Patents Assigned to Sonova
  • Patent number: 9913049
    Abstract: An exemplary method of compensating for a circuit offset error to a measure of a battery voltage of a rechargeable battery of an electronic device is described wherein the battery powers an electronic circuitry of the device and the electronic circuitry introduces the circuit offset error to the measure of the battery voltage. A corresponding electronic device is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Jonas Högberg, Sahba Aazami
  • Patent number: 9866975
    Abstract: A hearing assistance system having a hearing assistance device to be worn at one of a user's ears and a scanning device, the hearing assistance device and the scanning device both having an interface for wireless data exchange between the hearing assistance device and the scanning device, wherein the hearing assistance device is adapted for wireless data exchange with an external device, wherein the scanning device is adapted to scan for wireless signals from the external device and to transmit, once such signals have been received by the scanning device, a message to the hearing assistance device for notifying the hearing assistance device of the availability of the external device, and wherein the hearing assistance device is adapted to decide, upon receipt of such notification message from the scanning device, whether on not to initiate wireless data exchange with the external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Marc Secall, Amre El-Hoiydi, Stephan Gehring, Hilmar Meier
  • Patent number: 9838829
    Abstract: A method of streaming an audio signal from an audio transmission device to first and second audio receiver devices via a Bluetooth link using a protocol that requires an audio data packet to be retransmitted if a positive packet receipt is not received. The first audio receiver device is synchronized to the audio transmission device to enable the first audio receiver device to receive an audio signal stream from the audio transmission device, the second audio receiver device is synchronized to the audio transmission device to enable the second audio receiver device to eavesdrop the audio signal stream to the first audio receiver device. When a positive packet receipt acknowledgement is not transmitted from the first audio receiver device to the audio transmission device, the audio transmission device repeats transmission of that audio data packet irrespective of whether the packet has been correctly received by the first audio receiver device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventor: Amre El-Hoiydi
  • Patent number: 9832575
    Abstract: A system for providing sound to at least one user has at least one audio signal source, a transmission unit with a digital transmitter audio data packets from the audio signal source via a wireless digital audio link; at least one receiver unit having at least one digital receiver; and a hearing stimulator responsive to audio signals from the receiver unit. The transmission unit encodes the audio signal as audio data blocks distributed onto at least two audio data packets, one of which is a low-quality packet, and one of which is a high quality packet only a low-quality version of the audio signal being retrievable from the low-quality packets, and a high-quality version of the audio signal being retrievable from both the low-quality packets and the high-quality packets. The low-quality packets and the high-quality packets are transmitted in respective dedicated slots of a multiple access protocol frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova, AG
    Inventors: Marc Secall, Timothée Jost, Amre El-Hoiydi
  • Patent number: 9832579
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an encapulated hearing device (50), e.g. for long-term wear, in which an electronics module (10) is encapsulated into a thermoformed hull (30) by means of an appropriate adhesive (41). This thermoformed hull (30) acts as an improved barrier between the electronics module (10) and the environment of the inner ear, reducing the risk of moisture reaching electrical components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Erdal Karamuk, Bruno Gabathuler, Andi Vonlanthen, Stephanie Thomas, Markus Muller
  • Patent number: 9826321
    Abstract: Method for providing sound to at least one user, involves supplying audio signals from an audio signal source to a transmission unit; compressing the audio signals to generate compressed audio data; transmitting compressed audio data from the transmission unit to at least one receiver unit; decompressing the compressed audio data to generate decompressed audio signals; and stimulating the hearing of the user(s) according to decompressed audio signals supplied from the receiver unit. During certain time periods, transmission of compressed audio data is interrupted, and instead, at least one control data block is generated by the transmission unit in such a manner that audio data transmission is replaced by control data block transmission, thereby temporarily interrupting flow of received compressed audio data, each control data block includes a marker recognized by the at least one receiver unit as a control data block and a command for control of the receiver unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Amre El-Hoiydi, Marc Secall
  • Publication number: 20170311092
    Abstract: A method of providing hearing assistance to a at least one user wearing at least one receiver hearing assistance device from at least one audio transmission device worn by a another user, involving: automatically pairing and connecting the audio transmission device with the receiver hearing assistance device to form an ad-hoc network for exchanging network and/or control information, estimating at least one of an angular direction of the audio transmission device with regard to a viewing direction of the user of the receiver hearing assistance device and an angular direction of the receiver hearing assistance device with regard to a viewing direction of the user of the audio transmission device, admitting the audio transmission device to a wireless local acoustic area network for exchanging audio signals only if, as a predefined admission rule, the transmission device is within a field of view of one of the users.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Applicant: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Marc Secall, Hans-Ueli Roeck, Francois Callias, Manuela Feilner
  • Patent number: 9781523
    Abstract: A hearing instrument microphone device incudes at least two microphone sound ports (or sound inlets), a pressure difference microphone in communication with at least two of the sound ports and a pressure microphone in communication with at least one of the sound ports, wherein the acoustic centers of the pressure difference microphone and the pressure microphone essentially coincide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Martin Kuster, Alfred Stirnemann, Axel Schlesinger
  • Patent number: 9774962
    Abstract: A shell (10) for a hearing device, and a method of producing the same. The shell (10) comprises a sub-shell (11) produced by a generative method, and a thermoformed hull (12) covering the subshell (11). The sub-shell (11) comprises lateral openings (13) covered by the thermoformed hull (12) so as to render the shell (10) more flexible in the region of the openings (13), and thereby to relieve pressure exerted by the shell (10) due to dynamic changes in the shape of the wearer's ear canal during jaw movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Erdal Karamuk, Matthias Stadler, Thomas Winkler, Markus Mueller, Daniel Probst
  • Patent number: 9774965
    Abstract: An exemplary method for fitting a hearing device to a hearing device user performed by a fitting system operatively connected to but remote from the hearing device includes providing, to the hearing device, an adjustable parameter identified by a fitter using a fitting system and a specification comprising an allowed range for the adjustable parameter defined by the fitter using the fitting system. The method further includes transferring the adjustable parameter and the specification to a user interface operatively connected to the hearing device and located with the hearing device for use by the hearing device user, receiving an adjusted parameter value for the adjustable parameter adjusted by the hearing device user with aid of the user interface to be within the allowed range, and updating the adjustable parameter in a transfer function of the hearing device based on the adjusted parameter value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Jha Siddhartha, Ralph Peter Derleth, Silvia Allegro-Baumann, Harald Krueger
  • Patent number: 9774964
    Abstract: In a process for producing a hearing aid, comprising a housing made out, at least partially, of a metallic or ceramic part using powder injection molding technique (PIM) within the housing (1) at least one additional element (3) made out of a polymeric material is arranged for placing functional parts (5, 7, 13) within or at the housing (1) to reduce complexity of P parts and/or to compensate any tolerances due to the PIM process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: SONOVA AG
    Inventors: Erdal Karamuk, David Waeckerlin, Pascal Kunzi
  • Patent number: 9769576
    Abstract: Method for providing hearing assistance to a user by capturing audio signals with a microphone arrangement of a transmission unit; analyzing, by a voice activity detector of the transmission unit, the captured audio signals to judge whether a voice is present close to the microphone arrangement or not, analyzing, by a noise level estimator, the captured audio signals to estimate a surrounding noise level, processing the captured audio signals and transmitting, by a transceiver of the transmission unit, the processed audio signals via a wireless link to a receiver unit, and stimulating the user's hearing, by stimulating means at or in at least one user ear, according to the received audio signals, wherein the audio signals are processed via the wireless link by setting the gain applied to the audio signals according to the close voice/no close voice judgment of the voice activity detector and the estimated surrounding noise level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Francois Marquis, Hans Mulder, Samuel Harsch, Tim Jost
  • Patent number: 9763017
    Abstract: A hearing instrument is provided that has a T-coil antenna (14) for picking up an inductively transmitted base-band audio signal, an audio signal processing unit (16) for processing the picked-up T-coil audio signal, an output transducer (18) for stimulation of the user's hearing according to the processed audio signals, and a functional unit (22) that operates in a duty cycling mode and communicates with the audio signal processing unit the respective interference points at which the functional unit is switched from its inactive state to its active state and/or from its active state to its inactive state, wherein the audio signal processing unit applies a click removal treatment to the T-coil audio signal during the respective interference points at the time at which the functional unit is switched to and/or from its active state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventor: Hans-Ueli Roeck
  • Publication number: 20170257472
    Abstract: A method of establishing a wireless network with a first hearing assistance device (10), a second hearing assistance device (11), and an external device (40), each device having a wireless network interface (20), the method having the steps of: establishing a communication link (30) between the first and second hearing assistance device, transmitting a remote pairing command from the first to the second hearing assistance device via the communication link, the remote pairing command being adapted to cause the second hearing assistance device to initiate pairing with the external device, pairing the second hearing assistance device and the external device upon an initiate pairing request transmitted by the second hearing assistance device, pairing the first hearing assistance device and the external device before or after the pairing of the second hearing assistance device and the external device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2014
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Applicant: SONOVA AG
    Inventors: Stephan GEHRING, Reto KURMANN, Ivo HASLER
  • Patent number: 9749759
    Abstract: The present invention proposes a sound tube (3) for an earpiece (1), wherein a first section (4) of an inner surface of the sound tube (3) has a structured surface, in particular a textural pattern forming a relief comprising convexities (13) and/or concavities (11). Alternatively or additionally, the sound tube (3) features a radially extending, circumferential flange (8), annular lip (8?) or collar at an outer surface of the sound tube (3). The present invention is further directed to a sound tube arrangement comprising two of the proposed sound tubes integrally formed in one piece and to an earpiece (1) with such a sound tube (3) or such a sound tube arrangement as well as to a hearing device with such an earpiece (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Jonas Meyer, Martin Rahn, Christoph Leist, Roland Hug, Sven Keller, Marco Breitler
  • Publication number: 20170245067
    Abstract: Method for providing sound to at least one user, involves supplying audio signals from an audio signal source to a transmission unit; compressing the audio signals to generate compressed audio data; transmitting compressed audio data from the transmission unit to at least one receiver unit; decompressing the compressed audio data to generate decompressed audio signals; and stimulating the hearing of the user(s) according to decompressed audio signals supplied from the receiver unit. During certain time periods, transmission of compressed audio data is interrupted, and instead, at least one control data block is generated by the transmission unit in such a manner that audio data transmission is replaced by control data block transmission, thereby temporarily interrupting flow of received compressed audio data, each control data block includes a marker recognized by the at least one receiver unit as a control data block and a command for control of the receiver unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Applicant: SONOVA AG
    Inventors: Amre EL-HOIYDI, Marc SECALL
  • Publication number: 20170238103
    Abstract: A hearing assistance system, having first and second hearing devices worn at respective ears of a user, each hearing device having a BLUETOOTH® interface for wireless reception from an external audio source device, the hearing devices being adapted to establish a binaural data link between each other, wherein the hearing devices are adapted to define first and second sets of BLUETOOTH® profiles assigned to the first and second hearing devices respectively, with the first set and the second set differing by at least one profile, wherein the first devices are adapted to establish a BLUETOOTH® connection to an external device and to advertise their BLUETOOTH® profile to the external device, wherein the hearing devices are adapted to modify, by data exchange via the binaural link, the first and second set of BLUETOOTH® profiles by moving at least one of the profiles from one of the sets to the other set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Stephan GEHRING, Daniel LUCAS-HIRTZ
  • Patent number: D804034
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: SONOVA AG
    Inventors: Bruno Gabathuler, Erich Dittli, Richard Niccolai, Hans Georg Meier, Katja Dietrich
  • Patent number: D804035
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: SONOVA AG
    Inventors: Bruno Gabathuler, Erich Dittli, Richard Niccolai, Hans Georg Meier, Katja Dietrich
  • Patent number: D806648
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Martyn Beedham, Stefanie Klein