Patents by Inventor Hans-Ueli Roeck

Hans-Ueli Roeck has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20210204078
    Abstract: The disclosed technology comprises a non-metallic rechargeable battery casing for a hearing device. For example, the battery casing comprises a polymer or plastic that encapsulates the battery chemistry (e.g., Li-Ion). The battery design has no additional metallic layers or metallic casing; rather, the battery is comprised of non-metallic lid, non-metallic can, and the battery chemistry is inside the non-metallic lid and can.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Erich Dittli
  • Patent number: 11044564
    Abstract: An exemplary hearing system that is configured to assist a user in hearing includes a behind-the-ear (BTE) component that includes a power source and an in-the-ear (ITE) component configured to fit at least partially within an ear canal of the user. The ITE component may include a microphone arranged so as to face outside of the ear canal of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user, a vent opening configured to ventilate the ear canal of the user to an environment outside of the ear canal, a receiver configured to provide an audio signal to the user based on an input audio signal detected by the microphone, and at least one of active noise control circuitry configured to reduce at least one of environmental noise entering the ear canal through the vent opening and occlusion and an active vent configured to control the vent opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Christian Frei, Konstantin Silberzahn, Markus Mueller, Markus Leuthold
  • Patent number: 11032654
    Abstract: A method for the broadcasting of sound to persons (10, 20, 30) with mobile hearing systems (11, 21, 31) at a meeting with a speaker (1) and with an audiovisual system (2, 3, 4), the audiovisual system having a computer (2), a screen (3) and a microphone (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: SONOVA AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Röck, Hilmar Meier, Harald Krueger, Manuela Feilner
  • Patent number: 10993045
    Abstract: An exemplary hearing device includes a first sensor, a second sensor, an audio processing component, and a power management processor. The power management processor may be configured to determine, while the hearing device is in a first low power mode, that the first sensor detects a first state change associated with the hearing device, direct, based on the first sensor detecting the first state change, the hearing device to enter a second low power mode in which the second sensor is active and the audio processing component is inactive, determine, while the hearing device is in the second low power mode, that the second sensor detects a second state change associated with the hearing device, and direct, based on the second sensor detecting the second state change, the hearing device to enter a full power mode in which the audio processing component is active.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Joachim Thiemann, Anne Thielen, Hans-Ueli Roeck, Julia Seiter, Michael Eckardt, Nadim El Guindi, Nina Stumpf
  • Publication number: 20210099811
    Abstract: An exemplary hearing system that is configured to assist a user in hearing includes a behind-the-ear (BTE) component that includes a power source and an in-the-ear (ITE) component configured to fit at least partially within an ear canal of the user. The ITE component may include a microphone arranged so as to face outside of the ear canal of the user while the ITE component is worn by the user, a vent opening configured to ventilate the ear canal of the user to an environment outside of the ear canal, a receiver configured to provide an audio signal to the user based on an input audio signal detected by the microphone, and at least one of active noise control circuitry configured to reduce at least one of environmental noise entering the ear canal through the vent opening and occlusion and an active vent configured to control the vent opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Christian Frei, Konstantin Silberzahn, Markus Mueller, Markus Leuthold
  • Publication number: 20210092536
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a hearing device comprising a housing surrounding a venting channel comprising a valve member moveable relative to the venting channel between different positions comprising a first valve position and a second valve position, an actuator configured to provide an actuation force with a direction and a magnitude acting on the valve member, and a controller a controller configured to provide a first control signal controlling the actuator to provide the actuation force in a first direction, and to provide a second control signal controlling the actuator to provide the actuation force in a second direction. The disclosure further relates to a method of operating such a hearing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Christian Frei, Manuel Weibel, Erwin Kuipers, Maxi Susanne Moritz, Christian Landolt
  • Publication number: 20200312303
    Abstract: The disclosed technology relates to conversation between a wireless communication device with a hearing device user. Based on the context of an initiated conversation, an initiating module within the hearing device can send a listening initiator to a speech recognition module within the hearing device, which can use the listening initiator to determine keywords that are potentially applicable in that a context. The speech recognition module within the hearing device can determine whether keywords associated with the context of a conversation are spoken by the user. Accordingly, the hearing device does not need a large vocabulary speech recognition module or computation resources equivalent to a laptop or desktop, which saves power and resources and makes a hearing device integrated keyword detection useful for different contexts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventor: Hans-Ueli Roeck
  • Publication number: 20200314561
    Abstract: A hearing aid, including an inertial sensor for detecting movement of the hearing aid, and a power mode controller connected to the inertial sensor through a threshold comparison unit and adapted to switch the hearing aid off or into a low power mode if the threshold comparison unit detects that a characteristic of a signal including information on the movement detected by the inertial sensor is below a certain threshold. Also, a method for controlling a power mode of a hearing aid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Nadim El Guindi, Nina Stumpf, Hilmar Meier, Hans-Ueli Roeck
  • Patent number: 10701492
    Abstract: A method of monitoring state of health of a rechargeable battery (11) comprised within a hearing device (1) is provided, the rechargeable battery (11) being adapted to provide energy for electronic components (2, 8) of the hearing device (1), the method comprising the steps of: dividing a usage time of the hearing device (1) into time slots, determining a number of full equivalent charges applied to the rechargeable battery (11) in each of the time slots, and determining a performance level of the rechargeable battery (11) in dependence on the number of full equivalent charges per time slot. Furthermore, a hearing device adapted to perform the method and an arrangement with the hearing device are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Kathrin Vuille-Dit-Bille, Fethi Cherigui, Sahba Aazami, Jonas Hoegberg
  • Publication number: 20200160867
    Abstract: An automatic audio transcription method comprises: sending an audio stream and an identifier of the audio stream from a microphone device to an audio support server and to at least one hearing aid system comprising a hearing aid and a portable device connected to the hearing aid; playing the audio stream with the hearing aid; registering the at least one hearing aid system at the audio support server by sending the identifier from the hearing aid system to the audio support server; transcribing the audio stream into a text stream; sending the text stream from the audio support server to the portable device associated with the identifier of the audio stream; and displaying the text stream with the portable device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Inventor: Hans-Ueli ROECK
  • Patent number: 10623875
    Abstract: This invention relates to a hearing aid comprising at least one electroacoustic transducer; a signal processing circuitry, configured to receive from the at least an electroacoustic transducer an electrical input signal and/or to provide said at least an electroacoustic transducer with an electrical output signal; and power supply means configured to provide power to the electroacoustic transducer and to said signal processing circuitry; wherein the hearing aid further comprises at least one electroosmotic porous membrane configured to transport liquid and/or vapor outside of the hearing aid, or away from a component thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Markus Mueller
  • Publication number: 20200092665
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of operating a hearing system comprising a first hearing device configured to be worn at a first ear of a user, and a second hearing device configured to be worn at a second ear of the user. The disclosure further relates to a hearing system and a hearing device of the hearing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventor: Hans-Ueli Roeck
  • Publication number: 20200037074
    Abstract: A method for the broadcasting of sound to persons (10, 20, 30) with mobile hearing systems (11, 21, 31) at a meeting with a speaker (1) and with an audiovisual system (2, 3, 4), the audiovisual system having a computer (2), a screen (3) and a microphone (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Applicant: SONOVA AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli RÖCK, Hilmar MEIER, Harald KRUEGER, Manuela FEILNER
  • Patent number: 10306380
    Abstract: A hearing assistance system having a first hearing device worn at a first of a user's ears, a second hearing device worn at a second of the user's ears, and an external audio source device for transmitting an external audio data stream, each hearing device having an interface for wireless data exchange with the external device, including receipt of the external audio data stream, the hearing devices being adapted to establish a binaural link between the first and second hearing devices, the hearing assistance system being adapted to estimate the quality of at least one of the links from the external device to the hearing devices. The hearing assistance system is adapted to dynamically adjust the coding of the audio stream transmitted by the external device according to the estimated quality of the at least one of the links from the external device to the hearing devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Stephan Gehring
  • Patent number: 10284971
    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: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Marc Secall, Hans-Ueli Roeck, Francois Callias, Manuela Feilner
  • Patent number: 10231069
    Abstract: A method for evaluating an individual hearing benefit of an advanced hearing device feature, including providing a basic and an advanced hearing device feature in a hearing device, automatically classifying a current hearing situation, automatically selecting the advanced hearing device feature dependent on the classified hearing situation, applying the selected advanced hearing device feature for processing an audio signal, providing the processed audio signal to an output transducer of the hearing device, indicating to the user that the advanced hearing device feature is currently being applied, and providing a control for the user to switch off and on an effect of the second hearing device feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: SONOVA AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Hubert Lechner
  • Publication number: 20190075404
    Abstract: A method of monitoring state of health of a rechargeable battery (11) comprised within a hearing device (1) is provided, the rechargeable battery (11) being adapted to provide energy for electronic components (2, 8) of the hearing device (1), the method comprising the steps of: dividing a usage time of the hearing device (1) into time slots, determining a number of full equivalent charges applied to the rechargeable battery (11) in each of the time slots, and determining a performance level of the rechargeable battery (11) in dependence on the number of full equivalent charges per time slot. Furthermore, a hearing device adapted to perform the method and an arrangement with the hearing device are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: March 7, 2019
    Applicant: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Kathrin Vuille-Dit-Bille, Fethi Cherigui, Sahba Aazami, Jonas Hoegberg
  • Publication number: 20180376264
    Abstract: This invention relates to a hearing aid comprising at least one electroacoustic transducer; a signal processing circuitry, configured to receive from the at least an electroacoustic transducer an electrical input signal and/or to provide said at least an electroacoustic transducer with an electrical output signal; and power supply means configured to provide power to the electroacoustic transducer and to said signal processing circuitry; wherein the hearing aid further comprises at least one electroosmotic porous membrane configured to transport liquid and/or vapor outside of the hearing aid, or away from a component thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Publication date: December 27, 2018
    Applicant: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Markus Mueller
  • Publication number: 20180317024
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of operating a hearing aid (1), comprising the steps of receiving (100; 101) ambient audio information (20) by at least one microphone (2) of the hearing aid (1), to provide an ambient audio signal (20s); and an alternative audio information (30) by at least an interface unit (3) of the hearing aid (1), to provide an alternative audio signal (30s), wherein the alternative audio information (30) is transmitted by an alternative audio source (8). The present method comprises additionally the steps of weighting the alternative audio signal (30s) and the ambient audio signal, to form a weighted alternative audio signal (110) and a weighted ambient signal (109), respectively; mixing (111) the weighted alternative audio signal and the weighted ambient audio signal to produce a combined audio signal; generating (112) an output signal based on the combined audio signal; and supplying (112) an output signal to a receiver (5) of the hearing aid (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: Sonova AG
    Inventor: Hans-Ueli ROECK
  • Publication number: 20180234777
    Abstract: A hearing assistance system having a first hearing device worn at a first of a user's ears, a second hearing device worn at a second of the user's ears, and an external audio source device for transmitting an external audio data stream, each hearing device having an interface for wireless data exchange with the external device, including receipt of the external audio data stream, the hearing devices being adapted to establish a binaural link between the first and second hearing devices, the hearing assistance system being adapted to estimate the quality of at least one of the links from the external device to the hearing devices. The hearing assistance system is adapted to dynamically adjust the coding of the audio stream transmitted by the external device according to the estimated quality of the at least one of the links from the external device to the hearing devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Applicant: SONOVA AG
    Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Stephan Gehring