Hearing aid with a housing to be worn behind the ear

• US 4,638,125 A
• Filed: 07/09/1984
• Issued: 01/20/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Buettner, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Rubinson, Gene Z.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/628,797
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 179/107 H, 179/107 R, 179/107 E, 179/179, 179/112, 381/68, 381/69
• US Class Current: 381/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/603 of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/65 Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture

Abstract

A hearing aid has a behind-the-ear housing containing a microphone, an amplifier, a current source and an ear phone, and a group of regulators for controlling various operating characteristics and an acoustic coil. The regulators and the acoustic coil are insertable through an opening in the rear of the housing and are combined in a single unitary unit which can be attached to the amplifier. The precise orientation of the regulators and the coil with respect to each other is thus always the same and can be easily achieved during assembly. The necessary electrical separation between the parts is also guaranteed.

Claims

1. A hearing aid having a housing to be worn behind a user'"'"'s ear, said housing containing a microphone, an amplifier, a current source and an acoustic coil and a plurality of regulators for controlling selected operating characteristics of said hearing aid, said regulators and said acoustic coil being mounted in combination in a single unit in said housing and attached to said amplifier, said unit having a first portion having a plurality of receptacles for respectively receiving said regulators and a second portion in which said acoustic coil is embedded and a projection carried on at least one of said first and second portions and an eyelet carried on the other of said first and second portions for receiving said projection therethrough for rigidly connecting said first and second portions.

2. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein said regulators have actuation means thereon respectively extending through apertures in said first portion, said first portion having labels disposed adjacent said apertures identifying settings for said actuation means.

3. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing has a curved rear side and wherein said unit has a curved edge corresponding to the curvature said curved rear side of said housing.

4. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein said unit comprises a single plastic element in which said acoustic coil is enclosed and having a plurality of receptacles for respectively receiving and retaining said regulators.

5. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 4 wherein said amplifier is mounted on a mounting plate having a plurality of openings therein and wherein said regulators in said receptacles each have projections extending through respective ones of said openings in said mounting plate, and wherein said projections of said regulators are soldered to said mounting plate.

6. A hearing aid having a housing to be worn behind a user'"'"'s ear, said housing containing a microphone, an amplifier, a mounting plate on which said amplifier is mounted, said mounting plate having a plurality of slots therein, a current source and an acoustic coil and a plurality of regulators for controlling selected operating characteristics of said hearing aid, said regulators and said acoustic coil being mounted in combination in a single unit in said housing and attached to said amplifier, said unit having a synthetic member in which said acoustic coil is enclosed having first and second legs disposed at substantialy a right angle with respect to each other, and a regulator mounting element disposed such that said regulators are enclosed within said right angle of said legs of said synthetic member such that said regulators are enclosed on three sides and a fourth open side of each regulator is covered with said mounting plate of said amplifier, said regulators being inserted in respective ones of said slots therein.

7. A hearing aid comprising:

a housing to be worn behind a user'"'"'s ear, said housing having an opening therein;

a mounting plate secured in said housing, said mounting plate having a plurality of slots therein;

a plurality of regulators for controlling selected operating characteristics of said hearing aid each having an actuation element and a projection, each said projection being inserted into one of said plurality of slots in said mounting plate;

a regulator mounting element having a plurality of recesses therein for respectively receiving said regulators; and

an acoustic coil enclosed within said regulator mounting element such that said acoustic coil and said regulator mounting element form a single unit in said housing,

said regulator mounting element being disposed on said mounting plate such that the respective actuation elements of said regulators are accessible through said opening of said housing, and said projections of said regulators being soldered in said slots of said mounting plate securing said regulator mounting element on said mounting plate.

8. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 7 further comprising means for rigidly connecting said acoustic coil and said regulator mounting element.

9. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 8 further comprising a member in which said acoustic coil is embedded and means for rigidly connecting said member and said regulator mounting element.

10. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 9, wherein said member in which said acoustic coil is embedded consists of plastic.

11. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 7 wherein said regulator mounting element consists of plastic.