Device with combined antenna and transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9319807-B2
Application number	US-201213407183-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2012
Priority date	Feb 28, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A system includes an earhook having a connector for coupling to a behind-the-ear component of a hearing prosthesis. The earhook further includes a transducer and combined electromagnetic (EM) and magnetic induction (MI) antenna circuitry coupled to the transducer. The combined EM and MI antenna circuitry also includes an electrically conductive portion of the transducer and at least one inductor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
an earhook having a connector for coupling to a behind-the-ear component of a hearing prosthesis, wherein the earhook further includes:
a transducer including an electrically conductive body, and
combined electromagnetic (EM) and magnetic induction (MI) antenna circuitry, wherein the combined EM and MI antenna circuitry includes the electrically conductive body of the transducer and at least one inductor, wherein the electrically conductive body of the transducer is an EM field radiating part of the combined EM and MI antenna circuitry, wherein the at least one inductor of the combined EM and MI antenna circuitry is configured as an MI antenna when control signals are applied to the combined EM and MI antenna circuitry in a first radio frequency (RF) band and the at least one inductor is configured as an electrical open circuit when control signals are applied to the combined EM and MI antenna circuitry in a second RF band, wherein the first RF band is lower than the second RF band.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transducer includes one or more of a speaker, a microphone, a light emitting element, or a telecoil.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first RF frequency band is less than about 30 MHz and the second RF frequency band is greater than about 300 MHz.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the connector includes first and second contacts configured to implement a plurality of functions utilizing the transducer and the combined EM and MI antenna circuitry.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of functions includes operating the transducer, operating the combined EM and MI antenna circuitry as an EM antenna, and operating the combined EM and MI antenna circuitry as an MI antenna.

6. A system comprising:
a first hearing prosthesis device, wherein the first hearing prosthesis device includes an interface for a second hearing prosthesis device, wherein the second hearing prosthesis device includes a transducer system, wherein the interface includes first and second contacts configured to engage with complimentary contacts of the second hearing prosthesis device, and wherein the first contact is further configured to be coupled to first, second and third conductive paths of the second hearing prosthesis device;
a processor coupled to the first hearing prosthesis device and configured to generate different control signals that are applied to the first and second contacts to control a plurality of different functions that utilize the second hearing prosthesis device, wherein the control signals include first, second, and third control signals for application to the first, second, and third conductive paths, respectively, to implement first, second, and third functions, respectively, wherein the plurality of functions includes the first function of operating a transducer of the transducer system, the second function of operating a magnetic induction (MI) antenna of the transducer system, and the third function of operating an electromagnetic (EM) antenna of the transducer system;
means for combining the different control signals into a single control signal for application to the first contact; and
means for splitting different data signals received at the first contact from the second hearing prosthesis device, wherein the different data signals are associated with different functions, and wherein the processor is configured to process the different data signals in accordance with the different functions.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the second and third functions include transmitting and receiving communications utilizing the EM antenna and the MI antenna.

8. The system of claim 6 , further comprising an inductor coupled between the first conductive path and the first contact.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a band stop filter coupled between the first conductive path and the first contact.

10. The system of claim 6 , further comprising a ground plane coupled to the second contact.

11. A system comprising:
a first medical device that includes a processor and a first interface, wherein the first interface includes first and second contacts; and
a second medical device that includes a transducer, a coil coupled to the transducer, and a second interface coupled to the coil, wherein the second interface includes third and fourth contacts, wherein the first contact is configured to be removably coupled to the third contact and the second contact is configured to be removably coupled to the fourth contact, and wherein first, second, and third conductive paths are coupled to the third contact,
wherein the processor is configured to:
generate a first control signal for application to the first conductive path to implement a first functionality of operating the transducer,
generate a second control signal for application to the second conductive path to implement a second functionality of operating a magnetic induction (MI) antenna, wherein the MI antenna includes, at least in part, the coil, and
generate a third control signal for application to the third conductive path to implement a third functionality of operating an electromagnetic (EM) antenna, wherein operating the EM antenna includes, at least in part, using a conductive body of the transducer as an EM field radiating component.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the transducer includes one or more of a speaker, a microphone, a light emitting element, or a telecoil.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second and third functionalities include transmitting and receiving communications utilizing the EM antenna and the MI antenna.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first, second, and third control signals are encoded in different first, second, and third frequency bands, respectively.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first frequency band is between about 1 Hz and 50 KHz, the second frequency band is between about 200 KHz and 30 MHz, and the third frequency band is greater than about 300 MHz.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to generate different electrical signals for different functionalities, and wherein the system further includes a signal combiner for combining the different electrical signals into single electrical signal for application to the first contact.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first contact is configured to receive different electrical signals associated with different functionalities, and wherein the system further includes a signal splitter for splitting the different electrical signals for processing by the processor in accordance with each different functionality.

18. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first hearing prosthesis device is a behind-the-ear component, and the second hearing prosthesis device is an earhook.

Assignees

• Meskens Werner
• Frieding Jan
• Bouchataoui Ibrahim
• Cochlear Ltd

Inventors

• Meskens Werner
• Frieding Jan
• Bouchataoui Ibrahim

Classifications

• H04R2225/0213

  Constructional details of earhooks, e.g. shape, material · CPC title

• H04R25/554 Primary

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

• H04R25/606

  acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window · CPC title

• A61N1/36038

  Cochlear stimulation · CPC title

• H04R2225/51

  Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids · CPC title