Coupling device for a two-part bone-anchored hearing aid apparatus

• US 20040210103A1
• Filed: 06/01/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB (Cochlear Limited)
• Original Assignee: P&B Research AB
• Inventors: Westerkull, Patrik
• Granted Patent: US 7,198,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coupling device for attaching the external hearing aid part (5) to the skull bone 810) anchored part in a bone conducting hearing aid apparatus, whereby the retaining force in the coupling device is substantially established by means of a permanent magnet. The bone anchored part as well as the external hearing aid part (5) comprises a magnetic part (4 and 6, respectively) and at least one of these magnetic parts is a permanent magnet. If only one of the two magnetic parts (4, 6) is a permanent magnet, the other magnetic part should be made of a ferro-magnetic material. The magnetic part (4) of the bone anchored art of the hearing aid is preferably made as an annular device located in the skin penetrating spacer (1) of the hearing aid.

Claims

1. A coupling device for attaching the external hearing aid part to the skull bone anchored part in a bone conducting hearing aid apparatus and in which said skull bone anchored part comprises an anchoring element, preferably in the form of a screw, a so-called fixture, and a skin penetrating member wherein the retaining force between said two parts in the coupling device is substantially established by magnetic means in such a way that the skin penetrating member as well as the hearing aid part comprises a magnetic part with magnetic contact surfaces for attaching to each other.

2. The coupling device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the two magnetic parts (4,6) is a permanent magnet.

3. The coupling device according to claim 2, wherein in case of a permanent magnet in only one of the magnetic parts, the other part should then be made of a ferro-magnetic material.

4. The coupling device according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic part of the bone anchored part of the hearing aid comprises an annular part arranged in the skin penetrating member of the hearing aid.

5. The coupling device according to claim 4, wherein the magnetic part of the bone anchored part of the hearing aid is integral with the connecting screw which connects the skin penetrating member with the hearing aid anchoring screw, the fixture.

6. The coupling device according to claim 2, wherein the skin penetrating member and the hearing aid anchoring screw, the fixture, is made in one piece so that the magnetic part is integral with this detail.

7. The coupling device according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic part of the bone anchored part of the hearing aid is replaceable by snap-in or screw retaining means in the skin penetrating member.

8. The coupling device according to claim 2, wherein the permanent magnet is a sintered magnet.

9. The coupling device according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic material has a non-corrosive surface layer material.

10. The coupling device according to claim 4, wherein the magnetic part of the bone anchored part of the hearing aid is disposed in the skin penetrating member in such a way that at least a part of the skin penetrating member projects outwards from the magnetic contact surface.

11. The coupling device according to claim 4, wherein the diameter of the skin penetrating member adjacent to the skull bone is smaller compared to the diameter of that part of the skin penetrating member which is located close to the hearing aid part.