US 12,335,690 B2
Near-field magnetic inductance communication with in-ear acoustic devices
Andrew Todd Sabin, Chicago, IL (US); Crystal P. MacKenzie, San Francisco, CA (US); and Colin D. Fletcher, Needham, MA (US)
Assigned to Bose Corporation, Framingham, MA (US)
Filed by Bose Corporation, Framingham, MA (US)
Filed on Mar. 17, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/697,373.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/162,242, filed on Mar. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0303695 A1, Sep. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. H04R 25/00 (2006.01); G02C 11/06 (2006.01); H04B 5/26 (2024.01); H04B 5/72 (2024.01)
CPC H04R 25/554 (2013.01) [G02C 11/06 (2013.01); H04B 5/266 (2024.01); H04B 5/72 (2024.01); H04R 25/50 (2013.01); H04R 2225/025 (2013.01); H04R 2225/43 (2013.01); H04R 2225/55 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
A.) an in-ear acoustic device configured to sit at least partially within a user's ear canal, the in-ear acoustic device comprising:
i.) a first receiver;
ii.) a first coil; and
B.) a head-worn electronic device supported on a user's body outside of the user's ear canal comprising:
i.) a second coil configured to communicate with the first coil via near-field magnetic inductance (NFMI) communication,
wherein the head-worn electronic device is configured to transmit a first processed audio signal to the in-ear acoustic device via NFMI communication, and
wherein the first processed audio signal is used to drive the first receiver,
wherein the in-ear acoustic device further comprises:
a first microphone; and
first signal processing circuitry electrically connected to the first microphone, the first receiver, and the first coil; and
the head-worn electronic device further comprises:
a second microphone; and
second signal processing circuitry electrically connected to the second microphone and the second coil,
wherein the head-worn electronic device is configured to:
receive one or more first microphone signals from the first microphone and/or the second microphone;
process the one or more first microphone signals via the second signal processing circuitry to produce the first processed audio signal; and
transmit the first processed audio signal to the hearing assistance device via the second coil,
wherein the system further comprises a computing device,
wherein the head-worn electronic device includes a wireless communication module for communicating with the computing device,
wherein the head-worn electronic device is configured to receive one or more settings from the computing device and processes the one or more first microphone signals according to the settings,
wherein the settings comprise: an active noise cancellation (ANC) level; beamforming parameters; null steering parameters; and/or signal processing parameters for hearing aid processing.