Non-contact antenna feed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016295335-A1
Application number	US-201514674510-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 31, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to inclusion of a non-contact antenna. The non-contact antenna can allow a variety of antennas to be used on a hearing assistance device and can overcome issues associated with mounting an antenna internal to the case of a hearing assistance device. A non-contact antenna may include a proximity coupled antenna, such as an antenna mounted on a hearing assistance device case (external to the case) near a feed line that will transfer energy between the antenna and an SMD internal to the case. A non-contact antenna may include an aperture coupled antenna, such as an antenna mounted external to the case on an antenna substrate, where the antenna substrate is on a feed substrate with a feed line, and where there is an aperture in a ground plane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A hearing assistance device comprising:
a housing including processing circuitry therein; a feed line electrically connected to the processing circuitry, the feed line including a first portion internal to the case and second portion external to the case; a dielectric material; and an antenna mounted on an exterior of the case in proximity to the second portion of the feed line so as to be separated from the feed line by a dielectric material and electromagnetically coupled with the feed line.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is a solid loop antenna.

3 . The device of claim 2 , wherein the second portion of the feed line includes a Y-shape opening towards the antenna.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is a Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) antenna including successive layers of conductive material formed on the case.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is a spiral antenna.

6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the second portion of the feed line includes a Y-shape opening towards the antenna.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna, dielectric material, and feed line form a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor configured to help match an impedance of the antenna to an impedance of the feed line.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the coupling between the antenna and the feed line is a proximity coupling.

9 . A hearing assistance device comprising:
a housing including processing circuitry therein; a feed line interior to the housing and electrically connected to the processing circuitry; and a patch antenna mounted on an exterior of the housing so as to be electromagnetically coupled with the feed line without being in direct contact with the feed line.

10 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the hearing assistance device includes an aperture between the feed line and the antenna, the aperture configured to electromagnetically couple the patch antenna to the feed line.

11 . The device of claim 10 , wherein a length of the aperture is generally orthogonal to a length of the feed line.

12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the patch antenna is on or at least partially in an antenna substrate and the feed line is on or at least partially in a feed substrate and the feed substrate and the antenna substrate are separated by a ground plane.

13 . The device of claim 14 , wherein the aperture is a void in the ground plane.

14 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the patch antenna is proximity coupled to the feed line.

15 . The device of claim 14 , wherein the feed line includes a first portion within a footprint of the patch antenna that is wider than a second portion of the feed line outside the footprint.

16 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the feed line, the patch antenna, and a material between the feed line and the patch antenna form a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor configured to help match an impedance of the patch antenna to an impedance of the feed line.

17 . A method of forming a non-contact antenna feed for a hearing assistance device, the method comprising:
forming a hearing aid housing, the housing having a selected dielectric constant; forming an antenna on an exterior side of the housing; forming a feed line on the housing, a first portion of the feed line is deposited on an interior side of the housing and a second portion of the feed line is deposited on the exterior side of the housing, and the second portion of the feed line is in proximity with the antenna so as to be separated from and electromagnetically coupled with the antenna.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein forming the feed line includes depositing the feed line using Laser Direct Structuring (LDS).

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the antenna is a spiral antenna.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the antenna is a solid loop antenna.

21 . The method of claim 17 , wherein forming the antenna and depositing the feed line include situating the antenna and feed line to be separated by a dielectric material so as to form a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor using the feed line, antenna, and the dielectric material, the MIM capacitor to help match an impedance of the feed line to an impedance of the antenna.

22 . A method of forming a non-contact antenna feed for a hearing assistance device, the method comprising:
forming a hearing aid housing, the housing having a selected dielectric constant; forming a feed line in an interior of the housing; forming a patch antenna on an exterior side of the housing so as to be separated from and electromagnetically coupled with the feed line.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein forming the feed line includes depositing the feed line using Laser Direct Structuring (LDS).

24 . The method of claim 22 , wherein:
forming the patch antenna includes depositing a first substrate, forming the feed line includes forming the feed line on or at least partially in the first substrate, forming the patch antenna includes depositing a second substrate on the first substrate, and forming the patch antenna includes situating conductive material on or at least partially in the second substrate.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein forming the feed line further comprises forming a first, wider portion of the feed line within a footprint of the patch antenna and forming a second, narrower portion of the feed line outside the footprint.

26 . The method of claim 24 , wherein forming the feed line further comprises situating a ground plane between the first substrate and the second substrate, the ground plane including an aperture therein.

27 . The method of claim 24 , wherein forming the feed line, patch antenna, and the first substrate include forming a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor using the feed line, first substrate, and the patch antenna the MIM capacitor to help match an impedance of the feed line to an impedance of the antenna.

Assignees

• Starkey Labs Inc

Inventors

• Vajha Sasidhar
• Murray Casey Edward

Classifications

• H01Q1/50

  Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors · CPC title

• H01Q7/00

  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 title

• H01Q1/273

  Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals · CPC title

• H04R25/554 Primary

  using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils · CPC title

• H01Q9/0457

  electromagnetically coupled to the feed line · CPC title