HEARING INSTRUMENT WITH AN INTEGRAL INJECTION-MOLDING CASING

• US 20120328138A1
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte Ltd (WS Audiology A/S)
• Inventors: GOLY, VOLKER
• Granted Patent: US 9,380,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/322
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/60 Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles ear wax retarders, e.g. mounting thereof H04R25/654
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/658 Manufacture of housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/75 Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception

Abstract

A hearing instrument has an integral injection-molding casing. The hearing instrument fixes the internal components in an integral casing that is simple in design; requires few components; and is easy to handle. The hearing instrument contains an integral casing and a frame arranged within the casing. The casing has an assembly opening through which the frame is pushed into the casing. The casing has a microphone opening oriented perpendicular to the insertion direction, which microphone opening interacts with a fixation device arranged on the frame in order to fix the frame in the casing. This provides a simple fixation mechanism. The microphone opening can be applied as a bore after the production of the casing, and therefore be produced in an injection-molding method. The fixation device can be embodied as a microphone. The microphone can be inserted into the microphone opening by a spring force.

Claims

1. A hearing instrument, comprising:

a casing;

a frame disposed within said casing, said casing having an integral design and surrounding said frame in five spatial directions;

a fixation device disposed on said frame; and

said casing having in a further spatial direction an assembly opening formed therein dimensioned such that said frame can be pushed into said casing through said assembly opening, said casing further having a microphone opening formed therein in one of the spatial directions perpendicular to the further spatial direction of said assembly opening, said microphone opening interacting with said fixation device disposed on said frame, such that said frame is fixed against sliding out of said casing.

2. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic device that applies a spring force, directed in a direction of said microphone opening, onto said frame.

3. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein said fixation device is embodied as a microphone receptacle.

4. The hearing instrument according to claim 3, further comprising a microphone and said frame is fixed as a result of a mutual engagement between said microphone, inserted into said microphone receptacle, and said casing.

5. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein said assembly opening is configured to serve as a battery opening.

6. The hearing instrument according to claim 1,

wherein said fixation device is a microphone;

and

further comprising a seal surrounding said microphone.

7. The hearing instrument according to claim 6, further comprising a membrane covering said microphone opening.

8. The hearing instrument according to claim 6, further comprising a membrane disposed in said microphone opening and supported by said seal.

9. The hearing instrument according to claim 7, wherein said membrane is permeable to sound.

10. The hearing instrument according to claim 1, wherein:

said microphone opening is one of two microphone openings formed in said casing; and

said fixation device is one of two fixation devices being microphones, each of said microphones disposed in one of said microphone openings.

11. The hearing instrument according to claim 1,

wherein said fixation device is a first microphone;

and

further comprising a second microphone disposed fully within said casing.

12. A casing for a hearing instrument having a frame and a fixation device disposed on the frame, the casing comprising:

a casing body for housing the frame disposed within said casing body, said casing body having an integral design and surrounding the frame in five spatial directions;

said casing body having in a further spatial direction an assembly opening formed therein dimensioned such that the frame can be pushed into said casing body through said assembly opening, said casing body further having a microphone opening formed therein in one of the spatial directions perpendicular to the further spatial direction of said assembly opening, said microphone opening interacting with the fixation device disposed on the frame, such that the frame is fixed against sliding out of said casing body.

13. A frame for a hearing instrument having a casing, the frame comprising:

a frame body disposed within the casing, the casing having an integral design and surrounding said frame body in five spatial directions;

a fixation device disposed on said frame body; and

the casing having in a further spatial direction an assembly opening formed therein dimensioned such that said frame body can be pushed into the casing through the assembly opening, the casing further having a microphone opening formed therein in one of the spatial directions perpendicular to the further spatial direction of the assembly opening, the microphone opening interacting with said fixation device disposed on said frame body, such that said frame body is fixed against sliding out of the casing.

14. The frame according to claim 13, wherein said frame body mounts internal components of a signal-processing apparatus of the hearing instrument.