Wireless communication system

A communication system, comprising

• at least one receiver unit to be worn by a user, which is adapted for receiving audio signals via a wireless audio link and which comprises or is connected to a stimulating means for stimulating the user's hearing according to the audio signals received via said audio link;
• and
• a plurality of transmission units each adapted to be worn by a user and comprising a microphone arrangement for capturing audio signals from the respective user's voice, an assistive digital link transceiver portion for establishing a bidirectional assistive digital link to at least one of the transmission units for digitally transmitting audio signals captured by the microphone arrangement of the transmission unit and for exchanging control data with at least one element of the group consisting of the other transmission units and/or with an external command unit;
• wherein at least one of the transmission units comprises an audio signal transmission portion for establishing said audio link to said at least one receiver unit in order to selectively transmit audio signals captured the microphone arrangement of that transmission unit and audio signals received from each one of the other transmission units to said at least one receiver unit, wherein selection of the audio signals to be transmitted via the audio link occurs according to the data exchanged between two elements of the group consisting of the transmission units and the external command unit.

A method of operating a communication system comprising at least one receiver unit worn by a user and a plurality of transmission units each worn by a user and comprising a microphone arrangement an audio signal transmission portion an assistive digital link transceiver portion and a control unit, said method comprising:

• establishing a bidirectional assistive digital link from each transmission unit to at least one of the other transmission units and/or to an external command unit;
• capturing audio signals from the respective user's voice at at least one of the transmission units,
• establishing a wireless audio link to said at least one receiver unit in order to transmit the captured audio signals to said at least one receiver unit,
• stimulating the hearing of the user(s) of the at least one receiver unit according to the audio signals received by the at least one receiver unit via said audio link,
• wherein audio signal transmission of each transmission unit is controlled according to data exchanged with the control unit of at least one of the other transmission units and/or the external command unit via the assistive digital link.

A method of operating a communication system comprising at least one receiver unit worn by a user and a plurality of transmission units each worn by a user and comprising a microphone arrangement and an assistive digital link transceiver portion, wherein at least one of the transmission units comprises an audio signal transmission portion;

• the method comprising:
• capturing audio signals from the respective user's voice at at least one of the transmission units,
• establishing a bidirectional assistive digital link from each transmission unit to at least one of the other transmission units for digitally transmitting audio signals captured by the microphone arrangement of the transmission unit and for exchanging control data with the at least one of the other transmission unit and/or with an external command unit;
• establishing a wireless audio link from said at least one least one transmission unit comprising the audio signal transmission portion to said at least one receiver unit in order to selectively transmit audio signals captured the microphone arrangement of that transmission unit and/or audio signals received via the assistive digital link from at least one of the other transmission units to said at least one receiver unit,
• stimulating the hearing of the user(s) of the at least one receiver unit according to the audio signals received by the at least one receiver unit via the audio link,
• wherein selection of the audio signals to be transmitted via the audio link occurs according to the data exchanged between the transmission units and/or the external command unit.