POSITIONED HEARING SYSTEM

• US 20160094922A1
• Filed: 09/28/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: POULSEN, Henning Knak, LLGAARD, Mogens
• Application Number:
  US14/867,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20160094922A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0213 Constructional details of earhooks, e.g. shape, material
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0216 BTE hearing aids having a receiver in the ear mould
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/57 Aspects of electrical interconnection between hearing aid parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/09 Non-occlusive ear tips, i.e. leaving the ear canal open, for both custom and non-custom tips H04R2460/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• 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 25/603 of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/604 of acoustic or vibrational 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/607 of earhooks
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659

Abstract

The present disclosure regards a hearing system comprising a bony portion fastening unit and a hearing device. The present disclosure further regards a method for arranging a hearing device of a hearing system. The bony portion fastening unit is configured to be arranged in an ear canal of a user, to be permanently connected with a bone of a bony portion of the ear canal, and to penetrate a skin of the bony portion of the ear canal in order to extend in its implanted state from the bone of the bony portion of the ear canal through the skin into a cavity formed by the ear canal. The bony portion fastening unit is configured to fastening and positioning the hearing device in the ear canal.

Claims

1. A hearing system comprising

a bony portion fastening unit configured to be arranged in an ear canal of a user, configured to be permanently connected with a bone of a bony portion of the ear canal, and configured to penetrate skin of the bony portion of the ear canal in order to extend in an implanted state from the bone of the bony portion of the ear canal through the skin into a cavity formed by the ear canal, the bony portion fastening unit comprising a bony portion fastening interface configured to be arranged in the cavity formed by the ear canal and

an insertion part having a housing configured to be positioned in the ear canal, the housing having a housing fastening interface configured to be connected to the bony portion fastening interface in order to mount the housing to the bony portion fastening unit, insertion part having an output transducer configured to provide a signal perceptible as sound by a user.

2. The hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the insertion part has a predefined length between the housing fastening interface and a distal end of the insertion part, said predefined length being dimensioned to allow the distal end of the hearing device to be positioned in a predefined distance to a tympanic membrane in the ear canal when the bony portion fastening interface is connected to the housing fastening interface in the implanted state of the bony portion fastening unit.

3. The hearing system according to claim 2, wherein the predefined length is below 3 cm, such as below 2 cm, such as below 1.5 cm, such as below 1 cm, such as below 0.5 cm.

4. The hearing system according to claim 2, wherein the output transducer is arranged at or close to the distal end of the insertion part, wherein the predefined length is dimensioned so as to allow the output transducer to be positioned in a predefined distance from the tympanic membrane in the ear canal, or in the alternative wherein the predetermined distance is dimensioned so as to provide that the output transducer directly contacts the tympanic membrane when the bony portion fastening interface is connected to the housing fastening interface in the implanted state of the bony portion fastening unit.

5. The hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the hearing device comprises a magnetic coil configured to generate magnetic fields in dependence of electrical sound signals, wherein the output transducer comprises a magnetic material and wherein the output transducer is configured to transmit audible sound vibrations directly to a tympanic membrane when a magnetic field generated by the magnetic coil is in contact with the output transducer.

6. The hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the output transducer is a vibration element configured to generate vibrations from electrical sound signals or a speaker configured to generate acoustical output sound signals from electrical sound signals or a combination of the vibration element and the speaker.

7. The hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the bony portion fastening unit comprises or is connected to a ring-shaped element configured to extend around at least a part of a perimeter of the ear canal.

8. The hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the housing fastening interface is configured to click into the bony portion fastening interface in order to connect to the bony portion fastening interface.

9. The hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the hearing device is a Receiver-In-The-Ear hearing device comprising an insertion part that comprises the output transducer and the housing fastening interface and wherein the insertion part is configured to be arranged in the ear canal and wherein the hearing device further comprises a Behind-The-Ear unit that comprises the input transducer and the electric circuitry and wherein the Behind-The-Ear unit is configured to be arranged behind an ear of the user.

10. The hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the hearing device is configured to be arranged completely in an ear or the ear canal of the user.

11. The hearing system according to claim 1, wherein the bony portion fastening unit and the hearing device comprise at least one magnetic material configured to guide and/or hold the hearing device in place when the bony portion fastening unit and the hearing device are in close proximity to each other.

12. The hearing system according to claim 1, which comprises at least two bony portion fastening units and wherein at least one bony portion fastening interface of each of the two bony portion fastening units is configured to connect to the housing fastening interface.

13. The hearing system according to claim 1, further comprising a fluid-filled device configured to contact the tympanic membrane when the insertion part is in a mounted state in an ear canal.

14. A method for non-surgically arranging a hearing device of a hearing system according to claim 1, comprising the steps:

inserting the hearing device into an ear canal comprising a pre-implanted bony portion fastening interface arranged in a predefined distance to a tympanic membrane and

connecting the housing fastening interface to the bony portion fastening interface.

15. Use of a hearing system according to claim 1 arranged in an ear canal.

16. The hearing system according to claim 3, wherein the output transducer is arranged at or close to the distal end of the insertion part, wherein the predefined length is dimensioned so as to allow the output transducer to be positioned in a predefined distance from the tympanic membrane in the ear canal, or in the alternative wherein the predetermined distance is dimensioned so as to provide that the output transducer directly contacts the tympanic membrane when the bony portion fastening interface is connected to the housing fastening interface in the implanted state of the bony portion fastening unit.

17. The hearing system according to claim 2, wherein the hearing device comprises a magnetic coil configured to generate magnetic fields in dependence of electrical sound signals, wherein the output transducer comprises a magnetic material and wherein the output transducer is configured to transmit audible sound vibrations directly to a tympanic membrane when a magnetic field generated by the magnetic coil is in contact with the output transducer.

18. The hearing system according to claim 3, wherein the hearing device comprises a magnetic coil configured to generate magnetic fields in dependence of electrical sound signals, wherein the output transducer comprises a magnetic material and wherein the output transducer is configured to transmit audible sound vibrations directly to a tympanic membrane when a magnetic field generated by the magnetic coil is in contact with the output transducer.

19. The hearing system according to claim 4, wherein the hearing device comprises a magnetic coil configured to generate magnetic fields in dependence of electrical sound signals, wherein the output transducer comprises a magnetic material and wherein the output transducer is configured to transmit audible sound vibrations directly to a tympanic membrane when a magnetic field generated by the magnetic coil is in contact with the output transducer.

20. The hearing system according to claim 2, wherein the output transducer is a vibration element configured to generate vibrations from electrical sound signals or a speaker configured to generate acoustical output sound signals from electrical sound signals or a combination of the vibration element and the speaker.