Sonova Ag

Stephan Gehring

Amre El-Hoiydi

Andi Vonlanthen

Daniel Probst

Christoph Leist

Andreas Jakob

Hans-Ueli Roeck

Hilmar Meier

Michael Y Au

Manuela Feilner

Ivo Hasler

Daniel Lucas-Hirtz

Marc Secall

Roland Hug

Frank Wang

Grace Gardner

Daniel Baer

Lu Zhang

Reto Kurmann

An ITE hearing instrumentality, for use in an ear canal, that includes a housing, a receiver located within the housing, an earpiece on the housing that is configured to mount the housing within the ear canal, and at least one biometric sensor on the earpiece.

Hearing devices including biometric sensors and associated methods

The disclosed technology relates to broadcasting encrypted data to multiple receiver devices, where some receiver devices have long-term access to the encrypted data and some receiver devices have a temporary access to the encrypted data. Receivers having long-term access are part of a 'member group' because these member group devices have a master key and the master key enables the member group devices to derive the necessary information to decrypt the encrypted broadcast. In contrast, devices with temporary access possess only a guest key and not master key, without a master key the devices need to receive the guest key from another device to decrypt the broadcast. Access to the encrypted stream can also be based on broadcasting multiple or single diversifiers, where a diversifier can include group identification information to assist in restricting access to the encrypted stream.

Encrypted audio streaming

A hearing system comprising a hearing device and at least two controllers connected to the hearing device for changing a state of the hearing device, wherein the hearing device is configured to maintain a transaction token having a present value associated with at least one present state parameter value of the hearing device. Each controller is configured to acquire, prior to changing the state of the hearing device, the present transaction token value and the present at least one state parameter value of the hearing device, to change the acquired parameter value, and to send back to the hearing device, as a state change request, the new at least one state parameter value together with the acquired transaction token value.

Hearing device with multiple consistent controllers

Systems and methods for hearing devices with proactive power management are provided. Various embodiments dynamically adapt power consumption to the preferences, needs, and behavior of the hearing device user such that the hearing device provides function until the hearing device can be recharged. Moreover, some embodiments exploit the trend of more intelligent devices and machine learning to create dynamic power management schedules which can be temporarily implemented to create an optimal blend of performance versus battery life while minimizing perception of the feature or performance reduction to the user. Moreover, the dynamic nature of the power management used in various embodiments can account for battery degradation, updated firmware, and/or other factors that may impact battery life as the hearing device ages.

Hearing devices with proactive power management

There is provided a method of fitting a hearing assistance device () by using a fitting station (), the hearing assistance device and the fitting station both having a wireless communication interface (), comprising: generating, separately from the hearing assistance device and the fitting station, a production key, distributing the production key to both the fitting station and the hearing assistance device, and storing the production key on both the fitting station and the hearing assistance device; initiating, via the fitting station, a connection with the hearing assistance device, with the hearing assistance device accepting the connection in order to establish a non-encrypted connection between the fitting station and the hearing assistance device via the wireless communication interfaces; determining, by the fitting station, whether the fitting station has been previously paired with the hearing assistance device, and, if the fitting station has not already been paired with the hearing assistance device, using the production key in both the fitting station and the hearing assistance device as a shared secret in order to pair the fitting station and the hearing assistance device, thereby establishing a secure connection () via the wireless communication interfaces between the fitting station and the hearing assistance device; and conducting a fitting session via a secure connection between the fitting station and the hearing assistance device via the wireless communication interfaces.

Method of fitting a hearing assistance device

A hearing assistance system having a first hearing device worn at a first of a user's ears, a second hearing device worn at a second of the user's ears, and an external audio source device for transmitting an external audio data stream, each hearing device having an interface for wireless data exchange with the external device, including receipt of the external audio data stream, the hearing devices being adapted to establish a binaural link between the first and second hearing devices, the hearing assistance system being adapted to estimate the quality of at least one of the links from the external device to the hearing devices. The hearing assistance system is adapted to dynamically adjust the coding of the audio stream transmitted by the external device according to the estimated quality of the at least one of the links from the external device to the hearing devices.

Hearing assistance system and method

A method for providing sound to at least one user, in which audio signals are captured and transformed into audio data that is transmitted to at least one receiver unit; audio signals are generated from the received audio data and the hearing of the user(s) stimulated thereby; wherein the audio data is transmitted as audio data packets in separate slots of a TDMA frame structure, wherein the transmission unit and the receiver unit(s) are synchronized to form a wireless network, wherein each TDMA frame structure has at least one listening slot during which the synchronized network members do not transmit data and at least one network members listens, and wherein control data is transmitted from an external control device according to a sequence pattern selected according to the duration and periodicity of the listening slot(s) to be received by the at least one synchronized network member during said listening slot(s).

Wireless sound transmission system and method

An antenna module for a hearing device includes a hollow core provided with an axial passageway and a winding around the core which is connectable with a hearing device. The antenna module is arranged to be at least partially contained within the ear canal of a user. This enables the antenna to be separated from sources of interference, since it can be positioned inside the ear canal away from hearing device electronics, thus reducing requirements for shielding and/or compensation. The invention further relates to an ear tip and a hearing device including such an antenna module.

Antenna for hearing device, ear tip and hearing device provided with such an antenna

A hearing assistance system, having first and second hearing devices worn at respective ears of a user, each hearing device having a BLUETOOTH&#xae; interface for wireless reception from an external audio source device, the hearing devices being adapted to establish a binaural data link between each other, wherein the hearing devices are adapted to define first and second sets of BLUETOOTH&#xae; profiles assigned to the first and second hearing devices respectively, with the first set and the second set differing by at least one profile, wherein the first devices are adapted to establish a BLUETOOTH&#xae; connection to an external device and to advertise their BLUETOOTH&#xae; profile to the external device, wherein the hearing devices are adapted to modify, by data exchange via the binaural link, the first and second set of BLUETOOTH&#xae; profiles by moving at least one of the profiles from one of the sets to the other set.

A hearing assistance system having a hearing assistance device to be worn at one of a user's ears and a scanning device, the hearing assistance device and the scanning device both having an interface for wireless data exchange between the hearing assistance device and the scanning device, wherein the hearing assistance device is adapted for wireless data exchange with an external device, wherein the scanning device is adapted to scan for wireless signals from the external device and to transmit, once such signals have been received by the scanning device, a message to the hearing assistance device for notifying the hearing assistance device of the availability of the external device, and wherein the hearing assistance device is adapted to decide, upon receipt of such notification message from the scanning device, whether on not to initiate wireless data exchange with the external device.

The present invention relates to an antenna module for a hearing device. The antenna module comprises a hollow core provided with an axial passageway and a winding around the core which is connectable with a hearing device. The antenna module is arranged to be at least partially contained within the ear canal of a user. This enables the antenna to be separated from sources of interference, since it can be positioned inside the ear canal away from hearing device electronics, thus reducing requirements for shielding and/or compensation. The invention further relates to an ear tip and a hearing device comprising such an antenna module.

Growing community of inventors

Uerikon, Switzerland

Stephan Gehring