Wireless Hearing Aid Control via Inaudible Acoustic Signals

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional hearing aids face issues such as limited flexibility in adjusting signal processing parameters, high costs due to custom hardware, cumbersome connections to consumer electronics, limited battery life, and stigmatization, along with complex and expensive solutions for managing sudden changes in sound levels and environmental noise.

Innovation Solution

A wireless asymmetrical control system that uses in-band audible signals for transmitting time-modulated control signals, eliminating the need for a transmitter in the hearing aid and incorporating complex signaling protocols within the host device, allowing for reliable slow-speed adjustments and power-efficient communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a transmitter is included in the hearing aid for bidirectional communication, then control flexibility is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol flexibilityVSAvoidtransmission circuitry

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The transmitting functionality is extracted from the hearing aid and relocated to the external host device. The hearing aid retains only the receiving functionality, which significantly simplifies its transmission circuitry while preserving bidirectional communication capabilities through the host device's transmitter.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The host device acts as an intermediary that handles the complex transmitting operations. The hearing aid communicates with the host device, which then manages the transmission to other devices, eliminating the need for the hearing aid to have full bidirectional transmission capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a transmitter is included in the hearing aid for bidirectional communication, then control flexibility is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol flexibilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The power-intensive transmitting function is extracted from the hearing aid and placed in the host device, which has greater power resources. This allows the hearing aid to maintain control flexibility while consuming less power, as it only needs to receive signals rather than both transmit and receive.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Manufacturing precision

If custom hardware is used for hearing aid functionality, then signal processing precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal processing precisionVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The host device, which is a universal device already in widespread use, is leveraged to perform specialized hearing aid functions. This eliminates the need to manufacture custom hearing aid hardware for each function, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining signal processing precision through software-based solutions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of creating custom hardware for each hearing aid function, the patent uses software implementations that can be copied and deployed across different devices. This approach maintains functional precision while significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Adaptability or versatility

If conventional connection methods are used to connect hearing aids to consumer electronics, then compatibility is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to cumbersome connections

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovecompatibilityVSAvoidconnection convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces mechanical connection methods (physical cables and ports) with wireless communication protocols. This substitution maintains compatibility with consumer electronics while dramatically improving ease of operation, as users can connect and control hearing aids without physical wiring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS9936311B2Wireless control system for personal communication device

Publication Date: 2018.04.03 EARGO INC

AI summary

A method for generating a control signal from an inaudible acoustic signal comprising modulating the inaudible acoustic signal, wherein the inaudible signal is converted to a modulated inaudible acoustic signal comprising a first frequency comprising 17 kHz over a time duration of 50 ms, a first null over a time duration of 50 ms, a second frequency comprising 18 kHz over a time duration of 100 ms followed by a second null over a time duration of 50 ms, transmitting the modulated inaudible acoustic signal and an audio signal to a signal receiving device, sampling the modulated inaudible acoustic signal at a frequency of 16 kHz, wherein the modulated inaudible acoustic signal is converted to a digitally modulated inaudible acoustic signal, filtering the digitally modulated inaudible acoustic signal to provide an acoustic filter response signal comprising an acoustic null component and an acoustic down-converted component, demodulating the acoustic filter response signal, wherein the acoustic down-converted component is isolated from the acoustic null component, the isolated acoustic down-converted component representing a control signal.