WO2019117806A1

WO2019117806A1 - Hearing aid spectacles

Info

Publication number: WO2019117806A1
Application number: PCT/SG2018/050601
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stuart KERR
Original assignee: Rock Human Devices Pte. Ltd.
Priority date: 2017-12-11
Filing date: 2018-12-10
Publication date: 2019-06-20

Abstract

The present invention discloses a spectacle frame comprising lens holders for supporting lenses therein. The frame is configured for enhancing hearing of a user and comprises a first temple and a second temple pivotably secured to each of the lens holder, a microphone disposed on each of the first temple and the second temple, a hearing aid system disposed on the first temple for receiving and processing audio signals transmitted by the microphones and converting the audio signals into an electrical signal, a bone conduction transducer disposed on each of the rear portion of the first temple and the rear portion of the second temple and configured for receiving the electrical signal from the hearing aid system and converting the electrical signal into an acoustic oscillating wave for transmission to the inner ear via bone conduction.

Description

HEARING AID SPECTACLES

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to hearing aid spectacles, in particular various embodiments relate to a hearing aid system where sound is delivered by means of sound vibrations to the mastoid process or adjacent bone structures in the skull, bypassing the air conduction path of the inner ear.

Background

[0002] The following discussion of the background of the invention is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. However, it should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to was published, known or part of the common general knowledge of the person skilled in the art in any jurisdiction as at the date of the application.

[0003] Hearing aid spectacles in the current state of the art typically uses buttons and sliders as an interface to control certain parameters of the device. Difficulty in accessing parts of the user interface can cause frustration to the user, often needing to temporarily stop wearing the product in order to access parts of the interface. The absence of a detailed display can create confusion for the user. For example, the device status, mode or configuration may not be clear, causing a nuisance to the user.

[0004] The present invention attempts to overcome at least in part some of the aforementioned disadvantages and to provide hearing aid spectacles for hearing loss comprising a glass frame with various range of styles which can be fitted with either prescribed or non-prescribed lenses, and front and rear section frame temples. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0006] In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a spectacle frame comprising lens holders for supporting lenses therein, the frame configured for enhancing hearing of a user, comprising: a first temple and a second temple pivotably secured to each of the lens holder; a microphone disposed on each of the first temple and the second temple; a hearing aid system disposed on the first temple for receiving and processing audio signals transmitted by the microphones and converting the audio signals into an electrical signal; a bone conduction transducer disposed on each of the rear portion of the first temple and the rear portion of the second temple and configured for receiving the electrical signal from the hearing aid system and converting the electrical signal into an acoustic oscillating wave for transmission to the inner ear via bone conduction; a power supply unit disposed on the second temple and operably connected to the hearing aid system; and a detection mechanism disposed on the first temple, the detection mechanism configured to activate the hearing aid system when the first temple is in an open position and configured to deactivate the hearing aid system when the first temple is in a closed position.

[0007] Preferably, the detection mechanism comprises a spring mechanism embedded within the first temple, wherein the spring mechanism includes a coil spring and a push rod disposed within the coil spring such that the coil spring tends to bias the push rod to project partially outwardly from the end of the first temple. [0008] Preferably, a force applied by the lens holder on the push rod causes the push rod to engage a controller on the hearing aid system when the first temple is in an open position.

[0009] Preferably, the open position is defined by the first temple being substantially perpendicular to the spectacle frame.

[0010] Preferably, the closed position is defined by the first temple in a position that is not substantially perpendicular to the spectacle frame.

[0011] Preferably, the detection mechanism comprises a hall-effect sensor embedded within the first temple and a magnet embedded within the spectacle frame, wherein the first temple is movable to an open position such that the magnet and the hall-effect sensor are directly adjacent to each other to produce an electrical signal to activate the hearing aid system and to a closed position such that the magnet and the hall-effect sensor are not within proximity to produce an electrical signal and to deactivate the hearing aid system.

[0012] Preferably, the hearing aid system comprises a wireless communication module configured for communicating with a mobile computing device, wherein the wireless communication module is capable of receiving and transmitting data from the mobile computing device.

[0013] Preferably, the hearing aid system comprises a configuration management module configured to allow a user to configure settings from the mobile computing device.

[0014] Preferably, there is a bone conduction microphone disposed on a nasal bridge of the spectacle frame.

[0015] Preferably, a rear portion of the first temple and a rear portion of the second temple are flexibly disposed to provide a sufficient contact force between each of the bone conduction transducers and a mastoid process of a wide variety of users with varying head shapes and sizes. [0016] In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided spectacle frame for supporting lenses therein, the frame configured for enhancing hearing of a user, comprising:

a first temple and a second temple pivotably secured to each side of the frame; a microphone disposed on each of the first temple and the second temple;

a bone conduction transducer disposed on one end of each of the first temple and the second temple, each of the bone conduction transducer configured for providing sufficient contact force on a mastoid process of the user;

a hearing aid system for receiving audio signals from the microphones and converting the audio signals into an electrical signal for transmission to the bone conduction transducers; wherein the hearing aid system includes a wireless

communication module configured for receiving and transmitting data to and from a mobile computing device.

[0017] Preferably, the rear portion of the first temple and the rear portion of the second temple are more flexible than a front portion of the first temple and the second temple.

[0018] Preferably, the sufficient contact force is no more than 2.5N.

[0019] Preferably, the rear portion of the first temple and the rear portion of the second temple comprise a composite material having a lower percentage of reinforcing fiber than the front portion of the first temple and the front portion of the second temple.

[0020] Preferably, the composite material includes one or more of the following: Kevlar, Carbon fibre, Fibreglass, or High Strength High Temperature (HSHT) Fibreglass.

[0021] Preferably, the front portion of the temple is relatively thicker than the rear portion of the temple. [0022] Preferably, each of the rear portion of the first temple and the second temple includes a corrugated surface on a portion of its length.

[0023] To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more aspects include the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. The dimensions of the various features or elements may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In the following description, various embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a spectacle frame for enhancing hearing of a user;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a top cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the spectacle frame for enhacing hearing of the user;

[0027] FIGS. 3A and 3B are top partial cross-sectional views of a preferred embodiment of a spectacle frame;

[0028] FIGS. 4A and 4B are top partial cross-sectional views of a preferred embodiment of a spectacle frame;

[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a bone conduction hearing aid system on a spectacle frame in accordance with the present invention; and

[0030] FIG. 6 provides an illustration of the combination of sound waves received from a plurality of microphones disposed on the spectacle frame. Detailed Description

[0031] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific details and embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments may be utilized and structural, and logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The various embodiments are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments.

[0032] The term“coupled” (or“connected”) herein may be understood as electrically coupled or as mechanically coupled, for example attached or fixed or attached, or just in contact without any fixation, and it will be understood that both direct coupling or indirect coupling (in other words: coupling without direct contact) may be provided.

[0033] In an embodiment, a "module" may be understood as any kind of a logic implementing entity, which may be special purpose circuitry or a processor executing software stored in a memory, firmware, or any combination thereof. Thus, in an embodiment, a "module" may be a hard- wired logic circuit or a programmable logic circuit such as a programmable processor, e.g. a microprocessor (e.g. a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) processor or a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor). A "module" may also be a processor executing software, e.g. any kind of computer program, e.g. a computer program using a virtual machine code such as e.g. Java. Any other kind of implementation of the respective functions which will be described in more detail below may also be understood as a "circuit" in accordance with an alternative embodiment.

[0034] Accordingly, in one or more example embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include a random- access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the aforementioned types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

[0035] In the specification the term“comprising” shall be understood to have a broad meaning similar to the term“including” and will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. This definition also applies to variations on the term “comprising” such as“comprise” and“comprises”.

[0036] In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, particular embodiments will now be described by way of examples and not limitations, and with reference to the figures. It will be understood that any property described herein for a specific system may also hold for any system described herein. It will be understood that any property described herein for a specific method may also hold for any method described herein. Furthermore, it will be understood that for any system or method described herein, not necessarily all the components or steps described must be enclosed in the system or method, but only some (but not all) components or steps may be enclosed.

[0037] Various embodiments are provided for systems, and various embodiments are provided for methods. It will be understood that basic properties of the systems also hold for the methods and vice versa. Therefore, for sake of brevity, duplicate description of such properties may be omitted.

[0038] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a spectacle frame for enhancing hearing of a user. The spectacle frame 1 may be made of plastic, metal, composite materials or fiber-reinforced composite materials. The spectacle frame 1 includes a first lens holder 2 and a second lens holder 4, each of the lens holder for receiving lenses. The lenses may include prescribed lenses or tinted lenses that provide UV protection, or any other lenses for aesthetic purposes. The spectacle frame 1 also includes a first temple 4 and a second temple 5 for supporting the spectacle frame 1 against the left and right temples of a wearer. Each of the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 are pivotally secured to the side of the first lens holder 2 and the second lens 4 holder respectively though a joint (not shown). Each of the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 may comprise a front portion and a rear portion. The front portions of the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 are disposed proximally to the first and second lens holder respectively while the rear portion of the first temple and the second temple extends from the front portion of the first temple and the second temple respectively, and are located proximally to the ears of the user. The front portion and the rear portion of the first temple 4 may be separate pieces that are joined together to form the first temple 4 or they may be fabricated as a single piece. A similar configuration applies to the second temple 5. The rear portions of the first temple and the second temple comprise a composite material that may include a lower percentage of reinforcing fiber than the front portions of the first temple and the second temple. The lower percentage of reinforcing fiber in the composite material allows the rear portions of the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 to provide variable flexibility along its longitudinal portion, and allows the rear portion to be more flexible than the front portion. According to various embodiments, the composite material used for the rear portions of the first temple and the second temple may have a composition of reinforcing fiber that is lower than that of the front portions of the first temple and the second temple that ranges from about 0%-60%. Alternatively, the variable flexibility of the rear portion and the front portion of the first temple and the second temple can be achieved by varying the thickness or dimensions of the rear portion and the front portions of the temple to allow for varying flexibility, even if the same percentage of fiber-reinforcement is used throughout, for the purpose of making a single frame fit a larger percentage of users compared with a consistently rigid frame. Alternatively, the variable flexibility of the rear portions and the front portions of the first temple and the second temple can be achieved by having a corrugated surface for at least a portion of the rear portions.

[0039] According to various embodiments, the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 may be made of one or more of the following materials , but not limited to : Kevlar, Carbon fibre, Fibreglass, or High Strength High Temperature (HSHT) Fibreglass.

[0040] According to various embodiments, the type of reinforcing material used in the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 may be of a short fibre, a long fibre, or a continuous fibre.

[0041] According to various embodiments, the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 may be made using a 3D printer.

[0042] According to various embodiments, the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 may be made using injection molding technologies.

[0043] The distal ends of the rear portions of the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 also include a bone conduction transducer. The bone conduction transducer 30, 31 may comprise a transducer for conversion between an electrical signal and an acoustic oscillating wave. It can be a piezoelectric component, PVDF (polymer of vinylidene fluoride) thin-film electronic component, electromagnetic component, electro-acoustic component, or any other component capable for conversion between electrical and mechanical energies. The bone conduction transducer 30, 31 may convert an electrical signal into an acoustic oscillating wave and transmitting the acoustic oscillating wave into the inner ear via the mastoid process located just behind the ear canal and lateral to the styloid process, or via bone structures adjacent to the mastoid process. The bone conduction transducer 30, 31 may be attached to the rear portions of the first temple and the second temple by using chemical adhesives or it may be partially embedded or fully embedded within the first temple and the second temple. [0044] Spectacle frames that feature bone conduction technology requires good contact with the skin behind the ear in order to create a compelling experience for a user. Across all humans, there are typical anatomy variations of a human head that can lead to difficulty in ensuring a spectacle frame with bone conduction transducers fitting a specific user and provide proper contact with the bone conduction transducers. In the case of bone conduction transducers, a specific ideal force is required to be applied by the transducer to the head across all wearers of the spectacle frame to allow adequate transfer of acoustic energy from the transducer to the skull bone.

[0045] According to various embodiments, the force to be applied by the transducer to the head in order to be worn for a continuous period of up to 16 hours is no more than 2.5N.

[0046] Each of the bone conduction transducers 30, 31 include a subassembly that comprises a transducer component and a cover mounted over the transducer component. According to various embodiments, the bone conduction transducers have a flat, convex or concave surface in order to control the pressure felt by the user at the contact point while up to 2.5N of force is applied. In addition, it maximises consistency of pressure applied across various skull sizes.

[0047] The rear portions of the first temple 4 and the second temple 5 are made of a composite material comprising a relatively lower percentage of reinforcing fiber than the front portion of the first temple and the second temple. The composition of reinforcing material in the rear portion of the first temple and the second temple may comprise less reinforcing material than the front portion of the first temple and the second temple. This allows for an acceptable range of force that is no more than 2.5N to be applied by the bone conduction transducer 30, 31 to the skull bone across 95th percentile of primary target users. The force to be applied is configured to strike a balance between providing comfort and providing a sufficient force required for the skull bone to efficiently conduct sound from the bone conduction transducer. [0048] FIG. 2 is a top cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the spectacle frame for enhancing hearing of a user. The spectacle frame may include a hearing aid system 100 that is partially or fully embedded in the first temple or the second temple. Details of the hearing aid system 100 will be explained in a later section. The spectacle frame also comprises a power supply unit 80 partially or fully embedded in the first temple or second temple. The power supply unit 80 provides power that is necessary for the functioning of the hearing aid system 100 and are electrically coupled to each other by a cable assembly 9. The power supply unit 80 may be a rechargeable battery cell or a single cell lithium ion battery cell. To provide indication of the charging status of the power supply unit 80, at least one light emitting diode (LED) type indicator 12, 13 illuminates when the power supply unit 80 is in a state of charging. This provides an immediate visual indication of the battery status of the hearing aid system 100. The spectacle frame comprises at least one light indicator 12, 13 that is electrically coupled to the hearing aid system 100 and may be partially or fully embedded in the first temple or the second temple. When the light indicator 12, 13 is embedded within the first temple or the second temple, it will not be visible to the users until the light indicator is illuminated. If the light indicator 12, 13 is partially or fully embedded within the first temple or the second temple, the first temple or the second temple provides for a transparent portion to ensure that the light indicator 12, 13 will be visible to the user when the light indicator is illuminated. The function of the light indicator 12, 13 is to inform the user on the power availability of the power supply unit 80 when battery power is low and when the battery is fully charged.

[0049] The hearing aid system 100 includes an input port for charging the power supply unit 80 when power supply runs low. When a charging unit is connected to the hearing aid system 100 via a USB port, the light indicator 12 will illuminate‘green’ to indicate to the user that it is in chargeable condition and the light indicator 13 will illuminate‘red’ to indicate that the power supply unit 80 is being charged. When the power supply unit 80 is fully charged, the red light will stop illuminating. However, the green light will remain on until the charging unit is disconnected. There are no restrictions on the user to use the hearing aid system 100 whilst it is being charged apart from the user comfort perception. In the event that the power availability in the power supply unit 80 is low, there are three ways to notify the user of the low charge state, the first is by displaying a low battery notification on the graphical user-interface application on a mobile computing device, the second is by sound notification, and the third is by the light indicator 13 flashing red. This is done to cover scenarios where the user does not or is unable to open the client application on the mobile device.

[0050] The spectacle frame may include at least one microphone, 20, 21 located on the first temple 4 and/or the second temple 5 of the spectacle frame. The microphones 20, 21 may be partially embedded within the first temple 4 and/or the second temple 5, with the microphones 20, 21 facing outwards and away from the user. The microphone 20, 21, captures audio signals from ambient sounds or from voices from one or more persons around the user and transmits the audio signals to a signal processing module within the hearing aid system 100, details of which will be explained in a later section. The microphone, 20, 21, is electrically coupled to the hearing aid system 100.

[0051] According to various embodiments, the microphone 20, 21 can be a combination of, but not limited to, analog, digital, MEMS, electret, active, passive, directional or omni-directional.

[0052] One of the problems associated with spectacle frames with integrated hearing aid devices is the use of manual controls, for example, buttons or sliders on the spectacle frames to control certain parameters of the hearing aid device. Difficulty in accessing parts of the user interface can cause frustration to the user, often needing to temporarily stop wearing the product in order to access parts of the interface. The present invention addresses this problem by providing for a spectacle frame with no manual controls on the frame.

[0053] According to various embodiments, the spectacle frame 1 includes at least one sensor 10 that detects the presence or contact of the user with the first temple 4 and/or the second temple 5. The sensor 10 is disposed on the first temple 4 or the second temple 5 and may be partially or fully embedded within the first temple 4 or the second temple 5. The sensor 10 is electrically coupled to a sensor module 140 of the hearing aid system 100. When the sensor 10 detects the presence or contact of the user with the first temple 4 or the second temple 5, an initiating phase or“wake-up” sequence is triggered and cause a first timer in the sensor module 140 to be initiated. Once the timer exceeds a predetermined time period and the sensor 10 continues to detect the presence or contact of the user with the first temple 4 or the second temple 5, the user will hear a sound indicating that the hearing aid system 100 is in an“active” mode. In the event that sensor 10 does not detect the contact of the user with the first temple 4 or the second temple 5 before the predetermined time period, the hearing aid system 100 will remain in a“standby” or “sleep” mode. When the hearing aid system 100 is in the“active” mode, and if the sensor 10 does not detect the presence or contact of the user with the first temple or the second temple, a terminating phase or a“power-down” sequence is triggered and a second timer is initiated. When the sensor 10 does not detect the presence or contact of the user with the first temple or the second temple after a predetermined time period, the hearing aid system 100 will automatically enter into a“sleep” mode. In the event that the sensor 10 detects the presence or contact of the user with the first temple or the second temple before the predetermined time period, the hearing aid system 100 remain in the“active mode”.

[0054] According to various embodiments, the sensor 10 is a capacitive sensor configured to sense a contact between the skin of the user, for example, the user’s head, and the first and second temple of the spectacle frame.

[0055] According to various embodiments, other types of sensors may be used, for example, proximity sensors, infrared reflectance sensors, or time of flight sensors.

[0056] The spectacle frame is intended to be packaged and sent to users with the power supply unit 80 being in a pre-charged state (fully or partially), to enable users to begin using the spectacle frame immediately after receiving it. [0057] In another embodiment, Figures 3A and 3B illustrate a detection mechanism 200 to detect the opening and closing of the temples of the spectacle frame. The detection mechanism 200 utilises a spring mechanism. The use of the detection mechanism 200 provides the benefit of conserving power when the spectacle frame is not in use by deactivating the hearing aid system 100 and activating the hearing aid system 100 when the spectacle frame is worn by a wearer. Fig. 3A shows a spring mechanism embedded within the temple. The spring mechanism comprises a coil spring 220 and a push rod disposed within the spring, i.e. the coil spring substantially encircles the push rod. The push rod may be made of a conductive or a non-conductive material. The spring mechanism works in a similar way to a push switch and is configured to move the push rod from an ‘active’ mode to a‘sleep mode’ or vice versa. Fig. 3A depicts the spring mechanism in a ‘sleep’ mode. When the spectacle frame 1 is not being worn on the wearer, i.e., the temple 4 is in a closed or substantially closed position, the coil spring 220 biases the push rod away from the end of the temple such that part of the push rod protrudes from the end of the temple. The closed position is defined as a position of the temple that does not cause the hearing aid system to be activated. When the push rod protrudes from the end of the temple by the coil spring 220, it loses contact with a controller (not shown) on the hearing aid system 100 that causes the hearing aid system 100 to deactivate to a‘sleep’ mode. The controller may be a push button, a controller button, or a switch. Fig. 3B shows the spring mechanism in its compressed state as it is being displaced towards the lens holder, or when the spectacle is being worn on the wearer. As the spring becomes fully compressed when the temple is in an extended position or substantially perpendicular to the lens holder, the lens holder provides an opposing force to cause the movement of the push rod 210 from its partially protruded position towards the controller of the hearing aid system, and to depress the controller to activate the hearing aid system 100. In this manner, when the spring mechanism is compressed, it exerts a force or continuous pressure on the controller of the hearing aid system 100 to thereby activate the hearing aid system 100. When the spring mechanism is at rest, it loses contact with the controller of the hearing aid system 100 and proceeds to deactivate the hearing aid sytem 100 to a‘sleep’ mode. [0058] In yet another embodiment, Figures 4a and 4b illustrates a detection mechanism 200 that utilizes magnetic means to detect the opening and closing of the temples of the spectacle frames. The spectacle frame and the temples are pivotally connected by a hinge torsion spring. The detection mechanism 200 can be activated by magnetic forces. For example, there can be a magnetic sensor or a Hall effect sensor 240 embedded within the temple 4 proximate to a joint of the spectacle frames. Figs. 4A and 4B show a section of a pair of spectacle frames with such a sensor. The Hall effect sensor 240 is electrically connected to the hearing aid system 100. When the temple 4 is in its extended position as illustrated in Fig. 4B, as when the spectacles are ready to be worn, the sensor 240 will be directly adjacent to a magnet 230 embedded within or partially on a lens holder at the corresponding joint. At this position, the magnet would activate the Hall effect sensor 240 to produce an electrical signal that is dependent on the magnitude and polarity of the magnetic flux incident upon the sensor240. The electrical signal generated causes the hearing aid system 100 to be activated to the‘active’ mode. When the spectacle frame is taken off from the user and the temple 4 is in its closed position as shown in Fig. 4A, the Hall effect sensor will no longer be in contact or near the magnet 230 inside the lens holder 2. The closed position is defined as a position of the temple that does not cause the hearing aid system to be activated. In this manner, no electrical signal will be produced by the Hall effect sensor and the hearing aid system 100 will be deactivated accordingly to the‘sleep’ mode.

[0059] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a hearing aid system 100 100 embedded on a spectacle frame. The hearing aid system 100 is coupled to the microphones 20, 21, and the bone conduction transducer 30, 31. As mentioned above, the microphones 20, 21 are located on the first temple and the second temple and are preferably facing outwards so as to capture ambient sound from around the user. Each of the bone conduction transducer 30, 31 are disposed on each end of the rear portion of the first temple and the second temple and are arranged so that the bone conduction transducer 30, 31 contact each of the mastoid process of the user’s ears. The hearing aid system 100 is powered by a power supply unit 80 attached to or embedded within the spectacle frame. The power supply unit 80 may be a battery or any other means capable of providing the necessary working power to the bone conduction hearing aid system 100. According to various embodiments, the power supply unit 80 is a single cell or multiple cell rechargeable lithium ion or rechargeable lithium ceramic battery.

[0060] The hearing aid system 100 includes a signal processing module and an audio processing module 160. The signal processing module and the audio processing module 160 are electrically coupled to each other for processing input signals from the microphones 20, 21, and outputting processed audio signals to the bone conduction transducer 30, 31.

[0061] The hearing aid system 100 may include a memory module 110 configured to store data to be broadcasted. The bone conduction hearing aid system 100 may include a wireless communication module 180 configured to establish a wireless communication with a mobile computing device 200. The bone conduction hearing aid system 100 may further include a transmitter 130 configured to transmit data stored in the memory module l lOor to transmit data based on data from any of the other modules. The wireless communication module 180 may be configured to receive information or data from a mobile computing device 200. The mobile computing device 200 (hereinafter referred to as the‘mobile device’) can comprise a portable computing device such as a laptop, a smart mobile phone, a tablet PC, or any other appropriate storage and/or communication device to exchange data via a web browser. According to various embodiments, the transmitter 130 may be configured to transmit data based on at least one of a short range radio communication protocol, a Bluetooth communication protocol, a ZigBee communication protocol, a Wireless Local Area Network communication protocol, or an infrared communication protocol.

[0062] The mobile device 200 is capable of executing a client application configured for use with the hearing aid system 100. Preferably, the client application may be implemented using any suitable programming language, for example, JavaScript and is preferably platform or operating system independent, to provide portability of the application to different mobile devices. According to various embodiments, it is intended that the client application be installed on the mobile device 200 by accessing a suitable software repository remotely via the internet.

[0063] When the hearing aid system 100 is in the“active” or“sleep” modes, a mobile device 200 will immediately begin scanning its proximity for pairing with the wireless communication module 180 of the hearing aid system 100. The mobile device 200 will automatically attempt to“pair” with the wireless communication module 180, and request the user to confirm or cancel the pairing via the graphical user-interface on the mobile device 200. Once paired, the user may open the client application on the mobiile device 200 and the hearing aid system 100 will transmit the data via the transmitter 130 to the mobile device 200. The data may be information relating to battery life, equaliser, gain setting etc. In the event that the user cancels the pairing or the mobile device 200 is not paired with the wireless communication module 180 after a fixed duration of time, the hearing aid system 100 will continue to operate with the pre-configured settings. If at any point the user opens the client application on their mobile device 200 when the hearing aid system 100 is in the“active” mode, the process of attempting to pair will be triggered.

[0064] The client application includes one or more software modules where each module is adapted to process and interpret a different type of interaction between the mobile device 200 and the user. Alternatively, the client application may include only a single software module that is adapted to process and interpret a plurality of different types of interaction. The software modules of the client application may be modelled after the modules (in Fig. 3) that are present in the hearing aid system 100. For example, the software modules may include a battery management module 150 and a configuration management module 170, both of which may require the user to provide input or to obtain information.

[0065] The battery management module 150 provides the user with information relating to the power supply availability to the hearing aid system 100. It informs the user of the low availabiliy of power supply by displaying a low battery notification on the client application on the mobile device 200. It also provides the user with the amount of power supply availability in the hearing aid system 100 so that the user can make an informed decision as to whether to charge the power supply unit 80.

[0066] The configuration management module 170 allows a user or an audiologist to configure settings related to the hearing aid system 100. These settings may relate to calibration of audio profiles.

[0067] The power supply unit 80, microphones, 20, 21, bone conduction transducer 30, 31, memory module, the wireless communication module 180, the digital signal processing module 120, the battery management module 150, the sensor module 140, the wireless communication module 180, the transmitter 130, the configuration management module 170 may be coupled with each other, like indicated by the lines in the drawing, for example, electrically coupled, for example using a line or a cable, and/or mechanically coupled.

[0068] Each or any combination of the modules as shown in Figure 3, may be implemented as one or more software modules or objects, one or more specific-purpose processor elements, or as combinations thereof. Suitable software modules, include, by way of example, an executable program, a function, a method call, a procedure, a routine or sub-routine, one or more processor-executable instructions, an object, or a data structure.

[0069] Autophony is the sensation experienced by hearing aid users where their own voice is amplified to a level higher than would be heard by a 'normal' hearing individual, causing distress when the wearer talks while wearing the hearing aid. This is a common problem with hearing aid devices using bone conduction technology, and as a result, does not provide a compelling experience for the user.

[0070] The spectacle frame includes a microphone on each of the first temple and the second temple, both of which posesess uni-direction, cardiod, super-cardiod, or other non- omnidirectional characteristics to pick up the desired ambient sounds which also, by nature, picks up sounds of the wearer's own voice. The microphones 20, 21, are arranged such that the cardiod/unidirectional nature of the microphone allows for minimal pickup of sound waves from the wearer's own voice. In order to further address the autophony problem, a bone conduction microphone 6 is arranged on the spectacle frame so that it picks up only the wearer's own voice, excluding any ambient noise. The bone conduction microphone 6 may be positioned in the vicinity of the nasal bridge of the spectacle frame.

[0071] The audio signals from the microphones 20, 21, located on the first and second temples and the bone conduction microphone 6 located on the nasal bridge of the spectacle frame are each equalised and attenuated according to the microphones characteristics and desired factory-set or user-set equilisation settings. The user’s own voice will be picked up by bone conduction microphone 6 before the same sound waves reach the other microphones, resulting in a possible mismatch in phase beteeen the two signals caused by the difference in speed of sound through the skull and through air. This is illustrated in FIG. 6. The bone conduction voice microphone goes though a delay sequence of variable delay to allow the user’s own voice to be phase matched between the two audio signals. This may be before or after the equalisation stage. This delay may be fixed at the time of production, or may be calibrated during the user setup process through the client application by an audiologist through the configuration management module 170. The two phase-matched signals go through a cancellation process, where the waveform of the bone conduction microphone 6 is subtracted from the other microphones’ signals, resulting in a signal with significant cancellation of the user’s own voice.

[0072] Another problem that is faced by users using hearing aid systems is the sensation of being overwhelmed when they use the hearing aid system for the first time. Their brain experiences a mild shock from the awakening of a new sensation of new sounds that the brain is hearing for the first time. The users will therefore require a gradual ramping of the sound levels over time to avoid overwhelming the user. A method is proposed to slowstart the user’s hearing experience over the course of days or weeks, and gradually ramping the sound level to a desired level over time. [0073] By way of example, a module, or any portion of a module, or any combination of modules of the hearing aid system may be implemented as a“processing system” that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on a chip (SoC), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, any other type of integrated circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0074] While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The scope of the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced.

Claims

1. A spectacle frame comprising lens holders for supporting lenses therein, the frame configured for enhancing hearing of a user, comprising:

a first temple and a second temple pivotably secured to each of the lens holder; a microphone disposed on each of the first temple and the second temple;

a hearing aid system disposed on the first temple for receiving and processing audio signals transmitted by the microphones and converting the audio signals into an electrical signal;

a bone conduction transducer disposed on each of the rear portion of the first temple and the rear portion of the second temple and configured for receiving the electrical signal from the hearing aid system and converting the electrical signal into an acoustic oscillating wave for transmission to the inner ear via bone conduction;

a power supply unit disposed on the second temple and operably connected to the hearing aid system; and

a detection mechanism disposed on the first temple, the detection mechanism configured to activate the hearing aid system when the first temple is in an open position and configured to deactivate the hearing aid system when the first temple is in a closed position.

2. The spectacle frame according to claim 1, wherein the detection mechanism comprises a spring mechanism embedded within the first temple, wherein the spring mechanism includes a coil spring and a push rod disposed within the coil spring such that the coil spring tends to bias the push rod to project partially outwardly from the end of the first temple.

3. The spectacle frame according to claim 2, wherein a biasing force is applied by the lens holder on the push rod to cause the push rod to engage a controller on the hearing aid system when the first temple is in an open position.

4. The spectacle frame according to claim 1, wherein the open position is defined by the first temple being substantially perpendicular to the spectacle frame.

5. The spectacle frame according to claim 1, wherein the closed position is defined by the first temple in a position that is not substantially perpendicular to the spectacle frame.

6. The spectacle frame according to claim 1, wherein the detection mechanism comprises a hall-effect sensor embedded within the first temple and a magnet embedded within the spectacle frame, wherein the first temple is movable to an open position such that the magnet and the hall-effect sensor are directly adjacent to each other to produce an electrical signal to activate the hearing aid system and to a closed position such that the magnet and the hall-effect sensor are not within proximity to produce an electrical signal and to deactivate the hearing aid system.

7. The spectacle frame according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid system

comprises a wireless communication module configured for communicating with a mobile computing device, wherein the wireless communication module is capable of receiving and transmitting data from the mobile computing device.

8. The spectacle frame according to claim 6, wherein the hearing aid system comprises a configuration management module configured to allow a user to configure settings from the mobile computing device.

9. The spectacle frame according to claim 1, further comprising a bone conduction microphone disposed on a nasal bridge of the spectacle frame.

10. The spectacle frame according to claim 1, wherein a rear portion of the first temple and a rear portion of the second temple are flexibly disposed to provide a sufficient contact force between each of the bone conduction transducers and a mastoid process of a wide variety of users with varying head shapes and sizes.

11. A spectacle frame for supporting lenses therein, the frame configured for enhancing hearing of a user, comprising:

12. A spectacle frame for supporting lenses therein, the frame configured for enhancing hearing of a user, comprising:

a hearing aid system for receiving and processing audio signals transmitted by the microphones and converting the audio signals into an electrical signal;

wherein the rear portion of the first temple and the rear portion of the second temple are flexibly disposed to provide a sufficient contact force between each of the bone conduction transducers and a mastoid process of the user.

13. The spectacle frame according to claim 12, wherein the rear portion of the first temple and the rear portion of the second temple are more flexible than a front portion of the first temple and the second temple.

14. The spectacle frame according to claim 12, wherein the sufficient contact force is no more than 2.5N.

15. The spectacle frame according to claim 12, wherein the rear portion of the first temple and the rear portion of the second temple comprise a composite material having a lower percentage of reinforcing fiber than the front portion of the first temple and the front portion of the second temple.

16. The spectacle frame according to claim 15, wherein the composite material includes one or more of the following: Kevlar, Carbon fibre, Fibreglass, or High Strength High Temperature (HSHT) Fibreglass.

17. The spectacle frame according to claim 12, wherein the front portion of the temple is relatively thicker than the rear portion of the temple.

18. The spectacle frame according to claim 12, wherein each of the rear portion of the first temple and the second temple includes a corrugated surface on a portion of its length.