JP2013115800A - Ear-hooked hearing aid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ear-hooked hearing aid whose user would sense less pressure, awkwardness and its presence, and for which the freedom of overall aesthetic designing to make it inconspicuous as a hearing aid is increased to eliminate, even if the user significantly moves his or her body as in an athletic exercise, tension on the external acoustic foramen to keep the hearing aid body in a stable state with the result that the user is relieved of the load of wearing the aid, can feel comfortable and wear or remove it easily.SOLUTION: An ear-hooked hearing aid comprises: a hearing-aid body 2 fitted between an auricle 81 and a head 9; and holding pieces 31 and 32 that extend respectively from a front end 2a and a rear end 2b of the hearing-aid body 2 and, when the aid is used, hold a root part 82 of the user's ear together with a lower end 2c of the hearing-aid body 2 to keep the hearing-aid body 2 stable. Oscillation is outputted from bone conduction drivers 23A and 23B built into the hearing-aid body 2 to generate bone-conducted sounds through the skull and ear-side cartilage of the user.

Description

  The present invention reduces the feeling of pressure, incongruity, and wearing feeling, has a high degree of freedom in overall design design, can make the presence as a hearing aid inconspicuous, and makes the hearing aid body stable on the user's ear The present invention relates to an ear-hook type hearing aid that can be held to eliminate a burden on the user and at the same time provide a sense of security and can be easily mounted / removed.

  Conventionally, an ear-mounted hearing aid is composed of a hearing aid body having upper and lower surfaces that are circularly curved in a side view, and a sound path hook extending from the front end of the housing to the outer ear hole. Various things which are used by being placed between the support and the head are provided (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 4). In such a conventional ear-type hearing aid, the output sound of the built-in acoustic speaker is guided to the distal end portion through the hook and output to the outer ear hole, or the earphone having the acoustic speaker is provided at the distal end portion of the hook to the outer ear hole. Two types of structures for insertion are provided. In these ear-hearing hearing aids, it is known that an output signal from an acoustic speaker is re-input to the microphone through the air, and howling occurs. To prevent this, Patent Documents 3 and 4 disclose that A structure has been proposed in which the tip of the hook or earphone inserted into the outer ear hole fits in the outer ear hole and the output sound does not leak outside.

  By the way, hearing aids are worn for a long time in daily life, but if you wear such a conventional ear-hearing type hearing aid that outputs sound from the tip of the hook for a long time, it will easily cause fatigue due to stress on the ear. In particular, when worn for a long time in the summer, there is a risk of sweating in the ears and sweating into the ears causing otitis externa. The risk of such stress and otitis externa may become significant when a structure for preventing the above-described howling, that is, by inserting the earphone portion in close contact with the outer ear hole. A dedicated circuit for preventing howling is also incorporated into the hearing aid body, but this causes an increase in cost and a decrease in sound quality.

  On the other hand, a hook-type hearing aid in which an earphone incorporating a bone conduction driver is provided at the tip of the hook has also been proposed (see Patent Document 5). According to this, it is possible to hear by bone conduction just by placing the earphone on the outer ear canal, and it is possible to prevent symptoms such as otitis externa even in summer, especially the output from the acoustic speaker via the air The problem of entering the microphone and causing howling can also be solved, and waterproofness can be imparted.

JP 60-261296 A JP-A-1-300800 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-23599 JP 2007-31372 A JP 2010-192975 A

  However, in any conventional ear-fitted hearing aid, the earphone provided at the hook (neck) or its tip is attached to the ear canal for a long time, so that the user feels tight, uncomfortable, and comfortable to wear. The burden on was not small. In addition, since there is a hook extending from the front of the hearing aid main body to the outer ear hole, the presence of the hearing aid inevitably stands out even if the hearing aid main body is hidden by hair.

  In addition, the hearing aid main body mounted between the auricle and the head itself has low holdability and is unstable, and the hook extending from the outer ear hole prevents the hearing aid main body from slipping backward to the head. . Therefore, for example, when the movement of the user increases, for example, the hearing aid main body also moves back and forth, particularly rearward, and pulls to the outer ear canal through the hook, resulting in a burden on the user. Further, when the conventional ear-mounted hearing aid is worn on the ear, the hearing aid body is temporarily placed on the ear, the hook or earphone is inserted into the ear, and the hearing aid body is adjusted again to a position where the hook is not pulled. It is necessary to work, and also when removing, it is necessary to remove the hook or earphone from the outer ear hole while holding it by hand so that the hearing aid body does not fall first.

  Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned situation, the present invention intends to solve the problem such as howling and otitis externa, which can provide waterproofness and at the same time the pressure felt by the user. Reduces the feeling, discomfort, and wearing feeling, increases the degree of freedom in overall design design and makes the presence as a hearing aid inconspicuous, and pulls to the outer ear canal even with large movements such as exercise Provided is a hook-type hearing aid that can hold the hearing aid main body in a stable state, thereby providing a sense of security without burdening the user, and that can be easily mounted / removed. In the point.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention incorporates a microphone, a control unit, and a bone conduction driver, and is attached to a hearing aid body that is mounted between the auricle and the head, from one or both ends in the front-rear direction of the hearing aid body The ear-hook type hearing aid is characterized by comprising a holding piece for extending and holding the base portion of the user's ear together with the lower end portion of the hearing aid main body in use to stably hold the hearing aid main body.

  Here, the housing of the hearing aid main body is configured in a substantially fan shape that is wider in the upper side in a cross-sectional view, and only on the inner surface of the side wall on the head side, or on the head side, of the two side walls on the head side and the auricle side. It is preferable that the bone conduction driver is disposed in contact with the inner surfaces of both side walls on the auricle side.

  Further, the housing of the hearing aid main body has a curved shape in which a lower end portion is recessed so as to be along a base portion of the ear when in use, and as a whole, the side view is configured in a substantially crescent shape that is long in the longitudinal direction and the holding Like the lower end of the housing of the hearing aid main body, it is preferable that the piece is configured in a shape along the base of the ear when in use.

  Further, it is preferable that the holding piece is formed by insert-molding a rod-shaped elastic member made of a metal material or a synthetic resin material along the lower end portion inside the housing of the hearing aid main body at the time of mounting or housing molding.

  In addition, it is preferable that a part or the whole of the housing of the hearing aid main body and the holding piece are integrally formed of a soft synthetic resin, a synthetic rubber, or a thermoplastic elastomer.

  In addition, a flexible connecting neck bent in a substantially U shape is extended from the rear end of the hearing aid main body obliquely downward to the back of the head, and a bone conduction driver is incorporated in the extending tip of the connecting neck. A speaker head is provided, and an output signal is transmitted from the control unit to the bone conduction driver of the speaker head through an electric wire inside the connection neck, and the connection neck is rotated forward from the ear lobe to remove the speaker head. What is used by inserting into the ear canal is also a preferred example.

  Particularly in this case, it is preferable that the hearing aid main body does not have a built-in bone conduction driver.

  According to the ear-hook type hearing aid according to the present invention as described above, the hook inserted into the outer ear hole and the earphone at the tip thereof are omitted, and the bone conduction sound from the hearing aid main body mounted between the auricle and the head is omitted. A product that can reliably convey sound to the head, provide clear sound, prevent symptoms such as howling and otitis externa, and provide waterproofness for bathing and swimming In addition, depending on the user, it is possible to hear the surrounding sound from the open ear canal at the same time, and more natural sound can be taken in, making it easy for the user to hear, safe and secure But there is. In addition, there is no hook or earphone to be inserted into the outer ear hole, and the holding piece maintains a stable posture of the hearing aid body, so there is no feeling of pressure and there is a feeling of opening, and the burden during use can be greatly reduced and there is little feeling of wearing. In addition, there is no burden of pulling to the outer ear hole through the conventional hook, and the holdability is good, so the user has a sense of stability and security, and the worry that the hearing aid body falls from the ear even during sports and heavy work It can be done freely.

  Furthermore, since it is possible to eliminate hooks and earphones that extend to the outer ear hole when worn, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of the overall design, for example, to make the presence as a hearing aid inconspicuous. In addition, when attaching, the work of putting the tip of the hook or the earphone into the outer ear canal can be omitted, and it can be completed simply by inserting the hearing aid body into the base of the ear with the holding piece. Since it is not necessary to adjust the position of the body of the hearing aid, it can be attached to and removed from the ear with a single touch, providing products with excellent wearability.

  In addition, the housing of the hearing aid main body is configured in a substantially fan shape that is wider in the cross-sectional view at the top, and only on the inner surface of the head side of the two side walls on the head side and the auricle side, or on the head side and the ears. Since the bone conduction driver is arranged in contact with both inner surfaces of the intermediary side walls, the wide upper part of the upper part of the hearing aid main body slightly expands the auricle, and the hearing aid main body is located between the auricle and the head. It is held in a more stable posture by being sandwiched. In addition, by using such a substantially fan-shaped space, it is possible to arrange internal devices such as a microphone, a control unit, a power supply unit, and a bone conduction driver at optimal positions according to each device, in particular, the head. Since the bone conduction driver is disposed in contact with only the inner surface of the side wall or the inner surfaces of both the head and the auricle, the bone conduction sound is more efficiently transmitted to the head side or both the head and the ear. It becomes possible to do.

  Further, the housing of the hearing aid main body has a curved shape in which the lower end portion is recessed so as to be along the base of the ear when in use, and is configured to have a substantially crescent shape that is long in the front-rear and longitudinal directions as a whole, and the holding piece As in the case of the lower end of the housing of the hearing aid main body, the shape of the hearing aid main body is configured so as to be along the base of the ear at the time of use. .

  Further, the holding piece is formed by inserting a rod-shaped elastic member made of a metal material or a synthetic resin material into the housing of the hearing aid main body along the lower end portion, and insert molding at the time of mounting or housing molding. The pieces can be easily formed and combined with different parts using suitable materials, and products with higher functionality can be provided at low cost.

  In addition, part or all of the housing of the hearing aid main body and the holding piece are integrally formed of soft synthetic resin, synthetic rubber, or thermoplastic elastomer, so the number of parts is reduced and assembly work is also omitted. This makes it possible to reduce manufacturing and management costs.

  In addition, a flexible connecting neck bent in a substantially U shape is extended from the rear end of the hearing aid main body obliquely downward to the back of the head, and a bone conduction driver is incorporated in the extending tip of the connecting neck. A speaker head is provided, and an output signal is transmitted from the control unit to the bone conduction driver of the speaker head through an electric wire inside the connection neck, and the connection neck is rotated forward from the ear lobe to remove the speaker head. The hearing aid main body can be more stably held on the ear, and bone conduction sound can be transmitted from the outer ear canal. In this case, the connecting neck does not extend from the front to the outer ear hole like the conventional hook, but extends from the rear, so that it does not stand out as in the conventional case.

  In this case, the hearing aid body can be omitted without providing a bone conduction driver, and the hearing aid body can be made smaller and lighter.

The side view which shows the ear-hook type hearing aid which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which similarly looked at the ear hook type hearing aid from diagonally backward. (A) is an AA end view of FIG. 1, (b) is a BB end view. Explanatory drawing which similarly shows the use condition of an ear hook type hearing aid. Explanatory drawing which similarly shows a use condition. The perspective view which looked at the ear-hook type hearing aid which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention from diagonally forward. Explanatory drawing which similarly shows the use condition of an ear hook type hearing aid. Explanatory drawing which shows the use condition of the ear hook type hearing aid which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIGS. 1-5 shows 1st Embodiment of the ear-hook type hearing aid 1 which concerns on this invention, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 has shown 2nd Embodiment, FIG. 8 has shown 3rd Embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 2 denotes a hearing aid body, and 31 and 32 denote holding pieces, respectively.

  First, a first embodiment will be described based on FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the ear-hook type hearing aid 1 of the present embodiment includes a hearing aid main body 2 mounted between the auricle 81 and the head 9, and a front end portion 2 a of the hearing aid main body 2. And holding pieces 31 and 32 that extend from the rear end portion 2b and hold the base portion 82 of the user's ear together with the lower end portion 2c of the hearing aid body 2 during use to stably hold the hearing aid body 2. It generates vibrations from the bone conduction drivers 23A and 23B built in the hearing aid main body 2 to generate bone conduction sound through the skull of the user's head and the cartilage on the ear side. It becomes a superior product.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 20 of the hearing aid main body 2 includes a microphone 21 that collects external sound, an amplifier that amplifies the collected sound signal with a constant gain, an A / D converter, and the like. A control unit 22 that controls each circuit based on a control program stored in the ROM, a bone conduction driver 23A, 23B that converts the amplified output electrical signal from the control unit 22 into mechanical vibration, and a power source (button battery 24) In addition, an operation unit 25 including operation buttons for controlling the volume level and power on / off is incorporated. The arrangement of each device in the housing 20 is an example, and other arrangements are of course possible.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the casing 20 has a curved shape in which the lower end portion 2c is recessed in a curved shape so as to follow the base portion 82 of the ear when in use, and as a whole, a substantially crescent shape having a long side view in the longitudinal direction. It is configured. Further, the housing 20 is configured in a substantially fan shape that is wider in the upper part in a cross-sectional view as shown in FIG. 3, and as shown in FIG. 3A, two side walls 20d and 20e on the auricle side and the head side are provided. Bone conduction drivers 23A and 23B are arranged in contact with the inner surface of each side wall. In this way, the housing 20 of the hearing aid main body 2 is formed in a substantially fan shape so that it fits securely between the auricle 81 and the head 9. It is also preferable that the bone conduction driver is disposed in contact with only the inner surface of the side wall 20e on the head side. The material of the housing is not particularly limited, and an appropriate material such as metal or synthetic resin can be used. For example, a material in which a thermoplastic elastomer layer is provided on the outer surface of a substrate made of polycarbonate has strength and can be reduced in weight. This is preferable.

  A conventionally known microphone can be adopted as the microphone 21 and receives external sound propagating in the air and converts it into an electric signal. As a result, ambient sounds including the user's voice are input. The process of the control unit 22 can be basically the same as the hearing aid process in the conventional digital hearing aid. As the bone conduction drivers 23A and 23B, various types such as conventionally known electromagnetic type, electrodynamic type, electrostatic type and piezoelectric type can be used. For example, a voice coil is attached to the central magnetic pole of the yoke. A conventionally known bone conduction driver in which magnets are arranged on the short side end portions on both sides of the yoke and a diaphragm fixing portion is arranged outside each magnet on the magnet arrangement axis can be employed.

  The operation unit 25 is provided with operation buttons such as a volume operated by the user on the upper surface of the housing 20. However, you may make it operate by an operation part with the switch of the remote control apparatus at hand. In this case, a short-range wireless communication unit may be provided in each of the control unit of the hearing aid main body and a remote control device provided separately to transmit and receive control signals related to the operation content by the operation unit. Although the example of the button battery 24 was shown as a power supply, it is not limited to this. In the case of a rechargeable type, a charging adapter may be provided in the housing 20 or a charging circuit may be provided to employ a non-contact charging method. Similar to the bone conduction driver, the substrate constituting the control unit 22 and the button battery 24 can be efficiently disposed in the substantially fan-shaped housing 20 by being disposed on the inner surfaces of the side walls 20d and 20e.

  The holding pieces 31 and 32 are formed in a curved shape so as to follow the root portion of the ear when in use, like the lower end 2c of the housing of the hearing aid main body 2, and in the use state, as shown in FIG. It is set as the structure which has elasticity so that it may be pinched | interposed. For example, a metal, particularly a shape memory alloy, a synthetic resin, a thermoplastic elastomer, a combination thereof, or a material in which a relatively soft layer such as a synthetic rubber is formed on the surface thereof can be widely used. By making the surfaces of the holding pieces 31 and 32 soft in this way, the burden on the user can be reduced, and vibration output (bone conduction sound) from the bone conduction driver is transmitted through the skull and transmitted to the hearing aid body. Can be avoided and howling can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the holding pieces 31 and 32 are preferably formed by attaching a rod-like elastic member made of a metal material or a synthetic resin material as described above to the lower end 2 c inside the housing 20 of the hearing aid main body 2. The casing 20 is formed by insert molding along the molding. In this example, a single member is used to extend the holding pieces 31 and 32 from the front and rear of the housing 20, but two members may be partially extended from both ends. Further, instead of insert molding, a member constituting the holding pieces 31 and 32 may be mounted and assembled to the separately produced housing 20. Furthermore, it is also preferable that the casing 20 and the holding pieces 31 and 32 are integrally formed of synthetic resin or the like. For example, it is preferable that a part or the whole of the housing 20 and the holding pieces 31 and 32 are integrally formed of a soft synthetic resin, a synthetic rubber, or a thermoplastic elastomer.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, the holding pieces 31 and 32 are respectively provided in a continuous design from the front end and the rear end of the housing 20, and the beak-shaped front holding piece 31 is used as shown in FIG. In this case, the user is mainly locked to the front end portion of the user's auricle, and the holding piece 32 on the rear side has a function of holding the base portion of the ear so as to hold it inward. Such holding pieces 31 and 32 are preferably formed of synthetic rubber or thermoplastic elastomer. In the present embodiment, a protrusion 26 is provided on the outer surface of the side wall 20e on the head side, and the protrusion 26 abuts preferentially on the user's head during use, and the vibration of the bone electric driver inside the housing 20 The projection 26 is configured to be surely transmitted to the user's head.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG.

  In the present embodiment, a flexible connecting neck portion 27 bent in a substantially U-shape is extended from the rear end portion of the hearing aid main body 2 obliquely downward to the back of the head, and the extended distal end portion of the connecting neck portion 27 is extended. A speaker head 28 having a built-in bone conduction driver 23 is provided, and the connecting neck 27 is rotated forward from around the earlobe and the speaker head 28 is inserted into the outer ear hole for use, and is connected from the control unit of the hearing aid main body 2. An output signal is transmitted to the bone conduction driver 23 of the speaker head 28 through an electrical lead wire inside the neck portion 27, and a bone conduction sound is transmitted through the cartilage of the outer ear canal. As a result, the hearing aid body 2 can be more stably held on the ear, and vibration can be output from both the bone conduction driver built in the hearing aid body 2 and the bone conduction driver of the speaker head 28.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the posture of the hearing aid main body 2 can be stabilized by the presence of the connection neck portion 27 and the speaker head portion 28, the holding piece 32 on the rear end side may be omitted as in this example. Alternatively, the bone conduction driver of the hearing aid main body 2 may be omitted, and the vibration output may be performed only by the bone conduction driver of the speaker head 28.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can of course be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 type hearing aid 2 hearing aid body 2a end 2b end 2c end 9 head 20 housing 20d, 20e side wall 21 microphone 22 control unit 23, 23A, 23B bone conduction driver 24 button battery 25 operation unit 26 projection 27 connection neck 28 Speaker head 31, 32 Holding piece 81 Auricle 82 Base part

Claims (7)

A hearing aid body that contains at least a microphone, a control unit, a power supply unit, and a bone conduction driver, and is worn between the auricle and the head when used,
It extends from one or both ends in the front-rear direction of the hearing aid body, and comprises a holding piece for stably holding the hearing aid body by sandwiching the base portion of the user's ear together with the lower end portion of the hearing aid body during use. Hearing aid.   The housing of the hearing aid main body is configured in a substantially fan shape that is wider in the cross-sectional view in the upper part, and only on the inner surface of the side wall on the head side of the two side walls on the head side and the auricle side, or on the head side and the auricle The ear-hook type hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the bone conduction drivers are arranged in contact with the inner surfaces of both side walls.   The housing of the hearing aid main body has a curved shape in which a lower end portion is recessed so as to follow a base portion of the ear when in use, and is configured in a substantially crescent shape having a long side view in the longitudinal direction as a whole, and the holding piece The ear-hook type hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid type hearing aid is configured in a shape along a base portion of the ear when in use, like the lower end portion of the housing of the hearing aid main body.   The holding piece is formed by insert-molding a rod-like elastic member made of a metal material or a synthetic resin material along the lower end portion inside the housing of the hearing aid main body or when molding the housing. The ear-hook type hearing aid according to claim 1.   The ear hook type according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a part or the whole of the housing of the hearing aid main body and the holding piece are integrally formed of a soft synthetic resin, a synthetic rubber, or a thermoplastic elastomer. hearing aid.   A speaker head having a flexible connecting neck bent in a substantially U shape extending from the rear end of the hearing aid main body obliquely downward to the rear of the head, and a bone conduction driver built in the extending tip of the connecting neck An output signal is transmitted from the control unit to the bone conduction driver of the speaker head through an electrical lead wire inside the connection neck, and the connection head is turned forward from the earlobe to turn the speaker head to the outer ear hole. The ear-hook type hearing aid according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is used by being inserted.   The ear-hook type hearing aid according to claim 6, wherein a bone conduction driver is not built in the hearing aid body.

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