Hearing aid antenna with symmetrical performance
AssigneeStarkey Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsCasey Edward Murray, Jay Rabel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Left/Right (L/R) hearing assistance device (HA) symmetrical performance of the antenna is highly desired when using the same HA design for both the left and the right ears. Physical symmetry and loading of the antenna, both internal and external to the HA, is usually not possible because the antenna should avoid the microphone, battery, and switch locations within the HA. Described herein are antenna structures, hearing assistance devices with integrated antennas, and methods of wireless communication in hearing assistance devices which create symmetrical (L/R) antenna performance with physically asymmetrical antenna designs.
Claims20
A hearing assistance device comprising:
- a housing adapted to be worn behind a user's ear, the housing having superior and inferior ends and lateral sides facing toward and away from the user's head when worn by the user;
- a wireless transceiver disposed within the housing;
- an antenna connected at a feedpoint to the wireless transceiver;
- wherein the antenna has a crossing section that traverses laterally from one lateral side of the housing to the other, a top leg that is connected to one end of the crossing section that extends vertically toward the superior end of the housing, and a bottom leg connected to the opposite end of the crossing section that extends vertically toward the inferior end of the housing;
- and
- wherein the top and bottom legs are routed on opposite lateral sides of the housing.
A method for constructing a hearing assistance device comprising:
- disposing a wireless transceiver within a housing adapted to be worn behind a user's ear, the housing having superior and inferior ends and lateral sides facing toward and away from the user's head when worn by the user;
- and,
- connecting an antenna at a feedpoint to the wireless transceiver;
- constructing the antenna to have a crossing section traverses laterally from one side of the housing to the other, a top leg that is connected to one end of the crossing section that extends vertically toward the superior end of the housing, and a bottom leg connected to the opposite end of the crossing section that extends vertically toward the inferior end of the housing;
- and
- routing the top and bottom legs on opposite sides of the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.