Antennas for custom fit hearing assistance devices

• US 9,167,360 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• 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:
  US13/948,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20140307904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 and wherein the flex antenna has at least a portion including a shape memory that tends to straighten the flex antenna from a flexed position, and bias a portion of the flex antenna into contact with an interior surface of the enclosure;

a transmission line connected to the flex antenna; and

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

2. 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.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first loop and the second loop provide different polarities.

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

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the transmission line is configured to float the radio circuit besides the power source.

6. 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.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the flex antenna includes a flex circuit, the flex circuit including a conductive layer sandwiched between dielectric layers.

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

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the hearing assistance device includes a hearing aid.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the flex antenna includes a first loop at least substantially complete around the power source and a second loop at least substantially complete around the power source, and the first and second loops are electrically connected in parallel.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the flex antenna includes a first loop at least substantially complete around the power source and a second loop at least substantially complete around the power source, and the first and second loops are electrically connected in series.

12. 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 the flexible antenna loop has at least a portion including a shape memory that tends to straighten the flexible antenna loop from a flexed position, and bias a portion of the flexible antenna loop into contact with an interior surface of the shell.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein placing the flexible antenna loop into the shell of the device includes placing a loop of multi-filar wire into the shell of the device.

14. The method of claim 12, 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.

15. The method of claim 14, 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.

16. The method of claim 14, 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.

17. The method of claim 14, 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.

18. The method of claim 14, 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.

19. The method of claim 14, 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.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the faceplate includes a grove, 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.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the hearing assistance device includes a hearing aid.