Siemens Audiologische Technik Gmbh

Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd.

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Sivantos Pte. Ltd.

Ulrich Schätzle

Peter Nikles

Gottfried Rückerl

Mihail Boguslavskij

Jürgen Reithinger

Gunter Sauer

Georg Gottschalk

Erika Radick

Dietmar Lommel

Gerhard Pfannenmüller

Uwe Bally

Gernot Kwapil

A method and an associated configuration transmit data between a hearing device and an external unit. A first data packet is transmitted to the hearing device by the external unit. The first data packet is received by the hearing device and a second data packet is transmitted from the hearing device to the external unit. A predefinable fixed period of time elapses between the end of the receipt of the first data packet and the start of transmission of the second data packet. The external unit thereby 'knows' when the first bit of the second data packet is to arrive. This offers the advantage that the reliability of a data transmission is improved. In the case of a packet-oriented data transmission fewer data packet repetitions are required, as a result of which the transmission speed increases.

Method for the transmission of data between a hearing device and an external unit, and associated configuration

A power-saving control of the receiver in hearing devices with wireless transmission to other devices is also to be possible without significant interferences. Provision is thus made in accordance with the invention for a hearing apparatus, in particular a hearing device, with a transmission facility for wireless data transmission in a main frequency band, a loudspeaker and a control facility for controlling the loudspeaker with a control signal, with the frequency spectrum of the control signal having a significant notch in the range of the main frequency band. A 'noise-shaping' of this type can be achieved by pulse-density modulated receiver control signals.

Hearing apparatus with low-interference receiver control and corresponding method

Hearing apparatuses with transmission facilities for the wireless transmission are to be miniaturized further. A transmission facility for a hearing apparatus and in particular a hearing device with an oscillating circuit including a capacitor and a coil as well as an electrical line is provided in or to the oscillating circuit, with the electrical line having a shielding. The electrical line includes a film conductor with a signal line and shielding line, the shielding capacitance of which is connected in parallel to the capacitor of the oscillating circuit. The shielding capacitance can be used together with the capacitance of the capacitor in a targeted fashion as an oscillating circuit capacitance. In this way, the parasitic shielding capacitance is used as a wanted capacitance. As the shielding capacitance of the film conductor is only subjected to minimal fluctuations, it only requires a small tuning capacitor for tuning the oscillating circuit.

Transmission facility for a hearing apparatus with film conductor shielding and naturally shielded coil

Wireless communication is to be enabled between hearing units of small construction, especially between hearing aids with an increased data rate. To this end it is provided in accordance with the invention that the hearing unit is fitted with a transceiver which has an inductive receiving device and a digital wideband pulse transmitter. Two such hearing units can then communicate wirelessly with one another with the help of a communication station which is structurally separate from the hearing units and with which a message can be transmitted from the one to the other of the hearing units. The digital wideband pulse transmitter can be implemented in a structurally small manner in the hearing unit and with low power consumption.

Hearing system with wideband pulse transmitter

A hearing aid configuration and an associated method provide wireless transmission of data between a hearing aid and an external unit. The external unit, for example a programming device, is worn with a lanyard around the neck of a hearing aid user. The configuration additionally contains at least one second antenna disposed in the lanyard and at least one third antenna arranged in the lanyard which is connected by an electric series circuit to the second antenna. The advantage of this is that the lanyard can be made long enough to be comfortable to wear and a sufficiently high receive signal of the wireless data transmission is still guaranteed in the external unit.

Hearing aid configuration with a lanyard with integrated antenna and associated method for wireless transmission of data

A hearing apparatus with an external receiver is to be made even smaller. Provision is accordingly made for a hearing apparatus with a housing and a receiver device that is removably electrically coupled to the housing, said receiver device having an electronic identification element and having a receiver that is connected to an electrical cable with a sheath cable, with the sheath cable and the electronic identification element being conducted into the housing via a common single-pole connection. As a result of the multiple usage of the single-pole connection for shielding and identification, the female connector of the hearing device and the plug of the receiver device can be made smaller.

Hearing apparatus with a common connection for shielding and identification of a receiver

A shielding element and a decoupling element are integrated into a combined attenuation element. The shielding element may be a shielding foil, preferably made of copper. The attenuation element may include a flexible backing foil, preferably a plastic backing foil which supports the shielding foil. It may also include an adhesive layer with which the electronic component is affixed to a housing. The physical properties of all elements of the attenuation element are attuned to one another such that it simultaneously attenuates both electromagnetic alternating fields as well as mechanical oscillations.

Hearing aid with an attenuation element

The aim is for an LC oscillator circuit of a hearing apparatus to be operated on a sustained basis in a desired frequency range. To this end, a hearing apparatus is proposed having an oscillator and a trimming facility for trimming the oscillation frequency of the oscillator. A control facility controls the oscillation frequency of the oscillator with the aid of the trimming facility in accordance with a predetermined desired value. An automatic self-trimming of a wireless transmission system in a hearing apparatus and in particular in a hearing device is thus possible.

Hearing apparatus with automatic self trimming and corresponding method

With the date transmission in a hearing device system, overloads are to be avoided and the energy consumption during transmission is to be kept as low as possible. To this end, a transmission method and a corresponding system for the inductive transmission is proposed, in which the receiver returns an item of quality information relating to the received signal back to the transmitter. The transmission power of the transmitter is then dynamically varied as a function of the item of quality information. With unidirectional transmission, the transmitter can obtain an item of distance information relating to the distance of the receiver from the transmitter and thereupon adjust the transmission power accordingly.

Transmission method with dynamic transmission power adjustment and corresponding hearing device system

Data is wirelessly transferred between a hearing aid and an external device, wherein the hearing aid via an internal receiving device, receives data being sent form the external device via a wireless connection. The hearing aid is in a receiving mode when data from the external device is sent via the wireless connection, wherein the receiving device is then permanently in the on-position for receiving data. Furthermore, the hearing aid switches to a stand-by mode, when no data is sent via the wireless connection from the external device, wherein the receiving device is alternatively turned on and off, in order to detect a beginning data transfer from the external device.

Method for wireless data transfer between a hearing aid and an external device

A device having an electric antenna and a magnetic antenna is described, the antennas being spatially arranged in immediate mutual proximity. The electric antenna has at least one current-carrying electric conductor which acts as a resonator for the electric antenna, while the magnetic antenna has a coil with at least one current-carrying conductor loop which acts as an inductor of the magnetic antenna. Thus the electric antenna and the magnetic antenna are spatially arranged relative to each other such that the direction of the current in the electric conductor of the electric antenna extends substantially at right angles to the direction of the current in the conductor loop of the magnetic antenna.

Antenna arrangement for hearing device applications

Structurally simple transmit/receive circuits for hearing devices are to be able to be deployed for higher frequencies as well. It is therefore proposed according to the invention that at least two PIN diodes should be connected in an anti-parallel manner between the receive oscillating circuit and the amplifier connected thereto to protect the amplifier. A capacitance diode can optionally be expanded so that larger component tolerances can be permitted for the circuit.

Transmit/receive circuit with PIN diodes

A hearing device, in particular a hearing aid, occupies a small volume and has high data transmission speeds for wireless transmission. In order to avoid using large volume frequency-stable components, for this purpose, an oscillator unit with a free-running oscillator is used instead. A receiver receives a synchronization signal cyclically. This is correlated to a reference signal in a correlator, such that the arrival time of the synchronization signal can be defined exactly. The free-running oscillator is then retuned correspondingly.

Hearing device without reference clock component

The invention relates to a physiological sensor system for recording electric measuring signals in a magnetic resonance device, comprising at least one measuring electrode, a signal amplifier unit in a shielded housing that is placed in close proximity to a patient and a signal processing unit for preparing the measuring signals. According to the invention, the measuring electrode is connected to the signal amplifier unit via a cable connection. The invention is characterized in that the cable connection comprises a low-ohm conductor, which is connected to the measuring electrode by means of a first electric resistor on a first end and to the signal amplifier unit by means of a resistance between the skin and the measuring electrode. The development of heat caused by an induced current is concentrated on the resistors, so that there is no risk of burning to the patient.

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Forchheim, Germany

Ulrich Schätzle