Antennas for custom fit hearing assistance devices

• US 8,494,197 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Polinske, Beau Jay, Sanguino, Jorge F., Rabel, Jay, Solum, Jeffrey Paul, Helgeson, Michael, Tourtelotte, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Jr., Jerome
• Application Number:
  US12/340,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20100158295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: 381/315
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/55 using an external connection, either wireless or wired
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/603 of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements
• 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

Abstract

An embodiment of a hearing assistance device comprises an enclosure that includes a faceplate and a shell attached to the faceplate, a power source, a flex antenna, a transmission line connected to the flex antenna, and radio circuit connected to the transmission line and electrically connected to the power source. The flex antenna has a shape of at least a substantially complete loop around the power source, and maintains separation from the power source.

Claims

1. A hearing assistance device, comprising:

an enclosure that includes a faceplate and a shell attached to the faceplate;

a power source;

a flex antenna having a shape of at least a substantially complete loop around the power source, wherein the flex antenna maintains separation from the power source;

a transmission line connected to the flex antenna; and

radio circuit connected to the transmission line and electrically connected to the power source,

wherein the transmission line is configured to float the radio circuit over the power source.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmission line is configured to float the radio circuit besides the power source.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the shell has an interior surface, and a portion of the flex antenna substantially conforms to a portion of the interior surface of the shell.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the shell has an interior surface, the interior surface has a circumference around the power source, and the flex antenna substantially conforms to the interior surface of the shell around the circumference.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the flex antenna has a shape memory that tends to straighten the flex antenna from a flexed position, and bias at least a portion of the flex antenna into contact with the interior surface of the shell.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the flex antenna is shape resilient to maintain a desired shape around the power source.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the flex antenna substantially completes a loop around the power source and additional electrical components of the hearing instrument.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein a flex circuit is configured to provide the antenna and the transmission line integrated with the antenna.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the flex antenna has a shape of at least a substantially complete first loop and a substantially complete second loop around the power source, and the transmission line is connected to both the first loop and the second loop.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the first loop and the second loop provide different polarities.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the radio circuit includes a hybrid radio circuit.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the hybrid radio circuit includes a radio, an EPROM and a digital signal processor.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the flex antenna includes at least one loop of a flex circuit, the flex circuit has a flat profile, and a flat side of the flex antenna is substantially parallel to an axis of the at least one loop.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the faceplate includes a groove, and the flex antenna is at least partially received within the groove of the faceplate.

3. A hearing assistance device, comprising:

an enclosure that includes a faceplate and a shell attached to the faceplate;

a power source;

a flex antenna having a shape of at least a substantially complete loop around the power source, wherein the flex antenna maintains separation from the power source;

a transmission line connected to the flex antenna;

radio circuit connected to the transmission line and electrically connected to the power source, and

wherein the faceplate includes a groove, and the flex antenna is at least partially received within the groove of the faceplate.

13. The device of claim 3, wherein the transmission line is configured to float the radio circuit over the power source.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the transmission line is configured to float the radio circuit besides the power source.

18. The device of claim 3, wherein the flex antenna includes a flex circuit, the flex circuit including a conductive layer sandwiched between dielectric layers.

20. The device of claim 3, wherein the flex antenna is about 0.003 inches thick.

21. The device of claim 3, wherein the shape of the flex antenna includes a first loop at least substantially completely around the power source and a second loop at least substantially completely around the power source, and the first and second loops are electrically connected in parallel.

22. The device of claim 3, wherein the shape of the flex antenna includes a first loop at least substantially completely around the power source and a second loop at least substantially completely around the power source, and the first and second loops are electrically connected in parallel.

23. The device of claim 3 ,wherein the shape of the flex antenna includes a first loop at least substantially completely around the power source and a second loop at least substantially completely around the power source, and the first and second loops are electrically connected in series.

4. A method of forming a hearing assistance device with a power source, comprising:

placing a flexible antenna loop into a shell of the device; and

enclosing the flexible antenna loop within housing, including;

enclosing the flexible antenna loop between the shell and a faceplate;

substantially encircling the power source with the flexible antenna loop; and

maintaining separation between the flexible antenna loop and the power source,

wherein placing the flexible antenna loop into the shell of the device includes placing a flex antenna loop into the shell of the device, and wherein the flex antenna loop includes a flex circuit, and

wherein the faceplate includes a groove, and wherein placing the flexible antenna loop into the shell of the device includes placing the flexible antenna loop into the groove of the faceplate to be at least partially received in the groove the faceplate, and enclosing the flexible antenna loop between the shell and a faceplate.

24. The method of claim 4, further comprising integrally forming the flex antenna loop with a flex circuit transmission line, and connecting the flex circuit transmission line to a radio circuit.

25. The method of claim 4, further comprising forming a flex circuit, including sandwiching a layer of dielectric material between two layers of conductive material, wherein the flex circuit transmission line is formed using the flex circuit.

26. The method of claim 4, further comprising stamping out a template from the flex circuit, the template including a first portion used to form the transmission line, a second portion used to form the antenna loop, and a third portion used to form a second antenna loop.

27. The method of claim 4, further comprising forming the flex antennal loop into a desired shape to substantially loop around and maintain distance from the power source before placing the loop into the shell of the device.

28. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

compressing the flex antenna loop;

placing the compressed flex antenna loop into the shell of the device; and

relaxing the flex antenna loop to bias a substantial portion of the loop into contact with an interior surface of the shell.