EP0311233A2 - Berührungskontakte zur Lautstärkenregelung eines Hörgerätes - Google Patents

Berührungskontakte zur Lautstärkenregelung eines Hörgerätes Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0311233A2
EP0311233A2 EP88304536A EP88304536A EP0311233A2 EP 0311233 A2 EP0311233 A2 EP 0311233A2 EP 88304536 A EP88304536 A EP 88304536A EP 88304536 A EP88304536 A EP 88304536A EP 0311233 A2 EP0311233 A2 EP 0311233A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
hearing aid
face plate
battery
battery door
touch
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP88304536A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0311233A3 (de
Inventor
Jorgen Heide
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Richards Medical Co
Original Assignee
Richards Medical Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Richards Medical Co filed Critical Richards Medical Co
Publication of EP0311233A2 publication Critical patent/EP0311233A2/de
Publication of EP0311233A3 publication Critical patent/EP0311233A3/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
    • H04R25/50—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
    • H04R25/502—Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics using analog signal processing
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
    • H04R25/65—Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2300/00—Orthogonal indexing scheme relating to electric switches, relays, selectors or emergency protective devices covered by H01H
    • H01H2300/004—Application hearing aid
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
    • H04R25/65—Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture
    • H04R25/652—Ear tips; Ear moulds

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to hearing aids and, more particularly, to touch contacts for use in controlling the volume of a hearing aid.
  • Hearing aids are miniaturized devices generally placed in or behind the ear and are used to amplify sounds for the hearing impaired.
  • Hearing aids include some means of volume control to allow battery life to be extended and to allow for comfortable listening levels by the user.
  • the volume control has been a variable resistor or potentiometer and is mounted to a plate or face plate on the hearing aid so that a knob or screw adjuster attached to the wiper arm of the variable resistor is used to change the resistance and thereby change the amplification levels of the hearing aid.
  • this knob or screw adjuster used for volume control is very small and very hard to use, particularly for users which also have decreased sensitivity and dexterity. It is desirable to have a hearing aid volume control which is easier to use than the very small knobs conventionally used with variable resistors.
  • a touch sensitive hearing aid was disclosed in U.S. patent 4,679,240, by this inventor.
  • the design uses at least three separate contacts for use with a touch sensitive volume control circuit.
  • One contact is used in combination with the common contact to signify a desired increase in the volume, while a second contact is used in combination with the common contact to signify a decrease in the desired volume or amplification levels of the hearing aid. While this design improved over the use of the knobs and variable resistors of previous designs, the use of three or four touch contacts required a minimum physical spacing on the hearing aid, which for hearing aids of different or smaller configurations is difficult to obtain.
  • the touch contacts of an embodiment of the present invention are adapted to be placed in a small environment and yet be readily accessible by the finger of the user to allow ease in changing the volume of the hearing aid.
  • the circuitry of the hearing aid is designed to require the use of only two touch sensitive contacts for allowing volume changes of the hearing aid. Touching the two contacts a first time and holding the contacts increases the volume, while touching the contacts a second time and holding the contacts results in a decrease in the volume of the hearing aid.
  • the touch contacts are preferably located adjacent a battery door of the hearing aid.
  • the battery door commonly has located adjacent to it guides or guide lips which extend past the battery door, the guides thereby forming the most prominent portion of the hearing aid.
  • the touch contacts are preferably formed of gold-­plated wire which is placed along the edge of each guide, thereby placing the touch contacts in the most prominent position of the hearing aid and yet not requiring additional space on the face plate or cover of the hearing aid.
  • the user merely touches the face plate of the hearing aid, which generally results in the touching of the battery door and adjacent guides. Since the face plate is usually the most prominent and accessible portion of the hearing aid, the two contacts are easy to touch to effect the appropriate and desired volume change.
  • an embodiment of a hearing aid in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the letter H.
  • the hearing aid H contains a housing portion 10 which is adapted to be inserted in an ear canal (not shown) and perform the function of an in-the-ear hearing aid.
  • a face plate 12 forms the portion of the hearing aid H which is visible or accessible when the hearing aid H is installed in the ear.
  • a microphone port 14 is formed in the face plate 12 for allowing sound to be transmitted to a microphone 40 (Fig. 5) contained in the housing 10.
  • a battery door 16 is pivotally connected to the face plate 12 and opens in the direction of arrow A to allow removal, changing or insertion of a battery 42 that is necessary for the hearing aid circuitry to function.
  • a pair of battery guides 18 project from the outer surface of the face plate 12 and are located adjacent to the battery door 16 and perpendicular to the face plate 12.
  • the guides 18 effectively provide and form sides to the battery door 16 and hold the battery 42 in place as the door 16 opens and closes.
  • a pair of touch contact wires 20, described in greater detail below, are positioned on the edge of the guides 18.
  • Fig. 2 shows a face plate assembly F having a battery door 16 installed on an uncut face plate 22.
  • the face plate assembly F initially starts out as a large round disk on which the battery door 16 and the guides 18 are installed.
  • a face plate assembly of this type is available commercially from sources known to those skilled in the art.
  • the touch contact wires 20 are then added.
  • the face plate 22 is cut by the hearing aid manufacturer to form the face plate 12 shown in Fig. 1, which is attached to the housing 10 of the hearing aid H.
  • the guides 18 include hinge assemblies 24 (Fig. 3), which allow the battery door 16 to pivot away from the face plate 22 in the direction of the arrow A (Fig. 1) and allow easy changing of the battery 42.
  • the guides 18 have a discrete thickness and are formed perpendicular to the face plate 22 to form sides of the battery door 16. This structure allows the battery door 16 to project above the face plate 22 a short distance so that the door 16 can easily be opened and closed by grasping a handle portion 19.
  • Terminals 28 (Fig. 4) for contacting the battery 42 so that power can be supplied to the circuitry of Fig. 5 are located beneath the face plate 12 in the hearing aid H.
  • the touch contact wires 20 are installed along the outer edges of the guides 18 and enter the body of the hearing aid H through holes 26 formed in the face plate 22. Since the guides 18 project above the battery door 16 (Fig. 4), the touch contact wires 20 are located at the most prominent portion of the hearing aid H. This location allows the user to touch both of the touch contact wires 20 easily, thereby allowing the hearing aid amplification circuitry C to sense the touch of a finger for changing the volume as described below.
  • the amplification circuitry C (Fig. 5) is adapted for use with two touch contact wires 20. Sound waves are received by a microphone 40, which produces an output signal 100. The microphone output signal 100 is filtered by a capacitor 102 to remove any direct current components of the signal 100 and is provided to the input 104 of a first class A amplifier 106. A series combination of two resistors 110, 112 is connected from the output 108 to the input 104 of the amplifier 106 to set portions of the feedback resistance and therefore gain of the amplifier 106.
  • the output terminals 116 of a programmable transconductance block 114 Connected across one of the resistors 110 are the output terminals 116 of a programmable transconductance block 114.
  • the output terminals 116 are connected to a controlled resistance internal to the transconductance block 114.
  • the transconductance block 114 uses a capacitor 118 connected to ground to set an oscillator frequency. Additionally, the transconductance block 114 is connected to each of the touch contact wires 20.
  • the transconductance block 114 varies the resistance developed between the output terminals 116 based on touches of the touch contact wires 20. Touching the touch contact wires 20 a first time causes the effective output resistance, and therefore amplifier 106 gain, to increase as the contact is maintained, at a rate based on the oscillator frequency. Touching the touch contact wires 20 a second time causes the effective output resistance, and therefore the amplifier 106 gain, to decrease as the contact is maintained. Repeated contacts of the touch contact wires 20 cause the resistance
  • the output terminals 116 of the transconductance block 114 are connected across the resistor 110 so that minimum and maximum gains of the amplifier 106 are set by the fixed resistors 110, 112 and damage to the hearing of the user is prevented, while at the same time not allowing the gain to go below a minimum usable amount and allowing the gain to be varied between the minimum and maximum amounts.
  • the output 108 of the first amplifier 106 is connected to the input 120 of a second class A amplifier 122.
  • the second amplifier 122 is configured in a fixed gain arrangement through the use of two resistors 124, 126 connected to the amplifier 122.
  • a speaker or receiver 46 is connected to the output 128 of the amplifier 122 and to the positive supply to provide a means for converting the amplified signal back into sound waves for transmission to the user's middle ear structure.
  • the touch contact wires 20 are preferably gold-plated for improved sensitivity and lack of corrosion. However, other conductive materials, such as silver or copper, would be suitable for this purpose.
  • the wires 20 are affixed to the guides 18 by suitable adhesive means.
  • touch contact wires 20 can also be used with a hearing aid H having a battery door adapted for placement of the battery with the battery axis perpendicular to the plane of the face plate 12 and on other battery arrangements and battery door configurations which have been and can be developed.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Neurosurgery (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)
EP88304536A 1987-10-05 1988-05-19 Berührungskontakte zur Lautstärkenregelung eines Hörgerätes Withdrawn EP0311233A3 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US10484087A 1987-10-05 1987-10-05
US104840 1987-10-05

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0311233A2 true EP0311233A2 (de) 1989-04-12
EP0311233A3 EP0311233A3 (de) 1990-06-06

Family

ID=22302672

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP88304536A Withdrawn EP0311233A3 (de) 1987-10-05 1988-05-19 Berührungskontakte zur Lautstärkenregelung eines Hörgerätes

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0311233A3 (de)
JP (1) JPH0197100A (de)
AU (1) AU2297588A (de)

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0591791A1 (de) * 1992-10-07 1994-04-13 Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH Programmierbares Hörhilfegerät
WO1998047319A1 (en) * 1997-04-15 1998-10-22 Tøpholm & Westermann APS A compact modular in-the-ear hearing aid
US6320969B1 (en) * 1989-09-29 2001-11-20 Etymotic Research, Inc. Hearing aid with audible alarm
NL1016684C2 (nl) * 2000-11-22 2002-05-23 Beltone Netherlands B V Hoorapparaat.
EP1404151A1 (de) * 2002-09-25 2004-03-31 Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH Im Ohr tragbares Hörgerät mit einem Gehäuse
US7443992B2 (en) 2004-04-15 2008-10-28 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Method and apparatus for modular hearing aid
US8031044B2 (en) 2006-12-13 2011-10-04 Phonak Ag Switching element for actuating an adjustable parameter
US8144905B2 (en) 2003-02-27 2012-03-27 Oticon A/S Volume control in a hearing aid and hearing aid with volume control

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2684812B2 (ja) * 1990-03-27 1997-12-03 リオン 株式会社 挿耳形補聴器

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4598177A (en) * 1985-01-16 1986-07-01 Sears, Roebuck, & Co. Hearing aid with self-contained battery compartment and volume control
US4679240A (en) * 1985-04-15 1987-07-07 Richards Medical Company Touch sensitive hearing aid volume control circuit

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4598177A (en) * 1985-01-16 1986-07-01 Sears, Roebuck, & Co. Hearing aid with self-contained battery compartment and volume control
US4679240A (en) * 1985-04-15 1987-07-07 Richards Medical Company Touch sensitive hearing aid volume control circuit

Cited By (17)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6320969B1 (en) * 1989-09-29 2001-11-20 Etymotic Research, Inc. Hearing aid with audible alarm
US5404407A (en) * 1992-10-07 1995-04-04 Siemens Audiologische Technik Gmbh Programmable hearing aid unit
EP0591791A1 (de) * 1992-10-07 1994-04-13 Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH Programmierbares Hörhilfegerät
US7321663B2 (en) 1997-04-15 2008-01-22 Widex A/S Compact modular in-the-ear hearing aid
WO1998047319A1 (en) * 1997-04-15 1998-10-22 Tøpholm & Westermann APS A compact modular in-the-ear hearing aid
US6430296B1 (en) 1997-04-15 2002-08-06 Topholm & Westermann Aps Compact modular in-the-ear hearing aid
US6678385B2 (en) 1997-04-15 2004-01-13 Widex A/S Compact modular in-the-ear hearing aid
US7024012B2 (en) 1997-04-15 2006-04-04 Widex A/S Compact modular in-the-ear hearing aid
NL1016684C2 (nl) * 2000-11-22 2002-05-23 Beltone Netherlands B V Hoorapparaat.
EP1209947A1 (de) * 2000-11-22 2002-05-29 Beltone Netherlands B.V. Hörgerät
EP1404151A1 (de) * 2002-09-25 2004-03-31 Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH Im Ohr tragbares Hörgerät mit einem Gehäuse
US7191867B2 (en) 2002-09-25 2007-03-20 Siemens Audiologische Technik Gmbh Hearing aid device that can be worn in the ear with a housing
US8144905B2 (en) 2003-02-27 2012-03-27 Oticon A/S Volume control in a hearing aid and hearing aid with volume control
US7443992B2 (en) 2004-04-15 2008-10-28 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Method and apparatus for modular hearing aid
US8055002B2 (en) 2004-04-15 2011-11-08 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Method and apparatus for modular hearing aid
US8428282B2 (en) 2004-04-15 2013-04-23 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Method and apparatus for modular hearing aid
US8031044B2 (en) 2006-12-13 2011-10-04 Phonak Ag Switching element for actuating an adjustable parameter

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPH0197100A (ja) 1989-04-14
EP0311233A3 (de) 1990-06-06
AU2297588A (en) 1989-04-06

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