Hearing device and method for operating a hearing device

Abstract

A hearing device, such as a receiver-in-canal hearing aid, has a receiver unit with a receiver, and a control unit. The control unit is connected to the receiver unit via two activation lines to activate the receiver. In addition, a further component, such as a controllable ventilation element, is located in the receiver unit, and the further component is likewise activated via the activation lines by a control signal which is output by the control unit.

Claims

1. A hearing device, comprising: a receiver unit with a receiver; a separate device unit separate from said receiver unit and containing a control unit; two activation lines connecting said control unit with said receiver unit for transmitting a control signal; a selection line connecting said control unit with said receiver unit; a further component disposed in said receiver unit and connected to said control unit via said two activation lines; a switch mechanism in said receiver unit configured to activate at least one of said receiver or said further component, said switch mechanism containing two switch elements for electrically connecting either said receiver or said further component to said control unit; and said selection line connecting said control unit with said switch mechanism to activate said switch elements in said switch mechanism.

2. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit contains a booster amplifier configured to supply power to said receiver and to said further component.

3. The hearing device according to claim 2, configured as a receiver-in-the-canal hearing aid.

4. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said further component is a controllable ventilation element.

5. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said further component contains a switch unit configured to be switched between two switching states by way of the control signal.

6. The hearing device according to claim 5, wherein said switch unit is a magnetic switch unit.

7. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is connected to said receiver unit via said two activation lines, said selection line and a ground connection.

8. The hearing device according to claim 1, further comprising a tube connecting said receiver unit and said separate device unit, said two activation lines and said selection line being in said tube.

9. A method for operating a hearing device, the method comprising: providing the hearing device with a receiver unit having a receiver, a further component, and a switch mechanism, the hearing device also having a separate device unit separate from the receiver unit and containing a control unit connected to the receiver via two activation lines and a selection line, the selection line connecting the control unit with the receiver unit; and generating a control signal by the control unit and transmitting the control signal to the receiver unit via the activation lines; and using the switch mechanism to activate the receiver or the further component by electrically connecting either the receiver or the further component to the control unit; activating respective switch elements of the switch mechanism via the selection line connecting the control unit with the switch mechanism; and selectively controlling the receiver or the further component with the control unit by way of the control signal via the two activation lines.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 shows the fundamental construction of a hearing aid according to the prior art;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a sketch of a circuit diagram for a hearing aid according to a first variation; and

(3) FIG. 3 shows a sketch of a circuit diagram according to a second variation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIGS. 2 and 3 thereof, each shows a sketch of a circuit diagram for a hearing aid 6 according to the invention, in particular an RIC hearing aid. The hearing aid 6 contains a receiver unit 8 that has a receiver 4. The hearing aid 6 also has a base unit with a control unit 10 located therein. The receiver unit 8 and the control unit 10 are contained in two separate units, not shown herein, each with its own housing.

(5) The control unit 10 is connected to the receiver unit 8, and specifically to the receiver 4, via two activation lines 12a, 12b in this exemplary embodiment. The activation lines 12a, 12b are used by the control unit 10 to activate the receiver 4. The activation lines 12a, 12b typically lie in a shared tube, running from the base unit to the receiver unit 8.

(6) The receiver unit 8 also contains a further component 14 in the form of a controllable ventilation element in the exemplary embodiment. Specifically, the further component 14 in the exemplary embodiments is configured as a (magnetic) valve, which can be switched between two states (open/closed). The valve has a corresponding switch unit 15 for this purpose.

(7) Both the receiver 4 and the further component 14 are activated via the activation lines 12a, 12b when in operation. The receiver 4 and the further component 14 are connected in parallel in the exemplary embodiment. Starting from an end-side distributor node on one of the activation lines 12a, 12b, branches 13 lead in each case to a respective connection in the receiver 4 or the further component 14.

(8) The control unit 10 contains a control element that is configured in the exemplary embodiment as a (booster) amplifier 22. The amplifier 22 has numerous semiconductor circuits 24, four semiconductor circuits 24 in the exemplary embodiment, which are connected in an H-bridge. The amplifier 22 provides the control signals for the receiver 4 as well as for the further components 14. The control signals are transmitted via the activation lines 12a, 12b. The power necessary for operating these components is provided by the shared amplifier 22 for both the receiver 4 as well as the further components 14.

(9) Both the receiver 4 as well as the further component 14 are therefore activated and operated via the control signal. The embodiment of the amplifier 22 in the form of an H-bridge enables a reversal of the direction of current, thus forming a push-pull activation. The reversal of the current flow is used in particular to open and close the further component 14 in the form of a controllable ventilation element. The electrical current is provided by a battery 5. Specifically, depending on the direction of the current, a magnetic control element in the switch unit 15, and thus the magnetic valve, are switched from a (stable) end position, e.g. open, to another (stable) end position, e.g. closed, in the exemplary embodiment.

(10) There are different variations available for activating the receiver unit 8:

(11) According to a first variation, which is illustrated in FIG. 2, the receiver unit 8 has a switch mechanism 16. This is configured such that when operating in a first operating mode, the receiver 4 is electrically connected to the control unit 10, and in a second operating mode, the further component 14 is electrically connected to the control unit 10. In other words, depending on the operating mode (either the first operating mode or the second operating mode), the receiver 4 or the further component 14 is electrically connected to the control unit 10 by means of the activation lines 12a, 12b.

(12) In the preferred embodiment of the further component 14 as a ventilation element that can be switched between two states, only a short interruption of the activation of the receiver 4 is necessary, because the control signal only needs to be applied for the time required to switch to the further component.

(13) In order to switch between the receiver 4 and the further component 14, the switch mechanism 16 in the exemplary embodiment contains two switch elements 18. The switch elements 18 are each located on an end of the activation lines 12a, 12b at the respective distributer node, from which the branches 13 extend.

(14) To activate the switch element 18 the switch mechanism 16 is connected to the control unit 10 via a selection line 20 in the exemplary embodiment. In addition, the receiver unit 8 is connected to a ground potential for the control unit, forming a reference potential, via a ground connection 21, schematically illustrated in FIG. 2. The ground connection 21 is, in particular—as is the case with the activation lines 12a, 12 and the selection line 20—an electrical conductor. The individual conductors are typically located within a tube running from the base unit to the receiver unit 8. A switching signal generated by the control unit 10, for example, is transmitted to the switch elements 18 in the switch mechanism 16 via the selection line 20 when in operation.

(15) In the variation illustrated in FIG. 2, aside from the illustrated components, there are no further electrical components.

(16) A further variation is shown in FIG. 3. In this variation, both the receiver 4 as well as the further component 14 are permanently connected to the control unit 10 via the activation lines 12a, 12b. There is preferably therefore no switch mechanism. The selection of the operating mode, and therefore whether the receiver and/or the further component 14 are activated, then takes place exclusively via the control signal itself. The control signal is formed such that it either acts only on the receiver 4 (e.g. a signal with a higher frequency) or only on the further component 14 (e.g. a (quasi) static signal).

(17) The control signal is preferably configured as a pulsed, modulated control signal. In particular it is configured as a pulse-density modulated control signal. The control unit 10 is configured to generate such a control signal.

(18) To activate the receiver 4, a signal with a higher frequency (short pulse duration of the individual pulses) is provided in particular, and to activate the further component 14, a signal with a significantly lower frequency (long pulse duration of the individual pulses), or a static or quasi-static signal is provided.

(19) During operation, a high frequency control signal for operating the receiver 4 is provided at regular intervals, which converts this high frequency control signal to a desired acoustic sound signal, in particular through a corresponding vibration excitation of a membrane. To activate the further component, the control signal is provided thereto for a certain period of time via the activation lines 12a, 12b with a significantly lower frequency, and thus with a long pulse duration. A long pulse duration is understood in particular to be a pulse duration of, e.g., longer than 5 ms. The pulse duration is measured in particular such that it is sufficient for switching the further component 14.

(20) By this means, the further component 14 is switched between the two states (open and closed). After switching, the high frequency control signal is again provided for activating the receiver 4.

(21) This embodiment is based on the consideration that the further component 14 is so slow that the further component 14 does not change its state when there is a signal with a higher frequency.

(22) Conversely, when the pulse lasts longer than, e.g., 5 ms or longer than 10 ms, the membrane in the receiver 4 stops vibrating and does not emit an acoustic signal. These long pulses are necessary for switching the further component 14.

(23) There are also filter elements 25a, b in a preferred development shown in FIG. 3, each of which are located at an input for the receiver 4 and/or the further component 14. The respective signal portions not intended for the respective components 4, 14 are filtered out via these filter elements 25a, b. The filter element 25a upstream of the further component 14 is in the form of a low pass filter, and the filter element 25b upstream of the receiver 4 is in the form of a high pass filter. Appropriate boundary frequencies for these pass filters basically act as a separating filter for the two components that are to be activated. The separating frequency preferably lies in a range of 50 Hz to 200 Hz.

(24) The upstream filter elements 25 (25a, 25b) therefore filter the selective effects of the signals on the receiver 4 or the further component 14.

(25) The advantage of the embodiments described herein comprises a multiple use of existing components (activation lines 12a, 12b, optionally the use of an existing ground line as a reference voltage for the selection line 20, control unit 10). At the same time, the function of the receiver unit 8 is expanded. In particular—in comparison with a separate activation of the receiver 4 and the further component 14 with two lines in each case—fewer lines are needed for activating the receiver unit 8.

(26) The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above. Instead, other variations of the invention can be derived by the person skilled in the art, without abandoning the subject matter of the invention. In particular, all of the individual features described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments can also be combined with one another in different ways, without abandoning the subject matter of the invention.

(27) The following is a list of reference numerals used in the above description of the invention with reference to the drawing figures: 1 hearing aid housing 2 microphone 3 signal processor 4 receiver 5 battery 6 hearing aid 8 receiver unit 10 control unit 12 activation line 13 branch 14 further component 15 switch unit 16 switch mechanism 18 switch element 20 selection line 21 ground connection 22 control element 24 semiconductor circuit 25a filter elements 25b filter elements