Wireless charging system for hearing instruments

Abstract

A facility is provided for the wireless resonant charging of rechargeable hearing instruments. The hearing instrument is freely positionable in a charging device for charging purposes. The charging device for the wireless charging has a transmit antenna arrangement, a transmit amplifier for actuating the transmit antenna arrangement and a charging space. The transmit antenna arrangement has two feeding points, which are spatially arranged in relation to the charging space such that a circularly polarized electromagnetic field can thus be generated in the charging space. The transmit amplifier actuates the antennas accordingly to generate a circularly polarized electromagnetic field in the charging space. In the process a coil arrangement generates a circularly polarized HF field. A good resonant coupling, even with a tilted hearing instrument, is possible, in other words with an undetermined and unpredictable orientation and position of the receive coil of the hearing instrument.

1 . A wirelessly chargeable hearing instrument, comprising:
 a rechargeable battery;   a receive antenna configuration embodied for a resonant receipt of power;   a charging facility embodied to transform a signal received by said receive antenna configuration into a charging signal, to charge said rechargeable battery by supplying the charging signal and to control a charging process, said charging facility having a detection facility embodied to detect a charging parameter value; and   a transmit facility sending the charging parameter value in dependence on the resonant receipt of power to a charging device.   
     
     
         2 . The hearing instrument according to  claim 1 , wherein the charging parameter value is a charging voltage and/or a charging current generated on account of the resonant receipt of power. 
     
     
         3 . A charging system, comprising:
 a wirelessly chargeable hearing instrument according to  claim 1 ; and   a charging device for wirelessly charging said hearing instrument, said charging device having a transmit antenna configuration, a transmit amplifier for actuating said transmit antenna configuration, a housing defining a charging space disposed within said charging device, said transmit antenna configuration having at least two feeding points, said transmit antenna configuration and said feeding points disposed spatially in relation to said charging space such that a circularly polarized electromagnetic field can be generated in said charging space, said transmit amplifier actuating said at least two feeding points accordingly.   
     
     
         4 . The charging system according to  claim 3 , wherein said transmit antenna configuration comprises a plurality of coils. 
     
     
         5 . The charging system according to  claim 3 , wherein said charging device further comprises a regulation facility for receiving a charging parameter value from said transmit facility, and said transmit amplifier actuating said transmit antenna configuration in dependence on the charging parameter value. 
     
     
         6 . The charging system according to  claim 5 , wherein said transmit amplifier actuates said transmit antenna configuration at a frequency regulated in dependence on the charging parameter value.