JPS63292799A - Ear inserting type hearing aid - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To insert and mount deeply to the inner part of an external ear path by disposing a material easy in plumbing from the opening part of the external ear path side of a hearing aid case to the opening part of an external field side. CONSTITUTION:In the hearing aid case 4 in which the opening part X of the external ear path side and the opening part Y of the external field side are formed respectively at both ends, a hearing aid part 1 in which a microphone 1A, an amplifying part 1B, an ear phone 1C or the like are substantially linarly disposed is stored, and the material 3 easy in plumbing is disposed between both the opening parts X, Y on the periphery of the hearing aid 1. Thereby, a moisture in the external ear path is rapidly discharged to the external field through the material 3 easy in plumbing, a permeability in the external ear path and the external field can be maintained and finally, the hearing aid which can be inserted and mounted deeply to the inner part of the external ear path can be realized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an in-the-ear hearing aid that is used by being inserted into the ear canal, and in particular, an in-the-ear hearing aid that can be inserted deep into the ear canal. Q: The in-the-ear hearing aids that have been proposed and used in the past can only be inserted up to the vicinity of the entrance of the external auditory canal, and the majority of hearing aids are located in the external ear. However, the in-the-ear hearing aid according to the present invention is different from the above-mentioned conventional hearing aid, and can also be called an in-the-ear hearing aid in which all, most, or most of the hearing aid can be located within the external auditory canal.

(Background technology and its problems) It goes without saying that the main requirement for hearing aids for people with hearing loss is to be able to hear well electroacoustically, but when wearing them, it is important to consider the psychological state of the hearing aid wearer himself. It is less of a burden.

Due to these demands and advances in technology, the shape of hearing aids has changed significantly, from box-shaped to behind-the-ear type, and now to ear-inserted type.

However, even with in-the-ear type hearing aids, conventional hearing aids are simply inserted into the entrance of the ear canal, and most of the hearing aid capacity is in the outer ear. The condition of the hearing aid blocking the ear canal was obvious and conspicuous, and it could not be said that the psychological burden on the hearing aid wearer was sufficiently alleviated.

As mentioned above, the sound emitting port of in-the-ear hearing aids is located near the entrance of the ear canal, so the volume of air trapped in the ear canal by the hearing aid is smaller than that of the earplugs of box-shaped or behind-the-ear hearing aids. There is almost no difference. Therefore, in order to obtain a sound pressure level comparable to that of a box-shaped hearing aid, an in-the-ear hearing aid must also have an output comparable to that of a box-shaped hearing aid. However, because of their small size, in-the-ear hearing aids have some limitations in increasing their output, and there have been technical difficulties in providing high-output in-ear hearing aids for people with severe hearing loss.

The above-mentioned problems can be solved by using an in-the-ear hearing aid with a thin shape that can be inserted sufficiently deep into the ear canal without protruding too much outside the ear canal. In other words, in this way, it is not noticeable even when wearing a hearing aid, and since the air volume in the ear canal when a hearing aid is worn is significantly reduced compared to before, the output of the electronic circuit to obtain the same sound pressure level as before is reduced. This is because less power is required, which reduces power consumption, and high-output hearing aids can be made, greatly increasing the practical value.

However, although such in-the-ear hearing aids that can be inserted deep into the ear canal have sufficient advantages as described above, there are the following problems that must be solved in order to realize them.

That is, 1. When such a hearing aid is worn for a long time, the humidity in the ear canal sealed by the hearing aid gradually increases. This situation is especially noticeable when the amount of exercise is high or when the patient is sick. This humidity and moisture can affect the electronic circuits and components of the hearing aid, and depending on your constitution, eczema may develop in the ear canal. For example, you may experience pain or discomfort in your eardrums when going up and down in an elevator or when taking off and landing on an airplane. This is caused by the difference between the pressure of the air sealed in the external auditory canal and the pressure on the inner ear side that changes through the European canal. In contrast, conventional hearing aids generally have a vent hole that connects the outside world and the inside of the ear canal alongside the sound guide tube to the microphone, but this is only possible if there is enough room in the overall structure. It is difficult to form pores in ultra-miniaturized in-the-ear hearing aids.

(Means for Solving the Problems) On the other hand, the present invention provides a hearing aid case that can be inserted deeply into the external auditory canal, and has an opening on the external auditory canal side and an opening on the external side at both ends. A hearing aid part in which a microphone, an amplifying part, an earphone, etc. are arranged in an elongated substantially straight line is housed in a hearing aid case, and a material that facilitates absorption and drainage is placed between the two openings on the outer periphery of the hearing aid part. be arranged.

(Example) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a hearing aid unit which includes various components that make the hearing aid a hearing aid, such as a microphone 1A, an amplifier IB, and an earphone 1C. This figure 1 is a simplified diagram, and the actual hearing aid part l has various parts, devices, and circuits added in addition to the above-mentioned components, and of course a power supply part is also provided, making it complicated. This is what has become. In order to adapt to the shape of an elongated external auditory canal, each component such as a microphone constituting the hearing aid section 1 is preferably elongated, and is therefore formed to be bendable. That is, if the hearing aid section is formed by installing various electronic components on a conventionally used so-called normal printed circuit board, it will not be possible to bend the hearing aid section. As the bendable means, there is a means of installing various parts on a long and thin flexible printed circuit board, or a means of connecting each part with an IJ-wire to establish mechanical and electrical connection. In this embodiment, the connection is made using a lead wire ID. The presence of this lead $ID provides flexibility to the entire hearing aid section 1.

2 is an elongated synthetic resin tube with openings at both ends, and the hearing aid section 1 is housed inside. The outer circumference of the hearing aid part 1 is connected to the tube 2.
By covering the hearing aid part 1 with the material, it becomes easy to handle the hearing aid part 1 as an integral part, and it becomes easy to insert the hearing aid part 1 into a hearing aid case, which will be described later. Further, the presence of the tube 2 can prevent excessive bending and deformation of the hearing aid section 1 due to external force to some extent, and can contribute to preventing breakage of the lead@ID, for example. In addition, considering that it is preferable that the hearing aid part 1 has flexibility as described above, the tube 2 is preferably a soft synthetic resin tube such as vinyl chloride.

Further, in consideration of ease of housing the hearing aid part 1 into the tube 2, it is preferable to use a tube that shrinks due to heat or the like. In this embodiment, the length of the tube 2 is slightly longer than that of the hearing aid part 1, so that both ends of the tube 2 are longer than the hearing aid part 1.
It also slightly covers both end faces. However, tube 2
The length of the hearing aid part 1 may be the same as that of the hearing aid part 1, or may be slightly shorter. Alternatively, the hearing aid part 1 may be covered with the tube 2, excluding the microphone 1A and the sound holes 1AA and 1CC of the earphone 1C. In short, it is sufficient to cover the sound hole 1AA of the microphone 1A and the sound hole 1CC of the earphone 1C so as to integrate the hearing aid part 1 without blocking them.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a material that facilitates absorption and drainage, and is provided on the outside of the tube 2 described above. Here, the substance 3 that easily absorbs and drains water is, for example, cotton yarn or woolen yarn that is a hydrophilic fiber, and in short, any material that can easily absorb moisture and moisture may be used. Some synthetic resins have such properties and can be used as appropriate. In this embodiment, a bag-like pouch is used, which is braided in a Menoshie shape using cotton yarn. When the hearing aid part 1 is stored in the pouch, the earphone 1C side closes,
The microphone 1A side is open. Also, since this pouch has a mesh structure, it does not interfere with the radiation of sound emitted from the earphones 1C. In this embodiment, since the bag is formed of the substance 3 that easily absorbs and drains, the earwax earphone sound hole 1C
It is convenient to prevent direct and large amounts of intrusion into C, and if the pouch becomes dirty, it can be cleaned or replaced.
The form of the substance that can be easily absorbed and drained is not limited to a bag, and a cylindrical body with openings at both ends may also be used. Furthermore, it is not necessary to cover the entire outer periphery of the hearing aid l with the material 3 that facilitates absorption and drainage. For example, one or more thread-like or elongated sheet-like materials 3 that facilitate absorption and drainage are placed on the outer periphery of the hearing aid 1. The hearing aid case may be disposed in the longitudinal direction from one end opening to the other end opening of the hearing aid case. The point is the opening on the external auditory canal side.
In order to quickly drain water and moisture that enters the hearing aid case from the outside opening Y to the outside world without retaining it inside the hearing aid case, the opening at one end of the hearing aid case (external auditory canal side opening X) is opened at the other end. It is sufficient that a substance that facilitates absorption and drainage is present toward (external world side opening Y). In addition, in this embodiment, the material 3 that facilitates absorption and drainage slightly protrudes outward from the outside opening Y of the hearing aid case, but this is to make the evaporation and dissipation of moisture more rapid, and it does not necessarily protrude. In short, it is sufficient that the substance 3 that can be easily absorbed and drained is communicated with the outside world. Therefore, even if the substance 3 that is easily absorbed and drained is formed shorter than the hearing aid case and is located inside the hearing aid case, it can be easily absorbed and drained. It is sufficient that the end of the sexual substance 3 is in contact with the outside world. This also applies to the material 3 that facilitates absorption and drainage at the opening X on the side of the ear canal of the hearing aid case, and therefore, it is sufficient that the material 3 that facilitates absorption and drainage is in contact with the external auditory canal side.

4 is a hearing aid case made of synthetic resin. It is advantageous to use a soft synthetic resin because it does not cause discomfort when worn in the ear and can be inserted deep into the ear canal. The hearing aid case 4 may be a pre-made case that approximately fits the ear canal of almost everyone, or a case molded from the outer ear including the ear canal of each hearing aid user. Of course, it is good to do so. In this embodiment, the former case is used. FIG. 2 shows the case when the latter hearing aid case 4 is used. 4A is the ear canal insertion part, and 4B is the outer ear part. It is convenient to be able to pull out the hearing aid from the ear canal by holding the outer ear part 4B. In this embodiment, the outer ear portion 4B of the hearing aid case 3 protrudes from the outer ear, which makes it noticeable, but if the hearing aid case 4 including this portion is colored in a flesh color, it will not feel so strange. . Additionally, the hearing aid case of the present invention
The hearing aid case is based on a hearing aid case having at least an elongated case portion that can be inserted deep into the ear canal, that is, an ear canal insertion portion.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention has a substance that can easily absorb and drain water from both openings of the hearing aid case, that is, from the opening on the side of the external auditory canal to the opening on the external side. It is possible to quickly expel it to the outside world through a substance that is easily absorbed and drained, and to ensure ventilation between the ear canal and the outside world, and ultimately to make a hearing aid that can be inserted deep into the ear canal a reality. can.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing another embodiment. 1...Hearing aid section, 1A...Microphone, IB...
Amplifying part, 1C...Earphone, 3...Easy absorption and drainage material, 4...Hearing aid case, X...External auditory canal side opening,
Y...Outside opening 1111! !

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an in-the-ear hearing aid that can be inserted deeply into the ear canal, an ear canal side opening (X) and an outside side opening (X) are provided at both ends, respectively.
A hearing aid part (1) in which a microphone (1A), an amplifying part (1B), an earphone (1C), etc. are arranged in a substantially straight line so as to be elongated is placed in a hearing aid case (4) formed with a hearing aid case (4). and both openings (X) on the outer periphery of the hearing aid part (1).
(Y) An in-the-ear hearing aid characterized in that a material (3) that facilitates absorption and drainage is disposed between the parts.