Apparatus, system and method for drying of hearing aid devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9843870-B2
Application number	US-201615072571-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 17, 2015
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

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.

Assignees

• Sivantos Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Naumann Frank

Classifications

• H04R25/30 Primary

  Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power · CPC title

• H04R2225/31

  Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells · CPC title

• F26B19/00

  Machines or apparatus for drying solid materials or objects not covered by groups F26B9/00 - F26B17/00 · CPC title

• H04R2460/17

  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 title

• H04R2225/33

  Aspects relating to adaptation of the battery voltage, e.g. its regulation, increase or decrease · CPC title