WO2010096032A1 - Composite hearing instrument shell - Google Patents
Composite hearing instrument shell Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2010096032A1 WO2010096032A1 PCT/US2009/001082 US2009001082W WO2010096032A1 WO 2010096032 A1 WO2010096032 A1 WO 2010096032A1 US 2009001082 W US2009001082 W US 2009001082W WO 2010096032 A1 WO2010096032 A1 WO 2010096032A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- shell
- hearing instrument
- hardness
- set forth
- wall
- Prior art date
Links
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 title description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 18
- 235000019589 hardness Nutrition 0.000 claims description 36
- 210000000613 ear canal Anatomy 0.000 claims description 19
- 230000003014 reinforcing effect Effects 0.000 claims description 15
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000007704 transition Effects 0.000 description 2
- 210000000883 ear external Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 230000012447 hatching Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001788 irregular Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001459 lithography Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/65—Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture
- H04R25/652—Ear tips; Ear moulds
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
- H04R25/65—Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture
- H04R25/658—Manufacture of housing parts
Definitions
- the outer contours of an in-the-ear hearing instrument are determined by the geometry of the ear canal of the intended user of the hearing instrument. To insure that a shell for an in-the-ear hearing instrument resides securely in the ear canal of the user and provides a seal between the ear canal and the outside, the outer surface of the shell conforms to the walls of the ear canal and perhaps adjacent parts of the external ear as well. This also applies to partially and completely in-the-ear hearing instruments and earmolds for a behind-the-ear hearing instrument. Given this fit, contact between the shell's outer surface and tissue in the ear may lead to discomfort.
- selected portions of the shell are fabricated from a material having a hardness less than that of other portions.
- Figure 1 is a drawing of a composite hearing instrument shell
- FIGS 2 and 3 are cross-sectional drawings of different configurations of the hearing instrument shell of Figure 1;
- Figures 4-8 are drawings of the shell tip illustrating portions of lesser hardness with embedded reinforcing structures.
- a shell 10 for an in-the-ear hearing instrument is shown in Figure 1, residing in the ear (not fully shown) and a portion of the ear canal 20.
- the shell 10 has an outer surface 30 conforming to the walls 22 of the ear canal 20 and any adjacent parts of the ear.
- the shell 10 also comprises a tip 40, an ear canal segment 42, a aperture segment 44 (conforming to the structure of the ear canal aperture), a concha segment 46, and a faceplate segment 48.
- the tip 40, the ear canal segment 42, the aperture segment 44, the concha segment 46, and the faceplate 48 form a monolithic unit or whole.
- the shell 10 Since the outer surface 30 of the shell IO conforms to the ear canal walls 22, the shell 10 provides a nearly airtight seal of the ear canal 20. To avoid discomfort where the shell surface 30 meets the walls 22 of the ear canal 20 or other parts of the ear, selected portions of the shell 10 (including the shell body or wall 14, and the outer surface 30, as explained below) are fabricated from a material having a hardness less than that of other portions. The portions 50 of lesser hardness are contiguous with the portions of greater hardness such that the outer surface 30 of the shell 10 in an area of transition 32 from one portion to the other is continuous and relatively smooth, following the contours of the surface of the ear canal 20 or another adjacent portion of the ear.
- FIG. 1 For purposes of illustration, one of the areas of transition 32 is indicated in Figure 1 by the dashed lines in the lower right-hand part of the drawing.)
- FIG. 1 Four such portions 50 of lesser hardness are shown in Figure 1 (the hatching is used to distinguish these portions from the other parts of the shell — it is not a cross section in this figure). Two such portions 50 are located in the ear canal segment 42 of the shell 10, while two are in the aperture segment 44.
- the material of lesser hardness could be utilized anywhere in the shell as desired.
- the shell 10 of Figure 1 is shown again in a cross-sectional view in Figure 2.
- the wall 14 of the shell 10 is indicated there by opposing arrows.
- the portions 50 of lesser hardness span the entire thickness of the shell wall 14 and are an integral part of the wall 14.
- the portions 52 of lesser hardness do not extend through the shell wall 14 to the interior 12 of the shell 10.
- reinforcing structures could be added to the portions of lesser hardness 50 and 52.
- the tip 40 of the shell 10 is shown in Figures 4 and 5.
- the two portions 50 of lesser hardness each have a reinforcing member 60 fabricated from the material of greater hardness embedded in the material; for purposes of illustration, Figure 5 shows the reinforcing member 60 without the adjacent portion 50 of lesser hardness (the element number 50 is included, however).
- Multiple members 60 may be employed in a given portion 50 of lesser hardness if desired.
- the reinforcing member 60 may have any desired cross section, such as circular, oval, and rectangular.
- a reinforcing member 60 is shown in a shell 10 where the portions 52 of lesser hardness 52 do not extend through the shell wall 14.
- Figure 7 shows the reinforcing member 60 with the adjacent portion 52 of lesser hardness indicated by a dashed line.
- the reinforcing structure can be one or more walls 62 as shown in Figure 8, in parallel or in a grid layout, extending from the portion of the shell of greater hardness or a mesh, or any other desired shape or configuration.
- the portion 52 of lesser hardness is shown in this figure as a dashed line.
- the shell 10 may be fabricated by stereo lithography (SLA), one of the processes mentioned in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0196954 Al, published December 26, 2002 and titled, "Modeling and fabrication of three-dimensional irregular surfaces for hearing instruments," incorporated here by reference.
- SLA stereo lithography
- the portions of lesser hardness 50 or 52 may be fabricated using a material that results in a hardness rating of 50 on the Shore A scale, while the other portions of the shell 10 may be fabricated utilizing a material that results in a hardness rating of 80-85 on the Shore D scale.
- a commercially-available apparatus that may be employed for fabrication of the shell 10 is the Connex ⁇ OO printing system manufactured by Objet Geometries Ltd., Rehovot, Israel.
- the shell 10 illustrated in the figures 1-3 is one form of an in-the-ear shell
- the combination of portions of greater and lesser hardness could be applied to any type of hearing instrument shell, such as completely-in-the-canal, in-the-ear, and partially in-the-ear (half-shell, full-shell), as well as external devices such as a behind-the-ear enclosure.
- the shell can be fabricated from materials that yield more than two hardnesses, e.g., three, four, etc. as desired.
- the foregoing devices find industrial applicability in the field of hearing instruments.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Neurosurgery (AREA)
- Otolaryngology (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Headphones And Earphones (AREA)
Abstract
The fit for an in-the-ear hearing instrument shell can be rendered more comfortable by using a material of lesser hardness for selected portions of the shell surface and body.
Description
Composite Hearing Instrument Shell
Technical Field
Hearing instruments, and the manufacture of hearing instrument shells.
Background Art
Typically, the outer contours of an in-the-ear hearing instrument are determined by the geometry of the ear canal of the intended user of the hearing instrument. To insure that a shell for an in-the-ear hearing instrument resides securely in the ear canal of the user and provides a seal between the ear canal and the outside, the outer surface of the shell conforms to the walls of the ear canal and perhaps adjacent parts of the external ear as well. This also applies to partially and completely in-the-ear hearing instruments and earmolds for a behind-the-ear hearing instrument. Given this fit, contact between the shell's outer surface and tissue in the ear may lead to discomfort.
Background Art per PCT Rule 5.Ka)(Ji) U.S. Patent No. 6,022,311, 8 Feb. 2000 (Juneau, et al.) U.S. Patent No. 6,354,990, 12 Mar. 2002 (Juneau, et al.) U.S. Patent No. 6,393,130, 21 May 2002 (Stonikas, et al.) U.S. Patent No. 6,434,248, 13 Aug. 2002 (Juneau, et al.) U.S. Patent No. 6,473,512, 29 Oct. 2002 (Juneau, et al.)
U.S. Patent No. 6,584,207, 24 Jun. 2003 (Yoest, et al.) U.S. Patent No. 6,761,789, 13 JuI. 2004 (Juneau, et al.) U.S. Patent No. 6,865,279, 8 Mar. 2005 (Leedom, et al) U.S. Patent No. 7,010,137, 7 Mar. 2006 (Leedom, et al.) U.S. Patent No. 7,217,335, 15 May 2007 (Juneau, et al)
Disclosure of Invention
To avoid discomfort where the shell surface meets the ear canal walls or other parts of the ear, selected portions of the shell are fabricated from a material having a hardness less than that of other portions.
Brief Description of Drawings
Figure 1 is a drawing of a composite hearing instrument shell;
Figures 2 and 3 are cross-sectional drawings of different configurations of the hearing instrument shell of Figure 1; and
Figures 4-8 are drawings of the shell tip illustrating portions of lesser hardness with embedded reinforcing structures.
Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention
A shell 10 for an in-the-ear hearing instrument is shown in Figure 1, residing in the ear (not fully shown) and a portion of the ear canal 20. The shell 10 has an outer surface 30 conforming to the walls 22 of the ear canal 20 and any adjacent parts of
the ear. The shell 10 also comprises a tip 40, an ear canal segment 42, a aperture segment 44 (conforming to the structure of the ear canal aperture), a concha segment 46, and a faceplate segment 48. Collectively, the tip 40, the ear canal segment 42, the aperture segment 44, the concha segment 46, and the faceplate 48 form a monolithic unit or whole.
Since the outer surface 30 of the shell IO conforms to the ear canal walls 22, the shell 10 provides a nearly airtight seal of the ear canal 20. To avoid discomfort where the shell surface 30 meets the walls 22 of the ear canal 20 or other parts of the ear, selected portions of the shell 10 (including the shell body or wall 14, and the outer surface 30, as explained below) are fabricated from a material having a hardness less than that of other portions. The portions 50 of lesser hardness are contiguous with the portions of greater hardness such that the outer surface 30 of the shell 10 in an area of transition 32 from one portion to the other is continuous and relatively smooth, following the contours of the surface of the ear canal 20 or another adjacent portion of the ear. (For purposes of illustration, one of the areas of transition 32 is indicated in Figure 1 by the dashed lines in the lower right-hand part of the drawing.) Four such portions 50 of lesser hardness are shown in Figure 1 (the hatching is used to distinguish these portions from the other parts of the shell — it is not a cross section in this figure). Two such portions 50 are located in the ear canal segment 42 of the shell 10, while two are
in the aperture segment 44. The material of lesser hardness could be utilized anywhere in the shell as desired.
The shell 10 of Figure 1 is shown again in a cross-sectional view in Figure 2. The wall 14 of the shell 10 is indicated there by opposing arrows. As can be seen from the figure, the portions 50 of lesser hardness span the entire thickness of the shell wall 14 and are an integral part of the wall 14. By contrast, in the cross- sectional view of Figure 3, the portions 52 of lesser hardness (the counterparts to portions 50 of Figures 1 and 2), do not extend through the shell wall 14 to the interior 12 of the shell 10.
If desired, reinforcing structures could be added to the portions of lesser hardness 50 and 52. The tip 40 of the shell 10 is shown in Figures 4 and 5. In Figure 4, the two portions 50 of lesser hardness each have a reinforcing member 60 fabricated from the material of greater hardness embedded in the material; for purposes of illustration, Figure 5 shows the reinforcing member 60 without the adjacent portion 50 of lesser hardness (the element number 50 is included, however). Multiple members 60 may be employed in a given portion 50 of lesser hardness if desired. The reinforcing member 60 may have any desired cross section, such as circular, oval, and rectangular.
In Figures 6 and 7, a reinforcing member 60 is shown in a shell 10 where the portions 52 of lesser hardness 52 do not extend through the shell wall 14. For purposes of illustration, Figure 7 shows the reinforcing member 60 with the adjacent portion 52 of
lesser hardness indicated by a dashed line. Alternatively, the reinforcing structure can be one or more walls 62 as shown in Figure 8, in parallel or in a grid layout, extending from the portion of the shell of greater hardness or a mesh, or any other desired shape or configuration. Here again, for purposes of illustration, the portion 52 of lesser hardness is shown in this figure as a dashed line.
The shell 10 may be fabricated by stereo lithography (SLA), one of the processes mentioned in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0196954 Al, published December 26, 2002 and titled, "Modeling and fabrication of three-dimensional irregular surfaces for hearing instruments," incorporated here by reference. The portions of lesser hardness 50 or 52 may be fabricated using a material that results in a hardness rating of 50 on the Shore A scale, while the other portions of the shell 10 may be fabricated utilizing a material that results in a hardness rating of 80-85 on the Shore D scale. A commercially-available apparatus that may be employed for fabrication of the shell 10 is the ConnexδOO printing system manufactured by Objet Geometries Ltd., Rehovot, Israel.
While the shell 10 illustrated in the figures 1-3 is one form of an in-the-ear shell, the combination of portions of greater and lesser hardness could be applied to any type of hearing instrument shell, such as completely-in-the-canal, in-the-ear, and partially in-the-ear (half-shell, full-shell), as well as external
devices such as a behind-the-ear enclosure. In addition, the shell can be fabricated from materials that yield more than two hardnesses, e.g., three, four, etc. as desired.
Industrial Applicability
The foregoing devices find industrial applicability in the field of hearing instruments.
Claims
1. A hearing instrument shell for a hearing instrument that resides at least partially in the ear canal of the user, the ear canal comprising ear canal walls, comprising: a shell wall, the shell wall comprising an outer surface conforming at least in part to the walls of the ear canal and defining a shell interior, where selected, predetermined portions of the shell wall and the outer surface of those portions comprise a first material having a first hardness; and at least one selected, predetermined other portion of the shell wall and the outer surface of those portions comprise a second material having a second hardness, where the second hardness is less than the first hardness.
2. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where the outer surface of the shell further conforms to other parts of the ear.
3. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where the portions of the shell wall and the outer surface of those portions comprising a second material having a second hardness extend through the shell wall to the interior of the shell.
4. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where the portions of the shell wall and the outer surface of those portions comprising a second material having a second hardness do not extend through the wall of the shell to the shell interior.
5. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where a portion of the shell, the shell wall, and the outer surface further comprises a concha segment, where the concha segment comprises an outer surface conforming to at least a portion of the concha of the ear; and at least one selected, predetermined portion comprising the second material having a second hardness.
6. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , further comprising a reinforcing structure embedded in the portions of the shell wall comprising a second material having a second hardness, where the reinforcing structure comprises a material of a hardness greater than the second hardness.
7. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where the reinforcing structure comprises the first material.
8. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where the reinforcing structure comprises at least one reinforcing member.
9. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where the reinforcing member comprises a circular, oval, or rectangular cross section.
• 10. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where the reinforcing structure comprises at least one wall.
11. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where at least one selected, predetermined other portion of the shell wall and the outer surface of that portion comprises a third material having a third hardness, where the third hardness differs from the first and second hardnesses.
12. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where the shell is completely in-the-ear.
13. A hearing instrument shell as set forth in claim , where the shell is an earmold.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2009/001082 WO2010096032A1 (en) | 2009-02-20 | 2009-02-20 | Composite hearing instrument shell |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2009/001082 WO2010096032A1 (en) | 2009-02-20 | 2009-02-20 | Composite hearing instrument shell |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2010096032A1 true WO2010096032A1 (en) | 2010-08-26 |
Family
ID=41009905
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2009/001082 WO2010096032A1 (en) | 2009-02-20 | 2009-02-20 | Composite hearing instrument shell |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| WO (1) | WO2010096032A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2014019626A1 (en) | 2012-08-02 | 2014-02-06 | Phonak Ag | Diagnostic coating |
| US11323834B1 (en) | 2021-03-12 | 2022-05-03 | Sonova Ag | Hearing device having a shell including regions with different moduli of elasticity and methods of manufacturing the same |
| US20220256270A1 (en) * | 2021-02-09 | 2022-08-11 | Ji Cheng International Ltd. | Eartip |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1993025053A1 (en) * | 1992-05-26 | 1993-12-09 | Bausch & Lomb Incorporated | Soft earshell for hearing aids |
| WO1999056501A1 (en) * | 1998-04-30 | 1999-11-04 | Beltone Electronics Corporation | Multimaterial hearing aid housing |
| WO2000025551A1 (en) * | 1998-10-26 | 2000-05-04 | Beltone Electronics Corporation | Deformable, multi-material hearing aid housing |
| US20050117765A1 (en) * | 2003-12-01 | 2005-06-02 | Meyer John A. | Hearing aid assembly |
| EP1619927A2 (en) * | 2005-08-24 | 2006-01-25 | Phonak Ag | Housing for behind-the-ear hearing-aid with self-adhering properties |
-
2009
- 2009-02-20 WO PCT/US2009/001082 patent/WO2010096032A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1993025053A1 (en) * | 1992-05-26 | 1993-12-09 | Bausch & Lomb Incorporated | Soft earshell for hearing aids |
| WO1999056501A1 (en) * | 1998-04-30 | 1999-11-04 | Beltone Electronics Corporation | Multimaterial hearing aid housing |
| WO2000025551A1 (en) * | 1998-10-26 | 2000-05-04 | Beltone Electronics Corporation | Deformable, multi-material hearing aid housing |
| US20050117765A1 (en) * | 2003-12-01 | 2005-06-02 | Meyer John A. | Hearing aid assembly |
| EP1619927A2 (en) * | 2005-08-24 | 2006-01-25 | Phonak Ag | Housing for behind-the-ear hearing-aid with self-adhering properties |
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2014019626A1 (en) | 2012-08-02 | 2014-02-06 | Phonak Ag | Diagnostic coating |
| US20220256270A1 (en) * | 2021-02-09 | 2022-08-11 | Ji Cheng International Ltd. | Eartip |
| US11805351B2 (en) * | 2021-02-09 | 2023-10-31 | Spinfit Trading Limited | Eartip |
| US11323834B1 (en) | 2021-03-12 | 2022-05-03 | Sonova Ag | Hearing device having a shell including regions with different moduli of elasticity and methods of manufacturing the same |
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