Hearing aid with inductively coupled electromagnetic resonator antenna

• US 9,661,427 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2015
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Sanguino, Jorge F., Haubrich, Gregory John, Bauman, Brent Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Application Number:
  US14/939,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20160173998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 381312, 381315, 381322, 381324, 381328, 381330
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/08 Ferrite rod or like elongated core
• 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 25/48 using constructional means for obtaining a desired frequency response H04R25/652 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A hearing aid includes an antenna for wireless communication with another device. The antenna includes a primary element connected to the circuit of the hearing aid and one or more secondary elements parasitically coupled to the primary element. This antenna configuration substantially increases radiation efficiency when compared to an antenna with the primary element alone, without substantially increasing the size, power consumption, and complexity of the hearing aid.

Claims

1. A hearing aid configured for performing wireless communication with another device, the hearing aid comprising:

a case;

a hearing aid circuit housed in the case, the hearing aid circuit configured to perform the wireless communication; and

an antenna including a primary element and one or more secondary elements, the primary antenna element wired to the hearing aid circuit and configured to receive a signal from the hearing aid circuit and transmit the signal to the one or more secondary elements, the one or more secondary antenna elements wirelessly coupled to the primary antenna element and including one or more conductive loops configured to receive the signal from the primary antenna element and transmit the signal to the other device.

2. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary antenna elements comprise a plurality of conductive loops.

3. The hearing aid of claim 2, wherein the conductive loops are tuned to be resonant at substantially different frequencies.

4. The hearing aid of claim 3, wherein the plurality of conductive loops comprises a plurality of groups each including one or more conductive loops of the plurality of conductive loops, the groups having substantially different resonant frequencies.

5. The hearing aid of claim 2, wherein the conductive loops are each orthogonally polarized relative to another conductive loop of the plurality of conductive loops.

6. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary antenna elements comprise a conductive loop wrapped around a portion of the hearing aid circuit.

7. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the conductive loop comprises a conductor having a length of approximately one half of a wavelength used in the wireless communication or multiples of the one half of the wavelength.

8. The hearing aid of claim 7, wherein the one of more secondary antenna elements each further comprise a capacitor connected to the conductive loop.

9. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid circuit comprises one or more flexible circuits, and the primary antenna element and the one or more second antenna elements are integrated onto the one or more flexible circuits.

10. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the case is configured for an invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aid.

11. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the case is configured for a completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid.

12. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the case is configured for an in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aid.

13. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the case is configured for an in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid.

14. A method for wireless communication between a hearing aid and another device,the method comprising:

generating a signal using a circuit housed in a case of the hearing aid;

wirelessly transmitting the signal from the circuit to one or more conductive loops incorporated into the case or housed in the case; and

wirelessly transmitting the signal to the other device using the one or more conductive loops.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein wirelessly transmitting the signal from the circuit to the one or more conductive loops comprises wirelessly transmitting the signal from the circuit to the one or more conductive loops incorporated into the case.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein wirelessly transmitting the signal from the circuit to the one or more conductive loops comprises wirelessly transmitting the signal from the circuit to the one or more conductive loops housed in the case.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising:

wirelessly transmitting the signal from the circuit to a plurality of conductive loops; and

radiating the electromagnetic energy representing the signal from the plurality of conductive loops.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the conductive loops are tuned to be resonant at substantially different frequencies.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the conductive loops are arranged into a plurality of groups each including one or more loops of the plurality of conductive loops, the groups having substantially different resonant frequencies.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the groups each comprise loops of the plurality of conductive loops tuned to be resonant at substantially different frequencies.