HEARING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A PARASITIC BATTERY ANTENNA ELEMENT

Abstract

A hearing instrument comprises a wireless communication unit interconnected with an antenna for emission and reception of an electromagnetic field having an RF wavelength, a speaker interconnected with the wireless communication unit and being configured to provide an output audio signal. A battery is configured to supply power to the hearing instrument and a filter circuit interconnects the battery and a power management circuit of the hearing instrument. The antenna extends from a feed and at least a part of the antenna being is arranged adjacent the battery. A distance between the at least part of the antenna and the battery is below 1/40 of the wavelength. The filter circuit is configured to de-couple the battery and the power management circuit at frequencies above 3 MHz and configured to connect the battery to the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz.

Claims

1. A hearing instrument comprising: an antenna; a wireless communication unit coupled with the antenna, wherein an electromagnetic field emitted or received by the antenna has a wavelength; a speaker coupled with the wireless communication unit and being configured to provide an output audio signal; a battery configured to supply power to the hearing instrument; a power management circuit; and a filter circuit coupled with the battery and the power management circuit; wherein the antenna extends from a feed, and wherein a distance between at least a part of the antenna and the battery is below 1/40 of the wavelength.

2. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the filter circuit is configured to de-couple the battery and the power management circuit at frequencies above 3 MHz, and/or wherein the filter circuit is configured to connect the battery to the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz.

3. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the battery is configured to power the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz.

4. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the filter circuit is configured to control a coupling between the battery and a ground potential at frequencies above 3 MHz.

5. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the filter circuit comprises a tuning component.

6. The hearing instrument according to claim 5, wherein the tuning component is configured to tune an impedance of the filter circuit to the battery with respect to the wavelength.

7. The hearing instrument according to claim 5, wherein the tuning component comprises an inductor, a capacitor, a transmission line, or any combination of the foregoing.

8. The hearing instrument according to claim 7, wherein the transmission line comprises a quarter wavelength transmission line.

9. The hearing instrument according to claim 5, wherein the tuning component has an inductive reactance between ½ nH and 50 nH.

10. The hearing instrument according to claim 5, wherein the tuning component has a capacitive reactance between 0.1 pF and 100 pF.

11. The hearing instrument according to claim 5, wherein the tuning components has an RF impedance magnitude of at least 100 Ohm.

12. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a signal processor, the signal processor coupled with the speaker and the wireless communication unit.

13. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a coupling element, the coupling element connecting the battery with the filter circuit via first and second battery terminals, the coupling element comprising first and second battery contacts for connecting positive and negative poles of the battery to the first and second battery terminals, respectively.

14. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the antenna has a free end, wherein the antenna forms at least a part of a loop around the battery.

15. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a dipole antenna.

16. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the at least a part of the antenna is a free end of the antenna.

17. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the at least a part of the antenna is a center part of the antenna.

18. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a tuning component configured to optimize a coupling between the antenna and the battery.

19. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a resonant antenna.

20. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the filter circuit is coupled between the battery and the power management circuit.

21. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein the battery is configured as a parasitic antenna element.

22. A method of operating a hearing instrument, the hearing instrument comprising an antenna, a wireless communication unit coupled with the antenna, wherein an electromagnetic field emitted or received by the antenna has a wavelength, a speaker coupled with the wireless communication unit and being configured to provide an output audio signal, a battery configured to supply power to the hearing instrument, a power management circuit, and a filter circuit coupled with the battery and the power management circuit, the method comprising: feeding the antenna from a feed, wherein a distance between at least a part of the antenna and the battery is below 1/40 of the wavelength.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the filter circuit is coupled between the battery and the power management circuit.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the battery is configured as a parasitic antenna element.

25. A hearing instrument comprising: an antenna; a wireless communication unit coupled with the antenna, wherein an electromagnetic field emitted or received by the antenna has a wavelength; a speaker coupled with the wireless communication unit and being configured to provide an output audio signal; a battery configured to supply power to the hearing instrument; a power management circuit; and a filter circuit coupled with the battery and the power management circuit; wherein the antenna extends from a feed, and wherein the battery is configured as a parasitic antenna element.

26. The hearing instrument according to claim 25, wherein the filter circuit is coupled between the battery and the power management circuit.

27. The hearing instrument according to claim 25, wherein the filter circuit is configured to de-couple the battery and the power management circuit at frequencies above 3 MHz, and/or wherein the filter circuit is configured to connect the battery to the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz.

28. The hearing instrument according to claim 25, wherein the battery is configured to power the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz.

29. The hearing instrument according to claim 25, wherein the filter circuit is configured to control a coupling between the battery and a ground potential at frequencies above 3 MHz.

30. The hearing instrument according to claim 25, wherein the filter circuit comprises a tuning component.

31. The hearing instrument according to claim 25, further comprising a signal processor, the signal processor coupled with the speaker and the wireless communication unit.

32. The hearing instrument according to claim 25, further comprising a coupling element, the coupling element connecting the battery with the filter circuit via first and second battery terminals, the coupling element comprising first and second battery contacts for connecting positive and negative poles of the battery to the first and second battery terminals, respectively.

33. The hearing instrument according to claim 25, wherein the antenna has a free end, wherein the antenna forms at least a part of a loop around the battery.

34. The hearing instrument according to claim 25, wherein the at least a part of the antenna is a free end of the antenna or a center part of the antenna.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0077] The above and other features and advantages will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art by the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0078] FIG. 1 shows schematically a hearing instrument according to the present disclosure in which at least a part of an antenna is provided adjacent the battery,

[0079] FIG. 2 shows a schematically another exemplary hearing instrument according to the present disclosure in which at least a part of an antenna is provided adjacent the battery,

[0080] FIG. 3 shows a hearing instrument according to the present disclosure in which the battery is fed from the wireless communication unit,

[0081] FIG. 4 shows another exemplary hearing instrument according to the present disclosure in which the battery is fed from the wireless communication unit, and having a parasitic antenna element,

[0082] FIG. 5 shows another exemplary hearing instrument according to the present disclosure in which the battery is fed from the wireless communication unit, and having a further parasitic antenna element,

[0083] FIG. 6 shows a block-diagram of an exemplary hearing instrument according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] Various exemplary embodiments and details are described hereinafter, with reference to the figures when relevant. It should be noted that the figures may or may not be drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are represented by like reference numerals throughout the figures. It should also be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the claimed invention or as a limitation on the scope of the claimed invention. In addition, an illustrated embodiment needs not have all the aspects or advantages shown. An aspect or an advantage described in conjunction with a particular embodiment is not necessarily limited to that embodiment and can be practiced in any other embodiments even if not so illustrated, or if not so explicitly described.

[0085] In the following, the embodiments are described primarily with reference to a hearing instrument, such as a hearing aid. The hearing aid may be a binaural hearing aid. It is however envisaged that any embodiments or elements as described in connection with any one aspect may be used with any other aspects or embodiments, mutatis mutandis.

[0086] The claimed invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0087] FIG. 1 shows schematically a hearing instrument 2 according to a first aspect of the present disclosure. The hearing instrument 2 comprises a wireless communication unit 4 for wireless communication interconnected with an antenna 6 for emission and reception of an electromagnetic field having an RF wavelength. The hearing instrument 2 comprises a speaker 8 interconnected with the wireless communication unit 4 and being configured to provide an output audio signal. A battery 10 is configured to supply power to the hearing instrument 2. A filter circuit 12 interconnects the battery and a power management circuit 14 of the hearing instrument 2. The antenna 6 may extend from a feed 16 and at least a part 9 of the antenna may be arranged adjacent the battery 10. A distance d1 between the at least part of the antenna 9 and the battery 10 is below 1/40 of the wavelength. The antenna feed 16 is interconnected to the wireless communication unit 4 via a transmission line 11. The wireless communication unit 4, the filter circuit 12 and the power management circuit 14 are typically provided at a printed circuit board 20. Most often, the components and circuits are provided on a same printed circuit board 20, however, different circuits or units may also be provided on different, but interconnected printed circuit boards.

[0088] The battery 10 has a positive and a negative pole, and the hearing instrument 2 comprises a first battery terminal 28 and a second battery terminal 30 for connecting the battery 10, such as the battery poles, to the printed circuit board 20 of the hearing instrument 2. The hearing instrument 2 further comprises a coupling element 24, 26, the coupling element 24, 26 interconnecting the battery 10 with the filter circuit 12 via the battery terminals 28, 30. The coupling element 24, 26 may thus comprise a first battery contact 24 and a second battery contact 26 for connecting the positive and the negative pole of the battery to first and second battery terminals 28, 30. The battery terminals 28, 30 are typically provided at the printed circuit board 20. The battery 10 is connected to the filter circuit 12 via the battery terminals 28 30.

[0089] Typically, the antenna 6 is interconnected with the wireless communication unit 4 via a transmission line 11 and/or an antenna matching circuit 34 comprising antenna matching components, such as impedance matching components, such as a balun, etc. The antenna feed 16 is typically provided at the printed circuit board 20.

[0090] The at least part 9 of the antenna 6 being adjacent the battery 10 may be 10% of the length of the antenna, such as at least 10% of the length of the antenna, such as 15%, such as at least 15%, such as at least 25% of the length of the antenna is adjacent the battery.

[0091] The antenna shown in FIG. 1 is a quarter wavelength antenna having a length of one quarter of the RF wavelength to be emitted and received. It is envisaged that also other antennas could be used, including full wavelength loop antennas, half wavelength antennas, dipole antennas, etc.

[0092] The filter circuit is configured to connect the battery to the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz. Hereby, the battery is configured to supply power to the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz, such as below 3 kHz, such as at DC currents.

[0093] The filter circuit additionally controls a coupling between the battery and a ground potential at RF frequencies, such as at frequencies above 3 MHz, such as at frequencies between 3 MHz and 6 GHz, such as between 3 MHz and 60 GHz, such as between 3 MHz and 300 GHz. The coupling may enable the battery to re-emit electromagnetic radiation.

[0094] FIG. 2 shows schematically another exemplary hearing instrument 2 according to a first aspect of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals as used with FIG. 1 are used for same or similar features in FIG. 2. The hearing instrument 2 comprises wireless communication unit 4 for wireless communication interconnected with antenna 6 for emission and reception of an electromagnetic field having an RF wavelength. The filter circuit 12 comprises a number of tuning components 18, including capacitors 15 and inductors 17. The tuning components 18 are arranged so that an inductor 17 interconnects battery terminal 28 and power management circuit 14. A capacitor 15 connects the inductor 17 to ground 19. The tuning components 18 are further arranged so that an inductor 17 interconnects battery terminal 30 and power management circuit 14. A capacitor 15 connects the inductor 17 to ground 19. This may be implemented in different ways and one or more inductors 17 may interconnect battery terminals 28, 30 and power management circuit 14.

[0095] Hereby, the battery terminals 28, 30 are connected to the power management circuit 14 at low frequencies for which the capacitive reactance magnitude of capacitor 15 is comparatively high and the inductive reactance magnitude of inductor 17 is comparatively low, whereas the battery terminals 28, 30 are de-coupled from ground 19 through inductor 17 and capacitor 15 when the frequency is high at which frequency the capacitive reactance magnitude of capacitor 15 is comparatively lower, and the inductive reactance magnitude of inductor 17 is comparatively higher.

[0096] The filter circuit 12 is an LC circuit, and the total impedance of the filter circuit is given by the combination of the inductive and capacitive impedances according to circuit theory. Thus, by selecting or tuning inductive and capacitive reactance magnitude of the tuning components 15, 17 of the filter circuit 12, the filter circuit may be configured to supply power to the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz, such as below 3 kHz, such as at DC currents.

[0097] The selected or tuned parameter values of the tuning components 15, 17 of the filter circuit 12, may additionally be configured to control a coupling between the battery and a ground potential at RF frequencies, such as at frequencies above 3 MHz, such as at frequencies between 3 MHz and 6 GHz, such as between 3 MHz and 60 GHz, such as between 3 MHz and 300 GHz. The coupling may enable the battery to re-emit electromagnetic radiation.

[0098] The antenna 6 may be a monopole antenna and have a single feed at the feed 16, the antenna 6 may be an inverted F antenna, IFA, and have an antenna tuning stub 32, so that the antenna 6 has an additional connection to ground 19 trough antenna tuning components 36.

[0099] FIG. 3 shows a hearing instrument 2 according to another aspect of the present disclosure, and comprises a wireless communication unit 4 for wireless communication, a speaker 8 interconnected with the wireless communication unit 4 and being configured to provide an output audio signal, a battery 10 configured to supply power to the hearing instrument 2, such as to electronics of the hearing instrument 2. The hearing instrument 2 further comprises a filter circuit 12 interconnecting the battery 10 and a power management circuit 14 of the hearing instrument 2. The wireless communication unit 2 is interconnected with the battery 10. The battery is configured for emission and reception of an electromagnetic field having an RF wavelength. The battery may also re-emit a received electromagnetic field. The wireless communication unit 2, such as a radio or transceiver, may be connected to the battery 10 via battery terminal 30 and transmission line 11. A DC block 44, such as capacitor 44, is provided in series with the transmission line 11, to prevent flow of DC current towards the wireless communication unit.

[0100] The wireless communication unit 4, the filter circuit 12 and the power management circuit 14 are typically provided at a printed circuit board 20. Most often, the components and circuits are provided on a same printed circuit board 20, however, different circuits or units may also be provided on different, but interconnected printed circuit boards.

[0101] The battery 10 has a positive and a negative battery pole, and the hearing instrument 2 comprises a first battery terminal 28 and a second battery terminal 30 for connecting the battery 10, such as the positive and negative battery poles, to the printed circuit board 20 of the hearing instrument 2. The hearing instrument 2 further comprises a coupling element 24, 26, the coupling element 24, 26 interconnecting the battery 10 with the filter circuit 12 via the battery terminals 28, 30. The coupling element 24, 26 may thus comprise a first battery contact 24 and a second battery contact 26 for connecting the positive and the negative poles of the battery to first and second battery terminals 28, 30. The battery terminals 28, 30 are typically provided at the printed circuit board 20. The battery 10 is connected to the filter circuit 12 via the battery terminals 28 30.

[0102] The filter circuit is configured to connect the battery to the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz. Hereby, the battery is configured to supply power to the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz, such as below 3 kHz, such as at DC currents.

[0103] The filter circuit additionally controls a coupling between the battery and a ground potential at RF frequencies, such as at frequencies above 3 MHz, such as at frequencies between 3 MHz and 6 GHz, such as between 3 MHz and 60 GHz, such as between 3 MHz and 300 GHz. The coupling may enable the battery to re-emit received electromagnetic radiation.

[0104] FIG. 4 shows schematically another exemplary hearing instrument 2 according to a third aspect of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals as used with FIG. 3 are used for same or similar features in FIG. 4.

[0105] FIG. 4 shows a hearing instrument 2 according to another aspect of the present disclosure, and comprises a wireless communication unit 4 for wireless communication. The hearing instrument 2 further comprises a battery 10 and a filter circuit 12 interconnecting the battery 10 and a power management circuit 14 of the hearing instrument 2. The wireless communication unit 2 is interconnected with the battery 10. The battery as connected to the filter circuit is configured for emission and reception of an electromagnetic field having an RF wavelength. The battery may also re-emit a received electromagnetic field.

[0106] The filter circuit 12 comprises a number of tuning components 18, including capacitors 15 and inductors 17. The tuning components 18 are arranged so that an inductor 17 interconnects battery terminal 28 and power management circuit 14. A capacitor 15 connects the inductor 17, and thus the battery terminal 28, to ground 19. The tuning components 18 are further arranged so that an inductor 17 interconnects battery terminal 30 and power management circuit 14. A capacitor 15 connects the inductor 17 to ground 19. This may be implemented in different ways and one or more inductors 17 may interconnect battery terminals 28, 30 and power management circuit 14.

[0107] Hereby, the battery terminals 28, 30 are connected to the power management circuit 14 at low frequencies for which the capacitive reactance magnitude of capacitor 15 is comparatively high and the inductive reactance magnitude of inductor 17 is comparatively low, whereas the battery terminals 28, 30 are de-coupled from ground 19 through inductor 17 and capacitor 15 when the frequency is high at which frequency the capacitive reactance magnitude of capacitor 15 is comparatively lower, and the inductive reactance magnitude of inductor 17 is comparatively higher.

[0108] The filter circuit 12 is an LC circuit, and the total impedance of the filter circuit is given by the combination of the inductive and capacitive impedances according to circuit theory. Thus, by selecting or tuning inductive and capacitive reactance magnitude of the tuning components 15, 17 of the filter circuit 12, the filter circuit may be configured to supply power to the power management circuit at frequencies below 300 kHz, such as below 3 kHz, such as at DC currents.

[0109] The selected or tuned parameter values of the tuning components 15, 17 of the filter circuit 12, may additionally be configured to control a coupling between the battery and a ground potential at RF frequencies, such as at frequencies above 3 MHz, such as at frequencies between 3 MHz and 6 GHz, such as between 3 MHz and 60 GHz, such as between 3 MHz and 300 GHz. The coupling may enable the battery to re-emit electromagnetic radiation.

[0110] It is seen that the hearing instrument 2 comprises a parasitic antenna element 38. The parasitic antenna element 38 has a free end 37 and at least a part of the parasitic antenna element forms at least partly a loop around the battery. The at least part 39 of the parasitic antenna element 38 is arranged adjacent the battery. The at least part 39 of the parasitic antenna element 38 is arranged with a distance d1 between the at least part 39 of the parasitic antenna element 38 and the battery 10 being below 1/40 of the RF wavelength. The at least part 39 of the parasitic antenna element 38 being arranged adjacent the battery, is a free end 37 of the parasitic antenna element 38.

[0111] The parasitic antenna element 38 may be a quarter RF wavelength parasitic antenna element having a free end, the parasitic antenna element 38 may be a loop formed parasitic antenna element and may have a length of a full RF wavelength, etc. The parasitic antenna element 38 have a single connection to ground 19, or the parasitic antenna element may have an antenna tuning stub 32, so that the parasitic antenna element 28 has an additional connection to ground 19 trough parasitic antenna element tuning components 42.

[0112] The at least part 39 of the parasitic antenna element 38 being adjacent the battery 10 may be 10% of the length of the parasitic antenna element, such as at least 10% of the length of the parasitic antenna element, such as 15%, such as at least 15%, such as at least 25% of the length of the parasitic antenna element is adjacent the battery.

[0113] FIG. 5 shows schematically another exemplary hearing instrument 2 according to the third aspect of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals as used with FIGS. 3 and 4 are used for same or similar features in FIG. 5.

[0114] FIG. 5 shows a hearing instrument 2 and comprises a wireless communication unit 4 for wireless communication. The hearing instrument 2 further comprises a battery 10 and a filter circuit 12 interconnecting the battery 10 and a power management circuit 14 of the hearing instrument 2. The wireless communication unit 2 is interconnected with the battery 10. The battery as connected to the filter circuit is configured for emission and reception of an electromagnetic field having an RF wavelength. The battery may also re-emit a received electromagnetic field.

[0115] The hearing instrument 2 comprises a first parasitic antenna element 38 and a second parasitic antenna element 40. In FIG. 5, it is seen that the second parasitic antenna elements is a floating parasitic antenna element. The floating parasitic antenna element has a length of half the RF wavelength.

[0116] The at least part 39 of the parasitic antenna elements 38, 40 being adjacent the battery 10 may be 10% of the length of the parasitic antenna elements, such as at least 10% of the length of the parasitic antenna element, such as 15%, such as at least 15%, such as at least 25% of the length of the parasitic antenna element is adjacent the battery. A distance d1 between the at least part of the first parasitic antenna element 38 and the battery 10 may be below 1/40 of the wavelength and a distance d2 between the at least part of the second parasitic antenna element 40 and the battery 10 may be below 1/40 of the wavelength, such as the RF wavelength.

[0117] A block-diagram of a typical (prior-art) hearing instrument 2 is shown in FIG. 6. The hearing instrument 2 comprises a first transducer, i.e. microphone 3, for receiving incoming sound and converting it into an audio signal, i.e. a first audio signal. The first audio signal is provided to a signal processor 5 for processing the first audio signal into a second audio signal. In some embodiments, the signal processor is configured for processing the first audio signal into a second audio signal compensating a hearing loss of a user of the hearing instrument. A receiver or speaker 8 is connected to an output of the signal processor 5 for converting the second audio signal into an output sound signal, such as for example a signal modified to compensate for a user's hearing impairment, such as for example a noise reduced signal, etc., and provides the output sound to the speaker 8. Typically, the receiver 8 comprises a transducer, and the receiver 8 may be referred to as speaker 8.

[0118] Thus, the hearing instrument signal processor 5 comprises elements such as amplifiers, compressors and noise reduction systems etc. The hearing instrument or hearing aid may further have a filter function 7, such as compensation filter for optimizing the output signal. The hearing aid may furthermore have a wireless communication unit 4 for wireless data communication interconnected with an antenna 6 for emission and reception of an electromagnetic field. The wireless communication unit 4, such as a radio or a transceiver, connect to the hearing instrument signal processor 5 and the antenna 6, for communicating with external devices, or with another hearing instrument, such as another hearing instrument, located at another ear, such as for example in a binaural hearing instrument system. The hearing instrument 2 further comprises a power source 10, such as a battery 10.

[0119] The hearing instrument may be a behind-the ear hearing instrument, and may be provided as a behind-the-ear module, the hearing instrument may be an in-the-ear module and may be provided as an in-the-ear module. Alternatively, parts of the hearing instrument may be provided in a behind-the-ear module, while other parts, such as the receiver, may be provided in an in-the-ear module.

[0120] Although features have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the claimed invention, and it will be made obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense. The claimed invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.