Flexible circuit board assembly for a hearing aid

• US 6,456,720 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1999
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sonic Innovations Incorporated (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Sonic Innovations Incorporated (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Collotzi, Craig M., Brimhall, Owen D., Ellis, Carl E., Pauley, Jerry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Application Number:
  US09/468,769
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/314, 381/322, 381/323, 381/324, 381/328, 181/129, 181/130, 181/135, 298/962.1, 600/25
• US Class Current: 381/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/023 Completely in the canal [CIC] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/57 Aspects of electrical interconnection between hearing aid parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/456 mechanically
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/656 Non-customized, universal ear tips, i.e. ear tips which are not specifically adapted to the size or shape of the ear or ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/658 Manufacture of housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence

Abstract

A circuit board assembly for a hearing device comprises a substrate including a component mounting region that can be folded into a desired orientation. A circuit board assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention can preferably be folded without affecting the performance characteristics of the substrate or any of the components mounted to the substrate. In a preferred embodiment a circuit board assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a first component mounting region adapted to receive a hearing device microphone, a second component mounting region adapted to receive an electronic circuit and a circuit capacitor, a third component mounting region adapted to receive a contact pad, and a fourth component mounting region adapted to receive a programming pad. When folded in accordance with a preferred configuration, the flexible circuit board assembly can be readily inserted into a hearing device housing.

Claims

1. A circuit board assembly for a hearing device, comprising:

a single-piece, integrated substrate having a foldable first component mounting region with a microphone contact, a foldable second component mounting region with an electronic circuit and a capacitor, a foldable third component mounting region with a first battery contact and a wire pad, and a foldable fourth component mounting region with a programming pad and a second battery contact, wherein each of the component mounting regions can be folded into a desired compact orientation with respect to the substrate to form a compact circuit board assembly.

2. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the microphone contact on the first component mounting region is adapted to receive a microphone, and wherein the substrate has a conductive pathway formed thereon, the conductive pathway extending between the microphone contact and the electronic circuit.

3. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the wire pad on the third component mounting region is adapted to receive an electrical conductor connected to a hearing device receiver, and wherein the substrate has a conductive pathway formed thereon, the conductive pathway extending between the integrated circuit and the wire pad.

4. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the first battery contact is a positive contact, and wherein the second battery contact is a negative contact.

5. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to process and amplify sounds received through a microphone.

6. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a conductive pathway formed thereon, the conductive pathway extending from the programming pad to the electronic circuit, wherein the electronic circuit is programmable by a user.

7. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the second component mounting region has first and second mounting surfaces, and wherein the first mounting surface is adapted to receive an integrated circuit, and the second mounting surface is adapted to receive a capacitor.

8. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the component mounting regions are separated from each other by flexible portions and foldable about the flexible portions in respective directions, and at least one of the component regions is foldable in a direction that is non-coplanar with the foldable direction of at least one other component region.

9. The circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein any two adjacent component mounting regions are separated by a flexible portion, the flexible portion including an etching that allows each of the component mounting regions to be easily folded about the flexible portion into a desired orientation with respect to the substrate.