HEARING DEVICE

Abstract

A hearing device includes a loudspeaker having a loudspeaker diaphragm for generating acoustic signals, a drive or actuator acting on the loudspeaker diaphragm, and a loudspeaker housing in which the drive or actuator and the loudspeaker diaphragm are accommodated. A housing encloses a housing interior. A loudspeaker box is disposed in the housing interior and has a sound outlet opening coupled with a sound conductor leading out of the housing. The loudspeaker is sealed in the loudspeaker box against the housing interior in a fluid-tight manner. The loudspeaker is disposed in the loudspeaker box clear or free of a sound channel element, disposed within the loudspeaker box and coupling the loudspeaker with the sound outlet opening.

Claims

1. A hearing device, comprising: a housing enclosing a housing interior; a sound conductor leading out of said housing; a loudspeaker including a loudspeaker housing, a loudspeaker diaphragm disposed in said loudspeaker housing for generating acoustic signals and a drive disposed in said loudspeaker housing for acting on said loudspeaker diaphragm; a loudspeaker box disposed in said housing interior, said loudspeaker box having a sound outlet opening coupled with said sound conductor; said loudspeaker being disposed in said loudspeaker box and fluid-tightly sealed against said housing interior; and said loudspeaker being disposed in said loudspeaker box without a sound channel element which would be disposed within said loudspeaker box and would couple said loudspeaker with said sound outlet opening.

2. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said loudspeaker housing is configured to provide said loudspeaker with an open front volume.

3. The hearing device according to claim 2, wherein: said loudspeaker has a sound output side; said loudspeaker housing has a housing wall with a surface; and said loudspeaker diaphragm on said sound output side is kept clear of said housing wall of said loudspeaker housing over between 50 percent and 100 percent of said surface of said housing wall, to keep said front volume of said loudspeaker open.

4. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said loudspeaker box has a floor wall, and a damping mat fixedly connects said loudspeaker to said floor wall.

5. The hearing device according to claim 4, wherein said damping mat has a support layer made of an elastomer, said support layer forming at least one damping chamber filled with fluid between said loudspeaker and said loudspeaker box.

6. The hearing device according to claim 5, wherein said damping mat has a covering layer, and said support layer has a plurality of pillar-shaped supports bracing said damping chamber against said loudspeaker, said loudspeaker box or said covering layer.

7. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said loudspeaker box is made of a soft magnetic alloy with high magnetic permeability.

8. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said loudspeaker box has a floor wall, said loudspeaker box is formed of two partial shells, and said loudspeaker is fixed to said floor wall facing said housing of the hearing device.

9. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said loudspeaker box is configured by simulation to have a lowest possible resonance both under airborne and structure-borne sound excitation.

10. The hearing device according to claim 1, wherein said loudspeaker box includes an elastomer-sealed cable feed-through, and said loudspeaker has connecting leads routed through said cable feed-through.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0026] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, longitudinal-sectional view of a hearing device;

[0027] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged, longitudinal-sectional view of the hearing device; and

[0028] FIG. 3 is a further enlarged, longitudinal-sectional view of a loudspeaker box and a loudspeaker of the hearing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in which parts corresponding to one another are always provided with the same reference signs, and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a hearing device in the form of hearing aid equipment, specifically hearing aid equipment to be worn behind the ear of the user (also referred to as a hearing aid for short; denoted in this case as “BTE 1”). The BTE 1 includes a housing 2, in which electronic components of the BTE 1 are disposed. These electronic components are, for example, two microphones 4, a loudspeaker 6, a signal processor 8, and a battery module 10. The microphones 4 are used in the intended operation of the BTE 1 for receiving ambient sound and converting it into electrical input signals (also: “microphone signals MS”), which are processed (in particular filtered, amplified and/or damped depending on frequency, etc.) by the signal processor 8 (also referred to as “controller”). The processed input signals are subsequently output at the loudspeaker 6 as output signals AS and converted thereby into sound signals and transmitted to the hearing system of the user.

[0030] In order to protect the microphones 4 from feedback with the loudspeaker 6, the latter is enclosed in a loudspeaker box (“box 12” for short) disposed inside the housing 2. In this box 12, the loudspeaker 6 is attached, decoupled from vibration as far as possible, by using a damping element 14 described in more detail below.

[0031] As can be seen from FIG. 2, the box 12 is connected to a tube-like sound tunnel 16 which is configured to guide the airborne sound generated by the loudspeaker 6 into a sound tube 18 leading from the housing 2 to the user's ear, specifically, first into a so-called ear hook 20 (not shown in FIG. 1). Within the box 12, however, no sound tube is present between the loudspeaker 6 and a sound outlet opening 22 (see FIG. 3) of the box 12. This prevents or reduces the transmission of vibrations through the sound tube to the box 12 and thus to the housing 2 of the BTE 1 and in turn through the latter to the microphones 4. In addition, no pumping of the sound tube due to sound pressure can occur within the box 12, which can result in a loss of power on the hand and to airborne feedback on the other.

[0032] Since there is no sound tube present inside the box 12, the speaker 6 can also be adapted. For this purpose, the loudspeaker 6 is configured with an open front volume, in which a “lid” of the loudspeaker housing 23, which would be disposed above the sound output side of a loudspeaker diaphragm 24 (see FIG. 3) is missing or omitted. In FIG. 3, the loudspeaker 6 is configured as a “balanced armature receiver” that includes a drive 25 acting on the diaphragm 24. The open front volume enables high sensitivity of the BTE 1 in the high-frequency range, in particular in the speech range.

[0033] In addition, the loudspeaker 6 is rigidly connected to the box 12, specifically adhesively bonded, to a floor wall 26 of a lower partial shell 27 (in the figures no dividing lines are shown between an upper partial shell 28 and the lower partial shell 27) of the box 12. In this case, the damping element 14 mentioned above is interposed between the two parts.

[0034] The damping element 14 is formed by a damping mat. This is formed by a damping layer 30 (also called “support layer”) formed of a first elastomer with comparatively low Shore hardness and has an approximately rectangular trough, from the floor of which a plurality of pillars 32 project upwards as a support structure. The trough is closed off by a covering layer 34 formed of a second elastomer with higher Shore hardness, so that the interior of the trough forms a gas-filled damping chamber 36. The damping element 14 is adhesively bonded to the floor wall 26 and the loudspeaker 6 is in turn bonded to the damping element 14.

[0035] An opening 38 of the box 12 for feeding connecting wires 39 through to the loudspeaker 6 is sealed sufficiently tightly by using a rubber insert or cable feed-through 40.

[0036] The box 12 is additionally made of a soft magnetic metal with high permeability.

[0037] The subject matter of the invention is not restricted to the above-described exemplary embodiment. Rather, further embodiments of the invention can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the above description.

[0038] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0039] 1 BTE [0040] 2 Housing [0041] 4 Microphone [0042] 6 Loudspeaker [0043] 8 Signal processor [0044] 10 Battery module [0045] 12 Box [0046] 14 Damping element [0047] 16 Sound tunnel [0048] 18 Sound tube [0049] 20 Ear hook [0050] 22 Sound outlet opening [0051] 24 Loudspeaker diaphragm [0052] 26 Floor wall [0053] 30 Damping layer [0054] 32 Pillar [0055] 34 Covering layer [0056] 36 Damping chamber [0057] 38 Opening [0058] 39 Connection wire [0059] 40 Rubber insert [0060] MS Microphone signal [0061] AS Output signal