Manufacturing methods and systems for rapid production of hearing-aid shells
First Claim
1. A method of manufacturing an in-the-ear shell, comprising the steps of:
- automatically generating a first three-dimensional digital model of a surface that describes a shape of an ear canal of a subject as a 2-manifold surface having zero or nonzero functional boundary, from captured three-dimensional data;
generating a second three-dimensional digital model of a thickened in-the-ear shell from the first three-dimensional digital model;
printing the second three-dimensional digital model as an in-the-ear shell; and
performing quality assurance by comparing at least two of the first three-dimensional digital model, the second three-dimensional digital model and a third three-dimensional digital model derived from the printed in-the-ear shell.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, apparatus and computer program products provide efficient techniques for designing and printing shells of hearing-aid devices with a high degree of quality assurance and reliability and with a reduced number of manual and time consuming production steps and operations. These techniques also preferably provide hearing-aid shells having internal volumes that can approach a maximum allowable ratio of internal volume relative to external volume. These high internal volumes facilitate the inclusion of hearing-aid electrical components having higher degrees of functionality and/or the use of smaller and less conspicuous hearing-aid shells. A preferred method includes operations to generate a watertight digital model of a hearing-aid shell by thickening a three-dimensional digital model of a shell surface in a manner that eliminates self-intersections and results in a thickened model having an internal volume that is a high percentage of an external volume of the model. This thickening operation preferably includes nonuniformly thickening the digital model of a shell surface about a directed path that identifies a location of an undersurface hearing-aid vent. This directed path may be drawn on the shell surface by a technician (e.g., audiologist) or computer-aided design operator, for example. Operations are then preferably performed to generate a digital model of an undersurface hearing-aid vent in the thickened model of the shell surface, at a location proximate the directed path.
102 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method of manufacturing an in-the-ear shell, comprising the steps of:
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automatically generating a first three-dimensional digital model of a surface that describes a shape of an ear canal of a subject as a 2-manifold surface having zero or nonzero functional boundary, from captured three-dimensional data; generating a second three-dimensional digital model of a thickened in-the-ear shell from the first three-dimensional digital model; printing the second three-dimensional digital model as an in-the-ear shell; and performing quality assurance by comparing at least two of the first three-dimensional digital model, the second three-dimensional digital model and a third three-dimensional digital model derived from the printed in-the-ear shell. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of manufacturing an in-the-ear shell, comprising the steps of:
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generating a three-dimensional digital model of an in-the-ear shell surface from scan data; and generating a thickened model of the in-the-ear shell from the three-dimensional digital model of an in-the-ear shell surface. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of manufacturing a hearing-aid, shell, comprising the steps of:
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generating scan data as a point cloud representation of a non star-shaped surface that describes a shape of an ear canal; generating a three-dimensional digital model of a hearing-aid shell surface from scan data by; processing the point cloud representation using a wrap function that, independent of connectivity information linking points in the point cloud representation by edges and triangles, automatically converts the point cloud representation into a surface triangulation; and converting the surface triangulation into the three-dimensional digital model of a hearing-aid shell surface, by cutting, trimming and/or otherwise detailing the surface triangulation; and
generating a thickened model of the hearing-aid shell from the three-dimensional digital model of a hearing-aid shell surface. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A method of manufacturing a hearing-aid shell, comprising the steps of:
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generating a three-dimensional digital model of a hearing-aid shell surface from scan data; and generating a thickened model of the hearing-aid shell that comprises a digital representation of a receiver hole therein and a digital representation of a mounting flange that surrounds the receiver hole and extends into an interior of the thickened model, from the three-dimensional digital model of a hearing-aid shell surface. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of manufacturing a hearing-aid shell, comprising the steps of:
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generating a point cloud representation of a non star-shaped surface that describes a shape of an car canal, from multiple partial scans of the non star-shape surface; and generating a three-dimensional digital model of a hearing-aid shell surface from the point cloud representation by; processing the point cloud representation using a wrap function that, independent of connectivity information linking points in the point cloud representation by edges and triangles, automatically converts the point cloud representation into a surface triangulation; and converting the surface triangulation into the three-dimensional digital model of a hearing-aid shell surface. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of manufacturing a hearing-aid shell, comprising the steps of:
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generating a point cloud representation of a non star-shaped surface that describes a shape of an car canal, from multiple overlapping scans of the non star-shape surface; and generating a three-dimensional digital model of a hearing-aid shell surface from the point cloud representation by; processing the point cloud representation using a wrap function that converts the point cloud representation into a surface triangulation; and converting the surface triangulation into the three-dimensional digital model of a hearing-aid shell surface that is star-shaped. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35)
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36. A method of manufacturing a hearing-aid shell, comprising the steps of:
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generating a point cloud representation of a non star-shaped surface that describes a shape of an ear canal, from multiple partial scans of the non star-shape surface; wrapping the point cloud representation into a non star-shaped surface triangulation; cutting and/or trimming the non star-shaped surface triangulation into a three-dimensional digital model of a star-shaped hearing-aid shell surface; thickening the digital model of the star-shaped hearing-aid shell surface; printing the thickened digital model of the star-shaped hearing-aid shell surface as a hearing-aid shell; and performing quality assurance by comparing two or more of a digital model derived from a scan of the printed hearing-aid shell, the three-dimensional digital model of a star-shaped hearing-aid shell surface, the non-star shaped surface triangulation and a digital full-ear cast.
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Specification