Demodulation in a contact hearing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11711657-B2
Application number	US-202117159498-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2021
Priority date	Jul 31, 2018
Publication date	Jul 25, 2023
Grant date	Jul 25, 2023

Abstract

In embodiments of the invention, the present invention is directed to a contact hearing system including: a transmit coil positioned in an ear tip wherein the transmit coil includes an electrical coil wound on a ferrite core; a receive coil positioned on a contact hearing device wherein the receive coil includes an electrical coil without a core; a load connected to the receive coil; and a demodulation circuit connected to the receive coil and the load wherein the demodulation circuit includes a voltage doubler and a peak detector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A contact hearing system comprising:
a transmit coil positioned in an ear tip, wherein the transmit coil comprises an electrical coil wound on a ferrite core;
a receive coil positioned on a contact hearing device wherein the receive coil comprises an electrical coil without a core;
a load connected to the receive coil; and
a demodulation circuit connected to the receive coil and the load, wherein the demodulation circuit comprises a voltage doubler and a peak detector, and wherein the receive coil passes a signal to the demodulation circuit having reduced intermodulation distortion (IMD) based on a passband associated with the receive coil being centered at a frequency greater than a carrier frequency of a signal transmitted from the transmit coil to the receive coil;
wherein the load is a microactuator for directly vibrating an eardrum of the user to produce a perception of sound by the user.

2. A contact hearing system according to claim 1 , wherein the demodulation circuit is connected to the load at a motor node.

3. A contact hearing system according to claim 2 , wherein a tuning capacitor is connected across the receive coil.

4. A contact hearing system according to claim 3 , wherein the voltage doubler comprises a series capacitor connected to a first diode.

5. A contact hearing system according to claim 4 , wherein the series capacitor is connected between a first side of the receive coil and a cathode diode.

6. A contact hearing system according to claim 5 , wherein the cathode of the first diode is connected to a second side of the receive coil.

7. A contact hearing system according to claim 1 , wherein the peak detector is connected between an output of the voltage doubler and the load.

8. A contact hearing system according to claim 7 , wherein the peak detector comprises a second diode and a smoothing capacitor.

9. A contact hearing system according to claim 8 , wherein an anode of the second diode is connected to the voltage doubler.

10. A contact hearing system according to claim 9 , wherein a cathode of the first diode is connected to an anode of the second diode.

11. A contact hearing system according to claim 9 , wherein a cathode of the second diode is connected to a first side of the smoothing capacitor.

12. A contact hearing system according to claim 10 , wherein the cathode of the second diode and the first side of the smoothing capacitor is connected to a first side of the load.

13. A contact hearing system according to claim 12 , wherein a second side of the load is connected to a second side of the smoothing capacitor.

14. A contact hearing system according to claim 4 , wherein the first diode is a Schottky diode.

15. A contact hearing system according to claim 8 , wherein the second diode is a Schottky diode.

16. A contact hearing system according to claim 1 , wherein the load is a balanced armature microactuator.

17. A contact hearing system according to claim 1 , further comprising an output filter connected to the demodulation circuit and the load.

18. A contact hearing system according to claim 17 , wherein the output filter comprises an LC output filter.

19. A contact hearing system according to claim 17 , wherein the output filter is connected to the peak detector of the demodulation circuit and the load.

20. A contact hearing system comprising:
a transmit coil positioned in an ear tip, wherein the transmit coil comprises an electrical coil wound on a ferrite core;
a receive coil positioned on a contact hearing device wherein the receive coil comprises an electrical coil without a core;
a load connected to the receive coil; and
a demodulation circuit connected to the receive coil and the load, wherein the demodulation circuit comprises a voltage doubler and a peak detector,
wherein the receive coil passes a signal to the demodulation circuit having reduced intermodulation distortion (IMD) based on a passband associated with the receive coil being centered at a frequency greater than a carrier frequency of a signal transmitted from the transmit coil to the receive coil,
wherein the voltage doubler comprises a series capacitor connected to a first diode,
wherein the peak detector is connected between an output of the voltage doubler and the load,
wherein the peak detector comprises a second diode and a smoothing capacitor,
wherein the cathode of the second diode and the first side of the smoothing capacitor is connected to a first side of the load,
wherein a second side of the load is connected to a second side of the smoothing capacitor, and
wherein the load is a balanced armature microactuator for directly vibrating an eardrum of the user to produce a perception of sound by the user.

Assignees

• Earlens Corp

Inventors

• Wenzel Stuart W

Classifications

• H04B5/266

  One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils · CPC title

• H04B5/45

  Transponders · CPC title

• H04R25/456 Primary

  mechanically · CPC title

• H01F27/24

  Magnetic cores · CPC title

• H01F38/14

  Inductive couplings {(for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10)} · CPC title