JP2013115801A - Head-mounted hearing aid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head-mounted hearing aid which is capable of dealing with high output and maintaining a stable mount state even if a user heavily moves such as performing exercises or sweats on the head, thereby eliminating the burden on the user and giving ease, and which also improves a degree of freedom in design and can be used easily by also being mounted/removed easily and further, eliminating a presence as a hearing aid in the appearance.SOLUTION: A head-mounted hearing aid is a clip-type hearing aid which comprises a microphone, a control section, a power source, and a bone conduction driver and is used while being attached to a constituent portion of any other head-mounted member that a user mounts on the head. The head-mounted hearing aid comprises a bone conduction speaker 10 which is abutted on an inner surface of the constituent portion that is a head side, an outer holder 11 which is abutted on an outer surface of the constituent portion 90, and a coupling part 12 coupling the bone conduction speaker 10 and the outer holder 11.

Description

  The present invention can eliminate the presence as a hearing aid in appearance due to a novel wearing form, has a high degree of freedom in design, and at the same time eliminates the burden on the user by wearing it in a stable state on the head. The present invention relates to a behind-the-ear hearing aid that can give a sense of security and is easy to attach / remove.

  Conventionally, as head-mounted hearing aids, ear hole type and ear-hook type hearing aids are widely known. Since the ear hole type is attached to the outer ear hole and the size is limited, there is a problem that high output does not occur. On the other hand, the ear-hook type that can handle high output includes a hearing aid main body having upper and lower surfaces that are curved in an arc shape in side view, and a sound path hook that extends from the front end of the housing to the outer ear hole. There are various types of main bodies that are used on the base of the ear between the user's pinna and the temporal region (see, for example, 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 addition, a hook-type hearing aid has also been proposed in which an earphone incorporating a bone conduction driver is provided at the hook tip (see Patent Document 5).

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 such a hearing aid type hearing aid, the hearing aid body mounted between the auricle and the head itself has low holdability and is unstable, and the hook extending from the outer ear hole shifts the hearing aid body toward the back of the head. It has a structure that prevents falling. 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. In particular, when the sweat flows from the head during summer or when the user exercises, it adheres to the body of the hearing aid, and the holdability is further reduced, so that it tends to slip.

  Also, when putting on the ear, it is necessary to temporarily place the hearing aid body on the ear, put the hook or earphone into the ear, and adjust the hearing aid body to a position where the hook is not pulled again, and remove it. At the same time, it was necessary to remove the hook or the earphone from the outer ear hole while holding it by hand so that the hearing aid main body would not fall first, and it was complicated and requires familiarity. In addition, since such a hook-type hearing aid has a hook extending from the front of the hearing aid main body mounted between the auricle and the head to the outer ear hole, even if the hearing aid main body is hidden by hair, the hook is externally attached. I can see. When the device worn on the ear is seen in this way, the presence as a hearing aid inevitably stands out in appearance. There is also a problem that it cannot be used with glasses or sunglasses.

  Therefore, in view of the above-described situation, the present invention is able to sufficiently cope with high output and maintain a stable wearing state even if the user makes a large movement such as exercise or sweats the head. In addition, it can give a sense of security without burdening the user, and it is easy to put on and take off. In addition, it can eliminate the presence of a hearing aid and has a high degree of freedom in design. It is to provide an easy-to-use head-mounted hearing aid.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a microphone, a control unit, a power supply unit, and a bone conduction driver, and is used by being attached to a component part of another head-mounted device worn by the user on the head. This is a part-mounted hearing aid, comprising at least the bone conduction driver, and a bone conduction speaker portion that abuts on the inner surface on the head side of the component part, and an outer press that abuts on the outer surface of the component part And a connecting portion that connects the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion, and the component portion is disposed between the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion with respect to the head wearing device. A head-mounted hearing aid characterized by being inserted and attached in a sandwiched state was constructed.

  Here, the connecting portion is configured to connect the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion so as to be elastically deformable, and the configuration is provided between the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion with respect to the head wearing device. It is preferable that the structural part is attached in a state of being sandwiched between the bone conduction speaker part and the outer pressing part by an elastic restoring force generated by inserting the part.

  Further, it is preferable that the bone conduction speaker portion, the outer pressing portion, and the connecting portion are constituted by an integrally molded synthetic resin case having a device storage space that is internally communicated with each other.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that each of the bone conduction speaker unit and the outer pressing unit is constituted by a hollow plate-like case having a shape in which the outer contours in a side view substantially coincide with each other and face each other in parallel.

  According to the head-mounted hearing aid according to the present invention as described above, the bone conduction speaker unit can be used by being attached to a component part of another head-mounted device worn by the user on the head, such as a belt of a helmet. Because it is directly output to the head as a bone conduction sound, it can be fully designed for high output without any size restrictions, and the wearing form is completely different from conventional ear-mounted hearing aids that are worn on the ear, It becomes a novel form, has a high degree of freedom in design and design, and since it does not look like a hearing aid in appearance, it can completely eliminate its presence as a hearing aid. In addition, it is possible to provide products that are waterproof and can be used for bathing and swimming.

  In addition, since the component part of the other head mounting part, for example, the belt part of the helmet is inserted between the bone conduction speaker part and the outer pressing part, and is attached in a state in which this is sandwiched, There is no pressure or burden on the ear canal and it is open and can be used simultaneously with glasses and sunglasses, and is held in a stable posture with respect to the belt. Even if you sweat, you can give a sense of security and lightness to the user without any effect. In addition, since the bone conduction speaker unit is sandwiched between the component part and the head, the vibration output from the bone conduction speaker unit can be transmitted to the skull as a reliable and clear bone conduction sound.

  In such a head-mounted hearing aid of the present invention, the mounting location is not specified, and therefore the user can freely select the component part according to the type of the other head-mounted part and attach the hearing aid. In addition, as described above, since it is a clip type that is attached in a state where the component part is inserted and sandwiched between the bone conduction speaker part and the outer pressing part, both mounting / removal / position adjustment can be easily performed. It is easy to use, and can be easily carried and stored without being lost, for example, by being hooked into a pocket or the like.

  Further, the connecting portion connects the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion so as to be elastically deformable, and the component portion is disposed between the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion with respect to the head wearing device. Due to the elastic restoring force generated by the insertion, the structure can be attached in a state where the component part is sandwiched between the bone conduction speaker part and the outer pressing part, so mounting / removal / position adjustment is very easy with one hand. While being able to perform, it is firmly hold | maintained with the said elastic restoring force with respect to a component part.

  In addition, since the bone conduction speaker part, the outer pressing part, and the connecting part are composed of an integrally molded synthetic resin case having an equipment storage space that communicates with each other, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the internal equipment can be attached to each case. It is possible to balance the weight and to stabilize the attachment state to the constituent parts. In addition, the design can be improved.

  In addition, the bone conduction speaker part and the outer pressing part are both formed from a hollow plate-like case having a shape that substantially matches the outer contour in side view, and these are made to face each other in parallel, so that they are not conspicuous in terms of design. In addition to being neat, the weight balance can be further improved, and the state of attachment to the components can be further stabilized.

Explanatory drawing which shows the use condition of the head mounted hearing aid which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which similarly shows a head mounting type hearing aid. (A) is the side view seen from the outer pressing part side of the head-mounted hearing aid, and (b) is the side view seen from the bone conduction speaker part side. The top view of a head mounted type hearing aid. Sectional drawing which similarly shows the internal structure of a head mounted type hearing aid. (A)-(b) is explanatory drawing which shows the other use condition of a head mounted type hearing aid. (A) is a perspective view which shows the head mounted hearing aid which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention, (b) is sectional drawing similarly. (A) is a perspective view which shows the head mounted hearing aid which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention, (b) is sectional drawing similarly. Sectional drawing which shows the head mounted hearing aid which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a perspective view which shows the head mounted hearing aid which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention, (b) is sectional drawing similarly. (A) is a perspective view which shows the head mounted hearing aid which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention, (b) is sectional drawing similarly. (A) is a perspective view which shows the head mounted hearing aid which concerns on 7th Embodiment of this invention, (b) is sectional drawing similarly.

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

  1 to 6 show a first embodiment of a head-mounted hearing aid according to the present invention, FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment, FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment, FIG. 9 shows a fourth embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 11 shows a sixth embodiment, FIG. 12 shows a seventh embodiment, reference numerals 1 and 1A to 1F denote head-mounted hearing aids, 10 a bone conduction speaker portion, 11 an outer pressing portion, Reference numeral 12 denotes a connecting portion, 30 denotes an inner case portion, 31 denotes an outer case portion, and 32 denotes a connecting case portion.

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

  The head-mounted hearing aid 1 according to the present embodiment includes a microphone, a control unit, a power supply unit, and a bone conduction driver, and as shown in FIG. This is a clip-type hearing aid that is used by being attached to a component 90 (a belt in this example) of a helmet, and is a completely novel form of hearing aid that has never been used before. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the head-mounted hearing aid 1 includes a bone conduction speaker unit 10 that abuts on an inner surface on the head side of the component part 90, and the component part 90. The outer pressing part 11 that abuts on the outer surface of the head and the connecting part 12 that connects the bone conduction speaker part 10 and the outer pressing part 11 are configured.

  And it attaches with the state which inserted and comprised the structural part 90 between the bone conduction speaker part 10 and the outer side pressing part 11 with respect to the head mounting tool 9, and between the structural part 90 and a user's head. The bone conduction speaker unit 10 that is sandwiched between and in contact with the head incorporates a bone conduction driver 23 and generates a bone conduction sound in the skull of the head by outputting vibration from the bone conduction speaker. Therefore, it is a product that is particularly advantageous for conductive hearing loss and mixed hearing loss. Moreover, since it is a clip type unlike a conventional hearing aid, the user can easily attach it to the component part 90 of the head-mounted device 9 at a preferred position, and it is easy to adjust it appropriately to a more audible location. It becomes.

  The bone conduction speaker unit 10 and the outer presser unit 11 are connected to each other via a connecting unit 12 so as to be elastically deformable, and by inserting the component part 90 of the head wearing tool 9 between the bone conduction speaker unit 10 and the bone conduction speaker unit 10. The outer pressing portion 11 is elastically spread outward and is attached in a state in which the component part 90 is sandwiched by its elastic restoring force. However, the present invention does not have such a configuration, or in addition to such a configuration, further, an elastically deformable member is provided and sandwiched between one or both of the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion. You may comprise as follows.

  In addition, it is also preferable to provide a structure in which a spring is provided in the connecting portion 12 so that the bone conduction speaker portion 10 and the outer pressing portion 11 are elastically biased in a direction in which they are close to each other. It is also a preferable example that the outer pressing part 11 has a two-position switching type structure in which the position is away from each other (expanded position) and the position close to it (narrow position).

  Each of the bone conduction speaker unit 10 and the outer pressing portion 11 is composed of a hollow plate-shaped inner case portion 30 and an outer case portion 31 that have substantially the same outer contours when viewed from the side, and they face each other in parallel. And it is integrated via the connecting part 12 at the position of the end part. More specifically, the flat hollow plate-shaped inner case portion 30 constituting the bone conduction speaker portion 10, the same flat hollow plate-shaped outer case portion 31 constituting the outer pressing portion 11, and the connecting portion 12 are constituted. The case portions 32 are provided, and these case portions form a device storage space that is internally connected to each other through the space in the connection case portion 32. The case portions 30, 31, and 32 except for a battery replacement lid 31a and the like. The whole (particularly, the portion serving as the inner base that comes into contact with the component 90) is integrally formed in a substantially U-shape using synthetic resin.

  Inside the outer case part 31 constituting the outer pressing part 11, there is a microphone 21 for collecting external sound, an amplifier for amplifying the collected sound signal with a constant gain, an A / D converter, etc. Are provided with a control unit 22 for controlling each circuit based on a control program stored in the power supply (button battery 24). In addition, a bone conduction driver 23 that converts the amplified output electrical signal from the control unit 22 into mechanical vibration is provided inside the inner case 30 constituting the bone conduction speaker unit 10. In addition, an operation unit 25 including operation buttons for controlling the volume level and power on / off is provided in the connection case unit 32 constituting the connection unit 12. The arrangement of each device is an example, and other arrangements are of course possible.

  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 microphone 21 is provided not on the inside of the component part 90 of the head-mounted device 9 but on the outer pressing portion 11 located outside the component part 90 as in this example, so that the surrounding sound can be more reliably transmitted. Can be caught. The process of the control unit 22 can be basically the same as the hearing aid process in the conventional digital hearing aid. 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, or a charging circuit may be provided to employ a non-contact charging method.

  As the bone conduction driver 23, various types such as a 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, and the yoke A conventionally known bone conduction driver in which magnets are arranged on the short side end portions on both sides of the magnet and a diaphragm fixing portion is arranged outside each magnet on the magnet arrangement axis can be employed. In this example, the inner case part 30 is arranged in contact with the inner surface of the side wall that comes into contact with the head, and is configured to efficiently vibrate from the bone conduction driver 23 toward the head.

  It should be noted that the side wall of the inner case portion 30 that is in contact with the head has a shape in which a portion where the bone conduction driver 23 is located is bulged, and is preferentially pressed against the head compared to other portions. Thus, the vibration of the bone conduction driver 23 is reliably transmitted to the head. In this example, a soft layer 30b made of a soft elastomer or the like is further provided on the outer surface of the bulging portion so that even if it is pressed against the head for a long time, consideration is given to avoiding a burden on the user.

  The operation unit 25 is provided with operation buttons such as a volume operated by the user on the outer surface of the connection case unit 32. 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. In this example, the connection case portion 32 is provided, but the outer case portion 31 is also preferably provided.

  The material of each of the case portions 30, 31, and 32 is not particularly limited, and an appropriate material such as synthetic resin or metal can be used. For example, a thermoplastic elastomer layer provided on the outer surface of a base made of polycarbonate Is preferable because it is strong and can be reduced in weight. In this example, the outer case portion 31 constituting the outer pressing portion 11 is provided with a battery replacement lid 31a so that the design can be easily changed by simply replacing (changing) the lid 31a with a different one. It is configured. Therefore, it can be used as an accessory rather than a hearing aid, and can meet a wide range of needs, both young and old, and can be used for a long time.

  The head-mounted hearing aid 1 of the present invention can be used by being attached to a component part of various head-mounted devices worn by the user on the head. In addition to the helmet belt as in this example, for example, 6 (a), such as a cap or a swimming cap, which is attached to the open end as a component 90, or a band-like cloth such as a headband or a costume as shown in FIG. 6 (b), rubber or the like. It can also be attached to a part such as a hair band, or can be used by attaching a temple such as glasses or goggles or a band part as shown in FIG.

  Further, the head mounted hearing aid 1A according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is configured by making the bone conduction speaker unit 10 smaller than the outer pressing unit 11. As a result, it is possible to increase the output by providing a large power source in the outer case portion 31 of the outer pressing portion 11. On the other hand, the head-mounted hearing aid 1B of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is configured by making the bone conduction speaker unit 10 larger than the outer pressing unit 11. Thereby, the outer pressing part 11 visible from the outside of the component part 90 can be made inconspicuous. As described above, the bone conduction speaker unit 10 and the outer pressing unit 11 can be configured to have different sizes. However, from the viewpoint of stability in a use state in which the component part 90 is sandwiched, the weights of the components are opposed to each other by having substantially the same outer contour, and thereby the component part 90 is stably held as a whole. The thing of 1st Embodiment which can do is preferable.

  In addition, the head-mounted hearing aid 1C of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 9 is configured such that the bone conduction speaker unit 10 is smaller than the outer pressing portion 11 and the bone conduction speaker unit 10 as in the second embodiment. The connecting portion is provided not in the end portion of the outer pressing portion 11 but in the middle so that the outer facing pressing portion 11 faces substantially in the vicinity of the center. As a result, the outer pressing portion 11 that is relatively heavy can be held in a stable posture. That is, in the case of the second embodiment, the vicinity of the distal end of the outer pressing portion 11 that the bone conduction speaker portion 10 does not face becomes unstable, and the entire hearing aid may be displaced depending on the arrangement of the internal device. Since the holding portion 11 acts on the constituent portion 90 by the bone conduction speaker portion 10 in the vicinity of the center portion thereof, the entire hearing aid is held in a stable posture.

  Further, the head-mounted hearing aid 1D of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is configured to have a small size such that the outer case portion 31 constituting the outer pressing portion 11 can accommodate the microphone 21, and the outer case. It is composed of a hard linear member 40 made of metal or the like that is curved from the portion 31 along the outer edge of the inner case portion 30 substantially parallel to the inner case portion 30 of the bone conduction speaker portion 10. Thereby, the part seen from the outside of the component part 90 is only the linear member 40 and the outer case part 31 of a small size, and a simple and inconspicuous configuration can be obtained in the use state. In the head-mounted hearing aid 1E according to the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the microphone 21 is further provided in the bone conduction speaker portion 10 instead of the outer pressing portion 11, the outer case portion 31 is omitted, and only the rigid linear member 40 is provided. Thus, the connecting portion 12 and the outer pressing portion 11 are configured. Thereby, it can be set as the structure which is not more conspicuous compared with the said 5th Embodiment.

  The head-mounted hearing aid 1F according to the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 12 sets the inner case portion 30 to be relatively small as in the fourth embodiment described above, and extends from the end of the outer case portion 31 to the inner case portion 30. A hollow linear member 41 bent toward the end is provided, and the outer case portion 31 and the inner case portion 30 are connected by the linear member 41. As a result, the component part 90 can be sandwiched between the linear member 41 and the outer case portion 31 that are parallel to each other, so that the component part 90 is deeply sandwiched compared to the fourth embodiment, and the entire hearing aid is stabilized. Can be attached to posture. In addition, in the inside of the linear member 41, the wiring etc. between the apparatus (bone conduction driver 23) in the inner side case part 30 and the apparatus (control part 22) in the outer side case part 31 are arrange | positioned.

  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.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A-1F Head-mounted hearing aid 9 Head mounting tool 10 Bone conduction speaker part 11 Outer pressing part 12 Connection part 21 Microphone 22 Control part 23 Bone conduction driver 24 Button battery 25 Operation part 30 Inner case part 30b Soft layer 31 Outer case part 31a Lid 32 Connection case part 40, 41 Linear member 90 Constituent part

Claims (4)

A head-mounted hearing aid that includes a microphone, a control unit, a power supply unit, and a bone conduction driver, and is used by being attached to a component part of another head-mounted device worn by the user on the head,
A bone conduction speaker unit that incorporates at least the bone conduction driver and abuts on an inner surface that is the head side of the component part; and
An outer pressing portion that contacts the outer surface of the component part;
Consists of a connecting part that connects the bone conduction speaker part and the outer pressing part,
A head-mounted hearing aid, wherein the head-mounted hearing instrument is attached to the head-mounted device in a state where the component part is inserted and sandwiched between the bone conduction speaker unit and an outer pressing unit.   The connecting portion connects the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion so as to be elastically deformable, and the component part is inserted between the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion with respect to the head mounting tool. The head-mounted hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the head-mounted hearing aid is attached in a state in which the component portion is sandwiched between the bone conduction speaker portion and the outer pressing portion by an elastic restoring force generated by doing so.   The head-mounted hearing aid according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bone conduction speaker portion, the outer pressing portion, and the connecting portion are formed of an integrally molded synthetic resin case having a device housing space that communicates with each other.   The bone conduction speaker part and the outer pressing part are both configured by a hollow plate-like case having a shape whose outline outlines in a side view substantially coincide with each other, and facing each other in parallel. The head-mounted hearing aid according to item 1.

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