Patent Application
20090196443
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to earphones, and more particularly, to a wireless earphone system with hearing aid function to amplify and modulate sounds for the wearer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hearing aid is an electro-acoustic body-worn apparatus which typically fits in or behind the wearer's ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sounds for the wearer. Basically, a hearing aid includes a microphone for receiving sounds, an amplifier for amplifying and modulating received sounds, and a combination of earphone and ear-mold for outputting sounds to the wearer's eardrum.
For a hearing-impaired, the use of a hearing aid is to amplify conversation sounds. However, the sound spectrum of surrounding noises may be overlapped with the sound spectrum of conversation sounds. In this case, the hearing aid amplifies the surrounding noises while amplifying the conversation sounds, and the wearer may be unable to distinguish the conversation sounds from the noises. The interference of surrounding noises will make the hearing-impaired to feel uncomfortable.
Further, the hearing aid has a certain dimension and must be partially inserted into the wearer's ear canal to occupy a part of the space of the ear canal. Certain ear-mold of hearing aids covers the whole ear canal so that the ear of the hearing-impaired has no room to wear an extra earphone for hearing music or radio program.
Further, referring to Taiwan Patent 1277356 “Wireless system and method for hearing aid” teaches a wireless earphone system provided for a hearing-impaired. This design includes a receiver and two ear-hang devices. The receiver can be hung on the user's neck or put in the breast pocket to receive and convert external sounds and to transmit the converted sound signals to the two ear-hang devices wirelessly so that the user can hear external sounds. The purpose of the hearing aid is to reduce the ear-mold size in accordance with separation of the receiver from the ear-hang devices. However, a person identifies the direction of sounds by means of differences in the intensity of sounds heard by the two ears. When a hearing-impaired uses the receiver to collect external sounds, the receiver has only one receiving position. Because the receiver and the ear-hang devices are disposed at different locations, the user may confuse the direction of sounds. Further, when the location of the receiver is moved opposite to the two ear-hang devices, the information will be confused to be calculated by the receiver so that the user unable to make accurate identification of the direction of sounds.
In general, a hearing-impaired wearing a hearing aid cannot use an earphone set normally. Further, conventional hearing aids cannot eliminate the interference of surrounding noises and cannot help the user to identify the direction of sounds. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a wireless earphone system that eliminates the aforesaid problems.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is an objective of the present invention to provide a wireless earphone system which has the function of a hearing aid and the function of an earphone set so as to bring convenience for a hearing-impaired.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a wireless earphone system that utilizes a digital signal processor to provide a noise cancellation function, improving the receiving quality and hearing aid performance and, has a microphone integrated in an ear-hang device to match with the function of the digital signal processor for enabling the user to identify the direction of sounds accurately.
To achieve these objectives of the present invention, the wireless earphone system comprises a main device and two ear-hang devices. The main device comprises a digital signal processor, a server-end wireless transmitting module, and a server-end wireless receiving module. The digital signal processor is electrically connected with the server-end wireless transmitting module and the server-end wireless receiving module. Each of the ear-hang devices comprises a microphone, a speaker, a client-end wireless transmitting module and a client-end wireless receiving module. The client-end wireless transmitting module is electrically connected with the microphone. The client-end wireless receiving module is electrically connected with the speaker. The microphone collects external sound wave and converts external sound wave into an electronic signal. The client-end wireless transmitting module transmits the electronic signal from the microphone to the server-end wireless receiving module. The server-end wireless receiving module transmits the received electronic signal to the digital signal processor for processing. The digital signal processor transmits the processed electronic signal to the server-end wireless transmitting module for transmission to the speaker via the client-end receiving module for converting into a sound wave.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a wireless earphone system that utilizes a bluetooth module to communicate with a mobile phone for conversation, or to receive music from an audio device.
To achieve the aforesaid objective, the wireless earphone system comprises a main device and at least one ear-hang device. The main device comprises a digital signal processor, a bluetooth module, a server-end wireless transmitting module, and a server-end wireless receiving module. The digital signal processor is electrically connected with the bluetooth module, the server-end wireless transmitting module and the server-end first wireless receiving module. The ear-hang device comprises a microphone, a speaker, a client-end wireless transmitting module, and a client-end wireless receiving module. The client-end wireless transmitting module is electrically connected with the microphone. The client-end wireless receiving module is electrically connected with the speaker. The server-end wireless transmitting module and server-end wireless receiving module of the main device and the client-end wireless transmitting module and client-end wireless receiving module of the ear-hang device are adapted to transmit electronic signals from the digital signal processor to the speaker for output and from the microphone to the digital signal process for processing. The bluetooth module is adapted to transmit an external electronic signal to the digital signal processor for processing, and to transmit the processed electronic signal from the digital signal processor to an external bluetooth interface.
By means of the aforesaid arrangement, the wireless earphone system of the present invention can be used as a hearing aid for a hearing-impaired as well as an ordinary wireless earphone set. It brings convenience to a hearing-impaired. By means of noise cancellation processing of the digital signal processor of the main device, the wireless earphone system provides high receiving quality. By means of integration of speakers in ear-hang devices and application of wireless transmission and digital signal processing, the wireless earphone system enables the hearing-impaired to identify the direction of sounds accurately. Further, by means of the bluetooth module, the wireless earphone system is practical for use with a mobile phone for two-way communication as well as for listening to music from an electronic apparatus.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
Referring to
The main device 20 includes a digital signal processor 21, a bluetooth module 23, a first server-end wireless transmitting module 25, a first server-end wireless receiving module 26, a second server-end wireless transmitting module 27, and a second server-end wireless receiving module 28. The digital signal processor 21 is electrically connected with the bluetooth module 23, the first server-end wireless transmitting module 25, the first server-end wireless receiving module 26, the second server-end wireless transmitting module 27 and the second server-end wireless receiving module 28. The digital signal processor 21 has at least filtering and amplification functions for processing electronic signals. The main device 20 is adapted for communication with a mobile phone (not shown) via the bluetooth module 23.
The first ear-hang device 30 includes a microphone 32, a first client wireless transmitting module 34, a first client wireless receiving module 36, and a speaker 38. The microphone 32 of the first ear-hang device 30 is adapted to collect external sound wave and to convert the sound wave into an electronic signal. The first wireless transmitting module 34 is electrically connected with the microphone 32 of the first ear-hang device 30 and adapted to transmit the electronic signal from the microphone 32 to the first server-end wireless receiving module 26 of the main device 20. The first client-end wireless receiving module 36 is adapted for receiving the electronic signal from the first server-end wireless transmitting module 25 of the main device 20. The speaker 38 of the first ear-hang device 30 is electrically connected with the first client-end wireless receiving module 36, and adapted to convert the electronic signal into a sound wave for output into the ear canal of a hearing-impaired.
The second ear-hang device 40 includes a microphone 42, a second client-end wireless transmitting module 44, a second client-end wireless receiving module 46, and a speaker 48. The microphone 42 of the second ear-hang device 40 is adapted to collect external sound wave and to convert the sound wave into an electronic signal. The second client-end wireless transmitting module 44 is electrically connected with the microphone 42 of the second ear-hang device 40 and adapted to transmit the electronic signal from the microphone 42 to the second server-end wireless receiving module 28 of the main device 20. The second client-end wireless receiving module 46 is adapted for receiving the electronic signal from the second server-end wireless transmitting module 27 of the main device 20. The speaker 48 of the second ear-hang device 40 is electrically connected with the second client-end wireless receiving module 46, and adapted to convert the electronic signal into a sound wave for output into the ear canal of the hearing-impaired.
Further, the transmission of signal between the main device 20 and a mobile phone is done by means of a bluetooth interface. However, the transmission interface between the main device 20 and the first ear-hang device 30/second ear-hang device 40 can be done by means of one of the transmission interfaces of infrared rays, radio frequency and bluetooth.
When the wireless earphone system 10 is used independently and not in communication with a mobile phone, it is used as an ordinary haring aid. When the microphone 32 of the first ear-hang device 30 and the microphone 42 of the second ear-hang device 40 collect external sound wave, the first ear-hang device 30 and the second ear-hang device 40 convert the sound wave into an electronic signal and transmit the electronic signal to the main device 20 for further processing by the main device 20, for example, filtering and amplification to remove noises from sounds. The main device 20 processes the electronic signal to remove noises from the sounds by means of the digital signal processor 21 so that the hearing-impaired will not feel uncomfortable when hearing the sounds. After processing through the digital signal processor 21, the main device 20 transmits the electronic signal to the first ear-hang device 30 and the second ear-hang device 40 for outputting into the ear canals of the hearing-impaired via the respective speakers 38 and 48. Further, because the first ear-hang device 30 and the second ear-hang device 40 are respectively hung on the left and right ears of the hearing-impaired to collect and output sounds, the hearing-impaired can identify the direction of sounds accurately, eliminating the drawback of misjudgment of sound direction of conventional hearing aids.
For fully understanding of the operation of the other functions of the wireless earphone system 10, please refer to the following description.
Referring to
Therefore, the hearing-impaired needs not to remove the wireless earphone system 10 and then to wear a hear aid. The hearing-impaired can use the wireless earphone system 10 to assist hearing and to receive a phone call.
Referring to
In conclusion, the wireless earphone system of the present invention can be used as a hearing aid for a hearing-impaired as well as an ordinary wireless earphone set. By means of noise cancellation processing of the digital signal processor of the main device, the wireless earphone system provides high receiving quality. By means of integration of speakers in ear-hang devices and application of wireless transmission and digital signal processing, the wireless earphone system enables the hearing-impaired to identify the direction of sound accurately. Further, by means of the bluetooth module, the wireless earphone system is practical for use with a mobile phone for two-way communication as well as for listening to music from an electronic apparatus.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
