# US 12,003,923 B2 · Power management in low power wireless link in a hearing aid system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,003,923 B2 - Document ID: US12003923B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/509,971 - Filed: 2021-10-25 - Published: 2022-02-10 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2017-09-07 - Assignees: Oticon A/S - Applicants: Oticon A/S - Inventors: Alberto Escolar Piedras; Peter Søren Kirk Hansen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12003923B2 ## CPC - H04R 25/554: {using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils} - H04W 52/241: {taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR or Eb/lo} - H04W 52/283: {Power depending on the position of the mobile} - H04W 52/52: using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers - H04R 25/552: {Binaural} - H04R 2225/025: In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids - H04R 2225/31: Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells - H04R 2225/33: Aspects relating to adaptation of the battery voltage, e.g. its regulation, increase or decrease - H04R 2225/55: Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange - H04R 2225/61: Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning - H04R 2420/07: Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones - H04R 2460/03: Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices - H04W 52/146: {Uplink power control} - H04W 52/245: {taking into account received signal strength} - H04W 52/367: {Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range} - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A hearing aid system is configured for managing the power of a wireless link. The hearing aid system includes a first hearing aid device and a mobile device, each of the devices including a transmit and receive unit for establishing a short range wireless link between the devices. At least one of the devices includes: a microphone configured to receive an acoustical audio signal; a signal processor configured to process an audio signal based on the acoustical audio signal; and first link quality estimating circuitry configured to determine rate of change of a link quality signal. The at least one of the devices is configured to transmit the link quality signal to the other device, and the other device is configured to determine a power level of transmission of an information packet based on the rate of change of the link quality signal via a power controller comprised by the other device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A hearing aid device configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile device, wherein the hearing aid device comprises a transmit and receive unit for establishing a short-range wireless link between the hearing aid device and the mobile device, wherein the hearing aid device comprises: a microphone configured to receive an acoustical audio signal, a signal processor configured to process an audio signal based on the acoustical audio signal, and wherein the hearing aid device is configured to determine a power level of a power controller for the transmission of an information packet based on a rate of change of a link quality signal received from the mobile device, wherein the power controller is configured to control the power level of the transmission of the information packet at each of a plurality of intervals by: maintaining the power level of the transmission at a current level when a metric of the link quality signal is between a first threshold and a second threshold, the first threshold being smaller than the second threshold; increasing the power level with a first power step size when the metric of link quality signal is above the second threshold; and decreasing the power level with a second power step size when the value of link quality signal is below the first threshold, and wherein at least one of the length of the intervals and the amounts of the first and second power step sizes is dependent on the rate of change of the link quality signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein hearing aid device comprises a power controller configured to adjust the power level of the transmission of the information packet based on the link quality signal transmitted by the mobile device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the hearing aid device and the mobile device comprises first link quality estimating circuitry that determines a phase error based on phase error detection, phase offset detection, frequency error detection or based on a modulation scheme of the information packet. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the information packet is a data packet and/or an audio packet transmitted by the mobile device or the first hearing aid device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid device and the mobile device comprise an antenna coil, and where the short range wireless link is an inductive coupling between the hearing aid device and the mobile device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a second hearing aid device or an auxiliary device, such as a smartphone or an intermediate streaming device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid device and/or the mobile device and/or a server connected to the mobile device or the hearing aid device comprises a memory for storing the link quality signal and/or position of a user wearing the hearing aid device and/or the mobile device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The hearing aid device according to claim 7, wherein the hearing aid device and/or the mobile device is configured to determine the link quality signal based on the position of the user wearing the hearing aid device and/or the mobile device. ### Claim 9 A hearing aid device configured to establish wireless communication with a mobile device, wherein the hearing aid device comprises a transmit and receive unit for establishing a short-range wireless link between the devices, wherein the hearing aid device comprises: a microphone configured to receive an acoustical audio signal, a signal processor configured to process an audio signal based on the acoustical audio signal, and first link quality estimating circuitry configured to determine rate of change of a link quality signal, and wherein the at least one of the hearing aid device and the mobile device is configured to transmit the link quality signal to the other device, and the hearing aid device is configured to determine a power level of transmission of an information packet based on the rate of change of the link quality signal, wherein the first link quality estimating circuitry determines a phase error based on phase error detection, phase offset detection, frequency error detection or based on a modulation scheme of the information packet, and wherein the phase error is determined by averaging the phase error of the multiple samples/bits of the information packet, and the average phase error per information packet is further averaged in between several information packets. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The hearing aid device according to claim 9, wherein the determined phase error is denoted as a link quality phase metric, and wherein a power controller is configured to determine the power level of the transmission of the information packet to be constant if the link quality phase metric is between a first threshold and a second threshold, and/or the power controller is configured to increase the power level with a first power step size based on the link quality signal if the link quality phase metric is above the second threshold, and/or the power controller is configured to decrease the power level with a second power step size based on the link quality signal if the link quality phase metric is below the first threshold, and where the first threshold is smaller than the second threshold. ### Claim 11 A hearing aid device configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile device, wherein each of the devices comprises a transmit and receive unit for establishing a short range wireless link between the devices, wherein the hearing aid device comprises: a microphone configured to receive an acoustical audio signal, a signal processor configured to process an audio signal based on the acoustical audio signal, and first link quality estimating circuitry configured to determine a first link quality signal based on phase error, wherein the phase error is determined by averaging the phase error of multiple samples/bits of the information packet, and the average phase error per information packet is further averaged in between several information packets, wherein the mobile device is configured to transmit the link quality signal to the hearing aid device, and the hearing aid device is configured to determine the power level of the transmission of the information packet based on the link quality signal via a power controller, wherein the hearing aid device comprises second link quality estimating circuitry, where the second link quality estimating circuitry is configured to determine whether one or more information packets are lost and/or to determine a number of bit errors, and the second link quality estimating circuitry is configured to determine a second link quality signal based on the determined number of lost information packets and/or the determined number of bit errors. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The hearing aid device according to claim 11, wherein the hearing aid device is configured to determine continuously the link quality signal based on the determined number of lost information packets and/or the determined number of bit errors and/or the determined phase error. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The hearing aid device according to claim 12, wherein the second link quality estimator is based on Bit-Error detection and/or detection of lost information packets, cyclic redundancy check (CRC) error detection or packet loss. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The hearing aid device according to claim 11, wherein the power controller is configured to increase the power level of the transmission of the information packet with a third power step size based on the link quality signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The hearing aid device according to claim 14, wherein the third power step size increases or decreases based on a ratio between the number of lost information packets and a time period or a ratio between the number of bit errors and the time period. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The hearing aid device according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the hearing aid device and the mobile device comprises the power controller configured to adjust the power level of the transmission of the information packet based on the link quality signal determined by the second link quality estimating circuitry.