JP6230192B2 - hearing aid - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hearing aid, and can transmit an audio signal received by a communication device typified by a mobile phone or a smartphone to the hearing aid and reproduce it by a speaker of the hearing aid, or if necessary, the operation state of the hearing aid can be The present invention relates to a hearing aid that can be controlled on the side.

  In order to save the labor and cost of battery replacement in a hearing aid, it is known in Patent Document 1 that a secondary battery is used as a driving power source and the secondary battery is charged in a contactless manner. There, a coin-type secondary battery, a circuit board constituting a charging circuit, a power receiving coil (secondary coil) and the like are accommodated in a battery case to constitute a power supply unit. The power supply unit is housed in a circular recess provided in the hearing aid body, and the secondary battery can be contactlessly charged by the charging device while being attached to the hearing aid body.

  In the present invention, communication is established between a communication terminal such as a smartphone and a hearing aid, an audio signal received by the smartphone is transmitted to the hearing aid, and is reproduced as sound by an earphone (speaker) via the amplification unit of the hearing aid. However, it is known in Patent Document 2 that a voice signal received by a communication device such as a smartphone is transmitted to a hearing aid. There, an auxiliary device for signal relay is connected to the mobile phone via a modular jack, and the audio signal received by the mobile phone is transmitted to the auxiliary device via the modular jack, and further the audio signal from the auxiliary device to the hearing aid Is transmitted wirelessly.

JP 2012-191448 A (paragraph number 0055, FIG. 6) JP-A-10-285696 (paragraph numbers 0074 to 0077, FIG. 2)

  According to the hearing aid device of Patent Document 2, since the audio signal received by the portable phone is transmitted to the hearing aid by the auxiliary device and reproduced as sound by the earphone of the hearing aid, the sound reproduced by the portable phone is reproduced by the microphone of the hearing aid. There is an advantage that the sound can be made clearer than in the case where the sound is taken in and reproduced by the earphone. However, since it is necessary to always connect the auxiliary device to the mobile phone, there is an inconvenience that it is bulky and difficult to carry. Further, in order to always reliably receive a call received from a portable telephone, it is necessary to operate a communication module provided in the hearing aid and continue to establish wireless communication between the auxiliary device and the hearing aid. For this reason, the battery in the hearing aid is consumed so much that telephone communication using a portable telephone cannot be performed continuously for a long time. In particular, the energy density of the secondary battery at present is lower than that of a zinc-air battery that is frequently used as a power supply for hearing aids. Therefore, it is necessary to charge the battery frequently, and this point also lacks practicality.

  For example, a start switch for a communication module is provided in the hearing aid, and the communication module is activated by turning on the start switch only when a call is made to the mobile phone. When wireless communication is established, the battery consumption of the hearing aid can be reduced to some extent. However, switching the previous switch requires removing the hearing aid from the ear, switching the switch, and then putting it back on the ear, which is troublesome for the series of operations and is appropriate when the user is an elderly person or a child. It is hard to cope with.

An object of the present invention is to activate a communication module of a hearing aid by capturing the activation signal emitted from the communication device with a microphone provided in the hearing aid, and establish communication between the communication device and the hearing aid only when necessary. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hearing aid that can greatly reduce the consumption of the power source battery.
The object of the present invention is to communicate between a communication device and a hearing aid so that the voice signal of the telephone received by the communication device can be transmitted to the hearing aid and reproduced by the earphone, or the power of the hearing aid can be turned on / off, An object of the present invention is to provide a hearing aid capable of managing and adjusting control such as adjustment of the amplification degree of an audio signal on the side of a communication device.

The hearing aid according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hearing aid 1, a microphone 2 for sound and converts the sound into a sound signal, a microphone for ultrasonic converting the ultrasonic sound signal 16 And an amplifying unit 3 that amplifies the sound signal of the sound converted by the sound microphone 2, an earphone 4 that reproduces the sound signal amplified by the amplifying unit 3, and an ultrasonic signal converted by the ultrasonic microphone 16. An ultrasonic detection unit 17 that detects a sound wave signal, a communication module 14 that performs wireless communication with an external communication device 13, a battery 5 for power supply, and a control unit 9 are provided. In a state where wireless communication is established between the communication module 14 of the hearing aid main body 1 and the communication device 13, the control device 9 configures the hearing aid according to the information signal transmitted from the communication device 13 and received by the communication module 14. It is comprised so that the operating state of can be controlled. When ultrasonic waves are radiated from the speaker 24 of the communication device 13 to the hearing aid main body 1 and an ultrasonic sound signal converted by the ultrasonic microphone 16 is detected by the ultrasonic detection unit 17, the ultrasonic detection unit 17 Based on the detection signal, the control unit 9 activates the communication module 14 in the sleep state to establish wireless communication using electromagnetic waves between the communication device 13 and the communication module 14.

In the state in which establishes wireless communication with the communication module 14 of the hearing aid body 1 and the communication device 13, a telephone communication apparatus 13 receives the audio signal, amplifying section 3 and transmitted from the communication device 13 to the communication module 14 Amplified by and reproduced by the earphone 4.

  The hearing aid main body 1 is provided with a volume unit 19 for adjusting the signal amplification degree of the amplification unit 3 and a power switch unit 18 for turning on / off the power supply state of the battery 5. The hearing aid management program stored in the communication device 13 in advance is started and wireless communication is established between the communication module 14 of the hearing aid main body 1 and the communication device 13, and is transmitted from the communication device 13 to the communication module 14. In accordance with a request command based on the hearing aid management program, the control unit 9 controls the operating states of the volume unit 19 and the power switch unit 18.

  The hearing aid and the communication device 13 establish wireless communication by an NFC communication method.

  The hearing aid and the communication device 13 establish wireless communication by the communication method of the IEEE 802 standard.

  The hearing aid according to the present invention is provided with a microphone 2, 16, an ultrasonic detector 17 that detects an ultrasonic sound signal, a communication module 14 that communicates with an external communication device 13, and a controller 9. I did it. Further, in a state in which wireless communication is established between the communication module 14 of the hearing aid main body 1 and the communication device 13, the control unit 9 is configured of the operating device that constitutes the hearing aid according to the information signal received from the communication device 13 by the communication module 14. The operating state can be controlled. In the present invention, in the hearing aid as described above, the communication module in which the control unit 9 is in the sleep state based on the detection signal of the ultrasonic detection unit 17 by radiating ultrasonic waves from the speaker 24 of the communication device 13 to the hearing aid main body 1. 14 is activated so that communication between the communication device 13 and the communication module 14 can be established.

  As described above, in the hearing aid according to the present invention, since the communication module 14 on the hearing aid side is operated only when necessary, it is necessary to continuously establish wireless communication between the auxiliary device and the hearing aid. As compared with the above, the consumption of the battery 5 for power supply can be greatly reduced, and the replacement interval and the charging interval of the battery 5 can be increased. In addition, since the ultrasonic wave exceeding the human audible range is radiated from the communication device 13 to the hearing aid, and the communication module 14 is operated using the emitted ultrasonic wave as a trigger, The communication device 13 can be used to control the operating state of the hearing aid without causing trouble. Further, since communication is directly established between the communication device 13 and the communication module 14, the communication device 13 is compared with the conventional communication mode in which the auxiliary device must always be connected to the mobile phone. Eliminate the bulkiness and improve the convenience of carrying.

  In a state in which wireless communication is established between the communication module 14 and the communication device 13, the telephone voice signal received by the communication device 13 is transmitted from the communication device 13 to the communication module 14 and amplified by the amplification unit 3 to be amplified by the earphone 4. When played back, the sound transmitted from the earphone 4 can be made clearer. Therefore, it is possible to carry out a clear conversation with little noise despite the telephone exchange via the communication device 13.

  In the state where the wireless communication between the communication module 14 and the communication device 13 is established, the control unit 9 changes the operation state of the volume unit 19 and the power switch unit 18 according to the request command transmitted from the communication device 13 to the communication module 14. When controlled, the operating state of the hearing aid can be managed and adjusted on the communication device 13 side. For example, by controlling the operating state of the volume unit 19 with the control unit 9, the amplification degree of the amplification unit 3 and the adjustment of the volume of the earphone 4 can be managed and adjusted on the communication device 13 side. Similarly, by controlling the operating state of the power switch unit 18 with the control unit 9, the power on / off can be managed and adjusted on the communication device 13 side. Therefore, the user does not need to remove from the ear, and the operating state of the hearing aid can be adjusted and managed on the side of the communication device 13, so that the usability of the hearing aid can be improved.

  According to the form in which the hearing aid and the communication device 13 communicate with each other via a simple communication method of the NFC method, the structure of the communication module 14 is simplified and the near-field communication is avoided while the hearing aid is not enlarged. Can be established.

  According to the form in which the hearing aid and the communication device 13 communicate with each other by the communication method of the IEEE 802 standard, a larger amount of data is mutually transmitted compared to the communication form of the NFC method, and the hearing aid is managed and adjusted. 5 can be managed more precisely. Further, the music data downloaded to the communication device 13 is transmitted to the hearing aid and listened to by the earphone 4, or the television image received by the communication device 13 is displayed on the display 22 while the audio data of the television is heard. The audio source can be reproduced by the hearing aid, such as transmitting to and listening to the earphone 4.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the hearing aid which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the hearing aid based on the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the hearing aid based on the Example of this invention.

(Example) FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 3 shows the Example which applied this invention to the ear-hook type hearing aid. In FIG. 1, the hearing aid is provided inside the hearing aid main body 1 with a voice microphone 2, an amplifying unit 3 that amplifies the sound signal captured by the microphone 2, and the sound signal amplified by the amplifying unit 3 is reproduced as sound. An earphone (speaker) 4, a secondary battery (battery) 5 serving as a driving power source for these devices, a main switch 6 for turning on / off the power supply state of the secondary battery 5, and the like. The sound reproduced by the speaker 4 is guided by the soft tube 7 and sent from the ear mold 8 provided at the tip of the tube 7 to the outer ear. Inside the hearing aid main body 1 is provided a substrate on which the amplification unit 3 and the noise removal circuit or the control unit 9 are mounted, and a volume unit 10 for adjusting the volume of the sound reproduced by the earphone 4 and the like. It is provided. The control unit 9 controls the operating state of each operating device constituting the hearing aid, such as adjusting the amplification degree of the amplifying unit 3, adjusting the volume of the earphone 4, and controlling the operating state of the communication module 14 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the above hearing aid devices, the hearing aid main body 1 takes in a communication module 14 and an antenna 15 for communicating with an external smartphone (communication device) 13 and ultrasonic waves. For example, an ultrasonic microphone (microphone) 16 and an ultrasonic detection unit 17 for detecting an ultrasonic sound signal converted by the ultrasonic microphone 16 are provided. In addition to the main switch 6 and the volume unit 10, a power switch unit 18 that electronically turns on and off the power supply state of the secondary battery 5 and a volume unit 19 that electronically adjusts the signal amplification degree of the amplification unit 3. Is provided. The communication module 14, the power switch unit 18, the volume unit 19, and the like are mounted on the previous board together with the previous devices and the control unit 9.

  In FIG. 1, the smartphone 13 is a commercial product, and a display 22 is provided on the surface side thereof. A main antenna (not shown) that communicates with a base station of a telephone communication network inside the main body, a hearing aid, and a short distance An antenna 23 for performing field communication, a speaker 24, a microphone 25 for transmission, and the like are provided. A hearing aid management program is downloaded and stored in the smartphone 13 in advance. This hearing aid management program can be automatically activated when a call is made to the smartphone 13 to display an operation menu on the display 22, or can be activated by the user selecting a program menu on the display 22 as necessary. be able to.

  When using a hearing aid, as shown in FIG. 1, the hearing aid body 1 is hooked on the back of the ear, the ear mold 8 is inserted into the outer ear, and the main switch 6 is turned on to start the hearing aid. In the state where the hearing aid is used, when a call is made to the smartphone 13 previously paired with the hearing aid, as described above, the hearing aid management program is automatically activated and the operation menu is displayed on the display 22. Is displayed and the internal vibration structure is operated to vibrate the entire smartphone 13. The user selects the incoming call menu in the previous incoming call state and holds the smartphone 13 near the hearing aid main body 1 in use, whereby ultrasonic waves are emitted from the speaker 24 toward the hearing aid main body 1, and the smartphone 13 Near field communication of the Near Field Communication (hereinafter simply referred to as NFC) method can be established between the hearing aid and the hearing aid. When establishing near field communication, it is not always necessary to hold the smartphone 13 near the hearing aid main body 1 in use. For example, the hearing aid main body 1 is mounted on the back of the ear and the smartphone 13 is placed on a desk or table. Near field communication can be established by selecting the incoming call menu while it is placed.

  Specifically, when an ultrasonic wave is emitted from the speaker 24 toward the hearing aid body 1, the emitted ultrasonic wave is captured by the ultrasonic microphone 16 and converted into an ultrasonic sound signal. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the converted ultrasonic sound signal is detected by the ultrasonic detection unit 17 (S1), and based on the detection signal (start signal) output from the ultrasonic detection unit 17 to the control unit 9, The control unit 9 operates the communication module 14 in the sleep state (S2), and establishes NFC wireless communication between the antenna 23 of the smartphone 13 and the antenna 15 of the communication module 14 (S3).

  As described above, in the state where wireless communication is established between the communication module 14 of the hearing aid main body 1 and the smartphone 13 and the communication module 14 is ready for reception, the hearing aid management program receives the voice of the telephone received by the smartphone 13. A signal is transmitted from the smartphone 13 to the communication module 14 (S4). As a result, the received audio signal is output from the communication module 14 to the amplification unit 3, amplified by the amplification unit 3, and then reproduced by the earphone 4. Therefore, compared with the case where the sound reproduced by the speaker 24 of the smartphone 13 is captured by the microphone 2 and converted into an audio signal, the sound transmitted from the earphone 4 can be made clearer. The transmitted voice is taken in via the microphone 25 of the smartphone 13 and transmitted to the telephone communication network. After starting the call, the control unit 9 detects whether or not an end signal has been issued from the hearing aid management program. If no end signal is detected (S5), the control unit 9 transmits a telephone audio signal to the communication module 14. Keep ready.

  When the call ends, an end signal is transmitted from the smartphone 13 to the communication module 14 by selecting the end menu from the operation menu displayed on the display 22. Since this end signal is output to the control unit 9 via the communication module 14, the control unit 9 blocks wireless communication with the smartphone 13 of the communication module 14 in accordance with the end signal (S6), and further activates the communication module 14. To return to the sleep state (S7). At the same time, the hearing aid management program ends and the display 22 is returned to the initial state. If necessary, the wireless communication between the smartphone 13 and the hearing aid may be interrupted simultaneously with the end of the call.

  As described above, when the communication module 14 is activated only when a call is made to the smartphone 13 and the communication module 14 is returned to the sleep state when the call is finished, the power of the secondary battery 5 by the communication module 14 is restored. Can save a lot of money. Therefore, compared to the conventional communication mode in which it is necessary to continue establishing wireless communication between the auxiliary device and the hearing aid, the consumption of the secondary battery 5 can be greatly reduced and the charging interval can be extended. In addition, since the ultrasonic module exceeding the human audible range is radiated from the smartphone 13 to the hearing aid and the communication module 14 is activated using the emitted ultrasonic wave as a trigger, it is annoying to surrounding people even in the crowd. It is possible to use the smartphone 13 without controlling the operation state of the hearing aid.

  When it is desired to adjust the sound pressure level of the sound reproduced by the earphone 4 after starting the call, the volume adjustment menu is selected from the operation menu displayed on the display 22 to display the adjustment volume on the display 22. . The user touches the increase / decrease button of the displayed adjustment volume with a fingertip, and a request command for increasing the sound pressure level or decreasing the sound pressure level is transmitted from the smartphone 13 to the communication module 14. . Since the request command signal received by the communication module 14 is output to the control unit 9, the control unit 9 adjusts the volume unit 19 in accordance with the request command signal to adjust the sound pressure level of the sound in the earphone 4 to the user's preference. Can do.

  For example, when the user wants to know the power state of the secondary battery 5, the user activates the hearing aid management program from the program menu of the display 22 and displays the operation menu on the display 22. In this state, the battery check menu is selected and the smartphone 13 is held near the hearing aid main body 1 in use, so that ultrasonic waves are radiated from the speaker 24 toward the hearing aid main body 1. Activates the communication module 14 in the sleep state to establish NFC near field communication between the smartphone 13 and the hearing aid.

  In the above state, the user can select the power confirmation button or the remaining usage time button displayed on the display 22 and touch it with the fingertip to know the voltage data of the secondary battery 5 and the remaining usage time. A command for requesting power data is transmitted from the smartphone 13 to the communication module 14. Since the request command signal received by the communication module 14 is output to the control unit 9, the control unit 9 captures necessary power data in accordance with the request command signal, and then the previous voltage data via the communication module 14 and the antenna 15. And power data is transmitted to the smartphone 13. The hearing aid management program of the smartphone 13 that has received the power data or the like processes the power data or the like as necessary and displays it on the display 22 in a state that is easy for the user to see. End the hearing aid management program as described above. If the remaining usage time is less than a predetermined time set as a result of the power check, a warning message is displayed on the display 22, a warning sound is emitted from the speaker 24, and the charging process is immediately performed. Inform users that they need to. As described above, in the case of a communication device such as a smartphone 13 or a mobile phone having a call function, the smartphone 13 and the hearing aid are performed by performing a natural reception operation of holding the communication device close to the hearing aid (ear). Communication can be established or terminated, so that communication can be established and terminated without any sense of incongruity when viewed by a third party. Similarly, grasping of the battery state of the secondary battery 5 at the start of the call or at the end of the call can be performed by a natural receiving operation.

  When sleeping or getting up, the power supply state of the secondary battery 5 can be switched from the smartphone 13 side to stop the operation of the hearing aid or to activate the hearing aid. For example, when stopping the operation of the hearing aid at bedtime, it is included in the operation menu of the hearing aid management program after establishing NFC-type near field communication between the smartphone 13 and the hearing aid in the same manner as before. Is displayed on the display 22, and the off button is touched with a fingertip. Thereby, since the end signal is transmitted from the smartphone 13 to the communication module 14, the control unit 9 switches the power switch unit 18 to forcibly stop the power supply state of the secondary battery 5. As described above, controlling the operating state of the hearing aid via the smartphone 13 is effective when the main switch 6 is not provided in the hearing aid body 1 or when the switching operation of the main switch 6 is troublesome. However, depending on the usage of the hearing aid by the user, the operation of the hearing aid may be stopped or started by switching the main switch 6.

  Further, when the hearing aid is activated when waking up, NFC near field communication is established between the smartphone 13 and the hearing aid, and then the power supply menu included in the operation menu of the hearing aid management program is displayed on the display 22. And touch the on button with your fingertip. Thereby, since an activation signal is transmitted from the smartphone 13 to the communication module 14, the power switch unit 18 can be switched by the control unit 9 to switch the power feeding path of the secondary battery 5 to the power feeding state. In this case, it is necessary to continuously supply at least the control unit 9, the power switch unit 18, and the communication module 14 from the secondary battery 5 with the minimum power at which they can operate.

  In the above embodiment, NFC wireless communication is established between the smartphone 13 and the hearing aid. However, it is not necessary, and in addition to the NFC method, Bluetooth (BLUETOOTH: registered trademark) according to the IEEE 802.15.1 standard, , Establish wireless communication such as Wi-Fi according to IEEE 802.11 standard and ZigBee (ZIGBEE: registered trademark) according to IEEE 802.15.4 standard, and transmit the call data received by the smartphone 13 to the hearing aid be able to. In that case, the communication module 14 and the antenna 15 are configured in a structure that conforms to the communication standard of each standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and radiates ultrasonic waves from the speaker 24 of the smartphone 13 to the hearing aid. The communication module 14 can be operated with the emitted ultrasonic wave as a trigger. In a state in which Bluetooth (registered trademark) wireless communication is established, a larger amount of data can be transmitted from the smartphone 13 to the hearing aid compared to the case where NFC wireless communication is established. The stored music data can be transmitted to the hearing aid and listened to by the earphone 4. Further, while displaying the television image received by the smartphone 13 on the display 22, the audio data of the television can be transmitted to the hearing aid and listened to by the earphone 4.

  In the above embodiment, the hearing aid main body 1 is provided with the voice microphone 2 and the ultrasonic microphone 16 separately. However, it is not necessary, and a microphone capable of capturing sound from the audible range to the ultrasonic range. If so, the voice and the ultrasonic wave may be captured with only one microphone. In addition to the smartphone 13, the communication device may be a personal data assistant (PDA) such as a mobile phone or a tablet terminal having a communication function. In short, the communication function, the display function, and the hearing aid management program As long as the portable device has specifications that can store and execute. The battery 5 for power supply may be a primary battery such as a zinc-air battery other than a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery.

1 Hearing Aid Body 2 Microphone for Audio 3 Amplification Unit 4 Earphone (Speaker)
5 Secondary battery (battery)
9 Control unit 13 Smartphone (communication device)
14 Communication module 15 Antenna 16 Ultrasonic microphone (microphone)
17 Ultrasonic detector

Claims (5)

A hearing aid (1), converting a microphone for speech for converting the voice into a sound signal (2), a microphone for ultrasonic converting the ultrasonic sound signal (16), a microphone (2) for speech An amplifying unit (3) for amplifying the sound signal of the generated sound, an earphone (4) for reproducing the sound signal amplified by the amplifying unit (3), and an ultrasonic wave converted by an ultrasonic microphone (16) An ultrasonic detection unit (17) for detecting sound signals, a communication module (14) for performing wireless communication with an external communication device (13), a battery (5) for power supply, and a control unit (9) are provided. And
In a state where wireless communication is established between the communication module (14) of the hearing aid main body (1) and the communication device (13), according to the information signal transmitted from the communication device (13) and received by the communication module (14), The control unit (9) is configured to be able to control the operating state of the operating device constituting the hearing aid ,
Ultrasound is radiated from the speaker (24) of the communication device (13) to the hearing aid body (1), and an ultrasonic sound signal converted by the ultrasonic microphone (16) is detected by the ultrasonic detector (17). Then , based on the detection signal of the ultrasonic detection unit (17), the control unit (9) operates the communication module (14) in the sleep state, and the communication device (13) and the communication module (14) hearing aid characterized that you have configured to wireless communication using electromagnetic waves between is established. In a state in which wireless communication using electromagnetic waves is established between the hearing aid communication module body (1) and (14) and communicator (13), the telephone communication device (13) receives a voice signal, a communication The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid (4) is transmitted from the device (13) to the communication module (14), amplified by the amplifier (3), and reproduced by the earphone (4). The hearing aid body (1) is provided with a volume part (19) for adjusting the signal amplification degree of the amplification part (3) and a power switch part (18) for turning on / off the power supply state of the battery (5). ,
In the state where the hearing aid management program stored in the communication device (13) is started in advance and wireless communication is established between the communication module (14) of the hearing aid main body (1) and the communication device (13), the communication device In accordance with a request command based on the hearing aid management program transmitted from (13) to the communication module (14), the control unit (9) can control the operating states of the volume unit (19) and the power switch unit (18). Item 3. A hearing aid according to item 2.   The hearing aid according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hearing aid and the communication device (13) establish wireless communication by an NFC communication method.   The hearing aid according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hearing aid and the communication device (13) establish wireless communication by a communication method of the IEEE 802 standard.

Images