Hearing assistance device with balanced feed-line for antenna

• US 9,635,475 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Polinske, Beau Jay, Pooladian, Nasser Thomas, Rabel, Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAUFMAN, JOSHUA A
• Application Number:
  US14/267,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20150036854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 381 231, 381 60, 381151, 381312, 381315, 381322, 381324, 381330, 381331, 343700 MS, 343720, 343866, 343867, 600 25
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0216 BTE hearing aids having a receiver in the ear mould
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/609 of circuitry of electronic switches or control elements H04R25/603

Abstract

A hearing assistance device, such as a hearing aid, includes an antenna connected to a communication circuit through a feed-line for wireless communication. The antenna and the feed-line are configured and placed such that capacitance between their conductors is approximately minimized. In one embodiment, the feed-line includes feed-line conductors each including a major portion approximately perpendicular to an antenna conductor. In another embodiment, the feed-line includes a feed-line conductor crossing the antenna conductor, and at least one of the antenna conductor and the feed-line conductor includes a notch in the crossing area to reduce the crossing area.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication with a hearing aid, comprising:

providing a hearing aid with a parallel-loop antenna including an antenna conductor having loop portions and connecting portions each connecting between the loop portions, the loop portions each having a loop plane, the connecting portions each having a connecting plane approximately perpendicular to each of the loop planes;

providing the hearing aid with a communication circuit configured to perform the wireless communication using the antenna;

providing a feed-line including two branches each including an antenna pad for making connection to the antenna, a circuit pad for making a connection to the communication circuit, and a feed-line conductor coupled between the antenna pad and the circuit pad and having a plane; and

reducing capacitance resulting from crossover of conductors and reducing electrical imbalance associated with the feed-line, by connecting the antenna to the communication circuit with major portions of the planes of the feed-line conductors each approximately perpendicular to each of the loop planes of the antenna conductor and approximately perpendicular to each of the connecting planes of the antenna conductor and with the major portions of the planes of the feed-line conductors centered at a space between connection points between the antenna and the feed-line conductors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the feed-line comprises providing the two branches including the feed-line conductors having substantially equal lengths.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising minimizing the lengths of the feed-line conductors of the two branches.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the hearing aid with the antenna comprises providing a behind-the-ear (BTE) type hearing aid with the antenna.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the hearing aid with the antenna comprises providing a behind-the-ear (BTE) type hearing aid with the antenna.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein providing the BTE type hearing aid with the antenna comprises providing the BTE type hearing aid with a flex circuit antenna.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the feed-line comprises conductors each being a metal trace on a flex circuit substrate.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising approximately minimizing a length of each of the conductors to reduce power loss.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising determining a space between the conductors by balancing between field containment and differential impedance.

10. A method for providing a hearing aid with wireless communication capabilities, comprising:

placing a parallel-loop antenna in the hearing aid, the antenna including an antenna conductor having loop portions and connecting portions each connecting between the loop portions, the loop portions each having a loop plane, the connecting portions each having a connecting plane approximately perpendicular to each of the loop planes;

placing a communication circuit in the hearing aid, the communication circuit configured to perform wireless communication using the antenna;

connecting the antenna to the communication circuit using a feed-line including feed-line conductors each having a plane; and

determining geometry of the feed-line and placement of feed-line relative to the antenna to reduce capacitance resulting from crossover of conductors and to reduce electrical imbalance, including placing the feed-line relative to the antenna such that the plane of each of the feed-line conductors includes a major portion approximately perpendicular to each of the loop planes of the antenna conductor and approximately perpendicular to each of the connecting planes of the antenna conductor and such that the major portions are centered in a space between connection points between the antenna and the feed-line conductors.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising providing the feed-line including the feedline conductors each coupled between an antenna pad for making a connection to the antenna and a circuit pad for making a connection to the communication circuit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the feed-line comprises providing the feed-line with the feed-line conductors having substantially same lengths.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the feed-line comprises providing the feed-line with the feed-line conductors having approximately minimum lengths determined to reduce power loss.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising placing the feed-line such that a space between the feed-line conductors is determined by balancing between field containment and differential impedance.

15. The method of claim 10, comprising providing the feed-line with the feed line conductors each being a metal trace on a flex circuit substrate.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising provide a flex circuit antenna as the antenna.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the hearing aid comprises a behind-the-ear (BTE) type hearing aid.