Hearing aid circuit with integrated switch and battery

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a hearing aid.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded front view of the hearing aid of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded rear view of the hearing aid of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a hearing aid electronics assembly.

FIG. 5 shows partially assembled hearing aid electronics assembly.

FIG. 6 shows a fully assembled hearing aid electronics assembly.

FIGS. 7A and 7B shows a hearing aid circuit board having switch traces.

FIG. 8 shows a hearing aid circuit board having a variable resistor switch trace.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a hearing aid face plate with switching mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of a hearing aid face plate with switching mechanism.

FIG. 11 shows a hearing aid battery spaced apart from a circuit board and forming an enclosure.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional front-view of a hearing aid microphone with sealing gasket.

FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the hearing aid microphone of FIG. 12.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show a hearing aid face plate and a rotary switch having an air passageway through the switch.

FIGS. 15A, 15B and 15C show an alternative design for a hearing aid having a rotary switch in three different switch positions.

Claims

1. A hearing aid comprising: a flexible circuit board containing a battery permanently affixed thereto, the battery having a first surface that is opposed to, and spaced away from, a surface of the flexible circuit board.
2. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the first surface of the battery comprises at least one air intake hole.
3. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said permanently affixed battery is affixed by at least one of solder, an adhesive, and welding.
4. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said permanently affixed battery is affixed to the flexible circuit board at the battery cathode.
5. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said permanently affixed battery is spaced away from said flexible circuit board from about 0.005 mm to about 10 mm.
6. (canceled)
7. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said permanently affixed battery and said flexible circuit board form a substantially enclosed chamber therebetween.
8. The hearing aid of claim 7, wherein the chamber includes a reactant for reaction within the battery.
9. The hearing aid of claim 7, wherein the battery comprises an at least partially depressed surface, the circuit board being affixed to the battery surface to form said chamber.
10. The hearing aid of claim 7 wherein said chamber has an interior volume from about 0.01 mm3 to about 450 mm3.
11. (canceled)
12. The hearing aid of claim 7 wherein said chamber has a vent.
13. The hearing aid of claim 12 wherein said vent is through the circuit board.
14. The hearing aid of claim 13 wherein said vent has a cross-section area of from about 3×10−4 mm2 to about 2×10−1 mm2.
15.-17. (canceled)
18. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said battery is a metal-air battery.
19.-22. (canceled)
23. The hearing aid of claim 1, further comprising a spacer between the surface of the battery and the surface of the flexible circuit board.
24. The hearing aid of claim 2, wherein the spacer comprises an opening extending through the spacer, such that the surface of the battery, the opposing surface of the circuit board and the spacer form a substantially enclosed chamber.
25. The hearing aid of claim 24, wherein the least one air intake hole on the first surface of the battery is at least partially open to the chamber, and wherein the substantially enclosed chamber comprises a vent to permit air to enter the chamber.
26. The hearing aid of claim 25, wherein at least one vent comprises a vent through the circuit board.
27. The hearing aid of claim 25, wherein at least one vent comprises a vent through the spacer.
29. (canceled)
30. The hearing aid of claim 26, wherein the cross-sectional area of the vent through the circuit board is substantially less than the cross-sectional area of the air intake hole in the battery such that the vent hole restricts the flow of air to the battery intake hole.
31. The hearing aid of claim 30, wherein the cross-sectional area of the spacer opening is substantially greater than the cross-sectional area of the vent through the circuit board and the cross-sectional area of the air intake hole in the battery.
32. The hearing aid of claim 23, wherein the spacer comprises an insulating material.
33. A hearing aid comprising: a circuit board containing a battery permanently affixed thereto, the circuit board and the battery forming a substantially enclosed chamber.
34. The hearing aid of claim 33, wherein the chamber includes a reactant for reaction within the battery.
35. The hearing aid of claim 34, wherein the battery comprises a metal-air battery, and the reactant comprises oxygen.
36. The hearing aid of claim 33, wherein the battery comprises an at least partially depressed surface, the circuit board being affixed to the battery surface to form said chamber.
37. The hearing aid of claim 33 wherein said chamber has an interior volume from about 0.01 mm3 to about 450 mm3.
38. (canceled)
39. The hearing aid of claim 33 wherein said chamber has a vent.
40. The hearing aid of claim 39 wherein said vent is through the circuit board.
41. The hearing aid of claim 40 wherein said vent has a cross-section area of from about 3×104 mm2 to about 2×10−1 mm2.
42.-43. (canceled)
44. The hearing aid of claim 33 wherein the circuit board is a flexible circuit board.
45. The hearing aid of claim 33, further comprising a spacer between a surface of the battery and a surface of the circuit.
46. The hearing aid of claim 45, wherein the spacer comprises an opening extending through the spacer, such that the surface of the battery, the opposing surface of the circuit board and the spacer form the substantially enclosed chamber.
47. The hearing aid of claim 46, wherein the surface of the battery comprises an air intake hole that is at least partially open to the chamber, and wherein the chamber comprises a vent to permit air to enter the chamber.
48. The hearing aid of claim 47, wherein at least one vent comprises a vent through the circuit board.
49. The hearing aid of claim 47, wherein at least one vent comprises a vent through the spacer.
50. (canceled)
51. The hearing aid of claim 48, wherein the cross-sectional area of the vent through the circuit board is substantially less than the cross-sectional area of the air intake hole in the battery such that the vent hole restricts the flow of air to the battery intake hole.
52. The hearing aid of claim 51, wherein the cross-sectional area of the spacer opening is substantially greater than the cross-sectional area of the vent through the circuit board and the cross-sectional area of the air intake hole in the battery.
53. The hearing aid of claim 44, wherein the spacer comprises an insulating material.
54. A hearing aid comprising: a circuit board for a hearing aid comprising at least one switch trace.
55. The hearing aid of claim 33 wherein the circuit board comprises at least one set of switch traces.
56. The hearing aid of claim 54 wherein said at least one switch trace is from about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm in width.
57. (canceled)
58. The hearing aid of claim 54 wherein said at least one switch comprises an arc.
59. The hearing aid of claim 58 wherein said arc has a radius of from about 1 mm to about 6 mm.
60. (canceled)
61. The hearing aid of claim 54 wherein said at least one switch trace engages with at least one rotating electrical contact to form a rotary switch.
62. The hearing aid of claim 54 wherein said circuit board contains at least one hole located adjacent to said switch trace.
63. The hearing aid of claim 55 wherein said circuit board contains two sets of switch traces.
64. The hearing aid of claim 54 wherein said at least one switch trace has portions of higher electrical resistance and portions of lower electrical resistance.
65. The hearing aid of claim 61 wherein said at least one electrical contact rotates through an arc.
66. The hearing aid of claim 65, wherein said arc comprises at least one switch segment.
67. The hearing aid of claim 66, wherein said at least one switch segment rotates through an arc from about 5 degrees to about 50 degrees.
68. (canceled)
69. The hearing aid of claim 65 wherein said rotation is less than about 100 degrees of rotation.
70. (canceled)
71. The hearing aid of claim 61 wherein said at least one electrical contact is connected to a raised tab for user operation, the raised tab extending from the plane of switch rotation.
72. The hearing aid of claim 71, wherein said switch rotation comprises at least one switch segment.
73.-74. (canceled)
75. The hearing aid of claim 61 wherein said rotary switch has at least two positions.
76. The hearing aid of claim 75, wherein said rotary switch has at least one position that provides a sound passageway to a hearing aid microphone.
77. The hearing aid of claim 75, wherein said rotary switch has at least one position that provides an air passageway to a hearing aid battery.
78. The hearing aid of claim 75, wherein said rotary switch has at least one position that substantially seals air from entering the hearing aid.
79. The hearing aid of claim 78, wherein a sealing mechanism between a face plate of the hearing aid and the rotary switch substantially seals air from entering the hearing aid.
80. The hearing aid of claim 78, wherein the rotary switch substantially seals air from entering the hearing aid when the switch is in a power off position.
81. The hearing aid of claim 75, wherein said rotary switch has a means for maintaining said switch in at least one of said switch positions.
82.-84. (canceled)
85. The hearing aid of claim 61 wherein said at least one rotating electrical contact rotates around a shaft.
86. The hearing aid of claim 85 wherein said shaft has at least one sound passageway.
87. The hearing aid of claim 61, wherein the switch includes tactile means to permit the user to determine the operating state position of the switch.
88. The hearing aid of claim 61, wherein the switch includes visual means to permit the user to determine the operating state position of the switch.
89. The hearing aid of claim 54, comprising a battery permanently affixed to the circuit.
90. The hearing aid of claim 71, wherein the rotating switch is adjacent to and substantially parallel with a face plate of the hearing aid, the raised tab extending through a slot in the face plate.
91. The hearing aid of claim 90, wherein the rotating switch comprises a detent that mates with one or more notches on the face plate to maintain the switch at a particular position.
92. A flexible circuit board comprising at least one switch trace.
93. The flexible circuit board of claim 92, further comprising at least one rotating electrical contact that engages the at least one switch trace to form a rotary switch.
94. The flexible circuit board of claim 92, wherein the rotary switch is incorporated in a hearing aid.
95. A method of operating a hearing aid, comprising: with a hearing aid having a circuit and at least one switch trace thereon, moving at least one rotating electrical contact relative to the at least one switch trace to modify the operation of the hearing aid.
96. The method of claim 95, wherein the movement of the at least one rotating electrical contact relative to the at least one switch trace turns the hearing aid on and off.
97. The method of claim 96, wherein the movement of the at least one rotating electrical contact relative to the at least one switch trace adjusts the volume of the hearing aid receiver.
98. The method of claim 97, wherein the movement of the at least one rotating electrical contact relative to the at least one switch trace turns the hearing aid on and off and adjusts the volume of the hearing aid receiver.
99.-101. (canceled)
102. A hearing aid comprising: a hearing aid shell;a microphone enclosed within the hearing aid shell; anda sealing member surrounding the periphery of the microphone, and substantially completely filling the area between the periphery of the microphone and the interior surface of the hearing aid shell.
103. The hearing aid of claim 102, wherein the sealing member comprises at least one of a gasket and an o-ring.
104. The hearing aid of claim 102, wherein the microphone and sealing member divide the interior volume of the hearing aid shell into outer and interior volumes, the sealing member substantially acoustically sealing sound waves in the outer volume of the hearing aid shell from entering the interior volume of the shell.
105. The hearing aid of claim 102, further comprising a vent to vent air from the outer volume of the hearing aid shell to the interior volume of the shell.
106. The hearing aid of claim 105, further comprising an air-activated battery located in the interior volume of the shell, the vent providing sufficient quantity of air to pass into the interior volume of the shell to sustain battery operation.
107. The hearing aid of claim 105, wherein the vent comprises a slot that is formed in the hearing aid shell to allow air to pass around the sealing member.
108. The hearing aid of claim 105, wherein the vent comprises an air passageway through the sealing member.
109. The hearing aid of claim 108, wherein the air passageway comprises a tube extending through the sealing member.
110. The hearing aid of claim 108, wherein the air passageway comprises a sealing member that partially or wholly comprises an air-permeable material.
111. The hearing aid of claim 105, wherein the vent is configured to substantially prevent sound waves in the audible frequency range from entering the interior volume of the hearing aid shell.
112.-113. (canceled)

Hearing aid circuit with integrated switch and battery

Information

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CPC

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Abstract

Description

Claims