Hearing Aid

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to an electrical hearing aid of the type having a housing containing at least one microphone, an amplification and transmission circuit fashioned as an integrated circuit (IC), an earphone and a voltage source.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Parasitic electromagnetic emission is demodulated in the active components of an electronic hearing aid circuit. The low-frequency disturbance signal can then lead to failure of or a non-optimum functioning of, the overall electronic hearing aid.

For electromagnetically shielding a hearing aid device against radio signals from foreign transmitter devices, such as e.g. mobile radio devices, car telephones, microwave radiation devices or other RF transmitters, German OS 43 43 702, corresponding to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/742,556 ("Hearing Aid to Be Worn at the Head," Meyer) assigned to the same assignee as the present application, discloses a shielding for the hearing aid housing whereby the hearing aid device housing is formed from at least two electrically conductive parts that can be connected in electrically conductive fashion via a radio-frequency seal. Since the hearing aid device housing also has openings for the sound entry and sound exit, as well as through-openings for switches means, potentiometers, regulators programming plugs, and the like, and also has a battery drawer which can be opened or an accessible battery compartment, a complete electromagnetic shielding of the housing still poses various problems.

German OS 43 43 703 discloses a hearing aid device wearable at the head which has a housing containing an amplifier circuit that has at least a microphone, an earphone and a battery, and at least one protective means, fashioned as an electrically conductive shielding of the amplifier circuit against radio-frequency electromagnetic waves. The protective means for radio frequency has a conductive connection to an electrical terminal of the amplifier circuit, and electrical means are provided in the conductive connection that form an electrical resistance for the radio frequency signals.

An object of the present invention is to provide particular protection for the amplification and transmission circuit in a hearing aid of the type generally described above, the circuit being affected in its functioning by disturbing radio-frequency signals.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the above object is achieved in a hearing aid wherein the integrated circuit in which the amplifier and transmission circuit is integrated is provided with a shielding that forms a line trap (radio-frequency block) and protects the active components of the amplification and transmission circuit against radio-frequency electromagnetic emission from exterior sources.

By means of the line trap in the IC or the chip for the amplification and transmission circuit, the line-conducted radio frequency emitted by an RF disturbing radiation source is prevented from being able to penetrate into the integrated circuit of the hearing aid. In the inventive hearing aid, a considerable increase in the electromagnetic compatibility strength of the hearing aid is thereby achieved. The integrated hearing aid circuit, in which almost all the active components of the entire hearing aid circuit are located, is completely enclosed by a highly permeable conductive cage. The terminals of the ICs are simply guided individually through the shell core of the cage, or through bores in the IC shielding. In this way, a line trap is formed against the RF disturbing radiation. Each IC terminal is thereby provided with an inductance that prevents line-conducted radio frequency from being able to penetrate into the amplification and transmission circuit of the hearing aid.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an inventive hearing aid having an integrated circuit surrounded by a cage made of a highly permeable material.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a hearing aid IC, with a shielding consisting of a shell upper part and a shell lower part, and with the electrical IC terminals, in accordance with the invention.

The electrical hearing aid according to the invention can be a pocket hearing aid, or a hearing aid that can be worn on the body, or a hearing aid that can be worn at the head, such as a hearing aid that can be worn behind the ear (BTE) or one that can be worn in the ear (ITE). Electrical hearing aids of this sort have a housing 1 containing at least one input audio transducer such as a microphone 2, or one microphone 2 and an induction coil (telephone coil, not shown) or multiple microphones. In the hearing aid according to FIG. 1, an output audio transducer such as an earphone 4 is also arranged in the hearing aid housing 1, whereby an amplification and transmission circuit 3, fashioned as an IC or chip, is located in the signal path between the audio transducers 2 and 4. The circuit 3 includes, for example, a pre-amplifier 6, a signal filter stage 7 and a switching stage 8 for setting the amplification (volume control). A voltage source 5, e.g. a battery or accumulator, likewise provided in the housing 1, serves to supply energy to the audio transducers 2 and 4 and to the active additional components 6, 7, 8, etc., of the circuit 3.

In order to increase the electromagnetic compatibility strength, in the hearing aid device according to the embodiment in FIG. 1 the IC for the circuit 3 is provided with a shielding 15 that forms a line trap and protects the active components 6, 7, 8 of the amplification and transmission circuit 3 against radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation.

The shielding 15 for the IC for the circuit 3 is preferably a cage of highly permeable material that encloses the IC. The IC shielding 15 can, for example, be a metallic cage, a metal foil sheath, a coating of conductive varnish, a plastic sheath with embedded conductive material, or the like.

According to a different embodiment, the IC for the circuit 3 can be coated with ferrite powder or the like.

FIG. 2 schematically shows an embodiment of an integrated circuit for the amplification and transmission circuit 3 of a hearing aid, with the shielding 15 being formed by shielding cage halves 11 and 12 i.e., a shell upper part and a shell lower part made of highly permeable material. Through-openings 13 and 14 for electrical IC terminals 9 and 10 are provided in the cage halves 11 and 12.

In order to avoid an introduction of RF currents that disturb the amplification circuit and transmission circuit 3 via the electrical terminals 9 or 10 of the IC for the circuit 3, HF filter means, capacitors, resistors or the like can be allocated to these terminals 9 and 10.

Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the inventor to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of his contribution to the art.