BTE hearing aid with an antenna partition plane

• US 9,402,141 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2012
• 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: Kvist, Soren
• Primary Examiner(s): ELBIN, JESSE A
• Application Number:
  US13/931,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20140010394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 381/315, 381/322, 381/324, 381/331, 343/725, 343/726, 343/727, 343/728, 343/749, 343/872
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/42 Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/24 Shunt feed arrangements to single active elements, e.g. for delta matching
• 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 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency

Abstract

A behind the ear (BTE) hearing aid includes: a microphone; a signal processor; a receiver; a partition plane extending between a first side of the hearing aid and a second side of the hearing aid; and a transceiver for wireless data communication interconnected with an antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna having a first feed point and a second feed point; wherein at least a part of the antenna intersects the partition plane at an intersection so that a relative difference between a first distance from the first feed point to the intersection and a second distance from the second feed point to the intersection is less than or equal a first threshold.

Claims

1. A hearing aid comprising:

a behind-the-ear (BTE) housing;

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, the signal processor located in the BTE housing;

a receiver coupled to an output of the signal processor for converting the second audio signal into an output sound signal;

an antenna; and

a communication device for wireless data communication, the communication device being interconnected with the antenna;

wherein the antenna has a first part extending in a first plane that is closer to a first side of the hearing aid than to a second side of the hearing aid, and a second part extending in a second plane that is closer to a second side of the hearing aid than to the first side of the hearing aid, the second side being opposite from the first side, the first plane and the second plane being offset relative to each other; and

wherein the antenna has a first connection connecting the first part to a first conductor, and a second connection connecting the second part to a second conductor, the first connection being closer to the first side than to the second side of the hearing aid, the second connection being closer to the second side than to the first side of the hearing aid.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna further comprises a segment between the first part and the second part, and wherein a relative difference between a first distance from the first connection to a midpoint of the segment, and a second distance from the second connection to the midpoint of the segment, is less than or equal to a first threshold.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 2, wherein the first distance is a shortest distance between the first connection and the midpoint of the segment, and the second distance is a shortest distance between the second connection and the midpoint of the segment.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 2, wherein the first threshold is less than 25%.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 2, wherein the first threshold is substantially 0.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 1, further comprising a partition plane, wherein the partition plane comprises an imaginary symmetry plane for the antenna.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 6, wherein the partition plane extends substantially parallel to a surface of a head of the user when the hearing aid is worn in its operational position by the user.

8. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the antenna and/or the second part of the antenna extends in a plane being substantially parallel to a side of a head of the user when the hearing aid is worn in its operational position by the user.

9. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the antenna and/or the second part of the antenna comprises a resonant antenna structure.

10. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna further includes a segment that short circuits the first part of the antenna and the second part of the antenna to form a current bridge.

11. The hearing aid according to claim 10, wherein the antenna further includes a segment between the first part and the second part, wherein the segment has a direction substantially orthogonal to a head of the user when the hearing aid is worn in its operational position by the user.

12. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the antenna and the second part of the antenna are substantially identical.

13. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the antenna and/or the second part of the antenna comprises a monopole antenna structure.

14. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein a length of the first part of the antenna and/or the second part of the antenna as measured from a short circuit to a free end of the antenna is substantially lambda/4.

15. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the antenna and/or the second part of the antenna comprises an antenna structure having a circumference of lambda/2.

16. The hearing aid according to claim 15, wherein the antenna structure is a circular antenna structure.

17. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein an area of the antenna is maximized relative to a size of the hearing aid.

18. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the antenna forms a part of the aid housing.

19. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a balanced antenna.

20. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna further includes a segment between the first part of the antenna and the second part of the antenna.

21. The hearing aid according to claim 20, wherein the segment has a rectilinear portion.

22. The hearing aid according to claim 20, wherein a distance between the first connection and a midpoint of the segment, and a distance between the second connection and the midpoint of the segment, are equal.

23. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the antenna comprises a first loop that lies in the first plane, the second part of the antenna comprises a second loop that lies in the second plane.

24. A hearing aid comprising:

a behind-the-ear (BTE) housing;

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, the signal processor located in the BTE housing;

a receiver coupled to an output of the signal processor for converting the second audio signal into an output sound signal;

an antenna; and

a communication device for wireless data communication, the communication device being interconnected with the antenna;

wherein the antenna has a first part that is closer to a first side of the hearing aid than to a second side of the hearing aid, and a second part that is closer to a second side of the hearing aid than to the first side of the hearing aid, the second side being opposite from the first side;

wherein the antenna has a first connection connecting the first part to a first conductor, and a second connection connecting the second part to a second conductor, the first connection being closer to the first side than to the second side of the hearing aid, the second connection being closer to the second side than to the first side of the hearing aid; and

wherein the antenna further includes a segment between the first part and the second part, wherein the segment has a direction substantially orthogonal to a head of the user when the hearing aid is worn in its operational position by the user.

25. The hearing aid according to claim 24, wherein the first part of the antenna and the second part of the antenna are substantially identical.

26. The hearing aid according to claim 24, wherein the first part of the antenna comprises a first monopole antenna structure.

27. The hearing aid according to claim 26, wherein the second part of the antenna comprises a second monopole antenna structure.

28. The hearing aid according to claim 24, wherein at least a part of the antenna forms a part of a hearing aid housing.

29. The hearing aid according to claim 24, wherein the segment has a rectilinear portion.

30. The hearing aid according to claim 24, wherein a distance between the first connection and a midpoint of the segment, and a distance between the second connection and the midpoint of the segment, are equal.

31. A hearing aid comprising:

a behind-the-ear (BTE) housing;

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, the signal processor located the BTE housing;

a receiver coupled to an output of the signal processor for converting the second audio signal into an output sound signal;

an antenna; and

a communication device for wireless data communication, the communication device being interconnected with the antenna;

wherein the antenna has a first part that is closer to a first side of the hearing aid than to a second side of the hearing aid, and a second part that is closer to a second side of the hearing aid than to the first side of the hearing aid, the second side being opposite from the first side;

wherein the antenna has a first connection connecting the first part to a first conductor, and a second connection connecting the second part to a second conductor, the first connection being closer to the first side than to the second side of the hearing aid, the second connection being closer to the second side than to the first side of the hearing aid; and

wherein the first side of the hearing aid has a surface for abutment against a head of the user at a location that is behind an ear of the user.

32. The hearing aid according to claim 31, wherein the antenna further includes a segment between the first part and the second part, wherein the segment extends in a direction that forms a non-zero angle with respect to the surface.

33. The hearing aid according to claim 32, wherein the segment has a rectilinear portion.

34. The hearing aid according to claim 32, wherein a distance between the first connection and a midpoint of the segment, and a distance between the second connection and the midpoint of the segment, are equal.

35. The hearing aid according to claim 31, wherein the first part of the antenna and the second part of the antenna are substantially identical.

36. The hearing aid according to claim 31, wherein the first part of the antenna comprises a first monopole antenna structure.

37. The hearing aid according to claim 36, wherein the second part of the antenna comprises a second monopole antenna structure.

38. The hearing aid according to claim 31, wherein at least a part of the antenna forms a part of a hearing aid housing.