Hearing device with a bleeding circuit for delivering messages to a charging device
AssigneeSonova AG
InventorsJaewoo Kim, Aistis Januszko, Isaac Hamp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system of a hearing device and a charging device that sends a message via electrical pulses from a bleeding circuit to the hearing device. The electrical pulses may communicate information about a battery state of charge or the presence of a fault in the charging of the hearing device. The charging device may, based on the hearing device message, perform at least one of changing a parameter of the electrical power, presenting a visual indication by a visual indicator on the charging device, or producing an acoustic signal.
Claims17
A system for charging a hearing device, comprising:
- a hearing device comprising:
- a battery,
- a charging management circuit configured for charging the battery, and
- a bleeding circuit in parallel with the charging management circuit;
- and
- a charging device configured to provide electrical power to the hearing device,
- wherein the charging management circuit is further configured to generate a charging current from the electrical power,
- wherein the bleeding circuit is configured to generate bleeding current pulses from the electrical power,
- wherein the charging device comprises a current monitor configured to detect the bleeding current pulses and to interpret the bleeding current pulses as a hearing device message, and
- wherein the bleeding circuit comprises a resistor in series with a switch, and the bleeding circuit is configured to generate bleeding current pulses by operating the switch to control a current through the resistor.
A method for charging a battery of a hearing device, the method comprising:
- providing electrical power from a charging device to a charging management circuit for charging the battery and a bleeding circuit connected in parallel with the charging management circuit, the charging management circuit generating a charging current from the electrical power, and the bleeding circuit generating bleeding current pulses from the electrical power;
- detecting the bleeding current pulses;
- and
- interpreting the bleeding current pulses,
- wherein the bleeding circuit comprises a resistor in series with a switch and the bleeding circuit generates bleeding current pulses by operating the switch to control a current through the resistor.
A hearing device, comprising:
- a charging management circuit configured to receive electrical power from a charging device;
- and
- a bleeding circuit in parallel with the charging management circuit and configured to receive the electrical power from the charging device,
- wherein the charging management circuit is configured to generate a charging current from the electrical power to charge a battery of the hearing device,
- wherein the bleeding circuit is configured to generate bleeding current pulses from the electrical power and send the bleeding current pulses to a current monitor of the charging device configured to detect the bleeding current pulses and to interpret the bleeding current pulses as a hearing device message, and
- wherein the bleeding circuit comprises a resistor in series with a switch, and the bleeding circuit is configured to generate bleeding current pulses by operating the switch to control a current through the resistor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.