Hearing instrument comprising two antennas

• US 9,485,592 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2012
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Riepenhoff, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Application Number:
  US14/439,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20150289067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/322, 381/327, 381/330
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0216 BTE hearing aids having a receiver in the ear mould
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• 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 hearing instrument to be worn at an ear of a user, having a first part (18) to be located at least in part in the ear canal, a first antenna (22) to be located substantially within the ear canal, a second part (16) to be worn outside the ear canal at the concha and a second antenna (24) to be located outside the ear canal, wherein the first antenna is to be operated by a first transceiver (46) in a first frequency range and the second antenna is to be operated by a second transceiver (38) in a second frequency range which is higher than the first frequency range.

Claims

1. A hearing instrument to be worn at an ear of a user, comprising

a first part adapted to be located at least in part in the ear canal and comprising a first antenna to be located substantially within the ear canal;

a second part adapted to be to be worn outside the ear canal at the concha and comprising a second antenna to be located outside the ear canal, the second part being connected to the first part via an electrical wire;

wherein the first antenna is adapted to be operated by a first transceiver in a first frequency range and the second antenna is adapted to be operated by a second transceiver in a second frequency range which is higher than the first frequency range.

2. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the first antenna is constructed to be inductively connected.

3. The hearing instrument of claim 2, wherein the first antenna is a coil or a loop antenna.

4. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the first frequency range is below 100 MHz.

5. The hearing instrument of claim 4, wherein the first frequency range is within a range of 5 MHz to 30 MHz.

6. The hearing instrument of claim 5, wherein the first frequency range is centered at 11 MHz.

7. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the first part is constructed for enabling the distance of the first antenna from the user'"'"'s ear drum to be less than 8 mm when the first part is inserted into the ear canal.

8. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the first antenna is locatable completely within the ear canal.

9. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the second frequency range is above 400 MHz.

10. The hearing instrument of claim 9, wherein the second frequency range is centered at 2.4 GHz.

11. The hearing instrument of claim 10, wherein the second transceiver and the second antenna are Bluetooth connectable.

12. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the ratio of a center frequency of the second frequency range relative to a center frequency of the first frequency range is more than 10.

13. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the second antenna is a dipole antenna or loop antenna.

14. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the second part comprises a microphone arrangement for capturing an audio signal from ambient sound, an audio signal processing unit for processing the captured audio signal, a power source, the first transceiver, the second transceiver, and a loudspeaker for producing sound according to processed audio signals, wherein a connection connecting the second part and the first part is provided that comprises a wire connection that connects the first transceiver to the first antenna and a sound tube for conducting sound from the loudspeaker to a sound outlet of an in-the-ear part.

15. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the second part comprises a microphone arrangement for capturing an audio signal from ambient sound, an audio signal processing unit for processing a captured audio signal, a power source, the first transceiver and the second transceiver, wherein the first part comprises a loudspeaker for producing sound according to processed audio signals and wherein a connection that connects the second part and the first part is provided, the connection comprising a wire connection connecting the first transceiver to the first antenna and the audio signal processing unit to the loudspeaker.

16. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the second part comprises a microphone arrangement for capturing an audio signal from ambient sound, an audio signal processing unit for processing the captured audio signal, a power source, and the second transceiver, wherein the first part comprises the first transceiver and a loudspeaker for producing sound according to the processed audio signals, and wherein a connection connects the second part and the first part, the connection comprising a wire connection for connecting the first transceiver to a processor of the first part and the audio signal processing unit to the loudspeaker.

17. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the first part is an in-the-ear part.

18. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the second part is a behind-the-ear part.

19. A system comprising:

a hearing instrument, comprising

a first part adapted to be located at least in part in the ear canal and comprising a first antenna to be located substantially within the ear canal;

a second part adapted to be to be worn outside the ear canal at the concha and comprising a second antenna to be located outside the ear canal, the second part being connected to the first part via an electrical wire;

wherein the first antenna is adapted to be operated by a first transceiver in a first frequency range and the second antenna is adapted to be operated by a second transceiver in a second frequency range which is higher than the first frequency range,

a first device that is adapted to communicate with the hearing instrument via the first antenna in the first frequency range, and

a second device which is adapted to communicate with the hearing instrument via the second antenna in the second frequency range.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second device is a device selected from the group consisting of a telecommunication device, an audio device, a data processing device, a fitting device or a data network connecting device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said first device is one of a second hearing instrument to be worn at another ear of the user and an accessory device.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said first device is a remote control.

23. A method of operating a system comprising a first hearing instrument, a second hearing instrument, the hearing instruments comprising a first part adapted to be located at least in part in the ear canal and comprising a first antenna to be located substantially within the ear canal, a second part adapted to be to be worn outside the ear canal at the concha, the second part being connected to the first part via an electrical wire and comprising a second antenna to be located outside the ear canal;

and an external device,

comprising the steps of;

using the first antenna of the hearing instruments for establishing an inductive data connection between the first hearing instrument and the second hearing instrument,

transmitting data in a first operation mode from the external device via a first wireless link to the first hearing instrument, said first wireless link using the second antenna of the first hearing instrument and forwarding data received via the first wireless link by the first hearing instrument via an inductive link to the second hearing instrument, and

transmitting data in a second operation mode data from the external device via a second wireless link to the second hearing instrument, said second wireless link using the second antenna of the second hearing instrument, and forwarding data received by the second hearing instrument via the second wireless link via the inductive link to the first hearing instrument.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein operation in the first or second operation mode is selected automatically based on at least one of a battery status of the first and second hearing instruments and quality of the first and second wireless link.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein information concerning said at least one of the battery status of the first and second hearing instrument and the quality of the first and second wireless link is exchanged between the hearing instruments via the inductive link.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the user manually selected which of the first and second operation modes is in operation.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the inductive link is a HIBAN link.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the first wireless and the second wireless link, respectively, are used for streaming of an audio signal.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the first wireless link and the second wireless link are radio frequency links.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the first wireless link and the second wireless link are Bluetooth links.