DEVICE AND METHOD TO REDUCE EAR WAX CLOGGING OF ACOUSTIC PORTS, HEARING AID SEALING SYTEM, AND FEEDBACK REDUCTION SYSTEM

• US 20140003644A1
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Diablo Canyon Collective LLC
• Original Assignee: Personics Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Keady, John P., Hoshizaki, Gary, Casali, John
• Granted Patent: US 10,715,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/329
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/654 Ear wax retarders
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49005 Acoustic transducer

Abstract

Devices and methods to reduce ear wax clogging of acoustic ports, hearing aid systems, and feedback reduction systems are provided. A conformal hearing aid includes a hearing aid body, where the hearing aid body houses a microphone and a receiver, where the microphone is positioned within the hearing aid body to measure acoustic signals from an ambient environment, and where the receiver is positioned within the hearing aid body to emit acoustic signals toward a tympanic membrane of a user; an expandable element, where the expandable element is operatively connected to the hearing aid body, and where the expandable element is configured to encompass a circumferential portion of the hearing aid body when expanded; and an inflation management system, where the inflation management system is configured to expand the expandable element when actuated.

Claims

1. A method of conforming a hearing aid to fit most users comprising:

attaching an expandable element to a hearing aid body; and

attaching an inflation management system to the expandable element, where the expandable element includes an inflatable bladder, and the inflation management system is configured to provide a medium to the bladder.

2. The method according to claim 1, where the medium is at least one of air and liquid.

3. The method according to claim 1, where the inflation management system is configured to be manually actuated to expand the expandable element.

4. The method according to claim 1, where the expandable element is configured to encompass a circumferential portion of the hearing aid body when expanded.

5. The method according to claim 4, where the circumferential portion is configured to seal the hearing aid body in an ear canal.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

actuating the inflation management system to increase the pressure in the inflatable bladder to a pressure greater than atmospheric.

7. A conformal hearing aid comprising:

a hearing aid body, where the hearing aid body houses a microphone and a receiver, where the microphone is positioned within the hearing aid body to measure acoustic signals from an ambient environment, and where the receiver is positioned within the hearing aid body to emit acoustic signals toward a tympanic membrane of a user;

an expandable element, where the expandable element is operatively connected to the hearing aid body, and where the expandable element is configured to encompass a circumferential portion of the hearing aid body when expanded; and

an inflation management system, where the inflation management system is configured to expand the expandable element when actuated.

8. The conformal hear aid according to claim 7, where the circumferential portion is configured to seal the hearing aid body in an ear canal.

9. The conformal hearing aid according to claim 7, where the expandable element includes an inflatable bladder.

10. The conformal hearing aid according to claim 9, where the inflation management system is configured to increase the pressure in the inflatable bladder to a pressure greater than atmospheric when the inflation management system is actuated.

11. A method of distributing force to increase comfort in a hearing aid comprising:

attaching an inflatable system to a hearing aid; and

attaching an inflation management system to the hearing aid, where the inflation management system is configured to be actuated, where the inflatable system is configured to expand to contact a portion of an ear canal when the inflation management system is actuated, and configured so that the pressure of the contact can be adjusted.

12. The method according to claim 11, where the inflatable system is configured to expand to seal the ear canal upon actuation of the inflation management system.

13. A method of distributing force to increase comfort in a hearing aid comprising:

actuating an inflation management system operatively attached to a hearing aid, where the actuation of the inflation management system inflates an bladder; and

adjusting the pressure in the bladder to a users comfort.

14. An adjustable hearing aid comprising:

an inflatable system operatively attached to a hearing aid; and

an inflation management system operatively attached to the hearing aid, where the inflation management system is configured to be actuated, where the inflatable system is configured to expand to contact a portion of an ear canal when the inflation management system is actuated, and configured so that, and configured so that the pressure of the contact can be adjusted.

15. The hearing aid according to claim 14, where the inflatable system is configured to expand to seal the ear canal upon actuation of the inflation management system.

16. The hearing aid according to claim 14, where the inflation system includes a bladder, where the inflation management system is configured to adjust the pressure in the bladder to a users comfort.

17. A method of reducing earwax accumulation in acoustic cannels comprising:

inserting an offset volume from at least one acoustic channel, where the offset volume has at least one dimension larger than the diameter of the acoustic channel;

enclosing the offset volume in an enclosure, where the enclosure has an opening to the at least one acoustic channel; and

making at least a portion of the enclosure from a flexible material.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

stressing the at least one portion.

19. The method according to claim 18, where the stressing of the at least one portion is performed prior to the step of enclosing.

20. The method according to claim 18, where the stressing of the at least one portion is performed after the step of enclosing.

21. The method according to claim 19, where the stressing is between a linear elongation of about 1% to 300%:

inserting an expandable pressure exertion device into an orifice;

expanding the device inside the orifice in increments of pressure; and

saving a threshold level where a user indicates that the pressure exerted against the walls of the orifice is becoming at least one of uncomfortable, painful, and noticeable.

22. The method according to claim 20, where the stressing is between a linear elongation of about 1% to 300%:

inserting an expandable pressure exertion device into an orifice;

expanding the device inside the orifice in increments of pressure; and

saving a threshold level where a user indicates that the pressure exerted against the walls of the orifice is becoming at least one of uncomfortable, painful, and noticeable.

23. A wax shield comprising:

a body;

a stressed flexible membrane; and

where the membrane is attached to the body forming a wax shield, and where the wax shield is configured to be attached to a device with an acoustic channel, where the device is configured to be inserted into an ear canal.

24. An ear wax mitigation system comprising:

a hearing aid with an acoustic channel, where one end of the acoustic channel is connected to a transducer and the opposite end is open; and

a pump system, where the pump system is pneumatically connected to the acoustic channel between both ends, and where the pump system is configured to be actuated to force air into the acoustic channel to force loose ear wax out of the open end of the acoustic channel.

25. The system according to claim 24, further comprising:

a one-way valve, where the one-way valve reduces air flow from the acoustic channel to the pump system.

26. The system according to claim 24, further comprising:

a one-way membrane, where the one-way membrane reduces air flow from the acoustic channel to the pump system but allows airflow from the pump to the acoustic channel.

27. An ear wax mitigation system comprising:

a hearing aid with an acoustic channel, where one end of the acoustic channel is connected to a transducer and the opposite end is open; and

a condensing portion, where the condensing portion is operatively attached to the hearing aid, where the condensing strip is selected so that cerumen gas condenses on the condensing strip before it condenses on the material of the hearing aid.

28. The system according to claim 27, where the condensing portion is adjacent to the open end of the acoustic channel but not in the acoustic channel.

29. A hearing aid with reduced feedback comprising:

a microphone;

a receiver;

an inflation tube; and

an inflation management system, where the microphone is configured to measure an ambient environment, where at least a portion of the ambient environment is replayed by the receiver, where the inflation tube is configured to expand to seal a channel the hearing aid is inserted into, where any feedback between the microphone and receiver is reduced as a result of the sealing of the channel by the inflation tube.

30. The hearing aid according to claim 29 further comprising:

a wax shield, where the wax shield has at least a portion that is a stressed membrane.

31. The hearing aid according to claim 30, wherein the wax shield includes a membrane that has a reduced permeability to Cerumen gas than air at 20 degrees Celsius and a pressure difference across the membrane of 0.1 atm.

32. A method of reducing processor power usage in hearing aids comprising:

attaching at least one inflatable member to a hearing aid circumferentially; and

inflating the inflatable member when the hearing aid is inserted into an ear canal, whereby the inflatable member is pressurized to a level where the acoustic path between a speaker and a microphone are reduced resulting in a reduced feedback level compared to an identical hearing aid without an inflatable member attached, where the reduced feedback reduces the amount of processor power usage needed for software treatment of feedback.

33. A reduced power usage hearing aid comprising:

an inflatable member operatively attached to a hearing aid circumferentially; and

an inflation management system, where the inflation management system is configured to be actuated to pressurize the inflatable member, where when the inflatable member is pressurized the channel in which the hearing aid is inserted is sealed, where the sealing reduces the acoustic path between a speaker and a microphone in the hearing aid resulting in a reduced feedback level compared to an identical hearing aid without an inflatable member attached, where the reduced feedback reduces the amount of processor power usage needed for software treatment of feedback.

34. A method of increasing the headroom in hearing aids comprising:

attaching at least one inflatable member to a hearing aid circumferentially; and

inflating the inflatable member when the hearing aid is inserted into an ear canal, whereby the inflatable member is pressurized to a level where the acoustic path between a first side of the hearing aid exposed to the ambient environment and a second side of the hearing aid inserted into a channel is reduced, where the reduced acoustic path reduces ambient environment leakage into the channel, where the reduced leakage reduces the gain to which a receiver must emit acoustic signals to a tympanic membrane of a user to achieve the threshold level of hearing for the user at 1 kHz signal.

35. A hearing aid that increases the receiver headroom comprising:

an inflatable member operatively attached to a hearing aid circumferentially; and

an inflation management system, where the inflation management system is configured to be actuated to pressurize the inflatable member, where when the inflatable member is pressurized when the hearing aid is inserted into an ear canal the acoustic path between a first side of the hearing aid exposed to the ambient environment and a second side of the hearing aid inserted into a channel is reduced, where the reduced acoustic path reduces ambient environment leakage into the channel, where the reduced leakage reduces the gain to which a receiver must emit acoustic signals to a tympanic membrane of a user to achieve the threshold level of hearing for the user at 1 kHz signal.