Charger operable in different charging modes for charging an accumulator of the charger and an accumulator of an audio device

Abstract

A charger for charging an audio-device-accumulator of an audio device which is wearable on a head of a user and contains an interface for the transfer of electrical energy to the audio-device-accumulator. The charger contains an energy source configured as a hybrid battery for supplying the interface in a first charging mode. The hybrid battery contains a charger-accumulator and a fuel cell.

Claims

1. A charger for charging an audio-device-accumulator of an audio device being wearable on a head of a wearer, the charger comprising: an interface for a transfer of electrical energy to the audio-device-accumulator; and an energy source configured as a hybrid battery for supplying said interface in a first charging mode, said hybrid battery having a charger-accumulator and a fuel cell; the charger configured to have a first charging mode for charging the audio-device-accumulator of the audio device; and the charger configured to have a second charging mode in which said charger-accumulator of the charger is charged by said fuel cell.

2. The charger according to claim 1, wherein said charger-accumulator is a lithium ion accumulator.

3. The charger according to claim 1, wherein said fuel cell is a direct alcohol fuel cell.

4. The charger according to claim 1, wherein the charger is configured to supply said interface with the electrical energy exclusively from said charger-accumulator.

5. The charger according to claim 3, wherein the charger is configured to start a second charging mode when the first charging mode ends.

6. The charger according to claim 5, wherein the charger is configured to start the second charging mode when the audio device is removed from a charging position.

7. The charger according to claim 1, further comprising a fuel container connected to said hybrid battery.

8. The charger according to claim 7, wherein said fuel container has a volume such that sufficient electrical energy can be generated by means of said fuel cell to fully charge said charger-accumulator between 15 and 100 times with one fuel filling.

9. The charger according to claim 7, wherein said fuel container has a volume in a range between 0.5 cm.sup.3 and 3.5 cm.sup.3.

10. The charger according to claim 1, further comprising a collecting container for collecting a reaction product from said fuel cell.

11. The charger according to claim 1, further comprising an outlet for a reaction product of said fuel cell.

12. The charger according to claim 11, wherein said outlet contains a nonwoven or a membrane that is permeable to the reaction product.

13. The charger according to claim 7, wherein the charger is configured to ascertain a filling level of said fuel container.

14. A charger for charging an audio-device-accumulator of an audio device being wearable on a head of a wearer, the charger comprising: an interface for a transfer of electrical energy to the audio-device-accumulator; and an energy source configured as a hybrid battery for supplying said interface in a first charging mode, said hybrid battery having a charger-accumulator and a fuel cell; the charger configured to have a first charging mode for charging the audio-device-accumulator of the audio device; the charger configured to have a second charging mode in which said charger-accumulator of the charger is charged by said fuel cell; the charger configured to charge the audio-device-accumulator of the audio device with a maximum charging voltage Ui in the first charging mode; and the charger configured to charge the charger-accumulator of the charger with a maximum charging voltage U.sub.2 in the second charging mode; and AU.sub.1=U.sub.2 with A between 0.1 and 0.8.

15. The charger according to claim 14, wherein A is between 0.1 and 0.5.

16. A charger for charging an audio-device-accumulator of an audio device being wearable on a head of a wearer, the charger comprising: an interface for a transfer of electrical energy to the audio-device-accumulator; and an energy source configured as a hybrid battery for supplying said interface in a first charging mode, said hybrid battery having a charger-accumulator and a fuel cell; the charger configured to have a first charging mode for charging the audio-device-accumulator of the audio device; the charger configured to have a second charging mode in which said charger-accumulator of the charger is charged by said fuel cell; the charger configured to charge the audio-device-accumulator of the audio device with a maximum charging amperage I.sub.1 in the first charging mode; and the charger configured to charge the charger-accumulator of the charger with a maximum charging amperage I.sub.2 in the second charging mode; and AI.sub.1=I.sub.2 with A between 0.1 and 0.8.

17. The charger according to claim 16, wherein A is between 0.1 and 0.5.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The single FIGURE of the drawing is a block diagram of a charger with two audio devices which are exemplary designed as hearing aids according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(2) Referring now to the single FIGURE of the drawing in detail, there is shown a charger 2, described by way of example below and shown in a type of block diagram, and is configured for charging audio devices which are exemplary designed as hearing aids 4 and, in particular, for the simultaneous charging of a pair of hearing aids 4 of a hearing aid system. The hearing aid system here is preferably designed as a binaural hearing aid system and contains a hearing aid 4 for a right ear and a hearing aid 4 for a left ear.

(3) In the exemplary embodiment, the charger 2 contains for this purpose a housing 6 with two receptacles 8, wherein each receptacle 8 is designed to accept a hearing aid 4 of the hearing aid system. If one of the hearing aids 4 is then arranged in the receptacle 8 provided for it, or in one of the two receptacles 8, then the corresponding hearing aid 4 is in a charging position. In this charging position, a receiving coil 10 of the corresponding hearing aid 4 is arranged in the near field region of a transmitting coil 12 of the charger 2, whereby an inductive charging process is enabled.

(4) The transmitting coil 12 of the charger 2 serves in the exemplary embodiment as the interface of the charger 2 for the transmission of electrical energy to the corresponding hearing aid 4 and, in particular, to a hearing-aid-accumulator 14 in the corresponding hearing aid 4. If a first charging mode is then started, the interface is supplied with electrical energy, and electrical energy is transmitted from the transmitting coil 12 to the receiving coil 10. By means of the electrical energy transmitted in this way, the hearing-aid-accumulator 14 is then charged via a converter circuit 16 in the corresponding hearing aid 4.

(5) If a respective hearing aid 4 is positioned in the two receptacles 8, then in the first charging mode both hearing aids 4 are charged simultaneously, whereby an interface with its own transmitting coil 12 is provided for each receptacle 8 for this purpose.

(6) In the first charging mode the interface of the charger 2 is fed or supplied by a charger-accumulator 18. In doing so, the charger-accumulator 18 is discharged, and the electrical energy out of the charger-accumulator 18 is fed via a control unit 20 to the interface of the charger 2. The control unit 20 here typically contains a first converter circuit or first converter circuitry through which the electrical energy is fed to the interface.

(7) The charger 2 contains, in addition, a fuel cell 22 which in the exemplary embodiment is designed as a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). In the first charging mode, the fuel cell 22 is preferably inactive, and the charger 2 is further preferably configured such that electrical energy generated by the fuel cell 22 cannot be supplied directly to the interface.

(8) The fuel cell 22 serves instead to charge the charger-accumulator 18, wherein electrical energy generated by means of the fuel cell 22 is fed for this purpose via the control unit 20 of the charger 2 into the charger-accumulator 18. The control unit typically contains for this purpose a second converter circuit or second converter circuitry, via which the electrical energy generated by means of the fuel cell 22 in a second charging mode reaches the charger-accumulator 18.

(9) In the exemplary embodiment, the control unit 20 is furthermore designed such that the second charging mode is started automatically when the first charging mode is finished. The second charging mode is, in addition, stopped automatically as soon as the charger-accumulator 18 is fully charged.

(10) The control unit 20 is preferably also designed to start the first charging mode automatically and to end it automatically. The first charging mode is preferably started here when a hearing aid 4 is inserted into one of the receptacles 8, and the first charging mode is ended when there is no longer a hearing aid 4 in a charging position.

(11) In the exemplary embodiment, the charger 2 further contains a fuel container 24 as well as a collecting container 26. The fuel container 24 here is designed to accept methanol as fuel, and this fuel is fed to the fuel cell 22 as one of the two reactants in the second charging mode. In the second charging mode, ambient air, and therefore oxygen, is also fed to the fuel cell 22 through an opening, not illustrated, in the housing 6. When the fuel cell 22 is operating, carbon dioxide and water are then generated as reaction products. In the exemplary embodiment, the carbon dioxide is released to the surroundings via a further opening, not illustrated, in the housing 6, whereas the water is collected in the collecting container 26. The collecting container 26 is preferably designed here such that it can be emptied, and the fuel container 24 is designed to be fillable.

(12) In the exemplary embodiment, the fuel container further forms a part of the housing 6, and thus a part of the surface that bounds the charger 2 to the outside. This part is transparent in design, so that the filling level of the fuel container 24 is visible from the outside.

(13) As an alternative to the collecting container 26, the charger 2 has an outlet 28 via which the reaction product water is led away to the outside. This outlet is indicated in the FIGURE by dotted lines. At the end, the outlet 28 preferably comprises a membrane 30 that is at least partially permeable for water or water vapour.

(14) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 2 Charger 4 Hearing aid 6 Housing 8 Receptacle 10 Receiving coil 12 Transmitting coil 14 Hearing-aid-accumulator 16 Converter circuit 18 Charger-accumulator 20 Control unit 22 Fuel cell 24 Fuel container 26 Collecting container 28 Outlet 30 Membrane