Ruggedized solar charged hearing aid
| Title: | Ruggedized solar charged hearing aid |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 5,818,946 |
| Publication Date: | October 06, 1998 |
| Appl. No: | 08/620,888 |
| Application Filed: | March 22, 1996 |
| Abstract: | A hearing aid having a body member with a window in one side, electronics in the body member including a microphone for converting sound into electrical signals, an amplifier for amplifying the electrical signals, a battery for supplying power to the amplifier, a solar cell for recharging the battery from ambient light, and a socket for receiving a cord connected to a receiver in an ear piece. The amplifier is made up of rugged, reliable parts which are packaged in a protected, shock resistant package. The body member is sealed so that the hearing aid is water tight such that it may be submerged in water without leaking, and may be used in a damp, humid environment with minimal effect on the electronic components of the amplifier. Access ports, which may be sealed, are provided to allow access to the electronics for adjustments to tailor the hearing aid setting to an individual wearer. An acoustic lens is provided for transmitting sound through the body to the microphone within while inhibiting the entry of water. |
| Inventors: | Walter, Dieter Waldemar (Kingston, NY) |
| Claim: | Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is |
| Claim: | 1. A hearing aid comprising |
| Claim: | a body; |
| Claim: | an electronic amplifier in said body for amplifying sound; |
| Claim: | a microphone in said body in communication with a port for allowing sound into said body, said microphone connected to said amplifier; |
| Claim: | an acoustic lens sealing said port, said acoustic lens passing sound coming through said port to said microphone and forming a watertight seal for preventing water from entering said body; |
| Claim: | a battery in said body for powering said electronic amplifier; |
| Claim: | a solar cell for charging said battery when said solar cell is exposed to light; |
| Claim: | access means in the body for allowing access to make adjustments to said electronic amplifier; and |
| Claim: | means for making a watertight seal sealing said access means; |
| Claim: | a watertight window in the side of said body, with said solar cell positioned under said window on the interior of said body for receiving light passing through said window; |
| Claim: | a circuit board on which said amplifier is mounted; |
| Claim: | spacer means between said amplifier and said solar cell for positioning said solar cell under said watertight window; and |
| Claim: | securing means for securing said circuit board to said body such that said circuit board is allowed to flex in response to shock transmitted by said spacer means. |
| Claim: | 2. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said access means are access holes molded in the bottom of said body, and said means for making a watertight seal includes screws threaded into said access holes for making a watertight seal. |
| Claim: | 3. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said spacer means is resilient material for providing a cushion between said solar cell and said amplifier. |
| Claim: | 4. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said body includes a central cavity in which is located said shock resistant mount, said cavity defined by walls, said securing means comprising |
| Claim: | board attaching means for attaching one edge of said circuit board to one of the walls defining said central cavity; |
| Claim: | battery attaching means for resiliently attaching said battery to said circuit board; and |
| Claim: | board flexing means for flexing said circuit board and urging said battery attached thereto into engagement to at least a portion of the walls defining said central cavity. |
| Claim: | 5. The hearing aid of claim 4 wherein said board flexing means is a ramp molded into one wall defining said central cavity at an end of the central cavity opposite said board attaching means. |
| Claim: | 6. The hearing aid of claim 5 wherein said battery attaching means is RTV rubber adhesive cementing said battery to said circuit board. |
| Claim: | 7. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said acoustic lens is a screen formed from wire cloth having an open area sufficient for transmission of sound while impeding the passage of water. |
| Claim: | 8. The hearing aid of claim 1 wherein said acoustic lens includes a pad of acoustically transparent non-woven polyester felt covered by a membrane of plastic film which is transparent to sound and impervious to water. |
| Claim: | 9. The hearing aid of claim 1 further comprising an acoustic isolator between said microphone and said body such that transmission of sound through the body to the microphone will be minimized. |
| Claim: | 10. The hearing aid of claim 9 wherein said acoustic isolator is a stack of washers, each washer having a central hole in register with said port such that sound entering though side port is transmitted through said central holes in said washers to said microphone, at least one of said stack of washers being elastomeric foam for attenuating sound traveling from the body of the hearing aid through the washers of said stack of washers to said microphone. |
| Claim: | 11. A hearing aid comprising |
| Claim: | said amplifier comprising |
| Claim: | a variable gain preamplifier connected to the output of said microphone, the gain of said preamplifier being adjustable through said access means; |
| Claim: | a frequency filter connected to the output of said preamplifier, the frequency response of said frequency filter being adjustable through said access means; |
| Claim: | a power amplifier connected to the output of said frequency filter for amplifying the output of said frequency filter; |
| Claim: | a gain adjustment circuit connected to said power amplifier for adjusting the gain of said power amplifier in steps, said gain adjustment circuit including multiple resistors connected in series forming a voltage divider at the input of said power amplifier; and |
| Claim: | a multiposition switch, each position of said multiposition switch switching more of said multiple resistors thereby changing the voltage at the input of said power amplifier, thereby providing incremental changes of gain of said power amplifier. |
| Claim: | 12. The hearing aid of claim 11 wherein said multiple resistors are sized to provide steps of about 4 dB.+-.0.2 dB. |
| Claim: | 13. The hearing aid of claim 11 wherein said multiposition switch is a 2 pole multiple throw switch with one contact of a first pole being free of connections, and all contacts of a second pole but one being connected to supply power to said amplifier such that said 2 pole multiple throw switch provides one position as an on/off switch and the other positions provide gain adjustment having multiple steps. |
| Claim: | 14. A hearing aid comprising |
| Claim: | a body having a window in one side; |
| Claim: | a solar cell for charging said battery when said solar cell is exposed to light; and |
| Claim: | a shock resistant mount for said solar cell in said body, said shock resistant mount comprising |
| Claim: | spacer means between said amplifier and said solar cell for positioning said solar cell under said window; and |
| Claim: | 15. The hearing aid of claim 14 wherein said spacer means is resilient material for providing a cushion between said solar cell and said amplifier. |
| Claim: | 16. The hearing aid of claim 14 wherein said body includes a central cavity in which is located said shock resistant mount, said cavity defined by walls, said securing means comprising |
| Claim: | 17. The hearing aid of claim 16 wherein said board flexing means is a ramp molded into one wall defining said central cavity at an end of the central cavity opposite said board attaching means. |
| Claim: | 18. The hearing aid of claim 17 wherein said battery attaching means is RTV rubber adhesive cementing said battery to said circuit board. |
| Claim: | 19. A hearing aid usable with an earpiece having an electrical cord attached, said earpiece for wearing in the ear of a user, said hearing aid comprising |
| Claim: | a body having a port for allowing sound to enter said body; |
| Claim: | a microphone in said body for receiving said sound entering said body through said port; |
| Claim: | an electrical connector in a socket in said body, said electrical connector connected to said amplifier and sealed in said socket forming a watertight seal for providing an electrical connection between said amplifier and the earpiece whose attached electrical cord is pluggable into said electrical connector in said socket, the cord being of sufficient length to allow the earpiece to be worn in the ear of the user such that sound amplified by said amplifier may be reproduced by the earpiece in the ear of the user when the earpiece is worn in the ear of the user; and |
| Claim: | an acoustic lens covering said port for transmitting sound coming through said port to said microphone, said acoustic lens forming a seal sealing said port for excluding water. |
| Claim: | 20. The hearing aid of claim 19 wherein said acoustic lens is a screen formed from wire cloth having an open area sufficient for transmission of sound while impeding the passage of water. |
| Claim: | 21. The hearing aid of claim 20 wherein said acoustic lens includes a pad of acoustically transparent non-woven polyester felt covered by a membrane of plastic film which is transparent to sound and impervious to water. |
| Claim: | 22. A hearing aid usable with an earpiece having an electrical cord attached, said earpiece for wearing in the ear of a user, said hearing aid comprising |
| Claim: | an acoustic isolator between said microphone and said body such that transmission of sound through the body to the microphone will be minimized, said acoustic isolator being a stack of washers, each washer having a central hole in register with said port such that sound entering through said port is transmitted through said central holes in said washers to said microphone, at least one of said stack of washers being elastomeric foam for attenuating sound traveling from the body of the hearing aid through the washers of said stack of washers to said microphone. |
| Claim: | 23. A hearing aid comprising |
| Claim: | a body having access means for allowing access into said body; |
| Claim: | a microphone in said body for converting sound into electrical signals; |
| Claim: | a battery in said body; |
| Claim: | a variable gain preamplifier powered by said battery and connected to the output of said microphone, the gain of said preamplifier being adjustable through said access means; |
| Claim: | a power amplifier powered by said battery and connected to the output of said frequency filter for amplifying the output of said frequency filter; and |
| Claim: | a gain adjustment circuit connected to said power amplifier for adjusting the gain of said power amplifier in steps, said gain adjustment circuit including multiple resistors connected in series forming a voltage divider at the input of said power amplifier, and a multiposition switch, each position of said multiposition switch switching more of said multiple resistors thereby changing the voltage at the input of said power amplifier, thereby providing incremental changes of gain of said power amplifier. |
| Claim: | 24. The hearing aid of claim 23 wherein said multiple resistors are sized to provide steps of about 4 dB.+-.0.2 dB. |
| Claim: | 25. The hearing aid of claim 24 wherein said multiposition switch is a 2 pole multiple throw switch with one contact of a first pole being free of connections, and all contacts of a second pole but one being connected to supply power to said amplifier such that said 2 pole multiple throw switch provides one position as an on/off switch and the other positions provide gain adjustment having multiple steps. |
| Claim: | 26. A hearing aid usable with an earpiece having an electrical cord attached, said earpiece for wearing in the ear of a user, said hearing aid comprising |
| Claim: | an electrical connector in a socket in said body, said electrical connector connected to said amplifier and sealed in said socket forming a watertight seal for providing an electrical connection between said amplifier and the earpiece whose attached electrical cord is pluggable into said electrical connector in said socket, the cord being of sufficient length to allow the earpiece to be worn in the ear of the user such that sound amplified by said amplifier may be reproduced by the earpiece in the ear of the user when the earpiece is worn in the ear of the user; |
| Claim: | means for making a watertight seal sealing said access means. |
| Claim: | 27. A hearing aid usable with an earpiece having an electrical cord attached, said earpiece for wearing in the ear of a user, said hearing aid comprising |
| Claim: | a shock resistant mount for said solar cell in said body. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 381/684; 381/686; 381/692; 136/256; 136/291; 181/130 |
| Current International Class: | H04R 2500 |
| Patent References Cited: | D333385 February 1993 Schmid 2769040 October 1956 Mattia 3723962 March 1973 Hotchner 4113999 September 1978 Swinehart 4281222 July 1981 Nakagawa et al. 4293808 October 1981 Varadi et al. 4424419 January 1984 Chaput et al. 4425481 January 1984 Mansgold et al. 4539516 September 1985 Thompson 4638125 January 1987 Buettner 4703161 October 1987 McLean 4802228 January 1989 Silverstein et al. 4887693 December 1989 Plice 4920564 April 1990 Allkins 4926398 May 1990 Fincher 4949386 August 1990 Hill 5068901 November 1991 Carlson 5210804 May 1993 Schmid 5217540 June 1993 Ogura 5253300 October 1993 Knapp 5282245 January 1994 Anderson 5303305 April 1994 Raimo et al. 5395168 March 1995 Leenen 5530763 June 1996 Aebi 5575832 November 1996 Boyd 5610494 March 1997 Grosfilley |
| Primary Examiner: | Kuntz, Curtis A. |
| Assistant Examiner: | Barnie, Rexford N. |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Gonzalez, Floyd A. |
| Accession Number: | edspgr.05818946 |
| Database: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| Language: | English |
|---|