High Fidelity and Reduced Feedback Contact Hearing Apparatus and Methods

• US 20150271609A1
• Filed: 03/18/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Original Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Inventors: PURIA, Sunil
• Granted Patent: US 10,034,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0216 BTE hearing aids having a receiver in the ear mould
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/008 using optical signals for detecting or generating sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/456 mechanically
• 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

An output transducer is coupled to a support structure, and the support structure configured to contact one or more of the tympanic membrane, an ossicle, the oval window or the round window. An input transducer is configured for placement near an ear canal opening to receive high frequency localization cues. A sound inhibiting structure, such as an acoustic resistor or a screen, may be positioned at a location along the ear canal between the tympanic membrane and the input transducer to inhibit feedback. A channel can be coupled to the sound or feedback inhibiting structure to provide a desired frequency response profile of the sound or feedback inhibiting structure.

Claims

1. A hearing apparatus for placement in an ear of a user, the ear having an ear canal, an opening to the ear canal, and a tympanic membrane, the apparatus comprising:

an input transducer to receive ambient sound;

a support for placement in the ear canal, the support providing a channel to transmit sound when placed in the ear canal;

an output transducer assembly comprising a vibratory structure to contact a vibratory component of the ear; and

a sound inhibiting structure configured to provide a predetermined amount of sound attenuation and comprising one or more openings coupled to the channel to decrease sound transmission, the sound inhibiting structure positioned between the vibratory structure and the input transducer, wherein the sound inhibiting structure transmits user audible high frequency localization cues toward the tympanic membrane.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sound inhibiting structure decreases sound transmission along the ear canal away from the tympanic membrane and toward the opening of the ear canal when the support is placed in the ear canal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sound inhibiting structure and the channel comprise a resonance frequency when placed in the ear canal, and wherein the resonance frequency is above a resonance frequency of the ear canal to transmit the high frequency localization cues and inhibit feedback.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vibratory component of the ear comprises one or more of a tympanic membrane, an ossicle, a round window or an oval window.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vibratory structure of the output transducer assembly comprises one or more of a tympanic membrane contacting support, a clip to engage an ossicle, a round window contacting support.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a user removable component, the user removable component comprising the input transducer and the sound inhibiting structure, wherein the output transducer remains in contact with the vibratory structure when the user removable component is placed outside the ear canal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a user removable input transducer assembly and an output transducer assembly, the user removable input transducer assembly comprising the user removable component, the output transducer assembly comprising the output transducer and wherein the output transducer assembly remains in contact with the vibratory structure when the input transducer assembly is placed outside the ear canal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support component comprises a shell configured for placement in the ear canal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an impedance of the sound inhibiting structure attenuates sound originating from the eardrum toward the ear canal entrance more than sound from originating from the ear canal entrance toward the eardrum.

10. The hearing apparatus of claim 1, wherein an acoustic damper value for the hearing apparatus is determined by one or more of feedback measured from the hearing apparatus, a desired amount of attenuation, a location of the support when placed in the ear canal, or a measured characteristic impedance of the ear canal.

11. A method of reducing feedback generated by a hearing apparatus configured to be placed in an ear canal of a user, the method comprising:

determining a characteristic impedance of the hearing apparatus based on a position of the hearing apparatus when placed in the ear canal;

determining a damper value based on the characteristic impedance; and

determining a position of a sound inhibiting structure with the determined damper value relative to the one or more channels of the hearing apparatus to provide a predetermined amount of sound attenuation along the ear canal sufficient to inhibit feedback while allowing user audible high frequency localization cues to be transmitted toward the tympanic membrane.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the characteristic impedance of the hearing system is determined without the sound inhibiting structure coupled to the one or more channels of the hearing apparatus.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the characteristic impedance of the hearing apparatus comprises determining the characteristic impedance of the hearing system based on one or more of a density of air, a speed of sound, or a cross-sectional area of a location of the ear canal where the hearing apparatus is configured to be placed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the damper value comprises determining the damper value based on a predetermined maximum stable gain of the hearing apparatus without the sound inhibiting structure coupled to the one or more channels of the hearing apparatus.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising positioning the sound inhibiting structure within the one or more channels at the determined position to couple the sound inhibiting structure to the one or more channels and provide the predetermined amount of sound attenuation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more channels and the sound inhibiting structure positioned at the determined position combine to provide the predetermined amount of sound attenuation.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined amount of sound attenuation comprises a first frequency response profile of sound transmitted along the ear canal from the ear canal opening to the tympanic membrane and a second frequency response profile of sound transmitted along the ear canal from the tympanic membrane to the ear canal opening, the first frequency response profile being different from the second frequency response profile.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the position of the sound inhibiting structure relative to the one or more channels comprises determining a plurality of positions of a plurality of sound inhibiting structures relative to the one or more channels, wherein the damper value comprises a combined damper value for the plurality of sound inhibiting structures.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein an impedance of the sound inhibiting structure attenuates sound originating from the tympanic membrane toward an ear canal entrance of the user more than sound from originating from the ear canal entrance toward the tympanic membrane.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the sound inhibiting structure and the one or more channels when coupled to one another comprise a resonance frequency when the hearing apparatus is placed in the ear canal, and wherein the resonance frequency is above a resonance frequency of the ear canal to transmit the high frequency localization cues and inhibit feedback.