EP2046075A2 - Earpiece with vent opening through the auricle and corresponding ventilation method - Google Patents

Abstract

The ear adaptor has a section (11) for insertion in an ear canal (23) of a user, and another section (12) that protrudes in an inserted state into a concha of the user. A vent (18) runs from the section (11) to the section (12). A vent opening in the section (12) is aligned to a pinna (24) of the user such that an air exchange takes place between the ear canal and a rear side of the pinna through an opening in the pinna. The vent opening is enclosed by a titanium ring (22) in the section (12), where the titanium ring protrudes from a surface of the adaptor. An independent claim is also included for a method for ventilating an ear canal of a user for reducing feedbacks of a hearing device.

Description

The present invention relates to an ear piece for a hearing device having a first portion for insertion into the ear canal of a user, a second portion which projects in the inserted state into the concha of the user, and a vent which extends from the first portion into the second portion , Moreover, the present invention relates to a method of reducing feedback by venting a user's ear canal. The term "hearing device" is understood here to mean, in particular, a hearing device, but also any other ear-wearing, sound-emitting device, such as, for example, a headset, 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. B. miniature speaker, or as electromechanical Converter, z. B. bone conduction, realized. The amplifier is usually integrated in a signal processing unit. This basic structure 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

For low hearing losses, for example, BTE hearing aids with a large Vent or so-called open BTE hearing aids can be used. In open BTE hearing aids, the ear canal is not completely closed by an ear tip, but a sound tube or an external earpiece is merely held in the ear canal by an earpiece. It is always an exchange of air between the external environment and the ear canal possible, so that it can not come to uncomfortable feelings of wear or to diseases of the ear canal. Even with hearing aids with a large vent sufficient air exchange is ensured, although an earmold is used, which is individually adapted to the ear canal.

For moderate and severe hearing losses, a dense earmold or earcup should be used to reduce feedback. This leads to sensitive ears that more ear wax is produced, or diseases or reduced comfort are the consequences.

From the publication DE 10 2006 008 044 B3 is known in the ear hearing aid with ventilation duct. In a sound channel between a listener and a cerumen protection device with a gas-tight membrane, a barometric pressure equalization is to be made. For this purpose, a pressure equalization channel is provided, which opens into the sound channel. The pressure equalization channel connects the sound channel with a ventilation duct (Vent).

The object of the present invention is therefore to achieve improved ventilation of the ear canal, especially for hearing aids with high gain.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by an earmold for a hearing device having a first section for insertion into the ear canal of a user, a second section which projects into the concha of the user in the inserted state, and a vent which extends from the first section into the second Section runs, with a vent opening in the second section is directed to the auricle of the user, so that an air exchange between the ear canal and the back of the auricle is accessible through an opening in the auricle.

Moreover, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of reducing feedback by ventilating a user's ear canal as claimed in claim 5, wherein an earmold of a hearing device is inserted into the ear canal by providing a ventricle through the earmold, providing an opening through the user's pinna front to back of the pinna, connecting the vent to the opening in the pinna and venting the ear canal with air passed through the pinna directly from the back of the pinna.

Advantageously, it is thus possible to ventilate the ear canal directly from the back of the auricle, so that Sound that emerges through the vent opening must first travel around the pinna or travel a greater distance behind the ear before it can contribute significantly to the feedback.

Preferably, the earmold is designed as a shell of an ITE hearing aid or a Concha hearing aid. Especially in such hearing aid forms individually adapted hearing aid shells are used in which at higher gains always the problem of lack of ventilation of the ear canal occurs.

Optionally, the earmold can also be used as a holder for a hearing tube or an external microphone of a BTE hearing device. In this case, it is favorable if the vent opening in the worn state of the hearing device is directed rather downwards, because the microphones of a BTE hearing aid are usually found on the top of the hearing aid. Thus, the sound from the vent must travel a greater detour behind the ear before it reaches the microphone or the BTE hearing aid again.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the vent opening in the second portion of the earmold, which protrudes in the inserted state into the concha of the user, surrounded by a titanium ring. Titanium is known as a biocompatible material, so that the least problems with a surgically produced opening in the auricle is to be expected. Of course, other biocompatible materials are also conceivable for enclosing the opening of the vent.

The titanium ring or the ring formed of the biocompatible material may protrude from the surface of the ear tip. In this case, the ring can be inserted directly into the opening in the auricle, without the risk that the vent is closed by the auricle by moving the earmold.

FIG 1

den prinzipiellen Aufbau eines Hörgeräts gemäß dem Stand der Technik;

FIG 2

eine Seitenansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen IdO-Hörgeräts;

FIG 3

eine Unterseitenansicht des IdO-Hörgeräts von FIG 2;

FIG 4

eine Ansicht des IdO-Hörgeräts von FIG 2 im getragenen Zustand von der Vorderseite des Nutzers;

FIG 5

die Ansicht des IdO-Hörgeräts von FIG 4 von der Seite des Nutzers und

FIG 6

eine Ansicht auf das Ohr des Nutzers von der Rückseite.

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

FIG. 1

the basic structure of a hearing aid according to the prior art;

FIG. 2

a side view of an inventive ITE hearing aid;

FIG. 3

a bottom view of the ITE hearing aid from FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4

a view of the IdO hearing aid from FIG. 2 in the worn state from the front of the user;

FIG. 5

the view of the IdO hearing aid from FIG. 4 from the side of the user and

FIG. 6

a view on the user's ear from the back.

The embodiment described in more detail below represents a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The earmold according to the example of FIG. 2 represents a hearing aid shell 10 of an ITE hearing aid. The hearing aid shell 10 has approximately a frustoconical shape, wherein the slimmer part 11 is inserted into the ear canal of the hearing aid wearer, while the wider part 12 protrudes out of the ear canal out into the concha of the earpiece of the hearing aid wearer , The front side of the hearing device shell 10, which points to the eardrum in the inserted state and closes off the slimmer part 11, can be referred to as inner side 13. The opposite outer side 14 closes off the wider part 12 of the hearing device shell 10. The outer side 14 is surrounded by a sealing ring 14 made of soft material. He has the task of using the IdO hearing aid To seal acoustically inward state, so that as little as possible sound between the hearing aid shell 10 and the ear canal wall can escape to the outside. On the outside 14, for example, a switch 16 and a microphone 17 may be arranged.

In the interior of the hearing aid shell 10 extends from the inner side 13 to the wider portion 12 which projects into the concha of the auricle, a vent 18. It does not extend to the outside 14, but occurs on the lateral surface of the frustoconical hearing aid shell 10, with the Concha is in touch, out. This means that the vent 18 is substantially L-shaped and has an opening 19 on the inner side 13 and an outlet 20 on the lateral surface 21. This outlet 20 thus represents the second vent opening and is surrounded by a titanium ring 22. This titanium ring 22 protrudes slightly from the lateral surface 21 or the surface of the hearing device shell 10.

FIG. 3 shows the IdO hearing aid from FIG. 2 in the bottom view. It can also be seen well here that the vent 18 with its first vent opening 19 starts from the inside 13, ie from the tip of the earmold, and ends approximately in the middle of the body of the hearing aid shell in the second vent opening 20. This vent opening is surrounded by the titanium ring 22.

FIG. 4 represents the IdO hearing aid the FIGS. 2 and 3 in a state inserted in the ear of a user from the front of the user. The hearing aid projects with its tip, ie its slender part 11 into the auditory canal 23 of the user. The wider part 12 of the hearing aid shell 10 protrudes into the concha of the auricle 24. In this auricle 24 is operatively a circular opening 27 (see. FIG. 6 ) brought in. In this opening 27 of the titanium ring 22 protrudes so that the sound that is generated in the ear canal 23, and can pass through the vent 18 to the outside, passed through the titanium ring 22 and the opening 27 in the outer ear 24 behind the pinna. Just that portion of the sound from the vent that finds the detour around the pinna (see arrows 25 in FIG FIG. 4 ) contributes to the feedback. This detour around the auricle 24 to the microphone 17 of the hearing aid leads to a significant reduction of the feedback, which in FIG. 4 is indicated by the cross 26.

FIG. 5 merely shows in addition the ear cup 24 of the user with the used hearing aid from the side. It is in this view only the outside 14 and the switch 16 and the microphone 17 can be seen. Depending on the expression of the sealing ring 15, which is intended to prevent acoustic losses from the lateral vent opening 20 to the microphone 17 along the hearing aid housing 10, this sealing ring 15 can be seen in the side view. In the present example, it is slightly behind the outside 14 reset and thus not visible.

In FIG. 6 Finally, a view from the back of the auricle 24 is shown. From this point of view, the opening 27 which has been surgically inserted into the auricle 24 and the inserted titanium ring 22 can be seen. That feedback sound from the vent 18 along the hearing aid shell 10 to the microphone 17 can not easily reach, is largely prevented in addition to the sealing ring 15 by the protruding titanium ring 22 (see. FIG. 4 ). The sound which is forced outward by the vent is thus guided behind the ear cup 24, as indicated by the arrows 25 in FIG FIG. 6 suggest. As already related to FIG. 4 is shown, the detour around the auricle 24 for the sound is so large that its volume decreases significantly (see cross 26), so that the corresponding feedback factor decreases significantly.

Even if the technique according to the invention of the vents 18 led out laterally out of the earmold piece is also used for BTE hearing aids, the sound passing through the vent 18 must be from the auricle opening 27 or the titanium ring 22 along the pinna back to reach the auricle top 28, where usually the microphones of a BTE hearing aid are arranged. Also, this path is relatively long, so that also in BTE hearing aids, the feedback factor is reduced.

Claims (6)

Earpiece for a hearing device with a first section (11) for insertion into the auditory canal (23) of a user, - A second section (12) which projects in the inserted state in the concha of the user, and a vent (18) extending from the first section (11) into the second section (12), characterized in that a vent opening (20) in the second section (12) is directed towards the pinna (24) of the user so that an air exchange between the ear canal (23) and the back of the pinna (24) through an opening (27) in the Pinna is reachable. An earmold according to claim 1, which is designed as a shell (10) of an in-the-ear hearing device or a concha hearing device. An earmold according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vent opening (20) in the second portion (12) is bordered by a titanium ring (22). An earmold according to claim 3, wherein the titanium ring (22) protrudes from the surface of the earmold. Method for reducing feedback of a hearing device Ventilating an auditory canal (23) of a user, wherein an ear piece of the hearing device is inserted into the auditory canal (23) Providing a vents (18) through the earmold,
marked by Providing an opening (27) through the auricle (24) of the user from the front to the back of the auricle (24), - Connecting the Vents (18) with the opening (27) in the auricle (24) and Ventilating the auditory canal (23) with air guided through the auricle (24) directly from the back of the auricle (24). The method of claim 5, wherein for connecting the valve (18) to the aperture (27) in the pinna (24), a titanium ring (22) forming the end of the ventricle (18) enters the pinna (27) aperture (27). 24) is used.

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