Acoustic enhancement for behind the ear communication devices

• US 7,720,243 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2006
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synygis, LLC
• Original Assignee: Synygis, LLC
• Inventors: Brumback, Mark A., Potter, Dustin L., Freeman, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN DUC
• Application Number:
  US11/546,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20080089542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/322, 381/328, 381/329, 381/330, 381/380, 381/381, 381/382
• US Class Current: 381/328
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/77 Design aspects, e.g. CAD, of hearing aid tips, moulds or housings
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/656 Non-customized, universal ear tips, i.e. ear tips which are not specifically adapted to the size or shape of the ear or ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/658 Manufacture of housing parts

Abstract

A device and method for tailoring the audio frequency response of a hearing instrument, such as a hearing aid, by altering the physical characteristics of the device to more accurately compensate for a user'"'"'s specific hearing loss attributes. The device has a bore formed within its housing which provides a passage for the transmission of sound from the receiver of the hearing instrument toward the user'"'"'s eardrum. The bore has a custom-designed geometric shape to emphasize desired sound frequencies and therefore produce a predetermined frequency response of sound in combination with any frequency response changes directed by the hearing instrument'"'"'s circuitry.

Claims

1. An acoustic enhancement device (40, 40′

) comprising,

a housing (54) arranged and designed for insertion in an ear canal, said housing (54) having a first tip (42) adapted to face an ear drum when said housing (54) is inserted into said ear canal, said housing (54) also having a second tip (52) with an aperture (44) therein and

a bore (70, 80, 90) formed in said housing (54) and positioned between said first tip (42) and said second tip (52), whereby a sound path is created from said second tip (52) through said bore (70, 80, 90) toward said ear drum;

said bore (70, 80, 90) having a bore geometry arranged and designed to alter a frequency response of sound passing therethrough, said bore geometry having a maximum inside diameter (72) between said second tip (52) and said first tip (42) which is greater than an inside diameter at said first tip (42) and said second tip (52), said bore geometry characterized by an entry path (80) having inside diameters varying linearly as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) toward said second tip (52) and an exit path (90) having inside diameters varying linearly as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) toward said first tip (42).

2. The device of claim 1 wherein,

said bore geometry is further characterized by non-increasing inside diameters as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said second tip (52) and non-increasing inside diameters as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said first tip (42).

3. The device of claim 1 wherein,

said exit path (90) forms an exit path taper angle between said maximum inside diameter (72) and said first tip (42) of between three and twenty degrees, said angle selected to produce a predetermined frequency response of sound passing through said bore (70, 80, 90).

4. The device of claim 1 wherein,

said bore geometry is further characterized by inside diameters that linearly decrease as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said second tip (52) and inside diameters that linearly decrease as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said first tip (42).

5. The device of claim 1 wherein,

said bore geometry has a length between said second tip (52) and said first tip (42) which is selected to produce a predetermined frequency response of sound passing therebetween.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein,

said housing (54) couples to tubing (30, 32) connected to a hearing instrument (10, 10′

) by inserting said tubing (30, 32) through said aperture (44) said housing (54) until said tubing (30, 32) abuts a tubing seat (46).

7. The device of claim 6 wherein,

said tubing (30, 32) and said housing (54) are manufactured as one integral piece.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein,

said housing (54) with said bore geometry is formed by a rapid prototyping process.

9. The device of claim 6 wherein,

said hearing instrument device (10, 10′

) is a hearing aid.

10. An ancillary hearing aid device (40, 40′

) comprising,

a housing (54) arranged and designed for insertion in an ear canal, said housing (54) having a first tip (42) adapted to face an ear drum when said housing (54) is inserted into said ear canal, said housing (54) also having a second tip (52) adapted to couple to a hearing aid (10, 10′

) and

a bore (70, 80, 90) formed in said housing (54) and positioned between said first tip (42) and said second tip (52), whereby a sound path is created from said second tip (52) through said bore (70, 80, 90) toward said ear drum;

said bore (70, 80, 90) having a bore geometry arranged and designed to alter a frequency response of sound passing therethrough, said bore geometry having a maximum inside diameter (72) between said second tip (52) and said first tip (42) which is greater than an inside diameter at said first tip (42) and said second tip (52);

said bore geometry characterized by an entry path (80) having inside diameters that proceed linearly as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said second tip (52) and an exit path (90) having inside diameters that proceed linearly as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said first tip (42).

11. The device of claim 10 wherein,

said bore geometry is further characterized by non-increasing inside diameters as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said second tip (52) and non-increasing inside diameters as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said first tip (42).

12. The device of claim 10 wherein,

said exit path (90) forms an exit path taper angle between said maximum inside diameter (72) and said first tip (42) of between three and twenty degrees, said angle selected to produce a predetermined frequency response of sound passing through said bore (70, 80, 90).

13. The device of claim 10 wherein,

said bore geometry is further characterized by inside diameters that linearly decrease as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said second tip (52) and inside diameters that linearly decrease as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) and towards said first tip (42).

14. The device of claim 10 wherein,

said bore geometry has a length between said second tip (52) and said first tip (42) which is selected to produce a predetermined frequency response of sound passing therebetween.

15. The device of claim 10 wherein,

said housing (54) couples to tubing (30, 32) connected to said hearing aid (10, 10′

) by inserting said tubing (30, 32) through an aperture (44) said housing (54) at said second tip (52) until said tubing (30, 32) abuts a tubing seat (46).

16. The device of claim 15 wherein,

said tubing (30, 32) and said housing (54) are manufactured as one integral piece.

17. The device of claim 10 wherein,

said housing (54) with said bore geometry is formed by a rapid prototyping process.

18. A method of making an acoustic enhancement device (40, 40′

) which includes a shell (54) with a bore (70, 80, 90) formed therein arranged and designed to alter a frequency response of sound passing therethrough between a hearing instrument device (10, 10′

) and an ear drum, said method comprising the steps of;

forming said shell (54) which is arranged and designed for insertion in an ear canal, said shell (54) having a first tip (42) adapted to face said ear drum when said shell (54) is inserted into said ear canal and a second tip (52) with an aperture (44) therein;

selecting a geometry of said bore (70, 80, 90) to produce a predetermined frequency response of sound passing therethrough;

said geometry having a maximum inside diameter (72) between said second tip (52) and said first tip (42) which is greater than an inside diameter at said first tip (42) and said second tip (52);

said geometry characterized by an entry path (80) having inside diameters that proceed linearly as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said second tip (52) and an exit path (90) having inside diameters that proceed linearly as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said first tip (42); and

forming said selected bore geometry in said shell (54).

19. The method of claim 18 wherein,

said forming steps use a rapid prototyping process.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein,

said geometry is characterized by non-increasing inside diameters as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said second tip (52) and non-increasing inside diameters as a function of bore length from said maximum inside diameter (72) towards said first tip (42).