Coordinator-Based Wireless Audio Network for Multi-Source Hearing Aids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hearing aids can only receive one audio stream at a time, limiting the participation of hearing-impaired individuals in situations with multiple speakers, such as conferences or lectures, where simultaneous audio input is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A wireless communication system that coordinates multiple audio source units to transmit simultaneously to a sink unit using a coordinator, employing Bluetooth low energy or similar protocols to establish communication groups and manage multiple communication links, allowing the sink unit to receive multiple audio streams or embedded data simultaneously or mixed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a hearing aid receives only one audio stream at a time, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to handle multiple simultaneous audio sources deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coordinator device as an intermediary that manages multiple audio source units and coordinates their transmission to sink units. The coordinator establishes communication groups, assigns time intervals for different audio sources, and manages the overall network topology, thereby enabling multiple audio streams to be handled without increasing the complexity of individual hearing aid devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the communication system into distinct functional components: audio source units, a coordinator, and sink units. Each component has specific responsibilities - source units transmit audio, the coordinator manages communication framing and timing, and sink units receive audio. This segmentation allows the system to handle multiple audio streams while keeping each device relatively simple.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple audio source units transmit simultaneously to a sink unit, then the adaptability and communication capability are improved, but the device complexity and coordination requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic time intervals within communication frames, where different audio source units are assigned specific time slots for transmission. The coordinator manages these periodic transmissions, allowing multiple audio sources to communicate in an organized manner without requiring complex simultaneous coordination, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining multi-source capability.
3Productivity
If a coordinator manages communication between multiple audio sources and sink units, then the productivity and communication efficiency are improved, but the device complexity of the coordinator increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coordinator device is designed with multi-functionality, handling tasks including establishing communication groups, assigning time intervals to multiple audio sources, managing communication frames, and coordinating transmissions from various source units to sink units. By consolidating these diverse functions in a single coordinator, the system achieves high communication efficiency without requiring each individual device to be complex.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless communication method and a system comprising a first audio source unit and at least a second audio source unit each comprising; a connection management interface for connecting to a network topology, a protocol management interface, a management link and a communication link, and during a configuration period the first audio source unit may be configured to listen for a notification packet via the management link, and, based on a first criteria, the first audio source unit may be configured to establish, via the protocol management interface, a communication group and a respective communication frame. Furthermore, where the first audio source unit may be a coordinator of the communication group, the coordinator may then be configured to establish notification packets in the communication frame, and the notification packets may then be transmitted via the management link assigned to a first time interval in the communication frame. During the configuration period, the second audio source unit may be configured to listen for a notification packet received? via the management link of the second audio source unit, the second audio source unit receives at least the notification packet and may be configured to extract, via a protocol management interface link, information of the management link of the coordinator from the received notification packet, and the second audio source unit may then be configured to transmit an ID information via the management link of the coordinator of the communication group, and where the coordinator may be configured to assign a second time interval for a communication link of the second audio source unit in the communication frame, the second audio source unit may then be configured to become an audio source member of that communication group. During a data communication period the second audio source member may be configured to communicate via the communication link of the audio source member at the second time interval in the communication frame to a sink unit.