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
  • H04R25/65—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
  • H04R25/55—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
  • H04R25/552—Binaural
• • 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
• • 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
  • H04R2225/51—Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for 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
  • H04R2225/77—Design aspects, e.g. CAD, of hearing aid tips, moulds or housings
• • 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
  • H04R25/60—Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles
  • H04R25/609—Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles of circuitry

Definitions

• the present invention departs from a manufacturing method for hearing devices wherein a three-dimensional model of the application area is made.
• the model is adjusted or treated by a modelling operation and a shell for the hearing device is produced departing from the addressed treated model.
• at least one unit e.g. an input acoustical-to-electric converter arrangement, an output acoustical-to-mechanical converter arrangement, a signal processing unit, a wireless transmitter and/or receiver unit with respective antennas or ports, a faceplate, a battery compartment, etc. is assembled within the shell.
• a method of manufacturing a hearing device wherein a three-dimensional model of the application area for the device at an individual is made and the model is further treated by modelling.
• a shell of the hearing device is produced departing from the treated model and at least one unit is assembled with the shell as has been produced. Treating the model includes providing a three-dimensional orientation system to the model for local orientation relative thereto.
• the addressed modelling includes adding the model of a unit and/or removing or adding a part from or to the model of the application area.
• Information indicative for the location where to add a unit and/or where to remove or add a part, is preserved. Thereby such locations, including orientation, are considered relative to the orientation system.
• Producing the shell includes assigning a marking to the shell which marking identifies the three-dimensional orientation system.
• Assembling includes controlling the local arrangement i.e. positioning and/or orientation of the unit at the shell and/or of removing and/or adding a part from or to the shell, based on the three-dimensional - 3D - orientation system as it is identified at the shell and further based on the addressed information which is indicative for the relative location including orientation of the units and/or of removing or adding as conceived during the modelling step.
• the three- dimensional model of the application area is made by in- situ scanning the application area.
• the three- dimensional model of the application area is made by taking a mold of this area and scanning the mold.
• the treatment by modelling is done digitally i.e. upon such digital model e.g. being displayed three-dimensionally on a display screen. Only when the mold of the application area is treated by manual modelling then such modelling is obviously not performed digitally.
• assigning the marking comprises producing a marking at the shell.
• marking includes at least one of embossments and of projections at a surface of the shell.
• applying the three-dimensional orientation system in one embodiment comprises linking a marking to the mold, preferably during taking the mold.
• applying the three-dimensional orientation system comprises, in one embodiment, linking a marking to the scan.
• the marking is selected to identify the horizontal line of sight direction of the individual.
• applying the three- dimensional orientation system comprises linking a positioning structure for a unit to the model.
• the model of a specific unit is added during the modelling step to the model of the application area at the desired location and with a desired orientation with respect to the application area.
• a holding member or positioning member for properly retaining such positioning and/or orientation of the unit is planned at the model.
• Such holding or positioning member is produced together with the shell and, in addition to its intrinsic positioning function, exploited for identifying the three- dimensional orientation system at the shell.
• a cutting contour e.g. for applying a faceplate
• such cutting contour too may be exploited for identifying during the assembling the addressed three-dimensional orientation system.
• applying the three-dimensional orientation system comprises applying guiding members to the model which guide assembling of a unit, which is in one embodiment a faceplate, to the shell.
• guiding members do on one hand significantly facilitate assembling and on the other hand serve for identifying the three-dimensional orientation system for properly locating and orienting additional units to the shell during assembling.
• such guiding members may be realised by guiding pins which project from the surface of the shell and which are brought generically in a registering position with a faceplate.
• a hearing device may further be a device to positively improve individual's acoustical perception, whether such individual has an impaired perception or not.
• the hearing device is tailored so as to improve the perception of a hearing-impaired individual, then we speak of a hearing aid device.
• a hearing device may especially be applied behind the ear, in the ear or even completely in the ear canal. Accordingly, the requirements with respect to compactness of construction become more and more severe.
• Such a system may e.g. be a right-handed Cartesian coordinate system, where a set of six scalars define each vector in three-dimensional space.
• Fig. 1 by means of a functional-block diagram customary methods of hearing device manufacturing
• Fig. 2 in a block-diagrammatic representation in analogy to that of fig. 1 a first embodiment of the present invention whereat embossments and/or protrusions are realised at the shell for identifying a three-dimensional orientation system improving assembling accuracy;
• FIG. 3 m a block-diagrammatic representation a further embodiment of the present invention whereat the three-dimensional orientation system is provided at a mold or at a support of a mold;
• Fig. 4 schematically, exploiting the horizontal direction of sight of an individual as part of an orientation system for in situ scanning
• Fig. 5 in a representation analogous to that of fig. 4 exploiting the direction of horizontal sight of an individual as a part of the orientation system for mold-taking and mold-scanning technique;
• Fig. 6 a schematic representation of mold modelling
• Fig. 8 m a perspective view, a further embodiment of the present invention whereat during modelling guiding members for faceplate assembling are provided which additionally define for the three- dimensional orientation system;
• Fig. 9 m a representation according to that of fig. 8 a further step towards assembling a faceplate to a shell based on the guiding members still defining for the three-dimensional orientation system;
• Fig. 12 schematically and by means of a functional- block/signal-flow diagram, positioning of an orientation-sensitive unit (OSU) at an application area;
• OSU orientation-sensitive unit
• Fig. 13 departing from the technique as explained m context with fig. 12 a technique of finding optimum mutual positioning of antennas at a binaural hearing system;
• Fig. 14 by means of a block-diagram, exploitation of a positioning technique as has been addressed in figs. 12 and 13 for defining and identifying the three-dimensional orientation system;
• Fig. 15 to 17 a further embodiment for accurately locating and orienting an OSU m a mold taken from the application area;
• Fig. 18 in a simplified representation a further embodiment for proper locating and orienting a unit at a model including the application area as well as a further significant part of individual's head;
• Fig. 19 departing from the teaching of fig. 18 most simplified an embodiment for geometrically linking position and orientation of a part of a mold to a specific area of individual's head;
• FIG. 20 more generalised the approach as exemplified in fig. 19 thereby additionally showing provision of the three-dimensional orientation system as exploited according to the present invention
• Fig. 21 a technique as exemplified in fig. 19 applied for binaural hearing devices
• Fig. 22 a further embodiment by which especially communication antennas of the hearing devices in a binaural hearing system are properly aligned and where respective mounts for such antennas define for a respective three-dimensional orientation system for assembling each of the two devices, and
• Fig. 23 most schematically, the principal of one aspect of the present invention, namely of establishing an external orientation system e.g. bound to individual's head for accurate assembling of units .
• the generic object of the present invention and under its different aspects is related to positioning specific units within or at a shell of a hearing device.
• Customary manufacturing methods for hearing devices are shown in fig. 1 in functional-block representation.
• fig. 1 there is shown by ref. no. 3 an ear of an individual with an application area 1 whereat the hearing device, individualised for the specific individual, shall be applied.
• the application area 1 is shown as the ear canal of the ear 3.
• the three- dimensional shape of the application area 1 is scanned leading to a digital model 5 of the application area 1.
• the digital model 5 is displayed e.g. at a computer display and a specialised person performs modelling 9 of the digital model 5 of the application area. Such person thereby performs e.g. digital cutting, digitally removing "material” from or digitally adding "material” to the digital model 5.
• additional units e.g. acoustical-to-electrical input converters, signal processing units, electrical-to-mechanic output converters are digitally placed and oriented in the digital model. This is performed with the help of known CAD software.
• the result of modelling 9, in the case presently considered, is still a digital model 11 of the shell of the hearing device to be manufactured.
• the digital shell-model 11 - in fact a set of data representing such model - is transferred to a production facility 13 where the shell is produced controlled by the data of the digital shell-model 11 and e.g. with a technique as is described in the WO 01/0507 of the same applicant as the present application.
• the hearing device is assembled as shown at 15. Either manually or at least to a part computer-aided, the respective units are assembled with the shell. Thereby, the person or machine performing assembling has obviously present information as to which kind of units are to be assembled with the specific hearing device shell to meet the needs of the individual.
• modelling 9 up to assembling of the device at step 15, most different organisations exist with respect to the locations where the different steps are performed.
• in-situ scanning 5 and thereby preparing the digital model may be performed at a first location e.g. at a scanning center
• modelling 9 may then be performed at a second location, e.g. at a respectively equipped modelling center
• production 13 of the shell may be performed still at a third location, e.g. at a manufacturing center with respective equipment.
• assembling - 15 - may be done at a fourth location.
• modelling 9 is performed remote from assembling 15.
• a second customary technique of manufacturing a hearing device the formerly addressed in-situ scanning is replaced, as also shown in fig. 1, by taking a mold of the application area 1 at a step 7 and then ex-situ scanning the mold 7 to result in a digital model of the application area as shown at step 5 7 .
• This digital model of the mold is further treated as was explained with respect to the digital model as a result of step 5. With respect to different locations where these steps are performed, the same considerations are valid as addressed above.
• a mold of the application area 1 is taken at a step 7.
• modelling 17 is manually performed on the mold. Thereby the outer shape of the mold is adjusted by manual cutting operations, adding material or removing material.
• a modelled mold results at a step 18 which has the outer shape of the shell to be manufactured.
• the shell is molded at a step 19, which is additionally trimmed manually.
• the molded shell e.g. for an in the ear hearing device, may be cut e.g. for exactly delimiting a plane where the faceplate has to be applied.
• the additional units which where addressed above are assembled with the shell, resulting in a completed hearing device .
• step 7 of taking the mold in-situ may be performed at a location remote from step 17 of manual, latter remote from step 19 of shell-molding and latter remote from step 21 of assembling.
• Units which are most sensitive with respect to their spatial location and orientation with respect to the application area or individual's head once they are applied to the individual are e.g. acoustical-to- electrical input converters, i.e. microphone arrangements, input/output ports of wireless signal receivers and - transmitters, especially antennas for such receivers and/or transmitters .
• a third category of localization and/or orientation problem of units within the shell of a hearing device occurs when units placed at different locations of individual's body have to be placed and/or oriented in an accurate mutual relationship. This is especially true for input/output ports of wireless signal receivers and transmitters which are operated in mutual communication, as especially the addressed antennas for such receivers and/or transmitters. Such antennas must not only be placed and orientated accurately with respect to the application area, thus under the aspect of "head-related orientation", but additionally have to be in an accurate mutual orientation. We call this orientation problem "unit to unit orientation”.
• the present invention under its different aspects deals with the problem of "modelling/assembling information loss” and/or with the problem of "related orientation”.
• a first embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown by means of a functional-block representation in analogy to that of fig. 1.
• hearing device manufacturing considered follows either of the digital techniques shown in fig. 1, i.e. along sequence of steps 3/5/9 to 15 or 3/7/5 7 /9 to 15.
• a positioning marking 23 is introduced into the digital model.
• the resulting digital shell-model ll Ma has thus a marking which defines a shell-related orientation system, e.g. a Cartesian coordinate system.
• the marking applied to the model ll Ma is of a type which results, during shell manufacturing in step 13 Ma/ in a respective marking of the real shell, e.g. defining a Cartesian coordinate system which is unambiguously detectable at the shell.
• an embossed or projecting mark P # and a linear, projecting or embossed mark L # is applied at the inside or the outside of digital shell model ll Ma .
• P # and L # commonly define unambiguously a cartesian coordinate system x s ,y s ,z s .
• the respective digitally defined marks P # , L # are formed into the shell, resulting in real marks P and L.
• the positioning marking in the embodiment of fig. 2 P and L, are detectable e.g. by an assembling person. All the measures which have been digitally planed and localized during the modelling step 9 Ma are defined during such digital modelling relative to the coordinate system x s ,y s ,z s defined by the positioning marking 23 applied to the digital shell-model.
• Every point of the shell becomes associated unambiguously to the respectively defined orientation system, according to fig. 2, e.g. coordinate system x s ,y s ,z s . Because the orientation system is made to also be present at the shell as manufacture, assembling all the units to the shell - as was planed in the modelling step 9 Ma - may be accurately performed, with reference to the still detectable orientation system, as e.g. to the coordinate system x s ,y s ,z s defined by the marks P, L.
• the coordinate system x s ,y s ,z s defined by the markings P, L at the real shell manufactured is aligned with a respective coordinate system x ⁇ ,y ⁇ ,z ⁇ at an assembling table 25. Every point of the real shell is unambiguously defined with respect to such coordinate system x ⁇ ,y ⁇ ? z ⁇ as it was m the digital model ll Ma with respect to the system x s ,y s ,z s .
• a unit U # e.g. a faceplate, an acoustical-to-electric converter unit, an electrical-to- mechanical converter unit, a signal processing unit, a receiver or transmitter unit with respective antennas etc. has been optimally placed and oriented into or at the digital model llti a of the shell.
• the relative spatial position of unit U # to the shell is given e.g. by a set
• fig. 3 there is shown a further example of the present invention under the aspects of "modelling/assembling information loss" for the technique comprising taking the mold 7, scanning such mold 5 7 up to assembling 15 according to fig. 1.
• an orientation system is applied to the mold, e.g. a position marking M as shown in fig. 3 as an example, a linear groove with two perpendicularly upstanding bores.
• a coordinate system x s ,y s ,z s is defined at the mold 7 Ma .
• the mold 7 Ma with the marking M is then applied to a scanner-support 27 whereon there is provided a positioning arrangement M 27 which is complementary to the marking M and thus registers with the marking M.
• the scanner-support 27 carrying the accurately positioned mold 7 Ma during scanning operation according to step 5 7 of fig.
• a positioning plate 28 which is movable e.g. controllably tiltable as shown by the angle ⁇ about one, two or three machine coordinate axes x m; y m , z m or displaceable along one or more than one of the addressed axes.
• the controlled, possibly driven movement of positioning plate 28 and, thereon, of mold 7 Ma is known - e.g. by providing respective movement detectors (not shown) - the position of the x s ,y s ,z s system is known as well: In spite of any movement of the mold 7 Ma during scanning operation, the orientation system M is kept defined at the digital model 5 7 of the mold.
• any modelling action is properly defined with respect to its spatial location relative to the orientation system x s , y s , z s .
• the modelling step 9 Ma results in the digital shell-model.
• the marking M at the digital model may be cut away.
• a further embodiment for producing a marking as an orientation system is schematically shown.
• scanning of the application area is performed in- situ, thus according to the scanning step 5 of fig. 1.
• a specific direction is selected.
• This direction is advantageously selected to be the direction which the individual, standing upright or sitting upright, considers as "straight forward horizontal direction of sight" as indicated by h s .
• This subjective direction h s is an important entity, also for further hearing device fitting to the individual as with respect to the alignment of microphones as for beamforming ability.
• the subjective horizontal direction of sight h s of the individual is registered.
• a second direction is e.g. selected substantially along the axis of the ear canal of the individual, perpendicular to h s .
• the horizontal direction of sight h s is attributed the y s axis
• the perpendicular axis is attributed the z s axis.
• the scanner unit 14 has a machine coordinate system x m , y (i,n/ z m .
• the relative positioning of the individual coordinate system x s , y s , z s to the machine coordinate system x m , y m , z is memorized.
• digital markings defining for the subjective coordinate system x s , y s , z s are applied which are utilized for applying structural orientation markings in the finally manufactured shell.
• 9 Ma units are planned to be assembled in positions relative to such orientation marking, and the manufactured marking is used as a reference system for assembling the units to the shell.
• fig. 5 a further embodiment is shown, wherein the subjective horizontal line of sight of the individual is exploited in a technique according to fig. 1, where a mold 7 is taken.
• the direction h s according to fig. 4 is directly marked on the support 27 as of fig. 3, e.g. by marking with a permanent marker or on the mold, while being made at individual's ear.
• a support 27 with the mold thereon or a mold 7 whereat, by the direction h s and the direction perpendicular thereto, approximately along the axis of the ear canal, a coordinate system x s , y s , z s is defined.
• the relative position including orientation of x s , y 3 , z s relative to scanner's machine coordinate system x m , y m , z m is memorized during scanning of the mold 7.
• the placement of units is planned relative to Xs, y s , z s .
• markings defining for x s , y s , z s are also assigned to the shell as produced, which markings are detectable by suited means, subsequent assembling of the unit is performed - as was generically addressed - accurately positioned with respect to x s , y s , z s and thus as planned.
• the support 27 with the mold is tilted in analogy to tilting ⁇ in fig. 3 and with respect to the scanner unit, respective angles are registered to keep accurate definition of the x s , y s , Z 3 system with respect to the scanner machine coordinate system x m , y m , z m .
• the digital model 7 Ma # of mold 7 Ma which has been brought into alignment with the machine-coordinate system x m , y m , z m a cutting is applied at 29.
• the marking M will not be formed as the shell will be produced cut at the cutting line 29 where e.g. a faceplate has to be mounted. Therefore a physical marking which is kept detectable at the assembling step so as to serve as an accurate basis for positioning further units with respect to the shell will be lost.
• the positioning markings are digitally added to a part of the model of the mold i.e. to a part which is also part of the model of the shell.
• the digital cutting plane with line 29 which has been digitally provided e.g. at a locus to apply the faceplate, is brought into a plane as defined by the machine coordinates x m , y m , z m .
• digital markings P # , Q # are applied, which will appear also in the produced shell.
• subsequent assembling may be performed exactly as it was explained at step 15 Ma of fig. 2.
• this initial marking M will also appear at the shell as produced and will be exploited in the assembling step as an orientation system for properly allocating and orienting units assembled to the shell, the same way as was planed during digital modelling.
• the support 27 may directly be applied together with a mold material to the application area of the individual, thereby serving directly to provide the addressed positioning marking M into the mold and for supporting the hardened mold during the scanning step at 5 7 .
• the mold 7 which has been taken in-situ from the application area 1 for the hearing device is manually modelled whereby, as an example, the mold is manually cut along line 29 which defines the plane for receiving the faceplate.
• a positioning marking - more generically an orientation system - is manually applied e.g. by three embossments N m in the mold material e.g. along line 29.
• These positioning markings N m in the mold 7 result in respective markings N s of the shell as molded in the molding step 19 of fig. 1.
• a coordinate system x s ,y s ,z s which was established at the mold 7 during manual modelling is transferred to the shell. Assembling may now be done in analogy to 15 Ma of fig. 2.
• an orientation system provided at the latest during the modelling operation 9 or 17 is transferred to the shape of the real shell as manufactured so that the latter has the same orientation system or a different orientation system linked to the former one by known transform- relations, for assembling additional units.
• Units are digitally located in the digital model of the shell relative to the orientation system at such digital model and are assembled to the real shell located relative to the orientation system still assigned to the real shell.
• an orientation system is introduced e.g. by appropriate markings, which results, once the shell is produced, in a respectively detectable orientation system.
• Such orientation system may be introduced by respective markings so that it does not only resolve the "modelling/assembling information loss" but provides for additional assistance during the assembling step 15 of fig. 1.
• Such embodiments of the present invention shall be described with an eye on figs. 8 to 11.
• specific markings are exemplified which may be used as an orientation system as was discussed, applied at the latest during digital modelling 9 of fig. 1 and which additionally serve, for significant improvements, specifically for faceplate assembling, especially for in-the-ear and completely-in- the-canal hearing devices.
• fig. 8 there is perspectively shown, as displayed e.g. on a computer display, the digital model 80 # of the shell of an in-the-ear hearing device.
• the model results from not yet finished digital modelling, be it departing from a scanned digital model 5 of the application area or be it from scanning a mold 7 and resulting in digital model 5 7 of fig. 1.
• digital modelling 9 e.g. a module or unit 82 # is introduced into the shell.
• the faceplate must have an opening for module 82 # and a specific outer contour to snugly fit the individual shell 80 # .
• such faceplate will have to be highly individually cut and most precisely mounted to the shell in a specific spatial orientation relative to the shell, so as to properly accommodate the module or unit 82.
• positioning guides in the embodiment according to fig. 8 positioning guide arms 88#, are added to the digital model 80# of the shell which project laterally therefrom e.g. along a plane E.
• guiding bores 90 # At the end of the guide arms 88# opposite to those ends joint to the shell 80#, there are provided guiding bores 90 # .
• a faceplate 92 has on one hand projecting guide pins 94 which exactly register with the bores 90 in the arms 88, and which may only be introduced in these bores 90 in one single unambiguous position of plate 92.
• module opening 96 as established during modelling 9 relative to the arms 88 # is realized relative to the pins 94.
• the faceplate 92 is applied in a registering manner to the guiding arms 88, thereby exactly establishing the orientation of the module opening 96.
• the faceplate 92 assembled in accurate position is then fixed as by gluing to the shell 80. Cutting the faceplate 92 along the outer contour of the shell 80 simultaneously removes the guiding arms 88.
• an orientation system is introduced as indicated in fig. 8 e.g. according to the x s ,y s ,z s coordinate system shown in fig. 8.
• This orientation system is defined with respect to the digital model 80 # of the shell.
• the orientation system e.g. according to the x s ,y s ,z s coordinate system, is preserved at the real shell 80 so that additional units may be brought in a defined position relative to the shell.
• the orientation system 94 which is defined by the guide arms 88 at the shell together with the pins 94 at faceplate 92 may be used for applying additional guide members, e.g. a drilling mask 100.
• the guide arms 88 provide for accurate assembly of the faceplate 92 with the pins 94.
• the battery door opening 93 in fig. 10 provided within the faceplate 92 is used as a guide for a drilling mask 100 a .
• the addressed drilling mask 100 b is positively guided by respective arms 88 b at the mask 100 b cooperating with the pins 94 of the faceplate 92.
• the respective guide arms at the shell are removed as by trimming the faceplate 92 to the individual shape of the shell 80.
• the solution according to the present invention to the "modelling/assembling information loss” is to provide an orientation system, at the latest when modelling a mold or a digital model of the application area for the shell and planning the assembling of units to such shell with a position, including spatial orientation, relative to such orientation system.
• the information about the orientation system selected as well as about the relative positioning of the respective units to such orientation system is preserved.
• the information about the orientation system is retrieved and the hardware units are assembled to the shell with a positioning, including spatial orientation, as defined relative to the orientation system during the addressed modelling.
• the manufactured shell has the orientation system sensibly marked thereon, e.g. by respective structures in the shell surface.
• Units of hearing devices which are most critical to proper orientation and location at individual's head are e.g. input acoustical-to-electrical converter arrangements with two or more than two mutually distant converter units, receiver and transmitter ports for wireless signal transmission and reception respectively and thereby, if operated electro-magnetically, especially respective antennas.
• Latter are particularly critical with respect to mutual orientation, e.g. if communication is established between two antennas.
• this problem is resolved by quitting with previous approaches to establish a reference system at an individual's head, under a second aspect a reference system is established at an individual's head, which has been found to be reproducible with sufficient accuracy.
• a wireless transmission or reception port at the hearing device shall see a reception port or a respective signal source located at a predetermined position with respect to individual's head carrying the hearing device.
• a transmission or reception port for electro-magnetic signals shall be provided with a respective antenna which receives or transmits electromagnetic signals from a source or to a receiver respectively, located in a predetermined angular position with respect to individual's head carrying the respective hearing device.
• intercommunication shall be established by electro-magnetic wireless transmission between antennas provided at hearing devices applied to both individual's ears. In this case proper orientation of the antennas assigned to each of the ears is of utmost importance for optimum signal transfer at lowest possible energy.
• OSU Orientation Sensitive Unit
• an OSU which is to be built in a hearing device is applied adjacent to the application area 32 for the hearing device.
• the OSU is a transmission unit 30 e.g. a transmission port of a transmitter or a transmission antenna
• the OSU is fed as schematically shown by source 33 with a signal which accords as exactly as possible with a signal which will have to be transmitted by such OSU 30 once built into the hearing device.
• a receiver unit 34 is installed where the signal received from the OSU 30 is monitored.
• the head of the individual is e.g. stabilised, location and orientation of the transmitter unit is varied in-situ systematically up to optimum signal reception at receiver unit 34.
• the respective antenna 46i at the left ear is connected to a signal generator unit 5Oi •
• the mutual optimum signal transmission position and orientation is found.
• the right ear antenna 46 r is switched to a signal source 50 r and antenna 4 ⁇ respectively to monitoring unit 48i.
• optimum one- or bi-directional transmission between the antennas is established. Once this optimum position and mutual spatial orientation is found the respective location and orientation of the two antennas 46 r and 46i with respect to their respective application areas, according to fig. 13 the respective ear canals, is memorized as will be further explained.
• OSU-umts 30 and 38 of figs. 12 or 4 ⁇ r and 46i as of fig. 13 are applied adjacent to their respective application areas dependent on their accessibility.
• OSU- units which as exactly as possible accord with the respective units to be built in the hearing device, are e.g. mounted to respectively tailored probes as e.g. to probes of endoscope-type through which signal feeding is established to or from such unit.
• the probes are best mounted adjustably m position and orientation to an overall measuring system (not shown) and relative to individual's head.
• the above generic teaching is clearly most suited to be applied for properly positioning a receiver and/or transmitter antenna at a hearing device. Thereby, positioning of such antenna is varied in-situ up to achieving at a predetermined external locus optimum reception and/or up to achieving at the antenna optimum reception.
• the addressed approach is clearly most suited for mutually adjusting the positions of antennas provided at the hearing devices of a binaural hearing system.
• the picture of the OSU possibly with the probe may, on the other hand, be used as a positioning marking under the aspect of "modelling/assembling information loss" as described above.
• fig. 14 m-situ scanning the application area for the hearing device whereby, as by a probe 39, an OSU 30/38 as of fig. 12 is introduced, results, as shown in block 52, in a digital model of the application area including the respective OSU 30/38 and probe 39. Modelling of the digital model is performed as was explained m context with fig. 2. If the OSU 30/38 is not of a ball- or of a cylindrical shape, a coordinate system x s ,y s ,z s may be unambiguously assigned to the digital picture of the OSU. The position of the OSU is unambiguously defined within the digital model of the application area for the hearing device as shown in block 52, and in fact accords with a digital positioning marking P # , L # as explained in context with fig. 2.
• Such positioning marking is established by the picture of the OSU.
• the exact position and orientation of the OSU 30/38 for subsequent shell- manufacturing is established during the modelling 9 by digitally providing a holder facility for the OSU.
• Such holder facility 55 # for the OSU 30/38 will be shaped at the real shell as subsequently manufactured and may then be exploited as an orientation system in assembling of additional units to the real shell as planned during the digital modelling step 9.
• the real shell 53 as manufactured in production steps 13 will have the holding- facility 55 to which the shell specific coordinate system x,y,z is assigned to and from which, in analogy to the representation of fig.
• the orientation and positioning of additional units to be assembled to the shell 53 e.g. of a base plate 56 is unambiguously related to.
• the shell 53 may e.g. be held for assembling in a predetermined position as defined by the holding facility 55. Additional units, the position and orientation of which having been defined with respect to system x s ,y s ,z s during modelling 9 are accurately assembled in that position and with that orientation as was planned during modelling 9.
• holding facilities or members are additionally exploited as a positioning marking.
• These members are integral to the shell for holding a unit, the relative position of which having been accurately established with respect to the application area m-situ.
• These members are exploited as an orientation system for assembling additional units to the shell in positions and with orientations as were planned during modelling.
• the OSU 30/38 is introduced as by an endoscope-type probe adjacent to the application area for the hearing device which is shown as the ear canal 60 of an individual. Thereby and as was already mentioned, the head of the individual is at least substantially stable as schematically shown at 62.
• the probe 64 and monitoring signal reception or - transmission characteristics as was explained in context with figs. 12 and 13, the optimum orientation and position of OSU 30/38 is found. Then the probe 64 with the OSU 30/38 is at least substantially stabilized as schematically shown in fig.
• the mold material 68 is applied to the application area and the probe 64 with OSU 30/38 are embedded therein. Removing the mold results in a mold 7 a wherein the probe 64 with the OSU 30/38 is firmly held.
• the subsequent ex-situ scanning operation of the mold 7 a according to step 5 7 of fig. 1, not only the external shape of the mold 7 a is registered but additionally the position and orientation of probe 64 with OSU 30/38 within the mold 7 a This may be done by appropriately selecting the mold material, as e.g. to be transparent, and the scanning technique. With the digital model of mold 7 a memorized the subsequent manufacturing steps are done m analogy to those explained in context with fig. 14.
• a further approach in this manufacturing technique is to scan the application area for the hearing device together with a characteristic part or area of individual's head so as to get an overall digital model including a digital model of at least one application area for a hearing device and a digital model of individual's head or at least of a significant part thereof.
• This approach is schematically shown m fig. 18.
• fig. 18 not only the application area as e.g. an ear canal 120 is scanned but additionally a significant part of individual's head as e.g. a part of the nose bridge. There results an overall digital model 124# with digital model 120# of the application area and digital model 122 # of such significant part of individual's head. As in the digital model 124 # the relative localization and orientation of the application area 120# with respect to the significant area 122# of individual's head is defined, an OSU 126# may be located during digital modelling m correct position and orientation with respect to individual's head. This is obviously also true if, as shown in dash lines m fig.
• both application areas are scanned to form, together with their digital models 120 # and 120 ' # , a unitary digital model 124 # , wherein relative positioning and orientation of both application areas are preserved.
• OSU' s and also other units to be provided may digitally be properly placed and oriented.
• the mold-taking-step denoted at 7 of fig. 1 is shown to be performed by providing the mold material at the application area 130 where the hearing device is later to be worn e.g. to the ear canal.
• the mold material thereby resides on a support arrangement e.g. a support plate 132 which arrangement is kept fixed to the molding material also during its hardening at the application area 130.
• a second mold 134 is taken from a significant area of individual's head as e.g. from the bridge 131 of individual's nose.
• the material of mold 134 is also supported on a respectively shaped support 136.
• the spatial relation of mold 134 i.e. of support 136 and of the mold of the application area 130 i.e.
• support 132 is memorized. This may be done, as schematically shown in fig. 19 by establishing a mechanical link 138 between the two support 132 and 136 but might clearly also be established by measuring the relative geometric positioning of the two supports 132 and 136 in-situ at individual's head.
• a next step and according to 5 7 of fig. 1 after removal of the two molds of fig. 19 at least the mold which was taken from the application area 130 is scanned resulting in model 140# of fig. 20.
• Different techniques may be used to accurately locate the digital model 140 # with respect to the selected specific area at individual's head, e.g. to the bridge of individual's nose. If a mechanical link 138 was established when taking both molds in-situ, scanning may be made in one scanning process for both molds being kept in that relative position as adjusted m-situ. This results in digital models of both molds with memorized relative spatial relation.
• a "head-related positioning" of units applied to the hearing device is realised and, additionally, such units installed during digital modelling in the digital model of the shell define an orientation system within the digital model of the shell as schematically shown by the x,y,z system in fig. 20.
• This orientation system may be used under the aspect of "modelling/assembling information loss” as was explained in context with fig. 14 for accurately assembling whatever units to the shell as manufactured in the assembling step.
• fig. 21 is self-explanatory for the skilled artisan: As a specific area of the individual's head, according to the embodiment of fig. 21 the geometric relative position - 138' - and orientation of the molds of two application areas, is monitored in-situ and is memorized with the digital models of the two molds. Monitoring and memorizing the geometric relative position and orientation of two or more than two spaced apart molds addressed in the embodiments of fig. 19, 20 and 21 may e.g. be performed by photographic technique.
• a further embodiment of the present invention under one of its aspects shall be explained with a help of the embodiment of fig. 22. It is primarily directed on resolving "head related positioning" and thereby the aspect "unit-to-unit positioning" at binaural hearing systems with two hearing devices, each made by preparing a mold 7 and by mold scanning 5 7 according to fig. 1. Thereby no geometric interlinking in-situ according to fig. 21 is necessary and no in-situ measurements as of the embodiment of fig. 13. If at all a measurement of specific characteristic distances and orientations at individual's head is performed in-situ then such measurement shall be simpler and less time- consuming than e.g. measurements of mutual geometric relation according to fig. 21 although possibly less accurate .
• one mold of each application area at each of individual's ears is prepared in-situ, mutually independently. Scanning according to step 5 7 of fig. 2 results, as shown in fig. 22, in two digital models 140 E# of the right ear mold and 140i# of the left ear mold, e.g. displayed on a computer display. In the digital model display, where both in fact independently scanned molds are shown, the location of the model SP # of the sagittal plane of individual's head is estimated with respect to one of the two digital mold models, according to fig. 22 with respect to model 140 r# . The location of the sagittal plane may be estimated by different approaches:
• the impression basis is flattened using a flat plane or plate. On both sides of individual's head the resulting two flat planes are selected substantially parallel, thereby indicating an approximation of the sagittal mid-nose orientation.
• the flattened areas of the molds are also scanned and therefrom the orientation of the sagittal plane with respect to at least one of the molds is estimated.
• the location of the sagittal plane is estimated from characteristic shape features of the mold m the digital model of the molds. Thereby, statistic evaluation may be applied from standard shapes of the molded area and their spatial orientations to the addressed sagittal plane.
• the location of the sagittal plane may further be estimated from comparing prevailing molds of the application areas of the individual with standard shapes of such application areas and their geometric standard relation to the sagittal plane.
• the digital model 140 r # of the mold is digitally mirrored at the digital model SP # of the sagittal plane which results according to fig. 22 in. a mirrored digital model 140 mr # Clearly such mirroring is performed three-dimensionally as all the digital models of the molds as well as the model of the sagittal plane are three-dimensionally .
• the two digital models 140 mr# and 140i # are brought into best-possible covering alignment as shown by the arrow A and dash line representation at 140 'i # .
• Optimum alignment of the two three-dimensional models may be found with help of respective software, principally minimizing the overall intermediate space Q between the two envelopes of the three-dimensional models.
• special OSU' s are introduced at both aligned models and in alignment as well, as shown by the two units 146i# and 14 ⁇ mr #.
• the digital model 140 ' mr # which previously was mirrored at the digital image of the sagittal plane SP # , is mirrored back together with the model of unit 14 ⁇ mr #, as shown at 146 ⁇ in dash lines.
• an orientation system is established at individual's head before modelling, and the relative positioning and orientation of the application area is retrieved and preserved with respect to such orientation system. Thereby, it becomes possible to position and to orient units in a predetermined manner relative to individual's head. This is especially important for OSU' s as addressed above.
• the orientation system is based on the horizontal line of sight. In the embodiments according to the figs. 18 to 20 it is based on individual's nose, whereas according to the embodiment of fig. 22 it is based on the sagittal plane of the individual .
• a hearing device HD is to be applied to the application area 150 of individual's head H.
• a unit 152 is to be applied to the hearing device HD in a predetermined position and especially in a predetermined orientation with respect to a first orientation system, which is external to the device and which is only established as the device HD is worn by the individual.
• a first orientation system is schematically shown at Oi and the predetermined orientation and position of unit 152 relative thereto by the double-arrow S.
• This addressed first orientation system Oi needs not be a part of individual's head, it may be e.g. a second unit which is applied at a second hearing device in a binaural hearing device system.
• a digital model of the application area is made for the device as shown at 150 # .
• a second orientation system O 2 is selected, which is part of the individual, i.e. preferably of individual's head as shown in fig. 23.
• Such a second orientation system O 2 is e.g. based on the horizontal line of sight, individual's nose or the sagittal plane as was addressed above or on a second application area for a second hearing device .
• Information is provided and preserved, which defines localization including orientation of the application area 150 relative to the second orientation system O 2 as represented by the double-arrow T in fig. 23 as well as information defining localization including orientation of the first orientation system Oi relative to the second orientation system O 2 .
• the first orientation system Oi is one of the units 146, whereas the second orientation system at individual's head is the sagittal plane.
• a unit e.g. an input acoustical to electrical converter arrangement
• a unit is to be positioned m a predetermined manner relative to the horizontal line of sight.
• the orientation system is already provided as a part of individual's head and departing from the generic definition as of fig. 23, the first and the second orientation systems are here both formed by one common orientation system.
• a digital model of the shell is generated with the unit as shown m fig. 23 by HD # and 152 # .

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• 2006
  • 2006-06-14 EP EP06763700.9A patent/EP2027751B1/de not_active Not-in-force
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