The present inventions relate generally to hearing devices and, for example, hearing devices with at least a portion thereof that is worn in the ear canal.
Many hearing devices (or portions thereof) are located within the ear canal. In-the-ear (“ITE”) hearing devices, for example, typically include a housing that is positioned within the ear canal and a receiver that located within the housing. The housing has a sound output port that is positioned adjacent to the tympanic membrane and connected to the receiver output port. Other hearing device components (e.g., the microphone, electronics and battery) may in some instances be located within the housing. Completely in-the-canal (“CIC”) hearing devices, for example, are extended wear devices that are configured to be worn continuously, from several weeks to several months, inside the ear canal. For example, some extended wear hearing devices are configured to rest entirely within the bony region, sometimes within 4 mm of the tympanic membrane. Examples of extended wear hearing devices are disclosed in U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2009/0074220, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,664,282 and 8,682,016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Behind-the-ear (“BTE”) hearing devices, on the other hand, typically include a BTE component, with the microphone, electronics, and battery, and an ITE component that delivers sound to ear canal. The ITE component may include a receiver assembly, with a receiver and a receiver housing, and a soft earpiece that is mounted on the medial end of the receiver assembly to center the receiver relative to the ear canal with the sound output port of the receiver housing facing the tympanic membrane.
One issue associated with extended wear ITE hearing devices and the ITE components of BTE hearings devices is the risk of solid and liquid cerumen, which is commonly referred to as “ear wax,” as well as other contaminants (e.g., sweat, blood, water, sebum liquid), clogging the sound output port within the ear canal. One proposed solution is to mount a contaminant guard (sometimes referred to as a “wax guard”) over the sound output port. Although conventional contaminant guards have proven useful, the present inventors have determined that they are susceptible to improvement. For example, the present inventors has determined that although conventional contaminant guards perform well with respect to solid contaminants, they are less effective against liquid contaminant ingress.
A hearing device in accordance with at least one of the present inventions includes a housing, a receiver within the housing and including a receiver sound port, and a contaminant guard, associated with the receiver sound port, including a guard sound port and an outer contaminant receptacle that is located outward of the guard sound port and that extends around the guard sound port.
A hearing device in accordance with at least one of the present inventions includes a housing, a receiver within the housing and including a receiver sound port, and a contaminant guard, associated with the receiver sound port, including a guard sound port that defines a central axis, an inner contaminant receptacle that is located on the central axis, and at least one channel that extends from the inner contaminant receptacle to a location outward of the guard sound port.
There are a variety of advantages associated with the present hearing devices. For example, the outer contaminant receptacle reduces the likelihood that liquid cerumen (or other liquid contaminants) migrating along the exterior of the hearing device housing will reach the guard sound port. The inner containment receptacle reduces the likelihood that contaminants moving towards the guard sound port at a location near the central axis of the guard sound port will enter the sound guard port.
The many other features of the present inventions will become apparent as the inventions become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Detailed descriptions of the exemplary embodiments will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The following is a detailed description of the best presently known modes of carrying out the inventions. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the inventions.
Referring to the coronal view illustrated in
It should be noted that as used herein, the term “lateral” refers to the direction and parts of hearing devices which face away from the tympanic membrane when within an ear canal, the term “medial” refers to the direction and parts of hearing devices which face toward the tympanic membrane when within an ear canal, the term “superior” refers to the direction and parts of hearing devices which face the top of the head when within an ear canal, the term “inferior” refers to the direction and parts of hearing devices which face the feet when within an ear canal, the term “anterior” refers to the direction and parts of hearing devices which face the front of the body when within an ear canal, and the “posterior” refers to the direction and parts of hearing devices which face the rear of the body when within an ear canal.
One example of a hearing device is generally represented by reference numeral 100 in
The medial and lateral seals 104 and 106, which may be attached to the core 102 with adhesive or other suitable instrumentalities, support the core within the ear canal bony region 18 and are configured to substantially conform to the shape of walls of the ear canal 10, maintain an acoustical seal between a seal surface and the ear canal, and retain the hearing device 100 securely within the ear canal in the exemplary manner illustrated in
The medial and lateral seals 104 and 106 may be identical or essentially identical, but for minor variations in shape and/or size, or may be different in shape and/or size. A plurality of scallops 148 may be used to impart the desired level of stiffness and conformability to the seals. With respect to materials, the medial and lateral seals 104 and 106 may be formed from compliant material configured to conform to the shape of the ear canal and provide necessary sound attenuation. Suitable materials include elastomeric foams having compliance properties (and dimensions) configured to conform to the shape of the intended portion of the ear canal (e.g., the bony portion) and exert a spring force on the ear canal so as to hold the hearing assistance device 100 in place in the ear canal. Exemplary foams, both open cell and closed cell, include but are not limited to foams formed from polyurethanes, silicones, polyethylenes, fluoropolymers and copolymers thereof. Hydrophilic polyurethane foam is one specific example. In at least some embodiments, all or a portion of the seals can comprise a hydrophobic material including a hydrophobic layer or coating that is also permeable to water vapor transmission. Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to, silicones and fluoropolymers such as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
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There are a variety of advantages associated with the outer contaminant receptacle 152. By way of example, but not limitation, the outer contaminant receptacle 152 reduces the likelihood that liquid cerumen (or other liquid contaminants) migrating along the exterior of the housing 114 will reach the guard sound port 150. In particular, and referring to
The exemplary contaminant receptacle 152 may in some implementations be located between an inner wall 154 and an outer wall 156. The inner wall 154, which extends from end wall 158 to a free end 160, defines the guard sound port 150. The outer wall 156 also extends from the end wall 158 to a free end 162. The outer contaminant receptacle 152 may be a volume defined by the inner wall 154, the outer wall 156 and the end wall 158.
The inner and outer walls 154 and 156 may be any suitable shape or size. The respective shapes of the inner and outer walls 154 and 156 may be the same or different, as may be the lengths. Some or all of the inner and outer walls 154 and 156 may be annular in cross-sections perpendicular to the central axis A. In some implementations, one or both of the inner and outer walls may be cylindrical-shaped from one end to the other. The inner and outer walls 154 and 156 in the illustrated embodiment, on the other hand, have lengths that vary around their respective perimeters. To that end, the exemplary inner and outer walls 154 and 156 are in the shape of hollow cylindrical segments with free ends 160 and 162 that are non-perpendicular to the central axis A. The angled shape of the inner and outer walls 154 and 156 corresponds to the overall angled shape of the hearing device core 102 (
The length of the inner and outer walls 154 and 156, from the ends at the end wall 158 to the free ends, may be the same or different, and the lengths are different in the illustrated implementation. The inner wall 154 is longer than the outer wall 156 by a distance ΔL, and the difference results in a step 164 (
A contaminant receptacle may in some instances be located within a guard sound port. In the exemplary contaminant guard 124, an inner contaminant receptacle 166 is positioned inward of the inner wall 154 (and inward of contaminant receptacle 152) at or near the medial end of the guard sound port 150. The inner contaminant receptacle 166, whose location allows contaminants that are moving in the axial direction to be collected prior to passing through the guard sound port 150, includes a side wall 168 (e.g., the illustrated annular side wall) and a bottom wall 170. The inner contaminant receptacle 166 is suspended between portions of the inner wall 154 by one or more channels 172 that intersect the side wall 168. The exemplary embodiment includes a pair of channels 172 that, together with the inner contaminant receptacle 166, divide the end of the guard sound port 150 into a pair of openings 174-1 and 174-2. In addition to supporting the contaminant receptacle 166, the channels 168 provide a path for contaminants to travel from the inner contaminant receptacle 166 to the outer contaminant receptacle 152.
There are a variety of advantage associated with the inner contaminant receptacle 166. By way of example, but not limitation, the inner contaminant receptacle 166 reduces the likelihood that contaminants moving towards the guard sound port 150 at a location near the central axis A will enter the sound guard port. Such contaminants will instead be blocked by the inner receptacle 166 and will thereafter flow into the outer contaminant receptacle 152 by way the one or more channels 172. The receptacle 166 also collects solid cerumen and/or other containments that may be present on or near the central axis (e.g., during insertion of hearing device to the ear canal), thereby preventing the contaminants from entering the sound port directly
The exemplary contaminant guard 124, as well as the other contaminant guards discussed herein, may include an oleophobic and/or hydrophobic coating to prevent the movement of contaminants into the guard sound port 150.
Another exemplary contaminant guard is generally represented by reference numeral 124a in
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Another exemplary hearing device is generally represented by reference numeral 200 in
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Although the inventions disclosed herein have been described in terms of the preferred embodiments above, numerous modifications and/or additions to the above-described preferred embodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. The inventions include any combination of the elements from the various species and embodiments disclosed in the specification that are not already described. The inventions also include the elements recited in claim 1 in combination with any and all combinations and sub-combinations of the elements recited in claims 2-10. The inventions also include the elements recited in claim 11 in combination with any and all combinations and sub-combinations of the elements recited in claims 12-18. It is intended that the scope of the present inventions extend to all such modifications and/or additions and that the scope of the present inventions is limited solely by the claims set forth below.