# US 2021/0243532 A1 · Charging and updating of an implantable hearing aid > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0243532 A1 - Document ID: US20210243532A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/778,980 - Filed: 2020-01-31 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-31 - Assignees: Oticon Medical A/S - Applicants: Oticon Medical A/S - Inventors: Bradford BACKUS; Régis Pierquin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210243532A1 ## CPC - A61N 1/3787: {from an external energy source} - H04R 25/30: {Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power} - H02J 7/04: Regulation of charging current or voltage - H02J 7/42: with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones - H02J 13/1331: {using wireless data transmission} - H02J 50/12: of the resonant type - H04B 5/26: using coils - H04B 5/266: {One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils} - H04B 5/79: for data transfer in combination with power transfer - H04R 25/554: {using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils} - H04R 25/606: {acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window} - A61N 1/36038: {Cochlear stimulation} - A61N 1/37223: {Circuits for electromagnetic coupling} - H02J 50/80: involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices - H02J 2105/46: Medical devices, medical implants or life supporting devices - H04R 2225/31: Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells - H04R 2225/67: Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606 - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract An implantable hearing aid system is disclosed. According to one or more of the mentioned aspects, the implantable hearing aid system comprises a charger unit which includes a coil unit having a first resonance frequency, a hearing aid and an implantable component. The hearing aid includes a rechargeable battery, an inductive coil arrangement having a second resonance frequency configured to form an inductive charging link with the coil unit to receive power signals from the charger unit. The implantable component includes an implantable coil, wherein the inductive coil arrangement may further be configured to form a transcutaneous link with the implantable coil to transmit at least one of data and power to the implantable component. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An implantable hearing aid system, comprising: a charger unit including a coil unit having a first resonance frequency, a hearing aid, including: a rechargeable battery, an inductive coil arrangement having a second resonance frequency configured to form an inductive charging link with the coil unit to receive power signals from the charger unit, a voltage decreasing converter configured to decrease a voltage of the power signals received from the charger unit for use in charging the rechargeable battery, and a voltage increasing converter configured to increase a voltage of signals obtained from the rechargeable battery, and an implantable component including an implantable coil, wherein the inductive coil arrangement is further configured to form a transcutaneous link with the implantable coil to transmit at least one of data and power to the implantable component, and wherein the first resonance frequency and the second resonance frequency are matched or partly matched. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 1, wherein the first resonance frequency and the second resonance frequency are within a frequency range of between 80 kHz to 300 kHz (medium QI charger), 110 kHz and 205 kHz (low power QI chargers). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 1, wherein the inductive coil arrangement includes a magnet configured to align an inductive coil of the inductive coil arrangement to the coil unit of the charger unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 1, wherein the inductive coil arrangement having a third resonance frequency being in resonance to a resonance frequency of the implantable coil. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 4, wherein the third resonance frequency is within a frequency range of 4 MHz to 6.5 MHz, 4 MHz to 10 MHz, or 4 MHz to 12 MHz. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid includes a capacitive circuit arrangement configured to adjust the resonance frequency of the inductive coil arrangement to a plurality of resonance frequencies including at least the second resonance frequency. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 5, wherein the hearing aid includes a processor configured to transmit a control signal to the capacitive circuit arrangement, and wherein the capacitive circuit arrangement includes at least a switch, a first tuning circuit and at least a second circuit, and each of the two tuning circuits is connected to the switch, and the switch is configured to receive the control signal, and wherein the switch is configured to connect the inductive coil arrangement to either the first tuning circuit or the second tuning circuit based on the control signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 7, wherein the first tuning circuit is configured to form the transcutaneous link with the implantable coil when connected to the inductive coil arrangement via the switch, and wherein the second tuning circuit is configured to form the inductive charging link with the coil unit when connected to the inductive coil arrangement via the switch. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 7, wherein the control signal is determined based on a measure of a Q factor of the inductive coil arrangement, or the control signal is determined based on a power level measure of a signal received by the inductive coil arrangement. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid includes a first antenna configured to form a communication link to a second antenna of the charger unit for communicating charging data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 10, wherein the charging data includes charge capacity information or temperature of the rechargeable battery. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 1, wherein the charger unit is configured to transmit data to the hearing aid via the inductive charging link or via a second inductive link between the coil unit and the inductive coil arrangement, and wherein the transmitted data includes charging data, software update data and/or firmware update data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of resonance frequencies includes a fourth resonance frequency for the second inductive link. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 12, wherein the charger unit includes a far-field communication interface configured to transmit an update acknowledgement signal via the far-field communication interface, and, to receive software update data and/or firmware update data via the far-field communication interface based on the update acknowledgement signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 14, wherein the update acknowledgement signal includes information data about the hearing aid. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 12, wherein the far-field communication interface includes a transceiver interface configured for transmitting and receiving software update data via a communication network, and wherein the communication network includes mobile network, a local network and/or a wireless network. ### Claim 17 (depends on 2) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 2, wherein the inductive coil arrangement includes a magnet configured to align an inductive coil of the inductive coil arrangement to the coil unit of the charger unit. ### Claim 18 (depends on 2) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 2, wherein the inductive coil arrangement having a third resonance frequency being in resonance to a resonance frequency of the implantable coil. ### Claim 19 (depends on 3) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 3, wherein the inductive coil arrangement having a third resonance frequency being in resonance to a resonance frequency of the implantable coil. ### Claim 20 (depends on 2) The implantable hearing aid system according to claim 2, wherein the hearing aid includes a capacitive circuit arrangement configured to adjust the resonance frequency of the inductive coil arrangement to a plurality of resonance frequencies including at least the second resonance frequency.