Patent Application
20220007119
The present subject matter relates generally to hearing assistance devices and housings and in particular to method and apparatus for integration of electrical components with hearing assistance device housings.
Hearing assistance device manufacturers, including hearing aid manufacturers, have adopted thick film hybrid technologies that build up layers of flat substrates with semiconductor die and passive electronic components attached to each substrate. Manufacturing of such circuits employ technologies, such as, surface mount, flip-chip, or wire-bond that interconnect the various die. Conductors such as wires or flex circuits are attached to pads on the hybrid module after the hybrid module is assembled and tested. The conductors connect various electro-mechanical, electro-acoustical and electro-chemical devices to the active electronics within the hybrid. Connection points may be provided for a battery, receiver/speaker, switch, volume control, microphones, programming interface, external audio interface and wireless electronics including an antenna. Recent advances, such as the addition of wireless technology, have stressed designers' ability to accommodate additional advances using expanded hybrid circuits because of size limitations within a device housing. Growing the hybrid to add features, functions and new interfaces, increases the overall size and complexity of a hearing instrument. Expanding the current hybrid may not be a viable option since the hybrid circuit is made up of finite layers of rectangular planes. The larger, complex circuits compete with most manufacturers' goals of small and easy to use hearing assistance devices and hearing aids.
The present subject matter relates to hearing aids comprising a microphone, a receiver, hearing aid electronics coupled to the microphone and the receiver and a conductive traces integrated with an insulator, the conductive traces adapted to interconnect the hearing aid electronics and to follow non-planar contours of the insulator. In some examples, the insulator includes a hearing aid housing and components of the hearing aid electronics embedded in the hearing aid housing. In some examples, the insulator includes a connector plug to connect a transducer to the hearing aid electronics. In some examples, the connector plug includes an embedded electrical device.
This Summary is an overview of some of the teachings of the present application and not intended to be an exclusive or exhaustive treatment of the present subject matter. Further details about the present subject matter are found in the detailed description and appended claims. The scope of the present subject matter is defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
The following detailed description of the present invention refers to subject matter in the accompanying drawings which show, by way of illustration, specific aspects and embodiments in which the present subject matter may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present subject matter. References to “an”, “one”, or “various” embodiments in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references contemplate more than one embodiment. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of legal equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
The present subject matter provides apparatus and methods for using conductor on insulator technology to provide space saving, robust and consistent electronic assemblies. Although applicable to various types of electronics and electronic devices, examples are provided for hearing assistance devices. In various applications, the insulator is a plastic. In various applications the insulator is a ceramic. Other insulators are possible without departing from the scope of the present subject matter.
In the illustrated embodiment, portions of COI traces 105 lead to an integrated capacitor (see for example capacitor 108 on
This approach also allows the integration of ball grid array component bond pads 106 and connecting traces 107 with the device housing as demonstrated in
Referring again to
For hearing assistance devices, COI technology provides some benefits including, but not limited to, one or more of: tightly controlled and consistent radio frequency (RF) characteristics due to consistent circuit placement; reduced feedback and/or repeatable feedback performance due to precise transducer lead location; efficient production with substantially fewer manufacturing steps including elimination of manual soldering, wire routing, and related, traditional electronic assembly operations, smaller hearing instruments; possible elimination of wires; possible elimination of the traditional PCB or thick film ceramic substrate; and possibly smaller and/or less expensive hearing instrument components. Such components include, but are not limited to RIC connectors, DAI modules, capacitive switches, or antenna modules.
Examples of hearing assistance device designs benefiting from COI technologies include, but are not limited to, behind-the-ear (BTE) and over-the-ear (OTE) designs as well as the faceplates of in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC) and completely-in-the-canal (CIC) designs. Any hearing assistance device housing and/or connectors can benefit from the teachings provided herein. In a hearing assistance device housing, for example, DSP, memory, and RF semiconductor dies can be flip chip attached and integrated with the hearing instrument housing or spine along with passive components, battery contacts, interconnecting conductor traces, RF antenna, and transducer connectors to reduce the assembly process of the hearing assistance device.
It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading and understanding the present subject matter that COI technology includes, but is not limited to, conductor-on-plastic (COP) or conductor-on-ceramic (COC) processes, for example. Technologies have been developed, as discussed above, which enable formation of conductive patterns either on or embedded within uniquely shaped plastic or ceramic substrates. Such processes facilitate production of electronic assemblies or components integrated with uniquely shaped plastic or ceramic substrate structures.
The present subject matter includes hearing assistance devices, including, but not limited to, cochlear implant type hearing devices, hearing aids, such as behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), or completely-in-the-canal (CIC) type hearing aids. It is understood that behind-the-ear type hearing aids may include devices that reside substantially behind the ear or over the ear. Such devices may include hearing aids with receivers associated with the electronics portion of the behind-the-ear device, or hearing aids of the type having receivers in-the-canal. It is understood that other hearing assistance devices not expressly stated herein may fall within the scope of the present subject matter.
This application is intended to cover adaptations and variations of the present subject matter. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. The scope of the present subject matter should be determined with reference to the appended claim, along with the full scope of equivalents to which the claims are entitled.
The application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/599,524, filed Oct. 11, 2019, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,064,304 is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/058,335, filed Aug. 8, 2018, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,448,176, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/595,302, filed May 15, 2017, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,051,390, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/257,537, filed Apr. 21, 2014, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,654,887, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/539,195, filed Aug. 11, 2009, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,705,785, which application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/087,899, filed Aug. 11, 2008, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61087899 | Aug 2008 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16599524 | Oct 2019 | US |
| Child | 17372745 | US | |
| Parent | 16058335 | Aug 2018 | US |
| Child | 16599524 | US | |
| Parent | 15595302 | May 2017 | US |
| Child | 16058335 | US | |
| Parent | 14257537 | Apr 2014 | US |
| Child | 15595302 | US | |
| Parent | 12539195 | Aug 2009 | US |
| Child | 14257537 | US |
