HEARING AID

• US 20160241968A1
• Filed: 09/16/2014
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Inventors: HATANAKA, Takezo, TSUDA, Hisashi
• Granted Patent: US 10,555,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• 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 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/65 Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture

Abstract

Frequent replacement of a battery is avoided even if power consumption is large, and the structure is simplified and waterproofness is improved. Furthermore, cost reduction is achieved because driving components are selectable from components with variously different operating voltages. A hearing aid includes a secondary battery having a nominal voltage higher than a nominal voltage of an air battery, driving components driven by power at different voltages 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 each driving component.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A Hearing aid comprising:

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

driving components driven by power at different voltages supplied from the secondary battery; and

a transformation unit configured to output charging power of the secondary battery at a voltage suitable for driving each of the driving components.

10. The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein, the transformation unit includes individual transformation units which are provided for the respective driving components, in a dispersed manner.

11. The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein, the transformation unit includes group transformation units provided for specific groups of the driving components, respectively.

12. The hearing aid according to claim 9, 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.

13. The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein, at least one of the driving components is a dedicated member which is driven at a voltage falling in a range between a charging stop voltage and a discharging stop voltage of the secondary battery.

14. The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein, at least one of the driving components is a dedicated member driven at the nominal voltage of the secondary battery.

15. The hearing aid according to claim 14, wherein, to the dedicated member, the power is directly supplied from the secondary battery.

16. The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein, the secondary battery is a lithium ion battery.