Hearing device with detachable speaker unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10306384-B2
Application number	US-201615204398-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2016
Priority date	Jul 9, 2015
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to detachable speaker units for hearing aid devices, and the hearing aid devices having detachable speaker units. The detachable speaker unit have at least an output transducer for providing a signal perceivable as sound to a user. The detachable speaker unit includes a memory unit storing information relating to characteristics of the output capabilities of the detachable speaker unit, such as transfer function of output transducer and/or transfer function of the entire, or parts of, assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hearing aid device comprising:
a hearing aid device housing to be arranged behind the ear of a user, the hearing aid device including an input transducer, a signal processor adapted to process signal from the input transducer to compensate for the user's hearing loss, a hearing device connector, and
a detachable speaker unit connected to the hearing device connector of the hearing aid device housing and comprising
a connector part having a set of contact pins for plugging into and contacting the hearing device connector,
a connecting element having an electrically conductive member, the connecting element connected to the connector part,
a speaker unit housing configured to be positioned at least partly in the ear canal of the user, an output transducer included in the speaker unit housing, the output transducer being configured to provide an acoustic signal based on the processed signal from the signal processor, the speaker unit housing being connected to the connecting element,
a memory unit arranged in the connector part and connected to at least one contact pin of the set of contact pins in the connector part, the memory unit configured to store data of a measured transfer function or a measured frequency response of the output transducer,

wherein the stored data in the memory unit is transferred to the signal processor, via the at least one contact pin and a conductive element in the hearing device connector, for use in adapting at least one of the following types of processing applied to the signal: frequency dependent amplification, frequency transpositioning, frequency compression, and filtering.

2. The hearing aid device according to claim 1 , wherein the detachable speaker unit further comprises a speaker unit input transducer.

3. The hearing aid device according to claim 2 wherein the memory unit is configured to provide the stored data to the hearing device upon receiving an interrogation signal from the hearing device.

4. The hearing aid device according to claim 2 , wherein the memory unit is a micro EEPROM.

5. The hearing aid device according to claim 2 , wherein the memory unit is configured to store right/left identification, output transducer-size, length of connecting element, a unique identifier, output transducer calibration data, and/or microphone data.

6. The hearing aid device according to claim 1 , wherein the memory unit is configured to provide the stored data to the hearing device upon receiving an interrogation signal from the hearing device.

7. The hearing aid device according to claim 6 , wherein the memory unit is a micro EEPROM.

8. The hearing aid device according to claim 6 , wherein the memory unit is configured to store right/left identification, output transducer-size, length of connecting element, a unique identifier, output transducer calibration data, and/or microphone data.

9. The hearing aid device according to claim 1 , wherein the memory unit is a micro EEPROM.

10. The hearing aid device according to claim 1 , wherein the memory unit is configured to store right/left identification, output transducer-size, length of connecting element, a unique identifier, output transducer calibration data, and/or microphone data.

11. The hearing aid device according to claim 1 , wherein the hearing device connector comprises a slot and the connector part of the detachable speaker unit comprises a tab mating the slot, the connector part comprises a plurality of contact regions and the hearing device connector comprises a corresponding number of connector arms.

12. The hearing aid device according to claim 1 , wherein the hearing device connector comprises a plurality of sockets and the connector part of the detachable speaker unit comprises a corresponding plurality of mating pins.

13. A detachable speaker unit configured for use with a hearing aid device having a housing configured to be positioned behind the ear of a wearer, the speaker unit being detachable and reconnectable to a hearing device connector of the hearing aid device, the speaker unit comprising:
a connector part having a set of contact pins for plugging into and contacting to a hearing device connector,
a connecting element having an electrically conductive member, the connecting element connected to the connector part,
a speaker unit housing configured to be positioned at least partly in the ear canal of the user, an output transducer included in the speaker unit housing, the output transducer being configured to provide an acoustic signal based on a processed signal from a signal processor in the hearing aid device, the speaker unit housing being connected to the connecting element, and
a memory unit arranged in the connector part and connected to at least one contact pin of the set of contact pins in the connector part, the memory unit configured to store data of a measured transfer function or a measured frequency response of the output transducer,
wherein the stored data in the memory unit is transferred to the signal processor, via the at least one contact pin and a conductive element in the hearing device connector, for use in adapting at least one of the following types of processing applied to the signal: frequency dependent amplification, frequency transpositioning, frequency compression, and filtering.

14. The detachable speaker unit according to claim 13 , further comprising an input transducer.

15. The detachable speaker unit according to claim 13 , wherein the memory unit is configured to provide the stored data to the hearing device upon receiving an interrogation signal from a hearing aid device.

16. The detachable speaker unit according to claim 15 , wherein the stored data is transmitted to the hearing aid device via the electrically conductive member.

17. The detachable speaker unit according to claim 13 , wherein the memory unit is a micro EEPROM.

18. The detachable speaker unit according to claim 13 , wherein the memory unit is configured to store right/left identification, output transducer-size, length of connecting element, a unique identifier, output transducer calibration data, and/or microphone data.

19. The detachable speaker unit according to claim 13 , wherein the connector part comprises a tab configured to be received in a slot of the hearing device connector part, the hearing device connector part comprises a plurality of contact regions and the hearing device connector comprises a corresponding number of connector arms.

20. The detachable speaker unit according to claim 13 , wherein the hearing device connector comprises a plurality of sockets and the connector part of the detachable speaker unit comprises a corresponding plurality of mating pins.

Assignees

• Oticon As

Inventors

• Larsen Jan Thor Lunddahl
• Treue Franz
• Severin Bent

Classifications

• H04R25/305

  Self-monitoring or self-testing · CPC title

• H04R2420/09

  Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones · CPC title

• H04R25/00 Primary

  Electric hearing aids · CPC title

• H04R25/70

  Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting · CPC title

• H01R13/6658

  on printed circuit board (H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence) · CPC title