JP2015204617A - Hearing aid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hearing aid which allows easy maintenance and exchange of a receiver and a cerumen filter.SOLUTION: A hearing aid comprises: a hearing aid housing 1 having a receiver 5; and a cerumen filter holder 6. The hearing aid housing 1 comprises an outer surface, and an internal cavity adapted for containing the receiver 5, and further comprises a filter socket 13 where the cerumen filter holder 6 is releasably mounted. The cerumen filter socket 13 is adapted for providing a sound channel extending through the cerumen filter holder 6 between the outer surface and the receiver 5. The cerumen filter socket 13 and the receiver 5 are relatively sized to allow insertion of the receiver 5 through the channel into the internal cavity when the cerumen filter holder 6 is removed from the cerumen filter socket 13.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hearing aid including a housing having a receiver / loud speaker and a filter such as an earwax filter. Here, the housing comprises an outer surface and an internal cavity adapted to contain the receiver / loud speaker. The housing further includes a filter receptacle to which the filter is detachably attached. The filter receptacle is adapted to provide a sound path extending through the filter between the outer surface and the receiver.

  Hearing aids of the aforementioned kind are known in many different embodiments, and filters are mainly used as a plaque protector whose main purpose is to avoid the movement of the earwax into the receiver.

  In particular, with regard to the ITE “ear-in-ear” hearing aid, on the one hand, research and development to provide an ITE hearing aid with optimal sound quality and performance continues, and on the other hand, to provide a hearing aid that is as inconspicuous as possible in the user's ear. Research and development continues. This allows hearing aid components such as receivers, filters and receptacles, and electronic components used to provide an audible signal to be placed in a smaller space, while providing good sound quality. It is also needed.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a hearing aid in which it is easier to remove the receiver and filter receptacle especially for maintenance or replacement than in the case of conventional hearing aids.

  This purpose is obtained by the following hearing aids. This hearing aid is the hearing aid mentioned at the outset, and when the filter is removed from the filter receptacle, the receiver / loud speaker is inserted into the internal cavity through the passage, or the receiver / The relative size of the filter receptacle and the receiver / loud speaker is determined so that the loudspeaker can be removed.

  In a preferred embodiment, the filter comprises a filter holder and a filter unit. The filter holder and the filter unit are configured so that the filter unit can be attached to and detached from the filter holder. The filter holder is attached to the filter receptacle.

  In a more preferred embodiment, the receiver / loud speaker comprises a receiver housing with a first substantially flat side having a sound aperture, and the filter holder comprises a substantially flat bottom plate. The filter holder is fixed to the receiver casing such that the substantially flat bottom plate of the filter holder is adjacent to the substantially flat side surface of the receiver casing and the sound opening is aligned with the first opening.

  In a more preferred embodiment, the substantially flat bottom plate may be fixed to the first substantially flat side surface of the receiver housing so that the receiver and the filter holder can be attached and detached integrally.

  In this respect, the filter holder may be fixed so as not to be removed from the receiver housing, preferably by gluing, soldering or welding, and the filter holder may be press fit, friction fitted, or It may be removably attached to the housing with a heat dissipating adhesive.

  In a preferred embodiment, the hearing aid further comprises a signal processing device disposed in the internal cavity of the housing. The signal processor provides an audio signal to the receiver / loud speaker via a set of wires extending from the signal processor to the receiver. The wire has a length that allows the receiver to be pulled out of the internal cavity through the filter receptacle without requiring removal or stretching of the wire.

  In a preferred embodiment, the receiver housing extends in a rectangular cross section that is substantially identical in any plane parallel to the first substantially flat side. The filter holder has a cylindrical outer surface that defines an outer diameter, and the diagonal dimension of substantially the same cross section of the receiver housing is smaller than the outer diameter of the filter holder.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the presented embodiments are to be used for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

It is a principle figure which shows the cross section of the hearing aid by this invention. It is a figure which shows the filter / receiver assembly shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the assembled filter and receiver shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a principle figure which shows the cross section of another embodiment of the hearing aid by this invention. FIG. 5 shows the filter / receiver assembly shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the filter / receiver assembly shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

  1 and 4 are principle views showing a cross section of a hearing aid according to a different embodiment of the present invention. Both of these hearing aids are of the ITE type (insertion type) configured to be completely placed in the user's ear, but the present invention is only partially placed in the user's ear. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is applicable to other types of hearing aids.

  The hearing aid shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 has a hearing aid housing 1. One end of the hearing aid housing 1 is closed by a face plate 2. The faceplate 2 is usually the only visible part of the hearing aid when the hearing aid is positioned in the user's ear. Thus, the hearing aid housing 1 and the face plate 2 surround the internal cavity 8.

  In the ITE type hearing aid, all functional devices such as an electronic device 3, a battery (not shown), a wiring 4, a microphone (not shown), a receiver 5, and a earwax filter holder 6 that are necessary for the function of the hearing aid. Must be placed in a narrow space provided by the internal cavity 8 of the hearing aid housing 1. Therefore, in order to optimally use the space of the hearing aid housing 1, it is important that there is a high degree of freedom in arranging each device at an optimal location.

  It will be clear to those skilled in the art what functional devices are required and preferred for ITE hearing aids. Therefore, in FIG.1 and FIG.4, only the electronic device 3, the wiring 4, the earwax filter holding body 6, and the receiver 5 are shown in figure. FIG. 1 shows a filter holder on which no filter unit is mounted, while FIG. 4 shows a filter holder 11 mounted on a filter holder 6.

  Usually, the hearing aid housing 1 further includes a pressure equalizing passage 7 extending from the internal cavity 8 to the outer surface 9 of the hearing aid housing 1, for example. The pressure equalizing passage 7 needs to be provided so that the pressure difference between the face plate 2 outside the hearing aid and the closed space in the ear of the user wearing the hearing aid can be eliminated. Thereby, in the internal cavity 8 of the hearing aid housing 1, the degree of freedom for positioning the functional device is further restricted.

  In the hearing aid housing 1, the earwax filter receptacle 13 is disposed at one end of the hearing aid housing facing the inside of the user's ear. The filter holder 6 is mounted on the filter receptacle 13. A sound path 10 extends between the filter holder 6 and the receiver 5.

  The illustrated filter holder 6 can be produced, for example, from a plastic material, for example by injection molding, or it can be produced by deep drawing a metal plate into the shape shown in FIGS. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the filter holder 6 is fixed to the flat side surface 12 of the receiver 5 by welding, bonding, or soldering. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the filter holder 6 is attached to the receiver 5 by a friction fit, snap fit, or adhesive.

  According to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the filter / filter holder 6 is mounted on the filter receptacle 13 in the hearing aid housing 1. The filter receptacle provides a passage from the outside of the hearing aid housing 1 to the internal cavity 8. According to the present invention, the passage is formed with a sufficient size so that the receiver can be inserted into the internal cavity 8 through the passage. Furthermore, the disclosed embodiment shows that the receiver 5 is attached to the filter holder 6 and the filter holder 6 is attached to the filter receptacle 13. As shown in the figure, this provides an example where the receiver 5 is held only by the filter holder 6 and the receiver 5 does not touch any part of the hearing aid housing 1.

  While several embodiments have been described and illustrated in detail, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be practiced in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the claims that follow. obtain. In particular, other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. By way of example, even though the advantages of the present invention are particularly relevant to ITE type hearing aids, it should be noted that the present invention may be used in connection with other types of hearing aids that differ from the ITE types described above. It is clear to the contractor.

  In the device claim enumerating several features, several of them may be implemented by a single device. Moreover, even if some means are described in different dependent claims or described in different embodiments, this does not mean that a combination of these means cannot be used effectively. Absent.

  It should be noted that the term “comprising / comprising” herein is to be interpreted as indicating the presence of the described feature, number, step, or part, but one or more other It does not exclude the presence or addition of features, numbers, steps, parts, or combinations thereof.

The present disclosure includes many aspects based on the following items.
[Item 1]
A hearing aid housing having a receiver and a filter, for example, a earwax filter, the hearing aid housing having an outer surface and an internal cavity configured to contain the receiver, the hearing aid housing comprising: The filter receptacle further includes a filter receptacle to which the filter is removably mounted, the filter receptacle configured to provide a sound path extending through the filter between an outer surface and the receiver, the filter receptacle and the receiver Is a hearing aid that is relatively sized to allow insertion of the receiver into the internal cavity through the passage when the filter is removed from the filter receptacle.
[Item 2]
The filter includes a filter holder and a filter unit, and the filter holder is configured such that the filter unit can be attached to and detached from the filter holder, and the filter holder includes the filter receptacle. The hearing aid according to item 1, wherein the hearing aid is attached to the hearing aid.
[Item 3]
The receiver includes a receiver housing having a first substantially flat side surface having a sound opening, the filter holder includes a substantially flat bottom plate, and the filter holder is the substantially flat of the filter holder. A hearing aid according to item 1 or 2, wherein a bottom plate is fixed to the receiver housing such that a bottom plate is adjacent to the substantially flat side surface of the receiver housing and the sound opening is aligned with the first opening. .
[Item 4]
A hearing aid according to item 3, wherein the substantially flat bottom plate is fixed to the first substantially flat side surface of the receiver housing.
[Item 5]
5. The hearing aid according to item 3 or 4, wherein the filter holder is fixed to the receiver housing so as not to be removed by bonding, soldering, or welding.
[Item 6]
Item 6. The hearing aid according to item 3, 4 or 5, wherein the filter holder is removably attached to the filter receptacle by press-fitting, friction fitting, or heat radiation adhesive.
[Item 7]
The signal processing device further includes a signal processing device disposed in the internal cavity of the hearing aid housing, the signal processing device providing an audio signal to the receiver via a set of wires extending from the signal processing device to the receiver. And the length of the wire is a length that allows the receiver to be pulled out of the internal cavity through the filter receptacle, and the length requires removal or stretching of the wire. The hearing aid of item 1, wherein the hearing aid is long enough to allow access to the mounting location of the wire without having to.
[Item 8]
The receiver housing extends in a rectangular cross section that is substantially the same in an arbitrary plane parallel to the first substantially flat side surface, and the filter holding body matches the outer shape of the receiver and is external. A hearing aid according to item 1, comprising an outer surface defining an opening, wherein the diagonal dimension of the substantially identical cross section of the receiver housing is smaller than the opening of the filter holder.
[Item 9]
Hearing aid according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein the filter unit is formed as a filter plug configured to be attached to the filter receptacle or the filter holder by press-fitting or snap-fit. .
[Item 10]
A hearing aid according to item 9, wherein the filter unit has a filter housing made of a relatively elastic material.

Claims (10)

A hearing aid housing having a receiver and a filter such as an earwax filter,
The hearing aid housing has an outer surface and an internal cavity configured to contain the receiver;
The hearing aid housing further has a filter receptacle to which the filter is detachably attached,
The filter receptacle is configured to provide a sound path extending through the filter between an outer surface and the receiver;
The filter receptacle and the receiver are relatively sized so that when the filter is removed from the filter receptacle, the receiver can be inserted into the internal cavity through the passage. ,hearing aid. The filter has a filter holder and a filter unit,
The filter holder is configured such that the filter unit can be attached to and detached from the filter holder,
The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the filter holder is attached to the filter receptacle. The receiver includes a receiver housing having a first substantially flat side surface having a sound aperture;
The filter holder includes a substantially flat bottom plate,
The filter holder includes the receiver housing such that the substantially flat bottom plate of the filter holder is adjacent to the substantially flat side surface of the receiver housing, and the sound opening is aligned with the first opening. The hearing aid according to claim 1 or 2, which is fixed to a body.   The hearing aid according to claim 3, wherein the substantially flat bottom plate is fixed to the first substantially flat side surface of the receiver housing.   The hearing aid according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the filter holder is fixed so as not to be removed from the receiver housing by bonding, soldering, or welding.   The hearing aid according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the filter holder is detachably attached to the filter receptacle by press-fitting, friction fitting, or heat radiation adhesive. A signal processing device disposed in the internal cavity of the hearing aid housing;
The signal processing device is configured to provide an audio signal to the receiver via a set of wires extending from the signal processing device to the receiver;
The length of the electric wire is a length that enables the receiver to be pulled out from the internal cavity through the filter receptacle, and the length does not require removal or stretching of the electric wire. The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the hearing aid is long enough to allow access to the mounting position. The receiver housing extends within a rectangular cross-section that is substantially identical in any plane parallel to the first substantially flat side surface;
The filter holder has an outer surface that matches an outer shape of the receiver and defines an external opening;
The hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of the diagonal line of the substantially identical cross section of the receiver housing is smaller than the opening of the filter holder.   9. The filter unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the filter unit is formed as a filter plug configured to be attached to the filter receptacle or the filter holder by press-fitting or snap-fit. hearing aid.   The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein the filter unit has a filter housing formed of a relatively elastic material.

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