Apparatus, system and method for drying of hearing aid devices

• US 9,843,870 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2016
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (WS Audiology A/S)
• Inventors: Naumann, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Application Number:
  US15/072,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20160277848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 381 60, 381312-331, 381380-381
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/33 Aspects relating to adaptation of the battery voltage, e.g. its regulation, increase or decrease
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/17 Hearing device specific tools used for storing or handling hearing devices or parts thereof, e.g. placement in the ear, replacement of cerumen barriers, repair, cleaning hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power

Abstract

An apparatus for drying a hearing aid and a hearing aid and a system formed by a hearing aid and a charging device. The apparatus has an energy storage device in the hearing aid, an energy transfer unit and a charging controller. The charging controller charges the energy storage device with energy taken in from the energy transfer unit. The apparatus furthermore has a temperature sensor in the hearing aid and the charging controller is designed to control a charging process in such a way that a thermal loss in the apparatus produces a predefinable temperature pattern in the hearing aid.

Claims

1. An apparatus for drying a hearing aid, the apparatus comprising:

an energy storage device in the hearing aid;

an energy transfer unit;

a charging controller configured to charge said energy storage device with energy taken in from said energy transfer unit;

a temperature sensor connected to said charging controller and disposed for measuring a temperature in the hearing aid;

said charging controller being configured to closed-loop control a charging process depending on the temperature such that a thermal loss in the apparatus generates a predefinable temperature profile in the hearing aid to thereby dry the hearing aid with heat produced inside the hearing aid.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermal loss is produced in the energy storage device during the charging process.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermal loss is produced in the charging controller during the charging process.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprises an information transfer device configured for transferring a measured value of said temperature sensor from the hearing aid and wherein said charging controller is configured to receive the measured value and to set a power transferred by said energy transfer unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein one or both of said energy transfer unit and said information transfer device are configured to transfer wirelessly.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said one or both of said energy transfer unit and said information transfer device are configured to transfer wirelessly by way an electric field and/or a magnetic field.

7. A combination, comprising an apparatus according to claim 1 and a hearing aid with a hearing aid housing formed with at least one opening permeable to water vapor.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said charging controller comprises a processor with a stored temperature curve.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature pattern is in the form of a table or by means of a calculation rule.

10. A hearing aid system, comprising:

a hearing aid having an energy-receiving device;

a charging device having an energy-transmitting apparatus; and

an apparatus for drying said hearing aid, the apparatus including;

an energy storage device in said hearing aid;

an energy transfer unit;

a charging controller configured to charge said energy storage device with energy taken in from said energy transfer unit;

a temperature sensor connected to said charging controller and disposed for measuring a temperature in said hearing aid;

an information transfer device configured for transferring a measured value of said temperature sensor from said hearing aid, said information transfer device having a data transfer device in said hearing aid and a data transfer device in said charging device;

said charging controller being configured to receive the measured value and to set a power output by said energy-transmitting apparatus of said charging device depending on the transmitted measured value so that a thermal loss in the apparatus generates a predefinable temperature profile in said hearing aid and said hearing aid is dried with heat produced inside said hearing aid.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein one or both of said energy transfer unit and said data transfer device are configured to transfer wirelessly.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein said one or both of said energy transfer unit and said information transfer device are configured to transfer wirelessly by way an electric field and/or a magnetic field.

13. A method for drying a hearing aid, the method comprising:

providing an apparatus with an energy storage device, an energy transfer unit, a charging controller and a temperature sensor in the hearing aid;

measuring a temperature in the hearing aid with the temperature sensor;

charging the energy storage device by the charging controller with energy taken in from the energy transfer unit; and

controlling the charging process with the charging controller in dependence on the temperature such that a thermal loss in the apparatus produces a predefinable temperature pattern in the hearing aid to thereby dry the hearing aid with heat produced inside the hearing aid.