EP2180724A1 - Earpiece with bridges - Google Patents

Abstract

The ear piece has a hollow cylindrical body, and another hollow cylindrical body, where the latter hollow cylindrical body is arranged coaxially with former hollow cylindrical body. The latter hollow cylindrical body surrounds the former hollow cylindrical body. One or multiple bars (12) are connected to the both bodies. An independent claim is included for a hearing apparatus with an external handset.

Description

The present invention relates to an earpiece for a hearing device for insertion into an auditory canal. In general, an ear piece is used to fix a receiver tube or a receiver, for example, a hearing aid in an ear canal. The term "hearing device" is understood here to mean any device that can be worn in or on the ear, in particular a hearing device, 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. As miniature speaker, or as an electromechanical transducer, 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 into 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 the signal processing unit 3 is effected by a likewise integrated into the hearing aid housing 1 battery. 5

Centering receivers of RIC (receiver in the canal) devices depends on several circumstances. Most of the centering depends on the shape of the ear canal. Provided there is a suitably large space in the ear canal, the centering of the earpiece also depends on a balance between the forces exerted on the listener by the rest of the hearing aid and the stiffness of the ear piece (dome). Currently standard ear pieces are too soft to provide adequate centering when there is a difficult structure of the ear canal and / or when high forces are applied to the earpiece from the rest of the hearing system. Such problems occur in particular with so-called Cymba hearing aids, which require the ear piece in the auditory canal as the essential support, so that they can be stably worn on the ear or in the cymba. With conventional components, the forces exerted on the listener are often so high that it is pressed into the auditory canal wall. However, if the listener is clearly outside the middle axis of the ear canal, d. H. he is not centered, this leads to wearing problems, especially to irritation of the auditory canal wall.

In addition, an eccentrically arranged receiver can also be noticeable on the acoustics. In particular, listeners who are not exactly in the middle of the ear canal often lead to increased feedback. The consequence of this is that the Reinforcement of the hearing aid must be reduced. The hearing loss is then not optimally compensated.

So far, two different types of standard closed ear pieces are used in the first place. The type used depends on the type of earpiece used. For small earphones (45 and 55 dB), conventional ear pieces are only possible with low output power and amplification at high frequencies. In addition, the closed standard ear pieces lead to so-called occlusion effects.

The object of the present invention is therefore to further suppress feedback in a hearing device.

According to the invention this object is achieved by an ear piece for a hearing device for insertion into an ear canal, comprising a hollow cylindrical first body, a hollow cylindrical second body coaxially disposed with the first body and surrounding the first body, and one or more webs, both Connect body with each other.

Advantageously, it is possible by the one or more webs that the earpiece is sufficiently stiff, so that any listener who is carried by the ear piece, can be arranged centrally in the ear canal, which feedback to a large extent be avoided. The robust design of the ear piece, which leads to a better centering of the handset, requires in terms of acoustics, a better speech intelligibility and sound quality. But the better centering also leads to an increased wearing comfort.

Preferably, the web or webs extend in the axial direction of the two bodies. This will take even more account of the centering function.

The earpiece according to the invention may be manufactured in one piece as an injection molded part. This results in a minimum production cost for the earpiece.

According to a particular embodiment, the two bodies can be connected to each other at one end face by a wall along the entire circumference. In particular, the wall may be concave. Thus, the earpiece additionally receives a reinforcing function, because a directed to the eardrum concave wall exerts a well-known in the field of acoustics horn effect. The gain effect, which can be achieved in particular in higher frequency ranges, makes it possible to use less powerful handsets.

Furthermore, the wall may have at least one recess, so that air can penetrate from one end face to the other between the two bodies and through the at least one recess. This effectively prevents an occlusion effect.

Preferably, a hearing aid that has an external handset is equipped with an ear piece according to the invention as shown above. In particular, it is advantageous to provide a Cymba device with such an ear piece or dome.

FIG 1

eine Prinzipskizze des Aufbaus eines Hörgeräts gemäß dem Stand der Technik;

FIG 2

ein erfindungsgemäßes Ohrstück betrachtet von einer Stirnseite;

FIG 3

das Ohrstück von FIG 2 von der anderen Stirnseite her betrachtet;

FIG 4

das Ohrstück von FIG 2 in einer Schnittdarstellung;

FIG 5

ein erfindungsgemäßes Ohrstück gemäß einer zweiten Ausführungsform von einer Stirnseite aus betrachtet und

FIG 6

das Ohrstück von FIG 5 von der anderen Stirnseite aus betrachtet.

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

FIG. 1

a schematic diagram of the structure of a hearing aid according to the prior art;

FIG. 2

an inventive earpiece viewed from a front side;

FIG. 3

the ear piece of FIG. 2 viewed from the other end;

FIG. 4

the ear piece of FIG. 2 in a sectional view;

FIG. 5

an inventive ear piece according to a second embodiment viewed from a front side and

FIG. 6

the ear piece of FIG. 5 viewed from the other front side.

The embodiments described in more detail below represent preferred embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an ear piece how it can be plugged into an external handset of a hearing aid. The ear piece is used to fix the listener as centrally as possible in the ear canal.

Essentially, the ear piece of the example consists of FIG. 2 Both bodies are arranged coaxially with each other from a hollow cylindrical outer body 10 and a hollow cylindrical inner body 11, and the inner body 11 is here completely within the outer body 10, ie within the outer contour or the envelope of the Außenköpers 10. Of course, it remains undecided that the inner body 11 axially protrudes from the outer body 10.

The inner body 11 and the outer body 10 are interconnected by webs 12. In the present example, seven webs are provided, which extend in the axial direction with respect to the two hollow cylindrical bodies 10 and 11.

FIG. 2 shows the ear piece from that end face, which shows when worn in the ear canal to the outside. In the circular recess 13 is then when wearing the hearing aid in FIG. 2 not shown handset.

In FIG. 3 is the ear piece of FIG. 2 shown obliquely from the other end, ie from that end face, which points to the eardrum when wearing the earpiece. From this perspective, a concave wall 14 can be seen, which is the outer body 10 connects to the inner body 11 along the entire circumference. This concave wall is directed at the eardrum when wearing the earpiece and exerts the horn effect described, whereby high frequencies of sound are amplified (Dillon, H. Hearing Aids 2001, Hoersch, VA "Theory of the Optimum Angle in a Receiving Conical Horn, Phys. Rev 25, 225-229, 1925 . Schaaf K, Ronneberger. D: "Noise radiation from rolling tires - sound amplification by the horn effect", Proceedings of Inter - Noise 1982, San Francisco, USA ; Stinson MR, Daigle GA "Comparison of an analytic horn equation approach and a boundary element method for the sound field in the human ear canal". JASA 2005, 118 (4): 2405-11 ). The speech intelligibility as well as the perceived sound quality is improved by the horn effect, since the high-frequency component of a signal is not lost and the receiver used in each case operates below its power limit range.

FIG. 4 gives the ear piece of FIG. 2 in a sectional view again. Good here are the webs 12 and the spaces between the hollow cylinders 10 and 11 can be seen.

In the FIGS. 5 and 6 is a further embodiment of an ear piece according to the invention reproduced in different perspectives. FIG. 5 shows the earpiece obliquely from the front, ie from the turned in the inserted state of the earpiece to the eardrum side. The structure of this ear piece substantially corresponds to that of the ear piece of FIGS. 2 to 4 , It thus also has a barrel-shaped outer part 10, an annular inner part 11 and a concave wall 14. In the concave wall 14, however, a plurality of recesses 15 are provided here on the circumference.

The structure of the ear piece is in the longitudinal section of FIG. 4 to recognize even more clearly. On the one hand results from this representation in particular the structure of the webs 12 and the structure of the cavities between the outer part 10 of the inner part 11 and the webs 12. Furthermore, the concave structure of the wall 14 can also be recognized well.

FIG. 6 shows the ear piece of FIG. 5 from the rear side, ie from the side, which points out of the ear canal when the ear piece is worn. In this perspective, in turn, the webs 12 can be seen, which connect the outer part 10 with the inner part 11. Between each two webs, a recess 15 can also be seen. Through the recesses 15 thus an exchange of air between the earpiece including the earpiece and the eardrum with the external environment is possible, because each recess 15 opens a space in the earpiece, by the outer part 10 and the inner part 11 and two adjacent webs 12th is limited, forward or to the eardrum. To the outside or behind this room is open anyway.

As in the example of FIGS. 2 to 4 is also the dome or the ear piece according to the example of FIGS. 5 and 6 compared to ear pieces from the prior art as a result of the rib or web structure relatively robust. These ridges, which are parallel to the ear canal, make the earpiece, as mentioned, sturdy enough to provide sufficient centering of the earpiece and, on the other hand, leave it soft enough to accommodate the ear canal anatomy. It should be provided at least three ribs or webs 12, but it can also be four to seven and possibly more, which also depends on the degree of softness of the material.

In the present example as many recesses 15 as webs 12 are provided. The number of webs is, however, basically independent of the number of recesses 15. The latter are to be dimensioned only in their number and size so that a sufficiently high ventilation effect is given or an occlusion effect is largely prevented.

Claims (7)

Earpiece for a hearing device for insertion into an auditory canal, characterized by a hollow-cylindrical first body (11), - A hollow cylindrical second body (10) which is arranged coaxially with the first body (11) and surrounds the first body (11) and - One or more webs (12) connecting the two bodies (10,11) with each other. An earpiece according to claim 1, wherein the web (12) extend in the axial direction of the two bodies (10, 11). Earpiece according to claim 1 or 2, which is manufactured in one piece as an injection molded part. Earpiece according to one of the preceding claims, wherein on one end face the two bodies (10, 11) are connected to one another by a wall (14) along the entire circumference. An earpiece according to claim 4, wherein the wall (14) is concave. An ear piece according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the wall (14) has at least one recess (15) so that air can pass from one end face to the other between the two bodies (10, 11) and through the at least one recess (15) , Hearing aid with an external handset, on which an ear piece is inserted according to one of the preceding claims.

Images