Wireless sound transmission system and method

Abstract

A method for providing sound to at least one user, in which audio signals are captured and transformed into audio data that is transmitted to at least one receiver unit; audio signals are generated from the received audio data and the hearing of the user(s) stimulated thereby; wherein the audio data is transmitted as audio data packets in separate slots of a TDMA frame structure, wherein the transmission unit and the receiver unit(s) are synchronized to form a wireless network, wherein each TDMA frame structure has at least one listening slot during which the synchronized network members do not transmit data and at least one network members listens, and wherein control data is transmitted from an external control device according to a sequence pattern selected according to the duration and periodicity of the listening slot(s) to be received by the at least one synchronized network member during said listening slot(s).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for providing sound to at least one user ( 13 ), comprising:
 capturing audio signals and transforming the audio signals into audio data,   transmitting audio data, by applying a digital modulation scheme, via a digital wireless link ( 12 ,  212 ) from a transmission unit ( 10 ,  110 ,  210 ) to at least one receiver unit ( 14 );   generating audio signals from the received audio data; and   stimulating the hearing of the user(s) according to audio signals supplied from the receiver unit;
 wherein the audio data is transmitted as audio data packets in separate slots of a TDMA frame structure, wherein the transmission unit and the receiver unit(s) are synchronized to form a wireless network ( 200 ) comprising at least the transmission unit and the receiver unit(s) as synchronized network members, wherein each of said TDMA frame structure comprises at least one listening slot ( 100 ) during which none of the synchronized network members is allowed to transmit data while at least one of the synchronized network members listens, and wherein control data ( 102 ) is transmitted from an external control device ( 101 ), which is not a synchronized network member, according to a sequence pattern selected according to the duration and periodicity (t delta ) of the listening slot(s) in order to be received by the at least one of the synchronized network members during said listening slot(s). 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the external control device ( 101 ) does not wait for any response from the synchronized network members ( 10 ,  14 ,  110 ,  210 ). 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the synchronized network members ( 14 ,  210 ) and the external control device ( 101 ) transmit at a single frequency via an inductive link forming said wireless link, with said network forming a hearing instrument body area network. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said transmission frequency is 10.6 MHz 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the wireless link ( 212 ) employs one of BFSK, QPSK and PTCM modulation. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the control data is contained in a control data block ( 102 ) which is transmitted as immediate repetitions during a control data period, and wherein the duration of the listening slot ( 100 ) is at least twice the length of the control data block. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the duration of the control data period is at least the length of the periodicity of the listening slots ( 100 ). 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the control data is contained in a control data block ( 102 ) which is transmitted as repetitions having a repetition periodicity, wherein the duration of the listening slot(s) ( 100 ) is at least the length of the control data block, and wherein the duration of the repetition periodicity is about the length of the periodicity of the listening slots plus the length of the listening slot minus the length of the control data block. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the external control device ( 101 ) is paired with the synchronized network members ( 14 ,  210 ). 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the transmission unit ( 210 ) comprises a microphone arrangement for capturing the audio signals from ambient sound and is worn by the user ( 13 ) of the receiver units ( 14 ). 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein two of the receiver units ( 14 ) are provided, each receiver unit forming part of a hearing aid ( 16 A,  16 B) of a binaural system, wherein at least one of the hearing aids is for transmitting audio data or control data to the other hearing aid via said wireless network ( 200 ). 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the control data ( 102 ) serves to make the transmission unit ( 210 ) at least temporarily cease the transmission of audio data. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each audio data packet is transmitted at a different frequency according to a frequency hopping sequence, wherein the TDMA frame structure is structured for unidirectional broadcast transmission of the audio data packets, without individually addressing the receiver unit(s), and wherein the external control device ( 101 ) transmits at at least one frequency selected from a number of predefined public frequencies, with the synchronized network members ( 10 ,  14 ,  110 ) listening during the listening slots ( 100 ) subsequently at all of the public frequencies. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the wireless link ( 12 ) and the transmission of the external control device ( 101 ) employ electromagnetic (far-field) transmission. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein each control data block ( 102 ) is subsequently transmitted by the external control device ( 101 ) at all public frequencies in a cyclic manner, with the transmission of the control data block being repeated with a transmission period. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein each synchronized network member ( 10 ,  143 ,  110 ) listens at a single one of the public frequencies during each listening slot ( 100 ), which frequency is selected in a cyclic manner or in a random manner in order to address all of the public frequencies. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the duration of the listening slot ( 100 ) is at least the number of public frequencies times the length of transmission period of the control data block ( 102 ) plus the length of the control data block, and wherein the external control device ( 101 ) does not wait for any response from the synchronized network members. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein each control data block ( 102 ) is subsequently transmitted by the external control device ( 101 ) at all public frequencies, with the transmission of the control data block being repeated with a transmission period, and with a response listening slot of the external control device being provided every time when the control data block has been transmitted at all of the public frequencies before the next control data transmission cycle is started, wherein the duration of the listening slot ( 100 ) of the synchronized network members ( 10 ,  14 ,  110 ) is at least the number of public frequencies times the length of transmission period of the control data block plus the length of the control data block plus the length of the response listening slot of the external control device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein there are not more than three public frequencies. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the transmission unit ( 10 ,  110 ) comprises a microphone arrangement ( 17 ) for capturing the voice of a person ( 11 ) other than the user ( 13 ) of the receiver unit(s) ( 14 ), wherein the transmission unit is worn by said person. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the transmission unit ( 10 ,  110 ,  210 ) is supplied with audio signals from an external audio device ( 31 ,  33 ,  35 ) via a wireless connection ( 37 ) or via a plug-in connection ( 39 ). 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the external audio device is a phone, a mobile phone ( 33 ), a music player ( 35 ), a TV set ( 31 ) or a HiFi-set. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiver units ( 14 ) are worn at ear-level. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein each receiver unit ( 14 ) is connected to or integrated within a hearing aid ( 16 ,  16 A,  16 B). 
     
     
         25 . A system for providing sound to at least one user ( 13 ), comprising:
 at least one audio signal source ( 17 ,  31 ,  33 ,  35 ) for providing audio signals;   a transmission unit ( 10 ,  110 ,  210 ) comprising a digital transmitter for applying a digital modulation scheme and transmitting audio data generated from the audio signals via a digital wireless link ( 12 ,  212 );   at least one receiver unit ( 14 ) for reception of audio data from the transmission unit via the digital link, comprising at least one digital receiver and means for generating audio signals from the audio data;   means for stimulating the hearing of the user(s) according to audio signals supplied from the receiver unit;   an external control device ( 101 );   wherein the transmission unit is adapted to transmit the audio data as audio data packets in separate slots of a TDMA frame structure, wherein the transmission unit and the receiver unit(s) are adapted to be synchronized to form a wireless network ( 200 ) comprising at least the transmission unit and the receiver unit(s) as synchronized network members, wherein each of said TDMA frame structures comprises at least one listening slot ( 100 ) during which none of the synchronized network members is allowed to transmit data while at least one of the synchronized network members listens, and wherein said external control device is adapted to transmit control data ( 102 ), while not being a synchronized network member, according to a sequence pattern selected according to the duration and periodicity (t delta ) of the listening slot(s) in order to be received by the at least one of the synchronized network members during said listening slot(s).