Hearing aid with internal antenna

Abstract

The invention discloses a hearing aid with an internal antenna. The hearing aid comprises: an outer structure having a first end and an opposite second end; a first substrate disposed in the outer structure; an input transducer disposed in a first substrate, the first substrate further comprising a conductive region that is at least a portion of the radio frequency antenna, the first substrate disposed at a first end of the housing; a battery disposed in the outer structure at the second end; a second substrate disposed in the outer structure, the second substrate at least partially disposed in a region between the first substrate and the cell; a wireless interface disposed in the outer structure, the wireless interface configured to transmit electromagnetic signals to and / or receive electromagnetic signals from the radio frequency antenna via a feed connected to the first substrate, the wireless interface configured to operate at a first operating frequency; a connector configured to be connected to an external speaker unit arrangement, at least one decoupling element configured to provide attenuation of an electrical signal of a first operating frequency being disposed in an electrical path to / from the connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of hearing aids. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hearing aid having an internal antenna, wherein the internal antenna is at least partially arranged in an external structure of the hearing aid, such as a housing or an encapsulation material. Background Art

[0002] A hearing aid is a compact device configured to provide audio signals to an individual with hearing loss. The hearing aid at least partially compensates for this loss by processing the sound picked up in the area surrounding the user using the hearing aid. Hearing aids are typically configured to compensate for a hearing loss specific to the user, for example based on measurements made by a hearing care professional or the user themselves, for example based on an assessment of the provision of a single tone test signal, etc. In addition, such hearing aids may communicate wirelessly with other devices such as communication devices, for which an antenna is required. Furthermore, a communication interface and / or processing should also be included. Due to the small size of hearing aids and the fact that they are typically used at or near the ear, there may be problems with the signal reaching other external devices due to losses, etc.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need to provide a solution that solves at least some of the above-mentioned problems, or at least provides an alternative to the prior art. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a hearing aid comprising an outer structure having a first end and an opposite second end. Such an outer structure may be or may include a packaging material, such as a material that encapsulates most, a major part or all of most of the components of the hearing aid, and the components, such as contacts, may / should still be accessible in some way. The outer structure may be configured to be located at the user's ear. Such a configuration may be a so-called behind-the-ear configuration, in which the outer structure will be located in the area between the user's auricle and the skull. The hearing aid may include a first substrate arranged in the outer structure. In this specification, the outer structure may be regarded as having a space or volume in which the components of the hearing aid can be placed, which may be regarded as a complete or partial placement depending on the nature of the components. In some cases, one or more components may be individually packaged, such as assembled in a package or subassembly. The hearing aid may include an input transducer arranged in the first substrate. Such an input transducer may be configured to provide a signal representing sound, which is mainly ambient sound. The first substrate also includes a conductive area that is at least part of an antenna, such as a radio frequency antenna. Such an antenna may be configured to support wireless communication at RF frequencies. The hearing aid may be arranged so that the first substrate may be arranged at the first end of the housing. The hearing aid may include a battery at the second end of the outer structure. The battery may be arranged in a retaining structure or subassembly within the outer structure, wherein the electronic components of the hearing aid may be powered by current from the battery, for example via one, two or more electrical connectors. It will be advantageous to place the battery and the antenna so that there is only minimal or no overlap between the two, as the battery may have an effect on the radiation and / or efficiency and / or bandwidth of the antenna. When the antenna is located on or in a substrate connected to other substrate parts or elements that are not designed as part of the antenna, these other, non-antenna substrate parts may be arranged closer to the battery, for example in contact with or overlapping the battery or close to the battery. One or more decoupling elements may be placed in the electrical connection to decouple the antenna from one or more parts of the non-antenna substrate. This may include electrical connections to / from an input transformer arranged in conjunction with a substrate including an antenna part, such as a first and / or second substrate. The hearing aid may include a second substrate, which may be at least partially arranged in a region between the first substrate and the battery. A portion of the second substrate may extend beyond the first substrate and / or the battery or at least extend over a portion of the first substrate and / or the battery. The hearing aid may include a wireless interface. Such a wireless interface may include or may be a processor that encodes / decodes data to be sent / received via the wireless connection. The wireless interface may include Bluetooth or other protocol functionality. The wireless interface may be configured to transmit electromagnetic signals to and / or receive electromagnetic signals from a radio frequency antenna via a feed connected to the first substrate. The wireless interface may be configured to operate at a first operating frequency. Such a first operating frequency may include a scheme for frequency hopping within one or more frequency bands or the like. The hearing aid may include a connector configured to be connected (mechanically and electrically) to an external speaker unit device. The speaker unit device may be configured to be at least partially placed in the ear canal of a user, for example via a soft interface piece (commonly referred to as a dome piece or ear tip piece).The hearing aid may include at least one decoupling element configured to provide attenuation of electrical signals at a first operating frequency. This is expected to reduce the risk of noise and / or damage to electrical components that are not intended to receive electrical signals at the operating frequency. Such a decoupling element may be arranged in an electrical path to / from the connector. Thereby, the electrical signal may be attenuated, e.g. completely or partially removed or reduced in strength, before reaching an unintended component. This may be used, for example, to prevent radio frequency signals from reaching an output transducer located in the ear canal or to prevent radio frequency signals from reaching an audio signal processor in the hearing aid.

[0005] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the wireless interface may include or be connected to an amplification device such as a signal amplifier / power amplifier to amplify the signal to be transmitted. Such an amplifier may have an override function or a bypass function so that when sufficient signal strength is possible without the amplification function in a given situation, the amplifier is bypassed to save energy. This enables the hearing aid to maintain an improved wireless link in situations where the link quality is limited and to save battery energy in situations where the link quality is sufficient. The determination of the link quality may be made by the wireless interface receiving information such as received signal strength, packet loss data or other metrics suitable for determining the link quality from the device with which it communicates. The wireless interface may also determine that amplification is required when the connection to another device is lost or the packet loss exceeds a certain threshold. The use of the amplifier is particularly advantageous when communicating between the hearing aid placed at the user's ear and a phone placed in the user's pocket, for example during a phone call using the hearing aid as a headset, i.e., the hearing aid conducts two-way audio communication with the phone so that the user's voice is picked up by the hearing aid and the voice of the distant speaker is presented to the user via the hearing aid.

[0006] For wireless communication, the wireless interface may include an intermediate energy storage, such as a capacitor, to be charged before the transmission event. This is done to avoid a sudden large power drain from the battery that powers the wireless interface, which may result in electromagnetic noise. The intermediate energy storage may be charged to a certain extent based on the data rate required by the wireless interface and / or based on the required power transmission level, which may be determined independently from the signal entering the mentioned optional amplifier device or before the signal enters the amplifier device.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a hearing aid is provided. The hearing aid may include a housing having a first end and an opposite second end. The housing may consist of two or more shell parts, such as an upper part and a lower part, or may consist of an encapsulation material that covers at least a part of the components that make up the hearing aid with, for example, an epoxy resin material or other suitable material. The hearing aid may also include a first substrate, and an input transducer may be arranged at the first substrate. The aforementioned input transducer may be configured to provide a signal representing a sound. The aforementioned input transducer may consist of one, two or more individual microphone units. The first substrate may include a conductive area. The area may be configured to serve as an antenna or at least a part of the antenna function. The antenna may be constructed or configured so that it is limited or formed only by the area. The aforementioned limitation of the antenna or at least a part thereof may be established using a decoupling element that is configured to decouple the electromagnetic coupling from the area from other adjacent elements in the hearing aid, and / or may also be combined with the decoupling of any wires connected to the hearing aid, such as wires that conduct signals to in-ear elements, or the decoupling of such wires alone. An antenna that is more or less isolated from other elements in the hearing aid may provide improved antenna efficiency and / or bandwidth. The antenna may be designed to include only the first and / or second substrate. This area may include one or more layers in the substrate, such as one or more layers of a printed circuit board-like structure. In a hearing aid according to the present invention, the input transducer and / or the first substrate may be arranged at the first end of the housing. The input transducer or at least the first substrate may advantageously be located at the first end of the hearing aid, which at least enables the input transducer to pick up sound from the user's environment from a favorable position. In addition, when the first substrate is placed at the first end of the hearing aid, this enables (at least a part of) the antenna to be located at the user's ear in an area with relatively little material around it. The hearing aid may also include a second substrate. The second substrate may be arranged at a distance from the first substrate. The first substrate and the second substrate may be connected, for example, via a third substrate or an extension of one of the first and second substrates. The first substrate and the second substrate may be one substrate, wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate is individually formed from the same substrate initial piece. The first substrate and the second substrate may be connected via one or more soldering. The hearing aid may also include a processor arranged at the second substrate. The processor may be configured to receive a signal representing the sound from the input transducer, and the processor may be configured to provide a processed output signal to the output transducer of the hearing aid based on the received signal representing the sound. Such processing may include amplification that varies with hearing loss, increasing or decreasing certain frequencies or frequency bands according to the hearing loss curve. The output transducer is configured to convert the processed output signal into a signal that can be perceived as sound by the wearer of the hearing aid. The output transducer may be located in a housing of the hearing aid that will be located behind the user's ear (commonly referred to as a BTE housing), or may be located in a housing configured to be placed in or at the user's ear canal (commonly referred to as a RITE or RIE hearing aid). The hearing aid may also include a wireless interface disposed in the housing.The wireless interface may be configured to transmit electromagnetic signals to conductive areas in the first substrate and / or receive electromagnetic signals from conductive areas in the first substrate via a feed connected to the first substrate. The wireless interface may be configured to encode / decode data using a protocol, such as a Bluetooth-based protocol such as Bluetooth LE, AuraCast, LE Audio and / or a proprietary protocol or a combination of multiple protocols. The wireless interface may be configured to operate at a first operating frequency. This may be a frequency in the ISM band, such as approximately 2.4 GHz, such as approximately 5.1 GHz. The wireless interface may be configured to operate at several, such as two, operating frequencies. The hearing aid may also include a connector configured to be connected to an external speaker unit device. The external speaker unit may be configured to be located in or at the ear canal of the user / wearer, wherein the connector includes at least one decoupling element configured to provide attenuation of electrical signals of the first operating frequency.

[0008] Thus, in one aspect, the present invention relates to a hearing aid comprising a housing having a first end and an opposite second end, the housing being configured to be located at an ear of a user. The first end and the second end may be a first half and a second half, respectively. Furthermore, the hearing aid comprises a first substrate disposed in the housing. Furthermore, the hearing aid comprises an input transducer disposed at the first substrate, the input transducer being configured to provide a signal representing sound. The signal may be obtained via one or more A / D converters, amplifiers, etc. The first substrate may further comprise a conductive region being at least a portion of a radio frequency antenna. The conductive region may be a layer in or on the substrate. The first substrate may be disposed at a first end of the housing. The hearing aid may comprise a battery disposed in the housing at a second end of the housing. The hearing aid may comprise a second substrate disposed in the housing. In such a hearing aid, the second substrate may be at least partially disposed in an area or space between the first substrate and the battery. The hearing aid may comprise a wireless interface disposed in the housing. The wireless interface may be configured to transmit electromagnetic signals to and / or receive electromagnetic signals from the radio frequency antenna via a feed connected to the first substrate. The wireless interface may be referred to as a radio. The wireless interface may be configured to operate at a first operating frequency. The first operating frequency may be defined as an operating frequency range. In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the hearing aid may further include a connector configured to be connected to an external speaker unit device, the external speaker unit device being configured to be at least partially placed in the ear canal of the user. In such a configuration, the hearing aid may be referred to as a receiver-in-the-ear or receiver-in-the-canal hearing aid. At least one decoupling element may be configured to provide attenuation of electrical signals at a first operating frequency and may be disposed in an electrical path to / from the connector. Such a decoupling element may reduce electromagnetic coupling in the hearing aid, for example, between a connector wire and a hearing aid / antenna.

[0009] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the housing may have an upper portion and an opposite lower portion, wherein the first substrate may be positioned closer to the upper portion of the housing, and the connector may be located between the first substrate and the lower portion of the housing. The housing may include a cradle module configured to hold other components of the hearing aid, such as a circuit board, a microphone, a speaker, and / or a battery.

[0010] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the first substrate may be arranged in the hearing aid such that the top surface of the first substrate is substantially parallel to the upper part of the hearing aid. Here, the upper part of the hearing aid is understood to be the part of the hearing aid that faces away from the ear when the hearing aid is placed on the auricle. The lower side of the first substrate, opposite to the upper side of the first substrate, may be arranged such that it faces the bottom side of the hearing aid. The bottom side of the hearing aid is the side or part that rests on the auricle when the hearing aid is worn on the user's ear in its intended working state. This is particularly true when the hearing aid is a behind-the-ear type and / or an in-the-ear receiver type. If the hearing aid comprises a first and a second substrate, the two substrates may be arranged such that they both have an upper side facing the top side of the hearing aid. The first substrate and the second substrate may be arranged such that they are not parallel to each other, meaning that their top surfaces are not flush or parallel.

[0011] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the housing may also have a first side and an opposing second side, wherein a ground connection from the first substrate to the conductive area may be formed at the first side of the housing. It may be arranged so that the antenna does not include any major portion extending along the sides of the housing. Of course, a portion of the thickness of the substrate will extend along this side due to some secondary measures, but these portions will not significantly contribute to the antenna function.

[0012] In the hearing aid disclosed here, an inductor may be arranged in the power feed. The inductor may be used as a filtering device and / or as a modification of the electrical length.

[0013] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the feed may be arranged in the center plane of the housing, for example halfway between the first side and the second side of the housing. By placing the feed in the center plane of the (outer) housing, a more symmetrical antenna may be achieved. This placement may also reduce asymmetry of the housing, which may be less attractive to the user.

[0014] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the second substrate may include a folded portion and a sub-portion folded about 90 degrees relative to the main portion of the second substrate, wherein the battery may be positioned adjacent to the sub-portion and the main portion of the second substrate. Folding a portion of the substrate may help utilize space within the housing and / or ensure that components such as connectors are optimally placed relative to, for example, external contact interfaces.

[0015] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the first substrate may include an opening communicating with the input transducer, the input transducer may be located at a lower portion of the first substrate, and the opening may also communicate with the housing opening so that sound can enter the input transducer.

[0016] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the hearing aid may further comprise a coil configured to inductively communicate with a second hearing aid on the opposite side, or other external unit configured to perform the aforementioned inductive communication, wherein the coil has a longitudinal axis, wherein the coil is arranged in the hearing aid so that the longitudinal axis extends approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing (as seen from the first end to the second end). Advantageously, the coil is placed or arranged in the housing at a point where it will most likely point its axis towards the opposite hearing aid with which the coil is to be used for communication. Such a position may be at one end of the hearing aid, for example the end opposite to the end to which the external speaker unit arrangement will be connected.

[0017] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the coil may be located at the second end. It may be advantageous for the coil to be located at the extreme end of the second part or second end of the housing, ie away from the end where the wire connects the behind-the-ear housing to the in-the-ear housing.

[0018] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the hearing aid may further include a telecoil disposed at the second end of the housing, such that in a wearing state of the hearing aid, a central axis of the telecoil may be substantially vertically disposed.

[0019] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the hearing aid may further include a shielding device disposed at the telecoil, wherein the shielding device is configured to prevent or reduce an electromagnetic signal from the hearing aid from being induced into the telecoil as electromagnetic noise.

[0020] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the first substrate and the second substrate may be formed from the same substrate, and at least one decoupling element may be provided at the electrical connection between the first substrate and the second substrate. This may enable a ground plane to be established at one of the substrates, or at least ensure that RF signals do not enter the other substrate or are at least attenuated.

[0021] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the first substrate and the second substrate may be formed from different substrate pieces and connected, and at least one decoupling element may be provided at the electrical connection between the first substrate and the second substrate. By dividing the substrate into smaller substrates, this may enable the smaller substrates to be arranged in a manner that optimizes space utilization, for example for the size / height of the elements on each substrate and / or other elements / devices within the hearing aid.

[0022] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the hearing aid may further include an energy storage structure such as a rechargeable battery disposed at the second end of the housing, wherein a portion of the antenna is disposed between the top side of the housing and the battery.

[0023] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the hearing aid may further comprise a coil configured to inductively communicate with an external device, such as another hearing aid. This enables providing a low power inductive link for data communication to another / ipsilateral hearing aid. Such a coil may be located in the hearing aid such that its longitudinal axis will be substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coil in the ipsilateral hearing aid. The coil may be located in the region between the battery and one end of the housing / body of the hearing aid.

[0024] A telecoil may be provided in a hearing aid as disclosed herein. Such a telecoil should be positioned such that during use of the hearing aid, the telecoil has a vertically disposed axis to be able to pick up baseband modulated signals from facilities in the room. Alternatively or additionally, the hearing aid may be configured such that it is able to receive Auracast signals, which is a Bluetooth-based protocol for hearing aids.

[0025] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the hearing aid may be configured such that the battery is located at the second end of the hearing aid, and the first substrate and the battery do not overlap when viewed along the longitudinal direction of the housing, for example when viewed from above or below.

[0026] In the hearing aid disclosed herein, the hearing aid may be configured such that one or more conductive regions are configured to function as an antenna. The one or more conductive regions may be formed on a single substrate. The antenna may be constructed or configured such that it is limited or determined only by the region or regions. Such limitation of the antenna may be established using a decoupling element arranged to decouple electromagnetic coupling from the region from other adjacent elements within the hearing aid and / or possibly also to decouple any wires connected to the hearing aid, such as wires conducting signals to in-ear elements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Various aspects of the present invention will be best understood from the detailed description below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For clarity, the drawings are schematic and simplified, and only the details necessary for understanding the present invention are given, while other details are omitted. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts. The various features of each aspect may be combined with any or all features of the other aspects. These and other aspects, features and / or technical effects will be apparent from and illustrated in conjunction with the following figures, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 A hearing aid is schematically shown;

[0029] Figure 2 Schematically illustrates the components and substrate in a hearing aid;

[0030] Figure 3 schematically illustrates a substrate in a hearing aid; and

[0031] Figure 4 A substrate in a hearing aid is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The detailed description proposed below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings serves as a description of a variety of different configurations. The detailed description includes specific details for providing a thorough understanding of a number of different concepts. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be implemented without these specific details. Several aspects of the apparatus and method are described by a number of different blocks, functional units, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). Depending on the specific application, design limitations or other reasons, these elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer programs or any combination thereof.

[0033] The electronic hardware may include microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), (e.g., application specific) integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), gating logic, discrete hardware circuits, printed circuit boards (PCBs) (e.g., flexible PCBs), and other suitable hardware configured to perform a number of different functions described in this specification, such as sensors for sensing and / or recording physical properties of the environment, device, user, etc. Computer programs shall be broadly construed as instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, execution threads, programs, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0034] A hearing device (or hearing instrument, hearing aid) may be or may include a hearing aid adapted to improve or enhance the hearing ability of a user by receiving an acoustic signal from the user's environment, generating a corresponding audio signal, possibly modifying the audio signal, and providing the possibly modified audio signal as an audible signal to at least one ear of the user. "Improving or enhancing the hearing ability of a user" may include compensating for a specific hearing loss of an individual user. "Hearing device" may also refer to a device such as a hearable device, an earphone or a headset adapted to electronically receive an audio signal, possibly modify the audio signal, and provide the possibly modified audio signal as an audible signal to at least one ear of a user. The audible signal may be provided in the form of an acoustic signal radiated into the outer ear of the user, or an acoustic signal transmitted to the inner ear of the user as a mechanical vibration through the bone structure of the user's head and / or through parts of the middle ear.

[0035] The hearing device is adapted to be worn in any known manner. This may include: i) arranging the unit of the hearing device behind the ear (with a tube that directs airborne acoustic signals into the ear canal or with a receiver / speaker that is arranged close to or in the ear canal and connected to the unit behind the ear by a wire (or wirelessly), such as a behind-the-ear hearing aid; and / or ii) arranging the hearing device in its entirety or in part in the pinna and / or ear canal of the user, such as an in-the-ear hearing aid or an in-the-canal / deep-in-the-canal hearing aid; or iii) arranging the unit of the hearing device to be connected to a fixing device implanted in the skull, such as a bone-anchored hearing aid; or iv) arranging the unit of the hearing device as a unit that is implanted in its entirety or in part, such as a bone-anchored hearing aid. The hearing device may be implemented in a single unit (housing) or in a plurality of units that are each connected to one another.

[0036] A "hearing system" refers to a system comprising one or two hearing devices, and a "binaural hearing system" refers to a system comprising two hearing devices, wherein the hearing devices are adapted to provide audible signals to both ears of a user in a coordinated manner. A hearing system or binaural hearing system may also include one or more auxiliary devices in communication with at least one hearing device, which auxiliary device affects the operation of the hearing device and / or benefits from the function of the hearing device. A wired or wireless communication link is established between at least one hearing device and the auxiliary device so that information (such as control and status signals, possibly audio signals) can be exchanged therebetween. The auxiliary device may include at least one of the following: a remote control, a remote microphone, an audio gateway device, a wireless communication device such as a mobile phone (such as a smart phone) or a tablet or another device (such as including a graphical interface), a broadcast system, a car audio system, a music player or a combination thereof. The audio gateway device may be adapted to receive a plurality of audio signals, such as from an entertainment device such as a TV or a music player, from a telephone device such as a mobile phone, or from a computer such as a PC. The auxiliary device may also be adapted to (e.g. enable a user to) select and / or combine appropriate signals from the received audio signals (or signal combinations) for transmission to at least one hearing device. The remote control is adapted to control the functions and / or operation of at least one hearing device. The functions of the remote control may be implemented in a smartphone or other (eg portable) electronic device, which may run an application (APP) for controlling the functions of the at least one hearing device.

[0037] Generally, a hearing device comprises i) an input unit such as a microphone for receiving acoustic signals from the user's surroundings and providing a corresponding input audio signal; and / or ii) a receiving unit for electronically receiving the input audio signal. The hearing device also comprises a signal processing unit for processing the input audio signal and an output unit for providing an audible signal to the user based on the processed audio signal.

[0038] The input unit may include multiple input microphones, for example, for providing direction-dependent audio signal processing. The aforementioned directional microphone system is suitable for (relatively) enhancing a target sound source among multiple sound sources in the user's environment and / or attenuating other sound sources (such as noise). On the one hand, the directional system is suitable for detecting (such as adaptively detecting) which direction a specific part of the microphone signal originates from. This can be achieved using conventionally known methods. The signal processing unit may include an amplifier suitable for applying a frequency-dependent gain to the input audio signal. The signal processing unit may also be suitable for providing other suitable functions such as compression, noise reduction, etc. The output unit may include an output transducer, for example, a speaker / receiver for providing air-transmitted acoustic signals to the skull percutaneously or transcutaneously, or a vibrator for providing structure-borne or liquid-borne signals.

[0039] Figure 1 A hearing aid 100 is schematically shown, which has a housing 110. Here, the housing is shown as a shell, however in an alternative or as a supplement, at least part of the housing 110 may consist of an encapsulation material. In this specification, the housing is considered to be equivalent to an encapsulation with a similar geometric configuration, such as an encapsulation material formed into a slightly elongated shape suitable for being placed behind the ear / pinna of a user / wearer. In versions where the housing is or comprises a shell, the shell may consist of at least two parts, such as an upper part and a lower part.

[0040] The hearing aid 100 comprises an antenna 113. The antenna 113 is interconnected with a wireless interface 112, such as a Bluetooth compatible radio, such as a Bluetooth low energy enabled device, such as an Aura-cast enabled device, such as a wireless interface with a proprietary protocol, or any combination thereof.

[0041] The hearing aid 100 further comprises a signal processor 120 configured to receive electrical signals from one or more input units including one or more microphones and to process the electrical signals into hearing loss compensated signals for output to a user / wearer via an output transducer such as a speaker 135 .

[0042] The hearing aid 100 also includes a battery 111, which may be rechargeable or at least replaceable when discarded. When the battery is rechargeable, recharging may be performed by contact charging, for example via a set of pins, for example two or more pins, which are arranged to be close / contacted when the hearing aid 100 is placed in the charger. As an alternative or in addition, charging may be performed wirelessly, for example via inductive or resonant charging. When charging via contact, the hearing aid 100 may be configured to communicate with the charger via the charging pins or via one or more dedicated communication pins. Communication between the charger and the hearing aid, such as data, may be overwritten or intermittently transmitted to / received from the hearing aid while charging, before charging begins and / or at the end of charging. At the end of the charging cycle, the hearing aid 100 may communicate the charging status to the charger. This may also be done at a point during the charging process to ensure that the battery is not overcharged.

[0043] The element 137 connecting the housing 110 and the speaker 135 may be pre-formed so that it directs the speaker 135 toward the user's ear canal when the housing 110 is placed on the correct side of the user's head. The shaping may be applied to the element, for example during fitting at a distributor such as a hearing care professional, or alternatively or in combination, during production. The element 137 includes a connector 138 connected to the housing 110. The speaker 135, element 137, and connector 138 are generally referred to as a speaker unit 142. The speaker unit 142 may include a memory unit configured to store information related to the speaker unit 142, such as speaker unit characteristics including one or more of the following: maximum power output, frequency characteristics, identification or information related to elements included in the speaker unit, such as microphones, accelerometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, light sensors, processors, biosensors.

[0044] The user interface 114 , for example one or more buttons, enables the user to manually interact with the hearing aid 100 . Alternatively or additionally, the user interface 114 may consist of interaction via a device with a graphical user interface, such as a smartphone or the like, which communicates with the hearing aid 100 wirelessly.

[0045] Figure 2 The housing 130 is schematically shown having a first end 140 and a second end 150 opposite the first end 140, conceptually illustrated as being separated by a line 155. The first end 140 extends from the line 155 in the direction of arrow 160. The second end 150 extends from the line 155 in the direction of arrow 170. The housing 130 is configured to be located at the user's ear, such as behind the user's auricle. The housing 130 can be formed so that it can be mounted behind the left or right auricle without any modification to the housing.

[0046] Figure 2Also schematically shown is a first substrate 180 disposed in the housing 130. The first substrate is shown here as being substantially flat, however, the first substrate may include one or more bends. At the first substrate 180, an input transducer 190 is provided, which is configured to provide a signal representing sound. The input transducer here includes two microphones 190a, 190b disposed on the underside of the first substrate 180. The two microphones 190a, 190b may be MEMS microphones. The input transducer is fluidically connected to an inlet structure in the housing 130 so that ambient sound can reach the input transducer.

[0047] The first substrate 180 also includes a conductive region, such as a layer or a portion thereof in a printed circuit board structure such as a flexible printed circuit board. The conductive region is at least a portion of the RF antenna. The RF antenna can be formed only by the conductive region at the first substrate, or the RF antenna can be formed by the conductive region at the first substrate and another conductive portion.

[0048] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first substrate 180 may be disposed at the first end 140 of the housing 130. Although shown at / near the extreme end of the first end 140 of the housing 130, the first substrate 180 may be located closer to the second end 150 than shown.

[0049] Since the hearing aid can be carried and worn by the user, the hearing aid includes a battery 210 disposed at the second end 150 in the housing 130. The battery is shown as circular, but may have other shapes. The battery may be a storage battery that can be charged, discharged, and recharged many times. The battery may be charged using wired / contact charging or wireless charging.

[0050] In the housing 130, a second substrate 200 is provided. The second substrate 200 is at least partially provided in the area or space between the first substrate 180 and the battery 210. Here, the second substrate 200 is shown as being oriented parallel to the centerline 155 of the housing 130, but the second substrate 200 may be provided at other angles relative to the centerline. Here, the first substrate 180 and the second substrate 210 are shown as being separated, i.e., not connected, however, it would be advantageous to establish some type of connection between the two parts, such as a signal connection, thereby, for example, establishing a signal path from the input transducer 190 to a signal processor located at the second substrate 200. A decoupling element may be added so that the second substrate 200 is electrically isolated from the antenna at least at certain frequencies.

[0051] In the hearing aid 100, a wireless interface is provided. The wireless interface is configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal to a radio frequency antenna and / or receive an electromagnetic signal from the radio frequency antenna via a feeder connected to the first substrate. The wireless interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive data using a communication protocol. Such a protocol may be a proprietary or standardized protocol. The wireless interface is configured to operate at a first operating frequency. The antenna may be configured to have an operating frequency in the range of 1 to 6 GHz, for example about 2.4 GHz, for example about 5.1 GHz.

[0052] The hearing aid further comprises a connector 220 configured to be connected to an external speaker unit arrangement. The connector is here a socket, but alternatively may be a plug. The speaker unit arrangement comprises a housing configured to be at least partially placed in the ear canal of a user. This is a configuration commonly referred to as a RITE or RIE hearing aid, meaning that the receiver (output transducer) is located in the ear canal of the user during use of the hearing aid. At the connector 220, at least one decoupling element 230 is provided. The decoupling element 230 is configured to provide attenuation of electrical signals at a first operating frequency, meaning that it will attenuate or eliminate signals at the antenna operating frequency from any wire in the speaker unit arrangement, which in turn means that the wire in the speaker unit arrangement will not be part of the antenna. The decoupling element 230 is provided in an electrical path to / from the connector or at the connector 220. Preferably, when there are multiple wires in the speaker unit arrangement, a decoupling element is preferably provided for each wire or connection, at least for the wires / connections in the speaker unit arrangement that are actually connected to the electrical path in the housing. The decoupling element may be placed in the plug of the speaker unit and / or in the housing of the hearing aid. To ensure that the signal is sufficiently decoupled / attenuated, several decoupling elements may be used. The decoupling element or elements may be placed in the wire near connector 138 or within connector 138, such as between the contact elements of connector 138 and the wire in element 137. Since the decoupling element may not provide sufficient attenuation at the planned frequency, more decoupling elements may be added in series connection.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown in , the hearing aid 100 comprises an internal antenna structure 180, wherein the microphone structure serves as the basis for the antenna. As mentioned elsewhere, an internal antenna is to be understood as being inside the housing and / or the outer surface. The microphone structure / antenna structure is fed at the rear microphone via a dedicated antenna feeding structure. In the case where external elements, such as wires in an external speaker unit arrangement, are decoupled from the internal antenna, the antenna consists only of the internal elements. If the wires of the aforementioned external speaker unit are not decoupled, the wires may be part of the antenna, which would then comprise both internal and external elements.

[0054] Figure 3 Shown with Figure 2300, but here the microphone structure / antenna structure is fed with a dedicated antenna feed structure located on one side of the wire connector. Here, the structure has a first microphone 310 and a second microphone 320. The first and second microphones are MEMS microphones. An inlet hole is formed in the surface, but is not shown here. Additional inlet holes can be added between the substrate 380 / 385 and the housing, also not shown. The antenna ground 370 connection is placed on the other side of the wire connector, and the microphone signal, power supply and ground are all routed together with the antenna ground 370 to avoid these lines affecting the antenna performance. The antenna structure results in an improved 2.4GHz link quality to a connected device (usually a mobile phone) placed in the wearer's front pocket, such as the front pocket of pants / jeans or the front pocket of a shirt.

[0055] The asymmetric design of the antenna structure with the antenna feed 360 on one side of the wire connector 330 and the antenna ground 370 on the other side results in asymmetric antenna performance. This means that the radiation efficiency may be different when the hearing instrument is placed on the left or right ear. The asymmetry of the antenna performance can be corrected by changing the inductance in the antenna feed and the antenna ground. The inductance in the antenna feed or the antenna ground can be modified by changing the length and width of the feed or the short. The inductance can also be modified by introducing a discrete inductor in the antenna feed or the antenna short.

[0056] In addition, a plurality of decoupling elements 340 are placed on the substrate, with the connector socket 330 being located on the other side of the substrate. A combined microphone and antenna structure is formed on the substrate, which is connected to a substrate carrying a plurality of electronic components, including a sound processor, a wireless interface, etc. The substrate includes a bend such that a first portion of the substrate is approximately perpendicular to a second portion of the substrate.

[0057] The substrate of the antenna and microphone assembly includes a slight bend between the two microphones.

[0058] Microphones 310 and 320 are located on the underside of the antenna substrate. Here, the microphones are MEMS microphones. The microphones are connected to openings in the hearing aid housing, not shown here. Such a connection may include a filter such as an earwax or residue filter to reduce the ingress of earwax, sweat, etc. that may block or damage the microphones.

[0059] Figure 4 Shown with Figure 2 and Figure 3 Similar structure, but different Figure 3, where the antenna feed is connected via bridge 410, thereby forming a ring structure. Here, the antenna ground path is formed on both sides of the wire connector. The microphone signal, power supply and ground are all routed together with one or two antenna ground paths to avoid these lines affecting antenna performance. This antenna structure results in an improved 2.4GHz link to a connected device (usually a mobile phone) placed in the wearer's front pocket.

[0060] Placing the antenna feed point away from the wire connector reduces RF coupling with wires in the speaker unit assembly, thereby reducing the negative impact of wires in the speaker unit assembly on antenna performance. The proposed antenna design is mechanically simpler and easier to implement than an internal antenna structure placed on a separate flexible structure. The symmetrical design of the antenna also results in symmetry in antenna performance with respect to placement of the hearing aid on the left or right ear, reducing the need for specialized left or right equipment.

[0061] The wire connecting the behind-the-ear housing to the in-the-ear housing, called the RITE wire, although not part of the antenna structure, can have a large impact on antenna performance. Although the current induced by the antenna on the RITE wire is reduced due to the antenna feed location, antenna performance can still be significantly degraded by the antenna current on the RITE wire, thereby reducing the improvement in the link to the phone in the front pocket. Therefore, there is a need to reduce the antenna current on the RITE wire. One method of reducing the antenna current on the RITE wire is to "RF decouple" the RITE wire line using discrete decoupling coils that have high impedance at 2.4 GHz and low impedance at lower frequencies.

[0062] As mentioned above, these RF decouplers or decoupling elements may be located within the hearing aid housing, for example near the point where the wires connect to a substrate such as a PCB. Preferably, the substrate in the hearing aid is substantially rigid, however, some flexibility in at least part of the substrate may be advantageous, particularly in areas where bending is introduced. This may be achieved by combining a number of different substrates, or by thinning the substrate in areas where bending is required, or by adding rigid pieces to the flexible PCB in areas where higher rigidity is required.

[0063] The housing (not shown) of the hearing aid has an upper portion and an opposing lower portion, which portions need not be separable from each other, but may be separable from each other. Preferably, the first substrate is closer to the upper portion of the housing than to the lower portion. Also preferably, the connector is located between the first substrate and the lower portion of the housing, i.e., between the antenna and the lower portion of the housing.

[0064] The housing also has a first side and an opposing second side, which are connected to the upper and lower portions to establish the housing. Some type of closure at the respective ends is also included. As explained above, a ground connection for the antenna extending from the first substrate to the conductive area can be formed on the first side of the housing, i.e., the left or right side of the housing.

[0065] To act as a decoupling element, an inductor may be provided in the feed.The feed may be provided in a central plane of the housing, alternatively the feed may be provided approximately halfway between the first side and the second side of the housing.

[0066] like Figure 3 and 4 As shown in , the second substrate may include a fold or bend, wherein the sub-portion is folded approximately 90 degrees relative to the main portion of the second substrate, and the battery is advantageously positioned adjacent to the sub-portion and the main portion of the second substrate. Figure 3 and 4 As shown in , the battery is located in the space created by these two parts of the second substrate.

[0067] Since the microphone is located below the first substrate, that is, below the antenna, the first substrate includes an opening that communicates with the input transducer. When the input transducer is formed by a plurality of microphone elements, such as Figure 3 and 4 As shown in , each microphone is preferably associated with a corresponding opening in the substrate.

[0068] Although not shown, the hearing aid further comprises a coil configured to inductively communicate with a second hearing aid located on the opposite side. This enables low power communication with the opposite hearing aid. The coil has a longitudinal axis, and the coil is arranged in the hearing aid housing so that the longitudinal axis extends approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing (as seen from the first end to the second end). When the two hearing aids are placed at the respective ears of the user, the two coils will be substantially aligned.

[0069] The coil is located at the second end of the housing, preferably at the extreme end of the housing, such as between the battery and the housing.

[0070] The hearing aid may further comprise a telecoil arranged in the housing, for example at the second end, such that in a wearing state of the hearing aid, a central axis of the telecoil is arranged substantially vertically. The telecoil enables hearing and reception of baseband encoded audio.

[0071] In a hearing aid, a shielding device may be provided at the telecoil. Such a shielding device may be configured to block or reduce the induction of electromagnetic signals from the hearing aid into the telecoil as electromagnetic noise. This is expected to improve the signal-to-noise ratio from the telecoil.

[0072] The coil can be placed on the lower part of the hearing aid. Such a coil can be used for inductive communication with the opposite hearing aid and / or as an input for a wireless charging system / scenario.

[0073] like Figure 4 As shown in , some tabs can be provided to provide a certain degree of shielding for the pickup coil disposed between the tabs. These tabs can be part of the main substrate / PCB or can be a separate part.

[0074] The structural features of the apparatus described above, described in detail in the “Detailed Description of the Invention” and defined in the claims may be combined with the steps of the method of the present invention when appropriately replaced by corresponding processes.

[0075] Unless expressly stated, the singular forms "one", "the" used herein include the plural form (i.e., have the meaning of "at least one"). It should be further understood that the terms "having", "including" and / or "comprising" used in the specification indicate the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or combinations thereof. It should be understood that, unless expressly stated, when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be an intermediate intervening element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more listed related items. Unless expressly stated, the steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed.

[0076] It should be appreciated that reference in this specification to "an embodiment" or "embodiment" or "aspect" or features that "may" include means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the specific features, structures or characteristics may be appropriately combined in one or more embodiments of the present invention. The foregoing description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement the various aspects described herein. Various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Unless expressly stated, an element referred to in the singular does not mean "one and only one", but rather "one or more". Unless expressly stated, the term "some" refers to one or more.

[0077] Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be judged according to the claims.

Claims

1. A hearing aid, comprising: an outer structure having a first end and an opposing second end, the outer structure configured to be positioned at an ear of a user; a first substrate disposed in the outer structure; an input transducer disposed in the first substrate, the input transducer configured to provide a signal representative of sound, wherein the first substrate further comprises a conductive region that is at least a portion of a radio frequency antenna, wherein the first substrate is disposed at a first end of the housing; a battery disposed in the outer structure at the second end; a second substrate disposed in the outer structure, the second substrate being at least partially disposed in a region between the first substrate and the battery; a wireless interface disposed in the outer structure, the wireless interface configured to transmit electromagnetic signals to and / or receive electromagnetic signals from the radio frequency antenna via a feed connected to the first substrate, the wireless interface configured to operate at a first operating frequency; A connector configured to connect to an external speaker unit device, the speaker unit device configured to be placed at least partially in the ear canal of a user, wherein at least one decoupling element configured to provide attenuation of electrical signals at a first operating frequency is disposed in an electrical path to / from the connector.

2. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The outer structure is a housing having an upper portion and an opposite lower portion, wherein the first substrate is located closer to the upper portion of the housing, and the connector is located between the first substrate and the lower portion of the housing.

3. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The outer structure also has a first side and an opposing second side, wherein a ground connection from the first substrate to the conductive region is formed at the first side of the outer structure.

4. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: An inductor is arranged in the feed.

5. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The feed is arranged in the central plane of the outer structure.

6. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The second substrate includes a folded portion and a sub-portion folded approximately 90 degrees relative to a main portion of the second substrate, wherein the battery is positioned adjacent to the sub-portion and the main portion of the second substrate.

7. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The first substrate includes an opening communicating with the input transducer, wherein the input transducer is located at a lower portion of the first substrate, and the opening is also communicating with the housing opening so that sound can enter the input transducer.

8. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein: The hearing aid further comprises a coil configured for inductive communication with a second contralateral hearing aid, wherein the coil has a longitudinal axis, wherein the coil is arranged in the outer structure such that the longitudinal axis is approximately perpendicular to a longitudinal extension of the outer structure as viewed from the first end to the second end.

9. The hearing aid according to claim 8, wherein: The coil is located at the second end.

10. The hearing aid of claim 1, further comprising a telecoil disposed at the second end of the outer structure such that a central axis of the telecoil is disposed substantially vertically in a wearing state of the hearing aid.

11. The hearing aid according to claim 10, further comprising a shielding device disposed at the pickup coil, wherein the shielding device is configured to prevent or reduce an electromagnetic signal from the hearing aid from being induced into the pickup coil as electromagnetic noise.

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