Digital hearing aid with a voltage converter for supplying a reduced operation voltage

• US 6,741,715 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2002
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Widex A/S (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Widex A/S (WS Audiology A/S)
• Inventors: Andersen, Henning Haugard
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US10/188,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20020196957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/314, 381/323, 381/120, 381/104, 381/107, 381/320, 381/321, 381/106, 363/60, 363/62, 330/297
• US Class Current: 381/323
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing

Abstract

A digital hearing aid comprises a microphone (2), an output transducer (3), a digital signal processor (5) interconnected between the microphone and the output transducer, and a power source (7) including a standard hearing aid battery for the supply of operation voltage for the digital signal processor. At least one of the integrated circuit signal processing parts is designed to operate at a reduced unstabilized operation voltage substantially below a nominal voltage of the battery. A switched step-down voltage converter is connected between the power source and such signal processing parts for lowering the battery voltage to provide the reduced operation voltage.

Claims

1. A hearing aid comprising a microphone, an output transducer, a digital signal processor interconnected between the microphone and the output transducer, and a power source, wherein said digital signal processor comprises an integrated circuit signal processing part adapted for operating without significant change of performance at a power supply voltage fluctuating within a range above a predefined minimum voltage, and wherein said power source comprises a switched step-down voltage converter adapted for providing to said signal processing part a power supply voltage fluctuating above said predefined minimum voltage.

2. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signal processing part is implemented in CMOS technology.

3. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signal processing part comprises parallel signal processing blocks, each operating at said varying power supply voltage.

4. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signal processing part is adapted for operating at a power supply voltage equal to or lower than 0.8 volts.

5. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said converter comprises a capacitive charge pump converter.

6. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 5, wherein said charge pump converter is designed to deliver at least two output voltages.

7. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said voltage converter comprises a switched inductor network converter.

8. A hearing aid comprising a microphone, an output transducer, a digital signal processor interconnected between the microphone and the output transducer and a power source for the supply of operation voltage for said digital signal processor, wherein said digital signal processor comprises an integrated circuit signal processing part, wherein said power source comprises a battery and a switched step-down voltage converter connected between said battery and said signal processing part, wherein said converter is adapted for providing a power supply voltage fluctuating below a nominal voltage of said battery, and wherein said signal processing part is adapted for operating without significant change of performance at a power supply voltage fluctuating with a range below a nominal voltage of said battery.

9. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 8, wherein said signal processing part is adapted for operating at a power supply voltage equal to or lower than 0.8 volts.

10. A digital hearing aid comprising a microphone, an output transducer, a digital signal processor interconnected between the microphone and the output transducer and including at least one integrated circuit signal processing part, and a power source, wherein said power source includes a standard hearing aid battery and a switched step-down voltage converter for the supply of a power supply voltage to said signal processing part, wherein said voltage converter is connected between said battery and said at least one signal processing part and adapted for providing a power supply voltage reduced to a fraction of the battery voltage, and wherein said integrated circuit signal processing part is designed to operate at a reduced power supply voltage substantially below a nominal voltage of said battery.

11. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein said converter is adapted for lowering the power supply voltage to two thirds of the battery volt-age.

12. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein said converter is adapted for lowering the power supply voltage to half of the battery voltage.

13. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein said converter is adapted for lowering the power supply voltage to within the range from 0.7 V to 0.4 V.

14. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein said converter is adapted for lowering the power supply voltage to within the range from 0.65 V to 0.5 V.