JPH10164695A - Heating aid with earplug - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a hearing aid from giving a unpleasant feeling to its user due to a howling phenomenon and echoes and from coming off an external auditory meatus. SOLUTION: A heating aid is provided with a shell 1 having a sound output section 2 at the front end of its inserting section which is inserted into the external auditory meatus of a user and a sound input section 4 in a shell cap section 3 at the other end of the sound output section 2 and an earplug 10 which is removably inserted into the front end of the inserting section of the shell 1 and is elastically brought into contact with the internal surface of the external auditory meatus and, in the earplug 10, a base section 11 having a sound output window and a cup-shaped section 12 which is brought into contact with the internal surface of the external auditory meatus are integrally formed and a spiral section 12a is formed on the surface of the cup-shaped section 12 from the base section 11 side to the outer edge section. When the hearing aid is inserted into the external auditory meatus, the crest sections 12b of the spiral section 12a come into contact with the internal surface of the external auditory meatus with a large area and air passages 13 are formed between the crest sections 12b and root sections 12c of the spiral section 12a. The widths of the air passages 13 can be adjusted by changing the inserting amount of the shell 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hearing aid with earplugs, in which a sound emitting portion of a hearing aid is inserted into an ear canal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the advent of the aged society, there has been a demand for hearing aids that are more and more gentle to hearing-impaired people. Conventionally, as an in-the-ear type hearing aid, since the shape of the external auditory canal varies from person to person, it was considered to take a user's ear shape using silicone resin or the like and attach it to make a shell without discomfort. In addition, it is troublesome to take an ear shape, and it is difficult to form a ventilation path to be described later by penetrating a curved fine hole in the shell main body, which has been difficult to spread in practical use.

[0003] With respect to this problem, the insertion portion of the shell into the ear canal is formed to have a common narrow dimension so as to fit any ear, and a bulging portion is formed on the outer periphery of the portion that comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal. The provided technology is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-117199. As an example, as shown in FIG. 7, 1 is a shell, 2 is a sound emitting portion, 3 is a shell cap portion, and the outer peripheral portion of the ear portion 1b inserted into the ear canal is elastically attached to the inner wall of the ear canal. Bulge portion 60 made of elastic material that comes into contact
There are provided a plurality (three in FIG. 7) of flanges 61 thereon.

Further, as a technique of a hearing aid with earplugs, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-131898. The outline is that the shell part is attached to the sound emitting part at the tip of the insertion part to be inserted into the external auditory canal, and the base part and the flare part are formed in a bowl-shaped ear plug integrally molded with a flexible synthetic resin material. A sound emission chamber for introducing sound emission from the sound emission part, and a plurality of sound emission windows are provided so as to penetrate the thickness of the peripheral wall of the sound emission chamber, and the emission sound introduced into the sound emission chamber is provided. It is designed to be released laterally into the ear canal. A flange extending laterally from an outer peripheral edge of the base portion is provided in a tip direction of the sound emission window to reduce clogging of the earwax of the sound emission window.

In general, if the gap between the earplugs and the inner wall of the ear canal is large, the microphone output from the speaker leaks to the microphone side because the microphone built in the shell and the speaker are close to each other. A howling phenomenon that generates a sound and makes the user uncomfortable occurs. Conversely, if the gap is completely closed, phenomena such as a muffled sound and an unnatural sound and a mental instability may occur.

Accordingly, it is important to secure an optimal size of an air passage (vent) of the earplug for communicating the inner part of the ear canal with the air outside the ear.
In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 898, the above-mentioned howling phenomenon and muffled sound are not solved at all.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a conventional hearing aid with earplugs that has been considered for such a problem. Reference numeral 1 denotes a shell containing a hearing aid circuit, 2 denotes a sound emitting portion disposed at the distal end of an insertion portion to be inserted into an external auditory canal of the shell 1, and 3 denotes a shell cap located on the opposite side of the insertion portion from the sound emitting portion 2. Part 4,
Reference numeral denotes a sound input unit provided on the shell cap unit 3 side.
5 is a battery holder for storing the battery 6 therein,
Inside the shell 1, a microphone 7, an amplifier 8, and a speaker 9 are electrically connected and built in from the sound input unit 4 to the sound emitting unit 2.

Reference numeral 50 designates an earplug similar to that described above, except that a flare 52 is provided near the boundary between the base 51 and the flare 52.
A ventilation path 53 penetrating the thickness of the air passage is provided.

[0009]

However, the structure of the above-mentioned hearing aid has the following disadvantages. Air passage 53
Thus, ventilation between the inside of the external auditory canal and the outside air is possible, and the above-mentioned muffled sound phenomenon can be solved to some extent. However, since there are individual differences depending on the degree of hearing loss, it has not been satisfactory for many users. That is, since there is no ventilation passage of an appropriate size between the inside of the ear canal and the outside air, the muffled sound phenomenon is not solved,
There has been a fatal problem that it is not possible to reduce the howling phenomenon due to sound leakage of the hearing aid and the like.

Further, the shape of the external auditory canal is deformed by vigorous exercise or biting of food while wearing the hearing aid, and the shell cap portion 3 becomes heavier due to the built-in components such as the battery 6. In addition, since the rear edge of the flare 52 is thin and soft, the contact with the inner wall of the ear canal is weak, and there is a problem that the hearing aid may fall off the ear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to remove discomfort due to a howling phenomenon and mental instability due to muffled sound, and to prevent falling off during mounting. It is intended to provide a hearing aid with earplugs that is gentle to the user.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, a hearing aid with earplugs according to the present invention has a sound emitting portion at the tip of an insertion portion to be inserted into an external auditory canal and is connected to a rear end of the insertion portion. A shell having a sound input part in a shell cap part, a base part having a sound emission window, and a bowl-shaped part elastically contacting the inner wall of the ear canal are integrally formed, and can be inserted into and removed from the tip of the insertion part. In a hearing aid with an earplug having an inserted earplug, a portion of the bowl-shaped portion that comes into contact with the ear canal has a shape that partially does not contact the inner wall of the ear canal, and forms an air passage communicating with the inside and outside of the ear canal. It is characterized by having done.

[0013] Further, a protruding portion is provided at a portion of the bowl-shaped portion that comes into contact with the ear canal.

[0014] Further, a groove-shaped portion is provided at a portion of the protruding portion which comes into contact with the ear canal.

[0015] Further, the protruding portion is a protruding portion.

Also, a shell having a sound emitting portion at the distal end of the insertion portion to be inserted into the ear canal and having a sound input portion in a shell cap portion connected to the rear end of the insertion portion; a base having a sound emitting window; In a hearing aid with earplugs, wherein a bowl-shaped part elastically contacting the inner wall is integrally formed, and earplugs removably inserted at the tip of the insertion part, a plurality of the bowl-shaped parts are provided. It is characterized in that a thin portion which is easy to open is formed.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A hearing aid with earplugs according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the hearing aid with earplugs according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an operation when the hearing aid is inserted into an ear canal. In the drawings, the same members as those of the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a shell whose outer shape and internal structure are the same as those of the prior art. Reference numeral 10 denotes earplugs, which are formed by integrally forming a flexible synthetic resin material such as silicon or urethane into a bowl shape. The earplug 10 includes a base 11 having a plurality of sound emission windows 11a, and a thin bowl-shaped part connected to the base 11. 12a
On the surface of the bowl-shaped portion 12 which is in contact with the ear canal,
A ridge portion, which is a protruding portion from the base portion 11 side to an outer edge portion which is an end portion on the shell cap portion side, is a spiral shaped portion formed in a spiral washing line shape. The spiral-shaped portion 12a forms a ventilation path 13 between a ridge 12b, which is a ridge, a valley 12c sandwiched between the ridges 12b, and the inner wall of the external auditory canal.
A shell 1 is provided on the inner surface of the connection between the bowl-shaped portion 12 and the base 11 side.
A ring-shaped convex portion 12d for removably inserting the earplug 10 is formed in the groove 1a formed at the distal end of the insertion portion so as to cover the distal end of the insertion portion of the shell 1.

With the above structure, as shown in FIG. 2, when the hearing aid with earplugs in which the earplugs 10 are inserted into the shell 1 is inserted into the external auditory canal 14, the earplugs 10 are connected to the base 11 or the bowl-shaped portion 12. While being softly in contact with the inner ear canal wall 14a, it is pushed deep into the ear canal 14.

At this time, the plurality of peaks 12b are located on the inner wall 1 of the ear canal.
4a, and the ridge 12b is formed on the soft inner ear canal inner wall 14a.
As the shell 1 is pushed down and the shell 1 is pushed further into the ear canal 14, the mountain portion 12b falls down, and the air passage 13 is compressed and narrowed. Conversely, when the bowl-shaped portion 12 is pulled out, the air passage 13 is widened. Therefore, by adjusting the insertion depth of the earplug 10 by taking the shell 1 in and out, the ventilation path 13
Can be adjusted so as to be suitable for the user.
Therefore, the occurrence of the howling phenomenon and muffled sound can be suppressed, and the hearing aid can be used comfortably.

Also, the plurality of peaks 12b of the spiral-shaped portion 12a bite into the soft inner ear canal inner wall 14a,
The effect of locking the entire hearing aid to the inner wall of the ear canal is generated there.
Therefore, the hearing aid does not easily fall off while wearing the hearing aid, even if the ear canal is exercised violently or the shape of the ear canal is deformed due to biting of food.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the earplugs of the hearing aid with earplugs according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 3A,
The earplug 20 is formed integrally with a base 21 having a sound emitting portion and a bowl-shaped portion 22 in contact with the inner wall of the external auditory canal, similarly to the earplug 10 described above. A thick portion 22a is formed radially over the edge so as to correspond to the umbrella bone. That is, the thick portion contacts the inner wall of the ear canal of the bowl-shaped portion 22, and the thin portion 22b between two adjacent thick portions 22a is slightly bent inward and does not contact. With the above configuration, when the hearing aid in which the earplug 20 is inserted is inserted into the external auditory canal, the thick portion 22a and the thin portion 2
An air passage 23 is formed between the inner ear wall 2b and the inner wall of the ear canal. Since the cross-sectional area of the ventilation passage 23 expands and contracts when the hearing aid is inserted into and removed from the external auditory canal, the ventilation passage 23 can be adjusted to a position where a suitable size of the ventilation passage can be obtained. In addition, the radially thick portion 22a cuts into the inner wall of the soft external auditory canal, so that a locking effect of preventing the falling off occurs. Accordingly, the same action and effect as those of the earplug 10 described above can be obtained with respect to the howling phenomenon, muffled sound and dropout.

FIGS. 3 (b) and 3 (c) show an embodiment similar to that described above. The difference from FIG. 3 (a) is that the surface of the bowl-shaped portion 22 extends from the base 21 side to the outer edge. 3
In FIG. 3B, a thick portion 22a as a ridge is formed, and in FIG. 3C, a groove-shaped thin portion 22b is formed. In both cases, the thick portion 22a comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal, and the air passage 23 is formed between the thick portion 22b and the thin portion 22b by the degree of pushing into the ear canal.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an earplug of a hearing aid with earplug according to a third embodiment. In FIG. 4, earplugs 30 have warp-shaped protrusions 32 a formed on the entire surface of the bowl-shaped portion 32 so as to be scattered from the base 31 to the outer edge. The cross-sectional area of the air passage 33 formed between the thin portion 32b and the thin portion 32b is adjusted by the degree that the protruding portion 32a contacts the inner wall of the ear canal and pushes the hearing aid with earplugs into the ear canal. Function and effect.

In any of the above, a protruding portion having an appropriate shape is partially formed on the surface of the portion in contact with the ear canal near the outer edge of the bowl-shaped portion. The cross section has a shape that does not partially contact the external auditory canal, and a gap formed in a portion of the earplug that does not contact the inner wall of the external auditory canal formed around the protruding portion is used as an air passage.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of a hearing aid with an earplug according to another embodiment in which the cross-sectional area of the air passage can be adjusted to an appropriate size. In FIG. 5, a plurality of thick portions 42 a having a sawtooth cross section are formed in a ring shape on the surface of a bowl-shaped portion 42 in contact with the inner wall of the ear canal, and the periphery of the bowl-shaped portion 42 adjacent to the base 41 is shown. Are provided with a plurality of air passages 43 having a thin bottom portion 43a as an air passage cross-sectional area adjusting means, and are integrally formed with a base 41 having a sound emitting portion. The area of the ventilation path 43 can be adjusted by selecting the number of the ventilation paths 43 suitable for the user and penetrating the thin bottom portion 43a using a sharp-pointed needle or the like. Accordingly, the plurality of ring-shaped thick portions cut into the inner wall of the soft external auditory canal to produce a locking effect, thereby preventing the hearing aid from falling off while being worn and, at the same time, adjusting the cross-sectional area of the ventilation passage 43 to provide feedback. The phenomenon and the muffled phenomenon can be eliminated.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The earplug inserted into the hearing aid comprises a base having a sound emitting portion and a bowl-shaped portion that comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal, and has a shape that does not partially contact the ear canal at a portion of the bowl-shaped portion that comes into contact with the ear canal. With this configuration, an air passage communicating between the inside of the ear canal and the outside air is secured between the ear canal and a portion that does not contact the inner wall of the ear canal, and at the same time, the insertion depth of the hearing aid is adjusted, or The size of the ventilation path can be adjusted by selecting the number of the items, the discomfort such as the howling phenomenon and the muffled sound phenomenon and the mental uneasiness are eliminated, and intense exercise and eating while wearing It is possible to provide a user-friendly and comfortable earplug-equipped hearing aid in which the hearing aid does not fall off in the middle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a hearing aid with earplugs according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an operation when the hearing aid of FIG. 1 is inserted into an ear canal.

FIG. 3 relates to a second embodiment of the present invention,
(A) is a side view of an earplug, FIG.3 (b) and FIG.3 (c) are perspective views of an earplug.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an earplug according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of an earplug according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a prior art hearing aid with earplugs.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a prior art hearing aid with earplugs.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shell 2 Sound emission part 3 Shell cap part 4 Sound input part 10, 20, 30, 40 Earplugs 11, 21, 31, 41 Base 11a Sound emission window 12, 22, 32, 42 Bow shape part 12a Spiral shape part 13 , 23,33,43 Air passage 14 External ear canal 14a External ear canal inner wall 22a, 42a Thick portion 32a Convex portion 43a Thin bottom portion

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor ▲ Waka ▼ Toshifumi Yama 4-9-17-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo Inside Eurotech Japan Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Isao Yabe 6-1-1 Honcho, Tanashi-shi, Tokyo No. 12 Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. Tanashi Factory

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A shell having a sound emitting portion at the distal end of an insertion portion to be inserted into an ear canal and having a sound input portion on a shell cap portion connected to a rear end of the insertion portion; a base having a sound emitting window; In a hearing aid with earplugs, wherein a bowl-shaped portion elastically contacting the inner wall is integrally formed, and earplugs removably inserted into the distal end of the insertion portion, the ear canal of the bowl-shaped portion and A hearing aid with earplugs, wherein a part of the hearing aid has a shape that does not partially contact the inner wall of the ear canal to form an air passage communicating with the inside and outside of the ear canal. 2. The hearing aid with earplugs according to claim 1, wherein a protruding portion is provided at a portion of the bowl-shaped portion that comes into contact with the ear canal. 3. The hearing aid with earplugs according to claim 1, wherein a groove-shaped portion is provided at a portion of the bowl-shaped portion that comes into contact with the ear canal. 4. The hearing aid with earplugs according to claim 2, wherein the protruding portion is a ridge portion. 5. A shell having a sound emitting portion at the distal end of an insertion portion to be inserted into an ear canal, a shell having a sound input portion on a shell cap portion connected to a rear end of the insertion portion, a base having a sound emitting window, and a shell having a sound emitting window. In a hearing aid with earplugs, wherein a bowl-shaped part elastically contacting the inner wall is integrally formed, and earplugs removably inserted at the tip of the insertion part, a plurality of the bowl-shaped parts are provided. A hearing aid with earplugs, characterized by forming a thin-walled portion that is easy to open.