JPH04245800A - Hearing aid - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve a sound collecting effect by improving the acoustic frequency characteristics of a hearing aid, improving a feeling of physical disorder and a sense of oppression and arranging a microphone unit in the vicinity of the inlet of an external auditory meatus. CONSTITUTION:The hearing aid 10 is constituted of an acoustic tube 14 formed so that its inner diameter is almost the same as that of an external auditory meatus 22, its one end side is an ear fitting part 16 and the other end is a sound non-reflecting end 17, an earphone driver unit 24 arranged in the ear fixing part (16) side hollow tube of the acoustic tube 14 and a microphone unit 30 fitted and fixed to/on the outer periphery of the ear fixing part 16. The ear fixing part 16 is projecting from a hearing aid body 12 by a prescribed length in order to improve its using procedure.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hearing aid in which an earphone driver unit and a microphone unit are integrated.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Among conventionally known hearing aids, there is an integrated hearing aid (hereinafter simply referred to as a hearing aid) in which an earphone driver unit and a microphone unit are attached to a hearing aid body and integrated. This hearing aid has become popular in recent years because the hearing aid itself can be attached to the back of the user's auricle. In this type of hearing aid, howling is likely to occur because the earphone driver unit and microphone unit are placed close to each other.

[0003] In order to suppress the occurrence of howling, the earphone driver unit is configured in the shape of an earplug.

0004

[Problem to be solved by the invention] By the way, in such earplug-type hearing aids, the earplugs are placed at the entrance of the ear canal, so standing waves are generated by reflection between the eardrum and the earplugs, and the frequency Due to the characteristics, sharp peaks or dips occur, causing an audible sensation. Additionally, standing waves at low frequencies create a feeling of pressure that is unique to earphones.

[0005] The present invention solves these conventional problems, and proposes a hearing aid that suppresses the generation of standing waves while taking advantage of the earplug-type features with excellent sound insulation. .

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, the ear canal is formed to have almost the same inner diameter as the external auditory canal, one end is used as an auricle attachment part, and the other end is an end that does not reflect sound. The earphone driver unit is characterized by having an acoustic tube having the following structure, and an earphone driver unit disposed within the hollow tube of the acoustic tube on the side of the auricle attachment part.

[0007]

[Operation] The acoustic tube 14 functioning as the earphone body is attached to the ear canal 22. An earphone driver unit 24 is arranged inside the hollow tube of the acoustic tube 14. The sound tube 14 has a non-reflection end 17 on the opposite side from the auricle attachment part 16.
It is said that The non-reflection end 17 side of the acoustic tube 14 is housed within the hearing aid main body 12, and the pinna attachment portion 16 is exposed to the outside. A microphone unit 30 is attached to a part of the acoustic tube 14 exposed to the outside at a position close to the auricle 18.

One end of the acoustic tube 14 is filled with a sound absorbing material 28 to function as a non-reflection end 17, so that no standing waves are generated between the ear canal 22 and the acoustic tube 14. As a result, the acoustic frequency characteristics are improved, and there is no deterioration in hearing sensation or a feeling of pressure.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an example of a hearing aid according to the present invention applied to an integrated hearing aid will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a hearing aid 10 according to the present invention, and 12 is a hearing aid main body. The hearing aid main body 12 has an external shape as shown in FIG. 2 so that it can be easily attached to the back side of the user's auricle 18. As shown in Figure 1, the hearing aid body 12
An acoustic tube 14 that functions as an earphone body is arranged inside. The acoustic tube 14 is a hollow tube body with an inner diameter that is almost the same as that of the external auditory canal 22. One end of the acoustic tube 14, which protrudes over a predetermined length from the outside of the hearing aid body 12, serves as the pinna attachment part 16, and the other end is an auricle attachment part 16. A non-reflective end 17 is formed. Therefore, in this example, the non-reflection end 17 is closed, and the inside thereof is filled with a sound absorbing material 28 to a predetermined thickness. The non-reflective end 17 may have an open configuration.

A hollow open stopper 20 made of soft rubber or the like is attached to the end of the ear canal 2.
This reduces the discomfort felt when the earpiece is attached to the ear canal 22, and also prevents it from slipping out of the ear canal 22. In the acoustic tube 14, an earphone driver unit 24 is attached and fixed inside the hollow tube on the side of the pinna attachment part 16. The earphone driver unit 24 is configured as a prismatic body as shown in FIG.
In this example, each side is 3 mm and the length is 7 mm. Sound emitting part 2 of this earphone driver unit 24
The acoustic tube 1 is suspended in the air so that the tube 5 faces the ear canal 22 side.
It is installed and fixed inside the pipe of No.4.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the earphone driver unit 2 is attached to the acoustic tube 14.
Two strings 26 are attached to each of the upper and lower surfaces of the acoustic tube 14 at diagonal corners in the figure, and these four strings 26 are attached to the acoustic tube 14 through a through hole 42 made in the hollow body of the acoustic tube 14. The earphone driver unit 24 is attached by being fixed to the member 44. In this case, the string 26 is stretched so that the earphone driver unit 24 does not vibrate during normal use. A relatively thin string 26 is used. The material may be metal or plastic. The through hole 42 is sealed after the earphone driver unit 24 is fixed so as not to communicate with the outside. Attachment member 44 may be an annular member.

In this example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a microphone unit 30 is attached and fixed to a part of the outer peripheral surface of the pinna attachment part 16, particularly near the entrance of the external auditory canal 22. The external sound collected by the microphone unit 30 is appropriately amplified by an amplifier 32 provided in the hearing aid body 12 and then supplied to the earphone driver unit 24, so that the external sound is transmitted to the ear canal 22.

[0014] Furthermore, 34 is a volume for adjusting the volume;
Reference numeral 6 denotes an adjustment knob, which can be operated from the outside of the hearing aid main body 12, as shown in FIG. Further, 38 is a power switch, and an internal power source (such as a battery) 40 is supplied as a driving source for the amplifier 32. Reference numeral 41 is a knob for switching and controlling the power switch 38, and this knob is also attached so as to be operable from the outside of the hearing aid body 12, as shown in FIG.

[0015] When the hearing aid 10 is constructed as described above, the acoustic tube 14, which is the earphone body, is itself sealed, so howling does not occur, and the end side of the acoustic tube 14 is a non-reflection end 17. Since the earphone driver unit 24 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the acoustic tube 14 itself,
There is no reflection between the eardrum and the earphone driver unit 24, and no standing waves are generated.

[0016]

As described above, according to the integrated hearing aid according to the present invention, the influence of sound reflected by the eardrum can be reduced while maintaining sound insulation, so the acoustic frequency characteristics of the hearing aid are improved, and the feeling of discomfort and pressure is reduced. It can improve your sense of well-being.

[0017] Furthermore, since the earphone driver unit is housed inside the acoustic tube,
Furthermore, since the microphone unit can be attached to the outer circumferential surface of the pinna attachment part near the entrance of the external auditory canal, the sound collection effect is also improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a hearing aid according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the hearing aid of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of an earphone driver unit.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of essential parts showing an example of how the earphone driver unit is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Hearing aids 12 Hearing aid body 14 Sound tube 16 Auricular attachment part 17 Non-reflection end 18 Auricle 22 External auditory canal 24 Earphone driver unit 28 Sound absorbing material 30 Microphone unit 36 Volume adjustment knob 41 Power switch knob

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] Formed to have approximately the same inner diameter as the external auditory canal,
It is characterized by having an acoustic tube with one end serving as an auricle attachment part and the other end serving as a sound non-reflecting end, and an earphone driver unit disposed within the hollow tube of the acoustic tube on the auricle attachment part side. hearing aids.