Universal adapter for hearing aids and earphones

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of hearing aids and earphones. More specifically, the invention relates to a universal adapter for earphones and hearing aids worn in the ear. The universal adapter serves for the introduction of amplified sound of a hearing aid or earphone into the auditory canal, wherein the adapter has trapezoidal hollow segments (5) which are arranged separate from one another, with their side walls (15) that radially decrease from the dorsal to the proximal side, along a centrally arranged locking nipple (2) which serves to receive a sound outlet connector of the hearing aid. The hollow segments (5) are connected with the proximal ends (14) of the contact surfaces (1) to a proximal end (6) of the locking nipple (2). The adapter has the shape of a shortened ellipsoidal body. It can automatically adapt to the shape of the auditory canal.

Claims

1. A universal adapter comprising a flexible material, for the introduction of amplified sound of a hearing aid or earphone into an individually shaped human auditory canal, wherein the adapter has a plurality of funnel-shaped hollow segments (5), the segments having hollow interiors extending longitudinally to open dorsal ends, which viewed from the dorsal ends, have a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape, which are arranged separate from one another, with side walls (15) that radially decrease from a dorsal to a proximal side, along a centrally arranged locking nipple (2) which serves to receive a sound outlet connector of the hearing aid, and wherein further, proximal, narrow ends (14) of contact surfaces (1) of the hollow segments (5) are connected to a proximal end (6) of the locking nipple (2), the adapter having a shape of a shortened ellipsoidal body, for adapting its contact surfaces (1) to the shape of the auditory canal by a restoring force of the elastic side walls (15).

2. The universal adapter according to claim 1, wherein the trapezoidal hollow segments (5) are four trapezoidal hollow segments (5).

3. The universal adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact surfaces (1) of two adjacent segments (5) run very close and parallel from a proximal to a dorsal end of the adapter, wherein the side wall (15) of a segment (5) has a narrow kink (9) into the interior of the segment (5), and has a radial elevation (9) with respect to an adjacent segment (5), as a result of which, due to an annular pressure from the outside in the direction of the kink (10), a kink (18) of the adjacent, slipping-under segment side shifts towards the kink (10) of the receiving segment side, such that the kinks (9, 18) of the segments (5), then shifted one above the other, form a closure of the contact surfaces (1) which run parallel in a rest position, so that, in a configuration of all segments (5), when inserting the adapter into the auditory canal, due to the small distance of the side walls at the proximal ends thereof, at least a minimum ventilation (8) of the remaining volume between the adapter and the eardrum is ensured.

4. The universal adapter according to claim 3, wherein all segments (5) are shaped and arranged radially, wherein they have a distance (17) from dorsal to proximal end, wherein the distance (17), when inserted into an ear canal (19), is reduced to a cross-section slightly smaller than that of the universal adapter, wherein the bent kinks (9, 18) of the adjacent segments (5), running parallel in an elliptical arc cutout, are coming closer to each other, as a result of which, according to the number of similar segments (5), by means of the curved side walls (15) of the segments (5), continuous channels (16) can be formed which are running from the dorsal to the proximal end of the adapter, said channels (16) allow additional low-frequency sound components to enter the auditory canal (19).

5. The universal adapter according to claim 4, characterized in that two segments (5) form a channel (16) by means of the mutually facing side walls (15), while the side walls (15) of the other form a closure, whereby only one channel (16) is available, so that only frequencies below about 800 Hz reach an eardrum through this channel (16) in a natural manner.

6. The universal adapter according to claim 4, characterized in that two segments (5) form a channel (16) by means of the mutually facing side walls (15), while the side walls (15) of the other designed segments (5) form a closure, as a result of which two channels (16) are available in this construction, and frequencies below approximately 1 kHz reach an eardrum through these two available channels (16) in a natural manner.

7. The universal adapter according to claim 4, characterized in that two segments (5) form a closure by means of the mutually facing side walls (15), while the side walls (15) of the other segments (5) have a distance from one another, as a result of which three channels (16) are available in this construction, and frequencies below approximately 1.5-1.8 kHz reach an eardrum through these channels (16) in a natural manner.

8. The universal adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that all segments (5) are arranged spirally distorted around the longitudinal axis of the locking nipple from the dorsal to the proximal end of the adapter.

9. The universal adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that the centrally arranged locking nipple is formed with or comprises an element made of rigid plastic which serves to accommodate a sound outlet opening of external loudspeakers of commercially available hearing aids to be worn behind the ear.

10. The universal adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that at its proximal end an easy-to-clean, arc-shaped cerumen protection (4) covers the sound outlet opening.

11. The universal adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two segments (5) form an overlap (27) when inserted into the auditory canal (19) and generate a closure because of having two sidewalls (26) which are shifted into the interior of the segment (5), while the contact surfaces (1) keep the original size.

12. The universal adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an anatomically shaped intermediate adapter for coupling ear speakers (32) thereto, wherein the adapter's sound outlet socket (28) which is made of solid material can be plugged into the receiving opening (3) of the locking nipple (2), so that a detachable connection is provided, as a result of which the sound transmission from an ear loudspeaker (32) which can be clamped in a flexible clamping edge (31) of the intermediate adapter, can be fed comfortably and without pressure into the auditory canal (19).

13. The universal adapter according to claim 12, wherein the intermediate adapter consists of or comprises a two-component material.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained below by way of example using figures. It is shown in

(2) FIG. 1 a cross section through an embodiment of the adapter;

(3) FIG. 2 an external perspective view of this adapter;

(4) FIG. 3 a longitudinal axial plan view from the dorsal direction of this adapter;

(5) FIG. 4 a longitudinal axial plan view from the proximal direction of this adapter;

(6) FIG. 5 a longitudinal axial plan view from the dorsal direction of an adapter with two channels for sound;

(7) FIG. 6 a longitudinal axial plan view from the dorsal direction of an adapter with four channels for sound;

(8) FIG. 7 a longitudinal axial plan view from the dorsal direction of an adapter located in the ear canal;

(9) FIG. 8 an adapter inserted into the ear canal;

(10) FIG. 9 an adapter connected to an external speaker;

(11) FIG. 10 an adapter connected to a thin tube;

(12) FIG. 11 an adapter connected to an in-the-ear device;

(13) FIG. 12 an adapter connected to a behind-the-ear device;

(14) FIG. 13 an adapter with spirally twisted segments;

(15) FIG. 14 a sectional view of an embodiment of the adapter with a fixed core (socket) for connecting an external speaker;

(16) FIG. 15 a longitudinal axial view of the socket according to FIG. 14 as a single component;

(17) FIG. 16 a sectional view of the embodiment according to FIG. 14 with connected external speaker;

(18) FIG. 17 an adapter with an offset of adjacent side walls;

(19) FIG. 18 an intermediate adapter to combine the adapter with an ear speaker from the entertainment industry;

(20) FIG. 19 a sectional view of the intermediate adapter;

(21) FIG. 20 the sectional view of the intermediate adapter with connected adapter;

(22) FIG. 21 the sectional view of FIG. 21 with the adapter inserted into the ear canal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(23) The adapter (FIG. 1, FIG. 2) preferably consists of silicone, with a hardness of 20-100 Shore A, or/and of a two-component system (2K system) that allows locking commercially available external loudspeakers 20 with special sound outlet connections (FIG. 16). It is possible for the fixed component 24 integrated in the adapter to be configurable for the locking of current or future developments.

(24) The adapter has the shape of an ellipsoidal body cut off—transverse to the longitudinal direction running horizontally in the picture—to a little more than half of its length (see FIG. 2).

(25) From the proximal end (left in the picture) to approximately half the length of the ellipsoidal body, a tubular locking nipple 2 is arranged centrally in the longitudinal direction, see. FIG. 1, FIGS. 9-12, which serves to accommodate the sound outlet sockets of various hearing aids (not shown continuously). In the interior of the locking nipple 2 there are several cross-sectional narrowing rings (without reference numerals), which ensure that the sound outlet sockets of hearing aids are locked so that the adapter does not get stuck in the ear canal when it is pulled out, but can be pulled from the sound outlet socket with only slightly increased effort (FIG. 1). The dorsal end of the locking nipple 2 (on the right in the picture) can have a deepening 3 pointing conically inwards (opening for sound outlet socket 3, FIG. 1) for the better introduction of the sound outlet sockets of external loudspeakers and thin tubes, which generally have a larger cross section.

(26) The proximal end of the locking nipple 2 forms the sound outlet opening for the amplified sound; in the present case it is covered with a semi-circular cover for protection against cerumen (ear wax) (cerumen protection 4, FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 4).

(27) Two or more, in the embodiment shown four, hollow “segments” 5 are arranged on the locking nipple 2 in the longitudinal direction around it (FIGS. 2-7, FIG. 13, FIG. 17). Viewed from the dorsal end, these segments 5 have a cross-sectional shape similar to that of a trapezoid (FIGS. 3-7), the shorter side of which is close to the center and the longer side of which is arranged on the circumference. It is clear that due to the rounded shape of the adapter said sides actually preferably have the arched shape shown.

(28) The side walls 15 (FIG. 5, reference numerals omitted in the other figures) which attach radially to the locking nipple 2 are connected to it from the proximal to the dorsal end along the locking nipple 2 (connecting region of the side walls to the locking nipple 12, FIGS. 1 and 3). Radially to the edge of the contact surface 1, FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 13 and 17, they widen from the proximal end 6 of the locking nipple 2 to the level of the distance between the contact surface 1 facing the auditory canal wall and the locking nipple 2 at the dorsal end of the adapter

(29) (FIG. 1), whereby said ellipsoidal shape is formed. The outward (dorsal) directed end of the side walls 15 (FIG. 1: to the right in the picture) preferably runs diagonally from the dorsal end of the locking nipple to the dorsal end of the contact surfaces 13, resulting in a “funnel shape” (FIGS. 1 and 2, 9-12, 14, 16).

(30) The segments 5 can have side walls 15 that extend radially outwards on a straight line. According to another embodiment, the segments 5 are arranged spirally around the longitudinal axis of the locking nipple 2 from the dorsal to the proximal end of the adapter (FIG. 13).

(31) The outer, broad sides of the trapezoidal segment 5 or the contact surfaces 1 are curved like a circular section 13 (FIG. 2, FIG. 17). The outer contact surface 1 tilts towards the proximal end 6 of the locking nipple 2 in an elliptical arc cut and forms a curvature. Here, the width of the outer contact surface 1 is reduced up to the proximal end of the contact surface 14 (FIG. 2) in a wedge shape to the dimension and level of the side walls 15 attached to the proximal end 6 of the locking nipple 2.

(32) The ellipsoidal shape of the adapter is generated by the segments 5 which are arranged around the locking nipple 2 (see FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 6, 13, 17).

(33) The ends 13 of the contact surfaces 1 located dorsally are curved into the interior of the trapezoidal segments 5. The resulting reduction in the total cross section (reduced cross section 11, FIG. 1 and FIG. 3) prevents skin irritation when the adapter is pulled out of the ear canal.

(34) The radial side walls 15 of the trapezoidal, hollow segments 5 connected from the dorsal to the proximal end with the locking nipple 2 can be curved on one or both sides into the interior of the segment 5 (curved radial side walls of the segments 15, FIG. 5). This creates a continuous channel 16, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, from the dorsal to the proximal end. This channel 16 is used for ventilation or the passage of lower frequencies to the eardrum. For example, two (FIG. 5) or four (FIG. 6) channels 16 can be provided.

(35) The segments 5 can be arranged at a distance 17 from one another also along the outer elliptical arc section (FIG. 6). This distance 17 allows a further reduction of the entire cross-section when inserting the adapter into the auditory canal, so that the adapter is suitable for differently sized auditory canals without further modification (FIG. 7).

(36) For a hearing aid care that provides broadband amplification, i.e. of all frequencies contained in the speech spectrum, the adapter should allow ventilation of the remaining volume in front of the eardrum. For this purpose, and thus covering all ranges between an open hearing aid and one that is only to be provided with ventilation, one or more segments according to the invention can be designed in a simple manner in such a way that the corresponding audiological necessity is met. The differences can be seen from FIGS. 3, 5 and 6. Accordingly, the embodiment shown in

(37) FIG. 3 has no additional channels; according to the embodiment in FIG. 5, two, and according to the embodiment in FIG. 6, four channels can be provided.

(38) According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, two adjacent segments 5 each lean against one another. However, on one of the two segments 5, the radial side wall facing the corresponding neighboring segment 5 projects somewhat beyond that of the adjacent segment 5 (radial elevation 9, FIG. 3). When the adapter is inserted into the auditory canal, this serves as a guide for the segment 5 having the elevation 9 over the adjacent segment 5.

(39) From the tight-fitting, narrow bend 9 present on the side facing the adjacent segment 5 (FIG. 3) according to the embodiment shown, the side wall 15 inclines towards a second kink 10 into the interior of segment 5, from which the side wall 15 runs in a slight arch to the locking nipple 2. The width of this indentation decreases from the dorsal to the proximal end due to the arched, elliptical shape.

(40) The depression of the side surface 15 formed in this way offers space for the adjacent opposing segment 5, so that this—due to external pressure or when inserted into an auditory canal—with its narrow bend 18 running from the proximal to the dorsal end, can push itself under the segment 5 having the depression (FIG. 7). Both segments 5 thus form a closure along the length of the previously existing contact of the two segments 5. At the proximal end, the side walls 15 have a very small distance of, for example, 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm, and preferably 0.3 mm, to each other. In the case of the “closed” adapter, this distance results in a minimum ventilation 8, FIG. 4, FIG. 13, which, in the form of a longitudinally axial channel, prevents an airtight closure of the ear canal. This form of adapter is particularly designed for a higher-amplifying, broadband sound introduction.

(41) If the adapter is inserted into an auditory canal, the contact surfaces 1 are gently pressed radially outward against the auditory canal wall 19 by the restoring force of the side walls 15 of the segments 5 (FIG. 7).

(42) Depending on the arrangement of the different segments 5, the required adapter can close the ear canal (FIG. 3), ventilate (FIG. 4), or be used for the unaffected introduction of different, low-frequency sound components (FIG. 2, FIG. 5, FIG. 6).

(43) The design of the adapter allows it to adapt itself automatically to the adequate shape of the human ear canal, whether oval, round or irregular, even with a strong isthmus (FIG. 8).

(44) Most sound output sockets of different hearing device designs can be inserted into the locking nipple 2, such as e.g. external loudspeaker 20

(45) (FIG. 9), thin tube 21 (FIG. 10), in-ear devices 22 (FIG. 11), normal tube 23 for behind-the-ear devices (FIG. 12).

(46) Likewise, the sound outlet socket 28 of the intermediate adapter shown in FIG. 18 can be inserted into the ear canal 19 in order to optimize the sound emission of ear loudspeakers 32 from the entertainment industry into the ear canal 19 (FIG. 21). The shape of the intermediate adapter is anatomically adjusted to the kinking shape of the human auditory canal (FIG. 21). The intermediate adapter preferably consists of a two-component material. While the sound outlet socket 28 is made of solid material, the clamping edge 31 for receiving the ear speaker 32 is made of flexible material.

(47) By means of a locking nipple, which is present in the form of a molded or molded bushing 24 made of solid plastic such as polyamide or a material of similar strength, FIG. 15, in particular, external loudspeakers 25 which have lockings designed according to individual manufacturer specifications can also be connected to the two-component adapter (FIG. 16). According to an embodiment not shown, the locking nipple is designed two-part and comprises said socket 24, which is insertable or injected into a mounting of the main part.

(48) While maintaining the dimension of the contact surfaces 1, by displacing the radially arranged side walls (offset side walls 26, FIG. 17) into the interior of the segments 5, protrusions can be provided which each form an overlap 27 when the adapter is inserted into an auditory canal and thus provide a closure. Depending on the number of displaced side walls 26, the adapter closes the ear canal for sound introduction of broadband sounds that shall be amplified more intensely, with possibly only minimal ventilation 8 being ensured (cf. FIG. 4). For the audiologically required, natural passage of low-frequency sound components, the other, respectively opposite side walls 15 of adjacent segments 5 can be arranged in such a way that, as described above, they form one or more continuous channels 16. The offset may relate to adjacent sidewalls 15, 26, as shown in FIG. 17, or can be carried out clockwise, such as i.e. relating to each first side wall 26 of each segment 5 (similar to FIG. 3, FIG. 7). Also, only a single segment 5 can have said offset side wall 26. Several or all of the segments 5 can have one or two offset side walls 26. This embodiment can be combined with all of the previously described embodiments.

LIST OF REFERENCES

(49) 1 contact surface 2 locking nipple 3 opening for sound output socket of various hearing aids, deepening 4 cerumen protection 5 trapezoidal hollow segment, segment 6 proximal end of the locking nipple 7 sound outlet opening 8 minimal ventilation 9 radial elevation, tight kink on the receiving segment side, tight kink 10 second kink relocated in the segment on the receiving segment side, kink 11 reduced cross section 12 connection area of the side walls on the locking nipple 13 circular section, dorsal end of the contact surface 14 proximal end of the contact surface 15 curved radial side walls of the segments, side walls 16 channel for passing lower frequencies, channel 17 distance of the segments for ventilation or frequency transmission, distance 18 kink of the slipping-under segment side 19 ear canal 20 external speakers 21 thin tube 22 in-ear-device 23 normal tube 24 plastic socket, component, socket 25 external handset, external loudspeaker 26 offset side wall 27 overlap 28 sound outlet socket 29 flexible mounting socket for ear speakers 30 sound inlet opening, inlet opening 31 flexible clamping edge, clamping edge 32 ear speakers (entertainment industry)