Hearing device for binaural supply and method for its operation

Abstract

A binaural hearing device has first and second hearing aids and a control device. Each hearing aid has a communication unit, an audio receiver and an earphone. The communication units are configured for reciprocal data transmission by inductive coupling. The audio receivers receive and process stereophonic audio data. The control device switches one of the hearing aids to an inactive audio reception state and the other to an active audio reception state, swaps the audio reception states of the hearing aids within an operating period based on a signal strength of the audio signal of one hearing aid at a time, and drives the hearing aid with the active audio reception state to transmit audio data to the hearing aid with the inactive audio reception state via the communication units.

Claims

1. A hearing device, comprising: a first hearing aid for a first ear of a user, said first hearing aid having a first communication unit, a first audio receiver and a first earphone; a second hearing aid for a second ear of the user, said second hearing aid having a second communication unit, a second audio receiver and a second earphone; said first communication unit and said second communication unit being configured for reciprocal data transmission by dint of inductive coupling, and said first and second audio receivers being configured for receiving and processing stereophonic audio data; a control device configured for controlling said first hearing aid and said second hearing aid, said control device being configured to switch one of said first and second hearing aids to an inactive audio reception state and switching the other of said first and second hearing aids to an active audio reception state, to swap the audio reception states of said first and second hearing aids within an operating period on a basis of a parameter that characterizes a signal strength of the audio signal and that is based on one of said first and second hearing aids at a time, and to cause the respective said hearing aid with the active audio reception state to transmit audio data to the respective said hearing aid with the inactive audio reception state by dint of inductive coupling by way of said communication units; wherein when said first hearing aid is switched to the inactive audio reception state by said control device, said first audio receiver is deactivated or shut down and further processing of external audio data is deactivated or shut down in said first hearing aid; and wherein when said second hearing aid is switched to the inactive audio reception state by said control device, said second audio receiver is deactivated or shut down and further processing of external audio data is deactivated or shut down in said second hearing aid.

2. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said control device is configured to actuate said hearing aid with the active audio reception state to transmit audio data only from a stereo channel associated with said hearing aid with inactive audio reception.

3. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said first audio receiver and said second audio receiver are configured for reception and decoding of stereophonic audio data coded by dint of a channel coupling process.

4. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said control device comprises a first control unit in said first hearing aid and a second control unit in said second hearing aid, and said first and second control units are configured to communicate by dint of transmission of data between the communication devices.

5. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said control device is configured to periodically swap the audio reception states of said hearing aids within an operating period.

6. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said control device is configured to detect respective signal strengths of audio data received in said first hearing aid and in said second hearing aid at prescribable intervals of time, to compare the detected signal strengths with one another and to switch the respective said hearing aid with a currently lower signal strength to the inactive audio reception state.

7. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said control device is configured to identify an audio signal by switching one of said first and second hearing aids at a time to the active audio reception state and otherwise both first and second hearing aids each to the inactive audio reception state at prescribable intervals of time.

8. The hearing device according to claim 1, which further comprises an audio transmitter configured for wireless transmission of stereophonic audio data.

9. The hearing device according to claim 1, which further comprises an audio transmitter configured for wireless transmission of stereophonic audio data coded by way of a channel coupling process.

10. A method for operating a hearing device, the hearing device having: a first hearing aid for the first ear and a second hearing aid for the second ear of a user, the first hearing aid having a first communication unit, a first audio receiver and a first earphone, the second hearing aid having a second communication unit, a second audio receiver and a second earphone, and wherein the first communication unit and the second communication unit are designed for reciprocal data transmission by dint of inductive coupling, and a control device configured to control the first hearing aid and the second hearing aid; the method comprising: in an active audio reception state of one of the first and second hearing aids, receiving and further processing with the associated audio receiver audio data, while maintaining the other one of the first and second hearing aids in an inactive audio reception state in which the audio receiver of the other one of the first and second hearing aids is deactivated or shut down and further processing of external audio data is deactivated or shut down in the other one of the first and second hearing aids; swapping the audio reception states of the first and second hearing aids within an operating period on a basis of a parameter that characterizes a signal strength of the audio signal and that is based on one hearing aid at a time; and using the hearing aid in the active audio reception state to transmit audio data to the hearing aid in the inactive audio reception state by dint of inductive coupling through the first and second communication units.

11. The method according to claim 10, which comprises using the hearing aid in the active audio reception state to transmit audio data only from a stereo channel associated with the hearing aid in the inactive operating state.

12. The method according to claim 10, which comprises receiving and decoding with the audio receiver of the respective hearing aid in the active audio reception state stereophonic audio data coded using a process for channel coupling.

13. The method according to claim 10, which comprises swapping the audio reception states of the hearing aids within an operating period.

14. The method according to claim 13, which comprises periodically swapping the audio reception states of the hearing aids within an operating period.

15. The method according to claim 10, which comprises detecting respective signal strengths of the audio data received in the first hearing aid and in the second hearing aid at prescribable intervals of time, comparing the detected signal strengths with one another and switching the respective hearing aid whose signal strength is currently lower to the inactive audio reception state.

16. The method according to claim 10, which comprises identifying an audio signal by switching one of the hearing aids at a time to the active audio reception state and otherwise both hearing aids each to the inactive audio reception state at prescribable intervals of time.

17. The method according to claim 10, which comprises wirelessly receiving the audio data from an audio transmitter.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the audio data are stereophonic audio data coded with a channel coupling process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to a drawing in which

(2) The FIGURE shows a hearing device for catering for the binaural needs of a user, which hearing device is set up to insert stereophonic audio data.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(3) The FIGURE shows a hearing device 1 for catering for the binaural needs of a user 2 by means of a first hearing aid 4 for catering for the first, right ear 5 and by means of a second hearing aid 6 for catering for the second, left ear 7. The hearing device 1 shown is set up to insert in particular stereophonic audio data 8 by means of both hearing aids 4,6. To this end, the audio data 8 are transmitted to the hearing aids 4, 6 by means of radio, for example by means of WLAN, to which end an appropriate audio transmitter 9 is provided. By way of example, the audio transmitter 9 is a smartphone or an audio transceiver that is connected to an audio source 30 by wire or wirelessly. By way of example, the audio source 30 is a PC, a TV receiver, a broadcast radio receiver or a stereo system.

(4) The first hearing aid 4 comprises a first audio receiver 10 for reception and further processing of audio data, a first communication unit 11, a first earphone 12 and a first control unit 13. For the purpose of supplying power, a rechargeable first battery 14 is implemented.

(5) Accordingly, the second hearing aid 6 comprises a second audio receiver for reception of audio data 8, a second communication unit 21, a second earphone 22 and a second control unit 23. For the purpose of supplying power, a second rechargeable battery 24 is implemented.

(6) The first communication unit 11 and the second communication unit 21 are designed for reciprocal data transmission by dint of inductive coupling. During the operation of the hearing device 1, this data transmission is used for constantly performing collation of data between the first hearing aid 4 and the second hearing aid 6 in respect of optimum catering for the binaural needs of the user 2.

(7) To insert preferably stereophonic audio data 8, only one of the hearing aids 4, 6 at a time is put into an active audio reception state. The other of the hearing aids 4, 6 is then in an inactive audio reception state each time. In the present case, the right hearing aid 4 is switched to the active audio reception state. The left hearing aid 6 is switched to the inactive audio reception state. The stereophonic audio data 8 are received exclusively from the hearing aid 4 by radio and processed further. The stereophonic audio data 8 contain a right stereo channel R and a left stereo channel L.

(8) The first hearing aid 4, when prompted by the first control unit 13, processes the received stereophonic audio data 8 further. In particular, the right stereo channel R is extracted and transferred to the first earphone 12. At the same time, the received audio data 8 are transmitted from the first earphone 4, which is in the active audio reception state, to the second communication unit 21 of the second hearing aid 6 by means of inductive coupling via the first communication unit 11. Said second communication unit extracts the left stereo channel L from the received audio data and transfers it to the second earphone 22.

(9) The control units 13, 23 of the two hearing aids 4, 6 likewise communicate by means of the inductive coupling between the communication units 11 and 21. In particular, the roles assigned to the hearing aids 4, 6 for an active or inactive audio reception state are swapped at regular intervals by dint of appropriate actuation by means of the first and second control units 13, 23. This achieves uniform loading of the batteries 14 and 24. Preferably, this involves the control units 13, 23 being used to ascertain the respective battery status in the associated hearing aid 4, 6 and, each time, that hearing aid 4, 6 whose battery 14, 24 still has a greater energy content being switched to the active audio reception state. At a higher level, regular checking of the signal strength of the received audio data 8 switches that hearing aid 4, 6 in which audio data 8 are received at a higher signal intensity to the active audio reception state.

(10) If no further stereophonic audio data 8 are received over a prescribed period, the control units 13, 23 are used to put both hearing aids into the inactive audio reception state. At regular intervals of time, one of the hearing aids 4, 6 is then put into the active audio reception state and a check is performed to determine the extent to which audio signals 8 are available for insertion. If audio signals 8 are identified, they are inserted into the hearing device 1 by means of the activated hearing aid 4, 6.

(11) The method described and presented allows a high level of energy efficiency for the insertion of stereophonic audio data 8, since the latter are received and processed further merely unilaterally. The forwarding of the audio data 8 to the other hearing aid 4 or 6 takes place in an energy efficient manner by means of inductive coupling between the communication units 11, 21.

(12) A further improvement in energy efficiency is achieved by virtue of the audio transmitter 9 being designed to code and send stereophonic audio data 8 coded using a method for channel coupling. This allows data compression and hence a data rate that is decreased for transmission of the audio data 8. In addition, the energy efficiency of the method is improved by dint of the inductive coupling between the two communication units 11, 21 being used, in one envisaged variant embodiment, to transmit just that stereo channel (in the present case the left stereo channel L) that is needed for the respective hearing aid 4, 6 that is inactive for audio reception.