Hearing device including an external antenna part and an internal antenna part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10708698-B2
Application number	US-202016751669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	Dec 29, 2016
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

The disclosure presents a method and a hearing device comprising a first portion adapted for being arranged behind an ear of a user for providing a signal, an output transducer for converting the signal to an acoustic output, a coupling element coupled to the first portion, and wherein the coupling element is adapted for transmitting at least the signal or the acoustic output. Furthermore, the hearing device comprises an antenna which includes an external antenna part and an internal antenna part, where the internal antenna part includes a first antenna element, a second antenna element where a first end of the second antenna element is arranged at one end of the first antenna element and is connected thereto, and where a second end of the second antenna element is connected to a ground plane, and a third antenna element which is spaced at a distance from the second antenna element and connected to the first antenna element, a feeding unit configured to supply a current to the antenna via the third antenna element, a wireless interface for receiving and/or sending data by means of the antenna, and wherein the coupling element comprises the external antenna part, and where the external antenna part is connected to the internal antenna part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hearing device comprising
a housing configured to be positioned behind the ear of a person,
an in-the-ear part configured to be positioned at least partly in the ear canal of the person, wherein an output transducer configured to converting a signal to an acoustic output is arranged in the in-the-ear part,
a connection member configured to provide a mechanical connection extending between the in-the-ear part and the behind-the-ear housing, wherein the connection member comprises a plurality of electrical conductors and at least one electrical conductor being part of an antenna,
a wireless interface for receiving and/or sending data via the antenna, and
a sensor, the sensor being one of: a temperature sensor, an accelerometer, a pulse sensor, a microphone, an EEG sensor, an electrode, and a photodetector,
wherein an electrical conductor of the connection member is used to carry electrical signals to/from the sensor or a processor for controlling the sensor and/or processing signals to be detected or transmitted by the sensor,
wherein at least a multitude of the plurality of electrical conductors are connected to a corresponding multitude of connection points on a substrate arranged in the in-the-ear part, and
wherein a decoupling element is arranged between a first connection point of the multitude of connection points and a second of the multitude of connection points.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling element has a maximum dampening at an operating frequency or operating frequency interval of the antenna.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna is configured with an operational frequency of around 2.4 GHz or around 5 GHz.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling element is a mainly or entirely capacitive decoupling element.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein additional decoupling elements are arranged between a subset of the multitude of connection points.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein decoupling elements are arranged between each of the connection points.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling element is a low impedance decoupling element at radio frequencies.

8. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling element is a discrete capacitor having a capacitance in the range of 0.1 pF-1000 pF.

9. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling element is an ESD diode.

10. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling element is a parasitic capacitance.

11. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling element is tuned to an operation frequency of the antenna.

12. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless interface is configured to operate using a Bluetooth protocol.

13. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a second antenna.

14. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an internal parasitic element connected to a ground plane.

15. The hearing aid according to claim 14 , wherein the internal parasitic element is formed on a printed circuit board.

16. The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the in-the-ear part includes a light emitting diode.

Assignees

• Oticon As

Inventors

• Troelsen Jens
• Sø Rune
• Thougaard Morten

Classifications

• H04R2225/021

  Behind the ear [BTE] hearing aids · CPC title

• H04R25/60

  Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles (ear wax retarders, e.g. mounting thereof H04R25/654) · CPC title

• H04R2225/0216

  BTE hearing aids having a receiver in the ear mould · CPC title

• H04R25/609

  of circuitry (of electronic switches or control elements H04R25/603) · CPC title

• H04R25/607

  of earhooks · CPC title