Synchronous Binaural Hearing Instrument Controls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing instruments face limitations in input options due to their small size and usability challenges for users with disabilities or limited mobility, restricting the range of commands that can be executed.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where two communicatively coupled hearing instruments can receive and process synchronous user inputs from different types of sensors, allowing users to provide commands through various input methods on each device, such as pressing and holding on one device while tapping on the other, to execute specific functions like noise cancellation or mode changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple small input sensors are added to hearing instruments to expand input options, then the range of commands increases, but the device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the input control function across two separate hearing instruments (left and right ear devices). Each device has a limited set of sensors, but together they provide comprehensive input options. For example, the left device might have a push button while the right device has a touch sensor, and both are needed to execute certain commands, effectively distributing the sensor requirements across multiple devices rather than concentrating them in one.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the input capabilities of two hearing instruments into a unified control system. The processing system receives inputs from both devices and determines commands based on the combination of inputs. This merging allows the system to achieve a wider range of commands without requiring each individual device to be overloaded with multiple sensors.
2Measurement precision
If synchronous input requirements are implemented to enhance command precision, then command accuracy improves, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring user input increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processing system continuously monitors inputs from both hearing instruments and determines whether synchronous input has been received. The system provides feedback by recognizing when inputs from the left and right devices occur within a predetermined time window of each other. This feedback mechanism allows the system to accurately identify user commands without requiring complex measurement techniques, as it simply needs to detect the temporal relationship between inputs from the two devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A pair of communicatively coupled hearing instruments that may accept synchronous inputs from a user. The first hearing instrument may receive an input from a user. The second hearing instrument may receive an input from a user and exchange the input with the first hearing instrument over a communication link. The pair of hearing instruments may determine that the user has provided a synchronous input. In response to determining that the user has provided a synchronous input, the pair of hearing instruments may execute a synchronous command.