EP3614698B1 - Damping device for an earpiece of a hearing aid and hearing aid comprising such a damping element - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a damping device according to the preamble of claim 1 for vibration-damping (vibration-damping) mounting of a receiver within a hearing instrument. Such a damping device is out WO 2014/090282 A1 known. The invention further relates to a hearing instrument with a corresponding damping device.

"Hearing instruments" are generally used to describe devices that pick up ambient sound, modify the signal and emit a modified sound signal to the hearing of a person wearing the hearing instrument ("wearer").

A hearing instrument which is designed to supply a hearing-impaired wearer and which processes, in particular amplifies, acoustic ambient signals in such a way that the hearing impairment is fully or partially compensated for is referred to here and below as a “hearing aid”. For this purpose, a hearing device usually includes an input converter, for example in the form of a microphone, a signal processing unit with an amplifier, and an output converter. The output converter is usually implemented as a miniature speaker and is also referred to as a "listener" (receiver).

In addition to hearing aids, however, there are also hearing instruments that are geared towards fitting for people with normal hearing, in order to protect the wearer's hearing or to support noise perception (e.g. understanding speech in complex noise environments) for specific purposes. Such hearing instruments are often constructed in a similar way to hearing aids and include, in particular also the input converter, signal processing and output converter components mentioned above.

In order to meet the numerous individual needs, different designs of hearing instruments are offered. With so-called BTE hearing instruments (Behind-The-Ear, also behind-the-ear, BTE for short), a housing equipped with the input converter, the signal processing and a battery is worn behind the ear. Depending on the configuration, the receiver can be arranged either directly in the ear canal of the wearer (so-called ex-receiver hearing instruments or receiver-in-the-canal, RIC hearing instruments for short). Alternatively, the handset is located within the housing itself. In this case, a flexible sound tube, also known as a "tube," directs the receiver's acoustic output signals from the case to the ear canal (tube hearing instruments). With so-called ITE hearing instruments (in-the-ear, also in-the-ear, ITE for short), a housing that contains all the functional components, including the microphone and the receiver, is worn at least partially in the auditory canal. So-called CIC hearing instruments (Completely-in-Canal) are similar to ITE hearing instruments, but are worn completely in the ear canal.

Regardless of the design, a safe and especially vibration-damped mounting of the receiver within the housing of the hearing instrument is necessary in order to minimize the transmission of airborne and structure-borne noise within the housing and thus avoid acoustic feedback as far as possible.

In order to achieve effective vibration damping, the receiver of a hearing instrument is usually mounted with individually shaped bearings (for each hearing instrument model), which are adapted to the respective receiver design and to the available space in the hearing instrument as well as to the required amplification of the hearing instrument. It is common practice to dampen a receiver by means of a rubber band or a rubber bag that is wrapped around the rear part of the receiver so that the receiver is prevented from hitting the hard housing wall of the hearing instrument. In addition, listeners are often Enclosed chambers made of plastic or metal in order to avoid transmission of airborne noise within the housing of the hearing instrument as far as possible.

Effective damping concepts are becoming increasingly important, particularly given the growing standardization of manufacturing processes. In particular, hearing instruments are nowadays often developed as part of a device family that includes different designs (e.g. BTE, ITE or RIC devices) with uniform components. Conversely, device families are also being developed which each have different components in a uniform housing, in particular receivers with different designs (e.g. single and double receivers) and/or different performance. In both cases, especially in the case of a BTE device with a comparatively large housing, the vibration damping of the receiver is demanding, since receivers with a shape that is poorly adapted to the installation space (but sometimes comparatively high weight and/or high performance) are stable here, but with good vibration damping have to be hung. The various functions of the receiver suspension, namely the mechanical holding function on the one hand and the vibration damping function on the other, are often in conflict here, since they would require contradictory configurations of the receiver suspension and are therefore difficult to reconcile. A comparatively soft configuration of the earphone suspension would be particularly advantageous in terms of effective vibration damping, but this would be disadvantageous for low-vibration mechanical mounting of the earphone.

From WO 2014/090282 A1 known damping device comprises a housing for a receiver of a hearing instrument. The housing comprises several parts that can be assembled together. At least one of these parts is made from a harder material and a softer material in a two-component injection molding process. The surface of the harder material has a soft magnetic metallic coating to shield the receiver from magnetic fields.

The invention is therefore based on the object of enabling a receiver to be mounted securely and effectively in terms of vibration damping within a hearing instrument.

With regard to a damping device, this object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 1. With regard to a hearing instrument, the object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 7. Advantageous refinements of the invention are set out in the dependent claims and the following description.

The damping device according to the invention is used for vibration-damping mounting of a receiver within a hearing instrument. The damping device comprises an elastic damping element, a cage connected to the elastic damping element, and a shell surrounding the cage. According to the invention, both the elastic damping element and at least part of the shell have a lower hardness than the cage.

It has been shown that the combination of - viewed from the inside out - soft material of the damping element, hard material of the cage and in turn soft material of the shell for vibration-damped suspension of listeners (especially heavy and/or powerful listeners) is particularly advantageous. In particular, the material of the inner damping element can be made particularly soft as a result of the supporting effect of the hard cage. A particularly effective vibration damping, in particular at high frequencies, is thus achieved without having to accept a weakening of the mechanical mounting of the earphone. The soft shell, on the other hand, is particularly effective for dampening low frequencies; In particular, it prevents vibrations of the cage's receiver from escalating due to mechanical feedback effects. In addition, the shell effectively protects the listener from damage caused by mechanical impact, for example if the hearing instrument is dropped.

The elastic damping element is preferably made entirely or partially of an elastomeric material and particularly preferably of a fluoroelastomer and/or a fluorosilicone elastomer. The degree of hardness of this elastic material preferably has a Shore hardness (Shore A) in a range between 20 and 30, and particularly preferably a Shore hardness of 25.

The shell or its soft part is preferably also made of a fluoroelastomer and/or a fluorosilicone elastomer. The degree of hardness of this elastic material of the shell preferably has a Shore hardness in a range between 50 and 60. The use of the fluoroelastomer "Viton" from DuPont is particularly suitable here.

The cage, which is harder than both the damping element and (in whole or in part) the shell, is preferably made of a (dimensionally stable) plastic, in particular (reinforced or unreinforced) polyamide or polycarbonate. A thermoset or a (non-elastomeric) thermoplastic is referred to as “dimensionally stable plastic”. Alternatively, within the scope of the invention, the cage can also consist of a metal, for example sheet steel.

In a preferred embodiment, the shell (also referred to as a box) is designed in two parts. It consists in particular of two half-shells, which are pushed from opposite sides onto the structural unit formed from the damping element and the cage. Within the scope of the invention, the two parts of the shell can consist of the same material or of different materials (especially materials with different hardness). An embodiment of the invention is particularly advantageous in which the shell is made of a comparatively hard material in a front area, in particular a dimensionally stable plastic or metal, and in a rear area of a comparatively soft material, in particular the aforementioned elastomeric material. The front area is that area of the shell which the sound outlet of the earpiece faces when installed. and where, in a BTE device, the sound tube is inserted into the shell.

In order to prevent the propagation of the airborne noise emitted by the earphone (outside the sound outlet) in the housing of the hearing instrument as far as possible, the shell is preferably designed in such a way that it encloses an installation space for the earphone - and thus also the damping element reinforced by the cage - in an airtight manner . In other words, the shell is designed to be completely closed in order to create a closed volume of air in which the earphone is installed as intended. The volume of air enclosed by the shell is advantageously used as an extension of the rear volume for the receiver.

Such an expanded rear volume is required in particular for headphones with a higher output and/or a small receiver housing. With such a listener, the fact that the vibration of the sound-generating membrane also displaces air behind the membrane is particularly noticeable. With a closed receiver housing, the membrane oscillations in the air space behind the membrane (back volume) would cause noticeable pressure fluctuations with short-term overpressures and negative pressures, which would counteract the deflection of the membrane and reduce the efficiency of the receiver (and thus in particular the sound power generated). In order to increase the efficiency of the earphone, powerful or particularly small earphones therefore often have a pressure equalization opening (backventing) behind the membrane, so that the air space surrounding the earphone increases the rear volume of the earphone. However, a listener with backventing emits more airborne sound backwards, so that a hermetic seal of the air space around the listener makes sense in order to avoid crosstalk of the listener sound to the or each microphone of the hearing instrument (with the associated risk of feedback). This is achieved in a particularly effective manner by the above-described airtight design of the shell.

The elastic damping element is preferably in the form of a hose that completely encloses the receiver. In other words, the damping element is placed on the outside of the earphone around its outer circumference. The front and back of the handset preferably remain open.

The elastic damping element expediently comprises holding projections which rest against the receiver in the installed state and thus clamp the receiver between them. Within the scope of the invention, the holding projections can be adapted in terms of their size and damping properties to the size and weight of the respective earphone to be stored. In an advantageous embodiment, the holding projections are designed as conical knobs, the distal ends of which each form a contact surface for the receiver to be stored.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cage is designed in such a way that it surrounds the damping element and that the outer circumference of the damping element thus rests against an inner circumference of the cage. In a likewise preferred alternative embodiment, the cage is at least partially embedded in the material of the damping element. This achieves a positive fit between the material of the damping element and the material of the cage, as a result of which the soft material of the damping element is reinforced in a particularly effective manner. In a further alternative embodiment, the damping element consists of a plurality of unconnected holding projections which are individually connected to the cage, in particular molded onto the cage.

The hearing instrument according to the invention has a housing, a receiver and a damping device according to one of the above-described configurations of the invention. The receiver is mounted in a vibration-damped manner within the housing of the hearing instrument by the damping device.

The advantages and preferred embodiments described for the damping device according to the invention apply equally to the hearing instrument according to the invention and can be correspondingly transferred to it.

The shell, i.e. the casing enclosing the damping element and the cage, is adapted in particular to the inner shape of a housing recess of the hearing instrument provided for holding the earphone and rests at least partially on a wall of the housing, so that the earphone has no play and is stable via the damping device held in a designated position. Irrespective of the play-free mounting, the damping device allows the earphone to be sufficiently mobile to work off (i.e. dissipate) vibration energy, particularly in the higher frequencies. The surface of the shell is optionally structured, in particular notched, in order to reduce as effectively as possible a force transmission due to a movement of the receiver to the housing of the hearing instrument surrounding the shell in the installed state. The structuring of the surface of the shell means that the shell does not rest against the surrounding housing wall of the hearing instrument over the entire surface, but only in discrete areas. As a result, the areas of the shell that are not in contact with the housing wall can deform in response to movements of the earphone, in particular bulge, without touching the housing wall, so that a comparatively large proportion of the earphone movements can be absorbed by the shell.

The damping device according to the invention is preferably used in a BTE hearing aid. Within the scope of the invention, however, it can also be advantageously used in an ITE hearing instrument, provided that there is sufficient installation space.

Fig. 1

in einem Längsschnitt eine Dämpfungseinrichtung mit einem elastischen Dämpfungselement, einem dieses stützenden Käfig und einer den Käfig umhüllenden Schale sowie einen in der Dämpfungseinrichtung gelagerten Hörer,

Fig. 2

in einem Querschnitt II-II gemäß Fig. 1 die Dämpfungseinrichtung und den Hörer gemäß Fig. 1,

Fig. 3

in perspektivischer Darstellung die Dämpfungseinrichtung und den Hörer gemäß Fig. 1,

Fig. 4

in perspektivischer isolierter Darstellung das elastische Dämpfungselement und den Käfig der Dämpfungseinrichtung gemäß Fig. 1 sowie den darin gelagerten Hörer,

Fig. 5

in Darstellung gemäß Fig. 1 ein alternatives Ausführungsbeispiel der Dämpfungseinrichtung mit dem darin gelagerten Hörer,

Fig. 6

in Darstellung gemäß Fig. 4 das elastische Dämpfungselement und den Käfig eines weiteren Ausführungsbeispiels der Dämpfungseinrichtung (wobei der Käfig hier nur teilweise dargestellt ist) sowie den darin gelagerten Hörer,

Fig. 7

in Darstellung gemäß Fig. 2 die Dämpfungseinrichtung gemäß Fig. 6, und

Fig. 8

in schematischer Darstellung ein Hörinstrument mit der Dämpfungseinrichtung gemäß einer der Fig. 1 bis 7 sowie mit dem darin gelagerten Hörer.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing. show:

1

in a longitudinal section, a damping device with an elastic damping element, a cage supporting this and a shell encasing the cage, as well as a receiver mounted in the damping device,

2

in a cross-section II-II according to 1 the attenuator and the earphone according to 1 ,

3

in a perspective view, the damping device and the handset according to 1 ,

4

in a perspective isolated representation of the elastic damping element and the cage of the damping device according to 1 as well as the receiver stored in it,

figure 5

in representation according to 1 an alternative embodiment of the damping device with the receiver mounted therein,

6

in representation according to 4 the elastic damping element and the cage of a further exemplary embodiment of the damping device (where the cage is only partially shown here) and the receiver mounted therein,

7

in representation according to 2 the damping device according to 6 , and

8

in a schematic representation of a hearing instrument with the damping device according to one of Figures 1 to 7 as well as with the receiver stored in it.

Corresponding parts are always provided with the same reference symbols in all figures.

the Figures 1 to 3 show a first exemplary embodiment of a damping device 1, which is used for the vibration-damped mounting of a receiver 3 within a hearing instrument 4 ( 8 ) serves. The internal structure of the receiver 3 is shown in the sectional views Figures 1 and 2 not shown explicitly for reasons of simplification.

The damping device 1 comprises an elastic damping element 5, a cage 7 supporting this, and a shell 9 surrounding the cage 7. In FIG 4 the damping element 5 and the cage 7 with the receiver 3 mounted therein are shown isolated (ie without the surrounding shell 9).

The cage 7 is in the Figures 1 to 4 illustrated embodiment formed by a hose or tube-like body 11 made of a dimensionally stable plastic, namely preferably a duroplastic. The hose-like/tube-like base body 11 has an approximately quadrangular cross-section adapted to the receiver 3 and completely encloses the side surfaces of the receiver 3 . In contrast, a sound outlet 13 of the receiver 3 and a rear side of the receiver 3 opposite the sound outlet 13 are arranged on the open sides of the tubular base body 11 .

The cage 7 is provided with openings 15 on all sides (ie openings which extend from the inner circumference of the base body 11 to its outer circumference).

The damping element 5 consists in the Figures 1 to 4 shown embodiment of a number of unconnected holding projections in the form of hollow conical knobs 17, whose distal ends (ie facing away from the inner circumference of the base body 11) each form a contact surface 19 for the receiver 3. The conical nubs 17 are formed from an elastic material (for example a fluorosilicone) which is softer than the material of the cage 7 and has a Shore hardness (Shore A) of 20-25, in particular 23, for example.

In each opening 15 of the cage 7, one of the nubs 17 is introduced, in particular injected. The cage 7 and the damping element 5 are preferably manufactured together in a two-component injection molding process.

The shell 9 consists of two parts, namely a front half-shell 21 and a rear half-shell 23, these half-shells 21, 23 complementing one another to form an airtight casing for the receiver 3. The air volume enclosed by the half-shells 21, 23, forming a mounting space for the receiver 3, is used as an expansion of the rear volume of the receiver 3--if the receiver 4 is provided with a rear opening (backventing).

The front half-shell 21 surrounds the earphone 3 installed as intended on the side on which the sound outlet 13 of the earphone 3 is arranged. A sound tube 25 of the hearing instrument 4 is guided through this front half-shell 21 of the shell 9 and is connected to the sound outlet 13 inside the shell 9 in order to transport the sound emitted via the sound outlet 13 to the ear of a wearer. In execution according to Figures 1 to 4 the sound tube 25 is a part manufactured separately from the front half-shell 21, which is pressed into an opening 26 in the front half-shell 21 (see Fig. 1 ).

In the embodiment according to Figures 1 to 4 the two half-shells 21 and 23 of the shell 9 are made of elastic material (eg "Viton"). This material is preferably selected in such a way that the shell 9 is harder than the nubs 17 of the damping element 5, but softer than the cage 7. For example, the material of the two half-shells 21 and 23 has a Shore hardness of 55. Alternatively, the front Half-shell 21 made of a harder material than the rear half-shell 23, in particular of a dimensionally stable plastic or a metallic material.

In figure 5 an alternative exemplary embodiment of the damping device 1 is shown. This differs from the exemplary embodiment described above in that the front half-shell 21 of the shell 9 is designed in one piece (monolithic) with the sound tube 25 .

In the 6 and 7 a further exemplary embodiment of the damping device 1 is shown. This embodiment differs from the embodiments described above in that the damping element 5 itself forms a coherent tubular body 27, from the inner circumference of which the nubs 17 protrude. In addition, the nubs 17 are not hollow here, but filled, so that the damping element 5 has a smooth outer circumference. The cage 7 is formed here by a further hose-like or tube-like body 29 which, in contrast to the base body 11 of the exemplary embodiment Figures 1 to 4 but is designed with uninterrupted side walls (ie without the openings 15). The cage 7 surrounds the damping element 5 on the outside, so that the outer circumference of the damping element 5 bears against the inner circumference of the cage 7 . The cage 7 extends over the entire length of the damping element 5 (in 6 the cage 7 is only partially shown for better visibility of the damping element 5). Both the damping element 5 and the cage 7 are open on the front side, on which the sound outlet 13 of the receiver 3 is arranged, and on the opposite rear side.

The damping element 5 and the cage 7 consist here preferably of in connection with the embodiment according to Fig.1 to 4 mentioned materials. As an alternative here, the cage 7 is made of a metallic material, in particular a sheet steel. In a further variant of the damping device 1, the cage 7 is fully or partially embedded in the material of the sealing element 5.

According to 8 the hearing instrument 4 includes a housing 33 in which the receiver 3 is mounted by means of one of the embodiments of the damping device 1 described above. The hearing instrument 31 also includes two microphones 35, a battery 37 and a signal processing unit 39 (eg in the form of a digital signal processor or a microcontroller). In the installed state, the shell 9 of the damping device 1 rests at least partially against a wall 41 of the housing 33, so that the receiver 3 is supported in the housing 33 via the damping device 1 without play.

The invention is particularly clear from the exemplary embodiments described above, but is nevertheless not restricted to these exemplary embodiments. Rather, further embodiments of the invention can be derived from the claims and the above description. In particular, the individual features described with reference to the exemplary embodiments can also be combined with one another in other ways within the scope of the claims, without deviating from the invention.

Reference List

1

damping device

3

listener

4

hearing instrument

5

damping element

7

Cage

9

Peel

11

body

13

sound outlet

15

breakthrough

17

nub

19

contact surface

21

(front) half shell

23

(rear) half shell

25

sound tube

26

opening

27

Body

29

Body

33

hearing aid housing

35

microphone

37

battery

39

signal processing unit

41

wall

Claims (8)

1. Damping device (1) for vibration-damping mounting of a receiver (3) within a hearing instrument (4), said damping device (1) comprising an elastic damping element (5), a cage (7) connected to the elastic damping element (5),
   characterized by
   a shell (9) surrounding the cage (7) for damping low frequencies and protecting the earpiece (3) against damage by mechanical shocks, which shell (9) consists of two half-shells (21, 23) pushed from opposite sides onto the construction unit formed by the damping element (5) and the cage (7), the elastic damping element (5) and at least part of the shell (9) each having a lower hardness than the cage (7).
2. Damping device (1) according to claim 1,
   the damping element (5) being formed from an elastomeric material with a Shore hardness in a range between 20 and 30.
3. Damping device (1) according to claim 1 or 2,
   the shell (9) being at least partially formed of an elastomeric material with a Shore hardness in a range between 50 and 60.
4. Damping device (1) according to one of the preceding claims,
   the cage (7) being formed from a dimensionally stable plastic or a metallic material.
5. Damping device (1) according to one of the preceding claims,
   the elastic damping element (5) being arranged on an inner circumference of the cage (7).
6. Damping device (1) according to one of the preceding claims,
   the shell (9) being formed as a casing enclosing the damping element (5) in an airtight manner.
7. Hearing instrument (4) with a housing (33), with a receiver (3) and with the damping device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, the receiver (3) being mounted by means of the damping device (1) in a vibration-damping manner within the housing (33).
8. Hearing instrument (4) according to claim 7,
   the shell (9) at least partially abutting against a wall (41) of the housing (33).

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