Hearing aid and hearing-aid charging system

• US 10,320,211 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Inventors: Hatanaka, Takezo, Tsuda, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US15/027,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20160241063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/33 Aspects relating to adaptation of the battery voltage, e.g. its regulation, increase or decrease
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/607 of earhooks
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/65 Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In regard to a hearing aid and a hearing aid charging system, frequent replacement of a battery is avoided even if power consumption is large, and the structure is simplified and waterproofness is improved. A Hearing aid includes a secondary battery having a nominal voltage higher than a nominal voltage of an air battery, a driving component driven by power supplied from the secondary battery, and a transformation unit configured to output the charging power of the secondary battery at a voltage suitable for driving the driving component.

Claims

1. A hearing aid comprising:

a secondary battery having a nominal voltage higher than a nominal voltage of an air battery;

at least one driving component driven by power supplied from the secondary battery;

a charging unit configured to supply DC power at a predetermined voltage to the secondary battery;

a transformation unit configured to output a charging power of the secondary battery to the at least one driving component, at a voltage suitable for driving the at least one driving component;

a power-receiving module configured to receive resonance-type power from the outside in a contactless manner; and

a rectifier configured to output DC power to the charging unit by rectifying the resonance-type power supplied to the power-receiving module, at least one of the rectifier, the charging unit, the transformation unit, and the secondary battery being provided in a magnetic field space that is formed by a resonance phenomenon in the power-receiving module to have a lowest magnetic field strength than a magnetic field strength in any other part of the hearing aid.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein, the secondary battery is a lithium ion battery.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein, the hearing aid includes two or more of the driving components driven by power at a same voltage, and

the transformation unit outputs the power at a voltage suitable for each of the driving components driven at the same voltage to each of the driving components driven at the same voltage.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein, the hearing aid includes two or more of the driving components driven by power at different voltages, and

the transformation unit outputs the power at a voltage suitable for each of the driving components driven at different voltages to each of the driving components driven at different voltages.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein, the transformation unit includes at least one of a voltage boosting circuit configured to increase a voltage to be higher than a terminal voltage of the secondary battery and a voltage dropping circuit configured to decrease a voltage to be lower than the terminal voltage of the secondary battery.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein, at least one of the driving components is a dedicated member driven at the nominal voltage of the secondary battery.

7. A hearing aid charging system comprising:

the hearing aid of claim 1; and

a charging device configured to charge the secondary battery of the hearing aid,

the charging device including;

a supporting stand configured to detachably support the hearing aid in a predetermined power supplying posture; and

a power-supplying module configured to supply power in a contactless manner to the power-receiving module of the hearing aid supported by the supporting stand.

8. The hearing aid charging system according to claim 7, wherein, the charging device includes:

a hearing aid detector configured to detect the hearing aid supported by the supporting stand; and

a power-supplying module controller configured to drive the power-supplying module only when the hearing aid is detected by the hearing aid detector.

9. The hearing aid charging system according to claim 7, wherein, the charging device further includes

a cover member capable of covering an exposed part of the hearing aid supported by the supporting stand,

the cover member is provided with the power-supplying module, and

the power-supplying module is disposed to oppose the power-receiving module of the hearing aid when the exposed part of the hearing aid is covered by the cover member.