HEARING DEVICE INCLUDING ANTENNA UNIT

• US 20160381470A1
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: HENRIKSEN, Poul, TROELSEN, Jens
• Granted Patent: US 10,009,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659

Abstract

A hearing device having an antenna unit is disclosed. The hearing device comprises a transmission line connecting a communication unit and the antenna unit, or at least being part of a connection between them. The transmission line may be configured to transfer a signal from the communication unit to the antenna unit and/or from the antenna unit to the communication unit, so as to minimize parasitic effects on the antenna unit.

Claims

1. A hearing device comprising a housing that is configured to at least partly be positioned in the ear canal of a wearer, the housing having a first part configured for extending into the ear canal of the wearer and a second part configured to be positioned towards or at the opening of the ear canal of the wearer, the hearing device comprising:

an input transducer for registering ambient sound and providing an electrical signal representing the ambient sound,

a sound processor for processing the electrical signal,

an output transducer to provide the processes electrical signal to the wearer,

an antenna unit for reception and/or emission of electromagnetic energy, the antenna unit positioned in the second part of the housing,

a communication unit for processing of data to be transmitted or received via the antenna unit, and

a transmission line connecting the communication unit and the antenna unit, the transmission line configured to transfer a signal from the communication unit to the antenna unit and/or from the antenna unit to the communication unit, so as to minimize parasitic effects on the antenna unit, wherein at least part of the transmission line is at least partly shielded.

2. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission line is terminated at a battery spring and/or battery inside the housing.

3. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit includes a flex print and/or a lead and is arranged in a loop or a partial loop or a helix like structure or a patch or a slot antenna or an inverted F-antenna, or a combination thereof.

4. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit is at least partly embedded or in-molded in a faceplate of the housing and/or a lid of a battery drawer and/or is at least partly situated in contact with an inner surface of a faceplate of the housing.

5. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit comprises a flex print and/or one or more conductive wires.

6. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission line is or at least includes a coaxial cable, microstrip line, a strip line, coupled lines, a twisted line pair, a flex print or a combination thereof.

7. The hearing device according to claim 6, wherein the transmission line is a coaxial cable and the shield of the coaxial cable is terminated at the battery.

8. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes an extractor cord for removing and/or inserting the hearing device in the ear canal of the wearer, and the antenna unit is at least partly disposed within the extractor cord, optionally the antenna unit is at least partly coiled within the extractor cord.

9. The hearing device according to claim 8, wherein a part of the antenna unit is disposed in the housing and optionally the part of the antenna unit disposed in the housing is at least partly coiled inside the housing.

10. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit comprises a wire arranged at least as part of a loop, optionally with a free end of the loop arranged in the vicinity of a power source and/or the wire being wound at least party around a power source.

11. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is custom formed to the intended user'"'"'s ear canal.

12. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit is positioned between one or more electrical components inside the housing and the outer part of the second part of the housing.

13. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit is configured to operate in the frequency range of 1 GHz to 10 GHz, such as 2 GHz to 2.5 GHz, such as 2400 MHz to 2483.5 MHz, such as in the frequency range of 1 GHz to 2 GHz, such as, such as 1800 MHz to 2100 MHz, such as 2100 MHz to 2200 MHz, such as 2200 MHz to 2200 MHz to 2400 MHz, such as 2400 MHz to 2500 MHz, such as 2500 MHz to 2800 MHz, such as 2800 MHz to 3000 MHz, such as around 2.4 GHz, such as around 5.1 GHz.

14. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the hearing device is configured to communicate using the Bluetooth protocol.

15. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein the hearing device is a hearing aid.

16. The hearing device according to claim 2, wherein the antenna unit includes a flex print and/or a lead and is arranged in a loop or a partial loop or a helix like structure or a patch or a slot antenna or an inverted F-antenna, or a combination thereof.

17. The hearing device according to claim 2, wherein the antenna unit is at least partly embedded or in-molded in a faceplate of the housing and/or a lid of a battery drawer and/or is at least partly situated in contact with an inner surface of a faceplate of the housing.

18. The hearing device according to claim 3, wherein the antenna unit is at least partly embedded or in-molded in a faceplate of the housing and/or a lid of a battery drawer and/or is at least partly situated in contact with an inner surface of a faceplate of the housing.

19. The hearing device according to claim 2, wherein the antenna unit comprises a flex print and/or one or more conductive wires.

20. The hearing device according to claim 3, wherein the antenna unit comprises a flex print and/or one or more conductive wires.