EP4340393A1

EP4340393A1 - Hearing device

Info

Publication number: EP4340393A1
Application number: EP22195602.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Simon Köhler
Original assignee: Sonova AG
Current assignee: Sonova Holding AG
Priority date: 2022-09-14
Filing date: 2022-09-14
Publication date: 2024-03-20

Abstract

The invention relates to a hearing device (1), comprising a RIC assembly (2) configured to be worn in an ear canal, the RIC assembly (2) having a shell (7) containing a receiver (13), wherein the RIC assembly (2) comprises multiple electrical connection pads (9), the hearing device (1) further comprising an ANC module (11) configured to be releasably coupled to the RIC assembly (2) and to perform active noise cancelling, the ANC module (11) having electrical connectors (19) configured for electrically contacting the electrical connection pads (9).

Description

Technical Field

The invention relates to a hearing device.

Background of the Invention

Active noise cancelling technology (ANC) in hearing aids can provide a significant increase in hearing performance compared to traditional hearing aid couplings and receivers. The three main use cases, where an ANC hearing aid can provide significant benefit, are:

1. Communication in noise: In a loud and challenging communication scene (e.g. restaurant), ANC can reduce direct sound and occlusion sound at the same time and is therefore able to make the hearing aid audible over the whole frequency range of interest (e.g. 100 Hz - 10 kHz) without adding any dominant disturbing occlusion effect.
2. Tune out: When listening to streamed audio in loud environments (e.g. airplane, train), ANC can attenuate disturbing ambient noise much better compared to a traditional hearing aid coupling without ANC. This results in better comfort in noise.
3. Sound quality: ANC requires a speaker with high output at low frequencies, which means also that the perceived sound quality of streamed audio is increased compared to traditional hearing aid receivers.

However, ANC typically requires a larger speaker and/or earpiece size compared to traditional hearing aids. Bulky earpieces are typically less in demand, especially if the device is intended to be worn the full day.

Summary of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel hearing device.
The object is achieved by a hearing device according to claim 1.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are given in the dependent claims.
According to the invention, a hearing device comprises a an RIC assembly, also referred to as a receiver-in-the-canal assembly or earpiece part, configured to be worn in an ear canal, the RIC assembly having a shell containing a receiver, wherein the RIC assembly comprises multiple electrical connection pads, the hearing device further comprising an ANC module, also referred to as an active noise cancelling module, configured to be releasably coupled to the RIC assembly and to perform active noise cancelling, the ANC module having electrical connectors configured for electrically contacting the electrical connection pads.
In an embodiment, the RIC assembly comprises one or more acoustic ANC canals configured to lead sound from the ANC module into the ear canal bypassing the receiver when the RIC assembly is worn in the ear canal and when the ANC module is coupled to the RIC assembly.
In an embodiment, the RIC assembly further comprises a cup-shaped receptacle at a lateral end of the shell, the receptacle configured to receive the ANC module or a portion thereof.
In an embodiment, the ANC module is configured to be retained on the RIC assembly by magnetic force.
In an embodiment, the magnetic force is provided by one or more magnets arranged on the RIC assembly and/or on the ANC module. The other one of the RIC assembly and the ANC module may also have one or magnets or one or more elements made of a magnetisable material.
In an embodiment, the one or more magnets are arranged in or on the receptacle.
In an embodiment, the ANC module is shaped to fit to the lateral end of the RIC assembly.
In an embodiment, the ANC module is shaped to match the receptacle.
In an embodiment, the receptacle has a recess and the ANC module has a locator rib matching the recess or vice versa, so that the ANC module couples to the RIC assembly in a defined position such that the electrical connectors of the ANC module connect to the electrical connection pads of the RIC assembly.
In an embodiment, the hearing device further comprises a BTE assembly, also referred to as a behind the ear assembly, coupled or configured to be coupled to the RIC assembly by a cable.
In an embodiment, the RIC assembly and/or the BTE assembly are/is configured to automatically detect and activate the ANC module once the electrical connectors contact the electrical connection pads.
In an embodiment, the ANC module further includes a speaker and two microphones, one of the microphones facing toward the RIC assembly and another one of the microphones facing away from the RIC assembly when the ANC module is coupled to the RIC assembly.
In an alternative embodiment, the inwards facing microphone could be arranged in the RIC assembly. This would be beneficial from an acoustic point of view; however, more electrical connection pads and electrical connectors may be required.
In an embodiment, circuitry configured to perform the active noise cancelling is arranged in one of the ANC module, the RIC assembly and the BTE assembly or is distributed over at least two of these components.
In an embodiment, the ANC module is powered through the RIC assembly from a battery located in the RIC assembly or in the BTE assembly.
In an embodiment, the RIC assembly further comprises a dome at a medial end of the shell, the dome having an open coupling.
The solution according to the invention is a hearing aid system, which can be situationally upgraded with active noise cancelling technology, resulting in better hearing performance when needed and only reduces discreteness in these specific situations. For the rest of the day, the hearing aid system may remain discrete and nicely hidden.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

Figure 1: is a schematic view of a hearing device,
Figure 2: is a schematic view of an RIC assembly,
Figure 3: is another schematic view of the RIC assembly,
Figure 4: is a schematic view of the hearing device with an ANC module being added to the RIC assembly,
Figure 5: is a schematic view of the hearing device with the ANC module coupled to the RIC assembly,
Figure 6: is a schematic view of the RIC assembly with the dome removed from a sound port of the RIC assembly,
Figure 7: is another schematic view of the RIC assembly with the dome removed, and
Figure 8: is another schematic view of the RIC assembly with the dome removed,
Figure 9: is a schematic view of the RIC assembly with the dome attached to the sound port of the RIC assembly,
Figure 10: is another schematic view of the RIC assembly with the dome attached to the sound port of the RIC assembly,
Figure 11: is a schematic view of the RIC assembly with the ANC module, and
Figure 12: is a schematic view of the ANC module with electrical connectors.

Corresponding parts are marked with the same reference symbols in all figures.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a hearing device 1, comprising an RIC assembly 2, also referred to as a receiver-in-the-canal assembly 2 or earpiece part, worn in an ear canal of an ear 3 of a user, and a BTE assembly 4, also referred to as a behind the ear assembly 4, coupled to the RIC assembly 2 by a cable 6. Figures 2 and 3 are schematic views of the RIC assembly 2 which is configured as a small device having a receiver or speaker (not shown) in a shell 7 and a dome 8 at a medial end of the shell 7 with a very open coupling, which means it cannot deliver much performance in challenging situations, but it can sufficiently address a mild to moderate hearing loss in most situations during the day.
The RIC assembly 2 comprises multiple electrical connection pads 9 at a lateral end of the shell 7, e.g. in a cup-shaped receptacle 10 which may be arranged at the lateral end. The connection pads 9 may be located on a surface of the shell 7 or receptacle 10 or they may be recessed therein.
Figure 4 is a schematic view of the hearing device 1 of figure 1 with an ANC module 11, also referred to as an active noise cancelling module 11, being added to the RIC assembly 2. When a situational performance upgrade is needed, the user can simply add the ANC module 11 to the RIC assembly 2. The ANC module 11 includes a more powerful speaker 20 and two microphones 21.1, 21.2. One of the microphones 21.2 may face inwards, i.e. toward the RIC assembly 2 when the ANC module 11 is coupled to the RIC assembly 2. Another one of the microphones 21.1 may face outwards, i.e. away from the RIC assembly 2 when the ANC module 11 is coupled to the RIC assembly 2. This configuration provides a so-called hybrid ANC (combination of feedback-ANC and feedforward-ANC). The ANC module 11 is powered through the RIC assembly 2 from a battery which may be located in the BTE assembly 4. Therefore, the ANC module 11 does not require a separate battery. The ANC module 11 might include separate circuitry in order to perform the ANC processing.
Figure 5 is a schematic view of the hearing device 1 of figure 1 with the ANC module 11 coupled to the RIC assembly 2.
Since the RIC assembly 2 is designed to be acoustically very open, the sound of the ANC module 11 can easily reach the ear canal through the openings of the RIC assembly 2.
Figures 6 , 7 and 8 show different views of the RIC assembly 2 with the dome 8 removed from a sound port 15 of the RIC assembly 2 for clarity. The open coupling of the RIC assembly 2 is achieved by acoustic ANC canals 12 bypassing the receiver 13 and the related one or more acoustic receiver canals 18.
Figures 9 and 10 show different views of the RIC assembly 2 with the dome 8 attached to the sound port 15 of the RIC assembly 2.
In an exemplary embodiment, magnetic force may be used to connect the RIC assembly 2 with the ANC module 11. The hearing device 1 may be configured to automatically detect the ANC module 11 and activate the ANC mode, once the ANC module 11 is connected to the RIC assembly 2 and electrical connectors (not shown) of the ANC module 11 connect the electrical connection pads 9 of the RIC assembly 2. The magnetic force may be generated by one or more magnets 14 arranged on the RIC assembly 2 and/or on the ANC module 11. In an exemplary embodiment, the magnets 14 may be arranged at the lateral end of the RIC assembly 2, e.g. in or on the receptacle 10.
Figure 11 is a schematic view of the RIC assembly 2 with the ANC module 11.
The ANC module 11 may be shaped to fit to the lateral end of the RIC assembly 2. In particular, the ANC module 11 may be shaped to match the receptacle 10. In an exemplary embodiment, the receptacle 10 may have a recess 16 and the ANC module 11 may have a locator rib 17 matching the recess 16 so that the ANC module 11 couples to the RI device 2 in a defined position to ensure that the electrical connectors of the ANC module 11 connect the electrical connection pads 9 of the RIC assembly 2.
Figure 12 is a schematic view of the ANC module 11 with the electrical connectors 19 configured for contacting the electrical connection pads 9. If the electrical connection pads 9 are recessed in the shell 7 or receptacle 10, the electrical connectors 19 may be configured to protrude sufficiently into the respective recesses to contact the electrical connection pads 9.
The proposed solution may be experienced by a user similar to putting an earbud/hearable into the ear. With the proposed solution, the components that need to be handled when removing the hearing aid would only be the RIC assembly 2 and the ANC module 11, which may be nicely handled with two hands.

List of References

1: hearing device
2: RIC assembly, receiver-in-the-canal assembly
3: ear
4: BTE assembly, behind the ear assembly
6: cable
7: shell
8: dome
9: electrical connection pad
10: receptacle
11: ANC module, active noise cancelling module
12: acoustic ANC canal
13: receiver
14: magnet
15: sound port
16: recess
17: locator rib
18: acoustic receiver canal
19: electrical connector
20: speaker
21.1,21.2: microphone

Claims

A hearing device (1), comprising a RIC assembly (2) configured to be worn in an ear canal, the RIC assembly (2) having a shell (7) containing a receiver (13), wherein the RIC assembly (2) comprises multiple electrical connection pads (9), the hearing device (1) further comprising an ANC module (11) configured to be releasably coupled to the RIC assembly (2) and to perform active noise cancelling, the ANC module (11) having electrical connectors (19) configured for electrically contacting the electrical connection pads (9).
The hearing device (1) of claim 1, wherein the RIC assembly (2) comprises one or more acoustic ANC canals (12) configured to lead sound from the ANC module (11) into the ear canal bypassing the receiver (13) when the RIC assembly (2) is worn in the ear canal and when the ANC module (11) is coupled to the RIC assembly (2).
The hearing device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, the RIC assembly (2) further comprising a cup-shaped receptacle (10) at a lateral end of the shell (7), the receptacle (10) configured to receive the ANC module (11).
The hearing device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ANC module (11) is configured to be retained on the RIC assembly (2) by magnetic force.
The hearing device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the magnetic force is provided by one or more magnets (14) arranged on the RIC assembly (2) and/or on the ANC module (11).
The hearing device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the one or more magnets (14) are arranged in or on the receptacle (10).
The hearing device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ANC module (11) is shaped to fit to the lateral end of the RIC assembly (2).
The hearing device (1) according to claim 7, wherein the ANC module (11) is shaped to match the receptacle (10).
The hearing device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the receptacle (10) has a recess (16) and the ANC module (11) has a locator rib (17) matching the recess (16) so that the ANC module (11) couples to the RIC assembly (2) in a defined position such that the electrical connectors (19) of the ANC module (11) connect to the electrical connection pads (9) of the RIC assembly (2).
The hearing device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a BTE assembly (4) coupled to the RIC assembly (2) by a cable (6).
The hearing device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the RIC assembly (2) and/or the BTE assembly (4) are/is configured to automatically detect and activate the ANC module (11) once the electrical connectors (19) contact the electrical connection pads (9).
The hearing device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ANC module (11) further includes a speaker (20) and two microphones (21.1, 21.2), one of the microphones (21.1) facing toward the RIC assembly (2) and another one of the microphones (21.2) facing away from the RIC assembly (2) when the ANC module (11) is coupled to the RIC assembly (2).
The hearing device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein circuitry configured to perform the active noise cancelling is arranged in one of the ANC module (11), the RIC assembly (2) and the BTE assembly (4) or is distributed over at least two of these components.
The hearing device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ANC module (11) is powered through the RIC assembly (2) from a battery located in the RIC assembly (2) or in the BTE assembly (4).
The hearing device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, the RIC assembly (2) further comprising a dome (8) at a medial end of the shell (7), the dome having an open coupling.