Patent Description:
Ear-wearable devices are devices designed to be worn on, in, or near one or more of a user's ears. Common types of ear-wearable devices include hearing assistance devices (e.g., "hearing aids" and "hearing instruments"), earbuds, headphones, hearables, cochlear implants, and so on. In some examples, an ear- wearable device may be implanted or osseointegrated into a user. Some ear-wearable devices include additional features beyond just environmental sound-amplification. For example, some modern ear-wearable devices include advanced audio processing for improved device functionality, controlling and programming the devices, and beamforming, and some can even communicate wirelessly with external devices including other hearing aids (e.g., for streaming media). <CIT> relates to a hearing device monitoring health related parameters, wherein the monitored parameters are accessible from a central unit and/or from a cloud service. The hearing device informs a health professional via a smartphone in case that the detected levels are within a predefined critical range. <CIT> proposes to use the charger to upload health related data from a BTE hearing device.

The invention for which protection is sought is defined by the independent claims.

In general, this disclosure describes techniques for health monitoring that involve ear-wearable devices and devices that act as accessories to ear-wearable devices.

This disclosure describes a method comprising: obtaining, by the ear-wearable device, sensor data from one or more sensors configured to gather information about a user of the ear-wearable device; determining, by the ear-wearable device, based on the sensor data, whether the user has experienced an acute health event; in response to determining that the user has experienced an acute health event: establishing, by the ear-wearable device, a communication link between the ear-wearable device and a first accessory device, the communication link being a wireless communication link in which the accessory device receives wireless signals generated by the ear-wearable device; and sending, by the ear-wearable device, first health data to the first accessory device via the communication link, the first health data being based on the sensor data; and in response to determining that the user has not experienced the acute health event, sending, by the ear-wearable device, second health data based on the sensor data to a second accessory device while the ear-wearable device is coupled to a charging device that charges a power source of the ear-wearable device.

Other features, objects, and advantages of the techniques described in this disclosure will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

An ear-wearable device may include one or more sensors that gather data about a user of the ear-wearable device. For example, the ear-wearable device may include a heart rate sensor, a photoplethysmography sensor, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, magnetic field sensors, and so on. The data gathered by such sensors may be used to perform health monitoring activities that track various aspects of the health of the user. For example, the data gathered by such sensors may be used by a health monitoring service in health monitoring activities, such as determining whether the user has fallen, whether the user is performing a sufficient amount of exercise, whether the user has a fever, whether the user is experiencing loneliness or depression, whether the user is experiencing tremors, whether the user is experiencing or about to experience a seizure, whether the user's blood glucose is under control, whether the user has a cardiac arrhythmia, and so on.

Various types of users may benefit from health monitoring services. For example, patients under the care of a physician may have chronic disease states which require monitoring by physicians/healthcare professionals. Furthermore, certain people may be identified as being at high-risk for a life-threatening medical episode based on health, or family history. Additionally, a user of a hearing device may want the added security of having key real-time heath-status indicators measured and/or monitored.

The processes required to perform activities of a health monitoring service may require significant amounts of power and computational resources. Because ear-wearable devices are typically designed to be as small as possible, the power sources of ear-wearable devices are commensurately small. Moreover, the computations required to perform activities of a health monitoring service may require the use of complex processing circuits, which may add size and cost to the ear-wearable devices. Thus, performing certain activities of a health monitoring service on an ear-wearable device may be impractical.

As described in this disclosure, a health monitoring system may be implemented that uses one or more accessory devices as support nodes for a set of one or more ear-wearable devices worn by a user. As such, the accessory devices may perform communication and processing activities on behalf of the ear-wearable devices. For instance, the ear-wearable devices may transmit data gathered by sensors to one or more of the accessory devices. The accessory devices may support health monitoring activities by processing the data, retransmitting the data to one or more remote computing systems, or a combination thereof.

The accessory devices may include devices that are specifically designed for use as accessories to the ear-wearable devices. For instance, the accessory devices may include a charging device configured for recharging power sources of the ear-wearable devices. In another example, the accessory devices may include media streamer devices that receive media data from one or more source devices and wirelessly transmit the media data to the ear-wearable devices. The use of such accessory devices as support nodes for the ear-wearable devices may increase the ability of the ear-wearable devices to offload data for processing in a health monitoring system. In this way, a system that includes accessory devices and ear-wearable devices may support health monitoring activities without unduly increasing a computational load of the ear-wearable devices.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example health monitoring system <NUM>, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In the example of <FIG>, health monitoring system <NUM> includes a set of one or more ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, a set of one or more accessory devices 104A through 104N (collectively, "accessory devices <NUM>"), a network <NUM>, and a set of one or more computing devices 108A through 108N (collectively, "computing devices <NUM>"). Additionally, health monitoring system <NUM> may include a set of one or more sensor devices 110A through 110N (collectively, "sensor devices <NUM>"). In other examples of this disclosure, health monitoring system <NUM> may include more, fewer, or different devices, systems, or components. For instance, in some examples, health monitoring system <NUM> does not include computing devices <NUM>, network <NUM>, and/or sensor devices <NUM>.

Each of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may be a device designed for wear at, on, or near an ear of a user <NUM>. User <NUM> may wear a single ear-wearable device or may concurrently wear multiple ear-wearable devices. Ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may comprise one or more of various types of devices configured to provide hearing assistance. For example, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may comprise one or more hearing assistance devices. In another example, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may comprise one or more Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs). In another example, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may comprise one or more cochlear implants, cochlear implant magnets, cochlear implant transducers, and cochlear implant processors. In another example, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may comprise one or more so-called "hearables" that provide various types of functionality. In other examples, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may comprise other types of devices that are wearable in, on, or in the vicinity of the ears of user <NUM>. In other examples, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may comprise other types of devices that are implanted or otherwise osseointegrated with the skull of user <NUM>; wherein the ear-wearable device is able to facilitate stimulation of the ears of user <NUM> via the bone conduction pathway.

In examples where ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> include one or more hearing assistance devices, health monitoring system <NUM> may be referred to as a hearing assistance system. In examples where ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> are hearing-assistance devices, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may be primarily configured to provide sound to user <NUM> for hearing. In some instances, such as when user <NUM> has unilateral hearing loss, user <NUM> may wear a single hearing-assistance device. In other instances, such as when user <NUM> has with bilateral hearing loss, user <NUM> may wear two hearing-assistance devices, with one hearing-assistance device for each ear of user <NUM>.

In general, there are three types of hearing-assistance devices. A first type of hearing-assistance devices includes a housing or shell that is designed to be worn in the ear for both aesthetic and functional reasons and enclose the electronic components of the hearing instrument. Such hearing-assistance devices may be referred to as in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), completely-in-the-canal (CIC), or invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing assistance devices. Some in-the-ear hearing assistance devices instruments have limited capabilities due to their small size and limited volume for housing electronics and power sources. Examples of drawbacks of IIC devices include a shortened battery life, lower fit rates due to the volume of components to be placed in the canal, lack of wireless features like programming and audio streaming, no telecoil, and patient frustration with changing batteries. A second type of hearing-assistance devices, referred to as behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing-assistance devices, include a housing worn behind the ear contains all of the electronic components of the hearing instrument, including the receiver (i.e., the speaker). The receiver conducts sound to an earbud inside the ear via an audio tube. Lastly, a third type of hearing-assistance devices, referred to as a receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing-assistance devices, has a housing worn behind the ear that contains all of the electronic components except for the receiver, which is worn in the ear canal. The output state of a RIC hearing instrument may be electrically connected to the receiver worn in the ear canal.

Accessory devices <NUM> may include devices that are configured for use with ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Example types of accessory devices <NUM> may include charging cases for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, storage cases for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, media streamer devices, phone streamer devices smart televisions, smart speaker devices, medical alarm devices, key fobs, smartwatches, smartphones, motion or presence sensor devices, smart displays, screen-enhanced smart speakers, wireless routers, wireless communication hubs, prosthetic devices, mobility devices, remote microphones, remote controls for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> special-purpose devices, and other types of devices. In some examples, accessory device <NUM> include devices that are specifically designed to be used as accessories of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In some examples, one or more of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or accessory devices <NUM> may be equipped with a virtual personal assistant, such as ALEXA™ from Amazon. or GOOGLE ASSISTANT™ from Google LLC. References in this disclosure to accessory devices <NUM> performing particular actions may refer to one of accessory devices <NUM> performing the particular actions or two or more of accessory devices <NUM> performing the particular actions.

Each of accessory devices <NUM> may be configured to establish a respective communication link between the accessory device and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Such communication links may or may not occur concurrently with each other. Moreover, the communication link between an accessory device and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may be established and disestablished multiple times. In examples where there are multiple ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, a communication link between an accessory device and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may in fact be a communication link solely between the accessory device and one of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

In some examples, the communication link between an accessory device and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> is a wireless communication link in which the accessory device receives radio signals generated by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In some examples, the communication link between an accessory device and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> is an optical communication channel in which the accessory device receives light generated by the ear-wearable device. In some example, the communication link between an accessory device and ear-wearable device(s) is an electrical communication channel in which the accessory device receives electrical pulses generated by the ear-wearable device. In such examples, the communication channel does not involve any intermediate devices, such as network routers or gateways.

In the example of <FIG>, network <NUM> includes a communication network that enables communication between one or more of accessory devices <NUM> and one or more of computing devices <NUM>. Network <NUM> may include a variety of different types of communication networks. For example, network <NUM> may include one or more local area networks, wide area networks, the Internet, a cellular data network, or other types of networks. Network <NUM> may include wired and/or wireless communication links. In some examples, network <NUM> represents any public or private communications network, for transmitting data between computing systems and computing devices. Network <NUM> may include a cellular communication network, such as a <NUM> network, <NUM> LTE network, a <NUM> network, or other cellular communication network using another type of wireless communication technology. Network <NUM> may include a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, or other type of communication network including direct-connections, such as Wi-Fi® direct and inferred direct communication networks. Network <NUM> may include or be communicatively coupled to the Internet or other types of networks, both personal and private. Network <NUM> may include one or more network hubs, network switches, network routers, or any other network equipment, that are operatively inter-coupled thereby providing for the exchange of information between components of health monitoring system <NUM>. One or more of accessory devices <NUM> and computing devices <NUM> may each be operatively coupled to network <NUM> using respective network links. The links coupling accessory devices <NUM> and computing devices <NUM> to network <NUM> may be Ethernet or other types of network connections; such connections may be wireless and/or wired connections.

Computing devices <NUM> may include various types of computing devices. For example, computing devices <NUM> may include server devices, smartphones, personal computers, tablet computers, wireless base stations, other ear-wearable devices, and so on. In some examples, one or more of computing devices <NUM> include devices used by third parties, such as healthcare professionals, family members, other ear-wearable device users, and other types of individuals. This disclosure may refer to a party other than user <NUM> as a third party.

Each of computing devices <NUM> may include a single electronic computing device or combination of two or more electronic computing devices, and may include: a hearing assistance device programmer (e.g., a device used by a medical professional to calibrate, change parameters, or otherwise configure ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, sensor devices <NUM>, and/or accessory devices <NUM> according to a treatment plan or treatment protocol), one or more mobile computing devices (e.g., a mobile phone, laptop computer, tablet computer, automobile computer, or other mobile device), one or more wearable computing devices (e.g., a computerized watch, computerized glasses, and the like), one or more server devices, one or more server blades, one or more personal computers, one or more content delivery network devices, and any other types of mobile, non-mobile, or wearable computing devices. Thus, in general, descriptions in this disclosure of computing devices <NUM> performing particular actions may be interpreted as some combination of one or more mobile, non-mobile, or wearable computing devices performing the particular actions.

Sensor devices <NUM> may include devices having one or more sensors that are configured to gather information about the user of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> (e.g., user <NUM>). In some examples, one or more of sensor devices <NUM> includes a body-worn device, such as a smartwatch, smart glasses, an implantable medical device, a Holter monitor, and so on. Example types of sensors may include electrocardiogram (EKG) sensors, photoplethysmogram sensors, heart rate sensors, body temperature sensors, inertial measurement units (IMUs), accelerometers, gyroscopes, electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors, magnetometers, image sensors, cameras, respiration sensors, pulse oximetry sensors, blood pressure sensors, eye movement sensors, eye-tracking sensors, microphones, pressure sensors, and so on.

Sensors of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or sensor devices <NUM> may generate signals that may be used to monitor user <NUM> for signs of various medical conditions. For example, the sensors may generate signals that may be used to monitor user <NUM> for signs that user <NUM> has fallen. In other examples, the sensors may generate signals that may be used to monitor the heart rate of user <NUM>, generate an electrocardiogram of user <NUM>, measure a respiration rate of user <NUM>, measure a blood pressure of user <NUM>, and measure the blood glucose of user <NUM>. Furthermore, in some examples, the sensors may sense tremors that may be associated with epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, or other conditions. In some examples, one or more of the sensors may measure snoring or signals indicative of the quality of sleep of user <NUM>.

Ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may be configured to communicate with each other and sensor devices <NUM>. Furthermore, at least one of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> is configured to communicate with at least one of accessory devices <NUM>. For example, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, accessory devices <NUM>, and sensor devices <NUM> may communicate wirelessly using wireless communication technology or a wire-based communication technology. Example types of wireless communication technology include Near-Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) technology, a <NUM> technology, a BLUETOOTH™ technology, a WI-FI ™ technology, audible sound signals, ultrasonic communication technology, infrared communication technology, or another type of communication that does not rely on wires to transmit signals between devices. In some examples, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, accessory devices <NUM>, and sensor devices <NUM> may use a <NUM> frequency band for wireless communication. In some examples, sensor devices <NUM> communicate with ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and not with any other devices, such as accessory devices <NUM>. In other examples, one or more of sensor devices <NUM> may communicate with one or more of accessory devices <NUM>. In some examples, one or more of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may communicate with one or more of accessory devices <NUM> via wired communication links (e.g., via a cable, a direct electrical contact communication systems, etc.), wireless communication links (e.g., inductive communication links, audible sound communication links, ultrasonic communication links, infrared communication links, etc.), and other types of wired or non-wireless communication techniques.

Furthermore, in some examples, one or more of accessory devices <NUM> are configured to communicate with other. In some examples, two or more of accessory devices <NUM> communicate with each other via a communication network, such as network <NUM>. As described elsewhere in this disclosure, network <NUM> may include a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, or another type of communication network. In some examples, two or more of accessory devices <NUM> communicate directly with one another. For example, two or more of accessory devices <NUM> may communicate using NFMI technology, a BLUETOOTH™ technology, a ZIGBEE™ technology, audible sound communication, ultrasonic communication, or another type of wireless communication technology. In some examples, two or more of accessory devices <NUM> communicate directly with each other via wired communication links.

In the example of <FIG>, sensor devices <NUM> may communicate with one or more of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Furthermore, in some examples, two or more of sensor devices <NUM> may communicate directly with each other without the involvement of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Although not shown in the example of <FIG>, one or more of sensor devices <NUM> may communicate with one or more of accessory devices <NUM> without the involvement of any of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

It is often the case that user <NUM> or a third party is interested in maintaining or restoring the health of user <NUM>. For example, if user <NUM> is healthy and without a chronic disease state, user <NUM> may be interested in viewing and analyzing vital signs or additional relevant body-sensor data. However, in the past, this required visits to clinics or hospitals where vitals and additional health-state measurements could be made. Improvements in technology allow for wearable sensors to acquire this data, but often require many independent, or invasive, or inconvenient sensors be applied to the wearers body. In some instances, these sensors limit mobility and are cumbersome.

In examples where user <NUM> has a chronic disease state or a family history of being at risk for a health condition, user <NUM> may benefit from wearing body sensors. If user <NUM> were able to provide their relevant body sensor data to a health monitoring service, acute medical emergencies might be averted by noticing trends prior to requiring emergency intervention. Not having the ability to monitor user <NUM> in this way may cause unnecessary hospital and emergency room admissions and may precipitate in medical and financial emergencies for user <NUM>. Furthermore, even if a medical emergency is avoided, the healthcare system might instead require user <NUM> to submit to periodic clinical visits, e.g., to measure vital signs of user <NUM>. However, as above, current options of remotely measuring user <NUM> with existing body-sensors may be cumbersome and inconvenient for user <NUM> and may be significantly less accurate when positioned on a more convenient location of the body, such as a wristwatch.

Further problems may exist because sensor devices <NUM> and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may have limited wireless transmission ranges (e.g., less than <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> feet). For example, sensor devices <NUM> may have wireless transmission ranges that do not significantly exceed ranges necessary to wirelessly communicate with ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> (or other sensor devices <NUM> that are able to communicate with ear-wearable devices). The limited wireless transmission ranges may be attributable to the small sizes of such devices, which may result in small battery capacity, attenuation due to the body of user <NUM>, and other factors. Additionally, conserving battery power may be desirable in order to maintain the operations of such devices. Furthermore, due to the small size and limited battery power of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and sensor devices <NUM>, the ability of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and sensor devices <NUM> to perform complex computations may be limited.

In some examples of this disclosure, accessory devices <NUM> include a mobile phone that acts as a support node for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. A support node may be a device that provides communication and/or computational support to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or sensors <NUM>. That is, the mobile phone may perform certain communication and/or computation functionality on behalf of ear-wearable device <NUM> and/or sensor devices <NUM>. For instance, an application running on the mobile phone may perform support node functions for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In some examples, the mobile phone may communicate with ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> using BLUETOOTH ™ Low Energy (BLE), audible sound communication, ultrasonic communication, infrared communication, WI-FI®, or another wireless communication technology. Offloading long-distance communication and/or computation to a mobile phone of user <NUM> may enable better communication and may reduce demands on power supplies of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

However, in some circumstances, the use of a mobile phone of user <NUM> as a support node may not be appropriate or sufficient for the needs of user <NUM>. For example, ear-wearable devices, such as hearing assistance devices, are frequently used by the elderly, who may have reduced dexterity and limited familiarity with the use of smartphones. Moreover, many users do not typically carry their mobile phones around with them while at home, which may result in the mobile phones being out of wireless communication range of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or sensor devices <NUM>. Mobile phones also require frequent charging, which might not be part of the typical routine of user <NUM>. User <NUM> may also be wary of incurring charges for use data on their mobile phone. As a result, user <NUM> may intentionally or unintentionally power off the mobile phone of user <NUM>. These factors may result in an unacceptably high probability that the mobile phone of user <NUM> is unavailable for use as a support node. Additionally, using a mobile phone as a support node for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or sensor devices <NUM> may require user <NUM> to purchase the mobile phone and remember to carry around the mobile phone. This may impose additional financial and mental burdens on user <NUM> or caregivers of user <NUM>.

Hence, in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure, health monitoring system <NUM> includes a set of one or more accessory devices <NUM>, which may act as a network of support nodes for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In some examples, the set of accessory devices <NUM> includes a mobile phone of user <NUM>. In other examples, the set of accessory devices <NUM> does not include any mobile phone of user <NUM>. By providing a broad list of types of devices that may be used as support nodes for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, especially when the devices acting as support nodes are devices that user <NUM> would typically use with ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, it may be more likely that there will be one or more support nodes that fit the lifestyle of user <NUM>.

As noted above, one or more of accessory devices <NUM> may be specifically-designed for use as accessories to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. For example, accessory devices <NUM> may include charging devices, hearing aid accessories, media streamer devices, wireless relay devices, and other devices designed specifically for use as accessories to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Devices that are specifically-designed for use as accessories to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may have certain advantages over general-purpose devices as support nodes for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

For example, accessory devices <NUM> may include a charging device adapted to recharge power sources of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In this example, because user <NUM> may need to use the charging device to recharge ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, user <NUM> is likely to bring ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> within communication range of the charging device on a regular basis, thereby enabling ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to offload data to the charging device for processing by at least one of the charging device, one or more other accessory devices <NUM>, or computing devices <NUM>.

In a similar example, accessory devices <NUM> may include a media streamer device. The media streamer device is configured to receive media data from a source device and wirelessly stream the media data to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. For example, the media streamer device may have a cable that plugs into an audio output jack of the source device. In other examples, the media streamer device may have a wireless communication link, such as a BLUETOOTH™ communication link, with the source device. Example source devices may include a television, home or vehicle audio system, landline telephone, mobile phone, computer, smartwatch, wearable device, medical device, video game system, and so on. The media data may include audio data that ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may play back to user <NUM>. In this way, user <NUM> may have better access to higher-quality sound than user <NUM> would otherwise have if microphones of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> were to detect sound generated directly by speakers of the source devices. Because user <NUM> may need to bring ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> within communication range of the media streamer device in order to access media data from the source device, user <NUM> is likely to bring ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> within communication range of the media streamer device on a regular basis, thereby enabling ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to offload data to the media streamer device for processing by at least one of the media streamer device, one or more other accessory devices <NUM>, or computing devices <NUM>.

In another example, accessory devices <NUM> include a remote-control device configured to wirelessly control ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. For example, the remote-control device may have one or more buttons that enable user <NUM> to change the volume level of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, one or more buttons to change audio profiles of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, one or more buttons to toggle noise reduction, one or more buttons to turn ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> on and off, and/or buttons that control other aspects of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Because user <NUM> is likely to have a remote-control device close-by, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may be able to offload data to the remote-control device on a regular basis. Similar considerations apply with respect to remote microphone devices. A remote microphone device includes a microphone that may be placed close to a person to whom user <NUM> wants to listen. The remote microphone may transmit an audio signal to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

In some examples, two or more of accessory devices <NUM> may communicate with each other. In some such examples, two or more of accessory devices <NUM> may communicate directly with each other without the use of intermediate network devices. For instance, one of accessory devices <NUM> may receive a wireless transmission of data from another one of accessory devices <NUM>.

Accessory devices <NUM> may communicate with each other for various purposes. For instance, in one example, a first accessory device may receive first data from ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In this example, the first accessory device may send second data based on the first data to a second accessory device. The second accessory device may then process the second data. In this example, the second data may comprise a copy of the first data or the first device may perform intermediate processing on the first data to generate the second data. In this example, the first accessory device may send the second data to the second accessory device because the second accessory device may have greater power resources. For instance, the second accessory device may be connected to an electrical power grid while the first accessory device may be battery powered. Similarly, the first accessory device may send the second data to the second accessory device because the second accessory device has more capable processors than the first accessory device. In some examples, accessory devices <NUM> may forward data received from ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> (or data generated based on the data received from ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>) to one or more of computing devices <NUM>.

Accessory devices <NUM> and/or computing devices <NUM> may perform various types of actions using data received from ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or sensor devices <NUM>. For example, monitoring nodes (e.g., accessory devices <NUM> and/or computing devices <NUM>) may generate wellness data based on the data received from ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or sensor devices <NUM>. The term wellness data may apply to various types of information that relate to the physical and/or mental wellness of user <NUM>. For example, the wellness data may include achieved levels of one or more wellness measures, statistical data regarding user <NUM>, and/or other types of information about user <NUM>.

In some examples, as part of generating the wellness data, the monitoring nodes may identify negative trends or anomalies indicating a detrimental health-condition or trend in user <NUM>. The monitoring nodes may store data for use in data trending, even if such data does not indicate an immediate threat to the health of user <NUM>. Instead, data analysis and processing algorithms performed by the monitoring nodes may look for departures from either acceptable limits, or negative trends in health-related body-sensor data which warrant review by a qualified healthcare provide/monitoring service.

In examples in which accessory devices <NUM> send data to monitoring nodes (e.g., which may also be referred to as health monitoring endpoints) of health monitoring system <NUM>, the monitoring nodes may use automated routines that seek to identify actionable medical conditions. In some examples, people may use the monitoring nodes to manually review the data. Furthermore, in some examples, health monitoring system <NUM> may use a combination of automated routines and humans to identify actionable medical conditions. Actionable medical conditions include medical conditions of user <NUM> upon which user <NUM> or another person may act. If a monitoring node identifies an actionable medical condition, one or more monitoring nodes of health monitoring system <NUM> may perform an action. For example, a monitoring node of health monitoring system <NUM> may communicate with user <NUM>, dispatch emergency services, or alert other healthcare providers to take other actions at a later date (such as titrating prescription drug dosages with the intent of improving the patients/wearers health). Such actions by healthcare providers may be eligible for insurance reimbursement on an event-by-event basis or for reimbursement through any subscription/monitoring fees associated with the health monitoring service.

In some examples in which computing devices <NUM> select actions, computing devices <NUM> may use one or more of accessory devices <NUM> to perform the selected actions. For instance, in one example, computing device 108A may select an action that includes providing a notification to user <NUM>. In this example, computing device 108A may send data to one or more of accessory devices <NUM> instructing the accessory devices <NUM> to cause ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to provide the notification. The notification may comprise audible stimuli, tactile stimuli, haptic stimuli, electrical stimuli, or other types of stimuli. One or more haptic engines included in ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may generate the tactile or haptic stimuli.

In some examples in which a plurality of accessory devices <NUM> are configured for use as accessories to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, computing devices <NUM> may attempt to send actionable data to each of accessory devices <NUM> or one of accessory devices <NUM> may attempt to send actionable data generated or obtained by the accessory device to each other one of accessory devices <NUM>. Thus, when ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> establishes a communication link with any of accessory devices <NUM>, any of accessory devices <NUM> may interact with ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to perform actions associated with the actionable data.

Various actions may be selected (e.g., by monitoring nodes such as accessory devices <NUM> or computing devices <NUM>) for different health conditions. For example, if user <NUM> has seizures, selected actions may include titration of anti-seizure drugs. In another example where user <NUM> has seizures, the selected actions may include providing an audible warning of an impending seizure, which may allow user <NUM> to prepare for the seizure (e.g., by pulling over their car or stopping machinery) or summoning assistance. In examples where user <NUM> snores or has poor sleep quality, the selected actions may include providing notifications (e.g., audible, tactile, haptic, electrical, and/or other types of stimuli) to assist in minimizing snoring. In examples where user <NUM> is diabetic, the selected actions may include providing an audible notification prompting user <NUM> to boost or lower their blood glucose.

Furthermore, in some examples, user <NUM> suffers from Alzheimer's disease or dementia and is prone to wandering away from home or other safe location. Accordingly, the selected actions may include notifying one or more caregivers that user <NUM> has potentially gotten lost. In this example, one or more monitoring nodes of health monitoring system <NUM> may determine that user <NUM> has wandered away if ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> are not within wireless communication range of any of accessory devices <NUM>. That is, accessory devices <NUM> may determine that ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> are no longer within wireless communication range of any of accessory devices <NUM>. In response to determining that ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> are no longer within wireless communication range of any of the accessory devices, accessory devices <NUM> may trigger a computing device (e.g., one of computing device <NUM>) to generate an alert to a party other than user <NUM> of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

In some examples, the actions selected by monitoring nodes of health monitoring system <NUM> may include targeted notifications that prompt user <NUM> to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For instance, such targeted notifications may include medication reminders, nutrition reminders, reminders to exercise, and so on. In some examples, the targeted notifications may include audible messages played back by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In other examples, the targeted notifications may include email messages, text messages, voicemail messages, or other types of messages. In some examples, targeted notifications may be played back through audio gateway devices, such as a smart speaker device (e.g., an ECHO™ device from Amazon. or a GOOGLE HOME™ device from Google LLC.

In some examples, user <NUM> may initiate monitoring of one or more aspects of the health of user <NUM>. For example, user <NUM> may initiate monitoring if user <NUM> feels that an acute health episode is occurring or impending. Examples of acute health episodes may include anomalous heart rhythms, low blood pressure, hypo- or hyperglycemia, falls, symptoms of impending seizures, and so on. In examples where user <NUM> initiates monitoring, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may expend greater energy than ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> typically would expend in order to establish a communication link with one of accessory devices <NUM>. For instance, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may transmit data at a maximum power level, even though doing so may quickly deplete the power source of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Likewise, battery-powered accessory devices may wirelessly transmit data at high power levels if doing so is required to communicate with one or more other ones of accessory devices <NUM> or computing devices <NUM>.

In some examples, accessory devices <NUM> may help people locate user <NUM>. For example, there may be multiple accessory devices <NUM> configured for use with ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and the communication links between accessory devices <NUM> and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> are wireless communication links. Furthermore, accessory devices <NUM> may be associated with fixed locations within a building. For instance, a charging device may be stored in the bedroom of user <NUM>, a first media streamer device may be connected to a television in a living room and a second media streamer device may be connected to a television in a kitchen. Monitoring nodes (e.g., accessory devices <NUM> or computing devices <NUM>) may estimate, based on wireless signals emitted by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and detected by one or more of accessory devices <NUM>, a location of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. For instance, in some examples, monitoring nodes may triangulate the location of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> based on the wireless signals. For instance, the monitoring nodes may triangulate the locations of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> based on signal strengths of the wireless signals. Additionally or alternatively, where one or more of the monitoring nodes has multiple antennas, transmitters or receivers, the monitoring nodes may triangulate the locations of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> based on the angle of arrival, and/or angle of departure of the wireless signals. Thus, in some examples where an accessory device has multiple antennas, the accessory device may determine the location of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> without involvement of other accessory devices <NUM>. Certain types of accessory devices, such as charging devices and media streamer devices, are especially likely to remain at fixed positions, which may enhance their ability to estimate the location of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. This may be advantageous relative to other types of devices, such as mobile phones, that are by nature more mobile.

In some examples, monitoring nodes may send navigation information to a computing device. The navigation information may indicate the estimated location of the ear-wearable device. The computing device in this example may be a mobile device of a caregiver, family member, first responder, emergency medical technician (EMT), or another individual who may need to find user <NUM> quickly (e.g., in the event of an acute health episode or user <NUM> wandering away). Thus, in one such example, health monitoring system <NUM> includes a plurality of accessory devices <NUM> and the communication links between accessory devices <NUM> and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> are wireless communication links. In this example, accessory devices <NUM> may estimate, based on wireless signals emitted by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and detected by accessory devices <NUM>, a location of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In this example, accessory devices <NUM> may send navigation information to a computing device (e.g., one of computing devices <NUM>), where the navigation information indicates the estimated location of the ear-wearable device. In some examples, monitoring nodes may send notifications to one or more third parties if the estimated location of user <NUM> is outside a predefined area. Thus, ear-wearable devices <NUM> may serve as a virtual ankle bracelet for nursing homes, electronic fence applications, and so on.

In some examples, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or accessory devices <NUM> may communicate with one or more medical devices used by user <NUM>. Example medical devices may include implanted medical devices, body-worn medical devices, home medical devices, and other types of medical devices. In some examples, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> or accessory devices <NUM> may transmit actionable data generated by monitoring nodes of health monitoring system <NUM> to one or more medical devices used by user <NUM>. In one example, the actionable data may cause an implanted drug pump to administer a medication. In some examples, the actionable data may cause ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to interact with other body-worn or implantable medical devices to perform electrical or medical stimulation. In some examples, example, the actionable data may change configuration settings of a medical device.

In some examples, one or more medical devices used by user <NUM> may transmit information to health monitoring system <NUM> e.g., by way of ear-worn devices <NUM>. Monitoring nodes of health monitoring system <NUM> (e.g., accessory devices <NUM>, computing devices <NUM>, etc.) may use such data as part of performing health monitoring activities. For example, a medical device may transmit information indicating a battery power level of the medical device. In this example, as part of performing health monitoring activity, a monitoring node may generate, based on the information transmitted by the medical device, actionable data that when received by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> causes ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to output an audible notification that the power level of the battery of the medical device is low. In another example, a defibrillator device implanted in user <NUM> may transmit information indicating that the defibrillator device will imminently begin defibrillation. In this example, a monitoring node may generate, based on the information transmitted by the defibrillator device, actionable data that when received by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> cause ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to output an audible warning of imminent defibrillation. In another example, the monitoring node may notify a third party of the imminent defibrillation. Health monitoring activities may include activities that monitor one or more health conditions of a user and generate output based on the health conditions of the user.

Privacy is a concern for many users. For instance, user <NUM> may feel uncomfortable having a large amount of personal data stored on the cloud. Moreover, the storage of such personal data on the cloud may present security and regulatory risks to a party, such as a manufacturer of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> or a health monitoring service, that collects and stores the personal data. Hence, in accordance with the techniques of this disclosure, accessory devices <NUM> may process certain types of personal data locally, without transmitting the personal data to cloud-based processing nodes such as computing devices <NUM>. In this way, health monitoring system <NUM> may avoid the transmission and/or storage of certain types of personal data by cloud-based computing devices.

As noted elsewhere in this disclosure, two or more of accessory devices <NUM> may communicate with each other directly or indirectly. For example, accessory device 104A and accessory device 104N may communicate with each other. In certain examples where two or more accessory devices <NUM> may communicate with each other, one of accessory devices <NUM> may forward personal data or intermediate data to another one of accessory devices <NUM> for further processing. For example, accessory device 104A may be a portable charging case for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and accessory device 104N may be a media streamer device configured for use with ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In this example, the portable charging case may receive personal data from one or more of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Because the media streamer device, unlike the portable charging case, may have access to power from an electrical grid, the portable charging case may forward the personal data to the media streamer device, which may then perform one or more health monitoring activities.

In some examples, accessory devices <NUM> may share information with each other that enable accessory devices <NUM> to determine which of accessory devices <NUM> should perform particular health monitoring activities. For instance, accessory device 104A may share information indicating that accessory device 104A has access to a grid power source and has a first type of processor. In this example, accessory device 104N may share information indicating that accessory device 104N has a second type of processor. Based on this shared information, each of accessory devices <NUM> may determine that accessory device 104A is current the best equipped to perform the health monitoring activities. Which one of accessory devices <NUM> performs the health monitoring activities may change as different accessory devices <NUM> are added or removed from a group of active accessory devices.

Monitoring nodes may use various types of computational techniques to perform monitoring activities. For example, a monitoring node may perform monitoring activities using business rules, artificial intelligence techniques (e.g., neural networks), and so on.

<FIG> is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example system, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. <FIG> is described in the context of health monitoring system <NUM> of <FIG>. For instance, <FIG> includes a hearing assistance device <NUM> and a portable case <NUM>. HAD <NUM> may be one of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Portable case <NUM> may be one of accessory devices <NUM>.

In the example of <FIG>, HAD <NUM> includes a behind-ear portion 206A coupled to an in-ear portion <NUM> via a tether <NUM>. Behind-ear portion 206A of HAD <NUM> is housed in a retention structure of portable case <NUM>, for example, either to be subsequently detached from tether <NUM> for charging, or to be removed from portable case <NUM> via tether <NUM> to be worn by a user. In addition to storing (and in some instances charging) a power source of behind-ear portion 206A, portable case <NUM> also may charge one or more other behind-ear portions. For example, in <FIG>, portable case <NUM> is also shown storing and/or charging behind ear portions 206B and 206N. In the example of <FIG>, portable case <NUM> is configured in a carousel arrangement to facilitate quick and easy exchange of one behind-ear portion <NUM> for a different behind-ear portion <NUM>. In other examples, portable case <NUM> may be configured in a linear or other such arrangement.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example accessory device <NUM> in accordance with one or more aspects of this disclosure. Accessory device <NUM> may be various types of devices. For example, accessory device <NUM> may be a media streamer device. In another example, accessory device <NUM> may be a portable case for storing and charging ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Accessory device <NUM> is an example of accessory devices <NUM> of <FIG> and/or portable case <NUM><NUM> of <FIG>. Accessory device <NUM> may include additional or fewer components than those shown in <FIG>.

In the example of <FIG>, accessory device <NUM> includes one or more input components <NUM>, one or more output components <NUM>, one or more processors <NUM>, data storage device <NUM>, one or more transceivers <NUM>, one or more antennas <NUM>, a system charger <NUM>, an energy storage device <NUM>, one or more communication units <NUM>, and communication bus <NUM>. Data storage device <NUM> may include interface module <NUM>, various application modules <NUM>, and user data <NUM>. In some examples in which accessory device <NUM> comprises a charging case, accessory device <NUM> may include retention structures 312A-312N, and ear-wearable device charger <NUM>. In other examples, accessory device <NUM> does not include retention structures 312A-312N and ear-wearable device charger <NUM>. For instance, in examples where accessory device <NUM> is a remote microphone device, accessory device <NUM> may include one or more microphones.

Communication bus <NUM> interconnects at least some of the components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> for inter-component communications. That is, each of components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be configured to communicate and exchange data via a connection to communication bus <NUM>. In some examples, communication bus <NUM> is a wired or wireless bus. Communication bus may include a system bus, a network connection, an inter-process communication data structure, or any other method for communicating data.

Input components <NUM> are configured to receive various types of input, including tactile input, audible input, image or video input, sensory input, and other forms of input. Non-limiting examples of input components <NUM> include a presence-sensitive input device or touch screen, a button, a switch, a key, a microphone, a camera, or any other type of device for detecting input from a human or machine. Other non-limiting examples of input components <NUM> include one or more sensor components, such as a proximity sensor, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver or other type of location sensor, an accelerometer, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a temperature sensor, a barometer, a gyro, an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor, a hydrometer sensor, a heart rate sensor, a magnetometer, a glucose sensor, an olfactory sensor, a compass, a magnetometer, an antennae for wireless communication and location sensing, a step counter, to name a few other non-limiting examples.

Output components <NUM> are configured to generate various types of output, including tactile output, audible output, visual output (e.g., graphical or video), and other forms of output. Non-limiting examples of output components <NUM> include a sound card, a video card, a speaker, a display, a projector, a vibration device, a light, a light emitting diode (LED), or any other type of device for generating output to a human or machine.

One or more communication units <NUM> enable accessory device <NUM> to communicate with external devices (e.g., computing devices <NUM> and/or ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>) via one or more wired and/or wireless connections. Communication units <NUM> transmit and receive signals being transmitted across network <NUM> and convert the network signals into readable data used by any of components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. One or more antennas <NUM> are coupled to communication units <NUM> and are configured to generate and receive the signals that are broadcast through the air (e.g., via network <NUM>).

Examples of communication units <NUM> include various types of receivers, transmitters, transceivers, Bluetooth radios, short wave radios, cellular data radios, wireless network radios, universal serial bus (USB) controllers, proprietary bus controllers, network interface cards, optical transceivers, radio frequency transceivers, or any other type of device that can send and/or receive information over a network. In cases where communication units <NUM> include a wireless transceiver, communication units <NUM> may be capable of operating in different radio frequency (RF) bands (e.g., to enable regulatory compliance with a geographic location at which accessory device <NUM> is being used). For example, a wireless transceiver of communication units <NUM> may operate in the <NUM> or <NUM> RF bands. A wireless transceiver of communication units <NUM> may be a near-field magnetic induction (NFMI) transceiver, and RF transceiver, an Infrared transceiver, ultra-sonic transceiver, or other type of transceiver.

In some examples, communication units <NUM> are configured as wireless gateways that manage information exchanged between accessory device <NUM>, and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, computing devices <NUM>, and other devices. As a gateway, communication units <NUM> may implement one or more standards-based network communication protocols, such as Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, GSM, LTE, WiMax®, <NUM>. 1X, Zigbee®, LoRa® and the like as well as non-standards-based wireless protocols (e.g., proprietary communication protocols). Communication units <NUM> may allow ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to communicate, using a preferred communication protocol implementing intra and inter body communication (e.g., an intra or inter body network protocol), and convert the body communications to a standards-based protocol for sharing the information with other computing devices, such as computing devices <NUM>. Whether using a body network protocol, intra or inter body network protocol, body area network protocol, body sensor network protocol, medical body area network protocol, or some other intra or inter body network protocol, communication units <NUM> enable ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to communicate with other devices that are embedded inside the body, implanted in the body, surface-mounted on the body, or being carried near a person's body (e.g., while being worn, carried in or part of clothing, carried by hand, or carried in a bag or luggage).

Communication units <NUM> enable ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to communicate with other computing devices, such as computing devices <NUM> even though ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may only communicate using a non-standard communication protocol. Communication units <NUM> may convert a standards-based communication from one of computing devices <NUM> to a non-standards-based protocol associated with ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, and vice versa.

Energy storage <NUM> represents a battery (e.g., a well battery), a capacitor, or other type of electrical energy source or storage device that is configured to power components of accessory device <NUM>. Energy storage <NUM> may be coupled to system charger <NUM>. System charger <NUM> is responsible for performing power management and charging of energy storage <NUM>. System charger <NUM> may comprise a buck converter, boost converter, flyback converter, or any other type of AC/DC or DC/DC power conversion circuitry adapted to convert power (such as power from an electrical grid) to a form of electrical power suitable for charging energy storage <NUM>. In some examples, system charger <NUM> includes a charging antenna (e.g., NFMI, RF, or other type of charging antenna) for wirelessly recharging energy storage <NUM>. In some examples, system charger <NUM> includes photo-voltaic cells, which may protrude through a housing of accessory device <NUM> or otherwise be coupled to accessory device <NUM> for recharging energy storage <NUM>. In some examples, system charger <NUM> relies on a wired connection to a power source for charging energy storage <NUM>.

In examples in which accessory device <NUM> includes a charging case, accessory device <NUM> may include retention structures 312A-312N (collectively referred to as "retention structures <NUM>") configured to receive portions of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> (e.g., behind-ear portions of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>) for charging. Retention structures <NUM> may include mechanical and/or magnetic attachment features that, after manipulation by a user, automatically attach or detach portions of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Each of retention structures <NUM> is electrically coupled to energy storage <NUM> and ear-wearable device charger <NUM>. When ear-wearable device charger <NUM> enables retention structures <NUM> for charging, electrical current passes from energy storage <NUM> to retention structures <NUM> (e.g., via some charging circuitry).

Retention structures <NUM> may provide a magnetically coupled electrical connection between a power source of an ear-wearable device (e.g., a behind-ear portion of an ear-wearable device) and ear-wearable device charger <NUM>. Retention structures <NUM> may include one or more mechanical stops to ensure correct seating and/or to prevent removal of the coupled portions of the ear-wearable devices when charging. Retention structures <NUM> may include respective retention structures that enable easy insertion of depleted portions of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and locks the depleted portions of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> in place. The mechanical and/or magnetic attachment features of retention structures <NUM> may enable easy insertion of the portions of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and may require a sufficient amount of force to overcome the mechanical and/or magnetic attachment features during removal.

Ear-wearable device charger <NUM> includes charging circuitry that is electrically coupled to each of retention structures <NUM> and is responsible for enabling or disabling each of retention structures <NUM> for charging power sources of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Ear-wearable device charger <NUM> may further exchange data between ear-wearable device <NUM> (e.g., behind-ear portions of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>) located in retention structures <NUM> and other components of accessory device <NUM>. Ear-wearable device charger <NUM> may cause the magnetic connection between the power source of an ear-wearable device and ear-wearable device charger <NUM> to be stronger when charging the power source and weaker or reversed after the power source is charged (e.g., using electro-permanent magnets activated and deactivated by circuitry). Such electro-permanent magnets may be configured by a pulse of energy supplied by energy storage <NUM> and ear-wearable device charger <NUM>. Such energy may be supplied from ear-wearable device charger <NUM> through direct connection or magnetic induction to the electro-permanent magnet. It should be understood that one or more electro-permanent magnets may be included in either, or both, a behind-ear portion of an example hearing assistance device and accessory device <NUM>. Furthermore, any combination of any of the following: electro-permanent magnets(s), permanent magnet(s), and ferrous material, may be used by at least one of a behind-ear portion of an example ear-wearable device and accessory device <NUM> to achieve a strong bond between accessory device <NUM> and the charging behind-ear portion.

One or more processors <NUM> execute operations that implement functionality of accessory device <NUM>. For example, processors <NUM> may perform health monitoring activities. Processors <NUM> may be implemented as fixed-function processing circuits, programmable processing circuits, or a combination of fixed-function and programmable processing circuits. Examples of processors <NUM> may include digital signal processors, general purpose processors, application processors, embedded processors, graphic processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), display controllers, auxiliary processors, sensor hubs, input controllers, output controllers, microcontrollers, and any other equivalent integrated or discrete hardware or circuitry configure to function as a processor, a processing unit, or a processing device.

Data storage device <NUM> of accessory device <NUM> may comprise one or more fixed and/or removable data storage units configured to store information for subsequent processing by processors <NUM> during operations of accessory device <NUM>. In other words, data storage device <NUM> may retain data accessed by modules <NUM> and <NUM> as well as other components of accessory device <NUM> during operation. Data storage device <NUM> may, in some examples, include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions, program information, or other data associated modules <NUM> and <NUM>. Processors <NUM> may retrieve the instructions stored by data storage device <NUM> and execute the instructions to perform operations described herein.

Data storage device <NUM> may include a combination of one or more types of volatile or non-volatile memories. In some cases, data storage device <NUM> includes a temporary or volatile memory (e.g., random access memories (RAM), dynamic random-access memories (DRAM), static random-access memories (SRAM), and other forms of volatile memories known in the art). In such a case, data storage device <NUM> is not used for long-term data storage and as such, any data stored by storage device <NUM> is not retained when power to data storage device <NUM> is lost. Data storage device <NUM> in some cases is configured for long-term storage of information and includes non-volatile memory space that retains information even after data storage device <NUM> loses power. Examples of non-volatile memories include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, flash memories, USB disks, or forms of electrically programmable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM) memories.

Interface module <NUM> and application modules <NUM> represent any combination of hardware, software, and firmware units that are operable by processors <NUM> to perform operations of accessory device <NUM>. For example, processors <NUM> may retrieve and execute instructions stored by data storage device <NUM> that cause processors <NUM> to perform the operations of interface module <NUM> and application modules <NUM>. By executing the instructions associated with interface module <NUM> and application modules <NUM>, processors <NUM> may store or write information to data storage device <NUM>.

Interface module <NUM> implements a user interface associated with accessory device <NUM>, for example, by translating inputs detected by accessory device <NUM> to commands for performing operations or generating corresponding outputs. Interface module <NUM> receives information about inputs detected by input components <NUM> and in response, generates information for causing output components <NUM> to produce output. For example, interface module <NUM> may receive information from a microphone of input components <NUM>, determine that a user is speaking a command to accessory device <NUM>, and perform an operation in response.

Interface module <NUM> may detect two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional gestures as input from a user of accessory device <NUM>. For instance, a sensor or IMU of input components <NUM> may detect a user's movement (e.g., moving a hand, an arm, a pen, a stylus, etc.) within a threshold distance of the sensor. Interface module <NUM> may determine a two or three-dimensional vector representation of the movement and correlate the vector representation to a gesture input (e.g., a hand-wave, a pinch, a clap, a pen stroke, etc.) that has multiple dimensions. Interface module <NUM> may receive information from an IMU and/or magnetometer of input components <NUM>, determine that a user is performing a hand gesture with accessory device <NUM> in-hand, and perform an operation in response.

Interface module <NUM> may provide a graphical user interface, an audible user interface, a haptic interface, or a combination thereof. The user interface provided by interface module <NUM> may in some examples a battery gauge. The battery gauge may indicate battery levels of behind-ear portions <NUM> that are seated in retention structures <NUM>. The battery gauge may indicate a battery levels of energy source <NUM>. A user may interact with the battery gauge provided by interface module by providing verbal inputs (e.g., to a microphone of input components <NUM>), touch inputs (e.g., to a touch screen of input components <NUM>), or via haptic components (e.g., detected by an IMU of input components <NUM>). For example, if a user shakes accessory device <NUM>, the movement detected by movement sensors of input components <NUM> may indicate to interface module <NUM> that a user wishes to learn the charging status of behind-ear portions <NUM>. In response to the shake input, interface module <NUM> may cause a speaker of output components <NUM> to generate audible output that "speaks" the battery level to the user. Other combinations of touch, voice, or haptic input and visual, audible, and haptic outputs are possible.

Application modules <NUM> include any application or software that accessory device <NUM> may execute to implement the functionality of accessory device <NUM> that is described in this disclosure. For example, application modules <NUM> may perform health monitoring activities, as described elsewhere in this disclosure. In some examples, application modules <NUM> may include machine-learning or artificial intelligence software (e.g., for performing the health monitoring activities described elsewhere in this disclosure), an Internet browser, a media player, a file system, a map or navigation program, or any other number of applications or features that accessory device <NUM> may include. Other examples of application modules <NUM> include programming software for using accessory device <NUM> as a programmer for ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, a personal assistant application, a messaging or personal communication application, an audio recording application, or other application.

In some cases, application modules <NUM> include an audio controller application. The audio controller application may interact with communication units <NUM> to scan for available wireless audio broadcasts within range of antennas <NUM> and cause interface module <NUM> to alert a user of potential audio sources (e.g., via audible, tactile, or visual feedback). The audio controller application may receive information obtained by interface module <NUM> (e.g., after input components <NUM> detect spoken or touch inputs from a user) that is interpreted by the audio controller application as an input to select a particular audio source or broadcast.

Application modules <NUM>, in some examples, include a remote-control application. The remote-control application enables a user to provide inputs to accessory device <NUM> that alter settings of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, or some other computing device, such as one of computing devices <NUM>.

In some examples, such as examples in which accessory device <NUM> is a remote microphone device, application modules <NUM> may include a remote microphone application. The remote microphone application enables a user to position accessory device <NUM> near a desired audio source (e.g., another person, a speaker, etc.) and hear the audio being picked up by accessory device <NUM>, in his or her ear as the audio is played back via one or more of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. For instance, the remote microphone application may cause a microphone of input components <NUM> to start recording audio. In seemingly near real-time, the remote microphone application processes the recorded audio and sends the recorded audio via communication units <NUM> to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, or some other external device.

Application modules <NUM> may include a personal assistant application or other artificial intelligence application that interacts with a user to perform various functions. For example, the assistant may help a user configure a hearing instrument for a particular environment, access the Internet to perform various tasks on behalf of the user, or perform other assistant functionality.

Artificial intelligence capability provided by application modules <NUM> could be distributed (with varying degrees of capability) amongst various components connected to network <NUM>. For example, the artificial intelligence capability may execute in whole or part at accessory device <NUM>, other ones of accessory devices <NUM>, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, other personal electronics in a body-area-network, and at computing devices <NUM> (e.g., in a cloud-based networked application environment).

With permission from a user, an artificial intelligence application may monitor conversations being detected by a microphone of input components <NUM> using voice recognition techniques (e.g., identifying a quantity of individual participants and their roles in the conversation), and when necessary perform targeted cloud-based searches on behalf of the user or near real-time translations. The artificial intelligence application may cause portable case to audibly, visually, or using haptic feedback, coach the user by causing output components <NUM> to output additional data, answers to questions, or cues when needed.

In some cases, the artificial intelligence application could be used to interpret speech in the context of a conversation and "regenerate" a much higher signal-to-noise ratio version of the received audio by performing word or speech synthesis. The artificial intelligence application may cause accessory device <NUM> to output (e.g., in a computer-generated voice synthesized by the artificial intelligence application that in some cases mimics the original source) the regenerated audio either via a speaker embedded in output components <NUM>, or via one or more speakers of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. The regenerated audio may in some cases be translated from one language to another, in some instances, even correcting for grammatical errors. Such a feature may significantly reduce or off-load the cognitive burden a user may otherwise experience listening to speech in a noisy environment. In other applications, the neural network may be employed to make automatic adjustments to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> based on the acoustic environment that the wearer is in. These adjustments may be based on sound the microphone picks up from either accessory device <NUM>, another one of accessory devices <NUM>, or ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, themselves. Other adjustments may be more direct from voice commands from the user.

In some examples, the artificial intelligence application comprises a neural network. For example, the artificial intelligence application may include a neural network for sound processing, sound classification, object or image classification, health condition classification, action selection, and so on. In such an example, accessory device <NUM> may include (or be communicatively coupled to one located in ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>) an ultrasonic transducer and sensor and/or one or more image sensors for determining ranges to objects and/or density of objects. As such, accessory device <NUM> may execute the artificial application to perform (e.g., body-worn) assistance and navigation for a seeing impaired user.

User data <NUM> includes any information stored by accessory device <NUM> on behalf of a user. User data <NUM> includes preferences or settings associated with accessory device <NUM> and ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. User data <NUM> may include calendar information, messages, alerts, warnings, alarms, e-mails, address book or contact information, music files, audio book files, or other audio files that a user of accessory device <NUM> may wish to access, e.g., via a media player application <NUM> executing at accessory device <NUM>. User data <NUM> may be stored on removable media of data storage <NUM>. A user may swap out the removable storage media for removable storage media that includes other music, audio books, etc. In some cases, user data <NUM> includes medical or financial records of the user, and other information that the user may want to have on hand at all times. For example, user data <NUM> may include an audio recording of a user's medical insurance record, medical records, and medical alerts. User data <NUM> may include a digital wallet with personal credit card information, cryptocurrency information, passwords, cryptographic keys, authentication keys, and other types of data.

Application modules <NUM> may use user data <NUM> to perform an operation. Application modules <NUM> may write or modify user data <NUM>. For example, an assistant application may utilize user data <NUM> to complete a task (e.g., when a user commands the assistant to tell the user about his or her daily schedule).

Accessory device <NUM> and data storage <NUM> may ensure that user data <NUM> is encrypted, secure, and/or password protected to prevent malicious use. Such passwords or encryption keys may be authenticated via sensory information obtained from ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> or other external device. For example, a user may speak a password, the spoken audio may be picked up by a microphone of input components <NUM> or a microphone of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Using voice-recognition, face-recognition, or authentication techniques, accessory device <NUM> may validate the user (e.g., the user's voice, fingerprint, or facial image) or invalidate the user. In response to validating the password or key, accessory device <NUM> may unlock and grant access to user data <NUM>. In response to invalidating the voice input, accessory device <NUM> may prevent access to user data <NUM>. In other examples, passwords and keys could be authenticated via on-board biometry sensors of input components <NUM> (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, a temperature sensor, a camera or image sensor configured to perform facial recognition, or other sensor) or ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In some examples, in response to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> or portable case <NUM> authenticating a user (e.g., a wearer of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>), ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or portable case <NUM> may act as a "universal password wallet / or key repository" that communicates via an encrypted/secure wireless connection with other wirelessly enabled devices that require user authentication before granting access to the other wirelessly enabled devices (e.g. computers, smart-phones, automobile automation/locks, home automation/locks, etc.).

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example ear-wearable device <NUM>, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in the example of <FIG>, ear-wearable device <NUM> includes behind-ear portion <NUM> operatively coupled to in-ear portion <NUM> via tether <NUM>. Ear-wearable device <NUM> is an example of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> of <FIG> and ear-wearable device <NUM> of <FIG>. Ear-wearable device <NUM> is described in the context of <FIG> and <FIG>. It should be understood that ear-wearable device <NUM> is only one example of a hearing assistance device according to the described techniques. Ear-wearable device <NUM> may include additional or fewer components than those shown in <FIG>. For example, ear-wearable device <NUM> is presented as having a behind-ear portion and an in-ear portion. In other examples, ear-wearable device <NUM> may be a BTE, ITE, ITC, CIC, or IIC type ear-wearable device. In such examples, a tether may not be present and certain components shown in the example of <FIG> may be contained within a single shell.

Examples of each of the components of ear-wearable device <NUM> include the examples of each of the similarly-named components of accessory device <NUM> described above. For instance, processors 420A and 420B may be similar to examples of processors <NUM> described above and examples of input components 426A and 426B and output components 428A and 428B include the respective examples of input components <NUM> and output components <NUM> described above. In addition, processors 420A and 420B may include or access local memory of behind-ear portion <NUM> and in-ear portion <NUM>, respectively, to perform the operations described herein.

Tether <NUM> operatively (e.g., electrically, physically, and communicatively) couples behind-ear portion <NUM> with in-ear portion <NUM>. Tether <NUM> is an example of tethers <NUM> and <NUM> and uses a combination of one or more wired communication links to transfer information and electrical energy between portions <NUM> and <NUM>. Tether <NUM> may be configured as a handle for a user to grip ear-wearable device <NUM>.

In-ear portion <NUM> is a part of ear-wearable device <NUM> responsible for outputting sound for hearing. In-ear portion <NUM> includes core electro-acoustic features of ear-wearable device <NUM>, including one or more processors 420B, such as one or more digital signal processors, one or more output components 428B, such as a speaker, and one or more input components 426B, such as a microphone. In-ear portion <NUM> may include additional components (e.g., acoustic filters and other components) that are not shown in <FIG>.

One or more processors 420B may exchange information via tether <NUM> with behind-ear portion <NUM>. One or more processors 420B may receive information from behind-ear portion <NUM> via tether <NUM> and perform an operation in response. Likewise, one or more processors 420B may transmit information to behind-ear portion <NUM> via tether <NUM> to cause behind-ear portion <NUM> to perform an operation in response.

For example, processors 420B may receive an indication of an audio data stream being output from behind-ear portion <NUM> and in response, cause output components 428B to produce audible sound representative of the audio stream. In another example, a biometric sensor of input components 426B may detect a physiological condition (e.g., heart rate, body temperature, blood sugar level, or other physiological condition) or a movement sensor of input components 426B may detect a change in movement (e.g., a change in biometric pressure, an acceleration, or other change in movement). Processors 420B may send an indication of the physiological condition or change in movement via tether <NUM> to behind-ear portion <NUM> for further processing, such as for executing a fall-detection algorithm, determining a user's health, detecting a three-dimensional gesture (e.g., a head shake or head nod), or performing some other operation based on data received from in-ear portion <NUM>.

Ear-wearable device <NUM> may send information (e.g., via behind-ear portion <NUM>) to accessory devices <NUM>, such as portable case <NUM> of <FIG> and accessory device <NUM> of <FIG>, for further processing, thus (indirectly) expanding the processing capabilities of ear-wearable device <NUM>. And as described above, accessory devices (e.g., portable case <NUM>, accessory device <NUM>, etc.) may provide additional offline processing on behalf of ear-wearable device <NUM> by utilizing a cloud-based service or relying on assistance from one of computing devices <NUM> that is coupled to network <NUM>.

In addition to the components described above, ear-wearable device <NUM> includes energy storage 436B. In some examples, energy storage 436B enables in-ear portion <NUM> to operate as a stand-alone hearing instrument without being operatively coupled to tether <NUM> and behind-ear portion <NUM>. For example, a user may prefer to normally wear tether <NUM> and portions <NUM> and <NUM> during everyday use. However, when a user prefers to go without behind-ear portion <NUM> and tether <NUM> (e.g., for aesthetic reasons, when exercising, when working, or at any other time a user chooses to only wear in-ear portion <NUM>), energy storage 436B provides sufficient electrical energy storage to power in-ear portion <NUM> during such times. Energy storage 436B may not be intended to provide sufficient electrical energy for all-day use of in-ear portion <NUM>; rather energy storage 436B may provide one or more hours of use without altering the form-factor of in-ear portion <NUM> that enables in-ear portion <NUM> to be concealed in a user's ear canal.

Behind-ear portion <NUM> is a part of ear-wearable device <NUM> responsible for supporting in-ear portion <NUM> in outputting sound for hearing. In some examples, behind-ear portion <NUM> includes some or all of the components of in-ear portion <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Behind-ear portion <NUM> may include some of the components and perform some of the functionality attributed to in-ear portion <NUM> in the above description, for example, to reduce a physical size of in-ear portion <NUM> or otherwise reduce complexity of in-ear portion <NUM>. For example, in-ear portion <NUM> may support autonomous functionality (e.g., by operating independent of behind-ear portion <NUM> and tether <NUM>). In such an example, in-ear portion <NUM> includes tether connections and some or all of the components shown in <FIG> including an energy source as shown in <FIG>. In some examples, in-ear portion <NUM> includes additional memory for storing user data.

In the example of <FIG>, behind-ear portion <NUM> includes one or more processors 420A, system charger <NUM>, one or more output components 428A, one or more input components 426A, energy storage 436A. Behind-ear portion <NUM> further includes, in this example, one or more antennas <NUM>, one or more communication units <NUM>, data storage device <NUM>, and communication bus <NUM>. Within data storage device <NUM> are one or more application modules <NUM> and user data store <NUM>.

In some examples, behind-ear portion <NUM> is configured as a detachable, modular component that houses a rechargeable energy source. For example, system charger <NUM> may include an electromagnetic transducer that is completely or partially contained within, or on, a housing of behind-ear portion <NUM> for receiving electrical energy for purposes of charging energy source 436A. System charger <NUM> may include an inductive charging coil, or antenna with a pulse width modulation integrated circuit.

(PWMIC) and/or rectifier. System charger <NUM> may be configured to receive electrical energy when behind-ear portion <NUM> mates with a charging retention structure of portable cases <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and store the received electrical energy in energy storage 436A.

In addition to providing electrical energy, the components of behind-ear portion <NUM> may further configure portion <NUM> to perform various other advanced functions. These other advanced functions include advanced battery functions such as, but not limited to: short-circuit protection, polarity detection, charging status or alerts, storage reserve capacity, graceful power shutdown, emergency power conservation mode, fast-charging options, and other advanced battery functions. For example, one of application modules <NUM>, executing at processors 420A, may receive information from system charger <NUM> or directly from energy storage 436A and cause processors 420A to present, based on the received information, battery health and status information via a user interface provided by behind-ear portion <NUM>, and/or the user interface provided by accessory devices <NUM>.

The user interface provided by behind-ear portion <NUM> may present an audible or haptic type user interface to the user relying on output components 428A and/or output components 428B of in-ear portion <NUM>. For instance, processors 420A may send data to processors 420B that cause processors 420B to use output components 428B to generate sounds, audible cues, haptic feedback, or other alerts regarding information such as, battery health, battery life, time remaining, storage reserve or capacity, health information of user <NUM>, or other information. In reverse, a user interface provided by behind-ear portion <NUM> may receive commands from the user by relying on input components 426A and/or input components 426B of in-ear portion <NUM>. For instance, processors 420A may receive data from processors 420B indicative of sounds, audible cues, or other information received by input components 426B as a user interacts with the user interface. Processors 420A may perform operations or alter the user interface based on the data received from processors 420B.

Other functions that may be provided by ear-wearable device <NUM> (e.g., behind-ear portion <NUM> of ear-wearable device <NUM>), in various examples, include communication functions enabled by communication units <NUM> and antennas <NUM>. Behind-ear portion <NUM> may enable in-ear portion <NUM> to communicate with external devices, such as computing devices <NUM>, in addition to enabling communication with other hearing instruments. For example, one of application modules <NUM> (e.g., a media playback application) executing at processors 420A may receive an encoded audio stream from one of accessory devices <NUM>, convert the encoded audio stream to a different format that is suitable for consumption by in-ear portion <NUM>, and cause processors 420A to send the converted audio stream to processors 420B of in-ear portion <NUM> for subsequent decoding and playback to a user. Alternatively, one of application modules <NUM> may receive an encoded audio stream from in-ear portion <NUM>, convert the encoded audio stream to a different format that is suitable for consumption by computing devices <NUM>, and cause processors 420A to send the converted audio stream, via communication units <NUM>, to computing devices <NUM> or portable cases <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>. In this way, in-ear portion <NUM> and behind-ear portion <NUM> can communicate together and with other hearing instruments using more reliable intra or inter body network protocols while simultaneously supporting communication outside the body using cellular, LTE, Bluetooth®, Wi-FI®, and other communication protocols that are supported by external devices, such as computing devices <NUM>.

Other functionality provided by behind-ear portion <NUM> includes operating in a second mode when not being worn by a user (e.g., not tethered to in-ear portion <NUM>) that is different than the mode behind-ear portion <NUM> operates-in when being word by the user. For example, processors 420A may detect when behind-ear portion <NUM> is detached from tether <NUM>. In response to detecting that tether <NUM> is not operatively coupled to behind-ear portion <NUM>, one of application modules <NUM> may cause processors 420A to perform autonomous functions, such as operating as a miniature multi-functional hearing assistance device accessory. In such a mode, behind-ear portion <NUM> may configure input components 426A to act as a wireless, remote microphone, or may configure communication units <NUM> to extend the range of communication signals being transmitted or received by portable cases <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, in-ear portion <NUM>, or one of external computing devices <NUM>. In some examples, even though tether <NUM> may be removed from behind-ear portion <NUM>, behind-ear portion <NUM> may still maintain a wireless communication connection with in-ear portion <NUM>. Specifically, while operating in the second mode, a communication unit and/or antenna of in-ear portion <NUM> (not shown in <FIG>) may wirelessly exchange communication signals with antennas <NUM> and communication units <NUM> of behind-ear portion <NUM>, e.g., to transmit data representative of audio received by a microphone associated with behind-ear portion <NUM> to in-ear portion <NUM>. As an illustration, the user may remove the behind-ear portion <NUM> and place it proximate to another person to capture speech emitted by the person for transmission to the in-ear portion <NUM>, facilitating better conversational hearing, e.g., in a noisy environment.

As another example, when operating in the second mode when not being worn, behind-ear portion <NUM> may configure processors 420A to operate as a wireless audio controller that enables indirect, wireless pairing of in-ear portion <NUM> to portable cases <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, in-ear portion <NUM>, or one of external computing devices <NUM>. By relying on behind-ear portion <NUM> for audio controller functions, in-ear portion <NUM> may offload connection management processing that in-ear portion <NUM> might otherwise be required to perform to communicate wirelessly with other devices, and as such, may reduce the rate of power consumption by in-ear portion <NUM> and thereby extend the energy reserve of energy storage 436B.

In any case, behind-ear portion <NUM> may perform the operations described herein while behind-ear portion <NUM> charges energy storage 436A from inside portable case <NUM>. Likewise, behind-ear portion <NUM> may perform the operations described herein while behind-ear portion <NUM> is no longer charging and/or is located outside portable case <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> in accordance with a technique of this disclosure. The flowcharts of this disclosure are provided as examples. Other examples may include more, fewer, or different actions.

In the example of <FIG>, each accessory device in a set of accessory device(s) <NUM> (<FIG>) may establish a respective communication link between the accessory device and an ear-wearable device (<NUM>). Accessory device(s) <NUM> do not need to establish or maintain the communication links concurrently. For each respective accessory device, the respective communication link may be a wireless communication link in which the respective accessory device receives radio signals generated by the ear-wearable device, an optical communication channel in which the respective accessory device receives light generated by the ear-wearable device, or an electrical communication channel in which the respective accessory device receives electrical pulses generated by the ear-wearable device. For instance, in the example of <FIG>, portable case <NUM> may establish a communication channel with ear-wearable devices via a direct electrical contact or induction. In one example, a particular accessory device in the set of accessory devices <NUM> is a charging device, the communication link between the particular accessory device and the ear-wearable device is a charging device communication link, and the charging device may establish the charging device communication link at or during a time that the charging device is recharging the power source of the ear-wearable device. The charging device communication link is a communication link between the charging device and the ear-wearable device. The charging device communication link may be any of the wired or wireless communication links described elsewhere in this disclosure.

Furthermore, a particular accessory device in the set of accessory device(s) <NUM> may receive first data via the communication link between the particular accessory device and the ear-wearable device (<NUM>). For instance, the particular accessory device may receive a wireless transmission of the first data from the ear-wearable device. The particular accessory device may be any type of accessory device, such as a charging device adapted to recharge a power source of the ear-wearable device. In another example, the particular accessory device is a media streamer device configured to receive media data from a source device (e.g., a mobile telephone of user <NUM>, a television, etc.) and wirelessly stream the media data to the ear-wearable device. In another example, the particular accessory device is a remote-control device configured to wirelessly control ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

The first data may comprise information generated based on sensor signals from sensors that monitor user <NUM> of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Such sensor signals may include signals generated by sensors in sensor devices <NUM> and/or sensors in ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

Accessory devices <NUM> may perform a health monitoring activity based on the first data (<NUM>). For instance, in an example where the particular accessory device is a charging device, the charging device may perform the health monitoring activity. In some examples, accessory devices <NUM> may communicate with each other to perform health monitoring activities. For instance, in one example, a first accessory device may receive first data from the ear-wearable device and generate second data based on the first data. In this example, the second data may include the first data or the second data may be the result of transforming or processing the first data in some way. Furthermore, in this example, the first accessory device may send the second data to a second accessory device in the set of accessory devices <NUM>. In this example, the second accessory device may perform the health monitoring activity based on the second data.

In some examples, an accessory device may perform health monitoring activities based on a combination of data received by another accessory device and data received from ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. For instance, continuing the example of the previous paragraph, the second accessory device may receive third data from the ear-wearable device via the communication link between the second accessory device and the ear-wearable device. In this example, the second accessory device may perform the health monitoring activity based on the second data and the third data. For instance, in one example, the second data may include heart rhythm data and the third data may include data indicating the posture of user <NUM>. In this example, the accessory device may provide both the heart rhythm data and the data indicating the posture of user <NUM> into a neural network that determines whether user <NUM> is experiencing a serious cardiac arrhythmia. In other examples, accessory devices <NUM> may send, via communication network <NUM>, the first data to a computing device (e.g., one of computing devices <NUM>) and may receive second data from the computing device where the second data is based on the first data. In this example, accessory devices <NUM> may cause ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to generate an audio notification based on the second data.

Examples of health monitoring activities are described elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, accessory devices <NUM> may cause ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to generate an audio notification related to the user's health. For example, accessory devices <NUM> may send audio data to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> for playback by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In another example, accessory devices <NUM> may send a code to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> that indicates to ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to playback audio data stored on one or more of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

In some examples, the health monitoring activity is performed in part by one or more of computing devices <NUM>. Thus, in some examples, accessory device(s) <NUM> may send, via communication network <NUM>, the first data to a computing device (e.g., computing device 108A) that is configured to perform a health monitoring activity, such as providing data based on the first data to a party other than user <NUM>.

In some examples of this disclosure, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may perform some health monitoring activities of health monitoring system <NUM>. However, it may be desirable to perform a richer set of health monitoring activities than can be reasonably performed on ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>, given the limited power and computational resources of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Hence, in accordance with a technique of this disclosure, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may triage which information needs to be sent to accessory devices <NUM>. If it is critical to send information to monitoring nodes of health monitoring system <NUM> (e.g., accessory devices <NUM> or computing devices <NUM>), ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may immediately establish a wireless communication session with an accessory device. Otherwise, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may wait to send data to accessory devices <NUM>.

<FIG> is an example of an information triage operation of an ear-wearable device in accordance with a technique of this disclosure. In the example of <FIG>, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may obtain sensor data from one or more sensors configured to gather information about user <NUM> of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> (<NUM>). For example, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may obtain sensor data from sensors in ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and/or sensor devices <NUM>.

Furthermore, in the example of <FIG>, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> determines based on the sensor data, whether user <NUM> has experienced an acute health event (<NUM>). For example, ear-wearable device <NUM> may determine, based on the sensor data, that user <NUM> has fallen, that user <NUM> is experiencing a heart arrhythmia, that user <NUM> is having a seizure or about to have a seizure, that user <NUM> has a dangerous fever, that user <NUM> is experiencing heatstroke or hypothermia, that user <NUM> has dangerously high or low blood pressure, or that user <NUM> is experiencing another type of acute health event.

In response to determining that user <NUM> has experienced an acute health event ("YES" branch of <NUM>), ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> establishes a communication link between ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> and a first accessory device of the set of accessory devices <NUM> (<NUM>). The ommunication link is a wireless communication link in which the first accessory device receives wireless signals generated by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. Ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may establish the communication link immediately in response to determining that user <NUM> has experienced the acute health event. In some examples, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may use increasing power levels of wireless signals to help ensure that at least one of accessory devices <NUM> is able to receive the wireless signals. In this example, the first accessory device may be that one of accessory device(s) <NUM> that first responds to the wireless signals generated by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>.

Ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> sends first health data to the first accessory device via the communication link (<NUM>). The first health data is based on the sensor data. In some examples, the first health data may be or comprise the sensor data itself. In some examples, the first health data may include data generated by ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> such as an indication of the acute health condition along with, in some examples, supporting data. Monitoring nodes of health monitoring system <NUM> (e.g., the accessory device, other ones of accessory devices <NUM>, and/or computing devices <NUM>) may use the first health data to perform various health monitoring activities, such as alerting one or more third parties, causing ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> to output audible instructions or alerts, and so on.

However, in response to determining that user <NUM> has not experienced the acute health event ("NO" branch of <NUM>), ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> sends second health data based on the sensor data to a second accessory device while one or more of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> are coupled to a charging device that charges a power source of the ear-wearable device (<NUM>). Thus, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may be able to provide the second data at a time when transmitting the second data would not negatively impact the amount of power stored in the power source(s) of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM>. In some examples, the charging device is the second accessory device. The first accessory device and the second accessory device may be the same device. In some examples, the second data is the same as the first data. In other examples, the second data may include more or different data than the first data. For instance, the second data may include data that is not critical the user's immediate health, such as the number of steps that user <NUM> has taken during a given time period. In other examples, ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may send the second data to the second accessory device under other conditions. Such other conditions may include instances in which ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> are able to communicate with the second accessory device using a low-power wireless communication technology, such as BTE.

In some examples, the definition of the acute health event may be customized to user <NUM>. In other words, what might be an acute health event for one user might not be for another user. For instance, low blood glucose may not be critical for a non-diabetic person but might be for a diabetic person. Accordingly, in ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may receive configuration data. Ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> may customize a definition of the acute health event to user <NUM> of ear-wearable device(s) <NUM> based on the configuration data.

Claim 1:
A method comprising:
obtaining (<NUM>), by an ear-wearable device (<NUM>), sensor data from one or more sensors (<NUM>) configured to gather information about a user (<NUM>) of the ear-wearable device;
determining (<NUM>), by the ear-wearable device (<NUM>), based on the sensor data, whether the user (<NUM>) has experienced an acute health event;
in response to determining that the user (<NUM>) has experienced an acute health event:
establishing (<NUM>), by the ear-wearable device (<NUM>), a communication link between the ear-wearable device and a first accessory device, the communication link being a wireless communication link in which the first accessory device receives wireless signals generated by the ear-wearable device; and
sending (<NUM>), by the ear-wearable device (<NUM>), first health data to the first accessory device via the communication link, the first health data being based on the sensor data; and
characterized in that
in response to determining that the user (<NUM>) has not experienced the acute health event, sending (<NUM>), by the ear-wearable device (<NUM>), second health data based on the sensor data to a second accessory device while the ear-wearable device is coupled to a charging device that charges a power source of the ear-wearable device.