Patent Application
20210112349
See Application Data Sheet.
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The present invention falls within the field of hearing-aid maintenance, and more particularly the drying and disinfecting of a hearing aid and the recharging of its rechargeable batteries.
The maintenance device according to the invention is configured for a hearing aid comprising an earloop and a remote earbud. The earbud is an in-ear tip that comprises electronic elements that make it possible to transmit or amplify sounds perceived by at least one microphone that is mounted on the earloop or directly on the earbud. To this end, the earmold comprises a distal part that is designed to be in contact with the auditory canal and a proximal part that connects the earmold to an earloop via an electronic cable. The earloop, which is designed to be placed behind the user's ear, comprises power supply means, a switch, etc.
Worn daily, a hearing aid is regularly exposed to moisture. This moisture can be due to perspiration, earwax, or ambient humidity. However, an accumulation of moisture can lead to premature oxidation of the electronic components of the hearing aid and to premature degradation thereof.
In order to ensure the correct functioning of the hearing aid and to prolong its life, it is necessary to maintain it regularly. Daily maintenance of a hearing aid may consist in dehumidifying and disinfecting the hearing aid.
To this end, several technical solutions exist for drying and disinfecting a hearing aid.
In general, a device for drying a hearing aid comprises a housing that is equipped with a cover that can be moved between an open position and a closed position. The housing comprises, on the one hand, a drying chamber in which the hearing aid is positioned, and drying means suitable for drying the hearing aid on the other hand. The drying means can be formed by one or more air inlets that are arranged on a first side of the housing, and one or more outlets that are arranged on a second side of the housing.
Devices for drying hearing aids also exist which include a fan in order to accelerate the airflow generated between an air inlet and an air outlet.
In addition, some drying devices include a UV-C lamp so as to disinfect the hearing aid by electromagnetic radiation.
At the same time, the development of rechargeable battery or accumulator technologies is pushing hearing aid manufacturers to integrate rechargeable batteries into new hearing aids that are put on the market.
Therefore, in order to enable the user to recharge the batteries of his hearing aids, chargers that are designed specifically for hearing aids are also appearing on the market.
There are basically two types of hearing aid chargers: one type of charger with electrical contact, and one type of charger without electrical contact that operate primarily through magnetic resonance.
Moreover, the document EP 2 148 159 succinctly describes a device for maintaining a hearing aid which combines a device for recharging a hearing aid and a device for drying a hearing aid within a single housing. This maintenance device includes a disinfection system that uses an electro-aerodynamic pump in order to ionize the air entering the housing. Moreover, this maintenance device comprises a filter at the air intake of the housing that aims to filter the air while in fact reducing the quantities of air volume entering the housing. In the same way, the air exhaust of the housing is equipped with a flow reducer that aims to reduce the air leaving the housing. The reduction in intake and exhaust airflow does not enable moisture to be effectively removed from the interior of the housing.
The result of this problem is poor drying of the earbud and of the earloop of the hearing aid. This poor drying can eventually lead to the oxidation of the electronic components of the earbud, the earloop, or even the battery, such as contactors in the case of battery recharging by electrical contact.
In this context, the applicant has endeavored to develop a compact and portable technical solution that makes it possible to optimize the maintenance cycle of the hearing aid both in terms of drying and of recharging the battery.
To this end, the present invention relates to a maintenance device for at least one hearing aid comprising an earbud that is connected by an electronic cable to an earloop containing a rechargeable battery, the maintenance device comprising a base over which a cover that is hinged to this base is mounted which comprises:
The cover further comprises an air outlet for discharging the air having circulated in the maintenance device.
According to the invention, the maintenance device is characterized in that the receiving compartment extends below the plate, the receiving compartment comprising, on the one hand, an open mouth in the vicinity of the plate ensuring the passage of an electronic cable of a hearing aid and, on the other hand, a lower compartment in which the at least one opening is formed, the lower compartment being configured to receive a hearing aid earbud, the lower compartment having dimensions that are greater than those of the mouth and extending at least partially under the charging cradle so as to create a swirling airflow in the lower compartment.
Advantageously, the position and the configuration of the receiving compartment make it possible, firstly, to generate a swirling airflow within the receiving compartment, and secondly, for the airflow to pass through the mouth in order to become turbulent between the plate and the cover before escaping through the exhaust port. The configuration of the receiving compartment cooperates with the flow acceleration means to optimize the circulation of air inside the housing. The result of this cooperation is optimal drying of the earbuds and earloops.
The invention also relates to a method for maintaining at least one hearing aid which is characterized in that it comprises the following steps:
The maintenance method makes it possible to optimize the charging of the battery of a hearing aid by optimizing the management of the drying function, particularly by managing the temperature in the maintenance chamber.
Other features and advantages will appear in the following detailed description of a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated by the enclosed
The invention relates to a maintenance device 100 for at least one hearing aid 3 comprising an earbud that is connected by an electronic cable to an earloop containing a rechargeable battery. In practice, the maintenance device 100 is more particularly configured to ensure the daily maintenance of a pair of hearing aids 3.
As is illustrated in
The base 101 comprises at least one charging cradle 1 for an earloop. In the example illustrated in
The base 101 comprises at least one receiving compartment 5 which is configured to receive at least one earbud. Preferably, the base 101 comprises a receiving compartment 5 which is configured to receive two earbuds. Each earbud belongs to a separate hearing aid 3.
The base 101 comprises an air intake 104 which is formed in a side wall 105 or lower wall 106 of the base 101. The air intake 104 marks the start of the aeraulic circuit of the maintenance device 100. As is illustrated in
Advantageously, the base 101 comprises means for accelerating the airflow. The means for accelerating the airflow are arranged in a chamber 107 that communicates with the outside of the housing via the air intake 104. The airflow acceleration means optimize the drying of the earbud of the hearing aid 3. The chamber 107 is arranged in the interior of the base 101 below the receiving compartment 5 and the charging cradle 1.
The base 101 comprises at least one opening 108 that communicates between the chamber 107 and the receiving compartment 5. This feature contributes to the transfer of the airflow to the receiving compartment 5 for the purpose of drying at least one hearing aid earbud 3. Preferably, the base 101 comprises two openings 108 that are arranged symmetrically relative to a longitudinal center axis L-L of the housing.
The base 101 comprises a rechargeable battery 11 that supplies power to at least the charging means 2 and the airflow acceleration means. The rechargeable nature of the battery 11 gives the maintenance device its nomadic character. Preferably, the battery 11 has a capacity that enables 2 to 3 maintenance cycles to be carried out. For instance, it is possible to opt for a lithium-ion type battery with a capacity of 2000 mA/h, which allows for 3 maintenance cycles. It should be noted that it is possible to perform 5 maintenance cycles by opting for a 3500 mA/h battery.
The cover 14 comprises an air exhaust 109 in order to evacuate the air that has circulated in the housing. The air exhaust 109 constitutes the end of the aeraulic circuit of the housing. The air exhaust 109 ensures the evacuation of an outgoing airflow B. The air exhaust 109 is provided on the rear face of the cover 14. It should be noted that, like the air intake 104, it can consist of holes made in the wall of the cover 14.
As is illustrated in
Said opening 108 is formed in the bottom of the lower compartment 111. This opening 108 is offset relative to the mouth 110 of the receiving compartment 5. Moreover, this opening 108 allows an ascending airflow to be transferred to the lower compartment 111. Advantageously, the ascending airflow enters into a turbulent state C in the lower compartment 111. The swirling is due, in particular, to the offset nature of the opening 108 relative to the mouth 110.
According to the invention, the charging cradle 1 comprises an orifice 112 that communicates with the lower compartment 111, whereby an ascending airflow passes directly from the lower compartment 111 to the charging cradle 1. The orifice 112 helps to dry the earloop that is disposed in the charging cradle. When the earloop is holding a rechargeable contact battery, the upward flow of air entering the charging cradle allows the contactors to dry and thus optimize charging. Drying the contactors also makes it possible to extend the battery life of the hearing aid 3 by preventing premature oxidation of the contactors.
As is illustrated in
In particular, the cavity 113 is delimited frontally by a chamfered wall 114; when the cover is closed, the chamfered wall 114 does not mate with the charging cradle 1. The housing thus comprises a slot 115 that enables air to circulate between the cavity 113 and the receiving compartment 5. Advantageously, the wall chamfer 114 also participates in the positioning of the earbud by guiding the positioning of the electronic cable of the hearing aid 3.
In this example, the means for accelerating the airflow comprises a resistor 6 which naturally accelerates the upward airflow by expansion of the heated air. As is illustrated in
According to another possibility of the invention, the acceleration means comprises a turbine 7 which is arranged in the chamber 107 on the axis of the air intake 104. The turbine 7 accelerates the entry of the airflow into the housing. The latter is thus placed under overpressure in order to optimize the drying of the hearing aid 3.
It should be noted that the turbine 7 can be associated with a resistor 6 or be used alone. Likewise, the resistor 6 can be used alone or in combination with the turbine 7. However, the combination of the turbine 7 and the resistor 6 makes it possible to optimize the maintenance cycle and, in particular, the drying of the hearing aid 3 in a given period of time.
According to one variant of the invention, the maintenance device 100 comprises UV-C and/or UV-A irradiation means 4. The irradiation means 4 is arranged in the lower compartment 111 and supplied with power by the rechargeable battery 11 of the housing. Preferably, the irradiation means comprises a UV LED having an irradiation angle of between 80° and 160°. Preferably, the irradiation angle of the UV LED is between 100° and 140°, the irradiation angle of the UV LED being preferably 120°.
Preferably, the maintenance device 100 comprises two UV LEDs that are arranged symmetrically relative to a longitudinal center axis L-L of the housing.
The maintenance device 100 comprises a breaker 12 that is arranged at one end of the base 101. According to this configuration, the breaker 12 is configured to cooperate with the cover 14. When the cover 14 is closed, the breaker 12 is activated and the maintenance device 100 can start its maintenance cycle. Conversely, as soon as the cover 14 is opened, the breaker 12 is deactivated, and the maintenance device 100 immediately ceases its maintenance cycle. Advantageously, the breaker 12 acts as a safeguard with respect to stopping the diffusion of UV light. This is because UV light can be harmful to the user's eyes.
The maintenance device 100 has a temperature sensor 15 that is arranged at the mouth 110. The temperature sensor 15 makes it possible to measure the temperature in the enclosure of the housing during a maintenance cycle.
In addition, the maintenance device 100 comprises electronic means 8 for managing a maintenance cycle. The electronic means 8 actuates at least the recharging means 2 and the airflow acceleration means. The electronic means 8 comprises a processor and a memory which make it possible to store and execute algorithms for managing the maintenance cycle. For this purpose, the electronic means 8 are connected and control: the recharging means 2, the airflow acceleration means, the irradiation means 4.
The electronic means 8 is also connected to the temperature sensor 15. Therefore, the electronic means manages the flow acceleration means in order to maintain a temperature of between 25° and 35° in the maintenance chamber. This temperature range is optimal for charging the battery of the hearing aid 3 and also helps prevent degradation of the electronic components of the hearing aid 3.
It should be noted that the rechargeable battery 11 of the maintenance device 100 also supplies power to the electronic means 8, the temperature sensor 15, and a light indicator 13 that is arranged opposite the base 101. The light indicator 13 gives an indication of the charge state of the batteries of the hearing aids 3. The light indicator 13 can also inform the user as to the charge state of the battery 11 of the maintenance device 100.
Furthermore, the invention also relates to a method for maintaining at least one hearing aid 3.
The method comprises a step of providing a maintenance device 100 according to the invention.
The electronic means 8 then manages the maintenance cycle through a succession of steps described below.
The method thus comprises a step of detecting the presence of at least one hearing aid 3 in a charging cradle 1.
In the affirmative, the method then comprises a step of starting the maintenance cycle. It should be noted that the step of starting the cycle is effective only when the breaker 12 is activated. In this sense, the method can comprise a step of activating the breaker 12. As mentioned above, the breaker 12 is activated when the cover 14 is closed.
When the conditions are met, the method comprises a step of starting the charging of the battery of each hearing aid 3. This step consists in delivering, through the recharging means 2, an electric current from the battery 11 of the maintenance device 100 to the battery of the hearing aid 3.
In parallel, the method generates an ascending airflow that becomes turbulent in the lower compartment 111 and/or at the charging cradle 1. This corresponds to the activation of the drying function of the maintenance device 100.
In addition, in order to optimize the recharging of the battery of the hearing aid 3, the method comprises a step of maintaining the temperature between 25° C. and 35° C. within the maintenance chamber. In particular, the temperature is maintained between 25° C. and 35° C. within the receiving compartment 5 and each charging cradle 1.
The method can also comprise a step of checking the charge level of the battery of at least one hearing aid 3. This step can be performed at a determined frequency in order to regularly check the battery charge level of the hearing aid 3.
The method comprises a step of detecting the maximum charge level of the battery of at least one hearing aid 3. Preferably, the method detects the maximum charge level of the batteries of two hearing aids 3 that are respectively arranged in each charging cradle 1.
When the maximum charge level of at least one battery of a hearing aid is detected, the method stops charging the battery and generating an airflow. The maintenance cycle is thus stopped.
The maintenance cycle is preferably stopped when the charge level of the batteries of each hearing aid 3 is detected.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 11483 | Oct 2019 | FR | national |
| 19 15652 | Dec 2019 | FR | national |
