HUE031808T2 - Hearing aid device with a piece of ear jewellery and a hearing aid - Google Patents

Description

HEARING AID DEVICE WITH A PIECE OE EAR JEWELLERY AND A HEARING AID

The invention relates to a hearing aid unit with a hearing aid, which is disposed in an earpiece, which serves to hold the hearing aid with the receiving function and the reproducing function and thus the attachment of the hearing aid at the human car.

Hearing aid technology currently has two basic approaches. On the one hand, there are the in-the-ear devices, also in-the-ear hearing aids, which are worn completely in the ear. These are adapted as a compact, one-piece device individually to the anatomy of the ear, so that they can he inserted more or less into the auditory canal. This version is cosmetically very sophisticated, since it is hardly visible if at ail. However, the position in the auditory canal proves to he disadvantageous for various reasons. Aside from the limited space, the occlusion effect, that is. the closure of the auditory eanai by the hearing aid, and the distorted acoustics are problematic for the wearer and the hearing aid. The occlusion of the auditory canal permits only a small amount of ventilation, if any at all, which makes the auditory canal and also the technique more susceptible to disturbances. In addition, the wearer perceives intrinsic noises such as eating noises or his own voice particular disturbing and unnatural.

In-the-ear devices, in combination with jewellery, are known, tor example, fromFR 2 820 93? A1 and US Patent 5,828,757.

As an alternative, behind-the-ear devices (BTE hearing aids) are known, in the ease of these systems, the hearing aid is designed in two parts, the actual hearing aid, which, in particular, comprises a microphone, electronics, batteries and sound transducers in a housing and is worn behind the ear, and a tailor-made ear mold, the otoplastic, which is connected by a signal conductor to the main device behind the ear. The ear fitting is disposed in the auditory canal. The ear fitting does not close the auditory canal completely or at least provides sufficient ventilation, in addition, the BTE hearing system allows sound to exit near the eardrum. The latter, for example, is made possible by designing the signal conductor as a sound tube when the sound transducer is integrated in the hearing device and the sound is transmitted as an acoustic signal over the hearing tube to the eardrum.

Alternatively, the sound transducer can also be designed as an external sound transducer, which is referred to as a receiver, in this case, the receiver is connected to the main device behind the ear by a signal conductor, here an electrical signal conductor. In this embodiment, an audio signal is transmitted, that is, an electrical signal, which relays acoustic information, Such external receivers permit the sound to be generated near the eardrum, thereby reducing the minor distortions of the sound, for example, those due to losses, distortions or feedback.

The hearing devices of the BTE systems usually are provided with a prefabricated housing- Only the ear pieces are adapted appropriately to the anatomical circumstances and are therefore correspondingly more flexible in shape. The in-the-ear systems, on the other hand, have not yet been housed as commercially available component:;, since they are obtained, as a whole, by casting such a housing, which is adapted to Ihe auditory canal of the wearer. With that, the units provided by the manufacturer tire significantly smaller in the case of the in-the-ear hearing aids than in the ΒΤΈ hearing skis and, for the further processing by the heating aid technician, more flexibly, particularly in the shape of ihe housing.

In the following, regardless of whether the sound transducer is arranged internally or externally, the actual main device is referred to as a hearing aid. If an external receiver is designed, this is referred to explicitly as an external component of the hearing aid, but is a component of the hearing aid.

For the conceptual differentiation of the components of the 8TB hearing aid systems, those, which are disposed in one piece in a housing, are referred to as a hearing aid and the entire arrangement, which optionally comprises external components, particularly such as external receivers, as a bearing system. lie BTE hearing aids avoid the occlusion effect, offer the wearer a better hearing feeling as wel as iUpfe space for the electronics and thus more diverse technical options, but are not acceptable for many hearing impaired for cosmetic reasons, eve» if the housings, are increasingly smaller;

For this reason, there are BTE hearing systems, the hearing aids of which are tntegrafei in or at car jewellery. For example, the DE 87 05 651 Ui describes ear jewellery, in which the jewellery is hollow and thus accommodates at least some components of the hearing aid, The sound is directed to the auricle (concha) by way of a rear sound outlet opening, which is directed towards the auditory canal or a sound tube.

The hearing aid is also disclosed in an ear clip in DE 93 19 Í14 Ui, in EP 0 512 154 Af afid also Ip PE 70 40 072, and has a sound tube, which leads from the clip into the auricle.

However, this earpiece, designed to receive a hearing aid, is fixedly connected with the hearing aid, so that a change, as is customary for ear jewellery, canxtol take place, in addition, the jewellery design is also limited. In order to allow at feast a certain jewellery variability here, the cover caps are designed to be exchangeable by means of magnetic holders in DE 93 19 114 UI. However, these can adversely affect the electronics of the hearing aid.

In DE 88 15 571 UI, ihe housings of the hearing aid are to be festened to a basic body of an ear clip by means of threaded pins and nuts, However, this again requires an adaptation of the hearing aid to the respective fastening means, as well as appropriate tools, as a result of which a simple exchange of the ear jewellery by the wearer is difficult;

Hearing aids with a directional microphone system for improving speech Intelligibility are disclosed in BP 0 942 627 A2.

The invention' is therefore based on the objective of indicating possibilities, which adept the variability of the jewellery design and use, as well as a simple and quick exchangeability for wearing a hearing aid without having to accept losses in hearing aid technology or being unable to use further developments in technology.

In order to achieve this objective, a hearing aid unit with a hearing: aid and ear jewellery of claim 1 is described. The respective dependent claims describe advantageous embodiments.

Genetically, the ear jeweller}' has a jewellery body with a cavity and at least one spund opening discharging into the cavity, and the hearing aid for realizing the receiving and reproducing function, at least one microphone for receiving acoustic signals, a signal processing unit for processing the acoustic signals received, a sound transducer and a signal conductor for the transmitting acoustic or audio signal into the auditory canal,

Pursuant to the invention, at least one sound opening is provided in the jewellery as a sound entry opening on the front side, that is, on the side averted from the ear and the cavity is designed in position and shape in such a way, that a hearing aid can be inserted loosely and removed. The removability of the hearing aid is thus linked to the arrangement of at least one microphone in the hearing aid in such a way, that the microphone is assigned to the sound entry opening with loose insertion. Both features, in conjunction with one another, permit the use? lo exchange ihe ear jewellery easily and quickly. A sound entry opening is understood here to be any opening, which passes through the wail of the cavity and thus acoustically connects the cavity with the externa! environment.

Every partial surface of the jewellery, which is not directed directly to the ear and thus to the head of the wearer and is suitable for taking up acoustic signals from the environment of the ear, is considered as part of the iron! side of the ear jewellery. In particular, these are surfaces of the piece of jewellery, which point back and to the side in the viewing direction of the wearer of the jewellery.

The inventive design of the hollow space in the jewellery body, which Is Intended to enable ihe loose insertion and the removal of a hearing aid, allows the ear jewellery to be changed quickly and in any way without changing the individually fitted hearing aid, the loose insertion being understood in such a way, that filigrane mounting or assembly aids are not necessary, it is only necessary to allow the hearing aid to slide into the cavity so that it lies in the appropriate position for use. The position is determined particularly by the position ot the one or more sound entry openings, through which the sound meets a microphone of the hearing aid and / or through possible connections, such as to a signal conductor of the hearing aid, which mast be passed through the wait of the hearing aid because of Ihe design of the cavity, On the other hand, it the cavity is relatively open, the sound entry openings and / or the connections can be realized by the openings of the cavity, which are present in any case. A hearing device, which can be used for the hearing device unit, usually comprises; at least one microphone, provided that the directional selection technique is constructed for spatially selective hearing, also a plurality of microphones, for recording acoustic signals, and a signal processing unit for processing signals received, for example, for the time and / or frequency and / or amplitude-dependent evaluation, for amplifying and controlling the generating the acoustic signal, which the wearer of the hearing device receives, by a sound transducer. The sound transducer can be integrated in the hearing device or cart be constructed as a separate receiver, which is connected with the hearing aid over the signal conductor. Such a hearing aid is variable and can be combined with different ear jewellery without a fiiigreed assembly or assembly aids, as a result of which the user of the hearing aid can benefit with regard to hearing aid technology as well as cosmetic claims.

With the inventive hearing aid unit, ear ornaments, very different in art and spirit and, at the same time, exchangeable variations, are available, to the wearer. The latter relates to ihe type of jewellery, which according to alternative configurations, such as plug-like, that is to say, as a compact plug of a pierced ear or as an ear dip or creole-like, that is to say, jewellery designed as a full or partial circle, which can also be attached to ihe ear by means of a clip or piercing pin. In addition, the position of the jewellery at the ear can also be varied more with the inventive hearing aid unit. In addition to the jewellery at the earlobe (lobulus), jewellery at ihe auricle { Auricula), at. the tragus or at the anti-tragus is also possible. Inventive ear jewellery, for example, in the form of an earphone, can also he placed in the concha or the auricle, so that the actual function of this ear jewellery as a carrier of a hearing aid is not visible.

The jewellery itself can largely be made more attractive and more variable separately from the requirements of the hearing device, provided that it is of such a size that the conventional hearing aids fit into its cavity, and it can simultaneously use the current technology of BTE as well as of in-ihe-ear hearing systems without special adaptation. Jewellers' items for men can also act in form and function in tliis way and become more attractive, the piece of ear jewellery exploiting the fact: that technical refinements appeal particularly to the male.

Through the described ear jewellery, an improved and cosmetically more sophisticated hearing aid can be provided and the image of hearing aids cast be improved significantly. At the same time, the hearing loss can be supplied openly as is known from BTE devices and described above.

The variability of the ear jewellery is realized by the fact that only one cavity has to be provided in the jewellery, which takes up the hearing aid. According to the above description of the structure and function of the ÖTE hearing aids, this means that the actual main device is inserted into the cavity of the ear jewellery. The signal conductor and, optionally, the signal conductor with an external receiver protrude from the cavity in order to be able to bring about the connection to the auditory canal.

No further fasteners are necessary since Ihe position and opening of the cavity are sufficient for fixing the besting aid in the eat jewellery during use, According to various embodiments, the position and shape of the cavity can also be .designed so that the: fixing of the hearing device is realized solely by attaching the ear jewellery and / or by the accuracy of fit of the cavity and the hearing aid. For example, the ear closes the -entrance· of the cavity, through which the hearing aid is inserted and .removed, when the jewellery is; used to a sufficient degree. Or the fastener of the ear jewellery simultaneously fixes the jewellery to the: ear and the hearing aid to the jewellery, la addition, the hearing devices are constantly becoming more filigree and require less space, so that the fixing becomes simpler and the design freedom of the ear jewellery becomes greater. The frequently standardized, commercially available forms of BTE hearing aids and, in particular, those with an external receiver, contribute to the variable interchangeable nature of the ear jewellery, which is adapted to the circumstances and is also priced more advantageously. For such embodiments, accurately fitting cavities, for example, are available. Optionally, the loose connection of ear jewellers and BTE hearing aid also allows the hearing aid to be worn temporarily without ear jewellery.; if in-the-ear hearing aids are used, their shape can also be adapted by casting cavities and thus adapted for special ear jewellery designs. Such an embodiment uses the advantages of the in-tlu>ear technique, particularly with regard to a small and adaptable shape, as well as a variable but fixable position of one or more microphones together with that of the BTE technique, which permits a spatial separation from the cast components to the receiver and, in addition, the open signal supply due to the external receiver, .However, the change in the hearing aid, such as adjusting or improving the signal processing, can be made without having to replace the ear jewellery. This is possible while maintaining the original, .commercially available form of the hearing device or with a sufficiently large cavity or with an encapsulation, which can be reproduced by the hearing aid technician, for example, by casting.

In a further embodiment of the ear jewellery, at least two sound entry openings are disposed: on the front side and at a distance from one another This makes it possible to use hearing aids, which bite directional microphone technology in jewellery. For this technique, at least two microphones with different orientations are integrated in the hearing aid and the signals from the individual microphones are evaluated differently for spatial selection. In this way, disturbing sound, which arrives from the rear or as a background noise, can be faded out comparably to human hearing.

For this purpose, it is advantageous if the two or more sound entry -openings, comparable to the directional effect of the auricle, are disposed so that, when the car jewellery is attached to the ear, they are aligned in the viewing direction of the wearer, that is, to the front, and in the direction opposite thereto, that is, to the rear, and the microphones are assigned to the sound entry openings by the insertion of the hearing aid in the cavity of the ear jewellery. Due to the attachment of the ear jewellery to the ear, such an alignment achieves a directional effect, of the sound absorbed, which comes comparatively dose to that of natural hearing.

Mere, such a position of the microphone anti the sound entry opening relative, to one another is to be understood to mean that the directional dependence of the sound can be detected with the microphones according to its alignment. An assignment can be achieved in the most favorable case if the sound entry opening leads to the microphone. However, a larger number of sound entry openings or frequently perforated, but also net-like walls of the cavity of the ear jewellery ensure such a spatial selection.

For the adaptation of the ear jewellers' to the position of the one or more directional microphones on the hearing aid, either standardized hearing aids may be used or one or more sound entry openings are realized through the entrance of the cavity . With in the-ear hearing aids, it is also still possible to vary the position of the microphones before the casting. Alternatively, according- to a farther embodiment, variable sound entry·· openings can also be achieved if the wait of the jewellery, which surrounds the cavity, is perforated at least In sections. This is also art appealing design means, whereby design and functionality can be combined favorably.

Depending on the position and shape of the cavity, it may alternatively also be advantageous to arrange a further opening for the passage of a signal conductor in the direction of the auricle In the cavity, so that the signal conductor is positioned at the jewellery and ends correctly with the attachment of the ear jewel tery to the ear. This concerns both signal conductors, which are designed as sound tubes, as well as electrical connectors to an external receiver.

The fixing of the hearing aid in the cavity of the jewellery is effected, as described above, particularly by the design of the ear jewellery, possibly in conjunction with its attachment to the ear.

For the attachment of the hearing aid in the jewellery on the ear. it may be advantageous for various designs of the ear jewellery for the signal conductor to he detachably fixable to the ear jewellery, 'Phis is advantageous for a sound tube as welt as for an electrical conductor as a signal conductor for improving the signal quality.

The invention is to be explained in greater detail in the iollowing by means of an example, in diagrammatic representations, the associated drawings of

Figures IA to: IE show a creole as inventive ear jewellery in different views,

Figures 2A and 2B show an ear clip as inventive ear jewellery in various views and

Figures 3 A and jB show a creole: of Figures IA to IE with a hearing aid In two different perspective representations.

The creole of Figure 1A to Figure !E is formed by a hook-shaped, rearwardiy bent piece of jewellery 1, which is formád from two side and a bottom surface and is open towards the ear (not shown). In the front view (Figure I A), the piece of jewellery I is therefore visible as a rectangle. According to the definition, the limiting surface of the piece of jewellery I facing the ear is intended to he referred to as the rear side of the oar jewellery. The remaining hounding surfaces are to he designated as the front side 5. la Figure IA( this is to be the bottom surface and the right side surface so that a left ear ring is shown in Figure I A. In the lower region of the rounding, a small, circular sound entry opening 4 is let into the bottom surface. ..

Figure IB shows the left side view of the ear jewellery, that is, the view from the ear, and illustrates the hook-shaped design. In the upper region of the ear jewellery a means for fastening 3 in the form of a plug is shown wish a plate-shaped counterpart, which can be pushed onto the plug. T hese fasteners 3 are generally'known for earplugs for attachment to the earlobe (not shown).

Figure -1C shows the rear view of the creels. The bottom and side surfaces with the plug as fastening means 3 -can be recognized again in the upper region of the floor surface, For the sake of better clarity, the second part of the fastening means 3, the counterpart, is not shown. In the region of the bottom surface directed rearwards, a sound entry opening 4 likewise is arranged analogously to the forwardly directed region (Figure 1A), so that the bottom surface of the creole has two sound entry openings 4, One points backward and the other forward, The forwardly directed sound entry opening 4 is concealed in Figure 1C by the slightly upwardly extended floor surface. In addition, the piece of jewellery 1 has a damp 11, which serves to attach a signal conductor (not shown).

Figures ID and IF show the described creoles in perspective, so that the cavity 2, which is formed between the bottom surface and the two side surfaces and is open upwards towards the earlobe, dan be seen The shape and size of the cavity 2 can be recognized directly through the rectangular comreetion between the base surface and (he two lateral surfaces hy the shape and size of a side surface. In Figure ID, as a perspective rear view, the fastening means 3, the clamp I I and the two sound entry openings 4 can be seen once again, in Figure )D, the front and in Figure IB the rear sound entry opening 4 is only partially visible as a passage through the bottom surface.

Figures 2A and 2B show a cuboid, hollow piece of jewellery 1 of an ear clip. Figure 2A shows the open, rear side with the known bracket-shaped fastening means. 3, which is usually used for ear clips. The fastening means 3 holds the ear clip on the ear lobes (not shown), so that the cavity 2 in the interior of the piece -of .jewellery can he largely closed off by the earlobe. In the front side 5 of the piece of jewellery I opposite the fastening means, two parallelogram-shaped sound entry openings 4 are arranged next to one another and, at a distance from one another, lead to the cavity 2 (Figure: 2 A),

Figures 3 A and 3B represent the creole of Figure 1A to Figure IE also in a perspective froni and rear view, but with an inserted hearing aid ?, For the design of the ear jewellery, reference Is mode to the explanations of Figures 1A to IE, A housed, lens-shaped hearing aid 7 is inserted. In the cavity 2 of the piece of jewellery Í. Such housing shapes are known, for example, from commercially available BTE hearing aids. The hearing aid 7. solely due its weight, lies in the lower, horizontal part of the hook-shaped cavity 2. The length of this part of the cavity 2 is designed exactly so that the from and rear of the hearing device 7 rest on the floor surface, so that the two sound entry openings 4 in the piece of jewellery lead -precisely to the two microphones 8 of the hearing device ?. This position of the cavity 2 also causes the earlobe to protrude through the fastening by means of plugs into the hook-shaped curvature of the creole and thus prevents the hearing aid from falling out. Alternatively, tor this and also for other embodiments, a supplementary clamp or a comparable fixation can hold the hearing device 7 at least tor fixing the ear jewellery to the ear in the cavity 2:. Such fixation may, for example, he integrated in the fastening means 3 of the ear jewellery; A signal conductor 9, which connects the hearing aid to an external receiver id* protrudes from the hearing aid 7. The external receiver 10 is, as described above, an external sound transducer, so that the signal conductor 7 is an electrical conductor for transmitting W audio attached to the terminal i 1,

If the sound transducer is integrated in the hearing device 7 in an alteMatfye ehthddtment, the signal Conductor 9 is designed as a filigree sound tube with an open end, the sound fobs being fixed by means pf the clamp !! so that it lies permanently at or in the auditory canal while .the«reels

HEARING AID DEVICE WITH A PIECE OF EAR JEWELLERY AND A HEARING AID

REFERENCE LIST 1 jewellery 2 cavity 3 fastening means 4 sound entry opening 5 front side 7 hearing aid 8 microphone 9 signal conductor 10 external receiver 13 clamp

Claims (4)

Hearing aid unit with an earring and a hearing aid Claims 1, Hearing Aid Unit, which is an earring with a jewel body (1), an earpiece, and. includes a hearing aid (?) containing a hearing aid (7) for receiving the hearing aid (7), in which one or more outwardly extending waves are protruding, and wherein the contents of the hearing aid (7) are at least one acoustic signal. a microphone for recording (8), a signal processing unit for processing the acoustic signals recorded, a signal conductor (9) for transmitting an acoustic or aadioel of an iHngataJakite and a. 0 in the cavity (2) is loosely inserted and removable ^ and at least one microphone (8) is arranged in the hearing aid (?) So that, when the hearing aid (?) Is inserted, for recording acoustic signals, it is: folklore & ). 2, The t. A hearing aid unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a earrings of the orcreole type, A hearing aid unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hearing aid (?) Is an audio converter (?) Integrated in the hearing aid or an external speaker (10); A hearing aid unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hearing aid (?) Is in a closed form for positioning the at least one microphone (8); it is executed in exactly the same way (A) in the same way as the body (2) of the jewel body (2) and the outer loudspeaker (j) of a signal conductor (9) connected to the earpiece (?). Ski hearing aid unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that. (7) contains at least two microphones (8) and a microphone (8) for one microphone. and the ear 11 is assigned to the ear (4), the hearing aid unit according to claim 5, is! pointing out that the sounding holes (4) are located in the direction of viewing the carrier and opposite direction of the earring on the top of the earring