Miniaturized antennas for link between binaural hearing aids

Abstract

We have investigated the possibility of using the 2.45 GHz ISM band for communication between binaural hearing aids. The small size of a modern hearing aid makes it necessary to miniaturize the antennas to make this feasible. Two different types of hearing aid placements have been investigated: in the outer ear and in the ear canal. Both put strict demands on the size of the antenna, which have been miniaturized by applying disc loads and high permittivity materials. The investigations have been done by FDTD simulation of a modified SAM phantom head, where we have included a simple model of the ear canal. Simulations show that the outer ear placement is better, as it gives a total link loss of 48 dB. The placement in the ear canal gives a total link loss of 92 dB.