Miniature hearing aid to be worn on the head, and a method for the manufacture thereof

• US 5,404,408 A
• Filed: 04/29/1994
• Issued: 04/04/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Strohmaier, Harald, Sauer, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D.
• Application Number:
  US08/235,237
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 361/807, 361/808, 361/809, 361/810, 361/811, 361/812, 361/760, 361/771, 361/779, 361/767, 361/768, 361/769, 361/770, 437/211, 257/700, 257/723, 257/724, 381/68, 381/68.7, 381/68.6, 381/69, 381/69.2, 439/83, 29/841
• US Class Current: 381/330
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/021 Behind the ear [BTE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/502 using analog signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/603 of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0125 Shrinkable, e.g. heat-shrinkable polymer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10636 Leadless chip, e.g. chip capacitor or resistor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10984 Component carrying a connection agent, e.g. solder, adhesive soldering leadless components having an array of bottom contacts H05K3/3436; BGA components H05K2201/10734
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/074 Features related to the fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/085 Using vacuum or low pressure
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1311 Foil encapsulation, e.g. of mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/281 by means of a preformed insulating foil H05K3/284 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/284 for encapsulating mounted components H05K1/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/305 Affixing by adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/325 by abutting or pinching, i.e. without alloying process; mechanical auxiliary parts therefor adaptations of leads inserted in holes for press-fit connections H05K3/308
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49146 with encapsulating, e.g., potting, etc.

Abstract

A miniature hearing aid to be worn at the head together with a corresponding manufacturing method are particularly proposed, this hearing aid being distinguished by a miniaturized amplifier unit that is simple to manufacture. A highly shrinkable glue and/or a film that can be sucked on by under-pressure, thereby fixes the electrical components against a carrier part and also holds them against the contacting locations under contacting pressure.

Claims

1. A miniature hearing aid to be worn at the head, comprising:

a housing;

sound transducers, an amplifier unit, at least one control element, and a power source in the housing;

the amplifier unit comprising a carrier part and electrical components on the carrier part, said carrier part having contact locations arranged to make contact with the electrical components; and

a highly shrinkable glue means for mechanically pressing at least one of the components against corresponding solderless contact locations for the component to insure direct electrical contact without any soldering or heating, said glue means being provided only between non-contact portions of the component and the carrier part, and no solder being provided between the component and the contact location for the component.

2. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of components are mechanically pressed against corresponding contact locations of the carrier part by the highly shrinkable glue means.

3. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein the carrier part comprises a printed circuit board having contact locations and printed conductors connecting to the contact locations.

4. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein said glue means comprises a silicon glue.

5. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein said glue means comprises a seconds-set glue.

6. A hearing aid according to claim 1 wherein said carrier part comprises a printed circuit board.

7. A method for manufacturing a hearing aid, comprising steps of:

providing a housing;

providing sound transducers, an amplifier unit, at least one control element, and a power source in the housing;

providing the amplifier unit as a carrier part with electrical components thereon; and

mounting in solderless fashion and without heat at least one of the components on to the carrier part by applying a highly shrinkable glue on to at least one of the carrier part at a desired contacting location for the at least one component or onto the component, and then placing the component onto the carrier part so that the highly shrinkable glue, as it dries, pulls the component against the desired contacting location for direct contacting as well as for being held there by the shrinkable glue without soldering or heating, Said highly shrinkable glue being positioned only at non-contact portions of the component when the component is on the carrier part.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the highly shrinkable glue is applied in spot fashion.

9. A method according to claim 7 wherein the highly shrinkable glue is applied in line fashion.

10. A method according to claim 7 wherein the highly shrinkable glue is applied in area-wise fashion with respect to an area of the component overlying the carrier part.

11. A method according to claim 7 wherein the highly shrinkable glue is applied onto the carrier part.

12. A method according to claim 7 including applying an insulating material coating over the at least one component held on the carrier part by the shrinkable glue.

13. A method according to claim 7 wherein the highly shrinkable glue comprises a silicon glue.

14. A method according to claim 7 wherein the shrinkable glue comprises a seconds-set glue.

15. A miniature hearing aid to be worn at the head, comprising:

a miniature hearing aid to be worn at the head, comprising;

a housing;

sound transducers, an amplifier unit, at least one control element, and a power source in the housing;

said amplifier unit comprising a carrier part with electrical components thereon; and

a film means formed of a flexible film sheet for mechanically pressing at least one of the electrical components directly against corresponding contact locations on the carrier part and for also fixing the component in position without soldering or heating, no solder being provided between the electrical components and the contact locations.

16. A hearing aid according to claim 15 wherein said film means comprises a film tube.

17. A hearing aid according to claim 15 wherein the film means comprises a film tubular section.

18. A hearing aid according to claim 15 wherein a plurality of the components on the carrier part are pressed against their corresponding contacting locations by the film means.

19. A hearing aid according to claim 15 wherein said film means has edges which wrap around an edge region of the carrier part.

20. A hearing aid according to claim 15 wherein the carrier part comprises a pc board having contact locations at a surface thereof and printed conductors connected to the contact locations.

21. A hearing aid according to claim 15 wherein a glue is provided between the component and the carrier part only at non-contact portions of the component.

22. A method for manufacturing a hearing aid, comprising the steps of:

providing a housing;

providing sound transducers, an amplifier unit, at least one control element, and a power source in the housing;

providing the amplifier unit as a carrier part with electrical components thereon; and

mounting at least one of the components on the carrier part by use of a film formed of a flexible film sheet which is placed over the component and which also engages with at least a portion of the carrier part for pressing the component directly against corresponding contact locations for the respective component and for holding the component on the carrier part without soldering or heating.

23. A method according to claim 22 including the steps of placing the film over the carrier part and pulling the component against the carrier part by applying an under-pressure to pull the film on to the component to press the component against the corresponding contact locations with a desired contacting pressure.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the film comprises a film tube.

25. A method according to claim 23 wherein the film comprises a film tube section.

26. A method according to claim 22 including the further steps of applying a glue between the component only at non-contact portions of the component and the carrier part, and then pulling the component towards the carrier part so that it is in secure contact with the corresponding contact locations by applying an under-pressure to the film to pull the film against the component and to press the component against the carrier part.