Hearing device with sealed microphone opening

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10200799-B2
Application number	US-201615152090-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2016
Priority date	May 13, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A hearing device has a microphone for detecting an acoustic signal from the environment of the hearing device, and a housing in which the microphone is arranged. The housing is formed with a microphone opening through which the microphone communicates with the environment of the hearing device for detecting the acoustic signal. The hearing device further has a damping element, by way of which the microphone is supported against the housing. Moreover, the hearing device has a barrier element for sealing the microphone opening against moisture in a sound-transmitting manner. The damping element has a pocket in which the barrier element is received reversibly. Furthermore, the barrier element is sealed off from the housing by way of the damping element all around the microphone opening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hearing device, comprising:
a housing, said housing having a first microphone opening formed therein;
a first microphone disposed in said housing and communicating through said first microphone opening with an environment of the hearing device for detecting an acoustic signal from the environment of the hearing device;
a first damping element supporting said first microphone against said housing, said first damping element being formed with an aperture corresponding to said first microphone opening; and
a first barrier element sealing said first microphone opening against moisture in a sound-transmitting manner;
said first damping element having a pocket wherein said first barrier element is received reversibly, said pocket being an undercut of said aperture, said aperture having, at one end thereof, an edge delimiting said undercut, and said aperture being enlarged at said one end in relation to an opposite end of said aperture;
said first damping element sealing off said first barrier element from said housing around an entire periphery of said first microphone opening;
a second microphone disposed in said housing;
a second damping element and a second barrier element assigned respectively to said second microphone, said second barrier element being received reversibly in a pocket formed in said second damping element; and
said first damping element and said second damping element being connected to one another in one piece.

2. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein said first damping element is made of elastic material.

3. The hearing device according to claim 2 , wherein said elastic material is an elastic plastic.

4. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein said pocket is dimensioned to cause said first barrier element to be braced against said first damping element.

5. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein said first barrier element comprises a hydrophobic membrane.

6. The hearing device according to claim 1 , further comprising an antenna for electromagnetic communication with a separate device, said antenna being integrated in one or both of said first or second damping element.

7. The hearing device according to claim 6 , further comprising a circuit carrier carrying a signal processing unit and conductor tracks for electrically contacting said first microphone, said second microphone and said antenna, wherein said antenna is connected by way of a solder connection to an assigned conductor track of said circuit carrier.

8. The hearing device according to claim 1 , further comprising an antenna for electromagnetic communication with a separate device, said antenna being integrated in said first or second damping element.

9. The hearing device according to claim 8 , further comprising a circuit carrier carrying a signal processing unit and conductor tracks for electrically contacting said first microphone and said antenna, wherein said antenna is connected by way of a solder connection to an assigned conductor track of said circuit carrier.

10. The hearing device according to claim 1 , wherein said undercut has a second edge delimiting said undercut, said second edge being at an opposite end of said aperture from said edge, one of said edge or said second edge being shorter than the other in a direction toward the longitudinal axis.

11. A hearing device, comprising:
a housing, said housing having a first microphone opening formed therein;
a first microphone disposed in said housing and communicating through said first microphone opening with an environment of the hearing device for detecting an acoustic signal from the environment of the hearing device;
a first damping element supporting said first microphone against said housing, said first damping element being formed with an aperture corresponding to said first microphone opening; and
a first barrier element sealing said first microphone opening against moisture in a sound-transmitting manner;
said first damping element having a pocket wherein said first barrier element is received reversibly, said pocket being an undercut of said aperture, said undercut being opened in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of said aperture for defining an insertion well for said first barrier element;
said first damping element sealing off said first barrier element from said housing around an entire periphery of said first microphone opening;
a second microphone disposed in said housing;
a second damping element and a second barrier element assigned respectively to said second microphone, said second barrier element being received reversibly in a pocket formed in said second damping element; and
said first damping element and said second damping element being connected to one another in one piece.

12. The hearing device according to claim 11 , wherein said pocket is dimensioned to cause said first barrier element to be braced against said first damping element.

13. The hearing device according to claim 11 , wherein said first barrier element comprises a hydrophobic membrane.

14. The hearing device according to claim 11 , further comprising an antenna for electromagnetic communication with a separate device, said antenna being integrated in one or both of said first or second damping element.

15. The hearing device according to claim 14 , further comprising a circuit carrier carrying a signal processing unit and conductor tracks for electrically contacting said first microphone, said second microphone and said antenna, wherein said antenna is connected by way of a solder connection to an assigned conductor track of said circuit carrier.

16. The hearing device according to claim 11 , further comprising an antenna for electromagnetic communication with a separate device, said antenna being integrated in said first damping element.

17. The hearing device according to claim 16 , further comprising a circuit carrier carrying a signal processing unit and conductor tracks for electrically contacting said first microphone and said antenna, wherein said antenna is connected by way of a solder connection to an assigned conductor track of said circuit carrier.

18. The hearing device according to claim 11 , wherein said first damping element is made of an elastic plastic.

Assignees

• Sivantos Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Flaig Uwe
• Schleifer Wolfgang

Classifications

• H04R25/654

  Ear wax retarders · CPC title

• H04R2225/51

  Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids · CPC title

• H04R25/65

  Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture · CPC title

• H04R1/086

  Protective screens, e.g. all weather or wind screens · CPC title

• H04R25/554

  using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils · CPC title