US 7,257,372 B2 · Bluetooth enabled hearing aid

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for improving interference suppression processing and control in hearing aids communicating with a mobile station over a short-range wireless network. The hearing aid includes an acoustic echo canceller to suppress acoustic echo from the input audio signals. The mobile station also includes an echo canceller, and may include one or more switching circuits to bypass the echo canceller when the mobile station communicates with the hearing aid via the short-range wireless network. Typically, when the short-range wireless network between the hearing aid and the mobile station is established, the hearing aid and the mobile station negotiate one or more short-range wireless network profiles to determine the properties of the echo cancellers.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A wireless hearing aid capable of communicating with a mobile station, the wireless hearing aid comprising:

a short-range wireless transceiver to transmit signals to and receive signals from the mobile station;
a microphone operatively coupled to an input of the short-range wireless transceiver to convey input audio signals from a user to the short-range wireless transceiver;
a speaker coupled to an output of the short-range wireless transceiver to project output audio signals received at the short-range wireless transceiver to the user;
and
interference-suppression circuitry operatively connected to the microphone and the short-range wireless transceiver to suppress interference signals from the input audio signals.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

10/674,747Filed 30 Sep 2003

Published

US 2005/0069161 A131 Mar 2005

Granted

14 Aug 2007

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H04R 25/554
Using an external connection, either wireless or wired: using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
H04M 9/082
Two-way loud-speaking telephone systems with means for conditioning the signal, e.g. for suppressing echoes for one or both directions of traffic:…
H04R 25/505
Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics: using digital signal processing
H04M 1/6041
For providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets: portable telephones adapted for handsfree use

Bluetooth enabled hearing aid

Life of this patent

Bluetooth enabled hearing aid

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12