Remote Hearing Aid Adjustment via Cloud System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hearing aid technologies require patients to travel to a professional's office for adjustments, limiting convenience, increasing costs and time, and are ineffective due to adjustments being made in a controlled environment that doesn't replicate real-life noise conditions, leading to suboptimal fitting and potential cognitive issues.
Innovation Solution
A method for real-time remote access and adjustment of hearing aids using a cloud-based system that allows hearing professionals to connect with patients' devices via the internet, eliminating the need for proprietary software or hardware, enabling adjustments in real-life environments and reducing the need for office visits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If patients travel to a professional's office for hearing aid adjustments, then the hearing professional can access and adjust the hearing aid settings, but this imposes inconvenience, expense, and time consumption on the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote communication system as an intermediary between the hearing professional and the patient. This system uses a communication device (such as a smartphone or computer) with a microphone to transmit audio signals from the patient's environment to the hearing professional, enabling remote access and adjustment of hearing aid settings without requiring the patient to travel to the office.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical travel and in-person office visits with an electronic communication system. By using digital communication technologies and remote data transmission, the system eliminates the need for physical presence while maintaining the ability to access and adjust hearing aid settings.
2Manufacturing precision
If hearing aid adjustments are made in a controlled office environment, then the professional can work in a quiet setting, but the adjustments are ineffective because they don't account for real-life noise conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the hearing professional to make preliminary adjustments to the hearing aid settings based on feedback from the patient's real-life environment. By using remote communication technology, the professional can access the actual acoustic conditions where the patient uses the hearing aid and make appropriate adjustments before the patient returns to normal use, thereby improving both precision and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the patient's real-life environmental sounds are transmitted to the hearing professional through the communication device's microphone. This allows the professional to hear the actual acoustic conditions and patient responses, enabling informed adjustments that are precisely adapted to the patient's specific listening environments.
3Reliability
If multiple follow-up appointments are scheduled for adjustments, then the hearing aid can be optimized, but this increases the frequency of office visits and associated costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous optimization of hearing aid settings through remote communication. Instead of requiring discrete, periodic office visits, the system allows for ongoing adjustments to be made remotely as needed. This maintains the continuity of the fitting process while eliminating the need for repeated travel and in-person appointments, thereby improving effectiveness without increasing visit frequency.
Data Source
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AI summary
A device being a mobile device or computer comprises an executable application. The application is configured to cause the device, when the application is executed by the device, to communicate with a cloud that is accessible on the internet at least after an initiation of a programming session, and to wirelessly communicate with a hearing aid. Additionally, the application is configured to receive, from the cloud, at least one changed setting for at least one adjustable setting of a plurality of adjustable settings of the hearing aid, and to wirelessly transmit the at least one changed setting to the hearing aid for storage of the at least one changed setting by the hearing aid, thereby enabling access to and adjustment of the hearing aid.