Hearing Aid with Rechargeable Battery and Rechargeable Battery

• US 20080137890A1
• Filed: 01/12/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Gudnason, Gunnar, Petersen, Anders Erik, Poulsen, Henning Knak, Rasmussen, Frank Engel
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/323
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0431 Cells with wound or folded electrodes H01M10/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0562 Solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0587 of accumulators having only wound construction elements, i.e. wound positive electrodes, wound negative electrodes and wound separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0071 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/66 Selection of materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/75 Wires, rods or strips
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• 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 25/00 Deaf-aid sets , i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception electrical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N1/36038; optical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N5/0622
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A rechargeable battery is provided comprising a flexible elongate electron conductive core (1) surrounded by a first electrochemically active layer (2), and a second electrochemically active layer (4), separated by a separation layer (3) and where an electron conducting element (5) contacts the outer surface of the second electrochemically active layer, whereby at least one of the two electrochemically active layers (2, 4) and the separation layer (3) are comprised of thin-film layers. Further a hearing aid is provided wherein a battery comprising thin film layers is provided. Such a battery may be curled or wound to accommodate an irregular space inside the hearing aid.

Claims

1. Rechargeable battery comprising a flexible elongate electron conductive core surrounded by a first electrochemically active layer, and a second electrochemically active layer, separated by a separation layer and where an electron conducting element contacts the outer surface of the second electrochemically active layer, whereby at least one of the two electrochemically active layers and the separation layer are comprised of thin-film layers.

2. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the battery is wound to form an induction coil with a first and a second end.

3. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active layers comprise cathode and anode materials and where the anode material comprise metallic lithium and the cathode material comprise lithium ions and whereby the separation layer is a lithium ion conducting layer.

4. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lithium ion conducting layer is a ceramic layer.

5. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 2, wherein the negative and positive poles of the battery at first ends of the coil are connected to rectifiers (D₁,D₂).

6. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rectifier are connected to a capacitor (C₁), and where the capacitor (C₁) is connected to the negative battery pole of the second end of the coil.

7. Audio device with a receiver capable of delivering a signal to a user perceivable as sound, a shell or casing containing a microphone and a signal processing device and where a battery is provided for delivering power to the signal processing device, whereby the battery comprise a layered structure provided on the surface of an elongate substrate having layers of anode- and cathode material and a ion conducting separation layer separating the anode and cathode layer and current collecting layers whereby at least one of the layers is deposited in a thin film deposition process and whereby the battery is wound, curled or crammed to accommodate an available space inside the casing.

8. Audio device as claimed in claim 7 whereby the casing is custom made to fit the inside of the ear or ear canal of an individual.

9. Audio device as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least a part of the battery is wound up in a coil like structure with a first end and a second end, such that the current collection layers forms an induction coil.

10. Audio device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electrochemically active layers of the rechargeable battery comprise cathode and anode materials and where the anode material comprise metallic lithium and the cathode material comprise lithium ions and whereby the separation layer is a lithium ion conducting layer.

11. Audio device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lithium ion conducting layer of the battery is a ceramic layer.

12. Audio device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the negative and positive poles of the battery at the first ends of the coil are connected to rectifiers (D₁,D₂).

13. Audio device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the rectifier are connected to a capacitor (C₁), and where the capacitor (C₁) is connected to the negative battery pole of the second end of the coil.