Body-worn electronic equipment, in particular listening equipment, and voltage supply device for such equipment

Abstract

To provide an electronic device, particularly a hearing aid device, worn on a body, and a voltage supply for such a device.SOLUTION: The invention provides a voltage supply 14 for an electronic device, particularly a hearing aid device 2, to be worn on the body of a user. The voltage supply 14 has a charge pump 20 for converting a battery voltage UB by a conversion factor to an intermediate voltage UZ. The charge pump 20 can be changed over between at least two stages of the conversion factor. The voltage supply 14 further has a voltage regulator 26 for reducing the intermediate voltage UZ to an output voltage UA of a predefined setpoint value UR, and a controller 24 for reversibly changing over the charge pump 20 between the stages of the conversion factor. The controller 24 is configured to control the charge pump 20 in accordance with a control quantity E of the voltage regulator 26.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a voltage supply device for electronic equipment intended to be worn on the body, in particular for listening devices. The present invention further relates to such electronic equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] A listening device generally refers to an electronic device that supports the hearing of a person wearing the listening device (hereinafter referred to as "wearer" or "user"). In particular, the present invention relates to listening devices that are configured to fully or partially compensate for the hearing loss of a hearing-impaired user. Such listening devices are also called "hearing aids." Furthermore, there are listening devices that protect or improve the hearing of users with normal hearing, which can, for example, improve speech intelligibility in complex listening situations. Listening devices also include wireless headphones (in-ear or worn on the ear), in particular so-called earplugs and headsets.

[0003] In general, hearing devices, in particular hearing aids, are usually designed to be worn on the head, in particular on one ear of a user, in particular as behind-the-ear hearing aids (also called BTE hearing aids, meaning "behind the ear") or in-the-ear hearing aids (also called ITE hearing aids, meaning "in the ear"). The internal structure of a hearing device typically comprises at least one (acoustoelectric) input transducer, a signal processing unit (signal processor), and an output transducer. During operation of the hearing device, the or each input transducer acquires airborne sound from the surroundings of the hearing device and converts this airborne sound into an input audio signal (i.e., an electrical signal carrying information about the surrounding sound). In the signal processing unit, the or each input audio signal is processed (i.e., modified with respect to its sound information) to support the user's hearing, in particular to compensate for the user's hearing loss. The signal processing unit outputs the appropriately processed audio signal to the output transducer.

[0004] In most cases, the output transducer is formed as an electro-acoustic transducer, which converts the (electrical) output audio signal into airborne sound, which is then emitted into the user's ear canal (sound modified compared to the ambient sound). In behind-the-ear listening devices, the output transducer, also called the "receiver," is usually integrated into the housing of the listening device, outside the ear. In this case, the sound emitted from the output transducer is transmitted to the user's ear canal by a sound tube. Alternatively, the output transducer may be located inside the ear canal, thereby outside the housing that is worn behind the ear. Such listening devices are also called RIC devices (from the English "Receiver in Canal"). Behind-the-ear listening devices that are small enough not to protrude from the ear canal are also called CIC devices (from the English "completely in canal").

[0005] In a further form, the output transducer may be formed as an electromechanical transducer that converts the output audio signal into structure-borne sound (vibrations), which is then emitted, for example, into the user's skull. There are also implantable hearing devices, particularly cochlear implants, and hearing devices whose output transducer directly stimulates the user's auditory nerve.

[0006] Electronic devices intended to be worn on the body (so-called "wearables") include not only hearing devices, but also wristwatches, smart glasses, medical devices such as pacemakers or insulin pumps, and medical monitoring devices such as EEG-loggers.

[0007] Such wearable devices generally share a common feature of being battery-powered, to a greater or lesser extent. This is related to the typical problem that the battery voltage supplied by the battery changes over time depending on the battery's state of charge, while wearable electronic devices often require a constant operating voltage. Therefore, a voltage supply circuit (voltage supply device) that converts the battery voltage into a constant output voltage with the required operating voltage value is usually connected between the battery and the wearable electronic device.

[0008] On the other hand, wearables typically need to be as lightweight and compact as possible to minimize user restrictions. Miniaturization, in particular, limits the space available for battery installation, which in turn limits the available battery capacity. To ensure sufficient battery life on a single battery charge despite the very limited battery capacity, it is desirable for the voltage supply to be as energy efficient as possible.

[0009] Against this background, charge pumps are sometimes used as voltage supplies for wearables, in particular for hearing devices, which convert the battery voltage by a conversion factor into an intermediate voltage, which is then reduced by a voltage regulator to the operating voltage according to a predetermined target value. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The object of the invention is to improve voltage supplies for electronic devices intended to be worn on the body of a user, for example for listening devices, in particular with regard to the stability of the output operating voltage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] This problem is solved according to the invention by the features of claim 1. Advantageous and partly inventive embodiments and further developments are set out in the dependent claims and the following description.

[0012] The voltage supply device includes a charge pump for converting the battery voltage to an intermediate voltage by a conversion factor. The voltage supply device also includes a voltage regulator for reducing the intermediate voltage to an output voltage with a predetermined target value (operating voltage value). The charge pump is switchable between at least two stages (i.e., predetermined values) of the conversion factor so that the output voltage can always be used efficiently even in the event of large fluctuations in the battery voltage. The conversion factor represents the ratio between the battery voltage value and the intermediate voltage value. The predetermined stage of the conversion factor is also referred to hereinafter as the "conversion stage." By switching the charge pump, voltage fluctuations due to voltage regulation can always be kept relatively small even in the event of large fluctuations in the battery voltage, thereby achieving high voltage supply efficiency over a wide range of battery voltages and load conditions.

[0013] The charge pump is formed in particular by a number of capacitors that can be connected in series between the battery voltage and ground, and which are charged and discharged in a clocked manner (i.e. at a predetermined cycle time or clock frequency), and the switching between different values ​​of the conversion factor is then preferably carried out by removing one or more capacitors from the series circuit.

[0014] In order to reversibly switch the charge pump between the conversion stages, the voltage supply finally comprises a controller acting on the charge pump. This controller is, according to the invention, configured to control the charge pump depending on a control variable (also called "error signal") of the voltage regulator. The set conversion stage is thus determined by the controller depending on the error signal of the voltage regulator. This allows for a high stability of the output operating voltage while maintaining a very high energy efficiency and a compact structure of the voltage supply.

[0015] In a particularly advantageous implementation for cost-effective reasons, the charge pump can be switched between two conversion stages, i.e., between a first conversion stage with a smaller conversion factor and a second conversion stage with a larger conversion factor. In a preferred embodiment, the first conversion stage corresponds to a conversion factor of 3:1. In this case, the intermediate voltage in the first conversion stage is, on average, one-third of the battery voltage. The second conversion stage corresponds, for example, to a conversion factor of 2:1. The intermediate voltage in the second conversion stage is, on average, half the battery voltage. The first conversion stage is the normal state that the charge pump assumes when the battery is fully charged (and therefore has a high battery voltage) and under normal load conditions. The second conversion stage is activated under difficult operating conditions, especially at high loads and / or when the battery's state of charge is low, and also when the voltage regulator operates near or beyond its utilization limit (control capacity) (i.e., when the charge pump is operating in the first conversion stage).

[0016] However, in principle the invention can easily be applied to a voltage supply with a charge pump that can be switched between two or more conversion stages, in which case the embodiments of the voltage supply described below in relation to two conversion stages will have to be extended accordingly.

[0017] To prevent the charge pump from constantly switching between the first and second conversion stages, the controller is preferably configured to switch to the second conversion stage when the voltage regulator control variable exceeds a first higher reference value, and switch back to the first conversion stage when the voltage regulator control variable falls below a second lower reference value. In other words, the controller is configured to switch between predetermined conversion stages with a predetermined hysteresis depending on the voltage regulator control variable.

[0018] In addition to or as an alternative to the hysteresis, the controller is preferably configured to hold the second conversion stage for at least a predetermined delay time, thereby preventing a return to the first conversion stage for a predetermined delay time after each change from the first conversion stage to the second conversion stage, thereby also preventing the charge pump from constantly switching between the first and second conversion stages, for example due to an overshoot or undershoot of the error signal after switching the charge pump.

[0019] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the controller is configured to allow a change in the conversion factor from the second conversion stage to the first conversion stage only if the battery voltage exceeds a predetermined minimum value, an (optional) additional safety measure to prevent the charge pump from reverting to the less favorable first conversion stage due to fluctuations in the error signal in the event of a weak battery.

[0020] The voltage regulator is preferably configured as a proportional regulator or a proportional-integral regulator. The voltage regulator is preferably formed by an analog circuit, in particular by at least one appropriately wired operational amplifier. The voltage regulator is then designed so that the time constant of the voltage regulation is significantly greater than the cycle time of the charge pump, in particular by approximately 10 to 100 times. For example, the charge pump cycle time is 10 microseconds (corresponding to a cycle frequency of 100 kilohertz), while the time constant of the voltage regulator is, for example, 100 to 1000 microseconds (corresponding to a bandwidth of 1 to 10 kilohertz). This prevents the voltage regulator from reacting to voltage fluctuations due to the clocking of the charge pump, which would otherwise cause undesirable control oscillations in the voltage regulator.

[0021] To set the output voltage to a predetermined target value, the voltage regulator is preferably connected to a continuously controllable semiconductor switch that sets the output voltage and controls this semiconductor switch using a control variable (i.e., the error signal mentioned above). The semiconductor switch is formed, for example, by a MOSFET. The control variable (i.e., the error signal) is applied to this MOSFET as a gate voltage.

[0022] A further embodiment of the invention is an electronic device intended to be worn on the body (i.e. wearable), which then comprises, according to the invention, a voltage supply device according to the invention, in particular in one of the embodiments of the invention described above.

[0023] The wearable is preferably a hearing device as described above, in particular a hearing aid designed to support the hearing of a hearing impaired user. The hearing device can then take any form, in particular as a BTE or ITE device. In principle, however, the invention can also be advantageously applied to other wearables, in particular watches, smart glasses, medical devices such as pacemakers or insulin pumps, medical monitoring devices such as electroencephalographs, etc.

[0024] In the following, an embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a hearing device in the form of a hearing aid that can be worn behind a user's ear, comprising two microphones, a receiver, a signal processor, a battery, and a voltage supply; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the structure of the voltage supply of the hearing device of FIG. 1, which comprises a charge pump switchable in two stages between different values ​​of the conversion coefficient, a subsequent voltage regulator and a controller for switching the charge pump. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the structure of the controller according to FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1 shows the two switching phases of the charge pump arranged next to each other in the first conversion stage in which the charge pump is operated at a conversion factor of 3:1. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram according to FIG. 4 showing two switching phases of the charge pump in the second conversion stage in which the charge pump is operated at a conversion factor of 2:1. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a charge pump and voltage regulator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] In all figures, parts and sizes that correspond to one another are always provided with the same reference signs.

[0027] 1 shows a listening device 2, which in this embodiment is exemplarily formed as a hearing aid, i.e. a listening device configured to support the hearing of a hearing-impaired user. In the illustrated example of this embodiment, the listening device 2 is a BTE device and is intended to be worn behind the ear of the user.

[0028] The listening device 2 comprises, within a housing 4, at least one microphone 6 (two microphones 6 in the example shown) as an input transducer and a receiver 8 as an output transducer. The listening device 2 further comprises a battery 10 and a (particularly digital) signal processor 12. Preferably, the signal processor 12 includes a programmable sub-unit (e.g. a microprocessor) and a non-programmable sub-unit (e.g. an ASIC).

[0029] The listening device 2 further comprises a voltage supply 14 which supplies the signal processor 12 (and other power consuming components of the listening device 2) with an electrical output voltage U A The voltage supply device 14 receives the battery voltage U from the battery 10. B The battery voltage U, whose value varies depending on the state of charge of the battery 10, is supplied.B In contrast to the output voltage U A is kept constant at a predetermined operating voltage value by the voltage supply 14.

[0030] During normal operation of the listening device 2, each microphone 6 picks up airborne sound from around the listening device 2. The microphones 6 convert this sound into an (input) audio signal I, i.e. an electrical signal containing information about the picked up sound. Within the listening device 2, each input audio signal I is sent to a signal processor 12 which modifies the input audio signal I to support the user's hearing, in particular by frequency-selectively amplifying it to compensate for any hearing loss in the user.

[0031] The signal processor 12 outputs an output audio signal O, ie an electrical signal, in this case containing information about the processed and thereby modified sound, to the receiver 8.

[0032] Receiver 8 converts output audio signal O into modified airborne sound that is transmitted to the user's ear canal via a sound channel 16 connecting receiver 8 to a distal end 18 of housing 4, and via a flexible sound tube (not shown in detail) connecting distal end 18 to an earpiece that is inserted into the user's ear canal.

[0033] The voltage supply 14, shown in more detail in FIG. 2, comprises a charge pump 20, a subsequent voltage control circuit 22, and a controller 24.

[0034] During operation of the listening device 2, the charge pump 20 converts the supplied battery voltage U B The intermediate voltage U Z Convert this intermediate voltage U Z is the time average value of the battery voltage U B The conversion factor is reduced by the battery voltage U B and the value of the intermediate voltage U Z It represents the ratio of the (time-averaged) values ​​of

[0035] Intermediate voltage U Z The (time-averaged) value of B To achieve a 3:1 conversion factor, which corresponds to one-third of the battery voltage U, charge pump 20 includes three capacitors C1, C2, and C3, which are connected by switches S1-S8 to the battery voltage U on the one hand and the B and earth M, and on the other hand, an intermediate voltage U Z and earth M. The switches S1 to S8 are preferably formed by electronically controllable semiconductor switches.

[0036] Capacitors C1 and C2 are then clocked with a cycle time of 10 microseconds and are discharged in the first switching phase (phase 1) and charged in the second switching phase (phase 2). The corresponding settings of switches S1 to S8 are shown in the top part of FIG. 4 for phase 1 and in the bottom part of FIG. 4 for phase 2. In the first switching phase, charge pump 20 charges battery voltage U via switch S4. B Capacitors C1, C2, and C3 are connected to the intermediate voltage U by closing switches S1, S7, and S3, S8. Z and ground M. In the second switching phase, capacitors C1, C2, and C3 are connected in parallel between the battery voltage U and ground M by closing switches S4, S5, and S6 (and by opening switches S1, S2, S3, S7, and S8). B and earth M.

[0037] The charge pump 20 is reversibly switchable between a first conversion stage with a conversion factor of 3:1 and a second conversion stage with a conversion factor of 2:1. As already mentioned above, Figure 4 shows the settings of the switches S1 to S8 for the first and second switching phases of the first conversion stage.

[0038] In the second conversion stage shown in Figure 5, capacitor C2 is disconnected from the series connection of capacitors C1, C2 and C3 during charging, i.e., in the second switching phase, by opening switches S5 and S6 and closing switch S2, and (optionally) connected in parallel with capacitor C3 by closing switches S3 and S8 (see phase 2, bottom of Figure 5). This results in a 2:1 conversion factor in the second conversion stage. In this case, the intermediate voltage U Z The (time average) value of is therefore the battery voltage U B This is equivalent to half of the total.

[0039] In the first switching phase of the second conversion stage, capacitors C1, C3, and possibly C2, are discharged in the same way as in the first conversion stage. Thus, in terms of the settings of switches S1 to S8, the first switching phase of the second conversion stage (phase 1 in the upper part of Figure 5) corresponds to the first switching phase of the first conversion stage (phase 1 in the upper part of Figure 4).

[0040] 2, the voltage control circuit 22 includes a voltage regulator 26 and a continuously controllable semiconductor switch, which in the illustrated example is formed by a MOSFET 28. The voltage regulator 26 is essentially formed by an operational amplifier or a group of operational amplifiers, which are formed as a proportional regulator or a proportional-integral regulator by corresponding circuits (not shown in detail). The voltage control circuit 22 is sized, for example, so that the voltage control has a time constant of 100 microseconds.

[0041] The voltage regulator 26 receives the output voltage U A and the reference voltage U, which corresponds to the operating voltage value to be set as the target value. R The voltage regulator 26 provides an output voltage U A and the reference voltage U R The control circuit 21 outputs an error signal E as a control amount based on a comparison with the output voltage U. The error signal E is supplied to the MOSFET 28 as a gate voltage.A is the reference voltage U R The output voltage U is adjusted by the error signal E so that it is equal to A Adjust.

[0042] Error signal E and battery voltage U B is also provided as an input quantity to the controller 24.

[0043] The controller 24 controls the switches S1 to S8 using a control signal T, whereby the first and second switching phases of the respectively set conversion stage, i.e. the first conversion stage according to FIG. 4 or the second conversion stage according to FIG. 5, are realized alternately in the above cycle time.

[0044] Furthermore, the controller 24 generates a switching signal W internally, according to which the controller 24 switches between the two conversion stages of the charge pump 20, and therefore between controlling the switches S1 to S8 to realize the switching phase according to FIG. 4 and controlling the switches S1 to S8 to realize the switching phase according to FIG. 5.

[0045] The portion of controller 24 that generates switching signal W is shown in detail in Fig. 3 by way of an exemplary implementation as an analog logic electronic circuit. Accordingly, controller 24 includes a first comparator 30 and a second comparator 32. Comparators 30 and 32 are supplied with three voltage signals: the error signal E of voltage regulator 26, a reference signal R1 for specifying an upper reference value, and a reference signal R2 for specifying a lower reference value. As a result, the output signal A1 of the first comparator 30 is When and while the error signal E is below the reference signal R1, it outputs a logic "1" state ("HIGH"); When and while the error signal E exceeds the reference signal R1, it outputs a logic "0" state ("LOW"); As a result, the output signal A2 of the second comparator 32 is When and while the error signal E exceeds the reference signal R2, it outputs HIGH. When and while the error signal E is below the reference signal R2, a LOW signal is output.

[0046] The controller 24 further includes a third comparator 34. Two further voltage signals are generated: the battery voltage U reduced by a factor of 3, B and a further reference signal, preferably a reference voltage U R are supplied as input quantities to the comparator 34. As a result, the output signal A3 of the third comparator 34 is Battery voltage U reduced by a factor of 3 B is a further reference signal, preferably a reference voltage U R If and while the voltage is below , it outputs HIGH. Battery voltage U reduced by a factor of 3 B is a further reference signal, preferably a reference voltage U R When it exceeds or is between, it outputs LOW.

[0047] Alternatively, the battery voltage U B may also be reduced by a factor slightly different from 3, for example 3.05, before being supplied to the comparator 34. Optionally, the factor may be adjustable. Furthermore, the comparator 34 is supplied with a reference voltage U R If a further reference signal correspondingly higher than the battery voltage U is also supplied, B can be fed undegraded to the comparator 34. Finally, the comparator 34 can have a (particularly somewhat pronounced) switching hysteresis.

[0048] Controller 24 further includes an OR gate 36, a NAND flip-flop 38 (ie, an asynchronous RS flip-flop consisting of two coupled NAND gates), and a delay element 40 (also called a "lock timer").

[0049] The output signals A2 and A3 of the second comparator 32 and the third comparator 34 are supplied as inputs to an OR gate 36. The output signal A1 of the first comparator 30 and the output signal A4 of the OR gate 36 are supplied as set or reset signals to a NAND flip-flop 38, which outputs a switching signal W.

[0050] The switching signal W is provided to a delay element 40. An output signal A5 of the delay element 40 is provided as a further input to the OR gate 36. The delay element 40 switches the output signal A5 to HIGH for a predetermined delay time (e.g., 500 microseconds) when the switching signal W changes from LOW to HIGH. Otherwise, the output signal A5 of the delay element 40 remains LOW.

[0051] 3 and described above has the following functions: NAND flip-flop 38 converts switching signal W to Switches from LOW to HIGH when the error signal E exceeds the higher reference signal R1, · When the error signal E falls below the lower reference signal R2, it changes from HIGH to LOW.

[0052] A low to high transition of switching signal W triggers controller 24 to switch charge pump 20 from the first conversion stage to the second conversion stage. A high to low transition of switching signal W triggers controller 24 to switch charge pump 20 from the second conversion stage back to the first conversion stage.

[0053] Thereby, a (switching) hysteresis is provided for the switching of the charge pump 20 between the first and second conversion stages by the comparators 30 and 32 and the NAND flip-flop 38. The switching logic of the circuit of FIG. BThis is based on the recognition that the error signal E of the voltage regulator 26 assumes a large value when the voltage regulation reaches or approaches its utilization limit due to a drop in the battery voltage U or a particularly high load. B and / or as an indication to switch to a second conversion stage which is more advantageous especially for high loads.

[0054] Battery voltage U reduced by a factor of 3 B further reference signals, in particular the reference voltage U R When and while the battery voltage U is below 0.5 V, the output signal A3 of the third comparator 34, which is supplied to the OR gate 36, prevents the switching signal W from returning to LOW. B is a predetermined minimum value (i.e., the reference voltage U R When the voltage Vcc drops below 3 times the voltage Vcc, the charge pump 20 is inhibited from returning from the second conversion stage to the first conversion stage.

[0055] The output signal A5 of the delay element 40, which is additionally provided to the OR gate 36, prevents the switching signal W from returning to LOW within a predetermined delay time after switching HIGH. This forces the second conversion stage of the charge pump 20 to be held for at least the predetermined delay time. This takes into account the fact that when the switching signal W switches to HIGH (and thus the charge pump 20 switches to the second conversion stage), the driving force of the charge pump 20 increases abruptly, causing the value of the error signal E to decrease abruptly. This process can lead to an "undershoot" of the error signal E (i.e., a brief drop of the error signal E below a new plateau value established in the further course of the voltage). Without the delay element 40, this undershoot could cause the switching signal W to immediately return to LOW under unfavorable circumstances. This undesirable effect could occur repeatedly and lead to instability (control oscillation) of the voltage control. The delay element 40 prevents this. Ideally, the delay time should be at least on the order of magnitude of the voltage control time constant. For example, the delay time is set to 500 microseconds.

[0056] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, controller 24 is realized by a microcontroller in which the switching logic of the circuit of FIG. 3 is implemented in the form of executable software (firmware).

[0057] 6 shows a further embodiment of the voltage supply device 14 in which components of the charge pump 20 are also used as components of the voltage control circuit 22. For example, the switches S1 and S3 are formed in this embodiment by MOSFETs S28, and the output voltage U A is a predetermined reference voltage U R In addition to the controller 24, the intermediate voltage U Zappears only in the time-averaged voltage drop across capacitors C1 and C2. Contrary to what the simplified diagram of Figure 6 suggests, error signal E is not applied to MOSFET S28 all the time, but only during the first switching phase (shown in Figure 6), i.e., when capacitors C1 and possibly C2 are being discharged. In the second switching phase, capacitors C1, C3, and possibly C2 are discharged from the battery voltage U B The controller 24 controls the MOSFET 28 so that the battery is charged from

[0058] Figure 6 shows the charge pump in the first switching phase (phase 1) of the first conversion stage and corresponds to the upper partial view of Figure 4. For the second switching phase (phase 2) of the first conversion stage, the capacitors C1, C2 and C3 are connected to the battery voltage U B and earth M, thereby achieving a conversion factor of 3:1.

[0059] In the configuration of the charge pump 20 according to Fig. 6, which is modified with respect to Fig. 2, switch S2 is absent. During the second conversion stage, the second switching phase (phase 2), i.e., the charging of capacitors C1, C2 and C3, is performed by connecting the negative terminal of capacitor C1 directly in series with capacitor C3 via switches S3 and S5, while switch S6 is open.

[0060] The controller 24, which is also present in the embodiment shown in Figure 6 and is not shown for clarity only, is structured as shown in Figure 3 and controls the switches S1, S3 and S4 to S8 in the manner described above.

[0061] The present invention is particularly evident in the above-described embodiments, but is not limited to these. Rather, further embodiments of the invention can be derived from the claims and the above description. In particular, the invention described by way of example with respect to a listening device 2 can also be readily applied to other wearable devices, in particular watches, smart glasses, medical devices such as pacemakers or insulin pumps, medical monitoring devices such as electroencephalographs, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 2. Hearing aids 4. Housing 6 microphones 8 receivers 10 Battery 12 Signal Processor 14 Voltage supply device 16 sound channels 18 Tip 20 Charge Pump 22 Voltage control circuit 24 Controller 26 Voltage Regulator 28 MOSFET 30 Comparator 32 Comparator 34 Comparator 36 OR gate 38 NAND flip-flops 40 Delay Elements A1~A5 output signals I Input audio signal C1~C3 capacitors E error signal M Earth O Output Audio Signal R1, R2 reference signal S1~S8 switches T control signal U B Battery voltage U A Output Voltage U R Reference Voltage UZ Intermediate Voltage W Switching signal

Claims

1. A voltage supply device (14) for an electronic device intended to be worn on the body of a user, in particular for a listening device (2), comprising: Battery voltage (U Ｂ ) is converted into the intermediate voltage (U Ｚ a charge pump (20) for converting the input signal into a signal having a conversion factor of 1 / 2, the charge pump (20) being switchable between at least two stages of the conversion factor; The intermediate voltage (U Ｚ ) to a predetermined target value (U Ｒ ) output voltage (U Ａ a voltage regulator (26) for reducing the a controller (24) for reversibly switching the charge pump (20) between the stages of the conversion factor, the controller (24) being configured to control the charge pump (20) in response to a control variable (E) of the voltage regulator (26); the charge pump (20) being switchable between a first stage having a smaller value of the conversion factor and a second stage having a larger value of the conversion factor; The controller (24) setting the second step of the conversion factor when the controlled variable (E) of the voltage regulator (26) exceeds a first larger reference value (R1); configured to set the first step of the conversion factor when the control variable (E) of the voltage regulator (26) falls below a second smaller reference value (R2); Voltage supply (14).

2. A voltage supply device (14) for electronic equipment intended to be worn on the user's body, in particular for listening devices (2), comprising: a charge pump (20) for converting a battery voltage (UB) into an intermediate voltage (UZ) by a conversion factor, the charge pump (20) being switchable between at least two stages of said conversion factor; a voltage regulator (26) for reducing said intermediate voltage (U Z ) to an output voltage (U A ) of a predetermined target value (U R ); a controller (24) for reversibly switching the charge pump (20) between the stages of the conversion factor, the controller (24) being configured to control the charge pump (20) in response to a control variable (E) of the voltage regulator (26); the charge pump (20) being switchable between a first stage having a smaller value of the conversion factor and a second stage having a larger value of the conversion factor; the controller (24) is configured to hold the second stage of the conversion coefficients for at least a predetermined delay time. Voltage supply (14).

3. 3. A voltage supply device (14) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first stage corresponds to a conversion factor of 3:

1.

4. 4. The voltage supply (14) of claim 3, wherein the second step corresponds to a conversion factor of 2:

1.

5. The controller (24) controls the battery voltage (U Ｂ 3. The voltage supply device (14) according to claim 1, configured to allow a change from the second stage of the conversion factor to the first stage of the conversion factor only if a predetermined minimum value is exceeded by a predetermined minimum value.

6. 3. The voltage supply device (14) according to claim 1, wherein the voltage regulator (26) is configured as a proportional regulator or a proportional-integral regulator.

7. The voltage regulator (26) regulates the output voltage (U Ａ ) to the predetermined target value (U Ｒ 3. The voltage supply device (14) according to claim 1, wherein the controlled variable (E) is used to control a continuously controllable semiconductor switch, in particular a MOSFET (28), in order to set the voltage at the reference voltage Vcc.

8. A body-wearable electronic device, in particular a listening device (2), comprising a voltage supply device (14) according to claim 1 or 2.

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