Wireless communication between personal electronic devices and hearing aids using high frequency audio and ultrasound

Hearing aids continue to be the main intervention for hearing loss but ease of use and control is of concern due to the small size of these aids. While technological advances in Bluetooth Low Energy have allowed for improved wireless control, in particular between personal electronic devices, its use for communication with hearing aids is problematic due to limited battery life. This paper outlines the implementation of acoustic wireless communication between personal electronic devices and hearing aids using On-Off Keying (OOK) and Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) between the frequencies of 16 and 20 kHz. Reliable communication with bit error rates less than 10(-3) were achieved for OOK with maximum data signalling rates of 50, 35.7, and 27.8 bits per second (bps) obtained over 1, 2, and 3 metres respectively, while FSK provided maximum data signalling rates of 83.3, 50, and 27.8 bps over the same distances. (C) 2018 Acoustical Society of America.