Phonak Ag

Sonova Ag

Stefan Haenggi

Herbert Baechler

Christoph Widmer

Francois Callias

Francois Marquis

Samuel Hans Martin Roth

Andi Vonlanthen

Rainer Platz

Evert Dijkstra

Valentin Chapero-Rueda

Lukas Florian Erni

A telephone handset (), e.g. a mobile phone, is equipped with an add-on module (). Thereby, the module () comprises a microphone unit () which is operated instead of the microphone unit intrinsically provided in the handset (). Further, the module () comprises a short-range wireless transmission unit () which is operated instead of a speaker unit () which is intrinsically provided in the handset (). The short-range wireless communication unit () establishes communication with a respective short-range wireless communication unit () in a hearing device () as soon as a distance between the telephone handset () and the hearing device () drops below a predetermined threshold value as detected by a distance detection unit ().

Telephone to hearing device communication

A hearing assistance system, having an audio signal source, a transmission unit for transmitting audio signals from the audio signal source via a wireless right ear audio link to a right ear unit and a receiver unit, and an arrangement for stimulating the user's right ear, and via a wireless left ear audio link, a left ear unit having a receiver unit and an arrangement for stimulating the user's left ear, an arrangement for exchanging audio signals received from the transmission unit between the right and left ear units, a device for detecting the quality of the right and left ear links and an arrangement for selecting, as a function of the detected qualities of the right and left ear links, as input to the stimulating arrangement, the audio signals received by the respective receiver unit from the transmission unit, the audio signals received via the audio signal exchanging arrangement, and/or mixtures thereof.

System and method for providing hearing assistance to a user

Digital models of the application areas of a left-ear and of a right-ear hearing device are established. The models (and) are displayed on a computer display. The location of the model (SP) of the sagittal plane of individual's head is estimated with respect to one of the two digital mold models. Then that one digital model () is digitally mirrored at the digital model of the sagittal plane (SP) resulting in a mirrored digital model (). Then the other digital model of the application area () and the mirrored digital model () are brought into best possible covering alignment (). Units to be positioned in predetermined mutual relationship are applied to the models in best possible alignment.

Positioning and orienting a unit of a hearing device relative to individual's head

A communication system having at least one user worn receiver unit for receiving audio signals via a wireless audio link connected to a stimulating means for stimulating the user's hearing according to audio signals received via the audio link; and a plurality of user worn transmission units and a microphone arrangement for capturing audio signals from the respective user's voice, an audio signal transmission portion for establishing the wireless audio link to at least one receiver unit to transmit the captured audio signals to the at least one receiver unit, an assistive digital link transceiver portion for establishing a bidirectional assistive digital link to at least one of the other transmission units and/or to an external command unit, and a control unit for controlling signal transmission of the transmission unit according to data exchanged with the control unit of the at least one of the other transmission units and/or the external command unit.

Wireless communication system

A system providing hearing assistance to a user having a wireless remote control for transmitting control commands as an amplitude modulated radio frequency signal, an RF power detector for outputting a signal representative of the power envelope of the RF signal received by an antenna of the RF power detector, a classifier unit for analyzing the output signal of the RF power detector to detect control commands of the remote control and to detect the presence of a source of interfering RF signals, an audio signal processing unit, and a user's ear worn part for stimulating the user's hearing according to audio signals processed in the audio signal processing unit. The classifier unit provides a control signal representing detected remote control commands and an interference signal representing the presence of a source of interfering RF signals. Operation of the audio signal processing unit is controlled by the control signal.

Hearing assistance system and method of operating the same

So as to adapt an antenna arrangement () for RF-signal transmission in a hearing device () to different needs of different types of signal-transmission, the bandwidth BW of the antenna arrangement () is manually (M) and/or automatically (A) adjusted.

Method for making a wireless communication link, antenna arrangement and hearing device

There is provided a method of operating a hearing assistance system comprising a hearing device (), which comprises means () for stimulating a user's hearing and which is worn at one of the user's ears, and a remote device () spaced apart from the hearing device. The method comprises: establishing a wireless link () between the hearing device and the remote device for transmitting signals from the remote device to the hearing device, and operating the system in a base mode; detecting whether a source () of radio frequency signals interfering with the wireless link and having a transmission power changing according to a predictable scheme between low power regimes and high power regimes is present in the vicinity of the hearing device; and operating the system in an interference mode as long as the presence of such source of periodic signals interfering with the wireless link is detected, in which interference mode the transmission of the signals from the remote device to the hearing device is synchronized to the detected power scheme of the interfering signals in such a manner that the signals are transmitted only during the low power regimes.

For manufacturing a hearing device a three-dimensional model () of the application area for the device at an individual is made. When digitally treating such model a three-dimensional orientation system is applied (). When the shell is produced () assembling of units to the shell is performed relative to the orientation system which is preserved during shell manufacturing.

Growing community of inventors

Bern, Switzerland

Stefan Haenggi