Audio Aggregation Point for Hearing Aid Alert Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing-impaired individuals may not be aware of audio alerts from home security systems or other IoT devices due to their inability to hear audio tones, as existing solutions require them to wear personal hearing devices connected to smartphones, which may be occupied by other audio sources.
Innovation Solution
An electronic apparatus, such as a set-top box, with a video stream demultiplexing system and audio aggregation point that synchronizes with IoT devices and hearing aids via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, digitally aggregates audio streams from multiple sources to output a single audible stream directly to hearing devices, ensuring alerts are received without increasing volume levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If personal hearing devices are connected to smartphones to alert hearing-impaired individuals, then audio alerts can be transmitted to hearing devices, but the hearing device may be dedicated to another device (e.g., stereo or television) and cannot receive security system alerts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by enabling the hearing device to serve multiple functions: receiving audio alerts from both entertainment devices (television, stereo) and security systems simultaneously. The system aggregates audio streams from multiple sources and routes them to the hearing device, ensuring that the device remains available for alert delivery regardless of what other devices it may be connected to.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (the audio aggregation point and communication module) that mediates between the hearing device and various audio sources. This intermediary aggregates audio streams from multiple devices and selectively routes alert sounds to the hearing device, solving the conflict between entertainment audio and security alerts.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If volume level is increased to compensate for hearing impairment, then audio alerts become audible, but background noise also increases reducing alert clarity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the alert audio signal from the general audio environment and isolates it for direct delivery to the hearing device. By separating alert sounds from background music and other audio sources, the system can amplify only the critical alert information without proportionally amplifying background noise, thus maintaining alert clarity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms to identify and prioritize alert sounds. The communication module detects when a security alert occurs and selectively routes only that alert audio to the hearing device, allowing the hearing device to amplify the alert without amplifying concurrent background noise from entertainment sources.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple audio sources are connected to hearing device, then audio diversity is improved, but audio stream synchronization and aggregation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio aggregation function into a separate, dedicated module within the set-top box. Rather than requiring the hearing device to handle complexity, the system divides audio streams from multiple sources (television, stereo, security system) and aggregates them at the set-top box before delivery to the hearing device, simplifying the hearing device's role.
Solution Approach 2:
The set-top box acts as an intermediary that manages the complexity of aggregating and synchronizing multiple audio streams. It receives audio from various sources, synchronizes their timing, and presents a unified audio output to the hearing device, shielding the hearing device from the complexity of multi-source integration.
Data Source
AI summary
An audio aggregation point is established, e.g., in a set-top, to aggregate audio alerts from a home security system and other Internet of Things (IoT) type devices that output digital audio alert streams. The aggregated audio is combined with a media audio stream, and provided to a personal hearing aid or other personal listening device such as a headset. The audio aggregation point communicates with the home security system and other IoT type devices over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi interfaces. The hearing aid preferably communicates with the audio aggregation point via a Bluetooth interface. The audio aggregation point provides audio alerts (e.g., a beeping alert of a door opening) from the home security system and IoT type devices directly into the digital audio stream otherwise already being digitally transmitted to a hearing aid or other personal hearing device or headset.