Hearing aid with an antenna

• US 9,237,405 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2014
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GN Resound A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Original Assignee: GN Resound A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Inventors: Pinto, Alexandra Da Luz
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D
• Application Number:
  US14/199,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20150131830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 381/23.1, 381/313, 381/315, 381/322, 381/330, 381/331, 381/312, 381/324, 381/328, 381/381, 343/700.MS, 343/741, 343/866, 343/702, 343/718
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/021 Behind the ear [BTE] hearing aids
• 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 25/65 Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture

Abstract

A hearing aid with an assembly, the assembly includes: a microphone; a signal processor for processing a first audio signal into a second audio signal compensating a hearing loss of a user; a wireless communication unit configured for wireless data communication; and an antenna for emission of an electromagnetic field, the antenna being coupled with the wireless communication unit, the antenna having a total length between three quarters of a wavelength of the emitted electromagnetic field and five quarters of the wavelength; wherein a part of the antenna extends from a first side of the assembly to a second side of the assembly; and wherein the antenna has a midpoint located at the part of the antenna extending from the first side to the second side, or a distance between the midpoint of the antenna and the part of the antenna is less than a quarter of the wavelength.

Claims

1. A hearing aid with an assembly, the assembly comprising:

a microphone for reception of sound and conversion of the received sound into a corresponding first audio signal;

a signal processor for processing the first audio signal into a second audio signal compensating a hearing loss of a user of the hearing aid;

a wireless communication unit configured for wireless data communication; and

an antenna for emission of an electromagnetic field, the antenna being coupled with the wireless communication unit, the antenna having a total length between three quarters of a wavelength of the emitted electromagnetic field and five quarters of the wavelength;

wherein a part of the antenna extends from a first side of the assembly to a second side of the assembly; and

wherein the antenna has a midpoint located at the part of the antenna extending from the first side to the second side.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein a current running through the antenna has a maximum amplitude in the part of the antenna extending from a first side of the assembly during emission of the electromagnetic field.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna forms a loop.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein an absolute relative difference between the total length of the antenna and the wavelength is less than a threshold.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the second side is opposite the first side.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the microphone is a part of a behind-the-ear unit configured to be positioned behind an ear of the user during use, and wherein the first side is a first longitudinal side of the assembly, and the second side is a second longitudinal side of the assembly.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein one end of the antenna is grounded.

8. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna has a first end and a second end, and a relative difference between a length of the antenna from the first end to the midpoint and a length from the second end to the midpoint is less than a threshold.

9. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna has an excitation point at a first end of the antenna, or two excitation points respectively at the first end and a second end of the antenna.

10. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a part of an assembly, and wherein the antenna has:

a first antenna section extending along the first side of the assembly, the first antenna section having a first end and a second end,

a second antenna section extending along the second side of the assembly, the second antenna section having a first end and a second end, and

a third antenna section, the third antenna section being connected with the second end of the first antenna section and with the second end of the second antenna section,

wherein the first end of the first antenna section has an excitation point and/or the first end of the second antenna section has an excitation point.

11. The hearing aid according claim 10, wherein the first antenna section has a first length, the second antenna section has a second length, and the third antenna section has a third length, and wherein a sum of the first length, the second length and the third length is the total length of the antenna.

12. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein a distance from the first end of the first antenna section or the first end of the second antenna section to the third antenna section is between a quarter wavelength and a half wavelength.

13. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein the midpoint of the antenna is at the third section.

14. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein the third section is extending from proximate the first side to proximate the second side of the assembly.

15. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein a shape of the first section is symmetrical to a shape of the second section.

16. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured to provide wireless communication around a head of a user of the hearing aid.

17. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna has a first excitation point that is closer to the first side of the assembly than the second side of the assembly, and a second excitation point that is closer to the second side of the assembly than the first side of the assembly.

18. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured to operate at a frequency that is anywhere from 1 GHz to 3 GHz.

19. A hearing aid with an assembly, the assembly comprising:

a microphone for reception of sound and conversion of the received sound into a corresponding first audio signal;

a signal processor for processing the first audio signal into a second audio signal compensating a hearing loss of a user of the hearing aid;

a wireless communication unit configured for wireless data communication; and

an antenna for emission of an electromagnetic field, the antenna being coupled with the wireless communication unit, the antenna having a total length between three quarters of a wavelength of the emitted electromagnetic field and five quarters of the wavelength;

wherein a part of the antenna extends from a first side of the assembly to a second side of the assembly; and

wherein a distance between a midpoint of the antenna and the part of the antenna is less than a quarter of the wavelength.

20. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein a current running through the antenna has a maximum amplitude in the part of the antenna extending from a first side of the assembly during emission of the electromagnetic field.

21. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein the antenna forms a loop.

22. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein an absolute relative difference between the total length of the antenna and the wavelength is less than a threshold.

23. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein the second side is opposite the first side.

24. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein the microphone is a part of a behind-the-ear unit configured to be positioned behind an ear of the user during use, and wherein the first side is a first longitudinal side of the assembly, and the second side is a second longitudinal side of the assembly.

25. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein one end of the antenna is grounded.

26. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein the antenna has a first end and a second end, and a relative difference between a length of the antenna from the first end to the midpoint and a length from the second end to the midpoint is less than a threshold.

27. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein the antenna has an excitation point at a first end of the antenna, or two excitation points respectively at the first end and a second end of the antenna.

28. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein the antenna is a part of an assembly, and wherein the antenna has:

a first antenna section extending along the first side of the assembly, the first antenna section having a first end and a second end,

a second antenna section extending along the second side of the assembly, the second antenna section having a first end and a second end, and

a third antenna section, the third antenna section being connected with the second end of the first antenna section and with the second end of the second antenna section,

wherein the first end of the first antenna section has an excitation point and/or the first end of the second antenna section has an excitation point.

29. The hearing aid according claim 28, wherein the first antenna section has a first length, the second antenna section has a second length, and the third antenna section has a third length, and wherein a sum of the first length, the second length and the third length is the total length of the antenna.

30. The hearing aid according to claim 28, wherein a distance from the first end of the first antenna section or the first end of the second antenna section to the third antenna section is between a quarter wavelength and a half wavelength.

31. The hearing aid according to claim 28, wherein the midpoint of the antenna is at the third section.

32. The hearing aid according to claim 28, wherein the third section is extending from proximate the first side to proximate the second side of the assembly.

33. The hearing aid according to claim 28, wherein a shape of the first section is symmetrical to a shape of the second section.

34. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein the antenna is configured to provide wireless communication around a head of a user of the hearing aid.

35. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein the antenna has a first excitation point that is closer to the first side of the assembly than the second side of the assembly, and a second excitation point that is closer to the second side of the assembly than the first side of the assembly.

36. The hearing aid according to claim 19, wherein the antenna is configured to operate at a frequency that is anywhere from 1 GHz to 3 GHz.