HEARING AID WITH EXCHANGEABLE SHELL PARTS AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

• US 20110194717A1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Klemmensen, Jakob Sandholt, Wichmann, Soren, Moller, Kenneth Rueskov, Rasmussen, Jakob Hager, Nielsen, Carl Christian, Hansen, Jacob Holdt, Nielsen, Christian, Petersen, Morten Kjaer, Würfel, Claus, Larsen, Jan T.L.
• Application Number:
  US13/120,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20110194717A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/328
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/52 Means for reducing coupling between antennas; Means for reducing coupling between an antenna and another structure absorbing means H01Q17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0216 BTE hearing aids having a receiver in the ear mould
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/49 Reducing the effects of electromagnetic noise on the functioning of hearing aids, by, e.g. shielding, signal processing adaptation, selective (de)activation of electronic parts in hearing aid
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/57 Aspects of electrical interconnection between hearing aid parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/60 Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles ear wax retarders, e.g. mounting thereof H04R25/654
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/607 of earhooks
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/609 of circuitry of electronic switches or control elements H04R25/603
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/65 Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture

Abstract

Hearing aid or audio device having a behind the ear part adapted to rest behind an earlobe of a user and a speaker unit comprising a speaker, whereby the speaker unit is adapted for insertion into the ear of a user, and whereby electric leads are provided between the speaker unit and the behind the ear part, said leads having a connection part opposite the speaker unit for connection with a corresponding socket in the behind the ear part, wherein the exterior and visible parts of the behind the ear part are defined by a generally U-shaped shell element, a battery drawer and a microphone cover plate characterized in that all further inside parts of the behind the ear part are interconnected to form a single sub-assembly and in that said sub-assembly is releasably coupled to the U-shaped shell element between two upright walls thereof by latch-locks provided to interact between the microphone cover plate and the upright wall elements

Claims

1. Hearing aid or audio device having a behind the ear part adapted to rest behind an earlobe of a user and a speaker unit comprising a speaker, whereby the speaker unit is adapted for insertion into the ear of a user, and whereby electric leads are provided between the speaker unit and the behind the ear part, said leads having a connection part opposite the speaker unit for connection with a corresponding socket in the behind the ear part, wherein the exterior and visible parts of the behind the ear part are defined by a generally U-shaped shell element, a battery drawer and a microphone cover plate characterized in that all further inside parts of the behind the ear part are interconnected to form a single sub-assembly and in that said sub-assembly is releasably coupled to the U-shaped shell element between two upright walls thereof by latch-locks provided to interact between the microphone cover plate and the upright wall elements.

2. Hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein snap latches are provided on an under-side of the microphone cover plate and where the up-right walls of the U-shaped shell element comprise undercuts at the inside rims thereof provided to receive the snap latches of the microphone cover plate.

3. Hearing aid as claimed in claim 2, wherein a wedge shaped recess is provided between the microphone cover plate and the remaining hearing aid, adapted to receive a wedge shaped implement in order to exert an opening force between the microphone cover plate and the hearing aid sufficient to force the snap latches of the microphone cover plate out of engagement with the undercuts of the inside rim of the shell element.

4. Hearing aid as claimed in claim 3, wherein a battery drawer is detachably connected to the hearing aid adjacent to the microphone cover plate, and whereby the battery drawer comprise a wedge shaped implement at an edge thereof shaped to fit into the wedge shaped recess between the microphone and cover plate.

5. Wireless antenna shaped as a coil comprising

an insulated electrically conductive wire wound in parallel coaxial windings defining a coil axis thereby adapted to transduce between changes in a magnetic field inside of the coil and electric power in the coil windings whereby further

a shield adapted to prevent electric fields from reaching the antenna is provided externally of the coil characterized in that

the shield in the direction transversely to the direction of the coil axis comprise at least two layers of electric leads,

where further the leads are interconnected, spaced apart and in each layer has a main direction of extension coaxially with the axis of the coil.

6. Wireless antenna as claimed in claim 5, wherein each lead in a first layer is placed to cover open space between leads (103) in a second layer and vice versa.

7. Wireless antenna as claimed in claim 6, wherein the leads transversely to their main direction of extension in a layer are wider than the space between two consecutive leads in the layer.

8. Wireless antenna as claimed in claim 5, wherein the wire wound up to form the coil at each end of the coil is connected to a printed circuit board, and whereby the leads of the shield are connected to the same printed circuit board.

9. Wireless antenna as claimed in claim 8 whereby the circuit board further comprise:

microphones being connected thereto,

an audio processor and audio amplifier,

output connections adapted to transmit an enhanced audio signal to an output transducer for delivering an audio signal to a user perceivable as sound,

power input means adapted to receive power from a battery.

10. Hearing aid or audio device having a behind the ear part adapted to rest behind an earlobe of a user and a speaker unit comprising a speaker, whereby the speaker unit is adapted for insertion into the ear of a user, and whereby electric leads are provided between the speaker unit and the behind the ear part, said leads having a connection part opposite the speaker unit for connection with a corresponding socket in the behind the ear part, whereby further the hearing aid comprise a wireless antenna as claimed in any of claims 5-9.