Abstract:
A charging device for a hearing apparatus and a system which includes the charging device are provided. The charging device has at least one charging contact in order to charge the hearing apparatus. The charging contact is movable in order to align with a contact on a hearing apparatus contact thereby a standard charging device is be made available.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority of German application No. 10 2008 008 670.3 filed Feb. 12, 2008, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
       FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a charging device for a hearing apparatus, which has at least one hearing apparatus contact for transmitting electrical energy, with a charging contact, which can be connected to the hearing apparatus contact in order to charge the hearing apparatus. The term hearing apparatus is understood here to mean any sound-emitting device which can be worn on or in the ear, like for instance hearing device, a headset, earphones and suchlike. The invention also relates to a hearing device system, which includes a charging device and a hearing device. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0003]    Hearing devices are wearable hearing apparatuses which are used to assist the hard-of-hearing. In order to accommodate numerous individual requirements, various types of hearing devices are available such as behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing devices, hearing device with external receiver (RIC: receiver in the canal) and in-the-ear (ITE) hearing devices, for example also concha hearing devices or completely-in-the-canal (ITE, CIC) hearing devices. The hearing devices listed as examples are worn on the outer ear or in the auditory canal. Bone conduction hearing aids, implantable or vibrotactile hearing aids are also available on the market. The damaged hearing is thus stimulated either mechanically or electrically. 
         [0004]    The key components of hearing devices are principally an input converter, an amplifier and an output converter. The input converter is normally a receiving transducer e.g. a microphone and/or an electromagnetic receiver, e.g. an induction coil. The output converter is most frequently realized as an electroacoustic converter e.g. a miniature loudspeaker, or as an electromechanical converter e.g. a bone conduction hearing aid. The amplifier is usually integrated into a signal processing unit. This basic configuration is illustrated in  FIG. 1  using the example of a behind-the-ear hearing device. One or a plurality of microphones  2  for recording ambient sound are built into a hearing device housing  1  to be worn behind the ear. A signal processing unit  3  which is also integrated into the hearing device housing  1  processes and amplifies the microphone signals. The output signal for the signal processing unit  3  is transmitted to a loudspeaker or receiver  4 , which outputs an acoustic signal. Sound is transmitted through a sound tube, which is affixed in the auditory canal by means of an otoplastic, to the device wearer&#39;s eardrum. Power for the hearing device and in particular for the signal processing unit  3  is supplied by means of a battery  5  which is also integrated in the hearing device housing  1 . 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0005]    Hearing devices, in particular ITEs, are increasingly being equipped with rechargeable batteries and accumulators. It is then necessary to charge the hearing device when it is not being worn. By comparison with other charging methods, charging by way of galvanic contacts is advantageous in respect of the higher degree of efficiency. To this end, charging contacts are now to be provided on the surface of the hearing device. Since ITE hearing devices have an individually shaped hearing device shell, the contacting of the hearing device for the purpose of charging is often associated with difficulties, since the contacts of the charging device are to be connected accurately to those of the hearing device and are to be held in this position over a number of hours. 
         [0006]    In this context, the patent specification EP 0630549 B1 discloses an apparatus for recharging the battery of an in-the-ear hearing device, which comprises a support having a seat for receiving the prosthesis. The seat corresponds exactly to the outer shape of the prosthesis which can be inserted therein. Two conductive terminals are also provided, which are connected to a source for electrical current and protrude from the wall of the support defining the seat. The disadvantage of this charging device is that it has to be individually produced for the hearing device wearer, since the contacts for each device in particular have to be individually determined as a result of the individual shell form. The ITE hearing device to be charged with such a charging device is disadvantageous in that the charging contacts rest directly against the skin when the hearing device is being worn. 
         [0007]    DE 10 2005 061 795 A1 discloses a hearing device module, which includes an electromechanical interface for the mechanical and electrical coupling to a corresponding multipurpose interface of a hearing device. 
         [0008]    DE 693 00 870 T2 also discloses an apparatus for recharging an accumulator of a hearing device, with the apparatus including a support with a seat which is embodied in accordance with the outer shape of the hearing device which can be inserted therein. The hearing device also includes conductive surfaces which can contact the contacts of the apparatus in order to charge the accumulator. 
         [0009]    The object of the present invention consists in creating a charging device for a hearing apparatus and a hearing device system, which can be easily adjusted to individual positions of hearing apparatus contacts. 
         [0010]    This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by a charging device for a hearing apparatus and a hearing device system with a hearing device and charging device, with the hearing apparatus including at least one hearing apparatus contact for transmitting electrical energy. The charging device includes a first charging contact, which is to be connected to the hearing apparatus contact in order to charge the hearing apparatus and a positioning facility on a carrier plate, with which the first charging contact can be moved to one of several positions on the carrier plate. 
         [0011]    It is thus advantageously possible to provide a charging device which can be used universally for a plurality of hearing device wearers for instance and to adjust the charging contact(s) of the charging device specifically to the individual position of the hearing apparatus contacts with few hand movements. 
         [0012]    The first charging contact is preferably a pin, which can be moved by the positioning facility at right angles to its longitudinal axis. Such a pin allows a certain distance to be bridged between a charging device wall and the hearing apparatus. 
         [0013]    The first charging contact can also be moved in a plane in two directions by means of the positioning facility. This allows the charging contact to be positioned in any manner on a certain two-dimensional area. 
         [0014]    The first charging contact including the positioning facility can also be arranged on a cover of the charging device. In this way, the hearing apparatus to be charged can be contacted when the cover is closed. 
         [0015]    According to one development, the first charging contact can be moved on a charging surface of a metal contact of the charging device with the aid of the positioning facility and during the charging process, a charging current flows from the charging surface into the first charging contact. This free moveability of the charging contact on the metal contact of the charging device does not require a flexible line for the power supply to the charging contact. 
         [0016]    The positioning facility can also include a first sliding element, which can be moved in one first direction and in which the first charging contact can be moved in a second direction at right angles to the first direction, as well as a second sliding element, which can be moved in the second direction and in which the first charging contact can be moved in the first direction. In this way the charging contact can be moved in a defined fashion in an x- and y-direction. 
         [0017]    The positioning facility can also have two adjusting screws which are arranged at right angles to one another, with which the first charging contact can be moved in two orthogonal directions. Adjusting screws of this type are advantageous in that they simultaneously offer anchorage in the adjusting direction, if they are no longer rotated and/or are only rotated with difficulty. 
         [0018]    According to a further preferred embodiment, the charging device has a second charging contact, which can likewise be moved with the positioning facility. In this way, all contacts which are needed to charge the hearing apparatus can be individually positioned or positioned together. 
         [0019]    The inventive charging device can be used particularly advantageously in a hearing device system with an ITE hearing device. With this type of hearing device, the position of the hearing device and/or hearing apparatus contacts relative to the hearing device shell namely depends not only on the individual form of the hearing device shell but also on the position and orientation of the faceplate on the hearing device shell. However, the inventive charging device then allows the individual contact position to be quickly adjusted for the charging contacts of the charging device. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    The present invention is now described with reference to the appended drawings, in which; 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  shows a basic diagram of a hearing device according to the prior art; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional view of an inventive charging device; 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of the positioning facility; 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of the positioning facility in  FIG. 3  and 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  shows an alternative embodiment of a positioning facility. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0026]    The exemplary embodiments illustrated in more detail below represent preferred embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0027]    A cross-section of an exemplary embodiment of a charging device according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 2 . It is used to charge an ITE hearing device  10 . This ITE hearing device  10  has an individually manufactured ITE shell  11 , which is sealed with a faceplate  12 . Hearing device charging contacts  13 ,  14  are arranged on the faceplate  12 . They are used to charge an accumulator inside the ITE hearing device  10 . As the hearing device contacts  13 ,  14  which illustrate the afore-described hearing apparatus contacts are arranged on the faceplate  12 , they do not contact the skin of the hearing device wearer when the ITE hearing device  10  is being worn. 
         [0028]    The charging device itself consists of a bottom part  15  and a cover  16 , with which the bottom part  15  can be sealed. A seat  17  is molded into the bottom part  15 , said seat if necessary receiving the individually molded ITE shell  11  in an accurately fitting fashion. The seat  17  essentially determines the position of the hearing device contacts  13 ,  14  if the ITE hearing device  10  is inserted into the charging device for charging purposes. The position of the hearing device contacts  13 ,  14  is also influenced by the assembly position of the faceplate  12  on the ITE shell  11 , but also by the faceplate  12  itself. The position of the hearing device contacts  13 ,  14  is thus always dependent on the manufacturing tolerances of the faceplate. Larger tolerances in respect of the rotational alignment of the faceplate  12  on the ITE shell  11  also exist. If the faceplate  12  is adhered to the ITE shell  11  in a manner so as to be rotational in respect of a standard position, the positions of the hearing device contacts  13  and  14  thus also change. It is then not possible to determine precisely from the outset the points upon which these two contacts  13  and  14  are actually arranged in each instance. 
         [0029]    The aim is thus to be able to provide a standard charging device, with which the hearing apparatus and/or the hearing device can be reliably charged, despite this indeterminacy in terms of the positions of the hearing device contacts  13 ,  14 . In accordance with the invention, the charging contacts  18 ,  19  are thus arranged so as to be displaceable in the cover  16  of the charging device. The position of these charging contacts  18 ,  19  is to be adjusted once for the individual hearing device and can then remain unchanged. When closing the cover  16 , the charging contacts  18 ,  19  of the charging device then reliably contact the hearing device contacts  13 ,  14 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of a first exemplary embodiment of a positioning facility for the charging contacts  18  and  19 . This positioning facility is integrated into the cover  16 , which is not shown in  FIG. 2  for the sake of clarity. It essentially consist of two positioning units  20  and  21 , which can move and fix a corresponding charging contact  18 ,  19  in each instance Each positioning unit essentially consists of two adjusting screws  22 ,  23  and/or  24 ,  25  with which brackets  26  and  27  of the charging contacts  18  and  19  can be moved in the x- and y-direction in each instance. The charging contacts  18 ,  19  are preferably embodied as spring contacts (springy in respect of the z-direction). The side view in  FIG. 4  shows how the charging contacts  18  and  19  are embodied here in the manner of a pin. Its free end is used in accordance with  FIG. 2  to contact the hearing device contacts  13  and  14 . The end facing the free end touches a respective charging and/or contact surface  28 ,  29 . These contact surfaces  28 ,  29  are attached to a carrier plate  30 , which can represent a wall of the cover  16  for instance. The contact surfaces  28 ,  29  thus represent the maximum adjusting region by means of the positioning units  20 ,  21 . 
         [0031]    During the charging process, electricity is introduced into the contact surface  28  for instance, is routed from there through the charging contact  18  to the hearing device contact  13  and is finally routed to the integrated accumulator in the ITE hearing device  10 . The charging contacts  18  and  19  were previously moved to the individually required positions with the aid of the positioning units  20 ,  21 . To ensure that the screws  22  to  25  no longer change following the adjustment, they can be fixed with an adhesive or other suitable means if necessary. 
         [0032]    A top view of an alternative embodiment of a positioning facility is shown in  FIG. 5 . The two charging contacts  18 ,  19  are located here at the point of intersection of two orthogonally arranged guide rails  31 ,  32  and/or  33 ,  34  in each instance. Each guide rail has a long hole, in which the respective charging contact can move in a certain region. They thus likewise define the adjustment range of the charging contacts  18 ,  19  in the x- and y-direction. The adjustment ranges correspond here in turn to the contact surfaces  28 ,  29  on the carrier plate  30 . In the desired position, the guide rails are prevented from moving. This can in turn take place using adhesive, pins, brackets or other suitable means. Two orthogonally arranged guide rails  31 ,  32 , and/or  33 ,  34  again represent a positioning unit  20  and/or  21  in each instance. 
         [0033]    If necessary it is sufficient for a charging device to only be equipped with a freely positionable charging contact. This may be the case for instance if one of the hearing device contacts is sufficiently large. The charging device may however also be equipped with more than two positioning units  20 ,  21 , in order to produce additional contacts to the hearing device for signal transmissions for instance. In each case, it is possible for a standard charging device, the charging contact positions of which are not determined, also to be used to charge individually formed hearing apparatuses and/or hearing devices.