Multi-coil coupling system for hearing aid applications

• US 20060269088A1
• Filed: 02/01/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 7, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Inventors: Drambarean, Viorel, Julstrom, Stephen D., Soede, Willem
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/502 using analog signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/603 of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements

Abstract

A hearing improvement device using a multi-coil coupling system and methods for operating such a device are disclosed. An embodiment of the present invention may use an array microphone to provide highly directional reception. The received audio signal may be filtered, amplified, and converted into a magnetic field for coupling to the telecoil in a conventional hearing aid. Multiple transmit inductors may be used to effectively couple to both in-the-ear and behind-the-ear type hearing aids, and an additional embodiment is disclosed which may be used with an earphone, for users not requiring a hearing aid.

Claims

1. A hearing improvement device comprising:

an amplifier for modifying an electrical signal representative of sound;

at least one inductor for generating, from the modified electrical signal, a magnetic field suitable for coupling to the telecoil of a hearing aid; and

a housing suitably arranged for wearing proximate an ear of a user, wherein the housing contains the at least one inductor, the amplifier, and a battery.

2. The hearing improvement device of claim 1, further comprising a microphone for converting sound into the electrical signal representative of sound.

3. The hearing improvement device of claim 2, wherein the microphone comprises a directional microphone.

4. The hearing improvement device of claim 3, wherein the microphone is an array microphone.

5. The hearing improvement device of claim 1, further comprising switch circuitry for passing the modified electrical signal to a selected one of the at least one inductor.

6. The hearing improvement device of claim 1, wherein the housing is suitably arranged to fit behind an ear of a user.

7. The hearing improvement device of claim 6, wherein the housing is arranged to be collocated with a behind-the-ear (BTE) type hearing aid.

8. The hearing improvement device of claim 1, further comprising a first electrical connector portion that when mated with a second electrical connector portion enables the passage of the electrical signal representative of sound.

9. The hearing improvement device of claim 1, wherein the at least one inductor comprises at least two inductors each generating a magnetic field having a different field orientation.

10. The hearing improvement device of claim 1, further comprising an ear hook for supporting the device from an ear of a user.

11. A method of operating a hearing improvement device suitable for wearing proximate an ear of a user, the method comprising:

selecting from a plurality of predefined magnetic field orientations, each magnetic field orientation arranged for efficient coupling to an associated type of hearing aid; and

generating a magnetic field having the selected magnetic field orientation using an electrical signal representative of sound, the magnetic field for coupling to a telecoil of a hearing aid.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of magnetic field orientations comprises two magnetic field orientations.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of magnetic field orientations comprises a magnetic field orientation for use with one of the following:

a behind the ear type hearing aid and an in the ear type hearing aid.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

converting sound into the electrical signal representative of sound.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

receiving the electrical signal representative of sound.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the hearing improvement device is positioned behind an ear of the user.

17. A hearing improvement system comprising:

a hearing aid for directing sound into an ear canal of a user; and

a housing arranged to fit substantially behind an ear of the user, the housing comprising;

a microphone having a relatively greater sensitivity to sound in the direction faced by the user, the microphone for converting sound into an electrical signal;

at least one inductor for producing, using the electrical signal, a magnetic field for coupling to a telecoil of the hearing aid; and

a battery.

18. The hearing improvement system of claim 17, wherein the hearing aid is a behind-the-ear type hearing aid.

19. The hearing improvement system of claim 17, wherein the housing further comprises switch circuitry for selecting among the at least one inductor.

20. The hearing improvement system of claim 17, wherein the microphone comprises an array microphone.

21. The hearing improvement system of claim 17, wherein the housing further comprises an amplifier for modifying the electrical signal.