Modular in-the-Ear Hearing Aid

This invention relates to hearing aids and more particularly to an in-the-ear hearing aid having a standardized modular housing containing a complete functional instrument and attachable to a custom ear mold.

In-the-ear hearing aids are well known and are of a size and configuration to fit substantially within the ear of a user. One form of such hearing aids includes an ear mold which has been custom fabricated to precisely fit the ear of a user and which also serves to contain the components of the aid. The custom ear mold thus serves as a housing for the instrument with a cover plate usually employed to seal the unit. A disadvantage of such hearing aids employing a custom molded housing is that assembly of the instrument must be performed after fabrication of the ear mold thereby requiring individualized assembly. In addition, any repair or replacement of hearing aid components requires return of the entire hearing aid to a service center. Hearing aids of this type are shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,345,737, 3,496,306 and 3,598,928.

In another known in-the-ear hearing aid, a custom ear mold is provided with a cavity which receives a housing containing the hearing aid instrument or the instrument housing is attached to a tip insertable in the ear canal of a user. This type of hearing aid is shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,983,336, 3,783,201, 3,209,082, 3,265,819, 3,312,789 and 3,389,232. In this latter type of hearing aid a portion of the instrument can extend outwardly from the ear and may not present a proper cosmetic appearance. In other known hearing aids of this latter type the construction can be cumbersome in terms of ease of assembly and repair.

In brief, the present invention provides an in-the-ear hearing aid in which the aid is housed as a wholly functional instrument within a modular housing which is readily attached to a custom ear mold. Replacement or repair of the instrument can be accomplished by removal of the modular housing, with a replacement module being installed in the user's ear mold for use while the original instrument is being serviced. Thus, a user need not return the entire hearing aid and therefore be without the instrument in the event of service. Rather, only the modular housing containing the hearing aid components need be removed and replaced with a similar modular unit.

The modular housing is of standard configuration for a left or a right ear within the range of normal ear sizes, and is anthropometrically configured to fit the outer ear in an unobtrusive manner. The housing includes a coupler removably secured thereto for easy attachment to different ear molds. The coupler includes an output tube which is angularly disposed for connection to tubing leading to the exit aperture of the ear mold. By means of the selectively installed coupler a short direct acoustic path is provided without leakage from the receiver to the output aperture.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an in-the-ear hearing aid according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded pictorial view of the in-the-ear hearing aid according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view illustrating attachment of the modular unit to the custom ear mold;

FIG. 4 is an exploded pictorial view of the modular unit; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the receiver coupling employed in the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4 there is shown an in-the-ear hearing aid constructed according to the invention as worn wholly in the ear of a user. An ear mold 10 is formed by well-known molding techniques to precisely fit the ear cavity of a user and into which is removably attached a modular unit 12 containing the components providing a wholly functional hearing aid instrument. The modular unit 12 includes a microphone receiving sound energy by way of a microphone port 14 in the outer wall of the unit housing, a receiver or transducer for converting electrical signals into acoustical energy for conveyance via tubing 16 to the ear of a user, amplifying and processing circuitry, and a battery source. The housing also contains a volume control 18 and a tone control 20 and may contain other controls for adjusting the characteristics of the instrument for intended sound reception. The electronic circuitry and associated transducers can be of any known form and are not per se part of the present invention.

The housing of modular unit 12 is typically formed of a plastic material and includes threaded metal inserts 22 into which are secured machine screws 24 for attachment of a metal bottom plate 26. A battery compartment 28 is hinged by means of one of the machine screws 24 at a corner of housing 12, the battery compartment being pivotable outward for battery replacement by means of a finger tab 30. The bottom plate 26 includes an outwardly extending portion 32 for accommodation of the receiver within housing 12. The receiver is connected to a coupler 34, also shown in FIG. 5, which is removably secured to housing 12 and to which is connected tubing 16 for coupling of the receiver to the exit aperture 36 of the ear mold 10. The coupler 34 includes a plate 38 having a flange 40 around a portion of the periphery thereof, the flange being slidably disposed within a groove 42 provided around the rectangular opening in the wall of housing 12. The coupler is installed with the flange 40 in the cooperating groove 42 and is retained therein by bottom plate 26. An outwardly extending tube 44 of the coupler 34 is connected to the exit aperture 36 of the ear mold by an interconnecting flexible tubing 16 of Tygon or other suitable material. According to the invention different couplers can be installed in housing 12 with the angle of the coupler tube 44 selected to accommodate connection to the exit aperture of the ear mold for a mold of specific configuration.

Since the ear mold is formed to fit an individual user's ear, the configuration of the mold can vary to a considerable degree. The angle of tube 44 to the mounting flange 40 of coupler 34, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5, is selected to join tube 16 at a particular angle suitable for the individual ear mold employed. Different couplers 34 are readily installed in housing 12.

The ear mold 10 is formed of a suitable material typically a plastic such as Lucite and includes a recessed area 50 of shape and size to receive modular unit 12 mounted thereon. The mounting plate 26 of unit 12 is supported by the confronting surface of recessed area 50, and unit 12 is secured to the ear mold by means of machine screws 52 which pass through openings provided in the ear mold and in plate 26 and into threaded sleeves 54 provided in the housing of unit 12. The mounting surface of recessed area 50 is substantially flat and includes an inwardly extending trough portion 56 for accommodation of portion 32 of plate 26. It will be appreciated that the plate 26 can be completely flat if a receiver is employed of sufficiently small size to be wholly contained within the housing of unit 12. The tip portion 58 of the ear mold which fits into the ear canal includes an opening therethrough into which is disposed the coupler 34 and tubing 16. A passage 59 is provided in portion 58 of the ear mold between an opening 61 adjacent aperture 36 and an opening 63 at the exterior of the ear mold to serve as a vent passage in known manner. In one way to assemble the hearing aid for use, tubing 16 is inserted over tube 44 of coupler 34, and the tubing 16 is then installed in the opening of the tip portion 58, seated in area 50 and secured thereto by mounting screws 52. Any excess tubing 16 extending out of the aperture 36 is trimmed flush with the aperture and the instrument is then ready for insertion in a user's ear.

The embodiment illustrated in the drawing is for use with the right ear and it will be appreciated that a left ear version can be similarly constructed with the ear mold 10 and modular unit 12 appropriately configured for the left ear. Thus the invention can be implemented in a right ear model and a left ear model and for each ear the modular unit 12 is of standardized construction to mate with the normal range of custom ear molds for individual users.

The invention is not intended to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described except as indicated in the accompanying claims.