EP2087769B1 - Mounting electronic components - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for damped storage of electronic components according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for producing an integral, damping storage with a device.

The present invention is a construction for the storage of electro-acoustic transducers or other electronic components in electronic micro devices, such as hearing aids. In general, such electronic components, such as a handset or electroacoustic transducer, held by rubber parts in position. These rubber mounts are usually attached directly to the electronic component, glued or slipped over this and define the contact surface with the rest of the electronic micro device, such as a hearing aid structure. In addition to the individual bearings, connection lines to the component, such as a sound conduit, are usually required, which connects the component to the surrounding environment, such as the acoustic environment, and often also has a mechanical support function.

• Sie halten das elektronische Bauteil in der gewünschten Position im Kleinstgerät, wie beispielsweise den Wandler in der gewünschten Position im Hörgerät;
• sie isolieren das Bauteil von seiner mechanischen Umgebung und dämpfen Vibrationen; und
• sie schützen das elektronische Bauteil vor schockartigen Belastungen.

The well-known rubber bearings have three functions:

• They hold the electronic component in the desired position in the microdevice, such as the transducer in the desired position in the hearing aid;
• they insulate the component from its mechanical environment and damp vibrations; and
• They protect the electronic component against shock loads.

For the above-described, general approach to the damping storage of electronic components in electronic microdevices various possibilities are described in the literature, for example, to store transducers, especially listeners (speakers) in hearing aids. For example, describes EP 1 249 496 a multi-part receiver bearing, which takes into account the force distribution at the listener surface by rubber parts with different stiffness are used. In the US 47 29 451 an integrated storage of a handset and an in-ear hearing aid is described. An earpiece dummy is placed in an individual bowl and the bowl tip is filled with a pourable rubber material. After drying, the dummy is removed leaving behind an integrated cavity, which serves as a receiver storage.

In the US 6,751,326 a storage concept is described in which a handset is housed in a two-part housing. The rubber parts are mounted on the handset and / or the housing.

DE8704315U discloses a hearing aid whose components are mounted in a hearing aid housing, characterized in that at least a part of the components in the interior of brackets between the inside of the brackets projecting cushions, which are formed as knobs of sound-absorbing material, releasably supported.

In the WO20055652 a storage for a listener in a hearing aid is described, which is also fixed by means of several rubber parts in position, these rubber parts must be fixed both on the handset as well as on corresponding housing parts.

In the EP 1 316 239 The use of multi-component injection molding technology for hearing aids is described generically on the basis of a few application examples. These are seals on the housing, sound channels for sound inlet and outlet and an elastic receiving cavity for transducers. Finally, the shows WO00 / 79835 a behind-the-ear hearing aid in which an electrical / acoustic transducer unit is provided with a speaker housing, wherein the housing is resiliently mounted in an encapsulation such that encapsulation and speaker housing define a gap.

• Die eingesetzten Gummiteile sind relativ teuer in der Herstellung und eine Konstanz der Materialeigenschaften (Steifigkeit, Dämpfung) ist wegen der kleinen Mengen von Vulkanisat nicht immer gewährleistet.
• Das Montieren der zum Teil sehr dünnwandigen Gummilagerungen auf die Wandler ist äusserst delikat. Einerseits ist ein grosser Zeitaufwand in der Produktion damit verbunden, andererseits hängt die akustische Stabilität des Hörgerätes sehr stark von der Präzision der Montage ab. Eine leichte Abweichung oder Verschiebung der Gummiteile kann zu einem Verkanten der Wandler im Hörgerätegehäuse und somit zu mechanischer Rückkopplung führen.
• Die meisten Lagerungen im Stand der Technik ermöglichen keine Trennung von Schockdämpfung und Vibrationsisolation, weil beide Funktionen mit dem gleichen Bauteil - bestehend aus demselben Material - abgedeckt werden müssen.

In the bearings, as used in the current state of the art, in particular the following draws:

• The rubber parts used are relatively expensive to produce and a consistency of material properties (stiffness, damping) is not always guaranteed because of the small amounts of vulcanizate.
• The mounting of the sometimes very thin-walled rubber mountings on the transducers is extremely delicate. On the one hand, a great deal of time in production associated with it, on the other hand, the acoustic stability of the hearing depends very much on the precision of the assembly. A slight deviation or displacement of the rubber parts can lead to tilting of the transducers in the hearing device housing and thus to mechanical feedback.
• Most prior art bearings do not allow separation of shock absorption and vibration isolation because both functions must be covered with the same component - consisting of the same material.

Of course, there are also approaches to reduce the requirements for the storage of transducers. One is to make the transducer against shock loads less sensitive, as for example in the EP 0 993 759 is described. In addition, there are also efforts by the converter manufacturers to make the listener vibration less, as described in the EP 1 248 496 , the US 6,751,326 or the EP 127 442 , These approaches are all in the right direction, but may be unsuitable for a specific application in the hearing aid because they increase the cost and / or size of the transducer.

In the U.S. 4,729,451 Finally, a cylinder-like receptacle for the receiver of a hearing aid is described, wherein the receiver is held longitudinally by longitudinal, inwardly projecting ribs.

Due to the above, it is accordingly an object of the present invention, a storage for to develop electronic components, such as a transducer, in a micro-electronic device, such as a hearing aid, which meets the main requirements below, namely to ensure vibration isolation of the component and a shock absorption in the event of a shock.

According to the invention, a device according to the wording of claim 1 is proposed.

The device for the damped storage of electronic components in a single or multi-part receiving housing of a micro electronic device according to the present invention is that an along, at least on parts of the inner wall of the receiving housing arranged elastic and / or flexible retaining element is provided, with in the direction of the interior the receiving inwardly projecting storage areas for in-situ bearings or holding the component in the receptacle.

As already mentioned, the device according to the invention for damping basically has two functions, namely the provision of vibration isolation on the one hand and shock absorption on the other hand. It has been found that for vibration isolation, the storage should have a low to very low stiffness and low attenuation. By contrast, contrary to the vibration isolation for shock absorption, storage must be much stiffer, with much higher internal damping of the material being desirable.

According to the present invention, it is proposed that the receptacle is coated or lined with an elastically soft and / or flexible material, whereby elevations projecting from the layer are provided. These elevations may be conical or knob-like elevations, with, for example, pointed, dull or rounded bearing surfaces for the electronic component.

Again, according to a further embodiment, the lining or the holding element may consist of the same material as the above storage areas or for the storage areas, a different material can be chosen to meet the above-mentioned, different requirements for vibration isolation and shock absorption.

The holding element or the lining as well as the storage areas may consist of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Particularly suitable are block copolymers such as, for example, a styrene elastomer (TPE-S) or a polymer blend such as a polyolefin elastomer (TPE-O) have been found. Depending on the application, however, other TPE types such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPE-U) are also conceivable or also vulcanizates such as silicone rubber, etc.

Particularly suitable are materials with a Shore hardness> 25, preferably in the range of about 30 to 60.

Further preferred embodiments of the device according to the invention for the damping storage of an electronic component are characterized in the dependent claims. For the production of the inventive device or the introduction of the damping retaining element in a receptacle of an electronic component there are different manufacturing options.

Thus, first of all, the retaining element can be produced, for example by means of injection molding, having the bearing areas and subsequently introduced into a receiving housing. Or the holding element or the elastic coating can in turn directly, for example by injection molding in a already existing receiving housing are entered, which receiving housing in turn may consist of a thermosetting or thermoplastic polymer.

Again, according to a further embodiment, it is possible to directly produce the receiving housing and the damping device by means of so-called 2K injection technique by simultaneously or in subsequent injection processes, the respective polymer is injected into the mold.

Fig. 1

schematisch im Schnitt eine Lagerung eines elektronischen Bauteiles gemäss dem Stand der Technik,

Fig. 2

schematisch im Schnitt die Lagerung eines elektronischen Bauteiles gemäss der vorliegenden Erfindung,

Fig. 3

in Schnittperspektive eine mögliche Ausführungsvariante einer dämpfenden Lagerung vorgesehen für den Einbau eines elektronischen Bauteiles,

Fig. 4

schematisch das dämpfende Lagern eines elektronischen Bauteils, aufweisend einen nicht symmetrischen Massenmittelpunkt.

Fig. 5

eine weitere Ausführungsvariante einer dämpfenden Lagerung,

Fig. 6

wiederum im Schnitt eine weitere Ausführungsvariante einer der erfindungsgemässen Dämpfung und

Fig. 7a - 7d

Beispiele von Dämpfungselementen geeignet für eine dämpfende Anordnung.

The invention will now be explained in more detail by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Showing:

Fig. 1

schematically in section a storage of an electronic component according to the prior art,

Fig. 2

schematically in section the mounting of an electronic component according to the present invention,

Fig. 3

in a sectional perspective, a possible embodiment of a damping bearing provided for the installation of an electronic component,

Fig. 4

schematically the damping storage of an electronic component, comprising a non-symmetrical center of mass.

Fig. 5

Another embodiment of a damping storage,

Fig. 6

again in section a further embodiment of the inventive damping and

Fig. 7a - 7d

Examples of damping elements suitable for a damping arrangement.

The basis of the proposed invention is that the storage is integrated into the housing of the electronic device, such as the hearing aid, as described in the following Figures 1 and 2 is shown using the example of a listener storage. The main difference between the prior art, presented in FIG. 1 , is that the storage is no longer mounted on the transducer, but a part of the hearing aid housing, as in FIG. 2 is shown.

FIG. 1 schematically shows in section a transducer 1, which is arranged in a corresponding hearing aid housing 3. For shock absorption or vibration isolation a rubber bearing 5 is provided, having outwardly projecting support ribs 7 for point storage ..

In contrast, the transducer 1 as shown in FIG FIG. 2 no longer stored in a rubber pad 5, but is "free" on conical elevations 17auf, which is part of a damping insert, which is arranged directly on the inner surface of the hearing aid housing 3. This in turn has a rubber pad 15, with inwardly projecting elevations 17 for point storage.

According to FIG. 2 For example, the cavity in the hearing device that houses the transducer is lined with a layer of soft elastic material that has sufficient wall thickness and rigidity to meet the shock absorption requirements mentioned above. From this layer protrude different conical-like elevations 17, which provide for a defined positioning of the transducer 1. Due to the design of these support elements 17 whose rigidity can be adjusted in the direction of optimal vibration isolation. For example, these elements can be designed to be loaded primarily on thrust rather than pressure, resulting in much lower stiffness.

• Die primäre Lagerung 25 mittels eines thermoplastischen Elastomers (TPE) durch Spritzguss hergestellt.
• Die Lagerung wird in einem Arbeitsgang mittels 2K-Spritztechnik direkt in das Gehäuse 3 integriert.
• Die Verbindung zwischen Lagerung 25 und Gehäuse 3 erfolgt über Adhäsion gemäss der Technik von hart/weich Verbindungen
• Die Lagerung 25 besitzt genügend Wandstärke um einen Stoss abzufangen.
• Das Material besitzt eine mittlere Härte und niedrige Rückprallelastizität wie vorzugsweise mit einer Shore-härte im Bereich 30 bis 60. Als Beispiel sei ein thermoplastisches Elastomer auf Basis SEBS (Styrol-Ethylen-butylen-Styrol) genannt.
• Der Wandler ruht auf mehreren dünnen Spitzen 27, welche eine sehr geringe Steifigkeit aufweisen.
• Die Lagerung weist seitliche Stützrippen 28, (nicht zur erfindung gehörend) die zur Fixierung des Wandlers dienen.

A concrete application example of the invention will be described below and with reference to FIG. 3 be shown: It is developed a listener storage, which is introduced for example by a 2K injection molding process directly into the hearing aid housing. In this case, the housing 3 is designed in several parts and in each part is a part of the integrated storage. This integrated storage has the following characteristics:

• The primary bearing 25 made by a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) by injection molding.
• The storage is integrated directly into the housing 3 in a single operation by means of 2K spray technology.
• The connection between bearing 25 and housing 3 via adhesion according to the art of hard / soft compounds
• The bearing 25 has enough wall thickness to intercept a shock.
• The material has a medium hardness and low resiliency, preferably having a Shore hardness in the range of 30 to 60. As an example, a thermoplastic elastomer based on SEBS (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) may be mentioned.
• The transducer rests on a plurality of thin tips 27, which have a very low rigidity.
• The storage has lateral support ribs 28, (not belonging to the invention) which serve to fix the transducer.

• Die Lagerung wird in einem zweiten Arbeitsgang in das Gehäuse integriert, welches dafür in eine Spritzgussform eingelegt werden muss.
• Die Verbindung zwischen Lagerung und Gehäuse wird neben der reinen Adhäsion auch durch mechanische Verankerung unterstützt. Das kann durch mechanische Konstruktionselemente (Bohrungen, Hintergriffe, etc.) oder durch Vergrösserung der spezifischen Oberfläche des Gehäuses durch chemisches oder physikalisches Ätzen da insbesondere bei Hörgeräten oft nicht genügend Platz vorhanden ist für eine mechanische Verankerung.
• Das Material der Lagerung besteht aus einem heissvulkanisierten Silikon, welches auch mittels Spritzguss verarbeitet wird.
• Die Lagerung beinhaltet gleichzeitig auch eine Dichtung des Gehäuses und/oder eine Dichtung des Schallausganges 21.
• Durch die Ausgestaltung und die Position der Stützrippen 28 und Stützspitzen 27 kann eine statisch ausgewogene Lagerung errichtet werden. Es kann dabei der Tatsache Rechnung getragen werden, dass die Anregung des Hörers nicht symmetrisch ist. Dieser Ansatz ist in Figur 4 schematisch aufgezeigt. Bedingt durch den inneren Aufbau des Wandlers ist der Massenmittelpunkt M bzw. 14 ausserhalb seiner geometrischen Mitte. Um dennoch eine statisch ausgewogene Lagerung zu erzielen, können die Stützspitzen so ausgestaltet werden, dass z.B. Stützspitze 18, welche näher beim Massenmittelpunkt ist, eine höhere Steifigkeit aufweist als die andere Spitze 16. Dies lässt sich natürlich theoretisch auch mit den heutigen Lagerungen erreichen, doch in diesem Falle werden die Einbauspezifikationen noch enger, da die Symmetrie der Lagerungen wegfällt.

The transducer can now be entered into the cavity provided for this purpose in the multi-part hearing device housing produced in this way. The housing further has an opening 21 for sound channel, sound tube, connections, etc. In addition to the above-described other features are of course conceivable:

• The bearing is integrated in a second operation in the housing, which must be inserted for this in an injection mold.
• The connection between the bearing and the housing is supported not only by the pure adhesion but also by mechanical anchoring. This can often be due to mechanical construction elements (holes, rear handles, etc.) or by enlargement of the specific surface of the housing by chemical or physical etching, especially in hearing aids for mechanical anchorage.
• The material of the storage consists of a hot vulcanised silicone, which is also processed by injection molding.
• The storage also includes a seal of the housing and / or a seal of the sound outlet 21 at the same time.
• Due to the configuration and the position of the support ribs 28 and support tips 27, a statically balanced storage can be established. It can be taken into account the fact that the excitation of the listener is not symmetrical. This approach is in FIG. 4 shown schematically. Due to the internal structure of the transducer, the center of mass M or 14 is outside its geometric center. In order nevertheless to achieve a statically balanced storage, the support tips can be designed so that, for example, support tip 18, which is closer to the center of mass, has a higher rigidity than the other tip 16. This can of course theoretically be achieved with today's bearings, but In this case, the installation specifications become even narrower because the symmetry of the bearings is eliminated.

FIG. 5 shows in section a further embodiment of an inventive damping arrangement for the storage of an electronic component 1. Again, a damping layer 15 is disposed in the rigid receiving wall 3 of a micro electronic device, consisting of an elastic material, as described above. As in the preceding examples, inwardly projecting projections 17 are also provided for the mounting of the component 1. In addition to Fig. 5 In the inwardly projecting projections 17 air inclusions 31 are formed in order to achieve an additional damping effect. These damping air pockets 31 may be made relatively small as in FIG Fig. 5 or else can be as schematic in Fig. 6 represented and provided with the reference numeral 35, be formed such that the inwardly projecting projection 37 is formed like a pillow or leaf spring. On the one hand, this can increase the damping effect, but on the other hand, this reduces the storage stability.

Further in Fig. 5 recognizable are rear handles 33, which allow a better connection or even a non-adhesive connection between the damping layer 15 and the rigid housing wall 3.

In the FIGS. 7a to 7d For example, examples of protruding projections 17 are shown which are intended to indicate that any shapes are possible to achieve suitable damping or to be selected according to requirements. So shows Fig. 7a a cone-like projection, Fig. 7b a rib (not belonging to the invention) during Fig. 7c analogous. Fig. 6 a pillow-like or leaf-spring-like damping element 17 shows. Similar is in Fig. 7d a leaf spring-like damping element 17 is shown, which is arranged in a corner region of the receiving housing 3. To reinforce the damping, in turn, a cavity 35 is provided.

• Die Kosten für Gummiteile fallen weg.
• Der Montageaufwand wird durch das Integrieren der Lagerungen wesentlich reduziert, da nicht nur die weichen Gummilagerungen einzeln über die Schallwandler gezogen werden müssen, sondern der Wandler einfach in die dafür vorgesehene Kavität eingesetzt werden kann.
• Durch die einfachere Montage erhöht sich auch die Produktionstoleranz, da es schwieriger wird, die Wandler falsch einzubauen.
• Durch das Integrieren der Lagerungen lassen sich neue Designs realisieren, welche durch die weitgehende Trennung der beiden Funktionen "Schwingungsisolation" und "Schockisolation" zu einer höheren Zuverlässigkeit und zu mehr Verstärkung führen können.
• Durch das Integrieren der Lagerungen kann ein Lagerungstyp realisiert werden, der genau für einen bestimmten Wandler optimiert ist. Insbesondere lassen sich statisch ausgeglichene Lagerungen einfacher realisieren, ohne dass aufwendige Montagevorschriften erstellt oder zusätzliche Gummiteile montiert werden müssen.

The advantages of the present invention are that the manufacturing costs for the damping storage can be reduced:

• The cost of rubber parts are eliminated.
• The assembly effort is significantly reduced by integrating the bearings, as not only the soft rubber mountings must be individually drawn over the transducer, but the converter can be easily inserted into the space provided for this purpose.
• The ease of assembly also increases the production tolerance as it becomes more difficult to incorporate the transducers incorrectly.
• By integrating the bearings, new designs can be realized, which can lead to a higher reliability and more reinforcement by the extensive separation of the two functions "vibration isolation" and "shock isolation".
• By integrating the bearings, a type of bearing can be realized that is precisely optimized for a particular transducer. In particular, statically balanced bearings can be realized more easily, without elaborate installation instructions created or additional rubber parts must be mounted.

When referring to the FIGS. 1 to 7 Of course, shown damping devices or bearings are only examples of the better understanding of the present invention. The bearings or dampings are of course not limited to the illustrated examples, but it can also be used different bearings or damping devices, which for example have different wall thicknesses, different stiffnesses of the materials, different geometries or embodiments of projecting storage areas or elevations, different manufacturing techniques, etc., etc. The essence of the present invention is that the damping element or the damping bearing is arranged on the housing inner wall of the electronic construction device for positioning and holding an electronic component, wherein the damping Element facing the interior and has projecting storage areas.

Claims (11)

1. Device for the damped mounting of electronic components in a receptacle housing of a miniature electronic device, comprising a resilient and/or flexible holding element (15) arranged along at least parts of the inner wall of the receptacle housing (3) and having inwardly projecting mounting regions (17) for point mounting for mounting in position, characterized in that the holding element forms a layer and the projecting mounting regions are formed by cone-like or stud-like projections which project from the layer.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic and/or flexible material has a Shore hardness of > 25.
3. Device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the cone-like or stud-like projections have pointed, blunt or rounded bearing surfaces for the electronic component.
4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the holding element consists of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).
5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the holding element or the elastic or flexible material has a different rigidity than the mounting regions (17).
6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the mounting regions (17) have different geometries and/or have different rigidities.
7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that air inclusions (35) are provided in the holding element and/or in the inwardly projecting mounting regions (17) in order to enable a leaf spring-like damping.
8. Method for producing a device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding element is introduced or injected into the receptacle housing of the electronic component by means of injection molding.
9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the receptacle housing and the elastic and/or flexible holding element are manufactured by means of two-component injection molding.
10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the connection of the elastic and/or flexible mounting regions in the receptacle housing of the electronic component is effected by adhesion of two materials in injection molding or by forming mechanical anchorages.
11. Use of the device according to one of claims 1 to 7 for mounting an electronic transducer in a receptacle housing of a hearing aid or use of the device manufactured according to a method of claims 8 to 10 for mounting an electronic transducer in a receptacle housing of a hearing aid.

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