EP2023665B1 - Hearing aid with adjustable sound emission device - Google Patents

Abstract

The receiver unit (9) has an earpiece (13) for fixing the receiver unit in an ear canal (16). A receiver (11) is provided, which has a sound output direction. An adapter (14) for fastening the receiver in the earpiece. The adapter is arranged such that it turns the sound deflected from the sound output direction into a direction deviating from it.

Description

The present invention relates to a hearing device for a hearing device with an ear piece for fixing the earpiece in an ear canal, a listener who has a preferred sound exit direction and an adapter for mounting the earpiece in the ear piece, wherein a sound of the listener is passed through the adapter. The term hearing device is understood in particular to mean a hearing device. In addition, however, the term includes other portable acoustic devices such as headsets, headphones and the like.

Hearing aids are portable hearing aids that are used to care for the hearing impaired. In order to meet the numerous individual needs, different types of hearing aids such as behind-the-ear hearing aids (BTE), hearing aid with external receiver (RIC: receiver in the canal) and in-the-ear hearing aids (IDO), e.g. Concha hearing aids or canal hearing aids (ITE, CIC). The hearing aids listed by way of example are worn on the outer ear or in the ear canal. In addition, bone conduction hearing aids, implantable or vibrotactile hearing aids are also available on the market. The stimulation of the damaged hearing takes place either mechanically or electrically.

Hearing aids have in principle as essential components an input transducer, an amplifier and an output transducer. The input transducer is usually a sound receiver, z. As a microphone, and / or an electromagnetic receiver, for. B. an induction coil. The output transducer is usually used as an electroacoustic transducer, z. As miniature speaker, or as an electromechanical transducer, z. B. bone conduction, realized. The amplifier is usually integrated in a signal processing unit. This principal Construction is in FIG. 1 shown using the example of a behind-the-ear hearing aid. In a hearing aid housing 1 for carrying behind the ear, one or more microphones 2 for receiving the sound from the environment are installed. A signal processing unit 3, which is also integrated in the hearing aid housing 1, processes the microphone signals and amplifies them. The output signal of the signal processing unit 3 is transmitted to a loudspeaker or earpiece 4, which outputs an acoustic signal. The sound is optionally transmitted via a sound tube, which is fixed with an earmold in the ear canal, to the eardrum of the device carrier. The power supply of the hearing device and in particular of the signal processing unit 3 is carried out by a likewise integrated into the hearing aid housing 1 battery. 5

Hearing aids with external listeners are essentially designed such that a handset including a handset is interchangeably mounted in an individually shaped earmold. For this one needs an adapter, which receives an outstanding from the headset head element and thus attaches the earpiece in the earmold. This results in a long rigid structure, which is additionally extended by a Cerumenschutzelement, which can optionally be installed in the hearing aid.

The typical human ear canal has a sometimes more, sometimes less strongly curved entrance area. It is therefore advisable to use small and short handsets. Higher reinforcements, however, require long or large handset, which in total have a rigid long structure of the earmold result. Thus, there is a problem that due to the long construction of the earphone unit, no optimal adaptation to the auditory canal can be achieved. If the auditory canal is too curved, an individually shaped earmold with an external earphone is often dispensed with. Furthermore, difficulties arise when the sound generated by the listener in a strongly curved ear canal on a Wall of the Gehärgangs to be spent. There is the disadvantage that the sound from the wall is too much damped.

From the publication WO 96/21334 A1 For example, a hearing aid with a receiver module is known, which can be arranged in the vicinity of the eardrum. At the sound output of the receiver is a ball joint, by which the output direction of the sound can be varied.

Furthermore, the patent discloses CH 648 172 A5 a hearing aid to be worn in the ear, in which a coupler protrudes from the housing. The coupler is at a predetermined angle from the hearing aid housing and redirects the sound of a listener in a corresponding direction.

Furthermore, the patent describes US Pat. No. 5,960,095 a speaker assembly with adjustable directional characteristics. This arrangement has a carrier plate, a housing and a speaker. The speaker has a portion which is slidable relative to the interior of the housing to allow the adjustability of the directivity of the speaker relative to the carrier plate.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a receiver device for a hearing device in which a reliable adaptation to an auditory canal with regard to the sound outlet is made possible.

This object is achieved by a receiver device according to claim 1.

Advantageously, not only an adaptation of the receiver device to the auditory canal with respect to the shape is thus achieved, but also a better adaptation to the sound entry angle in the ear canal. Namely, the sound exit direction of the listener can be deflected in such a way that the sound is output by the earpiece at least approximately in the extension direction of the auditory canal. Thus, reflections of the sound on the walls of the ear canal are largely avoided and allows an obstacle-free propagation of sound in the direction of the eardrum.

Preferably, the adapter is curved to redirect the preferred sound exit direction in the deviating direction. A curvature of the adapter can be designed with little effort and cost. A further advantage of the embodiment is that the curved shape of the adapter causes the sound signal output by the listener to be emitted particularly precisely in the direction of the auditory canal.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the receiver device, the adapter may be bellows-shaped. A bellows-like configuration of the adapter makes it possible to variably adjust the curvature of the adapter and thus to further improve the adaptation. The curvature of the adapter can thus be designed individually, depending on the shape of the ear canal.

In a very preferred embodiment of the receiver device, the adapter is curved or bellows-shaped, wherein in addition the spherical alignment element, which has a continuous opening for the passage of sound, is pivotally mounted in the adapter, wherein the continuous opening of the spherical alignment element forms a sound outlet opening of the earpiece , and wherein the spherical alignment element is designed to deflect the sound from the preferred sound exit direction in the deviating direction. Thus, the ear piece can be shaped individually even with very strong curved ear canal. Because an adapter with too great a curvature is very difficult to insert into an earmold, e.g. be used at a curvature of 30 ° to reach a 15 ° curved adapter, the remaining 15 ° are taken over by the spherical alignment element.

The embodiment of the receiver without the curvature or the bellows-like shape of the adapter is particularly suitable for a less curved ear canal. Thus, the sound exit direction can be adjusted so that the Sound from the ear canal is not reflected and not attenuated.

In a further particularly advantageous embodiment of the receiver device, a cerumen protection element is integrated in the adapter or in the spherical alignment element. Through the Cerumenschutzelement the sound outlet opening of the receiver and in particular the listener is protected from cerumen.

FIG 1

einen schematischen Aufbau eines Hinter-dem-Ohr-Hörgeräts gemäß dem Stand der Technik;

FIG 2

eine nicht beanspruchte Hörereinrichtung;

FIG 3

eine erfindungsgemäße Hörereinrichtung gemäß einem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel;

FIG 4

die erfindungsgemäße Hörereinrichtung gemäß dem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel mit verändertem Schallaustrittswinkel;

FIG 5

eine erfindungsgemäße Hörereinrichtung gemäß einem zweiten Ausführungsbeispiel.

The present invention will be further explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1

a schematic structure of a behind-the-ear hearing aid according to the prior art;

FIG. 2

an unclaimed handset ;

FIG. 3

a receiver device according to the invention according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 4

the inventive hearing device according to the first embodiment with a modified sound exit angle;

FIG. 5

a receiver device according to the invention according to a second embodiment.

According to the sketch of FIG. 2 For example, for a better understanding of the invention illustrated but not claimed hearing device 9 includes an earmold 13, in which a receiver unit including a receiver housing 10 and a receiver 11 is mounted interchangeably. In place of the earmold another ear piece, such as a so-called "ear tip", which is not individually shaped, can be used. The earmold 13 can be inserted into a human ear canal. The handset 11 has a frusto-conical sound output 12, which is from the listener housing 10 protrudes and is received in an adapter 14 and is held in an annular incision. In this case, the adapter 14 has the task of securing the earphone unit in the earmold 13.

The adapter 14 essentially has a fastening part 14a, in which the sound outlet 12 of the receiver 11 is received, and a sound output part 14b, which defines an outlet direction of the sound to be transmitted by the adapter 14. Usually, the adapter 14 is designed so that a defined by the sound output 12 of the receiver 11 preferred sound exit direction is not affected by the adapter 14. Because this results in a non-optimal coupling of the output sound in the ear canal 16 and ear canal, in the present case, the basic idea is to design the adapter 14 so that the preferred sound exit direction originally defined by the sound output 12 of the receiver 11 is deflected by the adapter 14. For this purpose, the sound output part 14b of the adapter 14 is formed angled to the fastening part 14a, so that the adapter 14 has a curvature.

As in FIG. 2 As shown, the curvature of the adapter 14 makes it possible to better align the sound generated by the earpiece 11 with respect to the auditory canal 16. It can be seen that the sound is not emitted as usual at an edge of the ear canal 16 but to the ear canal 16 in such a way that the sound can propagate directly to a tympanic membrane. Reflections of the sound on the wall of the ear canal 16 are avoided.

To protect the listener, in particular the sound output 12, in the earmold 13 between the adapter 14 (more precisely, the sound output part 14b) and a sound outlet opening 17, a cerumen protection device 15 with a cerumen protection element 20 integrated therein is used. This cerumen protection device 15 substantially extends the Structure of the receiver device 9, so that in the conventional solution with just designed adapter, the use of the cerumen protection device can be problematic. As in FIG. 2 can be seen, the skilful curvature of the adapter 14 allows easy use of the cerumen protection device 15. Furthermore, a larger receiver 11 can be installed in the receiver 9 in favor of higher amplifications of the sound.

According to a first embodiment of the inventive hearing device 9, a deflection of the propagation direction of the sound generated by the receiver 11 by means of a spherical alignment element 18 can be realized. This in FIG. 3 illustrated embodiment of the receiver device 9 is particularly suitable for less curved ear canals (for more curved ear canals see second embodiment, FIG. 5 ). The spherical alignment element 18 is pivotally mounted in the adapter 14, so that a deflection of the direction of the exiting sound can be designed arbitrarily. The spherical alignment member 18 is in a rotated position in FIG FIG. 4 shown. The sound generated by the receiver 11 is guided through a continuous opening 19 of the spherical alignment element 18, which here forms the sound outlet opening 17. The spherical alignment member 18 is oriented so that the sound is conducted directly to the eardrum. In addition, the spherical alignment element 18 is designed so that it takes over the cerumen protection function: the cerumen protection element 20 is integrated into the spherical alignment element 18.

According to a in FIG. 5 illustrated second embodiment of the receiver device 9, the spherical alignment member 18 is also used in addition to the curved adapter 14. It makes sense to use this embodiment in a highly curved ear canal 16. It is important to remember that the curvature of the adapter 14 can not be arbitrarily designed. This results in difficulties when inserting a very strongly curved adapter 14 in the earmold 13. In the earpiece 9 of FIG. 5 the deflection of the sound direction can be realized on the one hand by the adapter 14 and on the other hand by the spherical alignment element 18, so that an overall optimal alignment of the sound to the ear canal 16 is achieved.

Claims (3)

1. Receiver device (9) for a hearing apparatus with

   - an earpiece (13) for securing the receiver device (9) in an auditory canal (16),

   - a receiver (11) with a preferred sound outlet direction,

   - an adapter (14) for affixing the receiver (11) in the earpiece (13), with a sound from the receiver (11) being conducted through the adapter (14), and with

   - the adapter (14) being designed such that it diverts the sound from the preferred sound outlet direction in a divergent direction,
   characterised in that

   - a spherical directing element (18) with an end-to-end opening (19) for allowing sound to pass through, is mounted rotatably in the adapter (14), with the end-to-end opening (19) in the spherical directing element (18) forming a sound outlet opening (17) of the earpiece (13), and with the spherical directing element (18) being designed to divert the sound from the preferred sound outlet direction in the divergent direction.
2. Receiver device according to claim 1, with the adapter (14) being curved or being realized like a bellow.
3. Receiver device according to one of the preceding claims, with a cerumen protection element (20) being integrated in the adapter (14) or in the spherical directing element (18).

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