used instead of the receiver. Other uses of hearing devices include, for example, enhancing hearing for people with normal hearing through noise suppression, providing audio signals from remote sources in the context of audio communication, and hearing protection.

[0049] Hearing devices with multiple individual units (e.g., one designed to be worn in the user's left ear and another in the user's right ear) allow communication, for example, between two hearing device units, as well as with other devices (e.g., mobile phones or portable audio players). This communication can be via a remote auxiliary unit (e.g., a hub) acting as a communication repeater. Advances in wireless technology allow for direct wireless communication between the hearing device and audio sources (e.g., mobile phones (e.g., iPhones, Android phones, Blackberry, etc.), media players (e.g., iPods, MP3 players, etc.), computers (e.g., PCs, Apple computers, etc.), and audio / video (A / V) receivers that can be part of a home entertainment or home theater system).

[0050] Hearing devices can be used for wireless communication between hearing devices to make and receive telephone calls to another user, and to stream audio using an external audio source (e.g., a mobile phone) using a bi-directional hands-free profile. The communication network can include multiple audio communication systems configured as communication systems on both the transmitting and receiving sides for implementing a network architecture typically in a master-slave topology. Figure 1The diagram illustrates an example schematic of a communication network 100 having two audio communication systems 10 and 20. Audio communication system 10 may include a first hearing device 12 and a second hearing device 14, the first hearing device 12 being configured for the left ear of a first user 11 and the second hearing device 14 being configured for the right ear of the first user 11. Each of hearing devices 12 and 14 may have at least one (or both) of a microphone and a speaker. Each of hearing devices 12 and 14 may be configured as a headset, hearing device, hearing aid, implant, hearing protection, etc. As described herein, audio communication system 10 is configured as a transmitting audio communication system, but may also be configured as a receiving audio communication system. One of the hearing devices 12 or 14 in transmitting audio communication system 10 may act as a master device. Audio communication system 20 may include at least one receiving hearing device. For example, audio communication system 20 may include only one receiving hearing device: a third hearing device 22. Alternatively, the audio communication system 20 may include two receiving hearing devices: a third hearing device 22, which can be configured for the left ear of a second user; and a fourth hearing device 24, which can be configured for the right ear of the second user 21. As described herein, the audio communication system 20 is configured as a receiving audio communication system, but it can also be configured as a transmitting audio communication system. One of the hearing devices 22 and 24 of the receiving audio communication system 20 and the hearing device 12 or 14 of the transmitting audio communication system 10 can act as a slave device.

[0051] For example, audio packets (e.g., speech captured by a microphone, speech for a telephone call, voice commands to an application stored on a mobile phone, etc.) can be transmitted by the first hearing device 12 and the second hearing device 14 via a wireless link using a wireless communication protocol, and received by at least one receiving (e.g., a third) hearing device 22 and / or a fourth hearing device 24, the wireless communication protocol being, for example... or (Based on the IEEE 802.11 standard series from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), and other radio frequency (RF) communication protocols. Within such point-to-point wireless communication, there exist protocols conforming to the Bluetooth specification, issued by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group from Bellevue, Washington. The Bluetooth core specification defines both the classic Bluetooth variant (also known as Bluetooth BR / EDR) and the Bluetooth Low Energy variant (also known as Bluetooth LE or BLE). Advances in integrated chip design have made it possible to develop chips that support both classic and low-power Bluetooth, with the size and power consumption characteristics suitable for hearing devices.

[0052] Hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 can be electroacoustic transducers configured to convert audio information into sound. For example, such electroacoustic transducers can include, but are not limited to, headphones, earbuds, hearing aids, speakers, and headphones. The first hearing device 12 can be configured as a left channel speaker for a stereo channel, and the second hearing device 14 can be configured as a right channel speaker for a stereo channel, or vice versa. Similarly, the third hearing device 22 can be configured as a left channel speaker for a stereo channel, and the fourth hearing device 24 can be configured as a right channel speaker for a stereo channel, or vice versa.

[0053] Figure 1 Each of the hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 shown may include an input microphone system configured to capture audio signals and convert them into electrical input signals. The microphone systems of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 may include only one input microphone or more than one input microphone. The microphones may be directional, i.e., capable of picking up most of the sound in front of the person wearing the microphone; or they may be omnidirectional, i.e., capable of picking up sound from all directions. In addition to the input microphones, there may be additional receiving units for receiving signals, such as a telecoil receiver, a receiving unit including an antenna for receiving wirelessly transmitted signals, etc. For example, streaming audio input signals (e.g., telephone calls or music) may be received from a streaming input source (e.g., an audio source) via a wireless connection (e.g., a wireless point-to-point link).

[0054] Audio signals captured by the input microphones of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 can be supplied to an acoustic beamformer, which can generate an output signal supplied to a gain model unit. Electrical input signals obtained from the input microphones of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 can be processed by one or more signal processors, which can convert the electrical input signals into digital signals, which can be further processed to obtain an electrical output signal. The desired electrical input signal can be an electrical input signal obtained from the input microphones, a streaming audio input signal, or a mixture of both. The electrical output signal can be converted into an acoustic output signal by a receiver (also referred to as a "speaker") of each of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24, and can be transmitted into the remaining volume between the user's eardrum and the ear canal assembly or earpiece of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24.

[0055] The signal processor can be a single digital signal processor or can consist of different potentially distributed processor units, preferably including at least one digital signal processor unit. The signal processor can include one or more of the following: microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), discrete logic circuit, etc. The signal processor can be further adapted to distinguish sounds, such as speech and background noise, and to process the sounds differently to achieve a seamless auditory experience. The signal processor can further apply a gain model to the captured audio signal and support the cancellation of feedback or noise from wind, environmental interference, etc.

[0056] The signal processor may further include a memory ( Figure 1 (Not shown in the document), and may store tables with predetermined values, distances, and thresholds, as well as program instructions that enable the signal processor to access the memory, execute the program instructions, and provide the functions that are program instructions herein. The memory may include one or more volatile, non-volatile, magnetic, optical, or electrical media (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, etc.). The signal processor may further include one or more analog-to-digital (A / D) and digital-to-analog (D / A) converters for, for example, converting various analog inputs of the signal processor (e.g., analog inputs from microphones of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24) into digital signals, and for converting various digital outputs from the signal processor into analog signals representing audible sound data that may be applied, for example, to speakers of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24.

[0057] Each of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 can be configured to wirelessly receive audio or other signals from each other, from audio source 12, or from another device, component, or system (e.g., a remote hearing device controller, a hearing loop system, an audio link device, or a streaming device). Each of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 may include a wireless communication unit, such as a transceiver, configured to receive wireless signals and optionally transmit wireless signals to other devices. Figure 1In the example, hearing devices 12 and 14 are shown as transmitting hearing devices, and hearing devices 22 and 24 are shown as receiving hearing devices. For example, each of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 can transmit and receive wireless audio signals to and from other hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24, and / or transmit and receive control signals from remote devices via an antenna, and relay these signals to a signal processor or to each other. In some embodiments, the transceiver may be part of the signal processor of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24. Specifically, the signal processor of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 may employ a Bluetooth receiver, an audio codec (which provides audio signals transmitted through one of hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 or through an external device (e.g., an audio source) (e.g., in digital form), and a decoder (which decodes the digitized audio signals). Alternatively, the transceiver may include its own Bluetooth onboard signal processor. The processed audio signals and control data / commands can be supplied to the digital transmitters of the transmitting hearing devices 12 and 14, which can also be controlled by a signal processor. The digital transmitters can then transmit the modulated signals via antennas to the antenna arrangement of the digital receiver units of the receiving hearing devices 22 and 24, thereby establishing digital links 16, 17, 18, and 19 for transmitting and receiving audio signals as audio data packets. Digital links 16, 17, 18, and 19 can conform to the Bluetooth protocol. Digital links 16, 17, 18, and 19 can also be configured for bidirectional communication to allow: transmitting and receiving audio packets, querying control data (e.g., volume control) or the status of the receiving devices (e.g., battery status, parameter settings, etc.), and acknowledgments, for example, that audio packets transmitted or received by hearing devices 12, 14, 22, and 24 have been successfully transmitted or received. The bidirectional digital links 16, 17, 18, and 19 can minimize the number of audio packet retransmissions when audio packets have been received and no retransmissions are required.

[0058] In wireless communication between hearing devices, a user's voice is captured by a microphone, which can be part of the transmission unit of the hearing device worn by the user. The captured audio can be directly transmitted wirelessly to another hearing device, which can receive the audio packets. Due to power consumption limitations, hearing devices typically transmit at 0 dBm power. The antennas of hearing devices are very small and experience losses on both the transmitting and receiving sides. Therefore, for example, the transmission distance from the transmitting hearing device cannot be as large as the transmission distance from the wireless microphone. Due to these limitations in the transmission distance from the transmitting hearing device, the wireless link quality may degrade, and therefore the quality of the transmitted audio may also degrade, for example, when the distance between hearing devices exceeds a certain distance or when the transmitting hearing device may be obstructed by the user's head. Figure 2 This illustrates the problem of reducing the transmission distance from hearing devices utilizing wireless audio streaming protocols, depending on the user's head position. Figure 2 As shown, the outdoor distance within line of sight can be 13m, 8m with one head obstruction, and only 3m with two head obstructions. Considering the 0dBm Tx power and 0dBi loss of the transmitting antenna, the 15dB loss of the receiving antenna, and the -95dBm sensitivity, a link budget of -15-(-95)=80dB is available in the radio chip. Consider the propagation loss at 3m as 20*log10(4*pi*2450E6 / 3E8)+20*log10(3)=50dB. Head obstruction can typically cause an additional 20dB of attenuation. With two head obstructions, the link mark at 3m only becomes 10dB. In some cases, the link may be completely lost.

[0059] For example, when a receiving hearing device may only be able to receive a single stream from one of the transmitting hearing devices due to head obstruction, the wireless radio link may be adversely affected by multipath fading, such as... Figure 2As shown. Due to the reflection of radio waves on the ground or other objects, destructive interference may occur, reducing the amplitude of the received signal, depending on the transmitter's location. However, when using multiple antennas, if the signal suffers multipath fading at one antenna's location, multipath fading may not exist at another antenna. Typically, receiving devices have several antennas and use a so-called "switched diversity" method, where the signal power at two spaced-apart antennas is measured, and the input of the radio demodulator is switched to the antenna currently providing higher signal power, i.e., the antenna currently suffering less multipath fading. In the disclosed invention, due to space constraints, the receiver can only have one antenna. Instead of switching between two receiving antennas, the receiver switches between signals transmitted by the two antennas to provide the same multipath mitigation benefits.

[0060] The method described in this paper achieves audio stream-level diversity on the receiver and / or transmitter sides by having two transmitting hearing devices simultaneously transmit two separate wireless audio streams containing user speech over two separate wireless audio links, monitoring the quality parameters of both wireless audio links, and receiving the wireless audio stream transmitted over the wireless audio link with the better quality parameters at the receiver side. This stream-level diversity can improve transmission performance in a simple yet efficient manner. Figure 3 As shown, the method described herein increases the transmission distance from the transmitting hearing device by having each transmitting hearing device pick up and transmit its own speech, allowing the receiving hearing device to receive the best of the two streams (i.e., transmit diversity or dual transmission). Therefore, for example, the achieved transmission distance can be unlimited even when the transmitting hearing device might be obstructed by the user's head.

[0061] return Figure 1 Each of the transmitting hearing devices 12 and 14 simultaneously (i.e., at the same time or as a dual transmission) transmits two separate wireless audio streams as audio data packets to each of the receiving hearing devices 22 and 24 via digital links 16, 17, 18, and 19. Each audio data packet is transmitted serially in a separate time slot or repeatedly in a set of consecutive time slots of a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) frame comprising multiple time slots. Each of the two wireless audio streams contains the voice of the first user 11 captured by one or more microphones of the transmitting hearing devices 12 and 14. The audio data packets transmitted simultaneously by the first hearing device 12 and the second hearing device 14 may be the same or different, depending on the circumstances, including but not limited to the following examples of different circumstances.

[0062] If each of the first hearing device 12 and the second hearing device 14 transmits audio including user speech captured by its respective microphone, the audio packets may be different depending on the ambient noise that may be present next to each hearing device, for example, because the time at which the audio is sampled may be slightly different on each side, or based on differences in microphone parameters.

[0063] Alternatively, if the first hearing device 12 and the second hearing device 14 output an audio signal from one or both microphones via a binaural link 15 (e.g., as...), Figure 5A (As shown), then both the first hearing device 12 and the second hearing device 14 will transmit the same audio packets. The binaural audio link can be, for example, via a dedicated radio using an inductive link at a dedicated frequency or via a method using... Figure 1 The same radio is used in the same frequency band of the RF link in wireless links 16-18. Instead of having dedicated binaural audio RF transmission, such as... Figure 5B As shown, for example, one hearing aid may be communicating with another hearing aid and a remote device. Figure 5B (Not shown in the image) Both transmit the same audio packets. Furthermore, one of the first hearing device 12 and the second hearing device 14 can forward audio from one side to the other via a binaural link, and then the audio can be transmitted. This may be advantageous, for example, when one side is known to be better, i.e., when the other side suffers from wind noise. In this case, transmitting the optimal audio signal from both sides may be advantageous.

[0064] Similarly, when each of the first hearing device 12 and the second hearing device 14 transmits audio from an audio source (e.g., a mobile phone), both the first hearing device 12 and the second hearing device 14 can transmit two transmission channels (left and right). In this case, the audio packets can be identical. Likewise, when each of the first hearing device 12 and the second hearing device 14 uses one transmission channel to transmit single-channel audio, the audio packets can be identical. On the other hand, when the first hearing device 12 transmits only one (e.g., left) channel and the second hearing device 14 transmits only one (e.g., right) channel, the audio packets can be different for at least some or all of the reasons described above.

[0065] return Figure 1 The dual transmission of hearing devices 12 and 14 can be accomplished in two ways—in one embodiment, the two audio streams overlap in time; while in another embodiment, the two audio streams do not overlap in time.

[0066] In one embodiment, audio packets are transmitted simultaneously by both hearing devices 12 and 14, but at different frequencies. Each audio data packet is transmitted in a separate time slot of a time division multiple access (TDMA) frame comprising multiple (e.g., 8 or 10) time slots, wherein each time slot is associated with a different transmission frequency. Figure 5A A preferred protocol time scheduling for transmitting audio from two hearing devices (left and right) 12 and 14 is shown. Figure 5A In this context, the time slot designation "T" indicates the transmission of audio data packets, while the time slot designation "R" indicates the reception of audio data packets. Figure 5A In the example shown, the TDMA frame is 4ms long and divided into 8 time slots, each 340μs long. The first time slot ( Figure 5A Time slot 1) is allocated for the periodic transmission of beacon packets, which are alternately transmitted from two hearing devices 12 and 14. The beacon packets may contain sequence numbers that number TDMA frames and other data required for network synchronization, such as information related to the audio stream (e.g., description of the encoding format, description of the audio content, gain parameters, ambient noise levels, etc.), information related to multi-speaker network operation, and control data optionally used for all or one of the receiver units. The second time slot ( Figure 5A Time slot 2) can be allocated to receive responses from other devices in the network, such as response data from slave devices (e.g., receiving hearing devices 22 and 24), which may respond to requests from the master device via beacon packets. At least some of the other time slots can be allocated to the transmission of audio data packets, wherein each audio data packet is typically repeated at least once in subsequent time slots. Figure 5A In the example shown, time slots 3, 4, and 5 can be allocated for three-fold transmission of the same audio data packets. Time slots 6, 7, and 8 can be allocated for receiving audio transmitted by other users (e.g., external hearing devices, audio sources, etc.). The 1.28 ms idle time following time slot 8 can be used for binaural communication or communication with other devices, such as maintaining a Bluetooth connection with a smartphone. Hearing device 12 can unconditionally repeat the transmission of the same audio packets three times in time slots 3, 4, and 5. Hearing device 14 can unconditionally repeat the transmission of the same audio packets three times in the same time slots 3, 4, and 5, but at a different frequency than the transmission of hearing device 12. Each time slot can be associated with a different transmission frequency according to a frequency hopping sequence. For example, the frequency can be selected by hearing device 12 according to a pseudo-random hopping sequence. For time slots 3, 4, and 5, hearing device 14 can select different frequencies by selecting a channel index, which can be, for example, incremented by a fixed number of channels modulo the number of available channels.

[0067] Two hearing devices can be connected to a separate binaural wireless link 15. For example, the binaural wireless link 15 can conform to a standard protocol (e.g., Bluetooth), or it can be a proprietary protocol, and can be used, for example, for network management purposes and / or to coordinate actions related to time synchronization of transmitted audio packets between hearing devices 12 and 14. The binaural wireless link can utilize inductive or RF radio technology. One hearing device 12 or 14 can act as the master device of the binaural wireless link 15, while the other hearing device 12 or 14 can act as the slave device. For example, a time slot can have a duration of 340 μs. Audio packets can have a duration of 197 μs and can transmit 32 bytes of data, which can encode 4 ms of audio. 4 ms of audio sampled at 16 kHz and encoded using the G.722 communication standard in Mode 1 (i.e., 16 kHz audio is 64 kbps, with 8 bits per two audio samples) can generate 32 bytes of data (4e-3*16000 / 2*8 / 8). These 32 bytes of data, plus 10 bytes of overhead, can be transmitted at a user data rate of 1.3 Mbps over a duration of 259 μs ((32+10)*8 / 1.3). Since radio requires additional time to start and stop, a time slot size of 340 μs can be considered. The eight time slots required by the wireless protocol typically only use 2.72 ms of the 4 ms time slot, leaving 1.28 ms unused for coexistence with other protocols (e.g., Binocular Wireless Link 15, Bluetooth Low Energy, or Bluetooth Classic) (1.28 / 4 = 32%).

[0068] Figures 6A-6C It is shown Figure 5A A schematic diagram illustrating the benefits of the transmit diversity method, depending on the orientation of the user's head in both the transmitting audio communication system 10 and the receiving audio communication system 20.

[0069] like Figure 6A As shown, audio communication system 20 can receive audio signals 16 and 17 from audio communication system 10, while audio communication system 10 can receive audio signals 66 and 67 from audio communication system 20.

[0070] exist Figure 6B In this system, all four audio streams between audio communication system 10 and audio communication system 20 can be received and utilized.

[0071] exist Figure 6C In the audio communication system 20, audio signals 18 and 19 can be received from the audio communication system 10, while the audio communication system 10 can receive audio signals 68 and 69 from the audio communication system 20.

[0072] The conversion from receiving audio signals 16 and 17 to receiving audio signals 18 and 19 from the audio communication system 20 can be implemented in different ways. For example, when audio signals 16 and 17 are lost, the audio communication system 20 can switch to audio signals 18 and 19.

[0073] In another example, when the quality of audio signals 16 and 17 drops below a predetermined threshold, the audio communication system 20 can switch to audio signals 18 and 19.

[0074] In yet another example, the audio communication system 20 can monitor the quality of audio signals 18 and 19 in parallel with receiving and monitoring the quality of audio signals 16 and 17, and can switch to audio signals 18 and 19 if the quality of audio signals 18 and 19 is higher than that of audio signals 16 and 17.

[0075] The quality of audio signals 16, 17, 18, and 19 can be measured using the moving average of the packet error rate, the moving average of the audio error rate, or the moving average of the received signal strength.

[0076] Monitoring the quality of audio signals 18 and 19 in parallel with receiving audio signals 16 and 17 can be achieved by receiving some of the packets from audio signals 18 and 19 in time slot 5 when it is not necessary to listen to audio signals 16 and 17 in time slot 5, that is, when the audio has already been correctly received in time slot 3 or 4.

[0077] Figure 5 and Figures 6A-6C The method shown can be used for an unlimited number of additional audio receivers. Figure 7A This is a schematic diagram illustrating two of four wireless networks with transmit diversity according to this embodiment. Specifically, in addition to the transmit audio communication system 10 and the receive audio communication system 20, Figure 7A The network shown may further include receiving audio communication systems 30 and 40. Receiving audio communication systems 30 and 40, as well as transmitting audio communication system 10 and receiving audio communication system 20, can be based on the above-mentioned reference Figure 5 and... Figures 6A-6C The described process is similar to that used to receive audio packets from other audio communication systems on the network. Figure 7B In another embodiment shown, the audio receiving communication system 20 may include a single receiving hearing device 12 worn on one of the ears of user A, or the audio receiving communication system 30 may include a single receiving device 2 worn on the neck of user B and transmitting audio to the hearing aid using a pickup coil circuit. Figure 7B In yet another embodiment, the receiving audio communication system 40 may include a single receiving device 2 coupled to the telephone network C to provide assisted listening functionality during a telephone call.

[0078] In another embodiment, audio packets can be transmitted by hearing devices 12 and 14 at different times. The advantage of transmitting two audio streams at different times is that it allows receiving hearing devices 22 and 24 to utilize both audio streams to improve the user's own speech pickup. Figure 8 A preferred protocol time scheduling for transmitting audio from hearing devices 12 and 14 is shown. Figure 8 In this context, the time slot designation "T" indicates the transmission of audio data packets, while the time slot designation "R" indicates the reception of audio data packets. Figure 8 In the example shown, the TDMA frame is 6 ms long and divided into 10 time slots, each 400 μs long. The first time slot ( Figure 8 Time slot 1) can be allocated to the periodic transmission of beacon packets, which are alternately transmitted from two hearing devices 12 and 14. The beacon packets may contain sequence numbers that number TDMA frames and other data required for network synchronization, such as information related to the audio stream (e.g., description of the encoding format, description of the audio content, gain parameters, ambient noise levels, etc.), information related to multi-speaker network operation, and control data optionally used for all or a specific receiver unit. Second time slot ( Figure 8 Time slot 2) can be allocated to receive responses from other devices in the network, such as response data from slave devices (e.g., receiving hearing devices 22 and 24), which may respond to requests from the master device via beacon packets. At least some of the other time slots can be allocated to the transmission of audio data packets, wherein each audio data packet is typically repeated at least once in subsequent time slots. Figure 8 In the example shown, time slots 3 and 4 can be allocated for audio transmission from hearing device 14. Figure 8 As shown, time slots 3 and 4 may be empty time slots for hearing device 12 (e.g., not used for transmitting or receiving). Alternatively, time slots 3 and 4 may be allocated for other purposes (e.g., for hearing device 12 to receive, listen to, or forward transmissions from hearing device 14, etc.). Figure 8 As shown, the hearing device 12 can receive audio packets in time slots 3 and 4, and forward the same audio packets in time slots 5 and 6, for example, without audio delay.

[0079] Time slots 5 and 6 can be allocated for audio transmission from hearing device 12. For example... Figure 8As shown, similar to time slots 3 and 4 for hearing device 12, time slots 5 and 6 may be empty time slots for hearing device 14 (e.g., not used for transmitting or receiving). Alternatively, time slots 5 and 6 can be allocated for other purposes (e.g., for hearing device 14 to receive, listen to, and forward transmissions from hearing device 12, etc.). Figure 8 As shown, the hearing device 14 can receive audio packets in time slots 5 and 6, and forward the same audio packets in time slots 7 and 8, for example, without audio delay.

[0080] Time slots 7-10 can be allocated to receive audio transmitted by other users (e.g., external hearing devices, audio sources, etc.). For example, the 2ms idle time following time slot 10 can be used for binaural communication or communication with other devices, such as maintaining a Bluetooth connection with a smartphone. Sending two audio streams instead of one and receiving two audio streams instead of one requires more resources in the time domain, which may require trade-offs in other domains. Figure 8 In the example shown, only two audio transmissions are performed instead of three (as in...). Figure 5A (In the middle), this is a compromise on interference robustness for the benefit of non-temporally overlapping dual-tone transmission.

[0081] For time synchronization, two hearing devices can be connected to the binaural wireless link 15. One hearing device 12 or 14 can act as the master device of the binaural wireless link 15, while the other hearing device 12 or 14 can act as the slave device. For example, a time slot can have a duration of 400 μs. Audio packets can have a duration of 320 μs and can transmit 42 bytes of data, which can be encoded as 6 ms of audio. 6 ms of audio sampled at 16 kHz and encoded in Mode 2 using the G.722 communication standard (i.e., 56 kbps or 7 bits per 2 audio samples) can generate 42 bytes of data (6e-3*16000 / 2*7 / 8). These 42 bytes of data, plus 10 bytes of overhead, can be transmitted at a user data rate of 1.3 Mbps for a duration of 320 μs ((42+10)*8 / 1.3). Since radio requires additional time to start and stop, a time slot size of 400 μs can be considered. The ten time slots required by the wireless network protocol typically only use 4ms of the 6ms time slot, leaving 2ms for coexistence with other protocols (e.g., Wireless Link 15, Bluetooth Low Energy, or Bluetooth Classic) (2 / 6 = 33%).

[0082] Figures 9A-9C It is shown Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating the benefits of the transmit diversity method, depending on the orientation of the user's head in both the transmitting audio communication system 10 and the receiving audio communication system 20.

[0083] When a hearing device worn by one user is able to receive audio signals from two hearing devices worn by another user, the hearing device worn by the first user can use the two audio signals to improve and / or optimize the quality of speech pickup from the other user. Figure 9A It is possible to receive only one of the two audio signals when another user turns his / her head. Figure 9B and Figure 9C In these cases, beamforming can no longer be calculated. Therefore, the audio signal presented to the user's ear is based on only one audio signal.

[0084] Figures 9A-9C For simplicity, only simplex audio transmission is shown. Figure 8 The benefits of transmit diversity methods. However, for example, Figure 8 and Figures 9A-9C The transmit diversity method shown can also be used in full-duplex situations, such as... Figure 10 As shown.

[0085] For example, Figure 8 and Figures 9A-9C The method shown can be used for an unlimited number of additional audio receivers, such as a hybrid network of two out of N wireless networks similar to the two out of four wireless networks shown in Figure 7.

[0086] As mentioned above, another problem arises in wireless communication between hearing devices due to the large distance between the user's mouth and ear (where the user's voice is captured by a microphone, which may be part of the transmission unit of the user's worn hearing device). Because of this large distance, performing OVPU (Own Voice Pickup Unit) using a microphone located at the user's ear is undesirable. Improving OVPU audio quality may be particularly desirable in noisy environments. The audio transmission method described herein can improve OVPU audio quality by utilizing access to both transmitted audio streams. Specifically, as... Figure 11A-11C As shown, the described audio transmission method can utilize three solutions to improve OVPU audio quality—for example, by implementing a binaural beamformer with a beamforming algorithm, a blind source separation (BSS) algorithm, and audio diversity.

[0087] exist Figure 11AIn one embodiment shown, the audio transmission method can utilize a binaural beamforming algorithm by implementing a beamforming algorithm that combines the sounds picked up from both sides to create a beam in the direction of the user's mouth, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio. For example, beamforming on the transmitting side is described in U.S. Patents 5,651,071; 5,511,128; European Patent EP 0 855 130 B1; and German Patent DE 43 27 901 C1, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Briefly, for example, as described in German Patent DE 43 27 901 C1, beamforming uses the principle of directivity to separate desired signals from unwanted signals. The processor estimates the audio signals captured by the two microphones (e.g., left and right) relative to each other to simulate spatial hearing and suppress noise. The estimation may include envelope correlation, temporal correlation, or a combination thereof. Envelope correlation analyzes the sound pressure level differences between microphones in a frequency range assigned to an individual. If a sound pressure level difference exists within a frequency range, only the weaker signal component is added to the overall signal. Time correlation takes into account the fact that the time it takes for a laterally incident sound wave to reach the ear away from the sound source and / or its associated microphone differs from the time it takes for the ear facing the sound source. This time difference can be handled with a time correlator and coupled according to a bypass via an attenuator.

[0088] This embodiment implements the beamforming algorithm on the receiver side. To address the power / bandwidth constraints of the wireless link in a hearing aid system, binaural beamforming can be performed using a two-stage approach. In doing so, binaural beamforming utilizing all available microphone signals is possible (e.g., two microphones in the left hearing aid and two microphones in the right hearing aid), while simultaneously, each transmitting hearing aid can transmit / exchange only one signal. Figure 12 ).

[0089] In the first stage ( Figure 12 In stage 1), M local microphone signals are combined using beamforming. The filter coefficients of the local beamformers (left and right hearing devices) can be optimized offline by using the well-known Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) method to consider the Acoustic Transfer Function (ATF) and Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) between the user's mouth and microphone. The two local beams can be calculated individually in the left and right hearing devices using the following equation:

[0090] z_ L (ω)=w_ L (ω)y_ L (ω)

[0091] z_ R(ω)=w_ R (ω)y_ R (ω),

[0092] Wherein, the M-dimensional column vector y_ L (ω) and y_ R (ω) represent the left and right microphone signals respectively, and the M-dimensional row vector w_ L (ω) and w_ R (ω) represents the left and right beamformer coefficients, respectively.

[0093] In the second stage ( Figure 12 In stage 2), the outputs of the two transverse beamformers are combined into a binaural beamformed signal. The optimal beamformer coefficients for stage 2 can be determined by applying MVDR optimization. The binaural beamformed signal is given by the following equation:

[0094] z_ B (ω)=w_ B (ω)z_ B (ω),

[0095] Where z_B(ω)=[z_L(ω)z_R(ω)]^T are the signals for two transverse (left and right) beamforming, and w_B(ω)=[w_L(ω)w_R(ω)] are the binaural beamformer coefficients.

[0096] As previously described, in order to include binaural beamforming for self-speech pickup in a wireless network with radio diversity in the transmission direction, it can be advantageous to process the second stage (combining the two locally beamformed signals into a binaural beam) not in the transmitting hearing device but in the receiving hearing device. For example, this method in Figure 13 It is shown in the middle.

[0097] For example, in cases where the receiving hearing device can only receive a single stream from one of the transmitting hearing devices (e.g., due to...). Figures 9A-9C As shown in the head occlusion diagram, the weight vector w_ can be adjusted accordingly by setting the weight of the effective audio stream to 1 and the weight of the distortion stream to 0. B (ω).

[0098] This approach can be extended by including (frequency-dependent) quality metrics, which are transmitted along with the audio streams or measured by a receiving hearing device, such as the local signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the locally beamformed audio signal or the link quality of the wireless link (e.g., bit error rate). In doing so, fading between the two audio streams can be achieved once the quality of one of the streaming audio signals drops below a predetermined threshold. Fading can also be incorporated into the binaural weight vector w_ B(ω) in.

[0099] To allow the binaural beamformer to adapt to the current acoustic scenario, additional adaptive processing may be possible. A noise reference signal z_ can be created by forming a so-called target blocking beam using the following equation. N (ω):

[0100] z_ N (ω)=w_ N (ω)y_ B (ω),

[0101] Where w_N(ω) is the beamforming coefficient of the target blocking beamformer. For example, in this binaural configuration, the pattern will look like... Figure 8 The pattern shown. This signal can be adaptively subtracted from the binaural target beam z_B(ω) using an adaptive noise canceller:

[0102] z_AB(ω)=z_ B (ω)-w_ AB (ω)z_ N (ω),

[0103] The weights of the noise canceller w_AB(ω) can be adaptively updated using the Least Mean Square (LMS) method. For example, this method... Figure 14 It is shown in the middle.

[0104] In the case of receiving only one audio stream (with sufficient quality), it is possible or likely necessary to use adaptive weights w_ AB (ω) is set to 0 to disable adaptive processing.

[0105] Other signal processing schemes or algorithms can be considered alternatives to binaural beamforming algorithms.

[0106] exist Figure 11BIn the illustrated embodiments, for example, the audio transmission method may utilize other alternatives such as blind source separation (BSS) algorithms or binaural beamforming algorithms. A blind source separation (BSS) algorithm is described, for example, in European Patent Publication EP1017253B1, and a binaural beamforming algorithm is described in U.S. Patents 5,651,071; 5,511,128; European Patent EP 0 855 130 B1; and German Patent DE 43 27 901C1, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. For example, with respect to blind source separation (BSS) as described in EP 1017253 B1, for instance, an input signal having multiple components (e.g., multiple speech or a mixture of speech and noise signals from unknown sources) is analyzed for a signal transformation (the signal transformation being correlated with statistical dependencies between its components) to separate and recover the desired individual source signals from the mixture.

[0107] Figure 11B The illustrated embodiment can use a blind source separation (BSS) algorithm to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Specifically, when receiving signals from both the left and right microphones, the BSS algorithm can be applied to separate speech from noise. For example, Figure 15 The basic principles of BSS are shown in the diagram.

[0108] Consider two microphone signals (m1 and m2) that both contain speech (s1) and noise (s2):

[0109] m1 = h 11 s1+h 12 s2

[0110] m2=h 21 s1+h 22 s2

[0111] M = H·S

[0112] The goal is to find a system (G) that separates the two microphone signals (M) in order to estimate the original source (S') and extract s'1:

[0113] s1′=g 11 m1+g 12 m2

[0114] s′=g 21 m1+g 22 m2

[0115] S′=G·M

[0116] The decision to use one solution or another (binaural beamforming algorithm or BSS) can depend on the platform’s limitations in terms of hardware and software, algorithm performance, and power consumption.

[0117] exist Figure 11C In the illustrated embodiment, the audio transmission method may utilize audio diversity. Audio diversity is described, for example, in U.S. Patent Publication 2015 / 0326984A1 and International Publication WO 2008089784 A1, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Specifically, as described, for example, in U.S. Patent Publication 2015 / 0326984A1, multipath fading can be mitigated by utilizing redundant wireless sources of streaming data (i.e., multiple copies of the streaming information can be sent to the hearing aid device) and selecting signals with better quality metrics, such as Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SiNR), a measure of how many decoding errors of the streaming audio have recently occurred, data rate (generally, the lower the signal quality, the lower the data rate that can be transmitted), jitter rate, etc.

[0118] Figure 11C The solutions shown could include selecting the optimal audio pickup side based on environmental conditions. For example, if wind noise is present on one side, the other side could provide a better signal-to-noise ratio.

[0119] When receiving audio signals from two hearing devices worn by another user, the alternative of two sources can be used to select the audio signal with the best quality or the best audio signal in general.

[0120] There are many reasons why the signal or hearing devices may have different audio qualities, and it could be due to wind noise, or the presence of an open window or a noisy device (such as a fan or speaker) that creates a significantly larger noise source on one side.

[0121] For example, source selection can be based on a quality metric such as SNR (signal-to-noise ratio). SNR can be calculated at the source (i.e., two hearing devices worn by another user) and transmitted periodically along with the audio signal, or transmitted directly at the receiver. The former option reduces complexity at the receiver and can benefit from additional cues for robust estimation, but it means the system can process metadata in parallel with the audio. The second option might mean that no metadata data transmission is required for both audio signals to be received and analyzed.

[0122] Ultimately, the metadata can contain explicit SNR values ​​or directly indicate which audio signal is optimal at a given time. As described above, the advantage of this solution compared to calculating SNR is that it may be simpler in terms of complexity and power consumption. This solution also avoids potential additional audio latency due to signal processing.

[0123] Many other exemplary embodiments can be provided through various combinations of the features described above. Although the embodiments described above use specific examples and alternatives, those skilled in the art will understand that various additional alternatives can be used and equivalents can be substituted for the elements and / or steps described herein without necessarily departing from the intended scope of this application. Modifications may be desired to adapt the embodiments to specific situations or particular needs without departing from the intended scope of this application. This application is not intended to be limited to the specific exemplary implementations and exemplary embodiments described herein, but is intended to give the claims the broadest reasonable interpretation to cover all novel and non-obvious embodiments covered therewith, whether literal or equivalent, disclosed or undisclosed.

Claims

1. A method of audio transmission between at least two audio communication systems comprising a transmitting audio communication system and a receiving audio communication system, wherein, The transmitting audio communication system comprises a first audio transmitting device and a second audio transmitting device, and the receiving audio communication system comprises at least one audio receiving device, the method comprising: transmitting, by the first audio transmitting device, a first wireless audio stream via a first wireless audio link, and transmitting, by the second audio transmitting device, a second wireless audio stream via a second wireless audio link; and selecting, by the at least one audio receiving device, one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream based on a quality parameter of the first wireless audio link and / or the second wireless audio link, characterized in that the first audio transmitting device and the second audio transmitting device are configured to be worn at each one of the user's ears, respectively, wherein the first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream contain the user's speech by having each audio transmitting device pick up and transmit its own user's speech as its own speech pick-up signal.

2. The audio transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The first audio transmitting device and the second audio transmitting device are configured to be worn by a first user, and wherein the at least one audio receiving device is configured to be worn by a second user.

3. The audio transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream are both transmitted as audio data packets, wherein the transmission of at least some of the audio data packets overlap in time but not in frequency.

4. The audio transmission method of claim 1, wherein, Each audio data packet of the first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream is transmitted in a separate time slot of a time division multiple access (TDMA) frame.

5. The audio transmission method of claim 1, wherein, Selecting, by the at least one audio receiving device, one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream comprises selecting the first wireless audio stream when the quality parameter of the first wireless audio link is higher than a predefined quality threshold or is better than the quality parameter of the second wireless audio link.

6. The audio transmission method of claim 1, wherein, Selecting, by the at least one audio receiving device, one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream comprises selecting the second wireless audio stream when the quality parameter of the second wireless audio link is higher than a predefined quality threshold or is better than the quality parameter of the first wireless audio link.

7. The audio transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The quality parameter of the first wireless audio link and the quality parameter of the second wireless audio link are link quality parameters comprising an audio received signal strength, an audio signal strength noise ratio, or a packet error rate.

8. The audio transmission method of claim 1, wherein, The quality parameter of the first wireless audio link and the quality parameter of the second wireless audio link are audio quality parameters comprising a signal-to-noise ratio.

9. A method of audio transmission between at least two audio communication systems comprising a transmitting audio communication system and a receiving audio communication system, wherein, The transmitting audio communication system comprises a first audio transmitting device and a second audio transmitting device, and the receiving audio communication system comprises at least one audio receiving device, the method comprising: transmitting, by the first audio transmitting device, a first wireless audio stream via a first wireless audio link, and transmitting, by the second audio transmitting device, a second wireless audio stream via a second wireless audio link; selecting, by the at least one audio receiving device, one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream based on quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and / or the second wireless audio link; and applying, when the at least one audio receiving device selects both the first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream, a signal processing algorithm that utilizes both the first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream, the signal processing algorithm improving a signal-to-noise ratio of its own speech pick-up signal, wherein the first audio transmitting device and the second audio transmitting device are configured to be worn at each one of the user's ears, respectively, and wherein the first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream contain the user's speech by causing each audio transmitting device to pick up and transmit its own user speech as its own speech pick-up signal.

10. The audio transmission method of claim 9, wherein, The first audio transmitting device and the second audio transmitting device are configured to be worn by a first user, and wherein the at least one audio receiving device is configured to be worn by a second user.

11. The audio transmission method of claim 9, wherein, The first wireless audio stream and the second wireless audio stream are each transmitted as audio data packets, wherein transmission of at least some of the audio data packets do not overlap in time.

12. The audio transmission method of claim 9, wherein, Selecting, by the at least one audio receiving device, one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream includes selecting the first wireless audio stream when a quality parameter of the first wireless audio link is higher than a predefined quality threshold or is better than a quality parameter of the second wireless audio link.

13. The audio transmission method of claim 9, wherein, Selecting, by the at least one audio receiving device, one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream includes selecting the second wireless audio stream when a quality parameter of the second wireless audio link is higher than a predefined quality threshold or is better than a quality parameter of the first wireless audio link.

14. The audio transmission method of claim 9, wherein, The quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and the second wireless audio link are link quality parameters including an audio received signal strength, an audio signal strength noise ratio, or a packet error rate.

15. The audio transmission method of claim 9, wherein, The quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and the second wireless audio link are audio quality parameters including a signal-to-noise ratio.

16. The audio transmission method of claim 9, wherein, The signal processing algorithm is a binaural beamforming algorithm or a blind source separation algorithm.

17. The audio transmission method of claim 16, wherein, The binaural beamforming algorithm is executed at the receiving audio communication system.

18. An audio communication network comprising: a first audio communication system including a first audio transmitting device and a second audio transmitting device; and a second audio communication system including at least one audio receiving device, wherein: the first audio transmitting device and the second audio transmitting device are configured to transmit a first wireless audio stream via a first wireless audio link and a second wireless audio stream via a second wireless audio link, respectively; and the at least one audio receiving device is configured to select one of the first wireless audio stream or the second wireless audio stream based on quality parameters of the first wireless audio link and / or the second wireless audio link, characterized in that the first and second audio transmitting devices are configured to be worn at each one of the user's ears, respectively, wherein the first and second wireless audio streams contain the user's speech by having each audio transmitting device pick up and transmit its own user's speech as its own speech pick-up signal.

19. A method of audio transmission between at least two audio communication systems comprising a transmitting audio communication system and a receiving audio communication system, wherein, The transmitting audio communication system comprises a first and a second audio transmitting device, and the receiving audio communication system comprises at least one audio receiving device, the method comprising: transmitting, by the first audio transmitting device, a first wireless audio stream via a first wireless audio link, and transmitting, by the second audio transmitting device, a second wireless audio stream via a second wireless audio link; and receiving, at the at least one audio receiving device, both the first and the second wireless audio streams, and applying a signal processing algorithm that utilizes both the first and the second wireless audio streams, the signal processing algorithm improving the signal-to-noise ratio of its own speech pick-up signal, characterized in that the first and second audio transmitting devices are configured to be worn at each one of the user's ears, respectively, wherein the first and second wireless audio streams contain the user's speech by having each audio transmitting device pick up and transmit its own user's speech as its own speech pick-up signal.

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