Hearing aid with LED and method of operation

• US 8,280,085 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte Ltd (WS Audiology A/S)
• Inventors: Heerlein, Markus, Klemenz, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): BARRERA, RAMON M
• Application Number:
  US12/856,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20110038500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/322, 381/323
• US Class Current: 381/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/33 Aspects relating to adaptation of the battery voltage, e.g. its regulation, increase or decrease
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing

Abstract

A hearing aid has a housing, a signal-processing arrangement housed in the housing, an LED, an actuatable switching element arranged on the housing, and a battery. The LED is connected to a positive pole of the battery with its anode connector and to a first connector of the signal-processing arrangement with its cathode connector. The signal-processing arrangement is formed with a monitoring unit, which switches the first connector if there is a drop below a first threshold voltage such that the cathode connector can be connected to a negative pole of the battery.

Claims

1. A hearing aid, comprising:

a housing;

a signal-processing configuration housed in said housing and having a connector;

an actuatable switching element disposed on said housing;

a battery having a positive pole and a negative pole;

an LED having an anode connector connected to said positive pole of said battery and a cathode connector connected to said connector of said signal-processing configuration; and

said signal-processing configuration having a monitoring unit switching said connector if a battery voltage drops below a given threshold voltage such that said cathode connector can be connected to said negative pole of said battery.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein:

said signal-processing configuration has an input; and

said actuatable switching element is connected to said input of said signal-processing configuration, and said monitoring unit is configured to recognize an actuation of said actuatable switching element in a case of a battery voltage below the given threshold voltage.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring unit has a timer for switching said connector for a determinable period of time.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring unit switches off said signal-processing configuration in respect of an audio functionality if there is a drop in the battery voltage below the given threshold voltage.

5. A method for operating a hearing aid, the hearing aid including a housing, a signal-processing configuration housed in the housing and having a connector, an actuatable switching element disposed on the housing, a battery having a positive pole and a negative pole, an LED having an anode connector connected to the positive pole of the battery and a cathode connector connected to the connector of the signal-processing configuration, the signal-processing configuration having a monitoring unit switching the connector if a battery voltage drops below a given threshold voltage such that the cathode connector can be connected to the negative pole of the battery, which comprises the steps of:

switching off the signal-processing configuration if there is a drop below the battery voltage required for reliable operation; and

if an attempt is made to switch the signal-processing configuration on via the actuatable switching element, connecting the LED to the battery by means of the monitoring unit such that a remaining battery voltage is used to illuminate the LED.

6. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises illuminating the LED from a start time of a switch-on attempt for a determinable period of time via the connector and switching the LED to be inactive once the determinable period of time has passed.

7. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises actuating the LED by a pulse train for signaling a battery replacement, wherein the pulse train corresponds to a servicing code.