KR101008197B1 - Hearing aid with wireless personal area networking - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hearing aid for both short-range wireless communication, a hearing processor main body with a sound processor and a short-range wireless communication module, one end of which is connected to one side of the hearing aid main body and a wire inside the connector, and the connection Connected to the other end of the tube, there is provided a hearing aid comprising a hearing aid sub-body having a near field communication control switch formed on its surface and having an earpiece connection at one side. According to the present invention, it is possible to short-range wireless communication to improve the range and ease of use of the hearing aid user can use the portable electronic device, excellent wearability for a long time increases the psychological stability and ease of use of the hearing aid user .

Hearing Aids, Near Field Communication, Rechargeable Batteries, Wear Stability

Description

HEARING AID WITH WIRELESS PERSONAL AREA NETWORKING}

The present invention relates to a hearing aid for both short-range wireless communication, and more particularly, to assist the hearing of a hearing-impaired patient and to propose a hearing aid capable of short-range wireless communication.

Hearing Aids are electronic medical devices that amplify external sounds to supplement hearing to help the hearing patient.

Hearing aids can be classified into externally mounted type (earring type), ear canal type, internal implant type and the like according to their shape and function.

1 illustrates an example of a conventional earring-type hearing aid 10, and a sound transmitting unit 12 for transmitting sound to an ear is integrally coupled to a front side of the main body 14 in which a battery or the like is embedded. The main body 14 is formed in a bag shape having a larger area than the upper part, and the battery 15 is embedded in the lower end of the main body.

Such a conventional hearing aid is seated in the shape of a person's ear and assists the hearing of a hearing loss patient, but has the following problems.

First, due to structural limitations, the feeling of wearing is poor, and hearing aids are easily dislodged during long-term wearing or during light exercise, which causes inconvenience in use.

In addition, the waterproofness, aesthetics, etc. are not good, durability is lowered and psychologically burdened patients with hearing loss.

In addition, the center of gravity of the overall hearing aid is concentrated in the battery mounting position at the bottom of the main body, which causes amplification of the user's anxiety because the hearing aid is detached from the ear even during movement or light exercise.

In particular, it has been pointed out that a problem of howling occurs due to acoustic feedback between internal components.

Accordingly, there is an urgent need for a new hearing aid capable of smoothly performing hearing aids for hearing loss patients and at the same time providing comfort, and improving aesthetics to offset the mental burden of wearing hearing aids.

Meanwhile, near field wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, wireless USB, binary CDMA, wibee, etc. have recently been studied for remote wireless communication between portable electronic devices or computers. Is being developed. Short-range wireless communication devices, for example, enable wireless communication with mobile devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players, DMB, etc. to increase user activity and further increase the usefulness of portable electronic devices.

However, in the case of a hearing loss patient, a short range wireless communication device cannot be used in a state where a hearing aid is normally worn, so that a hearing aid and a short range wireless communication device are alternately worn.

Therefore, there is a need for new technologies and products capable of performing short-range wireless communication and effectively performing hearing aid functions for hearing loss patients.

The present invention has been made under the foregoing technical background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hearing aid with improved wearability and aesthetics.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hearing aid that is easy to carry and charge.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a hearing aid with improved sound quality with reduced acoustic feedback.

Another object of the present invention to provide a hearing aid capable of short-range wireless communication.

Other objects and technical features of the present invention will be presented in more detail in the following detailed description.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sound processor and a short-range wireless communication module built-in hearing aid main body, one end of which is connected to one side of the hearing aid main body and the wire is embedded therein, and the connector It is connected to the other end, and provides a near field communication hearing aid including a hearing aid sub body having a near field communication control switch formed on a surface thereof and an ear piece connection at one side thereof.

The control switch of the sub-body can be rotated at least 180 degrees, so that the short-range wireless communication can be controlled in the same manner even when the hearing aid is worn on the left or right ear.

The inner lines of the main body, the connector and the sub body are formed in a curve similar to the shape of the outer surface of the ear, and the main buy and the sub body are morphologically balanced around the connector.

Preferably, the sub body includes a hearing aid receiver and a wireless communication microphone, and the main body preferably includes a directional microphone as a microphone for a hearing aid.

In the present invention, the main body is a built-in rechargeable battery, it is preferable that the rechargeable battery is mounted on the interface board included in the main body is integrated. The built-in battery is preferably charged by inserting the hearing aid itself into the charger without removing it from the hearing aid. To this end, the charging terminal for charging the rechargeable battery is exposed on the main body surface.

According to the present invention, short-range wireless communication is possible to improve the range and ease of use of the hearing aid user can use a portable electronic device. In addition, the portability and charging of the hearing aids are easy, and in particular, the wearability of the hearing aids is excellent, thereby increasing the psychological stability and ease of use of the hearing aid user. In addition, the acoustic feedback can also be reduced to provide hearing aids with improved sound quality. In particular, the hearing aid structure is composed of a main body and a sub-body and interconnected with a connector to form a structure with a sense of overall balance to enhance the hearing aid wearability and appearance aesthetics.

The present invention is characterized by improving the shape of the hearing aid to improve long-term wearability and to enable short-range wireless communication.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the hearing aid 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a curved inner surface to be worn on the outer surface of the ear. The external structure of the hearing aid maintains a form (or visual) balance, and when worn on the outer surface of the ear, the weight of the hearing aid is distributed to the rear and front of the ear, so that the hearing aid wearing state can be stably maintained even during active movement or exercise. .

The material of the hearing aid may be plastic or metal, and may be composed of a composite material by mixing a material having a partial elasticity.

Looking at the characteristics of the hearing aid according to an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to FIG.

First, the configuration of the hearing aid largely includes a rear main body 110, a central connecting pipe 120 and the front sub body 130. At one side of the sub body, an ear piece connection part 150 is formed. In the present invention, the earpiece refers to an insert structure such as an ear tip or ear mold (not shown) mounted in the ear. By mounting one end of a flexible tube (not shown) connected to the earpiece, the hearing aid user senses the sound generated by the hearing aid.

The front sub-body 130 and the rear main body 110 is formed in a shape similar to the outer surface of the ear while maintaining a stable balance as a whole, centered on the center of the connection pipe 120. The rear main body 110 is formed in a form of slimming down gradually decreasing in thickness. In order for the hearing aid to be firmly worn on the outer surface of the ear, the main body 110, the connection pipe 120, and the sub body 130 may be formed of a material that maintains physical rigidity. However, the inner surface 111 of the main body may be formed of an elastic human-friendly material, such as a rubber or urethane material, to improve contact with the skin surface behind the ear on which the hearing aid is seated.

The main body 110 incorporating various components therein may have a large proportion in the total weight of the hearing aid. However, when viewed from the side of the shape of the inner curved surface of the hearing aid worn on the outer surface of the ear, the main body of the rear and the front sub-body can be almost in close contact with the rear and front of the outer surface of the ear. In addition, in view of the in-plane view length ratio of each component of the hearing aid, i.e., the length ratio (I <(II + III)) of the main body (I) to the connector (II) and the sub-body (III). The relative weight of the main body cancels out the structure of the connector and subbody to maintain a balance in terms of appearance and dispersion of the overall weight of the hearing aid.

Therefore, the hearing aid user can enjoy a sense of stability even when wearing the hearing aid for a long time, and can maintain the wearability even during intense activities such as exercise. In addition, due to the unusual design including the sub-body protruding forward from the normal hearing aid shape, there is an advantage that can eliminate the psychological atrophy of the hearing aid user and at the same time sublimate the hearing aid into a fashion product such as accessories.

The hearing aid according to the present invention includes a communication module for short-range wireless communication inside the main body 110. In addition, a short range wireless communication control switch 142 is formed on an outer surface of the sub body 130, and a short distance wireless microphone (not shown) may be built in the sub body. Accordingly, the user can press the control switch 142 while wearing the hearing aid on the outer surface of the ear to switch to the short range wireless communication mode while using the hearing aid to communicate with the portable electronic device. For example, when a call is received by a mobile phone, a hearing aid wearer may press a control switch and wirelessly call a call received by the mobile phone. On the other hand, the control switch 142 may be used only for the control for wireless communication, and the conversion of the hearing aid function and the wireless communication function may be performed through the mode switch (described below) 166 of FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control switch main body 140 with the control switch 142 may be rotated 180 ° or 360 ° about an axis toward the front of the center of the sub body 130. Therefore, even if the hearing aid is worn on either the left ear or the right ear, it is easy to switch to the near field communication mode (or vice versa) by rotating the control switch.

Hearing aids according to the present invention, the main body 110 is also built in a variety of parts for performing the hearing aid function. 5 and 6, a hearing aid microphone (receiver) 168, a mode switch 166, a volume controller 164, a program input terminal 163, and the like, on an interface board (or printed circuit board) 170. Is fitted. A sound processor for electrically converting and amplifying the received external sound may be directly formed on the interface board, or may be formed as a separate chip and mounted on the interface board.

By optimizing various components in one interface board, the hearing aid structure can be made slim as shown in FIG. 5. The various parts exposed to the outer surface of the hearing aid main body are merely examples, and whether or not each part is exposed and the type of required parts may be converted according to the hearing aid function.

The microphone 168 mounted on the interface board 170 preferably uses a directional microphone in order for a hearing aid user to more effectively sense external sound. To this end, the outer surface of the hearing aid main body 110 may be provided with an exposure hole 168a for receiving the front sound and an exposure hole 168b for receiving the rear sound.

Meanwhile, a receiver (not shown) for converting an amplified electric signal into a sound signal and transmitting the sound signal to a hearing aid user may be spaced apart from the main body 110 and embedded in the sub body 130. The receivers are placed together in the main body to prevent howling due to acoustic feedback. In addition, by placing the receiver on the sub-body separately from the earpiece, there is an advantage that the receiver can be protected from moisture or other foreign matter without any other receiver protection means.

The receiver and the short-range wireless communication microphone spaced apart from the main body may be electrically connected to the interface board 170 of the main body through a wire (not shown) inside the connector 120.

The short-range wireless communication communication module 180 is mounted on one surface of the interface board 170 of the main body. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 7, a rechargeable battery 190 is mounted on the other surface of the interface board 170. By disposing the communication module and the battery on both sides of the interface board as described above, the width of the main body of the hearing aid can be minimized. As a result, the hearing aid can be made slimmer, and the aesthetics and fit of the hearing aid can be doubled.

The rechargeable battery mounted on the interface board 170 of the main body may be charged as the hearing aid itself without having to detach the battery outside the hearing aid for charging. To this end, a charging electrode terminal 162 is formed on one side of the interface board, and the electrode terminal 162 may be exposed on the surface of the main body 110 to be electrically connected to an external power supply device.

8 is a schematic view showing a state for charging the hearing aid according to the present invention, the hearing aid 100 is inserted into the charger 200 to be seated and the charging electrode terminal 162 of the hearing aid and the electrode terminal (not shown) ) Make electrical contact. An external power source is connected to the power supply terminal 210 exposed on the surface of the charger to supply power to the hearing aid and charge the battery.

In this way, it is possible to charge the hearing aid itself, thereby eliminating the inconvenience of replacing the battery from the hearing aid, in particular to increase the convenience of hearing aid use for the elderly. In addition, since the battery and the hearing aid do not need to be managed separately, the portability of the hearing aid is improved.

The present invention has been exemplarily described through the preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and the technical idea presented in the present invention, specifically, various scope within the scope of the claims. It may be modified, changed or improved in a form.

1 is a side view showing an example of a conventional hearing aid structure.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the hearing aid according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a side view showing the hearing aid according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a partially enlarged view of a hearing aid according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a rear view showing a hearing aid according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the internal components of the hearing aid.

Figure 7 is a side view showing the battery and the communication module integrally coupled to the interface board.

8 is a schematic view showing a state of charging the battery.

*** Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawing ***

100: hearing aid 110: main body

120: connector 130: sub-body

142: control switch 170: interface board

180: communication module 190: battery

Claims (11)

A hearing aid main body with a sound processor and a near field communication module; One end of which is connected to one side of the hearing aid main body, and a wire inside which a wire is built, It is connected to the other end of the connector and is formed to protrude forward, a near field wireless communication control switch is formed on the surface and the ear piece (ear piece) on one side, a hearing aid receiver and a wireless communication microphone is built-in Including hearing aid subbody Near field communication hearing aid. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the control switch of the sub body is rotatable 180 °. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the inner lines of the main body, the connector, and the sub body are formed in a curve similar to the shape of the outer surface of the ear. delete The hearing aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body includes a directional microphone for hearing aids. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the main body has a built-in rechargeable battery. 7. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 6, wherein the main body includes an interface board, and the rechargeable battery is mounted on the interface board. The hearing aid of claim 6, wherein a charging terminal for charging the rechargeable battery is exposed on the surface of the main body. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the main body includes an interface board, and a short range wireless communication module is mounted on one surface of the interface board. The hearing aid of claim 9, wherein a rechargeable battery is mounted on one surface of the interface board, and a short range wireless communication module is mounted on an opposite side of the interface board. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the main body is formed of a material having a different outer surface and an inner surface, and the inner surface is an elastic material.

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