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
  • H04R25/45—Prevention of acoustic reaction, i.e. acoustic oscillatory feedback
  • H04R25/456—Prevention of acoustic reaction, i.e. acoustic oscillatory feedback mechanically

Definitions

• the present finding refers to the technical sector of intra-auricular devices and in particular regards an intra-auricular insert as defined in the preamble of the first claim.
• auricular devices of various type such as for example intra-auricular hearing aids, retro- auricular hearing aids, hearing protector devices and electro-acoustic auricular devices include or consist of an intra-auricular insert, i.e. an insert having an essentially counter-shaped body with respect to a portion of the external auditory canal of a human being and intended to be received in a removable manner inside such canal .
• a ventilation channel along the intra-auricular insert for example a rectilinear channel which crosses inside the body of the intra-auricular insert, placing the inner part of the auditory canal in fluid communication with the outside environment when the intra-auricular insert is applied to the auditory canal.
• the object of the present finding is that of making available an intra-auricular insert capable of overcoming the drawbacks of the above-described inserts of the prior art .
• the intra-auricular insert 1 can be received in an external auditory canal of an individual and has a main body 2 essentially counter-shaped with respect to a portion of such auditory canal.
• the main body 2 for example made of silicon or of other appropriate materials for making an intra-auricular insert, is preferably but not exclusively custom-made based on the individual's auditory canal, inside of which the body 2 is intended to be received.
• the custom-manufacture can for example be carried out by taking a physical mould of the individual's auditory canal or through measurements of opto-electronic type, according to techniques known to a man skilled in the art and for this reason not discussed here in further detail.
• the main body 2 of the intra-auricular insert 1 is, as a non-limiting example, in the form of a tubular shell intended to receive in an inner cavity possible electronic and electro-acoustic components, so to form a hearing aid of intra-auricular type.
• the intra-auricular insert 1 could for example represent the intra-auricular part of a retro-auricular hearing aid, and therefore does not contain electronic or electro- acoustic devices.
• the intra- auricular insert 1 could be a simple hearing protector. In the latter case, the main body 2 would be an essentially solid body lacking the inner cavity 6.
• the intra-auricular insert 1 could be the intra-auricular part or the external shell thereof of an electro-acoustic auricular device, such as for example an auricular device for listening to music and voice or an auricular device for a mobile communication terminal, such as for example a personal communication terminal.
• the main body 2 is extended along an insert axis A- A, B-B between an inner end portion 3 of the body, i.e. intended to be turned towards the interior of the auditory canal, and an outer end portion 4 of the body 2, i.e. intended to be turned towards the outside of the auditory canal.
• the insert axis A-A, B-B can be approximated as a bent line formed by two lines A-A, B-B which intersect in a point .
• the main body 2 of the insert 1 comprises a annular wall 5 around the A-A, B-B axis of the insert 1, provided with a recess preferably having an approximate depth in the range of 0.75 mm - 1.5 mm and more preferably approximately in the range of 1 mm - 1.25 mm which continuously extends substantially between the end portions 3, 4 so to make, by cooperating with a surface of the auditory canal, a ventilation channel A-A, B-B.
• the wall 5 being substantially counter-shaped with respect to human auditory channels, may have sections which are not limited to be circular around the axis of the insert.
• sections can be also oval sections or elliptic sections.
• the ventilation channel comprises a plurality of axially-spaced curved sections Cl, C2, C3, each of which at least partially surrounds the axis A-A, B-B.
• the ventilation channel moreover comprises at least one transverse section T2, T3 which places two consecutive curved sections in fluid communication.
• the ventilation channel comprises three curved sections Cl, C2, C3 and two transverse connection sections T2, T3 in which the curved sections Cl and C2 are placed in communication by the transverse connection section T2 and in which the curved sections C2 and C3 are placed in communication by the transverse connection section T3.
• the ventilation channel moreover includes two terminal transverse sections Tl, T4 respectively in communication with the curved section Cl and the curved section C3 and which constitute two opposite end portions of the ventilation channel.
• the ventilation channel could be composed of two single curved sections and by three transverse sections, including a intermediate section suitable for placing the two curved sections in communication with each other and the remaining two constituting two opposite end portions of the ventilation channel.
• C2, C3 are preferably each composed of an annular recess which completely surrounds the axis A-A, B-B of the insert 1.
• the transverse sections T1-T4 are rectilinear sections.
• the transverse sections Tl- T4 could be curvilinear sections.
• an insert in accordance with the present finding has a ventilation channel which defines one or more acoustic paths with non-planar and irregular serpentine-like shape.
• the ventilation channel is conformed so that two consecutive intermediate/terminal transverse sections, i.e. two transverse sections of any type directly in communication with a same curved section, are arranged on substantially opposite portions of the wall 4 with respect to the axis of the intra-auricular insert 1, the opposite wall 4 portions also being axially spaced.
• the wall 4 on the side opposite each intermediate or terminal transverse section has wall portions with convex profile. It can be observed in fact in figure 1 how the wall 4 has a convexity El opposite the transverse section Tl, a convexity E2 opposite the transverse section T2, a convexity E3 opposite the transverse section T3 and a convexity E4 (the latter little visible in the figure) opposite the transverse section T4.
• an insert according to the present finding is capable of fully attaining the pre-established aims. It was in fact observed that when the insert is employed in a hearing aid, the particular form of the ventilation channel tends to considerably diminish the rise of the Larsen effect, due to the numerous discontinuities which a feedback acoustic signal encounters when travelling through the ventilation channel. In an aid in accordance with the present invention, the ventilation channel can therefore have a greater section with respect to the channel sections of the inserts of the prior art, considerably increasing the auditory comfort of the wearer of such aid.
• the particular embodiment in which the wall has the convexities El, E2, E3, E4 permits having a discontinuous support of the insert on the skin of the auditory canal, significantly reducing the risk of atrophies and thus also the risk of an undesired exit of the intra-auricular insert from the canal .
• the particular shape of the ventilation channel considerably increases the comfort of the insert 1 wearer, even when the insert is a simple hearing protection device or is the intra- auricular part of an auricular device for the diffusion of sound and/or voice inside the auditory canal, or it is the intra-auricular part of an auricular device of a personal communication terminal.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Neurosurgery (AREA)
• Otolaryngology (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Headphones And Earphones (AREA)
• Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging Apparatus (AREA)
• Glass Compositions (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2007
  • 2007-06-06 IT IT000130U patent/ITRM20070130U1/it unknown
• 2008
  • 2008-02-20 EP EP08709125A patent/EP2153694A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2008-02-20 WO PCT/EP2008/052046 patent/WO2008148585A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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