Abstract
A damping device for the anti-vibration mounting of a receiver within a hearing instrument includes an elastic damping element, a cage connected to the elastic damping element, and a shell surrounding the cage. The elastic damping element and at least a part of the shell have a lower hardness than the cage. A hearing instrument having a corresponding damping device is also provided.
Claims
1. A damping assembly for a hearing instrument, the damping assembly comprising: a receiver; a damping device for anti-vibration mounting of said receiver within said damping device, said damping device including: an elastic damping element; a cage connected to said elastic damping element; and a shell surrounding said cage; said elastic damping element and at least a part of said shell having a lower hardness than said cage.
2. The damping assembly according to claim 1, wherein said damping element is formed of an elastomer material with a Shore hardness in a range between 20 and 30.
3. The damping assembly according to claim 1, wherein said shell is at least partially formed of an elastomer material with a Shore hardness in a range between 50 and 60.
4. The damping assembly according to claim 1, wherein said cage is formed of a dimensionally stable plastic or a metallic material.
5. The damping assembly according to claim 1, wherein said elastic damping element is disposed on an inner periphery of said cage.
6. The damping assembly according to claim 1, wherein said shell is formed as a casing enclosing said damping element in an airtight manner.
7. A hearing instrument, comprising: a housing; and a damping assembly according to claim 1 mounting said receiver within said housing in an anti-vibration manner.
8. The hearing instrument according to claim 7, wherein said housing has a wall, and said shell of said damping device is at least partly in contact with said wall.
9. The damping assembly according to claim 1, wherein said receiver has an outer surface disposed within said damping device.
10. The damping assembly according to claim 1, wherein said receiver has a housing disposed within said damping device.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
(1) FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic, longitudinal-sectional view of a damping device with an elastic damping element, a cage supporting the element and a shell enclosing the cage as well as a receiver mounted in the damping device;
(2) FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the damping device and the receiver, which is taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1, in the direction of the arrows;
(3) FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the damping device and the receiver in accordance with FIG. 1;
(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective, isolated view of the elastic damping element and the cage of the damping device in accordance with FIG. 1 as well as the receiver mounted therein;
(5) FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of an alternative exemplary embodiment of the damping device with the receiver mounted therein;
(6) FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of the elastic damping element and the cage of a further exemplary embodiment of the damping device (with the cage only being partially shown therein) as well as the receiver mounted therein;
(7) FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of the damping device in accordance with FIG. 6, and
(8) FIG. 8 is a longitudinal-sectional view of a hearing instrument with the damping device in accordance with one of the damping devices shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 and with the receiver mounted therein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(9) Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in which corresponding parts are provided with identical reference numerals, and first, particularly, to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, there is seen 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 implemented as a hearing aid 4 (see FIG. 8). The internal structure of the receiver 3 is not explicitly shown in the sectional views of FIGS. 1 and 2 for simplification purposes.
(10) The damping device 1 includes an elastic damping element 5, a cage 7 supporting the damping element, and a shell 9 supporting the cage 7. In FIG. 4 the damping element 5 and the cage 7 with the receiver 3 mounted therein are isolated (i.e. without the surrounding shell 9).
(11) The cage 7 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is formed by a tubular or pipe-shaped main body 11 made from a dimensionally stable plastic, namely preferably a thermosetting plastic. The tubular/pipe-shaped main body 11 has a roughly rectangular cross section, matched to the receiver 3, and encloses the side faces of the receiver 3 over their full extent. A sound outlet 13 of the receiver 3, and a rear side of the receiver 3 opposite the sound outlet 13, on the other hand, are disposed on the open sides of the tubular main body 11.
(12) The cage 7 is provided on all sides with breakthroughs 15 (i.e., openings which extend from the inner periphery or circumference of the main body 11 to its outer periphery or circumference).
(13) In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 the damping element 5 is formed of a number of unconnected retaining tabs in the form of hollow conical studs 17, having distal ends (i.e. those facing away from the inner circumference of the main body 11) each of which form one contact surface 19 for the receiver 3. The conical studs 17 are formed of an elastic material (for example, a fluorosilicone), which is softer than the material of the cage 7 and, for example, has a Shore hardness (Shore A) of 20-25, in particular 23.
(14) One of the studs 17 is introduced, in particular injected, into each breakthrough 15 of the cage 7. Preferably, the cage 7 and the damping element 5 are produced together in a two-component injection molding process.
(15) The shell 9 is formed of two parts, namely a front half-shell 21 and a rear half-shell 23. These half-shells 21, 23 complement each other, forming an airtight sealed casing for the receiver 3. The air volume enclosed by the half-shells 21, 23 and forming a mounting space for the receiver 3if the receiver 3 is provided with a rear opening (back-venting)is used as an extension of the rear volume of the receiver 3.
(16) The front half-shell 21 surrounds the properly mounted receiver 3 on the same side on which the sound outlet 13 of the receiver 3 is disposed. A sound tube 25 of the hearing instrument 4 is passed through this front half-shell 21 of the shell 9 and is connected inside the shell 9 to the sound outlet 13, in order to transport the sound emitted through the sound outlet 13 to the ear of a wearer. In the embodiment in accordance with FIGS. 1 to 4 the sound tube 25 is a part which is manufactured separately from the front half-shell 21 and which is pressed into an opening 26 of the front half-shell 21 (see FIG. 1).
(17) In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 4 the two half-shells 21 and 23 of the shell 9 are manufactured from elastic material (e.g. Viton). This material is preferably chosen in such a way that the shell 9 is harder than the studs 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 is manufactured from a harder material than the rear half-shell 23, in particular from a dimensionally stable plastic or a metallic material.
(18) FIG. 5 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment of the damping device 1. This embodiment differs from the exemplary embodiment described above by the fact that the front half-shell 21 of the shell 9 is implemented in one piece (monolithically) with the sound tube 25.
(19) FIGS. 6 and 7 show another exemplary embodiment of the damping device 1. This exemplary embodiment differs from the exemplary embodiments described above by the fact that the damping element 5 itself forms a contiguous tube-shaped body 27, from the inner periphery or circumference of which the studs 17 protrude. In addition, the studs 17 in this case are not hollow but filled, so that the damping element 5 has a smooth outer circumference. The cage 7 in this case is formed by an additional tubular or pipe-shaped body 29, which in contrast to the main body 11 of the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 4 is configured with continuous side walls (i.e. without the breakthroughs 15). The cage 7 surrounds the damping element 5 on its outer side, so that the outer periphery or circumference of the damping element 5 rests in contact with the inner periphery or circumference of the cage 7. The cage 7 extends over the entire length of the damping element 5 (only part of the cage 7 is shown in FIG. 6 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 disposed, and on the opposite rear side.
(20) The damping element 5 and the cage 7 in this case preferably are formed of the materials identified in connection with the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 4. Alternatively, the cage 7 in this case is made of a metallic material, in particular a steel plate. In a further variant of the damping device 1 the cage 7 is wholly or partly embedded in the material of the sealing element 5.
(21) In accordance with FIG. 8 the hearing instrument 4 includes a housing 33 in which the receiver 3 is mounted using one of the embodiments of the damping device 1 described above. The hearing instrument 4 further includes two microphones 35, a battery 37 and a signal processing unit 39 (e.g. in the form of a digital signal processor or a microcontroller). In the installed condition the shell 9 of the damping device 1 is at least partially in contact with a wall 41 of the housing 33, so that the receiver 3 is mounted without play in the housing 33 through the use of the damping device 1.
(22) The invention is particularly clearly described in the exemplary embodiments described above, but at the same time is not limited to these exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, further embodiments of the invention can be derived from the claims and the above description. In particular, the individual features of the exemplary embodiments described within the claims can also be combined with each other in different ways without departing from the invention.
(23) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
(24) 1 damping device 3 receiver 4 hearing instrument 5 damping element 7 cage 9 shell 11 main body 13 sound outlet 15 breakthrough 17 stud 19 contact surface 21 (front) half-shell 23 (rear) half-shell 25 sound tube 26 opening 27 body 29 body 33 hearing instrument housing 35 microphone 37 battery 39 signal processing unit 41 wall
