Hearing aid with rechargeable battery and rechargeable battery

• US 8,224,007 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2006
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Gudnason, Gunnar, Petersen, Anders Erik, Rasmussen, Frank Engel, Poulsen, Henning Knak
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad, Elvin G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Millikin, Andrew R
• Application Number:
  US11/795,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20080137890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,378 Days
• Field of Search: 843/22, 843/23
• US Class Current: 381/323
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0431 Cells with wound or folded electrodes H01M10/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0562 Solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0587 of accumulators having only wound construction elements, i.e. wound positive electrodes, wound negative electrodes and wound separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0071 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/66 Selection of materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/75 Wires, rods or strips
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/00 Deaf-aid sets , i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception electrical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N1/36038; optical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N5/0622
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A rechargeable battery is provided comprising a flexible elongate electron conductive core surrounded by a first electrochemically active layer, and a second electrochemically active layer, separated by a separation layer and where an electron conducting element contacts the outer surface of the second electrochemically active layer, whereby at least one of the two electrochemically active layers and the separation layer are comprised of thin-film layers. Further a hearing aid is provided wherein a battery comprising thin film layers is provided. Such a battery may be curled or wound to accommodate an irregular space inside the hearing aid.

Claims

1. Rechargeable threadlike battery, comprising:

a flexible elongate electron conductive thread or filament core surrounded by a first electrochemically active layer, and a second electrochemically active layer, separated by a separation layer, wherein

an electron conducting element contacts the outer surface of the second electrochemically active layer,

at least one of the two electrochemically active layers and the separation layer are comprised of thin-film layers,

the layers are provided circumferentially on the surface of the thread or filament core, to provide an elongate and flexible, threadlike battery,

at least part of the battery is wound to form an induction coil with a first end and a second end, and

the negative and positive poles of the battery at first ends of the coil are connected to rectifiers.

2. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active layers comprise cathode and anode materials and where the anode material comprise metallic lithium and the cathode material comprise lithium ions and whereby the separation layer is a lithium ion conducting layer.

3. Rechargeable battery according to claim 2, wherein the lithium ion conducting layer is a ceramic layer.

4. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rectifiers are connected to a capacitor, and where the capacitor is connected to the negative battery pole of the second end of the coil.

5. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the total diameter of the battery is smaller than 100 μ

m.

6. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first electrochemically active layer, the separation layer and the second electrochemically active layer are applied as thin films in a vacuum or near vacuum process.

7. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first electrochemically active layer and the second electrochemically active layer each have a thickness in the range from 10 μ

m to 15 μ

m.

8. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 6, wherein the total thickness of the separation layer in the form of an electrolyte layer is in the range from 0.2 μ

m to 1 μ

m.

9. Rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 8, wherein the total thickness of the battery is 50 μ

m.

10. Hearing aid comprising a rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1.

11. Audio device, comprising:

a receiver capable of delivering a signal to a user perceivable as sound;

a shell or casing containing a microphone, a signal processing device, and a battery provided for delivering power to the signal processing device, wherein

the battery includes a layered structure provided on a surface of an elongate substrate having layers of anode material and cathode material and a ion conducting separation layer separating the anode material layer and cathode material layer and current collecting layers,

at least one of the layers is deposited in a thin film deposition process,

the battery is wound, curled or crammed to accommodate an available space inside the casing,

the separation layer is a lithium ion conducting layer,

the lithium ion conducting layer of the battery is a ceramic layer,

at least a part of the battery is wound up in a coil like structure with a first end and a second end, such that the current collecting layers form an induction coil, and

the negative and positive poles of the battery at the first ends of the coil are connected to rectifiers.

12. Audio device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the casing is custom made to fit the inside of the ear or ear canal of an individual.

13. Audio device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the anode material includes metallic lithium, and the cathode material includes lithium ions.

14. Audio device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the rectifiers are connected to a capacitor, and where the capacitor is connected to the negative battery pole of the second end of the coil.