SPACER AND HEARING DEVICE COMPRISING IT

• US 20170013375A1
• Filed: 07/07/2016
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: HENRIKSEN, Poul
• Granted Patent: US 10,051,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/023 Completely in the canal [CIC] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/11 Aspects relating to vents, e.g. shape, orientation, acoustic properties in ear tips of hearing devices to prevent occlusion
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/17 Hearing device specific tools used for storing or handling hearing devices or parts thereof, e.g. placement in the ear, replacement of cerumen barriers, repair, cleaning hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/65 Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture

Abstract

A spacer attached to or being configured to be attached to a pull-out string for a hearing device is disclosed. The spacer comprises a contact portion adapted for being brought into contact with the wall of the ear canal of a hearing device user and hereby maintain the pull-out string in a distance from the wall of the ear canal.

Claims

1. A hearing aid device having a housing configured to be inserted completely into the ear canal of a wearer, wherein the housing comprises a pull-out string configured to allow the wearer to extract the housing from the ear canal,

wherein an antenna is attached to the pull-out string or integrated in the pull-out string, and

wherein at least one spacer comprising a contact portion adapted for being brought into contact with the wall of the ear canal of the wearer and, during use, hereby maintain the antenna in a distance from the wall of the ear canal.

2. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, the spacer has a round or oval periphery.

3. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of radially extending arm members.

4. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is transparent to audio frequency sound waves.

5. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is provided with a number of vent holes.

6. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is operated at a center frequency in the range 1 to 10 GHz, such as in the range 2-3 GHz, such as in the range 4-6 GHz, such as in the range 2-6 GHz, such as around 2.4 GHz, such as around 5 GHz.

7. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna extends at least partly through the length of the pull-out string and where the antenna extends through at least a portion of the housing of the hearing aid device.

8. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the antenna is coiled.

9. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the pull-out-string comprises round or oval periphery.

10. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein at least one spacer is fixedly attached to the pull-out string, optionally the at least one spacer is fixed in axially relation to the pull-out string.

11. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein at least one spacer is moveably attached to the pull-out string.

12. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the pull-out string comprises a spacer fixed to the pull-out string by means of a number of attachment portions provided on the pull-out string and a number of corresponding engaging attachment portions provided at the spacer.

13. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein one or more spacers are rotatably attached to the pull-out string.

14. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the pull-out string comprises a threaded portion, wherein one or more spacers comprise a threaded bore configured to engagingly receive the threaded portion of the pull-out string.

15. The hearing aid device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer comprises a contact portion, a first portion attached to a first attachment member rotatably attached to the pull-out string and a second portion attached to a second attachment member rotatably attached to the pull-out string, wherein the first portion is rotatably attached to the second portion, wherein the contact portion is radially displaced when the distance between the first attachment member and the second attachment member is changed.

16. The hearing aid device according to claim 2, wherein the spacer is transparent to audio frequency sound waves.

17. The hearing aid device according to claim 3, wherein the spacer is transparent to audio frequency sound waves.

18. The hearing aid device according to claim 2, wherein the spacer is provided with a number of vent holes.

19. The hearing aid device according to claim 3, wherein the spacer is provided with a number of vent holes.

20. The hearing aid device according to claim 4, wherein the spacer is provided with a number of vent holes.