JP2004229181A - In-the-ear hearing aid - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-the-ear hearing aid which can be worn without feeling discomfort by sealing of an acoustic meatus. <P>SOLUTION: The hearing aid is formed by storing a microphone 6, a hearing aid processor 7, a battery 9 and an earphone 8, etc. inside a shell member 3. The shell member 3 is covered by a cover member 2 formed by a soft elastic material of a continuous porous body capable of securing air permeability. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an earphone type hearing aid that realizes a comfortable wearing feeling by eliminating a feeling of sealing and a feeling of being bulky to the ear.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the conventional earphone type hearing aid, the shell member is formed of a soft or hard resin, and the shell member is fitted to the external auditory canal at the time of wearing. The reason for fitting the shell member closely to the ear canal is that if there is a gap between the shell member and the ear canal, howling occurs due to sound leakage.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if the shell member is fitted closely to the external auditory canal and used, howling can be prevented, but the wearer has experienced discomfort such as a feeling of sealing and a feeling of being full due to sealing of the external auditory canal.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to be able to be worn with the eardrum surface and the outside air ventilated without sealing the ear canal. It is intended to provide an ear-shaped hearing aid (hereinafter referred to as open fitting).
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an earphone type hearing aid in which a microphone, a hearing aid processing unit, a battery, an earphone, etc. are housed in a shell member, wherein the shell member is formed of a soft elastic material of a continuous porous body. It is covered with a member.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an earlobe hearing aid according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the earlobe hearing aid body, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cover member.
[0007]
The earlobe hearing aid according to the present invention is formed by covering an earlobe hearing aid body 1 with a cover member 2 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the ear hearing aid main body 1 forms a case body 5 from a hollow shell member 3 and a panel member 4. The cover member 2 is formed so as to conform to the shape of the ear canal entrance and covers the periphery of the shell member 3.
[0008]
The shell member 3 has a shape obtained by cutting one end of a hollow spindle shape, and the outer shape of the shell member 3 is formed to be sufficiently smaller than the inner diameter of the average ear canal. In addition, a sound outlet (not shown) is provided at the tip of the shell member 3.
[0009]
The panel member 4 closes the open end of the shell member 3, and a microphone 6 that detects an external sound and converts it into an electric signal inside the case body 5 formed by the shell member 3 and the panel member 4, DSP (digital signal) A hearing aid processing unit 7 composed of a processor), an earphone 8 for electroacoustic conversion of the output of the hearing aid processing unit 7, a battery 9, and an external communication connector 10 are arranged.
[0010]
On the surface facing the outside of the panel member 4, there are a hearing aid extraction cable 4a, a sound introduction hole for guiding sound to the microphone 6 (not shown), a lid for loading the battery 9, an insertion port for the external communication connector 10, and the like. Has been placed.
[0011]
The hearing aid processing unit 7 has an anti-feedback function (a function of preventing howling due to sound leakage) that enables open fitting. In addition, various digital signal processing for other hearing aid processing can be performed.
[0012]
The external communication connector 10 is provided to adjust the hearing aid characteristics of the hearing aid from outside, and an external control tool for adjustment (not shown) is connected to the connector 10 to adjust the hearing aid characteristics from the outside. Can do. The hearing aid and the adjustment external control tool may be connected by wireless communication means without using the external communication connector 10.
[0013]
The cover member 2 has a shape following the shell member 3, that is, a spindle shape with one end cut off, and an opening is formed at a portion corresponding to the sound emission port of the shell member 3. The cover member 2 has an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the shell member 3, and has an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the average ear canal.
[0014]
The cover member 2 is formed of a soft elastic material of a continuous porous body that can ensure air permeability. Since the cover member 2 has an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the shell member 3 and is formed of an elastic material, the periphery of the shell member 3 can be stably covered.
[0015]
As the soft elastic material of the continuous porous body, a continuous porous body (trademark: Goretex) of tetrafluorofluoroethylene (trademark: Teflon) is preferable. In addition, open-cell polyethylene foam, open-cell flexible urethane foam, or the like can be used.
[0016]
The operation of the earphone type hearing aid according to the present invention configured as described above will be described. When the earlobe hearing aid is inserted into the ear canal, the spindle-shaped outer shape of the cover member 2 is elastically deformed following the inner shape of the wearer's ear canal. As a result, the earlobe hearing aid is held in the ear canal with appropriate elasticity. Moreover, since the cover member 2 has air permeability, the wearer is relieved from discomfort due to sealing of the ear canal.
[0017]
Further, since the hearing aid processing unit 7 has an anti-feedback function, howling can be effectively suppressed even if the cover member 2 has air permeability.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the shell member is covered with the cover member formed of the flexible material of the continuous porous body that can ensure the air permeability, so that the ear-shaped hearing aid does not feel uncomfortable due to the sealing of the ear canal. Can be held in the external auditory canal, so that stable wearing can be achieved and a wearing feeling similar to that of an open fitting can be obtained, so that a comfortable wearing feeling can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an earring hearing aid according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an earring hearing aid body. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cover member.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ear hearing aid main body, 2 ... Cover member, 3 ... Shell member, 4 ... Panel member, 5 ... Case body, 6 ... Microphone, 7 ... Hearing-aid processing part, 8 ... Earphone, 9 ... Battery, 10 ... External communication Connector.

Claims (1)

An ear-shaped hearing aid in which a microphone, a hearing aid processing unit, a battery, an earphone, etc. are housed in a shell member, wherein the shell member is covered with a cover member formed of a soft elastic material of a continuous porous body. Anna Hearing Aid.

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