SE514834C2

SE514834C2 - Thermoelectric battery recharging device for hearing aid, has temperature sensors located inside ear canal and outside ear

Info

Publication number: SE514834C2
Application number: SE9902915A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Per-Marcus Bergquist
Original assignee: Marcus Bergquist
Priority date: 1999-08-16
Filing date: 1999-08-16
Publication date: 2001-04-30
Also published as: SE9902915L; SE9902915D0

Abstract

A first temperature sensor (5) is located in the unit for placing inside the ear canal, whilst a second temperature sensor (4) is located outside the ear of the person using the hearing aid. The device comprises a unit for placing inside the ear channel, and a battery. A temperature difference is measured between two sensors in order to compensate for the thermoelectric energy consumption of the battery.

Description

»s i 5;>1ï4 ' 8:34 2 Fig 2 Hörapparat med batteriladdare omfattande: Tenperaturkännare för omgivande luft (4) Temperaturkännare för hörselgången (5) Laddningsstyrelektronik (6) Fig 3 Iåda(7) för laddning genom värmning av temperatur- kännaren för hörselgången vid avtagen hörapparat. »Si 5;> 1ï4 '8:34 2 Fig 2 Hearing aid with battery charger comprising: Temperature sensor for ambient air (4) Temperature sensor for the ear canal (5) Charge control electronics (6) Fig 3 Drawer (7) for charging by heating the temperature sensor for the ear canal when the hearing aid is deactivated.

Fig 4 Traditionell hörapparat med hela förstärkningen etc i hörselgången och utrustad med batterie laddare enligt uppfinningen.Fig. 4 Traditional hearing aid with the entire amplification etc in the ear canal and equipped with a battery charger according to the invention.

O Pêt faktiska förhållande i hörapparatens vardagliga Omglvulng, som uppfinningen använder sig av, är följande: ígïíeš ::::šeÉ:r:::::lEång är temperaturen ba f37%2_ och i '_ ra ar temperaturen vanligen klart lägre än +27°C. Temperaturskilnaden på normalt mer än l0°C kan användas för att med termoelektrisk metodik alstra laddningsenergi.The actual conditions in the everyday environment of the hearing aid used by the invention are as follows: ígïíeš :::: šeÉ: r ::::: lEång the temperature is ba f37% 2_ and in '_ ra the temperature is usually clearly lower than + 27 ° C. The temperature difference of normally more than 10 ° C can be used to generate charge energy with thermoelectric methodology.

Mängden energi som går att ta ut ur ett kvicksilver- batteriet enligt exemplet ovan (1,4 V / 260 mAh) innan hörapparaten upplevs som oanvändbart svag torde vara under l V x 260 mAh eller under 0,25 Wh. Den mängden energi räcker ca 50 timmar. Den kontinuerliga effekten är sålunda av storleksordningen 0,005 W. Ett så litet utflöde borde utan svårighet kunna kompenseras med rätt typ av termo- elektrisk utrustning.The amount of energy that can be taken out of a mercury battery according to the example above (1.4 V / 260 mAh) before the hearing aid is perceived as unusably weak should be below 1 V x 260 mAh or below 0.25 Wh. That amount of energy lasts about 50 hours. The continuous power is thus of the order of 0.005 W. Such a small outflow should be easily compensated with the right type of thermoelectric equipment.

Ett utföringsexempel på en anordning enligt uppfin- ningen beskrivs nedan i anslutning till den bifogade rit- ningen på vilken: Fig 1 visar en konventionell hörapparat .med detaljerna: Ljudomvandlarhölje 1 med invändig batteri- hållare, hörselgångsenhet 2 och Ljudtransportslang 3 (Jämför detaljbeskrivning på sid 1, andra stycket) medan: Üs14:a34i Fig 2 visar samma baskonstruktion kompletterad med Yttre temperaturkännare 4, och Hörselgångstemperaturkännare 5 båda med två tunna kopplingsledningar in till Kombinerad laddningsstyrning och eventuell spänningsomvandlare 6 placerad inne i det förstorade nöljet bakom_oärarens öra.An embodiment of a device according to the invention is described below in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a conventional hearing aid with the details: Sound converter housing 1 with internal battery holder, hearing aid unit 2 and Sound transport hose 3 (Compare detailed description on page 1, second paragraph) while: Üs14: a34i Fig. 2 shows the same basic construction supplemented with Outer temperature sensor 4, and Hearing passage temperature sensor 5 both with two thin connection lines into Combined charge control and any voltage converter 6 placed inside the enlarged needle behind the ear.

Spänningsomvandling kan Eli nödvändigt om man väljer att samla termisk energi med konventionella lödpunkter för två metaller (s.k."Thermo couples”).Dessa ger låg spänning men relativt stor ström. Fig 3 visar den kompletta aparaten un- der laddning i en termostatstyrd nätansluten liten Värme- låda 7, i vilken temperaturen styrs att vara l5°C högre i den del,där hörselgångstemperaturkännaren 5 ligger, än i resten av lådan.Voltage conversion can Eli necessary if you choose to collect thermal energy with conventional solder points for two metals (so-called "Thermo couples"). These provide low voltage but relatively large current. Fig. 3 shows the complete device while charging in a thermostat-controlled mains-connected small Heat box 7, in which the temperature is controlled to be 15 ° C higher in the part where the ear canal temperature sensor 5 is located, than in the rest of the box.

Alternativ tillämpning av grundprincipen enligt denna uppfinning visas i Fig 4. Hela hörapparaten befinner sig inne i hörselgången. Denna_typ av apparater-finns redan på marknaden, dock utan den batteriladdande funktionen. De har ofta en liten ”stropp” med en liten kula i änden stickande rätt ut ur hörselgången. Stroppen användes när bäraren önskar ta ut hörapparaten. Denna funktion och den termoelektriska kan naturligtvis kombineras. -o0o-Alternative application of the basic principle according to this invention is shown in Fig. 4. The entire hearing aid is located inside the ear canal. This type of device is already on the market, but without the battery-charging function. They often have a small "strap" with a small ball at the end sticking right out of the ear canal. The strap is used when the wearer wishes to remove the hearing aid. This function and the thermoelectric can of course be combined. -o0o-

Claims

4 P A T E N T K R A V

1. Equipment for maintenance charging of a hearing aid, which i.a. a. consists of a hearing aid unit (2) intended to be placed in the wearer's ear canal and battery for operation of the hearing aid, energy for compensating for the energy consumption of the battery by thermoelectric means being taken from a temperature difference between two temperature sensors (4, 5), that one temperature sensor (5) is located in the ear canal unit and the other temperature sensor (4) is located outside the wearer's ear.

Equipment for maintenance charging of a hearing aid according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature sensor (4), which is located outside the wearer's ear, is combined with a strap for pulling the hearing aid out of the ear canal.

Device for charging the battery of hearing aids equipped with equipment according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it constitutes an electrically heatable box (7) for storing the hearing aid, in which the temperature is kept higher in the part of the temperature sensor for the ear canal than in the rest of the box. -o0o-