JP2020155802A - Cartilage conduction hearing aid device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cartilage conduction hearing aid device excellent in suppressing howling.SOLUTION: The cartilage conduction hearing aid device includes: a cartilage conduction hearing aid main body 1; an oscillator 3 for vibrating based on an electric signal from the cartilage conduction hearing aid body 1; and a code 2 for transmitting an electric signal from the hearing aid main body 1 to the oscillator 3. At least one of the cartilage conduction hearing aid main body 1 and the vibrator 3 is provided with an acoustic damper 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a cartilage conduction hearing aid that transmits vibration based on an electric signal to the ear cartilage to transmit sound to the auditory sense.

Conventionally, in addition to hearing aids such as air conduction hearing aids and sound collectors that transmit the sound from speakers to the auditory sense as air conduction sound, hearing aid devices that transmit sound using a vibrator that vibrates based on an electric signal have been developed. .. Hearing aids that use such oscillators include, for example, bone conduction hearing aids that have the form of glasses or headbands and transmit sound by vibrating the skull. Recently, as shown in Patent Document 1, development of a cartilage conduction hearing aid that transmits sound by conducting vibration generated by an oscillator to ear cartilage is also in progress. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a cartilage conduction hearing aid that can be worn with the ear canal open and can reduce the feeling of muffledness during use.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-63276 Japanese Patent No. 6427701

By the way, howling occurs when the output sound or vibration is fed back to the microphone. Therefore, in such a hearing aid, howling also occurs at the time of fitting in which various adjustments are made so that the sound can be easily heard by each user. Adjusted to be difficult. For example, fitting is performed to operate the howling canceller function, such as performing a frequency shift on a component in a frequency band in which howling is likely to occur.

However, such a fitting is generally adjusted so that howling is less likely to occur in the wearing state in daily life. For example, the acoustic reflection system around the hearing aid device is performed by holding a hand over an ear or wearing a hat. Howling may occur if the value changes significantly. In addition, when the jaw is moved during conversation or meals, there is a concern that howling may occur due to a large change in the wearing state of the hearing aid such as sound leakage around the ear canal.

The cartilage conduction hearing aid described above perceives sound by conducting vibration based on an electric signal to the ear cartilage and transmitting it to the auditory sense, but it is also radiated to the outside as sound by vibrating the vibrator. The vibration of the vibrator is also transmitted to the main body of the hearing aid via the skull and auricle. Therefore, if the air conduction sound or vibration is greatly fed back to the microphone of the hearing aid, it becomes a factor of howling. In particular, since the cartilage conduction hearing aid is worn with the ear canal open, the feedback amount of the air conduction sound is larger than that of the air conduction hearing aid. Therefore, howling is likely to occur when the gain is increased. For this reason, a cartilage conduction hearing aid in which the ear canal is opened as in Patent Document 2 has an advantage that muffled sound can be reduced, but on the other hand, the air conduction sound is easily fed back to the microphone, which causes a problem of howling. is there. Although the level of howling canceller function has been particularly high in recent years, the actual situation is that howling has not been completely suppressed.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cartilage conduction hearing aid device excellent in suppressing howling.

The cartilage conduction hearing device in the present invention includes a cartilage conduction hearing device main body and a vibrator that vibrates based on an electric signal from the cartilage conduction hearing device main body, and at least the cartilage conduction hearing device main body and the vibrator. One is characterized by having a damper.

The cartilage conduction hearing aid described above may further include an ear mold attached to the vibrator, and at least one of the cartilage conduction hearing device main body, the vibrator, and the ear mold may be provided with the damper.

Here, the damper is an acoustic damper.

It is preferable that the cartilage conduction hearing aid main body has a sound port communicating with the microphone in a housing accommodating the microphone, and the acoustic damper is provided in the vicinity of the sound port in the housing.

It is preferable that such an acoustic damper is provided on the outer side of the vibrator.

The damper is a vibration damping damper.

The vibration damping damper is a vibration damping material.

Here, it is preferable that the vibration damping material is provided on at least a part of the surface where the cartilage conduction hearing aid main body comes into contact with the auricle.

The vibration damping damper is a weight.

Here, it is preferable that the weight is provided on the outer side of the vibrator.

According to the cartilage conduction hearing aid device of the present invention having such a configuration, a damper is provided because it is possible to suppress the feedback of the sound and vibration in the frequency band that causes howling among the sounds and vibrations radiated from the vibrator. Howling can be suppressed as compared with the conventional cartilage conduction hearing aid.

It is a figure which showed the cartilage conduction hearing aid which is one Embodiment of the cartilage conduction hearing aid provided with the acoustic damper according to this invention. It is a figure which showed the cartilage conduction hearing aid shown in FIG. 1 in more detail, FIG. 2 (a) is a perspective view which showed omitting an ear mold, and FIG. 2 (b) is a front view of an ear mold alone. Is. FIG. 3A is a diagram for explaining the auricle, and FIG. 3B is a diagram for explaining a state in which the cartilage conduction hearing aid of FIG. 1 is worn on the auricle. Regarding a cartilage conduction hearing aid provided with a vibration damping damper according to the present invention, FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an embodiment of a cartilage conduction hearing aid using a vibration damping material as a vibration damping damper, and FIG. 4A is an overall view. FIG. 4 (b) is a perspective view showing the mounting state of the damping material in more detail. It is a figure which showed one Embodiment of the cartilage conduction hearing aid which used the weight as the vibration damping damper with respect to the cartilage conduction hearing aid which comprises the vibration damping damper according to this invention. It is a figure explaining another embodiment of the cartilage conduction hearing aid according to this invention, FIG. 6A is a figure in the case of using a single oscillator, and FIG. 6B is a vibration with an ear mold attached. FIG. 6C is a diagram when a child is used, and FIG. 6C is a diagram when an oscillator embedded in an ear mold is used.

Hereinafter, a cartilage conduction hearing aid, which is an embodiment of a cartilage conduction hearing aid provided with a damper embodying the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, an embodiment of a cartilage conduction hearing aid including an acoustic damper as a damper will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cartilage conduction hearing aid of the present embodiment includes a cartilage conduction hearing aid main body 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “hearing aid main body 1”), a cord 2, an oscillator 3, and an ear mold 4. It is equipped with a so-called ear-hook type hearing aid. Further, the hearing aid main body 1 and the vibrator 3 are provided with an acoustic damper (sound absorbing material) 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hearing aid body 1 includes a housing 10 that is gently curved as a whole and has a shape that can be worn at the rear of the auricle. Inside the housing 10, there is a microphone that converts sound into an electric signal, and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) that executes hearing aid processing that processes the electric signal output from the microphone so that it matches the hearing of the wearer. , A battery that supplies power to each part constituting the cartilage conduction hearing aid is housed. The DSP also has a howling canceller function for suppressing howling. A sound port 11 that penetrates the housing 10 and leads to the microphone described above is provided on the back side of the housing 10 (the side that does not come into contact with the auricle when worn so as to be hung on the auricle). , The microphone collects sound from the outside through the sound port 11.

The cord 2 connects the hearing aid main body 1 and the vibrator 3. The cord 2 includes a relatively small-diameter electric wire that transmits an electric signal from the hearing aid body 1 to the oscillator 3. Further, this electric wire is coated with a flexible synthetic resin or the like.

The oscillator 3 vibrates based on an electric signal from the hearing aid body 1 transmitted via the cord 2. In the present embodiment, the electromechanical converter is provided inside the housing having a substantially rectangular shape, and the electric signal input to the electromechanical converter is converted into mechanical vibration to vibrate the housing. ing. The housing of the vibrator 3 is not provided with an opening except for a hole for introducing the cord 2 inside, and this hole is also sealed with a sealant. As the electromechanical transducer, various types such as electromagnetic type, electrokinetic type, and piezoelectric type can be used, but in the present embodiment, the electromagnetic type (balanced armature type utilizing the restoring force of the spring) can be used. ) Electromechanical converter is used.

The ear mold 4 is formed by using a synthetic resin (for example, an acrylic resin). Since the ear mold 4 is formed so as to fit the wearer's auricle 100 (see FIG. 3 (a)), there are individual differences, but an example is as shown in FIG. 2 (b). Here, FIG. 2B is a front view (a view seen from the front with respect to the auricle of the wearer at the time of wearing) showing the ear mold 4 as a single unit. The ear mold 4 is formed so as to be held by the instep 103 when worn, and in the present embodiment, the ear mold 4 includes a first holding portion 40, a second holding portion 41, and a third holding portion 42. There is. Further, on the side of the ear mold 4 near the first holding portion 40 and the upper edge portion 44, an opening 46 penetrating the ear mold 4 is provided in the thickness direction.

Then, the oscillator 3 is fixed to the ear mold 4. As shown in the figure, the vibrator 3 in the present embodiment is fixed to the front side (outer side) of the ear mold 4 at a position close to the lower edge portion 45 so as not to overlap the opening 46. Further, when fixing the vibrator 3 to the ear mold 4, a UV-based adhesive that is cured by ultraviolet irradiation is used. As the adhesive, various adhesives can be used. For example, a two-component adhesive that mixes and cures two solvents may be used.

The acoustic damper 5 is formed of a material that absorbs or attenuates sound energy. In other words, it is formed of a porous body that has the effect of converting sound vibration waves into heat energy by repeating reflection in continuous voids that pass from the front to the back, such as sponge and non-woven fabric. , Glass wool and the like. As the acoustic damper 5, among the sounds radiated from the vibrator 3 as described later, those capable of absorbing the sound in the frequency band where howling occurs by being fed back to the microphone are particularly preferable, and in the present embodiment, it is preferable. I'm using a sponge.

Further, the acoustic damper 5 in the present embodiment is provided on both the hearing aid main body 1 and the vibrator 3 as shown in the figure, and the front side of the housing 10 in the hearing aid main body 1 is provided by using an adhesive, double-sided tape, or the like. It is attached to the side surface (outside side) and the front side (outside side) side surface of the vibrator 3. The acoustic damper 5 provided in the hearing aid main body 1 is formed in a size to be attached in a range from the opposite end connected to the cord 2 to the vicinity of the sound port 11, and is provided in the oscillator 3. Reference numeral 5 is formed to be one size smaller than the oscillator 3. Further, the acoustic damper 5 provided in the vibrator 3 does not affect the vibration of the vibrator 3 in order to prevent the vibration of the vibrator 3 from being suppressed by the mass of the acoustic damper 5 itself and reducing the output as a hearing aid. The mass is about the same.

A cartilage conduction hearing aid having such a configuration is worn on the auricle 100 as shown in FIG. 3 (b). Specifically, as shown in the drawing, the ear mold 4 is worn on the auricle 103 while the cord 2 is hung on the auricle 100. Further, in the rear part of the auricle 100, the hearing aid body 1 (not shown in FIG. 3B) is held.

Since the ear mold 4 of the present embodiment is held in an open state of the ear canal 106, it is easy to hear surrounding sounds, it is possible to eliminate discomfort such as feeling muffled sound, and further, otorrhea and intra-ear. It has the advantage of not hindering the discharge of moisture.

By the way, when the vibrator 3 is vibrated, the vibration is transmitted to the outside air and radiated as a sound, so howling occurs when the sound is fed back to the microphone. In particular, in a cartilage conduction hearing aid worn with the ear canal open as in the present embodiment, the air conduction sound may be fed back to the microphone. Even in the conventional cartilage conduction hearing aid, howling is less likely to occur by fitting according to the wearer, such as by using the howling canceller function. For example, the hand is brought close to the auricle 100 and the surroundings are adjusted. Howling may occur if the acoustic reflection system of is changed significantly. On the other hand, in the cartilage conduction hearing aid of the present embodiment, the sound in the frequency band where howling occurs when fed back to the microphone can be absorbed by the acoustic damper 5 provided in the hearing aid main body 1 and the vibrator 3, so that the conventional cartilage Howling can be suppressed as compared with conduction hearing aids. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the acoustic damper 5 of the hearing aid main body 1 is provided in the vicinity of the sound port 11, howling can be effectively suppressed.

Next, a cartilage conduction hearing aid equipped with a vibration damping damper as a damper will be described.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a cartilage conduction hearing aid using a damping material as a damping damper. The cartilage conduction hearing aid of the present embodiment includes the above-mentioned hearing aid main body 1, cord 2, oscillator 3, ear mold 4, and vibration damping material 6.

The damping material 6 is formed of a material that absorbs or attenuates vibration energy, such as a soft material (rubber, urethane, etc.) or a porous body (sponge, non-woven fabric, glass wool, etc.). In the present embodiment, the vibration damping material 6 formed of sponge is used, and the hearing aid body 1 is worn on the ventral side of the housing 10 in the hearing aid body 1 (hanging on the auricle) with an adhesive, double-sided tape, or the like. It is attached to the side that comes into contact with the auricle when it is used.

According to the cartilage conduction hearing aid provided with such a vibration damping material 6, even if the auricle vibrates due to the vibration by the vibrator 3, the vibration is hardly transmitted to the hearing aid main body 1. That is, according to the present embodiment, howling caused by the vibration from the vibrator 3 being fed back to the microphone (not shown) inside the hearing aid body 1 can be suppressed.

The cartilage conduction hearing aid provided with the damping damper may be a cartilage conduction hearing aid provided with a weight 7 as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, a metal thin plate-shaped weight 7 is used, and this is attached to the front side (outside side) of the vibrator 3. The weight 7 only needs to be able to slightly change the transfer function of vibration, and does not need a weight that affects hearing.

According to such a cartilage conduction hearing aid, for example, by changing the size and thickness of the weight 7, it is possible to change the frequency characteristic when the vibration of the vibrator 3 is transmitted to the hearing aid main body 1 via the auricle. That is, by appropriately selecting the weight 7, howling can be suppressed because the frequency characteristic of the vibration transmitted to the microphone (not shown) inside the hearing aid body 1 can be set to one in which howling is unlikely to occur.

The cartilage conduction hearing aid according to the present invention has been described above based on a specific embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications have been made within the scope of the claims. Including things. For example, the acoustic damper 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is provided on both the hearing aid main body 1 and the vibrator 3 in the above-described embodiment, but may be provided on only one of them. Alternatively, it may be provided on the ear mold 4. Further, the means for providing the acoustic damper 5 on the hearing aid main body 1 and the vibrator 3 is not limited to the attachment as described above. For example, two ribs are provided on the housing 10 so that the acoustic damper 5 is sandwiched between the ribs. May be good. Further, a cover to be attached to the housing 10 may be prepared so that the acoustic damper 5 can be accommodated between the cover and the housing 10. For example, a cover formed in a shape that does not block the action of the acoustic damper while holding the acoustic damper in a mesh-like portion having a wide interval can be considered.

Further, the damping material 6 shown in FIG. 4 has a long shape, and is provided on the entire surface of the region where the housing 10 comes into contact with the auricle when the hearing aid main body 1 is worn. The length may be shortened so that it is provided in a part of the area in contact with the auricle.

The weight 7 shown in FIG. 5 is not limited to the one described above, and for example, a weight formed of a material other than metal (synthetic resin or the like) may be adopted, or may be fixed with screws at the time of attachment. .. Further, the weight 7 may be provided on the hearing aid main body 1.

Further, instead of using the illustrated ear mold 4, a single oscillator 3 as shown in FIG. 6A may be brought into direct contact with the ears 103. Further, when using the ear mold, various shapes can be adopted, and for example, the ear mold 8 as shown in FIG. 6B may be used. Further, the ear mold 4 of FIG. 1 and the ear mold 8 of FIG. 6 (b) were attached to the front side of the vibrator 3, but they vibrated like the ear mold 9 of FIG. 6 (c). The child 3 may be embedded.

1: Hearing aid body (cartilage conduction hearing aid body)
2: Code 3: Oscillator 4: Ear mold 5: Acoustic damper (sound absorbing material)
6: Damping material 7: Weight

Claims (10)

Cartilage conduction hearing aid body and
A vibrator that vibrates based on an electric signal from the cartilage conduction hearing aid main body is provided.
A cartilage conduction hearing aid device, characterized in that at least one of the cartilage conduction hearing aid main body and the vibrator is provided with a damper. Further equipped with an ear mold attached to the oscillator,
The cartilage conduction hearing device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the cartilage conduction hearing device main body, the vibrator, and the ear mold includes the damper. The cartilage conduction hearing aid according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the damper is an acoustic damper. The cartilage conduction hearing aid main body has a sound port leading to the microphone in a housing for accommodating the microphone.
The cartilage conduction hearing aid according to claim 3, wherein the acoustic damper is provided in the vicinity of the sound port in the housing. The cartilage conduction hearing aid according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the acoustic damper is provided on the outer side of the vibrator. The cartilage conduction hearing aid according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the damper is a vibration damping damper. The cartilage conduction hearing aid according to claim 6, wherein the vibration damping damper is a vibration damping material. The cartilage conduction hearing aid according to claim 7, wherein the vibration damping material is provided on at least a part of a surface in which the cartilage conduction hearing aid main body comes into contact with the auricle. The cartilage conduction hearing aid according to claim 6, wherein the vibration damping damper is a weight. The cartilage conduction hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein the weight is provided on the outer side of the vibrator.

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