Patent Grant
10783996
The present invention relates to hearing aids. The invention, more particularly, relates to a method for establishing network connection to a hearing aid over the Internet. Also, the invention relates to a system for establishing a network connection.
Hearing aid manufacturing companies design, develop and manufacture hearing instruments for distribution by independent, credentialed, licensed hearing health care professionals providing service and support for hearing impaired customers in compliance with all applicable state, federal and professional regulations and law.
The hearing health care professionals are an instrumental part of the processed selection and delivery of the hearing aids to the hearing impaired customer because they, with their technical understanding of the hearing aid, and their knowledge of hearing aids and rehabilitation and supported by professional fitting tools provided by the hearing aid manufacturing company can provide beneficial individualized fitting solutions tailored to satisfy the needs of the individual customer.
The sales channels bringing the hearing aids from the manufacturing companies to the hearing impaired customer are undergoing significant structural changes these years. We still see many specialty stores staffed with hearing health care professionals selling and fitting hearing aids. A major challenge is that the hearing aid user has to visit a hearing health care professional several times in order to reach a solution alleviating his hearing loss. Various attempts to provide remote fitting over the Internet have been done.
The Internet has grown to be very heterogeneous, and the lack of Internet addresses in the IPv4 Internet protocol has led to the dynamic IP allocation when a first device is connected, and where the same address may be used by a second device once the first device has been disconnected. Another issue is that the device is often a part of a local area network behind a firewall.
The purpose of the invention is to provide a method for establishing a network connection to at least one hearing aid via the Internet, whereby e.g. a hearing health care professional may retrieve data from a hearing aid and adjust settings of the hearing aid.
This purpose is according to the invention achieved by a method for providing a network connection to at least one hearing aid via the Internet, wherein the at least one hearing aid is connected to the Internet via a gateway. The method comprises the steps of providing a plurality of user accounts in a user account server accessible over the Internet, each user account including a unique identity of associated hearing aids; detecting the presence of a wireless connection between the at least one hearing aid and the gateway; communicating the current connection information to a control server; providing, in the control server, a hearing aid connection register containing the unique identity of hearing aids and corresponding communicated current connection information; requesting, from a computer device, the control server to provide the current connection information for the at least one hearing aid by providing the associated unique identity; and establishing, from the computer device, a direct connection to the at least one hearing aid based on the current connection information retrieved from the control server.
In one embodiment an Internet enabled personal communication device and the at least one hearing aid are connected for establishing a wireless connection, whereby the personal communication device becomes a gateway for the at least one hearing aid to a user account server over the Internet. In one embodiment, the network connection handling element is contained in the hearing aid and is adapted for detecting the connection to the Internet. In another embodiment, the network connection handling element is contained in the personal communication device and is adapted for detecting the presence of the short range wireless connection to the at least one hearing aid.
When the computer device is connected to the hearing aid via the gateway, the hearing health care professional may program the at least one hearing aid for alleviating the hearing loss. The programming may take place during a call, e.g. a video call as provided by Skype®, between the hearing health care professional and the hearing aid user.
The user account server and the control server have two different responsibilities and the two servers are preferably two separate entities. Preferably, the user account server automatically updates the hearing aid connection register of the control server upon creation of new user accounts. As personal communication devices may access the Internet via several routes—e.g. WLAN and cellular—and consequently have separate IP addresses for the different routes, the hearing aid connection register of the control server is in various embodiments prepared for handling multiple connection information elements.
In an embodiment, a hearing healthcare professional is programming the at least one hearing aid during a fitting session by means of a computer program running on the computer device, wherein the computer program retrieves an unique identity for the at least one hearing aid from the user account server retrieves the associated IP address from the hearing aid connection register administered by the control server.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a system for providing a network connection for a computer device to at least one hearing aid having a gateway to the Internet. The system comprises a user account server accessible over the Internet, and providing a user account database, each user account including an unique identity for an associated hearing aid; a control server providing a hearing aid connection register including the unique identity of the hearing aids associated with the current connection information; and a network connection handling element adapted for detecting the presence of a wireless connection between the at least one hearing aid and the gateway, and for uploading current connection information to the control server. The control server is adapted for updating the connection information in the hearing aid connection register when receiving communicated connection information, and for providing the current connection information to a computer device upon request. The computer device is adapted for establishing a direct connection to the at least one hearing aid based on the current connection information requested from the control server.
According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed on a computer device are adapted for programming at least one hearing aid during a fitting session under control by a hearing healthcare professional. The computer-executable instructions are adapted for launching a fitting session application on the computer device; accessing from the fitting session application a user account server over the Internet for retrieving a user account for the user of the at least one hearing aid to be programmed, the user account containing a unique identity of the at least one hearing aid; retrieving connection information for the at least one hearing aid from the hearing aid connection register administered by a control server; and establishing a direct connection for programming at least one hearing aid based on the connection information retrieved from the control server.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a hearing aid having a unique identity and being adapted to be connected to a computer device via the Internet. The hearing aid comprises a network connection handling element being adapted to detect the presence of a wireless connection between the hearing aid and a gateway to the Internet, and to communicating current connection information for the hearing aid to a control server. Hereby the computer device may request the current connection information for the hearing aid from said control server based on the unique identity, and establish a direct connection to the hearing aid.
The invention will be described in further detail with reference to preferred aspects and the accompanying drawing, in which:
Reference is made to
Hearing aids are often provided to a hearing impaired user as a set of binaural hearing aids 1. The set of hearing aids 1 have preferably an inter-ear communication channel based on a suitable communication protocol, such as the Bluetooth™ Low Energy protocol. The set of hearing aids 1 communicates preferably with the personal communication device 13—here shown as a smartphone. The two hearing aids 1 are illustrated as Behind-The-Ear hearing aids having customized ear plugs. However the invention is applicable for any type of hearing aid 1 being able to communicate with the personal communication device 13 via a wireless connection.
The personal communication device 13 according to the invention is Internet enabled which means that the personal communication device 13 may access the Internet 16 via a wireless Internet connection (e.g. WLAN such as 802.11a, b or g), or a cellular data connection (e.g. WCDMA or LTE). Advantageously, the personal communication device 13 has the ability to download and launch application software from an app store via the Internet. The term “app” is short for application software, which is a set of one or more programs designed to carry out operations for a specific application. Application software cannot run on itself but is dependent on system software to execute.
A user account server 25 is accessible over the Internet and is providing a user account database 26; each user account including a unique identity or identifier for an associated hearing aid 1. Furthermore, a control server 19 is providing a hearing aid connection register 19a holding unique identities for hearing aids with associated connection information. The personal communication device 13, or the hearing aids 1, includes a network connection handling element 43 being adapted for detecting the presence of the short range wireless connection between the at least one hearing aid 1 and said gateway. The network connection handling element 43 is adapted for uploading current connection information to the control server 19. In the embodiment shown in
The connection information includes the current IP address of the hearing aid 1. Furthermore, the connection information may also include the port number of the hearing aid 1, as an IP address is always associated with a port of the host. The port is the endpoint of communication in the host's operating system. In some situations it may be advantageous to identify in the connection information the protocol type of the communication.
The data structure of the data in the user account database 26 maintained by the user account server 25 is schematically illustrated in
In an accounting data field 53, a service provider or any authorized hearing aid professional may enter respective service agreements and the user may enter invoicing details, such as that an invoice is preferred or that debiting of a specified credit card is preferred. The service agreements may refer to a specified fitting session, a hearing test, purchase of a specified set of hearing aids, subscription to a specified set of hearing aids, and upgrade of an existing set of hearing aids, batteries, or replacement parts. The user has the right to approve the service agreements and enter invoicing details, while the service providers may enter service agreement details as price and conditions supported by one or more documents and use entered invoicing details for their own accounting. The accounting data field 53 will only contain one service agreement, and if several service agreements are initiated, supplementing accounting data fields 53 will be created. Only parties to a service agreement are granted Data Retrieval Rights to these data fields 53.
In a social security data field 54, the user may enter his birthday information and social security number, which may be used by the social authorities in cases these are committed to pay a part of the sales prize or subscription fees.
When the authorized hearing healthcare professional or audiologist tests the hearing of a client, he obtains the results in an audiogram, which is a graph showing the hearing loss measured in decibels for standardized frequencies in Hertz. The threshold of hearing is plotted relative to a standardized curve that represents “normal” hearing, in dB (HL). The authorized hearing aid professional may store the hearing loss characterization in a dedicated Hearing Loss Characterization data field 56, whereby the authorized hearing aid professional or another authorized hearing aid professional at a later point of time may assess changes in the hearing capability of the client.
When the authorized hearing aid professional has determined the hearing loss of his client and an appropriate hearing aid has been chosen, the authorized hearing aid professional sets the hearing aid compensation profile parameters (fitting) in an interactive dialogue with the client. Once the fitting has been completed, the settings are stored in the hearing aid and afterward synchronized with a data field 55 in the user account containing the settings for alleviating Hearing Loss.
For each user account there is provided a data field 57 containing security elements as credentials for accessing one or more data fields in the hearing aid user account and secure keys for establishing a secure connection between the computer device 21 and the at least one hearing aid 1. The hearing aid user may by means of the stored security elements edit credentials via a web-interface. The user account manager may by means of certificates control persons allowed to Read and Edit data in the user account and thereby in the hearing aid 1, and the hearing user may delegate these rights to third parties.
Finally the hearing aid account includes a data field 58 identifying each of the hearing aids 1 associated with the account, the hearing aids 1 being identified by manufacturer, hearing aid model, serial number, and software version. The unique identity for the hearing aid 1 is stored as an element in the data field 58.
Referring to
The hearing aid 1 has a processor 40 being a processing and control unit carrying out instructions of a computer program by performing the logical, basic arithmetric, control and input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instruction in the programs. The processor 40 includes an inherent volatile memory requiring power to maintain the stored information. The processor 40 is further connected to a non-volatile memory 42 which retains stored information even when not powered. Furthermore, the hearing aid 1 has a transceiver 41 for establishing a wireless connection to a gateway to the Internet 16. This gateway may be the personal communication device 13, a router (e.g. WLAN) in private domain, or a hotspot in a public domain. A hotspot is a physical location that offers Internet access over a wireless local area network (WLAN) through the use of a router connected to a link to an Internet service provider. Hotspots typically use Wi-Fi technology.
In this embodiment the hearing aid 1 comprises a network connection handling element 43 stored as a software program in the non-volatile memory 42. The network connection handling element 43 detects when a new network connection to the hearing 1 has been established—e.g. a connection to a hotspot or to a router at home, and when the current Internet address has been identified, the network connection handling element 43 transmits a connection information notification 30 over the Internet 16 to the control server 19. The address of the control server 19 may advantageously be preprogrammed into the network connection handling element 43. The connection information notification 30 links a unique identity for the hearing aid 1 to its current connection information. The transmission of the connection information notification 30 is trigged by an event, e.g. a connection being established via a gateway to the Internet. Hereby the control server 19 is able to maintain its hearing aid connection register 19a as a look-up table in which the unique identity for the hearing aid 1 may be translated to the current connection information for the network connection handling element 43 and thereby the hearing aid 1.
The Internet is adapted to relay datagrams across network boundaries based on the Internet Protocol (IP). The routing function according to the Internet protocol enables internetworking, and essentially establishes the Internet. The Internet Protocol has the task of delivering packets from the source host to the destination host solely based on the IP addresses in the packet headers. For this purpose, the Internet Protocol defines packet structures that encapsulate the data to be delivered. It also defines addressing methods that are used to label the datagram with both source and destination IP addresses. When sending the connection information notification 30, the current connection information of the network connection handling element 43 is present as source address of the data packet embodying the connection information notification 30, and the unique identity for the hearing aid 1 is contained in the data packet. The control server 19 extracts these two elements and updates a hearing aid connection register 19a accordingly.
The network connection handling element 43 serves several purposes—it monitors status of the hearing aid's connectivity, handles session security, and notifies the current connection information to the hearing aid connection register 19a. The network connection handling element 43 is embedded into the hearing aid before it leaves the factory, and some elements may be stored in the non-volatile memory 42 and some elements as security elements and certificates in a non-editable memory.
When a hearing care professional needs to adjust the setting of a specific hearing aid user's hearing aid 1, he may via the computer device 21 access the specific hearing aid user's user account from the user account server 25 from where he may retrieve the unique identity for the at least one hearing aid 1 in question. Preferably the fitting software running on the computer device 21 automatically sends a connection information request 31 from the account based on the unique identity for the at least one hearing aid 1 in question to the control server 19. Based upon a look-up in the hearing aid connection register 19a, the control server 19 responds to the connection information request 31 by sending a connection information response 32 containing the current Internet address of the at least one hearing aid 1 based on the unique identity stored in the user account.
As shown in
The processor 40 is connected to the non-volatile memory 42 and to the transceiver 41 for establishing a wireless connection to a gateway to the Internet 16. This gateway may be the personal communication device 13.
The personal communication device 13 is according the present embodiment a smartphone. The personal communication device 13 includes a processor 46 controlling the operation of audio elements 48 (like a speaker and a microphone) and user interface (UI) elements 47 (like a touch screen or keys and a display). Furthermore the processor 46 controls the operation of a long range radio 45 serving various mobile communication standards and WLAN standards connecting the personal communication device 13 to the Internet 16.
A short range radio 44 connects the personal communication device 13 to the hearing aid 1 by means of the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol. The personal communication device 13 has memory 49 (e.g. EEPROM)—in which a hearing aid control app 50 is stored. The personal communication device 13 is adapted to present the hearing aid control app 50 on a touch screen to the hearing aid user. The hearing aid control app 50 is adapted to offer control elements for the operation of the hearing aid.
In the embodiment shown in
When the short range communication channel and long range communication channel both are present, the network connection handling element 43 transmits a connection information notification 30 as shown in
The transmission of the connection information notification 30 is trigged by an event, i.e. both the short range communication channel and long range communication channel becoming present. Hereby the control server 19 is able to maintain its hearing aid connection register 19a as a look-up table in which the unique identity for the hearing aid 1 may be translated to the current connection information of the network connection handling element 43. The connection information in hearing aid connection register 19a for a unique identity for the hearing aid 1 may be prioritized according to data bandwidth or data pricing, and these information may be provided by the personal communication device 13.
The network connection handling element 43 serves several purposes—it monitors status of the hearing aid's connectivity, handles session security, and notifies the current connection information to a hearing aid location register 19a. The network connection handling element 43 may be downloaded to the personal communication device 13 from an app store and stored in a memory of the personal communication device 13.
When a hearing care professional or a monitoring server needs to exchange or collect data from the hearing aid 1, the specific hearing aid user's user account may be accessed in the user account server 25 from where the unique identity for the at least one hearing aid 1 in question may be retrieved. Preferably, the program handling the data exchange and retrieving the unique identity for the hearing aid 1 automatically sends the connection information request 31 to the control server 19, and sets up the direct connection 33, preferably using UDP hole punching, to the network connection handling element 43 based on the connection information response 32 from the hearing aid connection register 19a. The direct connection 33 is handled as described with reference to
When sending the connection information notification 30 in step 72, the current connection information of the network connection handling element 43 is present as source address of the data packet and the unique identity for the hearing aid 1 is contained in the data packet. The control server 19 extracts these two elements and updates a hearing aid connection register 19a accordingly.
These steps are repeated every time the network connection handling element 43 detects a change in the connection information for the hearing aid 1.
In step 76, the computer 21 communicates to the network connection handling element 43 which kind of data has to be exchanged—upload of logging data, download of settings etc. In step 77, the data requested are exchanged, and in step 78, data are handled as prescribed. New settings may overwrite earlier settings in the hearing aid 1, and logging registers may be reset if their content has been uploaded. When the data have been exchanged and handled successfully, the direct connection session is terminated in step 79.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7257372 | Kaltenbach et al. | Aug 2007 | B2 |
| 8166312 | Waldmann | Apr 2012 | B2 |
| 9219966 | Wang | Dec 2015 | B2 |
| 20030138109 | Bindner | Jul 2003 | A1 |
| 20050283263 | Eaton | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20080107278 | Roeck et al. | May 2008 | A1 |
| 20110176686 | Zaccaria | Jul 2011 | A1 |
| 20110257994 | Givens et al. | Oct 2011 | A1 |
| 20120183164 | Foo et al. | Jul 2012 | A1 |
| 20130272554 | Sommer | Oct 2013 | A1 |
| 20160212552 | Schneider | Jul 2016 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 252 799 | Oct 2002 | EP |
| 0 567 535 | Aug 2003 | EP |
| 1 083 769 | Jun 2010 | EP |
| 2 206 362 | Jan 2014 | EP |
| 2 760 225 | Jul 2014 | EP |
| 2 799 985 | Nov 2014 | EP |
| 2011128462 | Oct 2011 | WO |
| 2014094859 | Jun 2014 | WO |
| 2014094866 | Jun 2014 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report of PCT/EP2015/077205, dated Feb. 5, 2016. [PCT/ISA/210]. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170257713 A1 | Sep 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP2015/077205 | Nov 2015 | US |
| Child | 15600173 | US |
