Patent Grant
11785400
This disclosure relates to hearing assistance devices.
A user may use one or more hearing assistance devices (commonly referred to as “hearing aids” and “hearing instruments”) to enhance the user's ability to hear sound. Example types of hearing assistance devices include hearing aids, cochlear implants, and so on. A typical hearing assistance device includes one or more microphones. The hearing assistance device may generate a signal representing a mix of sounds received by the one or more microphones and output an amplified version of the received sound based on the signal.
Hearing assistance devices can have wired and wireless connectivity to external devices to transmit information for the functionality of the hearing aid. For example, the hearing aid uses a connection to an external device to transmit status information, such as battery life or current volume, to the user. Additionally, a separate device may send control signals over the communication channel to the hearing aid in order to configure the settings of the hearing aid.
In general, this disclosure describes techniques for integrating high-frequency communication technology, such as 2.4 GHz Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, within hearing aid devices. To integrate BLE technology in a hearing aid, an antenna should be designed to receive and transmit in accordance with the high-frequency requirements of BLE. For example, the resonant frequency of the antenna should be approximately 2.4 GHz.
A dipole antenna designed for 2.4 GHz communication may have a size (e.g., length) of 6 centimeters (cm). However, hearing aid devices such as in-the-canal (ITC) and in-the-ear (ITE) devices are small in size, and may not be able to fit a 6 cm antenna. Accordingly, it may be difficult to design an antenna that delivers satisfactory performance for BLE technology frequencies while being contained by or within a small device.
The techniques of this disclosure describe examples of antennas that are configured to fit in small hearing aid devices such as ITC and ITE devices and to work with high frequency communication technologies such as BLE. For example, the techniques described in this disclosure may leverage differences in dielectric constants internal to the ear and external to the ear of a user (e.g., differences in dielectric constant inside the human head and the dielectric constant of air). A first portion of the antenna may be formed within a housing of the hearing aid that is configured to reside within the ear canal of the user. A second portion of the antenna may be configured to be within an internal perimeter of the housing and face toward an outside of the ear canal. In this manner, the antenna is properly sized to allow communication at high frequencies, e.g., for BLE communication, but is formed to fit within a housing of the hearing aid.
In one example, the disclosure describes a hearing aid comprising a housing configured to fit inside an ear canal, an antenna within the housing, and circuitry, within the housing, coupled to the antenna and configured to transmit the signals to the antenna and receive the signals from the antenna. The antenna comprises a first segment configured to fit inside the housing and to be within the ear canal when the hearing aid is inserted into an ear of a wearer, and a second segment configured to be within the housing and disposed near a side of the housing facing toward an outside of the ear canal when the hearing aid is inserted into the ear of the wearer. The first segment is shorter than the second segment, and the antenna is tuned to transmit and receive signals having a frequency equal to or greater than 2.4 GHz.
In one example, the disclosure describes a method of manufacturing a hearing aid, the method comprising forming a first segment of an antenna of the hearing aid to fit inside a housing of the hearing aid and to be within an ear canal when the hearing aid is inserted into an ear of a wearer, forming a second segment of the antenna of the hearing aid to be within the housing and disposed near a side of the housing facing toward an outside of the ear canal when the hearing aid is inserted into the ear of the wearer, and coupling the antenna to circuitry within the housing that is configured to transmit the signals to the antenna and receive the signals from the antenna. The first segment is shorter than the second segment, and the antenna is tuned to transmit and receive signals having a frequency equal to or greater than 2.4 GHz.
The details of one or more aspects of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the techniques described in this disclosure will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.
The disclosure describes examples of antennas and a method of manufacturing antennas for hearing aids that allow the hearing aids to communicate at relatively high-frequencies, such as those in accordance with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, while being sized and/or shaped to fit within form factors of smaller hearing assistance devices such as in-the-canal (ITC) and in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids. BLE frequencies are approximately 2.4 GHz (e.g., 2.40 GHz to 2.48 GHz or 2.404 GHz to 2.478 GHz).
Integrating BLE technology within hearing aids is of interest because many devices with which hearing aids communicate data are already configured to communicate using BLE technology. As an example, a smart phone or other so-called smart devices may transmit data to the hearing aids, such as data that sets a gain of the hearing aid or other operational parameters of the hearing aids. Hearing aids may transmit data to smart devices such as data that indicates battery level of the hearing aids. Hearing aids and smart devices communicate for reasons in addition to those provided in the above examples.
To accommodate for BLE technology, a hearing aid should include a BLE radio system (e.g., an antenna configured to receive and transmit at BLE frequencies and circuitry configured to receive and transmit data modulated in accordance with BLE). For devices such as in-the-canal (ITC) or in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids, the small size of the ITC/ITE hearing aids pose a problem in designing antennas that can perform well and not be uncomfortable to the patient. This disclosure describes examples of antennas and examples of manufacturing hearing aids having such antennas, e.g., for ITC/ITE hearing aids. The example antennas, as described in more detail, may be referred to as Vee-antennas. The example antennas may have high total radiated power (TRP) and yield better performance in terms of the antenna total efficiency when matched to the circuitry. In addition, the example antennas may be easy to integrate/fabricate mechanically within the housing of the ITC/ITE hearing aid.
Hearing aid 102 is configured to provide hearing assistance. In this example illustrated in
Although the example techniques are described with respect to hearing aid 102, the example techniques are not so limited. The techniques described in this disclosure are applicable generally to hearing-assistance devices, and hearing aid 102 is an example of a hearing assistance device. The example techniques are also applicable to BTE and RIC hearing aids. Other examples of hearing-assistance devices include a Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP), a hearable with amplification features, or other types of devices that assist with hearing. The techniques of this disclosure are not limited to the form of hearing aid 102 shown in
Hearing aid 102 is configured to communicate wirelessly with computing system 104. For example, hearing aid 102 and computing system 104 may communicate wirelessly using a BLUETOOTH™ technology, including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, a WIFI™ technology, or another type of wireless communication technology. In the example of
Mobile device 106 may communicate with server device 108 via communication network 110. Communication network 110 may comprise various types of communication networks, such as cellular data networks, WIFI™ networks, the Internet, and so on. Mobile device 106 may communicate with server device 108 to store data to and retrieve data from server device 108. Thus, from the perspective of mobile device 106 and hearing aid 102, server device 108 may be considered to be in the “cloud.”
Hearing aid 102 may implement a variety of features that help a wearer of hearing aid 102 hear better. For example, hearing aid 102 may amplify the intensity of incoming sound, amplify the intensity of certain frequencies of the incoming sound, or translate or compress frequencies of the incoming sound. In another example, hearing aid 102 may implement a directional processing mode in which hearing aid 102 selectively amplifies sound originating from a particular direction (e.g., to the front of the wearer) while potentially fully or partially canceling sound originating from other directions. In other words, a directional processing mode may selectively attenuate off-axis unwanted sounds. The directional processing mode may help wearers understand conversations occurring in crowds or other noisy environments. In some examples, hearing aid 102 may reduce noise by canceling out certain frequencies. Furthermore, in some examples, hearing aid 102 may help a wearer enjoy audio media, such as music or sound components of visual media, by outputting sound based on audio data wirelessly transmitted to hearing aid 102 by mobile device 106.
Hearing aid 102 and mobile device 106 communicate data in a relatively high-frequency band (e.g., greater than or equal to 2.4 GHz). In some examples, hearing aid 102 may communicate directly with another hearing aid (e.g., hearing aid in other ear) in the relatively high-frequency band. As one example, as described above, hearing aid 102 and mobile device 106 communicate data in accordance with BLE technology. In BLE technology, hearing aid 102 should be configured to receive and transmit data within a frequency band of approximately 2.4 to 2.483 GHz. Use of BLE technology is desirable because of the low power usage, which is ideal for hearing aid 102 and mobile device 106, and because many types of mobile devices are already equipped with BLE technology. BLE technology and standard Bluetooth operate over the same 2.4 to 2.483 GHz frequency band. However, BLE technology uses a different frequency-hopping spread-spectrum (FHSS) scheme. Standard Bluetooth hops at a rate of 1600 hops per second over 79 (1-MHz-wide) channels. BLE FUSS employs 40 (2-MHz-wide) channels to ensure greater reliability over longer distances. Standard Bluetooth offers gross data rates of 1, 2, or 3 Mbits/s, while BLE's maximum rate is 1 Mbit/s with a net throughput of 260 kbits/s. BLE also uses Gaussian frequency shift keying (GFSK) modulation.
To effectuate the high-frequency communication, hearing aid 102 includes an antenna within its housing. The electrical components of hearing aid 102, including the antenna for high-frequency communication, are within a cavity formed by the housing. The length of a dipole antenna specifically designed for a particular frequency is approximately lambda/2, where lambda equals the wavelength of the electromagnetic signal the antenna receives or the wavelength at which the antenna is to transmit an electromagnetic signal.
A dipole antenna includes two segments, and electrical circuitry is coupled between each end of the two segments. The other ends of the two segments of the dipole antenna are open. An electromagnetic signal is received across the two segments and converted into an alternating current. The alternating current is fed into electrical circuitry. For transmission, the electrical circuitry outputs an alternating current that the two segments of the dipole antenna radiate outwards as an electromagnetic signal.
For example, for a 2.45 GHz electromagnetic signal, the wavelength is approximately 12.2 cm (i.e., speed of light divided by 2.45 Ghz is approximately 12.2 cm). Therefore, for a dipole antenna in free space where the dielectric constant is 1, the entire length of the dipole antenna would be 6.1 cm (e.g., lambda/2 equals 6.1 cm). Therefore, a first segment of the dipole antenna would have a size of approximately 3 cm, and a second segment of the dipole antenna would have a size of approximately 3 cm.
However, the width and length of hearing aid 102 is approximately 2.5 cm for the width and 1.7 cm for the length. However, the width and length may be different, as hearing aid is sized for the ear of the wearer. Hence, there may be a 20% increase or decrease in length and width (but other ranges are possible) based on size of the ear of the wearer. In general, a dipole antenna having length of 6.1 cm cannot fit within hearing aid 102 when the dipole antenna is structured as a straight antenna.
One way in which to reduce the size of the antenna is to leverage the change in dielectric constant within the human head. For example, each segment of the dipole antenna is equal to approximately 3 cm when the dielectric constant is 1, which is the case in free space. However, inside the human head, the dielectric constant is substantially greater than 1 (e.g., more than 30 times greater). As one example, in accordance with the human head model, the dielectric constant inside a human head (e.g., in the ear canal) is approximately 35.4.
In one or more examples, a first segment of the antenna may be oriented approximately 90 degrees relative to a second segment of the antenna. For example, the antenna may be bent by approximately 90 degrees so that the first segment and the second segment form an L-shape (or inverted L-shape). Approximately 90 degrees may be within +20% of 90 degrees (e.g., 72 degrees to 108 degrees). By orienting the first segment approximately 90° relative to the second segment of the antenna, it may be possible to fit the first segment within the housing of hearing aid 102. For example, when the dielectric constant is 35.4, and the first segment is to be fit within the housing, the size of the first segment can be reduced from 3 cm to approximately 0.5 cm, and still be tuned to receive and transmit data at relatively high-frequencies such as 2.45 GHz. As noted above, in free space (e.g., dielectric constant of 1), the length of each segment is 3 cm, but when segment is in an environment where the dielectric constant is substantially greater than 1 (e.g., 35.4× inside the head), the size of a segment can be reduced from 3 cm to 0.5 cm. Moreover, when the length of first segment is 0.5 cm, the length of the first segment is small enough to fit inside the housing of hearing aid 102. Accordingly, by orienting the first segment such that the first segment is to fit within the ear canal of the wearer, it is possible to reduce the size of the first segment such that the first segment fits within the housing of hearing aid 102 due to the substantial increase in the dielectric constant within the head of the patient.
By orienting the first segment approximately 90 degrees relative to the second segment, the dipole antenna transforms to a so-called vee antenna due to orthogonal orientation of the segments (e.g., if the corner at which the first segment and second segment meet where place at the bottom, the antenna would look like a V). For instance, if the L-shape of the antenna were rotated such that corner of the two segments of the L-shape was at the bottom, the result would look like a V-shape (or vee-shape). Although the first segment and the second segment are described as being approximately 90 degrees, where the segments meet end-to-end, the example techniques are not so limited. The first segment may be oriented in a variety of ways so long as the second segment fits within the housing so that the environment surrounding the second segment has a substantially higher dielectric constant than 1.
While the size of the first segment can be reduced because the first segment is fitted where there is increased dielectric constant, the second segment may be in the free space, with a reduced dielectric constant. For example, the second segment should be fitted into the housing of hearing aid 102, but is not located within the ear canal when a wearer inserts hearing aid 102 into the ear canal. Rather, the second segment will be in an environment outside the ear canal where the dielectric constant is approximately 1. Therefore, the length of second segment of the antenna may remain approximately 3 cm for 2.45 GHz communication frequencies.
In one or more examples, the second segment of the antenna may be configured within the perimeter of the housing of hearing aid 102 in various ways. As one example, the second segment may be formed as a loop, rather than a straight line. For instance, the second segment is bent to loop around to fit within a faceplate of hearing aid 102. Other shapes of the second segment are possible such as zig-zag (e.g., serpentine) or multiple concentric loops (e.g., spiral).
Accordingly, hearing aid 102 is an example hearing aid that includes a housing configured to fit inside an ear canal. Hearing aid 102 includes an antenna within the housing. The antenna includes a first segment configured to fit inside the housing and to be within the ear canal when the hearing aid is inserted into an ear of a wearer. The antenna also includes a second segment configured to be within an internal perimeter of the housing (e.g., inside the cavity formed by the housing) and disposed near a side of the housing and facing toward an outside of the ear canal (e.g., within a faceplate of hearing aid 102). For instance, the second segment is positioned in an environment having dielectric constant substantially equal to 1, and the first segment is positioned in an environment having a dielectric constant substantially greater than 1 when inserted into the ear of the wearer.
In such examples, the first segment is shorter than the second segment. For example, the first segment is approximately 0.5 cm (e.g., within a range of 0.4 cm and 0.6 cm) and the second segment is approximately 3 cm (e.g., within a range of 2 cm and 4 cm). The second segment may be looped back upon itself, or may be generally curved around the internal perimeter of the housing. For example, the second segment includes two ends, a first end that is open and not connected to the first segment, and a second end that is proximate to the first segment. The second segment looping back upon itself means that the first end is bent in a circular fashion to be proximate to the second end of the segment. As some additional examples, the second segment may be configured in a shape such as a circular shape, a spiral shape, or a serpentine shape. In this manner, the antenna may be configured to fit within the housing of the hearing aid and still be configured to transmit and receive signals having a frequency greater than or equal to 2.4 GHz (e.g., 2.4 GHz to 2.483 GHz).
Hearing aid 102 also includes circuitry that is coupled to the antenna and configured to transmit signals to the antenna and receive signals from the antenna. For example, the circuitry may be configured to modulate data that is to be transmitted using GFSK modulation and demodulate received data that was modulated using GFSK modulation. The circuitry may be considered as radio circuitry that modulates and transmits relatively high-frequency data and receives and demodulates relatively high-frequency data (e.g., in accordance with a BLE, frequency band).
The circuitry may be configured to transmit and receive signals along a transmission line to or from the antenna. The impedance of the transmission line may be designed for a particular amount of impedance (e.g., 50 ohms). The transmission line may be configured such that there is little to no reactance. Therefore, the impedance of the transmission line may be equal to the resistance of the transmission line, which is some examples is 50 ohms. In one or more examples, the circuitry (e.g., radio circuitry of hearing aid 102) may be configured to have an input or output impedance that is approximately equal to impedance of the transmission line to avoid impedance mismatch.
However, the impedance of the antenna may not match that of the transmission line or that of the circuitry. In some examples, the antenna is shaped to further promote impedance matching. As one example, the antenna may be a capacitive. To counteract and tune the capacitance of the antenna, the first segment may be formed as a helix (e.g., by meandering the segment) to introduce inductance. In this way, the first segment is configured in a helix shape such that an impedance of the antenna is closer to an impedance of the circuitry coupled to the antenna as compared to the first segment having a linear shape.
There may be other potential benefits achieved with one or more example arrangements of the antenna. As one example, the shape of the antenna and a position of a battery of the hearing aid may be such that any electromagnetic signal that radiates inwards is reflected by the battery. Such reflection of electromagnetic signals may not be present in standard dipole arrangements. In such examples, the hearing aid includes a battery positioned inside the housing in a manner to reflect signals transmitted from the antenna.
First segment 114A and second segment 114B are not directly connected to one another. Rather, respective ends of first segment 114A and second segment 114B are coupled to transmission lines that couple to circuitry within the housing of hearing aid 102. For example, the respective ends of first segment 114A and second segment 114B form as inputs to the electrical circuitry when receiving an electromagnetic signal, and form as outputs to the electrical circuitry when radiating (e.g., outputting) an electromagnetic signal. The coupling of respective other ends of first segment 114A and second segment 114B to transmission lines is shown with the dot in the center of antenna 112A. The dot in the center of antenna 112A represents two transmission lines, one for each one of first segment 114A and second segment 114B. The respective other ends of first segment 114A and second segment 114B are open ended (e.g., free floating with no or high impedance electrical connections), as shown.
As shown in
As shown first segment 114C is approximately 90 degrees (e.g., within 72 degrees and 108 degrees) relative to second segment 114D, but other angular bends are possible based on the tensile strength of the material used to form antenna 112B. For ease, first segment 114C is described as being 90 degrees relative to second segment 114D, but other bends, so long as first segment 114C is within environment 116B, are possible.
When first segment 114C is within the environment 116B, the increased dielectric constant of environment 116B allows the length of first segment 114C to be substantially less than the length of first segment 114A. For instance, as illustrated in
Furthermore, as shown in
In the illustrated example, second segment 114F is configured to curve around an internal perimeter of the housing of hearing aid 102. For example, the housing of hearing aid 102 forms a cavity. Second segment 114F may be curved to fit along the internal perimeter of the cavity. For example, second segment 114F may abut the internal perimeter of the cavity, or may be within a few millimeters (e.g., 5 to 10 mm) of the internal perimeter of the cavity.
As illustrated in
In general, first end 115A may be bent in such a way that second segment 114F lies along the perimeter of the housing of hearing aid 102 (e.g., along the internal perimeter of the faceplate within which second segment 114F is located). Although a circular bend is illustrated, other types of bends such as second segment 114F having a square, rectangle, octagonal, etc. bends are possible where second segment 114F is bend such that first end 115A is proximate to second end 115B.
Moreover, after the bend, first end 115A need not necessarily be proximate to second end 115B. For example, if the perimeter of the faceplate of hearing aid 102 is larger than 3 cm, then it is possible that first end 115A will not be proximate to second end 115B because the size of segment 114F is approximately 3 cm, which is less than the perimeter of the faceplate. As another example, if may be possible for there to be multiple loops of second segment 114F. For example, if the perimeter of the faceplate of hearing aid 102 is less than 3 cm, then it is possible that first end 115A will wrap around and extend beyond second end 115B because the size of segment 114F is approximately 3 cm, which is greater than the perimeter of the faceplate.
In the example illustrated in
The electrical circuitry, that receives data from or transmits data to, antenna 112C may be coupled to the transmission lines extending from the dot shown in antenna 112C. As described in more detail, rather than keeping first segment 114E as a linear shape, by forming first segment 114E as a helix, it may be possible to counteract the capacitance of antenna 112C to provide better impedance matching with the transmission line and the electrical circuitry.
Accordingly,
The example of
In the example of
In the example of
Radio 202 may enable hearing aid 102 to send data to and receive data from one or more other computing devices. For example, radio 202 may enable hearing aid 102 to send data to and receive data from mobile device 106 (
Radio 202 is an example of electronic circuitry that is coupled to a transmission line 222 that connects antenna 112C to radio 202. Radio 202 may be configured to modulate and demodulate in accordance with GFSK for the BLE technologies, as one example, and transmit and receive data at relatively high-frequencies (e.g., 2.4 GHz and greater). In some examples, for better impedance matching with transmission line 222 and/or radio 202, first segment 114E may be formed having a helix shape. Although not shown, in some examples, an impedance matching circuit may be present between transmission line 222 and/or radio 202 and antenna 112C. The impedance matching circuit may have an impedance on a first side that matches the impedance of antenna 112C, and have an impedance on a second side that matches the impedance of transmission line 222 and/or radio 202. The impedance matching circuit may reduce reflections due to impedance mismatches, but may be lossy (e.g., reduce signal amplitude).
Receiver 204 includes one or more speakers for generating audible sound. Microphone 208 detects incoming sound and generates an electrical signal (e.g., an analog or digital electrical signal) representing the incoming sound. DSP 206 may process the signal generated by microphone 208 to enhance, amplify, or cancel-out particular channels within the incoming sound. DSP 206 may then cause receiver 204 to generate sound based on the processed signal.
Sensors 210 may generate various types of signals. DSP 206 may use the signals generated by sensors 210 to generate sensor data. For example, DSP 206 may use signals generated by body temperature sensor 219 and heart rate sensor 220 to generate biometric data (e.g., data indicating a body temperature and heart rate of a wearer of ear-wearable device 102). In another example, DSP 206 may use signals from accelerometers 218 to generate movement data indicative of movements of hearing aid 102. In some examples, storage device(s) 216 may store sensor data generated by DSP 206.
DSP 206 may cause radio 202 to transmit various types of data. For example, DSP 206 may cause radio 202 to transmit movement data, sensor data, or other types of data to computing system 104. As other examples, DSP 206 may cause radio 202 to transmit information indicating battery life of battery 212. In some examples, DSP 206 may cause radio 202 to transmit audio data representing sound detected by microphone 208 to computing system 104 (
In some examples, part of the communication signal (e.g., electromagnetic signal) may radiate inwards into hearing aid 102, instead of radiating outwards. In one or more examples, the position of battery 212 may be such that communication signals that radiate inwards are reflected off of battery 212 and contribute to communication signal 213A and 213B. For instance, the total power of the communication signal that is radiated outward via communication signal 213A and 213B may be greater due to the reflection off of battery 212. Such reflections may not be present in standard dipole arrangements. In some examples, battery 212 may abut the side of second segment 114F from inside housing 200. Battery 212 may be proximate to the second segment 114F (e.g., less than 10 mm) from inside housing 200.
For example, due to the structure of second segment 114F and a location of battery 212 within the housing of hearing aid 102, battery 212 acts like a reflector in both sides (e.g., out of the ear canal and downwards), shown with communication signals 213A and 213B. The reflective characteristic of battery 212, such as when second segment 114F is shaped as being curved, may increase directivity by at least 3 dB compared to normal dipole antenna such antenna 112A of
Table 1 below provides the impedance of the antenna model of
As can be seen from Table 1, the absolute value of the reactance is relatively large, and the values are all negative. This may be indicative that antenna 112C is capacitive. Furthermore, the resistance is approximately 13 to 14 ohms. In some examples, transmission line 222 and/or circuitry of radio 204 may have a resistance different than 13 to 14 ohms, such as 50 ohms, and the reactance may be 0. Therefore, due to the impedance mismatch, there is a possibility of having reflections in the signals transmitted to antenna 112C or received from antenna 112C. By tuning the capacitance of antenna 112C, it may be possible to better match the impedance of antenna 112C with transmission line 222 and/or circuitry of radio 204.
One example way in which to tune the capacitance is to meander first segment 114E to have more of a helix shape. For instance, as illustrated in
Table 2 below provides the impedance of antenna model of
In the example illustrated in
As illustrated in
Table 3 below provides some example measurements of total radiated power (TRP) of antenna 112C measured at a Tesla chamber with and without implementing a matching network. For instance, as noted above, in some examples, a matching network may be included between antenna 112C and transmission line 222 and/or radio 204 to provide impedance matching. The matching network may reduce reflections, but may also reduce the amount of power that is radiated out by antenna 112C because of a reduction in signal strength received by antenna 112C or reduce the amount of power transmitted to radio 204 because some power is lost through the matching network. Moreover, the matching network may cause the TRP to be relatively smooth across the frequency band, such as across the BLE frequency band.
As shown in Table 3, the TRP is on average −17 dBm, which is indicative of very good performance, especially after being matched with a matching network.
In some examples, first segment 114E is shorter than second segment 114F. For example, the manufacturer may form first segment 114E to be approximately 0.5 cm (e.g., 0.4 to 0.6 cm), and form second segment 114F to be approximately 3 cm (e.g., 2 cm to 4 cm). Furthermore, the manufacturer may form first segment 114E to be substantially orthogonal to second segment 114F (e.g., 72 degrees to 108 degrees).
There may be various ways to form first segment 114E and second segment 114F of antenna 112C. The manufacture may form first segment 114E in a helix shape such that an impedance of antenna 112C is closer to an impedance of the circuitry (e.g., radio 204 and/or transmission line 222) coupled to antenna 112C as compared to first segment 114E having a linear shape. In some examples, the manufacturer may form second segment 114F to loop back upon itself, such as described above and illustrated with respect to
In some examples, the manufacturer may form second segment 114F such that second segment 114F is within a first environment having a first dielectric constant (e.g., 1) when hearing aid 102 is inserted in the ear of the wearer. The manufacturer may form first segment 114E such that first segment 114E is within a second environment having a second dielectric constant (e.g., 35.4) that is substantially greater than the first dielectric constant when hearing aid 200 is inserted in the ear of the wearer.
The manufacturer may couple antenna 112C to circuitry (e.g., radio 204 and/or transmission line 222) within housing 200 that is configured to transmit the signals to antenna 112C and receive the signals from antenna 112C (304). For example, antenna 112C is tuned to transmit and receive signals having a frequency equal to or greater than 2.4 GHz (e.g., configured to transmit and receive signals having a frequency within a frequency band of 2.4 to 2.483 GHz of the BLE technology). Furthermore, the manufacturer may position battery 212 inside housing 200 in a manner to reflect signals transmitted from antenna 112C.
It is to be recognized that depending on the example, certain acts or events of any of the techniques described herein can be performed in a different sequence, may be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., not all described acts or events are necessary for the practice of the techniques). Various examples have been described. These and other examples are within the scope of the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/732,741, filed Jan. 2, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/144,738, filed Sep. 27, 2018 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,547,957 on Jan. 28, 2020, the entire content of each application is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5721783 | Anderson | Feb 1998 | A |
| 7256747 | Victorian et al. | Aug 2007 | B2 |
| 7446720 | Victorian et al. | Oct 2008 | B2 |
| 7593538 | Polinske | Sep 2009 | B2 |
| 8675902 | Christensen et al. | Mar 2014 | B2 |
| 9167360 | Polinske et al. | Oct 2015 | B2 |
| 9525930 | Parkins | Dec 2016 | B2 |
| 9609443 | Ruaro et al. | Mar 2017 | B2 |
| 9968781 | Roehrlein et al. | May 2018 | B2 |
| 9972895 | Hirsch et al. | May 2018 | B2 |
| 10051388 | Polinske et al. | Aug 2018 | B2 |
| 10187734 | Kvist | Jan 2019 | B2 |
| 10362410 | Ozden | Jul 2019 | B2 |
| 10406372 | Roehrlein et al. | Sep 2019 | B2 |
| 10547957 | Elghannai | Jan 2020 | B1 |
| 10764666 | Napoles | Sep 2020 | B1 |
| 11057723 | Elghannai | Jul 2021 | B2 |
| 11323833 | Polinske | May 2022 | B2 |
| 20050203584 | Twetan et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20130343586 | Kvist et al. | Dec 2013 | A1 |
| 20140307904 | Polinske et al. | Oct 2014 | A1 |
| 20160050502 | Kvist et al. | Feb 2016 | A1 |
| 20160330552 | Flood | Nov 2016 | A1 |
| 20170026762 | Ruaro et al. | Jan 2017 | A1 |
| 20170062913 | Hirsch et al. | Mar 2017 | A1 |
| 20170150278 | Ruaro | May 2017 | A1 |
| 20180124528 | Polinske et al. | May 2018 | A1 |
| 20180138584 | Leung et al. | May 2018 | A1 |
| 20180242074 | Xu et al. | Aug 2018 | A1 |
| 20180352345 | Polinske et al. | Dec 2018 | A1 |
| 20180359575 | Thaysen | Dec 2018 | A1 |
| 20190006757 | Nikles et al. | Jan 2019 | A1 |
| 20190069101 | Kvist | Feb 2019 | A1 |
| 20190165456 | Elghannai | May 2019 | A1 |
| 20190349694 | Farmakidis et al. | Nov 2019 | A1 |
| 20200335856 | Kim et al. | Oct 2020 | A1 |
| 20210337323 | Elghannai et al. | Jul 2021 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 106102831 | Aug 2019 | CN |
| 2680366 | Jan 2014 | EP |
| 2897385 | Jul 2015 | EP |
| 2983379 | Feb 2016 | EP |
| 3174314 | Mar 2017 | EP |
| 3531718 | Aug 2019 | EP |
| 3554096 | Oct 2019 | EP |
| 2002111352 | Apr 2002 | JP |
| 2017147566 | Aug 2017 | JP |
| 2018519739 | Jul 2018 | JP |
| 2015147772 | Oct 2015 | WO |
| 2018114063 | Jun 2018 | WO |
| 2019035561 | Feb 2019 | WO |
| 2019130843 | Jul 2019 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| Search Report from counterpart European Application No. 19200192.3, dated Nov. 16, 2021, 7 pp. |
| Kammersgaard et al., “Body-Worn Spiral Monopole Antenna for Body-Centric Communications,” Proceedings of the 2015 International Workshop on Antenna Technology, Mar. 4-6, 2015, 4 pp. |
| Prosecution History from U.S. Appl. No. 16/144,738, dated Feb. 25, 2019 through Oct. 1, 2019, 30 pp. |
| Prosecution History from U.S. Appl. No. 16/732,741, dated May 21, 2020, through Mar. 18, 2021, 53 pp. |
| Response to Communication pursuant to Article 94(3) EPC dated Nov. 16, 2021, from counterpart European Application No. 19200192.3 filed May 26, 2022, 18 pp. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210337323 A1 | Oct 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16732741 | Jan 2020 | US |
| Child | 17366457 | US | |
| Parent | 16144738 | Sep 2018 | US |
| Child | 16732741 | US |
