Hearing aid

• US 20100098280A1
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: K/S HIMPP
• Original Assignee: Songbird Hearing, Inc.
• Inventors: Mulhauser, Paul J., Kirk, Karl D. III, DeSalvo, Michael, Mohamed, Hassan, Sjursen, Walter P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,121,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/323
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/11 Aspects relating to vents, e.g. shape, orientation, acoustic properties in ear tips of hearing devices to prevent occlusion
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/603 of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/609 of circuitry of electronic switches or control elements H04R25/603
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10037 Printed or non-printed battery
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10053 Switch
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10083 Electromechanical or electro-acoustic component, e.g. microphone

Abstract

A hearing aid includes a circuit board having a battery affixed thereon and a switch that utilizes a portion of the circuit board as a portion of the switch. The battery is permanently affixed to the circuit board in at least one location and at least a portion of the battery is spaced away from the circuit board. The circuit board further includes at least one pair of printed switch traces. The switch is integrated into the circuit board in a way that utilizes the circuit board to form a rotary switch.

Claims

1. A hearing aid comprising:

a circuit board for a hearing aid comprising at least one switch trace.

2. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said at least one switch trace is from about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm in width.

3. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said at least one switch comprises an arc.

4. The hearing aid of claim 3 wherein said arc has a radius of from about 1 mm to about 6 mm.

5. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said at least one switch trace engages with at least one rotating electrical contact to form a rotary switch.

6. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said circuit board contains at least one hole located adjacent to said switch trace.

7. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said circuit board contains two sets of switch traces.

8. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said at least one switch trace has portions of higher electrical resistance and portions of lower electrical resistance.

9. The hearing aid of claim 5 wherein said at least one electrical contact rotates through an arc.

10. The hearing aid of claim 9, wherein said arc comprises at least one switch segment.

11. The hearing aid of claim 10, wherein said at least one switch segment rotates through an arc from about 5 degrees to about 50 degrees.

12. The hearing aid of claim 9 wherein said rotation is less than about 100 degrees of rotation.

13. The hearing aid of claim 5 wherein said at least one electrical contact is connected to a raised tab for user operation, the raised tab extending from the plane of switch rotation.

14. The hearing aid of claim 13, wherein said switch rotation comprises at least one switch segment.

15. The hearing aid of claim 5 wherein said rotary switch has at least two positions.

16. The hearing aid of claim 15, wherein said rotary switch has at least one position that provides a sound passageway to a hearing aid microphone.

17. The hearing aid of claim 15, wherein said rotary switch has at least one position that provides an air passageway to a hearing aid battery.

18. The hearing aid of claim 15, wherein said rotary switch has at least one position that substantially seals air from entering the hearing aid.

19. The hearing aid of claim 18, wherein a sealing mechanism between a face plate of the hearing aid and the rotary switch substantially seals air from entering the hearing aid.

20. The hearing aid of claim 18, wherein the rotary switch substantially seals air from entering the hearing aid when the switch is in a power off position.

21. The hearing aid of claim 15, wherein said rotary switch has a means for maintaining said switch in at least one of said switch positions.

22. The hearing aid of claim 5 wherein said at least one rotating electrical contact rotates around a shaft.

23. The hearing aid of claim 22 wherein said shaft has at least one sound passageway.

24. The hearing aid of claim 5, wherein the switch includes tactile means to permit the user to determine the operating state position of the switch.

25. The hearing aid of claim 5, wherein the switch includes visual means to permit the user to determine the operating state position of the switch.

26. The hearing aid of claim 1, comprising a battery permanently affixed to the circuit.

27. The hearing aid of claim 13, wherein the rotating switch is adjacent to and substantially parallel with a face plate of the hearing aid, the raised tab extending through a slot in the face plate.

28. The hearing aid of claim 27, wherein the rotating switch comprises a detent that mates with one or more notches on the face plate to maintain the switch at a particular position.

29. A flexible circuit board comprising at least one switch trace.

30. The flexible circuit board of claim 29, further comprising at least one rotating electrical contact that engages the at least one switch trace to form a rotary switch.

31. The flexible circuit board of claim 29, wherein the rotary switch is incorporated in a hearing aid.

32. A method of operating a hearing aid, comprising:

with a hearing aid having a circuit and at least one switch trace thereon, moving at least one rotating electrical contact relative to the at least one switch trace to modify the operation of the hearing aid.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the movement of the at least one rotating electrical contact relative to the at least one switch trace turns the hearing aid on and off.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the movement of the at least one rotating electrical contact relative to the at least one switch trace adjusts the volume of the hearing aid receiver.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the movement of the at least one rotating electrical contact relative to the at least one switch trace turns the hearing aid on and off and adjusts the volume of the hearing aid receiver.