Method for constructing an otoplastic and calibrating a hearing device

Abstract

Adjusting a hearing device and thus also shaping the otoplastic or hearing device shell are to be optimized. Provision is made for this purpose to firstly geometrically measure a portion of the auditory canal, to extrapolate the remaining portion of the auditory canal and to produce a geometric model of the auditory canal based thereupon. An acoustic model of the auditory canal can then be determined using the geometric model, with account being taken in the acoustic model of the shape of the otoplastic or the hearing device. Finally the otoplastic or hearing device shell can be designed with the help of the geometric and the acoustic model. The hearing device can likewise be calibrated with the help of the acoustic model, which comprises the optimized otoplastic or hearing device shell.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention is now described in more detail below with reference to the appended drawing, which shows a flowchart for several alternative methods according to the invention.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a hearing device shell to be worn by a wearer, comprising: geometrically measuring a portion of an auditory canal of the wearer;extrapolating a geometry of a remaining part of the auditory canal;generating a geometric model of an entire auditory canal from the measured and the extrapolated geometry of the auditory canal;creating an acoustic model of the auditory canal based on the geometric model; anddesigning a shape of the hearing device shell according to the geometric model and the acoustic model, wherein the shape of the hearing device shell is included in the acoustic model.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the acoustic model is updated by the shape of the hearing device shell and the designing of the shape of the hearing device shell is updated by the geometric model and the updated acoustic model.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the geometric model of the entire auditory canal is a surface gradient of the entire auditory canal.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a surface gradient or a volume flow of the measured portion of the auditory canal is determined from the measurement.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein a surface gradient of the remaining portion of the auditory canal is extrapolated based on the surface gradient or the volume flow determined from the measurement.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a skeleton or a centerline of the measured portion of the auditory canal is determined from the measurement.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a skeleton or a centerline of the remaining portion of the auditory canal is extrapolated based on the skeleton or the centerline determined from the measurement.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the geometric model of the entire auditory canal is extrapolated based on the measured and extrapolated skeleton or the centerline.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the auditory canal of the wearer is scanned directly for the measurement.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cast of an ear of the wearer is scanned for the measurement.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is used for constructing an otoplastic.

12. A method for calibrating a hearing device to be worn by a wearer, comprising: geometrically measuring a portion of an auditory canal of the wearer;extrapolating a geometry of a remaining portion of the auditory canal;generating a geometric model of an entire auditory canal from the measured and the extrapolated geometry of the auditory canal;creating an acoustic model of the auditory canal based on the geometric model;parameterizing the acoustic model comprising a shell shape of the hearing device inserted into the auditory canal; andcalibrating the hearing device using the parameterized acoustic model.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the shell shape of the hearing device is designed based on the geometric model and the acoustic model

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the acoustic model is updated by the shell shape of the hearing device and the designing of the shell shape of the hearing device is updated by the geometric model and the updated acoustic model.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the parameterization of the acoustic model and the designing of the shell shape of the hearing device are repeated alternately for an optimization.