Electromagnetic audio and data signaling transducers and systems

• US 7,426,279 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James L. Cochran
• Original Assignee: James L. Cochran
• Inventors: Cochran, James L., Valdez-Campbell, Marilyn
• Primary Examiner(s): Briney, III; Walter F
• Application Number:
  US10/860,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20040258261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 381/79, 381/312, 381/315, 381/322, 381/326, 379/443, 379/444
• US Class Current: 381/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/215 by non-intrusive coupling means, e.g. acoustic couplers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2475 for a hearing impaired user
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

An electromagnetic field signal communications system (100) is based on a specially configured sending transducer (30), having electrical conductors (32) wound onto a generally circular core (33) including an air gap (34) from which its electromagnetic fields (40) are generated when excited with input electrical audio or data (20) signals. The transducer (30) transmits by projecting these electromagnetic fields (40) onto adjacent signal receiving transducers (51/56) that transform the electromagnetic field (40) into proportional electrical signals. The electromagnetic fields (40) are transformed by a receiving transducer (51) located in an adjacent hearing aid device (50) such that input audio electrical input signals, which are processed by circuitry (53), bypass the hearing aid microphone (52) and are routed to the eardrum speaker (55). The transducer'"'"'s (30) effectiveness is due in part to its ability to reduce environmental electromagnetic interference when excited with an electrical excitation signal (18) in lieu of or in addition to voice or date signals (20).

Claims

1. Apparatus for communicating voice or data signals by electromagnetic induction from a signal producing device to an external hearing aid related device, comprising:

(a) a sending transducer in said signal producing device, said sending transducer having a substantially toroidal core of permeable material surrounded by a driving winding;

(b) said substantially toroidal core having an air gap of predetermined circumferential angular extent;

(c) said sending transducer further having a pair of shaped pole faces formed at the circumferential extremities of said substantially toroidal core adjacent to said air gap, said pole faces giving rise to a fringing field; and

(d) whereby upon production of voice or data signals by said signal producing device, said sending transducer produces a corresponding fringing field which may be applied to an external hearing aid related device thereby allowing replication of said voice or data signals by said external hearing aid related device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said permeable material is selected from the group of materials including laminated structures, homogeneous materials, ferrites or combinations thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said air gap predetermined circumferential angular extent is between 90 and 180.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said substantially toroidal core is further surrounded by an excitation winding, whereby upon application of excitation signals of selected frequencies to said excitation winding, interfering ambient electromagnetic noise signals in the vicinity of said sending transmitter are reduced.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said driving winding is an excitation winding, whereby upon application of excitation signals of selected frequencies to said excitation winding, interfering ambient electromagnetic noise signals in the vicinity of said sending transmitter are reduced.

6. A method of communicating voice or data signals by electromagnetic induction from a signal producing device to an external hearing aid related device, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a sending transducer in said signal producing device, said sending transducer having a substantially toroidal core of permeable material surrounded by a driving winding, said substantially toroidal core having an air gap of predetermined circumferential angular extent;

(b) said sending transducer further having a pair of shaped pole faces formed at the circumferential extremities of said substantially toroidal core adjacent to said air gap, said ole faces giving rise to a fringing field; and

(c) whereby upon production of voice or data signals by said signal producing device, said sending transducer produces a corresponding fringing field which may be applied to an external hearing aid related device thereby allowing replication of said voice or data signals by said external hearing aid related device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said providing step further includes providing said sending transducer with an air gap of between 90 and 180 circumferentially angular degrees.

8. A method of communicating voice or data signals by electromagnetic induction to a hearing aid related device from an external electromagnetic sending transducer, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a receiving transducer in said hearing aid related device, said receiving transducer having a flat, substantially rectangular elongated core of permeable material surrounded by a sensing winding, said substantially rectangular core having a substantially rectangular cross-section such that a thickness of the core is lesser than its width and a length of the core is lesser than its width;

(b) said substantially rectangular elongated core having a pair of generally straight coplanar pole faces located at its longitudinal extremities;

(c) whereby upon reception of voice or data signals by electromagnetic induction from an external electromagnetic sending transducer, said receiving transducer replicates said voice or data signals in a form suitable for application to and use in said hearing aid related device.

9. A pair of transducers for transferring voice or data signals therebetween by electromagnetic inductive coupling, comprising:

(a) a sending transducer having a substantially toroidal core of permeable material surrounded by a driving winding, said substantially toroidal core having an air gap of predetermined circumferential angular extent;

(b) a pair of shaped pole faces formed at the circumferential extremities of said substantially toroidal core adjacent to said air gap, said pole faces giving rise to a fringing field;

(c) a receiving transducer having a flat, substantially rectangular elongated core of permeable material surrounded by a sensing winding, said substantially rectangular core having a thickness lesser than its width and a length lesser than its width;

(d) a pair of generally straight pole faces located at the longitudinal extremities of said substantially rectangular core; and

(e) whereby upon applying input voice or data signals to said driving winding there is electromagnetically induced in said sensing winding an output replica of said signals.

10. The pair of transducers of claim 9 wherein said sending and receiving transducers are located in separate and distinct electronic devices which are physically brought into proximity to effect said electromagnetically induced input signal replication.

11. The pair of transducers of claim 9 wherein said sending and receiving transducers are located in separate and distinct electronic devices which are physically brought into proximity to effect said electromagnetically induced input signal replication.

12. The pair of transducers of claim 11 wherein said separate and distinct devices comprise signal producing devices selected from the group including wired phones, wireless phones, cordless phones, two-way radio handsets, phone integrated PDA'"'"'s, and hearing aid related devices.

13. The pair of transducers of claim 12 wherein said sending transducer is located in said signal producing device and said receiving transducer is located in said hearing aid related device.

14. A method of communicating voice or data signals between separate and distinct electronic device by electromagnetic induction, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a sending transducer having a substantially toroidal core of permeable material surrounded by a driving winding, said substantially toroidal core having an air gap of predetermined circumferential angular extent;

(b) said sending transducer having a pair of shaped pole faces formed at the circumferential extremities of said substantially toroidal core adjacent to said air gap, said pole faces giving rise to a fringing field, said sending transducer located in a signal producing device;

(c) providing a receiving transducer having a flat, substantially rectangular elongated core of permeable material surrounded by a sensing winding, said substantially rectangular core having a thickness lesser than its width and a length lesser than its width;

(d) said receiving transducer having a pair of generally straight pole faces located at the longitudinal extremities of said substantially rectangular core, said receiving transducer located in a hearing aid related device; and

(e) positioning said signal producing device in proximity to said hearing aid related device whereby voice or data signals from said signal producing device are electromagnetically induced into and replicated by said hearing aid related device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said positioning step includes varying the proximity of said signal producing device with respect to said hearing aid device so as to alter at least the volume of said replicated voice or data signals.