Antennas for hearing aids

• US 10,194,253 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Polinske, Beau Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Phan
• Application Number:
  US15/269,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20170070829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/08 Helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/023 Completely in the canal [CIC] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

An antenna configured in a hybrid circuit provides a compact design for a hearing aid to communicate wirelessly with a system external to the hearing aid. In an embodiment, an antenna includes metallic traces in a hybrid circuit that is configured for use in a hearing aid. The antenna includes contacts in the hybrid circuit to couple the metallic traces to electronic devices in the hybrid circuit. In an embodiment, the metallic traces form a planar coil design having a number of turns of the coil in a substrate in the hybrid circuit. In another embodiment, the metallic traces are included in a flex circuit on a substrate in the hybrid circuit. An antenna configured in a hybrid circuit allows for use in a completely-in-the-canal hearing aid.

Claims

1. A hearing aid comprising:

a hybrid circuit including a first substrate and a second substrate;

an antenna having metallic traces disposed in the hybrid circuit, wherein the antenna includes at least one turn on the first substrate and at least one turn on the second substrate;

an electronic device in the hybrid circuit coupled to the metallic traces of the antenna; and

a signal processing unit to process information received and transmitted by the antenna, wherein the antenna is configured with a first turn to act as a transmitting antenna and a second turn outside the first turn to act as a receiving antenna, the second turn configured to inductively receive signals from the first turn for measurement of power in the first turn.

2. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid includes a conductive line aligned along the antenna, the conductive line configured to measure the power in the antenna.

3. The hearing aid of claim 2, wherein the conductive line and the antenna are configured as inductively coupled loops.

4. The hearing aid of claim 1, further including an RF drive circuit coupled between the signal processing unit and the antenna.

5. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a matching circuit coupled to the antenna, the matching circuit having an impedance that is substantially the complex conjugate of an impedance of the antenna to which it is coupled.

6. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a capacitance network coupled to the antenna, the capacitance network configured to selectively couple a capacitance in parallel with the antenna.

7. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a capacitance network coupled to the antenna, the capacitance network configured to selectively couple a capacitance in series with the antenna.

8. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a capacitance network coupled to the antenna, the capacitance network configured to selectively couple a capacitance in parallel with the antenna and a capacitance in series with the antenna.

9. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the metallic traces of the antenna are configured as a number turns in a polyimide substrate.

10. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the metallic traces of the antenna are configured as a number turns in a low temperature cofired ceramic substrate.

11. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the metallic traces of the antenna are configured as a number turns in a quartz ceramic substrate.

12. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the antenna includes a flex circuit.

13. The hearing aid of claim 12, wherein the flex circuit includes flexible metallic traces in a polyimide layer.

14. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the metallic traces of the antenna have a width and a combined length to provide a selected operating distance for a selected input power.

15. The hearing aid of claim 14, wherein the selected operating distance for a selected input power ranges from about 2 meters to about 3 meters for an input power ranging from about −

10 dBm to about −

20 dBm.

16. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured to operate with a carrier frequency ranging from about 400 MHz to about 3000 MHz.

17. A hearing aid comprising:

a housing;

an electronic circuit within the housing; and

an antenna coupled to an electronic device within the housing, the antenna configured as a number of turns on a first and a second dielectric substrate of a hybrid circuit to provide wireless communication to the electronic circuit from a source exterior to the hearing aid, wherein the antenna is configured with a first turn on the first dielectric substrate to act as a transmitting antenna and a second turn outside the first turn, the second turn on the second dielectric substrate configured to inductively receive signals from the first turn for measurement of power in the first turn.

18. The hearing aid of claim 17, wherein the hearing aid includes a conductive line aligned along the antenna, the conductive line configured to measure the power in the antenna.

19. The hearing aid of claim 17, wherein the antenna is a 12 turn helix antenna.

20. The hearing aid of claim 17, wherein the antenna has a working distance of about 10 meters.