Hearing aid with an antenna

• US 9,408,003 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• 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: Kvist, Soren
• Primary Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Julie X
• Application Number:
  US14/198,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20150131828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 381/315, 381/311, 381/23.1, 381/322, 343/702, 343/718, 343/895
• 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 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A hearing aid with an assembly, the assembly includes: a first side; a second side; a signal processor; a wireless communications unit, the wireless communications unit being connected to the signal processor; and an antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna being connected to the wireless communications unit, the antenna having an excitation point; wherein a first branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point and a second branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point, at least a part of the second branch extending from the first side to the second side, and wherein the second branch has at least one ground connection.

Claims

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

a first side;

a second side;

a signal processor;

a wireless communications unit, the wireless communications unit being connected to the signal processor; and

an antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna being connected to the wireless communications unit, the antenna having an excitation point;

wherein a first branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point and a second branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point, at least a part of the second branch extending from the first side to the second side, and wherein the second branch has at least one ground connection; and

wherein the ground connection is at the second side.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the first branch extends along the first side, and/or wherein at least a part of the second branch extends along the second side.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point to a first end, and wherein the second branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point to a second end.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 3, wherein the first end and/or the second end is free, or wherein the first end and/or the second end is interconnected with the excitation point via a third and/or forth branch.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a monopole antenna.

8. The hearing aid according to claim 4, wherein the third branch is different from the first branch, and/or wherein the forth branch is different from the second branch.

9. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first branch forms a loop and/or the second branch forms a loop.

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

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

a part of the first branch extends along the first side,

a part of the second branch extends along the second side, and

the part of the first branch and the part of the second branch are symmetric.

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

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

a first side;

a second side;

a signal processor;

a wireless communications unit, the wireless communications unit being connected to the signal processor; and

an antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna being connected to the wireless communications unit, the antenna having an excitation point;

wherein a first branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point and a second branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point, at least a part of the second branch extending from the first side to the second side, and wherein the second branch has at least one ground connection;

wherein the first branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point to a first end, and wherein the second branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point to a second end; and

wherein an interconnection with a ground plane is at least a distance of ⅛

of a wavelength of an electromagnetic field emitted by an antenna from the second end.

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

a first side;

a second side;

a signal processor;

a wireless communications unit, the wireless communications unit being connected to the signal processor; and

an antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna being connected to the wireless communications unit, the antenna having an excitation point;

wherein a first branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point and a second branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point, at least a part of the second branch extending from the first side to the second side, and wherein the second branch has at least one ground connection; and

wherein the excitation point is at the first side of the assembly.

15. The hearing aid according to claim 7, wherein at least a part of the first branch extends along the first side, and/or wherein at least a part of the second branch extends along the second side.

16. The hearing aid according to claim 7, wherein the first branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point to a first end, and wherein the second branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point to a second end.

17. The hearing aid according to claim 16, wherein the first end and/or the second end is free, or wherein the first end and/or the second end is interconnected with the excitation point via a third and/or forth branch.

18. The hearing aid according to claim 17, wherein the third branch is different from the first branch, and/or wherein the forth branch is different from the second branch.

19. The hearing aid according to claim 7, wherein the first branch forms a loop and/or the second branch forms a loop.

20. The hearing aid according to claim 7, wherein the first side is opposite the second side, 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.

21. The hearing aid according to claim 7, wherein:

a part of the first branch extends along the first side,

a part of the second branch extends along the second side, and

the part of the first branch and the part of the second branch are symmetric.

22. The hearing aid according to claim 7, wherein the hearing aid is a behind-the-ear hearing aid configured to be positioned behind an ear of a user during use, and wherein the first side is a first longitudinal side of the hearing aid and the second side is a second longitudinal side of the hearing aid.

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

a first side;

a second side;

a signal processor;

a wireless communications unit, the wireless communications unit being connected to the signal processor; and

an antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna being connected to the wireless communications unit, the antenna having an excitation point;

wherein a first branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point and a second branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point, at least a part of the second branch extending from the first side to the second side, and wherein the second branch has at least one ground connection; and

wherein the at least a part of the second branch extending from the first side to the second side, extends from the first side to the second side via a midpoint of the hearing aid.

14. The hearing aid according to claim 13, wherein a relative difference between (1) a distance from the midpoint to the excitation point and (2) a distance from the midpoint to the at least one ground connection is less than a threshold.