Hearing Aid Relay Device for Conversation Group Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In noisy environments, existing hearing aid systems struggle to enhance internal conversations while suppressing external noise, leading to reduced speech intelligibility due to sound attenuation and increased power consumption when transmitting over longer distances.
Innovation Solution
A hearing aid system with a relay device for wireless communication, which selects and connects nearby hearing aids to form a conversation group, reducing noise interference by transmitting sound directly between devices over short ranges, and utilizing a Local Area Network for extended range communication with low power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If hearing aids transmit sound directly to other hearing aids over long distances, then communication range is extended, but power consumption increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a relay device as an intermediary component that receives sound signals from the hearing aid via short-range wireless transmission and then transmits these signals to other hearing aids or communication devices. This mediator approach allows the hearing aid to maintain low power consumption for short-range transmission while still achieving extended communication range through the relay device's longer-range transmission capability.
2Length of moving object
If hearing aids transmit sound over longer distances, then communication range is extended, but speech intelligibility decreases due to sound attenuation
Solution Approach 1:
The relay device acts as an intermediary that receives the sound signal from the hearing aid before it undergoes significant attenuation. By capturing the signal at the source and retransmitting it, the relay device ensures that speech intelligibility is maintained over longer distances without requiring the hearing aid itself to transmit at high power levels.
3Length of moving object
If hearing aids use high power transmission, then communication range is extended, but battery life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The relay device serves as a mediator that handles the power-intensive long-range transmission function, allowing the hearing aid to use low-power short-range transmission to communicate with the relay. This division of labor preserves the hearing aid's battery life while still enabling extended communication range through the relay device's higher power transmission capability.
4Device complexity
If hearing aids transmit sound directly to other hearing aids, then system complexity is minimized, but noise interference increases in noisy environments
Solution Approach 1:
The relay device introduces a controlled intermediary point that receives signals directly from the hearing aid's microphone, which is positioned close to the user's ear and can selectively capture speech sounds. This intermediary approach allows for better signal-to-noise ratio by capturing sounds at the source before ambient noise interferes, while the added system complexity is managed through the relay device's integration with existing communication infrastructure.
Data Source
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AI summary
A hearing aid system adapted for establishing a conversation group with other hearing aid systems used by different users, said hearing aid system comprising a hearing aid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) with an associated relay device (11, 12, 13, 14, 15). The relay device is (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) adapted for wireless communication (21, 22, 23, 24, 25) with said hearing aid and for wireless communication (31, 32, 33, 34, 35) with a second hearing aid system. The relay device (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) is also adapted for receiving and displaying information about said second hearing aid systems being available for participation in said conver- sation group, and it comprises means for selection of said other hearing aid systems for inclusion into the conversation group.