EP1578168B1 - Dispositif intra-auriculaire - Google Patents

Dispositif intra-auriculaire Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1578168B1
EP1578168B1 EP05014328A EP05014328A EP1578168B1 EP 1578168 B1 EP1578168 B1 EP 1578168B1 EP 05014328 A EP05014328 A EP 05014328A EP 05014328 A EP05014328 A EP 05014328A EP 1578168 B1 EP1578168 B1 EP 1578168B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
housing
ear
cover element
psi
user
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.)
Not-in-force
Application number
EP05014328A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1578168A2 (fr
EP1578168A3 (fr
Inventor
Hilmar Meier
Christoph Schwob
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.)
Sonova Holding AG
Original Assignee
Phonak AG
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 Phonak AG filed Critical Phonak AG
Priority to EP05014328A priority Critical patent/EP1578168B1/fr
Priority to DE602005025426T priority patent/DE602005025426D1/de
Priority to DK05014328.8T priority patent/DK1578168T3/da
Publication of EP1578168A2 publication Critical patent/EP1578168A2/fr
Publication of EP1578168A3 publication Critical patent/EP1578168A3/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1578168B1 publication Critical patent/EP1578168B1/fr
Not-in-force legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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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
    • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
    • H04R1/10—Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones
    • H04R1/1016—Earpieces of the intra-aural type
    • 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
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2225/00—Details of deaf aids covered by H04R25/00, not provided for in any of its subgroups
    • H04R2225/023—Completely in the canal [CIC] hearing aids
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2225/00—Details of deaf aids covered by H04R25/00, not provided for in any of its subgroups
    • H04R2225/025—In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2225/00—Details of deaf aids covered by H04R25/00, not provided for in any of its subgroups
    • H04R2225/43—Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2410/00—Microphones
    • H04R2410/07—Mechanical or electrical reduction of wind noise generated by wind passing a microphone
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2420/00—Details of connection covered by H04R, not provided for in its groups
    • H04R2420/07—Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2460/00—Details of hearing devices, i.e. of ear- or headphones covered by H04R1/10 or H04R5/033 but not provided for in any of their subgroups, or of hearing aids covered by H04R25/00 but not provided for in any of its subgroups
    • H04R2460/11—Aspects relating to vents, e.g. shape, orientation, acoustic properties in ear tips of hearing devices to prevent occlusion
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2499/00—Aspects covered by H04R or H04S not otherwise provided for in their subgroups
    • H04R2499/10—General applications
    • H04R2499/11—Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
    • 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
    • H04R25/55—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception using an external connection, either wireless or wired
    • H04R25/554—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception using an external connection, either wireless or wired using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
    • 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
    • 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
    • H04R25/658—Manufacture of housing parts

Definitions

  • the present invention is related to a device according to the pre-characterizing part of claim 1 as well as to uses of the in-ear device.
  • Hearing devices as well as communication devices that are inserted into a user's ear often pick up wind noise, in particular due to objects in close proximity and/or in the ear of the user.
  • the natural shape of the pinna though prevents a human being from being exposed to too much wind noise if the maximum wind velocity is below approximately 25 m/s. For higher wind velocities, wind noise can even result from the pinna itself. It must be noted however that already wind velocities below the given value can result in wind noise from the pinna because a strong dependency is given on the angle of wind incidence.
  • a hearing device or a communication device - is placed in the pinna, i.e. in the cavum-concha, or even in the ear canal, wind noise resulting from turbulences due to such an object occur and degrade the quality of hearing or communication because of a lowering of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
  • SNR signal-to-noise ratio
  • headsets For communication devices, such as cellular phones, headsets are used which are connected via a cable to the communication device. A microphone is attached to this cable in between the headset and the cellular phone in order to provide bidirectional transmission. Having said this it becomes apparent that strong winds lead to strong turbulences which in turn lead to disturbing noise and reduced signal-to-noise ratio.
  • the so-called "walkman" headsets with or without incorporated microphones - the latter being used in connection with MP3 players, for example - are not suitable for the intended use.
  • Standard “walkman” headphones also used for MP3 players like iPod or other portable communication devices like radio sets employ miniature dynamic receivers (also called earphones) and usually come with an acoustically transparent foam cover to protect the receiver from ear wax or other dirt.
  • miniature dynamic receivers also called earphones
  • the disadvantages of existing solutions are the wearing comfort (loose fit in the ear and cable) and the communication quality.
  • a hearing aid having an acoustic input aperture and a cover element covering the acoustic input aperture.
  • the cover element is received in the hearing aid housing and its surface is flush with that of said housing.
  • the cover element is made of a porous material. It has been found that wind noise due to turbulences particularly caused by strong winds has a major impact on the performance of such a known hearing aid in that the signal-to-noise ratio is rather low.
  • an in-the-ear hearing aid is shown with a shell of soft pliable thermoplastic material and a faceplate mounted on the shell at a lateral end.
  • one object of the present invention is to improve signal-to-noise ratio and to further reduce wind noise influence on the performance of in-ear devices, i.e. of hearing devices or communication devices.
  • the present invention is directed to a device comprising a housing to be inserted into an ear of a user, said housing comprising a lateral end defined by being a part of the housing which is directed towards surroundings if the housing is inserted into the ear, a medial end defined by being a part of the housing which is directed towards the inner ear of the user if the housing is inserted into the ear, said medial end comprising at least a medial opening, wherein at least the lateral end of the housing is covered by a cover element.
  • in-ear device as it is used throughout this specification must be understood as any device which is fully or partly inserted into the ear; in particular such a device might be one of the following:
  • the acoustically transparent cover element made of open porous foam covers at least the lateral end. Furthermore, the characteristics of the material for the cover element can best be described by one or several of the following properties:
  • the material for the cover element is reticulated foam which is a flexible polyurethane foam characterized by a three-dimensional skeletal structure with few or no membranes between strands.
  • the product is thermally reticulated, a process which removes the cell walls, leaving a material of skeletal structure having a void area of some 97%.
  • the thermal reaction considerably increases the physical strength of the material. This is achieved by the material removed in the process unblocking the cells being wrapped around the cell struts. This increases the strut thickness and results in an increased tensile strength and greater resistance to heat, abrasion and chemical attack.
  • Thermal reticulation is a post-manufacturing process that completely removes the membrane between foam cell strands, maximizing uniformity of the cell structure.
  • the flexibility and extendibility of the material for the cover element still allows operating a push bottom or a switch positioned at the lateral end of the housing.
  • the visible part of the cover element is either adapted to the skin color of the in-ear device user or has a fashion color in order to serve to catch the eye of other people.
  • a specific embodiment of the present invention in which at least one lateral opening is operatively connected to a corresponding medial opening via a canal or tube allows natural communication without being influenced by the in-ear device. Furthermore, if the in-ear device is equipped with a transmission unit, e.g. a FM-transmitter, communication via the transmission unit as well as natural communication with surroundings of the in-ear device user is possible at the same time.
  • a transmission unit e.g. a FM-transmitter
  • the present invention is particularly suitable for using in sports, for example by cycling teams guided by a team leader sitting, for example, in a service car, the team leader being able to communicate with all the team members. At the same time, natural communication between the team members is guaranteed.
  • the communication with the team leader can be unidirectional or bidirectional, wherein at least in the latter case a microphone must be provided in close proximity to a corresponding rider.
  • the present invention thus comprises a communication headset system being suitable to provide communication in a unidirectional or in a bidirectional way via a team radio while at the same time a direct, i.e. natural and unprocessed, communication between the team members is possible.
  • the in-ear devices according to the present invention may be individualized in that the shape of the housing is fitted to the topology of the user's ear. Thereby, the wearing comfort is maximized while the holding of the device in the ear is optimized at the same time.
  • FIG. 1 an in-ear device is depicted comprising a housing 1 and a cover element 2 according to the present invention.
  • the housing 1 has a lateral end 8 which is defined by being a part of the housing 1 which is directed towards surroundings if the housing 1 is inserted into the ear of a user.
  • the housing 1 has a medial end 6 which is defined by being a part of the housing 1 which is directed towards the inner ear of the user if the housing 1 is inserted into the ear of the user.
  • a housing section 16 is provided to complete the housing 1, the housing section 16 being individualized in that its shape is adapted to the topology of the user's ear in order to obtain an optimized user comfort and a maximized holding.
  • the housing 1 comprises components or elements which are schematically depicted in Fig. 1 .
  • a converter 4 is provided in close proximity of the medial end 6, an output port of the converter 4 being connected via a tube to the medial opening 5.
  • the converter 4 is, for example, an electro-acoustical converter, such as a speaker, that converts an electrical signal into an acoustical signal.
  • the converter is realized in such a way that a direct stimulation of the auditory nerve is possible.
  • Such a realization uses the technology of implantable devices.
  • the housing 1 further comprises a transmission unit 3 that can be implemented using different technology as it becomes apparent by the embodiment described further on.
  • the transmission unit 3 is a receiver unit for receiving radio signals coming from a walky-talky, for example.
  • the radio signal is schematically represented by an arrow 14 which points into the transmission unit 3.
  • Fig. 1 does not show a connection between the transmission unit 3 and the converter 4. In fact, these components are operatively connected either directly or via a signal processing unit (not shown in Fig. 1 ) in order to be able to transmit or exchange information which has been received by the transmission unit 3.
  • a signal processing unit not shown in Fig. 1
  • the housing 1 further comprises a canal 10 or tube-like connection between the medial opening 9 in the medial end 6 and a lateral opening 7 in the lateral end 8.
  • the cross-section of the canal 10 is adapted to fulfill requirements of acoustical transmission of sound from surroundings to the inner ear in order to enable natural communication as defined above. Therewith, it is possible for the user of the in-ear device to communicate directly with a person in the vicinity while at the same time information via the transmission unit 3 and the converter 4 can be heard by the user. It has been shown that - in order to obtain a sufficient cross-sectional area of the canal 10 - more than one canal 10 leads to a better transmission characteristic for sound to receive the inner ear of the user of the in-ear device.
  • two canals 10 are provided each of which connects a lateral opening 7 to a medial opening 9. Accordingly, the number of openings in the lateral end 8 and the medial end 6, respectively, is increased accordingly.
  • a cover element 2 acting as a wind screen which suppresses the wind noise that degrades the communication quality.
  • the quality of communication is improved for natural communication with co-riders (in this case for cyclists in sports application) and the communication via the team radio.
  • the cover element 2 can be described as an open porous and mechanically soft material with a certain average pore size and a certain thickness which depends on the required degree of wind noise suppression.
  • the cover element 2 is spanned over the entire lateral end 8 of the housing 1 that is visible from the outside.
  • the cover element 2 according to the present invention in particular prevents wind noise in two different ways. Due to the soft and open porous structure of the cover element 2 and the fact that the cover element 2 is covering the entire housing surface exposed to potential wind streams, it prevents the generation of additional wind noise caused by turbulent streams at the housing 1 in two ways:
  • the design of the canal 10 can be in the form of a tube, or can be designed with one or more openings into a hollow housing 1 on the lateral side, i.e. in the lateral end 8 of the housing 1, and one or more openings on the medial side, i.e. in the medial end 6 of the housing 1.
  • the entire housing 1 comprises at least one speaker 4 (also called earphone) and at least one transmission unit 3 as signal input device which can be an FM-(Frequency Modulated) radio receiver, a simple audio signal wire or one or more microphones.
  • speaker 4 also called earphone
  • transmission unit 3 as signal input device which can be an FM-(Frequency Modulated) radio receiver, a simple audio signal wire or one or more microphones.
  • FM-(Frequency Modulated) radio receiver a simple audio signal wire or one or more microphones.
  • a material for a cover element 2 as in general terms described above has one or more of the following properties:
  • the material for the cover element 2 is reticulated foam which is a flexible polyurethane foam characterized by a three-dimensional skeletal structure with few or no membranes between strands.
  • the product is thermally reticulated, a process which removes the cell walls, leaving a material of skeletal structure having a void area of some 97%.
  • the thermal reaction considerably increases the physical strength of the material. This is achieved by the material removed in the process unblocking the cells being wrapped around the cell struts. This increases the strut thickness and results in an increased tensile strength and greater resistance to heat, abrasion and chemical attack.
  • Thermal reticulation is a post-manufacturing process that completely removes the membrane between foam cell strands, maximizing uniformity of the cell structure.
  • a cover element 2 made of a material having at least one of the above-mentioned properties will be explained by referring to Figs. 1 and 2 , in which strong wind streams are indicated by the arrow 11. While the housing 1 of Fig. 1 is covered by a cover element 2 on the lateral end 8, the housing 1 of Fig. 2 is not covered at all. In the absence of a cover element 2, wind turbulences develop not only at edges, as for example at the lateral opening 7, but also at the housing 1 itself. These turbulences lead to wind noise propagating through the canal 10 into the ear of the user of the in-ear device.
  • the cover element 2 reduces the strong wind streams in that deformation of the cover element 2 occurs having the effect of diffracting the wind stream, and, for the wind stream entering the cover element 2, canalizing the wind stream therein. As a result, no or less wind turbulences develop and the signal-to-noise ratio is increase compared to a housing 1 having no cover element 2.
  • the in-ear device of Fig. 1 is inserted into an ear of the user.
  • the cover element 2 not only covers the part of the housing 1 facing the outside but also a part of the housing section 16. This has the advantage that the in-ear device is held by the cover element 2 because the compression load deflection of the material of the cover element 2 allows the build-up of holding forces when reacting with the concha.
  • the concha or the ear canal, respectively is completely covered by the cover element 2 in that there is no possibility that a gap is formed between the housing 1, i.e. the housing section 16, and the ear. Such a gap could otherwise again give rise to turbulences leading to wind noise entering the canal 10.
  • a further embodiment of the present invention having the same structure as the one shown in Fig. 3 consists in that the transmitter unit 3 does not directly communicate with the equipment (e.g. a walky-talky) of the team leader. Instead an intermediate transmission unit (not shown in Fig. 3 ) is provided which is in proximity to the inventive in-ear device.
  • a low power consuming wireless link e.g. Bluetooth or an inductive transmission link
  • a rather high power wireless link e.g. the mentioned FM-transmission
  • the in-ear device can operate longer with the same battery.
  • Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of the present invention in which a cable 21 is connected to the transmission unit 3, the cable 21 being connected to an intermediate transmission unit (not shown), for example.
  • a cable 21 is connected to the transmission unit 3, the cable 21 being connected to an intermediate transmission unit (not shown), for example.
  • an intermediate transmission unit not shown
  • it is to some extend also covered by the same material as the cover element 2.
  • FIG. 5 A yet another embodiment of the present invention is depicted in Fig. 5 showing a hearing device to improve the hearing of a hearing impaired user.
  • the converter 4 is in the simplest application a speaker
  • the transmission unit 3 ( Figs. 1 to 4 ) is a microphone recording sound and transmitting it to a signal processing unit (not shown in Fig. 5 ) in which the hearing impairment of the user is corrected as completely as possible.
  • the signal processing unit is operatively connected to the converter 4.
  • the converter 4 can be directly or indirectly be used to stimulate the acoustic nerve of the user by using implantable device technology.
  • the canal 10 is rather used as a so-called vent than for providing a sound inlet as it is the case for in-ear devices as described in connection with the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4 .
  • the cross-sectional area of a vent is just as large as it is necessary for pressure equalization between surroundings and the inner ear. A sound transmission through the canal 10 is prevented to a high extend since such sound transmission would generally confuse the hearing device user.
  • the inventive in-ear device can be used as a one or two way telecommunication system.
  • a one way communication system consists of a converter 4 (e.g. a speaker) and one transmission unit 3 acting as a receiver unit.
  • a two way "team radio" communication requires a transmission unit 3 being able to transmit data in a bidirectional manner, a converter 4 to listen to the team radio and a microphone 21 to pick up the voice of the in-ear device user.
  • the sound picked-up by the microphone 21 can be transmitted to an external receiver unit (e.g. a walky-talky) via the bidirectional transmission unit 3.
  • an external receiver unit e.g. a walky-talky
  • a further embodiment of the present invention comprises a cover element covering the entire ear (i.e. pinna) of the user preventing therewith also any turbulences resulting from the pinna.
  • the cover element is a cap made of the same material as disclosed above in connection with the cover element attached to the housing. This type of cover element is pulled over the upper part of the user's head or even over the entire head with the result that no turbulences at all must be dealt with.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Neurosurgery (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Headphones And Earphones (AREA)
  • Telephone Set Structure (AREA)

Claims (15)

  1. Un dispositif comprenant
    - une boîte (1) pour être insérée dans une oreille d'un utilisateur,
    ladite boîte (1) comprenant
    - un bout latéral (8) défini par étant une partie de la boîte (1) qui est positionné vers les alentours quand la boîte (1) est insérée dans l'oreille,
    - un bout médial (6) défini par étant une partie de la boîte (1) qui est positionné vers l'oreille interne de l'utilisateur quand la boîte (1) est insérée dans l'oreille, ledit bout médial comprenant au moins une ouverture médiale (5, 9),
    caractérisé en ce qu'au moins le bout latéral (8) complet de la boîte (1) est couvert par un élément de chape (2) fait en mousse réticulaire.
  2. Le dispositif selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que l'élément de chape (2) est fait en polyuréthane.
  3. Le dispositif selon une des revendications 1 à 2, caractérisé en ce que l'élément de chape (2) a au moins une des propriétés suivantes:
    - épaisseur de 1 à 4mm, en particulier de 1.5 mm à 2.5mm, en plus particulier d'environ 2.2mm;
    - taille de pore de 0.1 à 0.5mm, en particulier de 0.1 à 0.3m, en plus particulier d'environ 0.2mm;
    - densité de pore de 50 à 120 pores par inch, c'est-à-dire ppi, en particulier de 60 à 100 ppi, en plus particulier d'environ 80 ppi;
    - résistance à la traction de 10 à 50 psi, en particulier de 20 à 40 psi, en plus particulier d'environ 30 psi;
    - élongation au-dessus 200%, en particulier au-dessus 300%, en plus particulier d'environ 350%;
    - déflection de charge de pression à 25% de 0.2 à 0.5 psi, en particulier de 0.3 à 0.4 psi;
    - déflection de charge de pression à 65% de 0.35 à 0.75 psi, en particulier de 0.45 à 0.65 psi;
    - hydrofuge, c'est-à-dire hydro phobique;
    - oléo phobique.
  4. Le dispositif selon une des revendications 1 à 3, caractérisé en ce qu'au moins une partie visible de l'élément de chape (2) est adapté soit à la couleur de la peau de l'utilisateur ou à une couleur en vogue pour sauter aux yeux d'autres personnes.
  5. Le dispositif selon une des revendications 1 à 4, caractérisé en ce que le bout latéral (8) comprend au moins une ouverture latérale (7) qui est connectée à une ouverture médiale (5; 9) par un canal (10).
  6. Le dispositif selon une des revendications 1 à 5, caractérisé en ce que ledit bout latéral (8) comprend deux ouvertures latérales (7), chacune de celles est connectée à une ouverture médiale (5; 9) par un canal correspondant (10).
  7. Le dispositif selon une des revendications 1 à 6, caractérisé en ce que ladite boîte (1) en outre comprend une entité de convertisseur (4) agissant par le bout médial (6).
  8. Le dispositif selon la revendication 7, caractérisé en ce que ladite entité de convertisseur (4) est un convertisseur électro-acoustique ayant une liaison d'exit acoustique qui est relié fonctionnellement à une ouverture ultérieure (9).
  9. Le dispositif selon la revendication 7 ou 8, caractérisé en ce que ladite boîte (1) en outre comprend
    - au moins un microphone (3, 21) ayant une liaison d'input qui est relié fonctionnellement à une ouverture latérale ultérieure, et
    - une entité de traitement de signal qui est reliée fonctionnellement à au moins un microphone (3, 21) ainsi qu'à l'entité de convertisseur (4).
  10. Le dispositif selon une des revendications 7 à 9, caractérisé en ce que ladite boîte (1) en outre comprend une entité de transmission (3) qui est reliée fonctionnellement à l'entité de convertisseur (4).
  11. Le dispositif selon une des revendications 7 à 10, caractérisé en ce que ladite boîte (1) en outre comprend une entité de transmission (3) qui est relié fonctionnellement à l'entité de convertisseur (4).
  12. Le dispositif selon une des revendications 1 à 11, caractérisé en ce que l'élément de chape (2) est un couvercle couvrant le pavillon d'oreille.
  13. Le dispositif selon une des revendications 1 à 11, caractérisé en ce que l'élément de chape (2) est un couvercle couvrant la tête de l'utilisateur.
  14. Une utilisation du dispositif selon une des revendications 1 à 13 pour compenser une perte auditive d'un utilisateur.
  15. Une utilisation du dispositif selon une des revendications 1 à 13 pour une communication naturelle ainsi que pour communication à distance par un lien de transmission de fil ou sans fil.
EP05014328A 2005-07-01 2005-07-01 Dispositif intra-auriculaire Not-in-force EP1578168B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP05014328A EP1578168B1 (fr) 2005-07-01 2005-07-01 Dispositif intra-auriculaire
DE602005025426T DE602005025426D1 (de) 2005-07-01 2005-07-01 Im-Ohr-Gerät
DK05014328.8T DK1578168T3 (da) 2005-07-01 2005-07-01 Indretning til anbringelse i øret

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP05014328A EP1578168B1 (fr) 2005-07-01 2005-07-01 Dispositif intra-auriculaire

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1578168A2 EP1578168A2 (fr) 2005-09-21
EP1578168A3 EP1578168A3 (fr) 2006-02-01
EP1578168B1 true EP1578168B1 (fr) 2010-12-22

Family

ID=34833854

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP05014328A Not-in-force EP1578168B1 (fr) 2005-07-01 2005-07-01 Dispositif intra-auriculaire

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1578168B1 (fr)
DE (1) DE602005025426D1 (fr)
DK (1) DK1578168T3 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8201561B2 (en) 2006-10-23 2012-06-19 Klipsch Group, Inc. Ear tip

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8295505B2 (en) * 2006-01-30 2012-10-23 Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ab Earphone with controllable leakage of surrounding sound and device therefor
USD624901S1 (en) 2008-05-29 2010-10-05 Klipsch Group, Inc. Headphone ear tips
WO2011050862A1 (fr) * 2009-11-02 2011-05-05 Phonak Ag Système auditif comprenant une oreillette
US9088846B2 (en) 2013-08-14 2015-07-21 Klipsch Group, Inc. Oval variable wall earbud
US9369792B2 (en) 2013-08-14 2016-06-14 Klipsch Group, Inc. Round variable wall earbud
US9584895B2 (en) 2013-08-14 2017-02-28 Klipsch Group, Inc. Teardrop variable wall earbud
GB2555139A (en) 2016-10-21 2018-04-25 Nokia Technologies Oy Detecting the presence of wind noise

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3586794A (en) * 1967-11-04 1971-06-22 Sennheiser Electronic Earphone having sound detour path
US4349081A (en) * 1980-12-08 1982-09-14 Audrey Pepple Method for retaining a hearing aid in place and hearing aid harness
EP0847227B1 (fr) * 1998-03-02 2003-08-27 Phonak Ag Prothèse auditive
CA2330588A1 (fr) * 1998-04-29 1999-11-04 Sound Parts, Inc. Coques de couplage pour appareil auditif en materiau thermoplastique mou et souple
DE10046202A1 (de) * 2000-09-19 2002-03-28 Guenther Manz hfc-Maßohrpaßstück (Maßotoplastik) für Hör-Sprechgarnituren

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8201561B2 (en) 2006-10-23 2012-06-19 Klipsch Group, Inc. Ear tip

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1578168A2 (fr) 2005-09-21
DK1578168T3 (da) 2011-04-11
DE602005025426D1 (de) 2011-02-03
EP1578168A3 (fr) 2006-02-01

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