Antennas for hearing aids
First Claim
1. A hearing aid, comprising:
- a microphone;
a signal processing unit configured to process sound received by the microphone to compensate for hearing impairment of a wearer of the hearing aid;
a memory configured to store instructions for the signal processing unit;
a hybrid circuit including at least a portion of the signal processing unit or the memory;
a first substrate on a first side of the hybrid circuit;
a second substrate on a second side of the hybrid circuit, the second side opposite the first side; and
an antenna including a first number of turns of metallic trace on the first substrate and a second number of turns of metallic trace on the second substrate.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An antenna configured in a hybrid circuit provides a compact design for a hearing aid to communicate wirelessly with a system external to the hearing aid. In an embodiment, an antenna includes metallic traces in a hybrid circuit that is configured for use in a hearing aid. The antenna includes contacts in the hybrid circuit to couple the metallic traces to electronic devices in the hybrid circuit. In an embodiment, the metallic traces form a planar coil design having a number of turns of the coil in a substrate in the hybrid circuit. In another embodiment, the metallic traces are included in a flex circuit on a substrate in the hybrid circuit. An antenna configured in a hybrid circuit allows for use in a completely-in-the-canal hearing aid.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A hearing aid, comprising:
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a microphone; a signal processing unit configured to process sound received by the microphone to compensate for hearing impairment of a wearer of the hearing aid; a memory configured to store instructions for the signal processing unit; a hybrid circuit including at least a portion of the signal processing unit or the memory; a first substrate on a first side of the hybrid circuit; a second substrate on a second side of the hybrid circuit, the second side opposite the first side; and an antenna including a first number of turns of metallic trace on the first substrate and a second number of turns of metallic trace on the second substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method, comprising:
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constructing a hybrid circuit including hearing aid electronics, the hearing aid electronics including a signal processing unit configured to process sound received by the microphone to compensate for hearing impairment of a hearing aid wearer and a memory configured to store instructions for the signal processing unit; constructing an antenna including a first number of turns of metallic trace on a first substrate on a first side of the hybrid circuit, and a second number of turns of metallic trace on a second substrate on a second side of the hybrid circuit; connecting the antenna to at least a portion of the hybrid circuit; and placing the hybrid circuit in a hearing aid housing. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification