CHARGING CONTACT ASSEMBLY, HEARING DEVICE AND HEARING DEVICE SYSTEM

Abstract

A charging contact assembly for a hearing device system. The assembly has a first charging contact which is accessible on an outer side for contacting with a first mating contact of a mating contact assembly, and a second charging contact which is accessible on the outer side for contacting with a second mating contact of the mating contact assembly. Furthermore, the charging contact assembly has a control contact which is galvanically isolated on the outer side from the first and the second charging contacts, and a charging controller which is configured to detect a proper contacting of the first and second charging contacts with the corresponding mating contact based on contact with the control contact.

Claims

1. A charging contact assembly for a hearing device system, comprising: a first charging contact accessible on an outer side for contacting with a first mating contact of a mating contact assembly; a second charging contact accessible on an outer side for contacting with a second mating contact of the mating contact assembly; a control contact being galvanically isolated on an outer side from said first and second charging contacts; and a charging controller configured to cause a deactivation of a hearing device associated with said first and said second charging contact when said control contact is bridged to said first charging contact.

2. The charging contact assembly according to claim 1, wherein said control contact is positioned such that it is contacted by said first mating contact in a contacting state.

3. The charging contact assembly according to claim 2, wherein: said first charging contact has a contact surface; and said control contact has a contact surface which is disposed at a same level as said contact surface of said first charging contact.

4. The charging contact assembly according to claim 1, wherein said control contact is set to high impedance.

5. The charging contact assembly according to claim 2, wherein said charging controller is configured to detect a bridging of said control contact to said first charging contact from a fact that said control contact is pulled to a different electrical potential.

6. The charging contact assembly according to claim 1, wherein said first charging contact and said control contact are disposed on a circular line around said second charging contact.

7. The charging contact assembly according to claim 6, wherein said contact surfaces of said first charging contact and of said control contact are each formed as a circular arc segment.

8. The charging contact assembly according to claim 5, wherein the different electrical potential is a potential to which said first charging contact is also connected.

9. A hearing device, comprising: said charging contact assembly according to claim 1.

10. A hearing device system, comprising: a corresponding mating contact assembly; said charging contact assembly according to claim 1; a hearing device having said charging contact assembly or said corresponding mating contact assembly; and a charging unit conversely having said corresponding mating contact assembly or said charging contact assembly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0030] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of a charging contact assembly for a hearing device system according to the invention;

[0031] FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view, taken along the line II-II shown in FIG. 1, of the charging contact assembly;

[0032] FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a mating contact assembly;

[0033] FIG. 4 is a schematic view according to FIG. 2 of the hearing device system with the charging contact assembly and the mating contact assembly in a proper contacting state; and

[0034] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the hearing device system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Corresponding parts are provided with identical reference numerals in all figures.

[0036] Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, there is shown schematically charging contact assembly 1 for a hearing device system 2 schematically illustrated in FIG. 5. The hearing aid system 2 contains at least one hearing device in the form of a hearing aid device (in short: hearing aid 4), here formed by a hearing aid to be worn behind the ear, and a charging unit 6. The hearing aid 4 has two microphones 8 for detecting sound, a signal processor (“controller 10”) and a loudspeaker 12 for outputting output signals captured by means of the microphones 8 and processed by means of the controller 10. The hearing aid 4 has a secondary cell 14 for supplying power.

[0037] The charging contact assembly 1 in the illustrated exemplary embodiment is part of the hearing aid 4 and is used for inputting charging energy provided by the charging unit 6 into the secondary cell 14. A charging controller 16 in the illustrated exemplary embodiment is part of the controller 10. The charging unit 6 has a corresponding mating contact assembly 18 for the galvanic contacting of the charging contact assembly 1 (see FIG. 3).

[0038] The charging contact assembly 1 has a first charging contact 20 and a second charging contact 22, which are used for the conventional transfer of the charging energy, specifically a charging current. The first charging contact 20 is designed to resemble a circular ring segment. The second charging contact 22 forms a kind of pin at the center of the circular ring segment. A contact surface 24 of the first charging contact 20 is located on a different level, i.e. on a different plane, than a contact surface 26 of the second charging contact 22. Specifically, the contact surface 24 is offset relative to an outer side 28 of the charging contact assembly 1 and thus also of the hearing aid 4.

[0039] The charging contact assembly 1 also has a control contact 30. This is similar in design to the first charging contact 20 and together with it, forms a continuous circular ring. The control contact 30 is galvanically isolated, at least externally, from the first charging contact 20 and the second charging contact 22.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows the mating contact assembly 18 in more detail. This has a first, annular mating contact 32 configured for contacting the first charging contact 20, as well as a second mating contact 34. The latter is used for contacting the second charging contact 22 and in the present exemplary embodiment is formed by a kind of “pogo pin”, i.e. a spring-mounted pin. In the unstressed state this protrudes above a contact surface 36 of the first mating contact 34.

[0041] FIG. 4 illustrates in more detail the proper contacting of the charging contact assembly 1 by the mating contact assembly 18, and the functional principle of the control contact 30. The second charging contact 22 is contacted by the second mating contact 34. The mating contact assembly 18 has a retaining magnet 38. This draws the charging contact assembly 1 towards the mating contact assembly 18. Thus, the second mating contact 34 is inserted against the spring action until the first mating contact 32 comes into contact with the first charging contact 20.

[0042] The control contact 30 has a contact surface 40 which is located in the same plane, i.e. at the same level, as the contact surface 24 of the first charging contact 20. Thus, the first mating contact 32 contacts not only the first charging contact 20 but also the control contact 30 and thus bridges them.

[0043] The control contact 30 is either connected to the charging controller 16 by means of a tri-state (not shown) in such a way that in the non-bridged state the control contact 30 has no logical signal, or alternatively is connected with high impedance (to “plus”). In the bridged state shown in FIG. 4, the control contact 30 is in fact pulled to another potential, in the present exemplary embodiment to that of the “logical zero”. The charging controller 16 in this case is configured to detect from this potential change that the control contact 30 is bridged to the first charging contact 20, and to conclude from this that the charging contact assembly 1 is galvanically contacted with the mating contact assembly 18. If the charging controller 16 concludes that this contacting is present, the charging controller 16 switches and holds the hearing aid 4 in an inactive state in which no signal processing takes place. Preferably, in this state only the charging controller 16 is active in order to charge the secondary cell 14. If the bridging between the control contact 30 and the first charging contact 22 is “lost”, in the case of the tri-state the control contact 30 returns to its “third” or non-logical state (or alternatively to its state with a high-impedance connection to plus), whereupon the charging controller 16 re-activates the hearing aid 4.

[0044] The subject matter of the invention is not restricted to the above-described exemplary embodiment. Rather, further embodiments of the invention can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the above description.

[0045] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0046] 1 charging contact assembly [0047] 2 hearing device system [0048] 4 hearing aid [0049] 6 charging unit [0050] 8 microphone [0051] 10 controller [0052] 12 loudspeaker [0053] 14 secondary cell [0054] 16 charging controller [0055] 18 mating contact assembly [0056] 20 charging contact [0057] 22 charging contact [0058] 24 contact surface [0059] 26 contact surface [0060] 28 outer side [0061] 30 control contact [0062] 32 mating contact [0063] 34 mating contact [0064] 36 contact surface [0065] 38 retaining magnet [0066] 40 contact surface