Hearing aid with a battery compartment

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical device with a battery compartment that all batteries can be accommodated therein and in the event that the battery dies, battery fluid is prevented from escaping into the interior of the electrical device. The battery compartment comprises a battery compartment casing which can be provided in or on an area of the electrical device, said battery compartment casing comprising a battery recess for accommodating a battery, with the battery being held in a predetermined position in the electrical device by a permanently magnetic area of the electrical device when the battery compartment casing is in a use position in or on the electrical device. The electrical device is in particular a hearing aid.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a battery compartment casing for a behind-the-ear-hearing device according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 shows an inventive battery compartment casing of an inventive behind-the-ear hearing device, and

FIG. 3 shows a behind-the-ear hearing device having the inventive battery compartment casing from FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to a behind-the-ear hearing device and relates to an inventive battery compartment of the hearing device, consisting of an area of the hearing device and a battery compartment casing which can be accommodated on or in this area.

A battery compartment casing and an area on the behind-the-ear-hearing device reserved for this is referred to below as a battery compartment of the behind-the-ear hearing device. This area may be a cavity in a housing section for instance or also only partially a housing section of the BTE, with the battery compartment casing at least partially protruding from the latter. It is also possible for instance, to design the battery compartment casing itself as a housing part or housing section of the BTE, with a free space connecting to the housing of the BTE being referred to as the area. The battery compartment casing can as a rule completely or partially form a section of a housing of the BTE and lies continuously snugly against the housing of the BTE on the BTE with its relevant exterior side edges. Furthermore, a battery is quite generally understood below to mean an energy store, so that a rechargeable battery is to be included for instance in the term battery.

FIG. 1 shows a battery compartment casing 20 according to the prior art for a BTE 1 (See FIG. 3, which however shows a battery compartment casing 20 according to the invention). The battery compartment casing 20 essentially comprises a battery recess 22, which is delimited by a cylindrically circulating wall 23 extending in a longitudinal direction L. On the longitudinal edge (L-direction) of the wall 23, said wall 23 passes into a base 24, which renders it impossible for a battery inserted in the battery compartment casing 20 to fall out of this on the side of the battery compartment casing 20.

To ensure that a certain number of batteries from different manufacturers which are suitable for the BTE 1 can be accommodated in the battery compartment casing 20, the battery compartment casing 20 according to the prior art comprises a (passage) recess 30 in the wall 23, in which passage recess 30 a battery holder device 31 designed as a lug 31 is positioned. The lug 31 protrudes somewhat into the battery recess 22 and swivels back in the direction of the exterior of the battery compartment casing 20 when a battery is inserted. The battery can herewith be clamped inside the battery compartment casing 20 using the lug 31.

The problem with the battery compartment casing 20 according to the prior art is that if the installation height (in the longitudinal direction L) of the battery compartment casing 20 is minimal, the lug 31 can only be designed to be very short and can thus only comprise a very short spring displacement perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L. In this way, not all batteries of different manufacturers which are suitable for the BTE 1 can be securely clamped within the battery recess 22. Furthermore, for aesthetic and manufacturing-specific requirements, the position of the passage recess 30 within the BTE 1 (see FIG. 3) is problematic, since if the battery is dying, it is possible for battery fluid to escape through the recess 30 into the interior of the BTE 1, which can damage the BTE 1.

In accordance with the invention, a modified battery compartment casing 20 and/or a modified BTE 1 is now proposed. Also see FIG. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The battery compartment casing 20 according to the invention is similar to the prior art, with it no longer comprising a recess 30 or a lug 31 designed as a battery holder device. In accordance with the invention, a section is permanently magnetically embodied on or in the battery compartment casing 20. This permanent magnet 21 of the battery compartment casing 20 can in principle be provided at any position in the battery compartment casing 20.

It is additionally possible to provide the permanently magnetic area 21 in or on the battery compartment casing 20, or as shown in FIG. 2, to design the original battery compartment casing 20 in a permanently magnetic manner in an area 21. It is also even possible, as previously indicated, not to provide the permanently magnetic area 21 in or on the battery compartment casing 20 itself, but instead outside thereof in the BTE 1. In such an embodiment of the invention, the permanently magnetic area 21 of the BTE 1 is then preferably located in the vicinity of a battery compartment casing 20 provided in or on the BTE 1 in its use position.

The permanently magnetic area 21 of the battery compartment casing 20 in FIG. 2 forms an axial, radial section or area of the wall 23 of the battery recess 22 which extends in a peripheral direction. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the permanently magnetic area 21 extends over the complete height (longitudinal direction L) of the wall 23. It is however also possible to design this area 21 to be shorter or to allow it to extend more into the peripheral direction or radial direction. The design of this area is generally almost arbitrary, provided it allows the heaviest battery for the BTE 1 to be permanently held in its position (normal use). The permanently magnetic area 21 also preferably does not extend to an exterior of the battery compartment casing 20, but instead ends within the wall 23, so that on the one hand a homogenous appearance image remains outwardly intact. The rear of the battery compartment casing 20 which cannot be seen in FIG. 2 forms an exterior surface of the BTE 1, and on the other hand the area 21 cannot come into contact with the skin of the wearer of the BTE 1 and thus can not provoke any new skin irritations, such as allergies for instance.

An at least partially circular passage recess 27 is located in the base 24 of the battery compartment casing 20, said passage recess being dimensioned on the one hand such that even the smallest battery cannot fall out but on the other hand is large enough so that if a battery compartment casing 20 protrudes or is removed from the BTE 1, the battery can be at least partially pushed out of the battery recess 22 using a finger, by pressing against the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 21. It is also possible to embody the base 24 in addition and/or at least partially as a permanently magnetic area 21.

The battery compartment casing 20 also comprises an extension 25 on its wall 23, said extension 25 being used for a jointed coupling of the battery compartment casing 20 to the BTE 1. Furthermore, the wall 23 has a locking element 26, which is used to lock the battery compartment casing 20 to the BTE 1.

The battery compartment casing 20 is preferably an injection-molded part, with, in the case of preferred inventive embodiments of the battery compartment casing 20, said battery compartment casing 20 either being manufactured in a 2K injection-molding method or in the case of an injection-molding method, the permanently magnetic area 21 being an insert. It is nevertheless naturally possible to manufacture the battery compartment casing 20 using another manufacturing method or from another material.

FIG. 3 shows the BTE 1 with an inventive battery compartment casing 20 in the use position of the battery compartment casing 20, i.e. the battery compartment casing is provided on and/or in an area 10 of the BTE 1. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the battery compartment casing 20 is connected to the BTE 1 in a pivotable manner by way of the joint extension 25.

The battery compartment casing 20 can be folded away from the BTE 1. In contrast to such battery compartment casings 20 which can be swiveled out, it is also possible to provide these on/in the BTE 1 in a manner in which they can be pulled out therefrom.

In an insertion position, the battery is located in the battery recess 22 of the battery compartment casing 20. The battery always only assumes its final position in the use position of the battery compartment casing 20. If the permanently magnetic area 21 is located in or on the battery compartment casing 20, the battery thus retains its relative position in the battery compartment casing 20 and no longer changes this in respect of the battery compartment casing 20 if this is provided in or on the BTE 1. If however the permanently magnetic area 21 is not located in or on the battery compartment casing 20, but instead in or on the BTE 1, the battery only assumes its relative position in the battery compartment casing 20 when the battery compartment casing 20 is provided in/on the BTE 1.

In the use position, the locking element 26 of the battery compartment casing 20 locks said battery compartment casing 20 to the BTE 1, with the BTE 1 preferably being able to be switched on/off by way of the battery compartment casing 20. To this end, the locking element 26 has two positions, with the BTE 1 being switched off using a partially pivoted position of the battery compartment casing 20 opposite to the BTE 1 and is switched on by moving the battery compartment casing 20 further into/onto the BTE 1.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A hearing aid with a battery compartment, comprising: a battery compartment casing comprising a battery recess that accommodates a battery,wherein the battery compartment casing is configured to hold the battery in the hearing aid by a permanently magnetic area of the hearing aid.

17. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the permanently magnetic area of the hearing aid is provided in or on the battery compartment.

18. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the permanently magnetic area of the hearing aid is provided in or on the battery compartment casing.

19. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the battery directly contacts with the permanently magnetic area.

20. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the battery does not directly contact with the permanently magnetic area and a non-permanently magnetic area is provided between the permanently magnetic area and the battery.

21. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 20, wherein the non-permanently magnetic area is an area selected from the group consisting of: a paramagnetic area, a ferromagnetic area, and a diamagnetic area.

22. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the battery recess is delimited by a wall that at least partially circulates the battery compartment casing.

23. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 22, wherein the permanently magnetic area extends along a longitudinal direction of the wall.

24. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 22, wherein the wall is a hollow cylindrical section and is peripherally closed.

25. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 22, wherein the permanently magnetic area extends completely over the wall and passes into a base that prevents the battery from falling out in an insertion position.

26. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 25, wherein the base is at least partially a permanently magnetic area.

27. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 25, wherein the base comprises a passage recess that facilitates pressing the battery out from an insertion position in order to change the battery.

28. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the battery compartment casing comprises a plastic material.

29. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the permanently magnetic area comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: a metal, a metal alloy, and a ceramic oxide material.

30. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the battery compartment casing is manufactured by a 2K injection-molding method.

31. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the battery compartment casing is a casing selected from the group consisting of: a swivelable casing, a pullable casing, a pivotable casing, and a retractable casing.

32. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the battery compartment casing is in or on the hearing aid.

33. The hearing aid as claimed in claim 16, wherein the hearing aid is a behind the ear hearing aid.

34. An electrical device, comprising: a battery compartment comprising a battery recess that accommodates a battery,wherein the battery compartment is configured to hold the battery in the electrical device by a permanently magnetic area of the electrical device.

35. A method for holding a battery of an electrical device, comprising: arranging a permanently magnetic area in the electrical device; andholding the battery in the electrical device by the permanently magnetic area of the electrical device.