BTE hearing aid having a balanced antenna

• US 9,554,219 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GN Hearing A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Original Assignee: GN Resound A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Inventors: Kvist, Soren
• Primary Examiner(s): Etesam, Amir
• Application Number:
  US13/917,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20140010393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 381/315, 381/322, 381/23.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/24 Shunt feed arrangements to single active elements, e.g. for delta matching
• 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 hearing aid includes: a transceiver for wireless data communication interconnected with an antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna extending on a first side of a hearing aid and a second side of the hearing aid, a first segment of the antenna extending from proximate the first side of the hearing aid to proximate the second side of the hearing aid; and a feed system configured for exciting the antenna to induce a current in at least the first segment, the current having a first local maxima proximate the first side of the hearing aid and a second local maxima proximate the second side of the hearing aid.

Claims

1. A behind the ear hearing aid 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 receiver that is connected to an output of the signal processor for converting the second audio signal into an output sound signal;

a transceiver for wireless data communication interconnected with an antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna extending on a first side of the hearing aid and a second side of the hearing aid, a first segment of the antenna extending from proximate the first side of the hearing aid to proximate the second side of the hearing aid; and

a feed system configured for exciting the antenna to induce a current in at least the first segment, the current having a first local maxima proximate the first side of the hearing aid and a second local maxima proximate the second side of the hearing aid.

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

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein a part of the antenna extending proximate the first side of the hearing aid is substantially identical to a part of the antenna extending proximate the second side of the hearing aid.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the feed system comprises a first feed point for exciting at least the antenna proximate the first side of the hearing aid and a second feed point for exciting at least the antenna proximate the second side of the hearing aid.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first segment has a direction substantially orthogonal to a surface of a head of the user when the hearing aid is worn in its operational position by the user.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the first segment is configured to short circuit a part of the antenna proximate the first side of the hearing aid and a part of the antenna proximate the second side of the hearing aid to provide a current bridge between the first side of the hearing aid and the second side of the hearing aid.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein a part of the antenna extending proximate the first side of the hearing aid and/or a part of the antenna extending proximate the second side of the hearing aid has the shape of a monopole antenna structure.

8. The hearing aid according to claim 6, wherein one or each of (1) a length of the part of the antenna extending proximate the first side of the hearing aid and (2) a length of the part of the antenna extending proximate the second side of the hearing aid, as measured from the short circuit to a free end, is substantially lambda/4.

9. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein a part of the antenna extending proximate the first side of the hearing aid and/or a part of the antenna extending proximate the second side of the hearing aid has a circumference of lambda/2.

10. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises an annulus shaped antenna structure having a circumference of lambda/2.

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

12. The hearing aid according to claim 4, wherein the hearing aid has a plane of partition extending between the first side of the hearing aid and the second side of the hearing aid, and wherein at least a part of the antenna intersects the plane of partition at an intersection, and wherein a relative difference between a distance from the first feed point to the intersection and a distance from the second feed point to the intersection is less than or equal to a first threshold.

13. The hearing aid according to claim 12, wherein the plane of partition comprises a symmetry plane for the first and second antenna structures.

14. The hearing aid according to claim 12, wherein the threshold is less than 25%.

15. The hearing aid according to claim 4, wherein a distance between the first feed point and a short circuit, and a distance between the second feed point and the short circuit, respectively, are tailored to achieve a desired antenna impedance.