US 11,991,501 B2
Audio synchronization for hearing devices
Chaitanya Jidge, Chanhassen, MN (US); Jacob Christian Kyro, Bloomington, MN (US); and Jeffrey Paul Solum, Greenwood, MN (US)
Assigned to Starkey Laboratories, Inc., Eden Prairie, MN (US)
Appl. No. 17/756,791
Filed by Starkey Laboratories, Inc., Eden Prairie, MN (US)
PCT Filed Dec. 3, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/070848
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 2, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/113868, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 10, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/942,954, filed on Dec. 3, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0007411 A1, Jan. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. H04R 25/00 (2006.01); H04W 56/00 (2009.01)
CPC H04R 25/554 (2013.01) [H04W 56/001 (2013.01); H04R 2225/021 (2013.01); H04R 2225/023 (2013.01); H04R 2225/025 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
12. A system, comprising:
a first hearing device configured to be worn in a first ear of a wearer, the first hearing device configured to receive an audio packet from a host device, the audio packet compatible with a wireless low energy digital communication protocol;
a second hearing device configured to be worn in a second ear of the wearer, the second hearing device configured to receive the audio packet from the host device;
wherein the first hearing device and the second hearing device each include one or more processors and memory programmed with instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
upon one or more programmable conditions, initiating a synchronization procedure by wirelessly sending a synchronization packet including a sequence number associated with the audio packet from the first hearing device to the second hearing device using an ear-to-ear connection;
wirelessly sending an acknowledgment packet from the second hearing device to the first hearing device using the ear-to-ear connection upon receipt of the synchronization packet;
unmuting a first transducer at the first hearing device and a second transducer at the second hearing device; and
delivering synchronized audio to the first ear using the first transducer and to the second ear using the second transducer.