Hearing aid with wireless remote control
First Claim
1. A hearing aid comprising:
- a housing worn at the head of a user containing controllable means for amplifying incoming sound and means for receiving and demodulating capacitively transmitted control signals for said means for amplifying, said means for receiving and demodulating including first means for forming a plate capacitor having a voltage which varies responsive to said transmitted control signals; and
a wireless control device integrated in a wristwatch disposed remote from said housing including a rotatable ring disposed around a circumference of said wristwatch for manually entering control instructions for said means for amplifying, and means for modulating and capacitively transmitting said control signals to said housing including second means for forming a plate capacitor having a voltage which varies responsive to said control instructions and thereby generating said control signals as an electric field to induce said voltage at said first means for forming a plate capacitor.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A hearing aid has a housing which can be worn at the head, such as in or behind the ear, and which contains the basic electrical and acoustic elements of the hearing aid. The housing has a portion adapted for introduction into the auditory canal, and a cover, both of which are electrically conductive and are insulated from each other by an insulating layer therebetween, thus forming a capacitor. A control device for transmitting control signals to the hearing aid housing is integrated in a commonly worn article, such as a wristwatch or a piece of jewelry. The control device has a capacitor having spaced plates, the plates forming components of the commonly worn article. The control device includes one or more manually operable control signal actuators which generate an electric field at the control device permitting the control signals to be capacitively transmitted to the housing, such as in the form of a pulse sequence.
98 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A hearing aid comprising:
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a housing worn at the head of a user containing controllable means for amplifying incoming sound and means for receiving and demodulating capacitively transmitted control signals for said means for amplifying, said means for receiving and demodulating including first means for forming a plate capacitor having a voltage which varies responsive to said transmitted control signals; and a wireless control device integrated in a wristwatch disposed remote from said housing including a rotatable ring disposed around a circumference of said wristwatch for manually entering control instructions for said means for amplifying, and means for modulating and capacitively transmitting said control signals to said housing including second means for forming a plate capacitor having a voltage which varies responsive to said control instructions and thereby generating said control signals as an electric field to induce said voltage at said first means for forming a plate capacitor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A hearing aid comprising:
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a housing having a section having a shape for introduction into the auditory canal of a user, said section having an electrically conductive portion, a cover for said housing section, and an insulating layer disposed between said cover and said housing section, said cover, said insulating layer and said housing section forming a first capacitor, said housing containing controllable means for amplifying incoming sound and means connected to said first capacitor for receiving and demodulating capacitively transmitted control signals, said transmitted control signals inducing a voltage at said first capacitor which varies responsive to said transmitted control signals; and a wireless control device disposed in a wristwatch worn by said user, said wristwatch having an electrically conductive backplate, a watchglass, and an electrically conductive region on said watchglass, said electrically conductive region, said watchglass and said backplate forming a second capacitor, said control device including means at an exterior of said wristwatch for manually entering control instructions for said means for amplifying and means connected to said second capacitor for modulating and capacitively transmitting said control signals to said first capacitor in said housing, said second capacitor having a voltage which varies responsive to said control instructions and thereby generating said control signals as an electric field to induce said voltage at said first capacitor.
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9. A hearing aid comprising:
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a housing shaped for introduction into the auditory canal of a user containing controllable means for amplifying incoming sound and means for receiving and demodulating capacitively transmitted control signals for said means for amplifying, said housing having an electrically conductive portion and an electrically conductive cover, said means for receiving and demodulating including a first plate capacitor having a voltage which varies responsive to said transmitted control signals, said first plate capacitor formed by said electrically conductive portion of said housing and said electrically conductive cover with an insulator disposed therebetween; and a wireless control device disposed remote from said housing including means for manually entering control instructions for said means for amplifying, and means for modulating and capacitively transmitting said control signals to said housing including a second plate capacitor having a voltage which varies responsive to said control instruction and thereby generating said control signals as an electrical field to induce said voltage at said first plate capacitor. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A hearing aid comprising:
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a housing worn at the head of a user containing controllable means for amplifying incoming sound and means for receiving and demodulating capacitively transmitted control signals for said means for amplifying, said means for receiving and demodulating including a first plate capacitor having a voltage which varies responsive to said transmitted control signals; and a wireless control device integrated in a wristwatch disposed remote from said housing including means for manually entering control instructions for said means for amplifying, said wristwatch having an electrically conductive backplate and a separate conductive region, and means in said wristwatch for modulating and capacitively transmitting said control signals to said housing including a second plate capacitor having a voltage which varies responsive to said control instructions and thereby generating said control signals as an electric field to induce said voltage at said first plate capacitor, said second plate capacitor formed by said electrically conductive backplate, said separate conductive region and an insulator therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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Specification