In-ear hearing aid with health monitoring function

Abstract

According to the in-ear hearing aid with the health monitoring function, a shell is manufactured according to an ear canal reverse mold of a wearer, the wearing concealment is high, and the comfort level is high. The in-ear environment has an excellent detection environment capable of naturally shielding external interference, so that the monitoring precision of health data is high. By arranging the horn tube, sound outside the auditory meatus can be transmitted into the auditory meatus through the horn tube to provide hearing assistance for a wearer, and basic functions of the hearing aid are achieved. By arranging the sensor suite and the shading piece which are mutually nested, red light emitted by the red light emitting element on the sensor suite and infrared light emitted by the infrared light emitting element cannot be directly received by the optical receiving element on the sensor suite, but part of the red light and the infrared light penetrate through the skin of the ear canal part to be absorbed by blood; after the reflected red light signal and the infrared light signal are processed, the heart rate and the oxyhemoglobin saturation of the wearer can be obtained, and the health monitoring function is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of hearing aids, and in particular to an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function. Background Art

[0002] With the advancement of modernization, the dietary structure has changed significantly, the aging of the population has worsened, and real-time monitoring and management of heart rate, blood oxygen saturation and heart rate has become an important part of health management. The commonly used instrument for monitoring heart rate is the heart rate monitor, and the commonly used instrument for monitoring blood oxygen saturation is the blood oximeter.

[0003] However, existing traditional instruments, such as medical clip-on oximeters and heart rate monitors, are inconvenient to carry, cannot monitor data in real time, and cannot achieve the purpose of real-time warning. Although some existing special-shaped instruments can also monitor heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, such as commonly used sports watches, bracelets and other consumer electronic products, they are limited by the measurement environment and personal physique, resulting in insufficient monitoring accuracy. In addition, the screens of watches and bracelets are small, the operating system is complex, and it is extremely inconvenient for the elderly to use. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study a device that can not only solve the accuracy problem of health monitoring, but also meet the needs of carrying and wearing comfortably. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an in-ear hearing aid with health monitoring function to address the problem that traditional devices on the market with heart rate and blood oxygen saturation monitoring functions cannot take into account high monitoring accuracy, portability and high comfort.

[0005] The present application provides an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function, comprising: shell; A trumpet tube is arranged inside the shell; A sensor kit is arranged inside the housing, and the sensor kit is sleeved and fixedly connected to the horn tube; the sensor kit includes at least one sensor component, and the sensor component includes two red light emitting elements, two infrared light emitting elements and one optical receiving element; A light shielding member, the light shielding member is sleeved on the outside of the sensor assembly, the light shielding member comprises a light-transmitting portion and a light-shielding portion, the light-transmitting portion is made of a light-transmitting material, the light-shielding portion is made of a light-opaque material, the light-transmitting portion is aligned with the sensor assembly so that the optical path of the sensor assembly emitting light and the optical path of the sensor assembly receiving light are not blocked; The portion of the housing covering the sensor assembly is made of light-transmitting material.

[0006] This application relates to an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function. The outer shell is made by reverse molding according to the wearer's ear canal, with high wearing concealment and high comfort. In addition, the inner ear environment has an excellent detection environment that can naturally shield external interference, enabling high-precision monitoring of health data. By setting up a speaker tube, the sound outside the ear canal can be transmitted into the ear canal through the speaker tube to provide hearing assistance to the wearer, realizing the basic function of the hearing aid. By setting up a nested sensor kit and a light-shielding member, the red light emitted by the red light emitting element and the infrared light emitted by the infrared light emitting element on the sensor kit will not be directly received by the optical receiving element on the sensor kit. Instead, a part of it passes through the skin of the ear canal part and is absorbed by the blood, and the other part is reflected back and received by the optical receiving element. The reflected red light signal and infrared light signal can obtain the wearer's heart rate and blood oxygen saturation after processing, realizing the health monitoring function. Description of the Drawings

[0007] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function provided by an embodiment of the present application after assembly.

[0008] Figure 2 FIG. is an exploded view of an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0009] Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic connection diagram between a sensor assembly, a sub-fixing member, and a connecting member in an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0010] Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a light-shielding member in an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Figure 5 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a first light-transmitting part, a second light-transmitting part, a third light-transmitting part, and a fourth light-transmitting part in an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] Figure 6 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a sensor kit sleeved with a light-shielding member in an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Figure 7 FIG. is a schematic connection diagram between a balanced armature and a speaker tube in an in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Reference Signs: 10 - Outer Shell; 110 - First Housing; 111 - First Panel; 112 - Second Panel; 113 - Connection Hole; 120 - Second housing; 20 - Horn tube; 30 - Sensor kit; 310 - Sensor component; 311 - Red light emitting element; 312 - Infrared light emitting element; 313 - Optical receiving element; 320 - Flexible circuit board; 321 - First flexible part; 322 - Second flexible part; 323 - Third flexible part; 324 - Fourth flexible part; 325 - Rigid sheet; 330 - Fixing part; 331 - Sub - fixing part; 340 - Connecting part; 341 - Solder joint; 40 - Light - shielding part; 410 - Light - transmitting part; 411 - First light - transmitting part; 412 - Second light - transmitting part; 413 - Third light - transmitting part; 414 - Fourth light - transmitting part; 420 - Light - shielding part; 421 - First light - shielding part; 422 - Second light - shielding part; 423 - Third light - shielding part; 424 - Fourth light - shielding part; 425 - Through - hole; 50 - Hearing aid circuit board; 510 - Hearing aid chip; 520 - Health monitoring chip; 60 - Armature; 610 - Armature solder joint; 70 - Socket; 80 - Connecting wire. Detailed implementation manners

[0015] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer and more understandable, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0016] The present application provides an in - ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function.

[0017] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, in an embodiment of the present application, the in - ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function includes a housing 10, a horn tube 20, a sensor kit 30 and a light - shielding part 40.

[0018] The horn tube 20 is arranged inside the housing 10. The sensor kit 30 is arranged inside the housing 10. The sensor kit 30 is sleeved and fixedly connected to the horn tube 20. The sensor kit 30 includes at least one sensor component 310. The sensor component 310 includes two red light emitting elements 311, two infrared light emitting elements 312 and one optical receiving element 313.

[0019] The light-shielding member 40 is sleeved outside the sensor kit 30. The light-shielding member 40 includes a light-transmitting portion 410 and a light-shielding portion 420. The light-transmitting portion 410 is made of a light-transmitting material. The light-shielding portion 420 is made of an opaque material. The light-transmitting portion 410 is aligned with the sensor assembly 310 so that the light paths for the sensor assembly 310 to emit and receive light are not blocked. The portion of the housing 10 that wraps the sensor assembly 310 is made of a light-transmitting material.

[0020] Specifically, the housing 10 is made according to the ear canal data of the wearer.

[0021] The red light emitting element 311 can be a red light LED. The red light LED emits red light of a specific wavelength as a red light source, and its wavelength can be 660 nm. The infrared light emitting element 312 can be an infrared light emitting tube. The infrared light emitting tube emits infrared light of a specific wavelength as an infrared light source, and its wavelength can be 940 nm. The optical receiving element 313 can be a photodiode, which can receive the reflected red light signal and infrared light signal.

[0022] In this embodiment, two red light emitting elements 311, two infrared light emitting elements 312 and one optical receiving element 313 are used for health monitoring. It calculates the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation based on PPG (Photoplethysmography, a kind of optical technology). Its core principle is to utilize the characteristics of the absorption and scattering of light by human tissues to detect the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. The light source emits light of a specific wavelength to the skin (in this embodiment, two kinds of light are used, namely red light and infrared light). The light of a specific wavelength irradiates the skin on the surface of the ear canal. Part of the light is absorbed by the skin, tissues and blood, and the other part of the light is reflected back and received by the optical receiving element 313.

[0023] Hemoglobin (Hb and ) in the blood can absorb light. The pulsation of the heart causes the blood vessels to expand and contract periodically, thereby changing the light absorption amount and forming a waveform synchronized with the pulse. Specifically, when the heart contracts, the blood volume in the arterial blood vessels increases, and the light absorption amount also increases accordingly, and the reflected light intensity weakens. When the heart relaxes, the blood volume in the arterial blood vessels decreases, the light absorption amount decreases, and the reflected light intensity increases. In this way, by detecting the periodic change of the reflected light intensity, a pulse signal related to the heart pulsation can be obtained to calculate the heart rate.

[0024] The reason for using two kinds of light in this embodiment is that the absorption characteristics of light of different wavelengths in the blood are different. Deoxyhemoglobin (Hb) has a strong absorption of red light and a relatively weak absorption of infrared light. And oxyhemoglobin ( )(It) has a strong absorption of infrared light and a weak absorption of red light. Utilizing this characteristic, by comparing and analyzing two different reflected light signals, the blood oxygen saturation can be further obtained. The reflected light signal is a PPG signal.

[0025] The PPG signal is a waveform signal that varies with time and is composed of an AC component and a DC component together.

[0026] AC component: A periodic pulsating signal caused by the heartbeat, reflecting the change in blood volume.

[0027] DC component: The static absorption of constant tissues (such as skin, bones, etc.), affected by ambient light, temperature, etc.

[0028] The health monitoring function of the in-ear hearing aid with health monitoring function provided in this embodiment refers to monitoring heart rate and monitoring blood oxygen saturation.

[0029] 1) Algorithm for monitoring heart rate 1> Filtering: Use a band-pass filter to remove the noise of the PPG signal (such as motion artifacts, electromagnetic interference, baseline drift). The typical frequency band of the band-pass filter is 0.5 Hz (30 bpm) to 5 Hz (300 bpm). The heart beat signal and motion noise are separated by independent component analysis (ICA). bpm is the abbreviation of "Beats Per Minute", which is the number of heartbeats per minute and is the standard unit for measuring heart rate (i.e., the frequency of the heart beating per minute).

[0030] 2> Optimization: Use an adaptive filter (LMS algorithm) combined with the data collected by the motion sensor to dynamically adjust the filtering parameters to suppress motion interference.

[0031] 3> Detrending: Eliminate the DC component in the PPG signal and highlight the AC component in the PPG signal.

[0032] 4> Detect the peaks in the AC component (corresponding to heart contraction) through the sliding window method, and adjust the peak detection threshold according to the signal dynamic range to avoid missed detection or false detection.

[0033] 5> Heart rate calculation formula: Based on the time difference (Δt) between adjacent peaks in the AC component, calculate the instantaneous heart rate through Formula 1.

[0034] Heart rate (bpm) = 60 / Δt Formula 1.

[0035] Among them, Δt is the time difference between adjacent peaks.

[0036] 6> Calculate the average value of multiple consecutive Δt to smooth the instantaneous fluctuations, and filter out unreasonable data based on the physiological range of heart rate (such as 20 bpm to 250 bpm).

[0037] 2) Algorithm for blood oxygen saturation 1> Optionally, calculate the blood oxygen R value using Formula 2 first.

[0038] Formula 2.

[0039] Where R is the blood oxygen R value. is the AC component of red light, is the DC component of red light, is the AC component of infrared light, is the DC component of infrared light.

[0040] is the AC component of red light, which is the AC component in the red light signal. It reflects the change in the absorption of red light by blood pulsation and is directly related to the change in blood volume.

[0041] is the DC component of red light, which is the DC component in the red light signal and is the baseline component. It is not affected by arterial pulsation and reflects the absorption of red light by non-pulsating parts such as tissues, venous blood, and skin.

[0042] is the AC component of infrared light, which is the AC component in infrared light, is the DC component of infrared light, which is the DC component in infrared light. The principle is the same as that of red light.

[0043] The numerator and denominator of Formula 2 respectively correspond to the change ratio of the transmitted light intensity of red light and infrared light (according to the Lambert-Beer law, absorbance is related to optical path and concentration).

[0044] In the actual PPG signal, the AC component is much smaller than the DC component. Using Taylor expansion for approximate calculation and Formula 3, Formula 2 is simplified to Formula 4.

[0045] Formula 3.

[0046] Formula 4.

[0047] Therefore, the calculation of the blood oxygen R value actually eliminates the individual differences of the wearer (such as skin thickness, sensor position, etc.) by the ratio of the AC component and DC component of light at two wavelengths of red light and infrared light, and only retains the characteristics related to blood oxygen.

[0048] 2> Establish a linear relationship between R and SpO2, and the formula is: SpO2 = a - b×R Formula 5.

[0049] Wherein, SpO2= is the blood oxygen saturation, R is the blood oxygen R value, and a and b are constants calibrated through clinical trials (determined by comparing invasive measurements with PPG signals, and invasive measurements such as arterial blood gas analysis may vary slightly from device to device) (in this embodiment, a≈110 and b≈25 are set).

[0050] Blood oxygen saturation is the amount of oxygenated hemoglobin in the blood ( ) accounts for the total hemoglobin ( + Hb), the normal value is 95%-100%, while oxygenated hemoglobin ( ) and deoxyhemoglobin (Hb) have different absorption characteristics for red and infrared light. Oxyhemoglobin ( ) absorbs more infrared light, and ACIR / DCIR is smaller, while deoxyhemoglobin (Hb) absorbs more red light, and ACR / DCR is larger. When blood oxygen decreases, the blood oxygen R value increases, and the red light absorption ratio increases, resulting in a decrease in the SpO2 calculation result. Therefore, the mechanism of Formula 5 is to convert the blood oxygen R value into blood oxygen percentage, which is the blood oxygen saturation.

[0051] The shading portion 420 of the shading member 40 is made of an opaque PV material. The opaque PV material can be made of hard PVC, which is the most common form of PVC and is usually used in sewer pipes, downpipes, plastic steel windows, and credit cards in the construction field. The amount of plasticizer added to hard PVC in 100 kg of PVC resin powder is less than 5 kg, so the transparency is poor and it usually appears opaque. The material of the light-transmitting portion 410 is consistent with the material of the portion of the housing 10 covering the sensor assembly 310, both of which are light-transmitting materials. Soft PVC can be used as the light-transmitting material. When the amount of plasticizer added exceeds 25 kg, the PVC becomes soft. Soft PVC has a strong transparency. The shading member 40 can prevent the red light emitted by the red light emitting element 311 and the infrared light emitted by the infrared light emitting element 312 from being directly received by the optical receiving element 313, but a part of it passes through the skin of the ear canal and is absorbed by the blood, and the other part is reflected back and received by the optical receiving element 313.

[0052] In this embodiment, the outer shell 10 is made by reverse molding according to the wearer's ear canal, with high wearing concealment and high comfort. In addition, the inner ear environment has an excellent detection environment that can naturally shield external interference, enabling high-precision monitoring of health data. By setting the horn tube 20, the sound outside the ear canal can be transmitted into the ear canal through the horn tube 20 to provide hearing assistance for the wearer, realizing the basic function of the hearing aid. By setting the mutually nested sensor kit 30 and light-shielding member 40, the red light emitted by the red light emitting element 311 and the infrared light emitted by the infrared light emitting element 312 on the sensor kit 30 will not be directly received by the optical receiving element 313 on the sensor kit 30. Instead, a part passes through the skin of the ear canal part and is absorbed by the blood, and the other part is reflected back and received by the optical receiving element 313. The reflected red light signal and infrared light signal can obtain the wearer's heart rate and blood oxygen saturation after processing, realizing the health monitoring function.

[0053] As Figure 3 shown, in an embodiment of the present application, the sensor kit 30 further includes a flexible circuit board 320. The flexible circuit board 320 is bent to form four parts: a first flexible part 321, a second flexible part 322, a third flexible part 323, and a fourth flexible part 324. The first flexible part 321, the second flexible part 322, the third flexible part 323, and the fourth flexible part 324 are sequentially connected to form a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped shell with both ends open. The rectangular parallelepiped-shaped shell is sleeved and fixedly connected to the horn tube 20.

[0054] The first flexible part 321 and the third flexible part 323 are arranged opposite to each other, the second flexible part 322 and the fourth flexible part 324 are arranged opposite to each other. Two red light emitting elements 311 and two infrared light emitting elements 312 are embedded on the surface of one of the flexible parts of the first flexible part 321 and the third flexible part 323 away from the horn tube 20, and one optical receiving element 313 is embedded on the surface of one of the flexible parts of the second flexible part 322 and the fourth flexible part 324 away from the horn tube 20.

[0055] Specifically, the flexible circuit board 320 is a whole board that is flexibly bent to form four parts, but the flexible circuit board 320 maintains integrity and there is no fracture.

[0056] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 , in an embodiment of the present application, a rigid sheet 325 is attached to the surface of each of the first flexible part 321, the second flexible part 322, the third flexible part 323, and the fourth flexible part 324 close to the horn tube 20.

[0057] Specifically, a rigid sheet 325 is adhered to the back surface of each of the first flexible portion 321, the second flexible portion 322, the third flexible portion 323, and the fourth flexible portion 324. The back surface of the flexible portion is the surface of the flexible portion close to the horn tube 20, as Figure 3 shown.

[0058] In this embodiment, by providing the rigid sheet 325 to supplement the strength of each flexible portion, each flexible portion will not be bent into smaller parts again, so that the entire flexible circuit board 320 stably presents the morphology of four parts.

[0059] As Figure 2 shown, in an embodiment of the present application, the sensor assembly 310 further includes a fixing member 330. The fixing member 330 is disposed between the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing formed by the first flexible portion 321, the second flexible portion 322, the third flexible portion 323, and the fourth flexible portion 324 and the horn tube 20. The fixing member 330 is used to fix the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing formed by the first flexible portion 321, the second flexible portion 322, the third flexible portion 323, and the fourth flexible portion 324 to the horn tube 20.

[0060] Specifically, the fixing member 330 is set to the shape obtained by removing a cylinder from a rectangular parallelepiped, which is actually the shape of the remaining part after removing the horn tube 20 from the inner cavity of the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing formed by the first flexible portion 321, the second flexible portion 322, the third flexible portion 323, and the fourth flexible portion 324.

[0061] Optionally, the fixing member 330 includes two sub-fixing members 331 with the same volume and the same shape. As Figure 3 shown, one sub-fixing member 331 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the first flexible portion 321 close to the horn tube 20, and the other sub-fixing member 331 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the third flexible portion 323 close to the horn tube 20.

[0062] Optionally, when a rigid sheet 325 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the horn tube 20 near each of the first flexible portion 321, the second flexible portion 322, the third flexible portion 323, and the fourth flexible portion 324, a sub-fixing member 331 is fixed to the rigid sheet 325 of the first flexible portion 321 near the outer peripheral surface of the horn tube 20, that is, the rigid sheet 325 is disposed between the first flexible portion 321 and the sub-fixing member. Another sub-fixing member 331 is fixed to the rigid sheet 325 of the third flexible portion 323 near the outer peripheral surface of the horn tube 20, that is, the rigid sheet 325 is disposed between the third flexible portion 323 and the sub-fixing member 331. When the first flexible portion 321, the second flexible portion 322, the third flexible portion 323, and the fourth flexible portion 324 are bent, the two sub-fixing members 331 are snapped together to form a complete fixing member 330 sleeved on the horn tube 20.

[0063] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 , in an embodiment of the present application, two sensor assemblies 310 are provided. Two red light emitting elements 311 and two infrared light emitting elements 312 are embedded in each of the first flexible portion 321 and the third flexible portion 323 away from the outer peripheral surface of the horn tube 20. One optical receiving element 313 is embedded in each of the second flexible portion 322 and the fourth flexible portion 324 away from the outer peripheral surface of the horn tube 20.

[0064] Specifically, two sensor assemblies 310 are provided. After the hearing aid is properly worn, it enters the test mode within 10 seconds. The hearing aid automatically scans the ear canal environment. According to the test results, a sensor assembly 310 with excellent test results is selected to enter the working state, while the sensor assembly 310 with slightly worse test results enters the offline mode and is not put into use, so as to avoid test errors caused by differences in the ear canal environment.

[0065] The specific test process can include tests of various indicators. Optionally, the light leakage degree can be tested. The smaller the light leakage degree, the better the test results. A sensor assembly 310 with a smaller light leakage degree is put into use, and a sensor assembly 310 with a larger light leakage degree is powered off and not used. The indicators for judging the light leakage degree mainly involve optical performance and signal integrity, and some common national standards or international standards can be referred to. For example, it meets the requirements of IEC 60601-2-21 for light safety and anti-interference. The method for evaluating the light leakage degree can adopt any existing method, which is not the focus of protection of the present application and can adopt the existing method, so it will not be elaborated here.

[0066] As Figure 4As shown, in an embodiment of the present application, the light-shielding part 420 includes a first light-shielding part 421, a second light-shielding part 422, a third light-shielding part 423, and a fourth light-shielding part 424. The first light-shielding part 421, the second light-shielding part 422, the third light-shielding part 423, and the fourth light-shielding part 424 are sequentially connected to form a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing with openings at both ends. Each of the first light-shielding part 421, the second light-shielding part 422, the third light-shielding part 423, and the fourth light-shielding part 424 of the light-shielding part 420 is provided with a through hole 425.

[0067] As Figure 5 shown, the light-transmitting part 410 includes a first light-transmitting part 411, a second light-transmitting part 412, a third light-transmitting part 413, and a fourth light-transmitting part 414. The first light-transmitting part 411 is embedded in the through hole 425 of the first light-shielding part 421. The second light-transmitting part 412 is embedded in the through hole 425 of the second light-shielding part 422. The third light-transmitting part 413 is embedded in the through hole 425 of the third light-shielding part 423. The fourth light-transmitting part 414 is embedded in the through hole 425 of the fourth light-shielding part 424.

[0068] Specifically, through holes 425 are provided in each light-shielding part 420. The shape of the through hole 425 can be rectangular. Therefore, it is similar to opening a window in each light-shielding part 420. The first light-transmitting part 411, the second light-transmitting part 412, the third light-transmitting part 413, and the fourth light-transmitting part 414 are all made of light-transmitting materials. Thus, each light-shielding part 420 is embedded with a light-transmitting part. With such a setting, since the size of the hearing aid itself is small, and the size of the sensor assembly 310 and the light-shielding member 40 is even smaller, the light-shielding member 40 can play a role in concentrating light. If the light-shielding member 40 is not provided, the light emitted by the infrared light source and the red light source will be directly received by the optical receiving element 313, and no reflected light signal will be generated by passing through the skin in the ear canal.

[0069] The size of the first light-transmitting part 411 is the same as the size of the through hole 425 provided in the first light-shielding part 421. The size of the second light-transmitting part 412 is the same as the size of the through hole 425 provided in the second light-shielding part 422. The size of the third light-transmitting part 413 is the same as the size of the through hole 425 provided in the third light-shielding part 423. The size of the fourth light-transmitting part 414 is the same as the size of the through hole 425 provided in the fourth light-shielding part 424.

[0070] As Figure 6 shown, in an embodiment of the present application, two red light-emitting elements 311 and two infrared light-emitting elements 312 in the first light-transmitting part 411 and the first flexible part 321 are aligned, and the first light-shielding part 421 does not block the two red light-emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light-emitting elements 312 in the first flexible part 321.

[0071] The second light-transmitting portion 412 is aligned with the optical receiving element 313 in the second flexible portion 322 , and the second light-shielding portion 422 does not shield the optical receiving element 313 in the second flexible portion 322 .

[0072] The two red light emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light emitting elements 312 in the third light-transmissive portion 413 and the third flexible portion 323 are aligned, and the third light-shielding portion 423 does not shield the two red light emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light emitting elements 312 in the third flexible portion 323 .

[0073] The fourth light-transmitting portion 414 is aligned with the optical receiving element 313 in the fourth flexible portion 324 , and the fourth light-shielding portion 424 does not shield the optical receiving element 313 in the fourth flexible portion 324 .

[0074] Specifically, the two red light emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light emitting elements 312 embedded in the first flexible portion 321 can, in principle, be arranged arbitrarily on the first flexible portion 321, as long as the four elements do not block each other, that is, do not cause obstruction of the light path.

[0075] However, due to the presence of the light-transmitting portion 410, the two red light-emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light-emitting elements 312 in the first light-transmitting portion 411 and the first flexible portion 321 need to be aligned, which introduces a problem: how to optimize the arrangement of the two red light-emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light-emitting elements 312 so that the monitoring effect of the entire hearing aid is better.

[0076] Optionally, the two red light emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light emitting elements 312 may be arranged in parallel and spaced apart along the width direction of the first flexible portion 321, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 The width direction is the extension direction of the horn tube 20. Figure 6 As shown, this arrangement can minimize the length of the first light-transmitting portion 411 in the width direction, which can maximize the sum of the lengths of the two dotted lines in the figure, making the distance between the whole composed of the two red light-emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light-emitting elements 312 and the optical receiving element 313 farther, so that the effect of the shading portion 420 will be better, and the red light and infrared light emitted by the two red light-emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light-emitting elements 312 embedded in the first flexible portion 321 will be less likely to be directly received by the optical receiving element 313 embedded in the second flexible portion 322.

[0077] Similarly, the two red light emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light emitting elements 312 embedded in the third flexible portion 323 can be arranged at intervals and side by side along the width direction of the third flexible portion 323 on the third flexible portion 323.

[0078] Optionally, the length of the first light transmissive portion 411 in the length direction is greater than the sum of the lengths of the two red light emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light emitting elements 312 in the length direction. The length of the first light transmissive portion 411 in the width direction is greater than the maximum length of a single light source in the width direction. The maximum length of a single light source in the width direction is the maximum of the lengths of the two red light emitting elements 311 in the width direction and the lengths of the two infrared light emitting elements 312 in the width direction. Similarly, the length of the third light transmissive portion 413 in the length direction is greater than the sum of the lengths of the two red light emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light emitting elements 312 in the length direction. The length of the third light transmissive portion 413 in the width direction is greater than the maximum length of a single light source in the width direction. The purpose of such a setting is to ensure that the areas of the first light transmissive portion 411 and the third light transmissive portion 413 are large enough so that the two red light emitting elements 311 and the two infrared light emitting elements 312 will not be blocked by the light shielding portion 420.

[0079] Optionally, the length of the second light transmissive portion 412 in the length direction is greater than the length of the optical receiving element 313 in the length direction. Similarly, the length of the fourth light transmissive portion 414 in the length direction is greater than the length of the optical receiving element 313 in the length direction. The purpose of such a setting is to ensure that the areas of the second light transmissive portion 412 and the fourth light transmissive portion 414 are large enough so that the optical receiving element 313 will not be blocked by the light shielding portion 420.

[0080] Please continue to refer to Figure 2 , in an embodiment of the present application, the housing 10 includes a first housing 110 and a second housing 120. The first housing 110 and the second housing 120 are snap-fitted to form the housing 10. One end of the horn tube 20 extends into the first housing 110. The other end of the horn tube 20 extends into the second housing 120. The second housing 120 is made of a light transmissive material. The sensor kit 30 is disposed inside the second housing 120. The first housing 110 is made of an opaque material.

[0081] Specifically, the second housing 120 can be a transparent housing made of a transparent 3D printing material. During the manufacturing process of the housing 10, it is required that the light transmissivity consistency at each position is strong.

[0082] The first housing 110 can be made of a light-transmitting material or an opaque material. Optionally, for aesthetic purposes, the first housing 110 can be made of an opaque material. Since the second housing 120 is the core part that wraps the sensor kit 30 and the light-shielding member 40, and the second housing 120 extends into the ear canal, while the first housing 110 is the part outside the ear canal, setting the first housing 110 to be made of an opaque material can prevent the internal components of the first housing 110 from being seen, making the overall aesthetics of the hearing aid higher.

[0083] As Figure 2 shown, the first housing 110 includes a large-diameter opening and a small-diameter opening, and the second housing 120 includes a large-diameter opening and a small-diameter opening. The small-diameter opening of the first housing 110 and the large-diameter opening of the second housing 120 are fixedly connected so that the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 are buckled together to form an integral housing 10. The housing 10 further includes a first panel 111 and a second panel 112. The first panel 111 is buckled to the large-diameter opening of the first housing 110, and the first panel 111 is used to close the large-diameter opening of the first housing 110. The second panel 112 is buckled to the small-diameter opening of the second housing 120. The second panel 112 is provided with a connection hole 113, and one end of the horn tube 20 passes through the connection hole 113 and extends into the first housing 110.

[0084] Please continue to refer to Figure 2 , in an embodiment of the present application, the in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function further includes a hearing aid circuit board 50. The hearing aid circuit board 50 is disposed inside the housing 10.

[0085] The sensor assembly 310 further includes a connector 340. The connector 340 is fixedly connected to the flexible circuit board 320. At least one solder joint 341 is provided on the connector 340, as Figure 3 shown. The hearing aid circuit board 50 is electrically connected to the sensor kit 30 through the solder joint 341.

[0086] Specifically, the in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function further includes a socket 70 and a connecting wire 80. Figure 2 shown, one end of the connecting wire 80 is connected to the socket 70, the other end of the connecting wire 80 is soldered on the solder joint 341, and the socket 70 is inserted into the interface on the hearing aid circuit board 50.

[0087] The connecting wire 80 is used for data transmission and is responsible for signal transmission between some conventional circuits on the hearing aid circuit board 50 and the sensor assembly 310.

[0088] The hearing aid circuit board 50 integrates a hearing aid circuit (not shown in the figure) and a health monitoring circuit (not shown in the figure). The hearing aid circuit includes a hearing aid chip 510, a Bluetooth module (not shown in the figure), and a hearing aid support circuit (not shown in the figure). The hearing aid chip 510 is used to support the basic hearing function of the hearing aid, mainly to process sound and provide clear hearing for the wearer. The Bluetooth module is used for wireless connection with other devices, such as wireless connection with a mobile phone.

[0089] The health monitoring circuit includes a health monitoring chip 520, a motion sensor (not shown in the figure), and a health monitoring support circuit (not shown in the figure). The health monitoring chip 520 is used to process and calculate photoelectric data, calculate the values of heart rate and blood oxygen, and the health monitoring chip 520 is also used for related processing and calculation of the data obtained by the motion sensor.

[0090] The motion sensor can be a 6-axis IMU sensor, mainly composed of an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The motion sensor can judge the human motion state and assist the hearing aid in calculating the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation.

[0091] Judge the motion state of the wearer according to the information data obtained by the motion sensor, so as to correct the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation obtained by the in-ear hearing aid of the present application. A correction model can be established, and a large number of test samples are used. The heart rate and blood oxygen saturation obtained by the in-ear hearing aid of the present application are used as the training data of the correction model to train the correction model. The training data of the correction model also includes the information data collected by the motion sensor in real time corresponding to the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation when different test samples obtain the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. In this process, the role of the information data collected by the motion sensor is to exclude the influence of the motion state on the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation.

[0092] The correction model can be a neural network model. The specific method of training the correction model and the modeling process of the correction model are not the key points protected by the present application, and the existing common neural network model modeling technology and training technology can be adopted.

[0093] After correcting the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation through the information data collected by the motion sensor, optionally, different compensation strategies can be adopted based on the corrected heart rate and blood oxygen saturation to compensate the parameters of the in-ear hearing aid. Optionally, the compensation strategy can refer to Table 1.

[0094] Table 1 - Compensation Strategy Table HR in Table 1 is the heart rate, and SPO2 is the blood oxygen saturation.

[0095] In addition to Table 1, it also includes sudden acceleration detection (acceleration greater than the threshold value, which can be set to 3g, 1g = 9.8 m / s²), a suspected fall event, in-ear alarm, and an alarm to the APP of the bound guardian.

[0096] As Figure 7 shown, in an embodiment of the present application, the horn tube 20 is a hollow tube with a hollow interior. The in-ear hearing aid with health monitoring function further includes an armature 60. The armature 60 is disposed inside the housing 10. One end of the armature 60 is provided with an armature solder joint 610, and the armature solder joint 610 is welded to the solder joint 341 through a wire. The other end of the armature 60 is inserted into the interior of the horn tube 20.

[0097] Specifically, the horn tube 20 can be a plastic hose with a hollow interior. One end is inserted into the armature 60, and the other end is pasted to the tail of the housing 10 (i.e., the small-diameter part of the second housing 120). When pasting, it must be sealed without sound leakage. The armature 60 can be understood as a horn for converting an electrical signal into a sound signal to provide hearing compensation for the wearer.

[0098] In this embodiment, by setting the armature 60 and the hollow interior of the horn tube 20, the sound can be led from the armature 60 through the horn tube 20 to the opening of the small diameter of the second housing 120 of the hearing aid. Specifically, the in-ear hearing aid with specific monitoring and detection functions of the present application is also provided with a microphone (the microphone is not shown in the figure. The microphone is a common component of the hearing aid and is not the focus of protection of the present application). The microphone receives external sounds, converts the sound signal into an analog electrical signal, processes the analog electrical signal through the hearing aid chip 510 to convert it into a digital electrical signal, sends the digital electrical signal to the armature 60, the armature 60 converts the digital electrical signal into a sound signal, and the sound signal is then transmitted through the horn tube 20 and led to the opening of the small diameter of the second housing 120 of the hearing aid, that is Figure 1 the far right side, and enters the deep part of the wearer's ear canal to provide the wearer with basic hearing assistance functions.

[0099] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, and there is no limitation on the execution order of the method steps. For the sake of concise description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combination of these technical features does not conflict, it should be considered to be within the scope described in this specification.

[0100] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation manners of the present application. The description thereof is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation to the patent scope of the present application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function, characterized in that, Including: A housing; A horn tube disposed inside the housing; A sensor kit disposed inside the housing, the sensor kit sleeved and fixedly connected to the horn tube; the sensor kit includes at least one sensor component, and the sensor component includes two red light emitting elements, two infrared light emitting elements and one optical receiving element; A light shielding member sleeved outside the sensor kit, the light shielding member includes a light transmitting portion and a light shielding portion, the light transmitting portion is made of a light transmitting material, the light shielding portion is made of an opaque material, and the light transmitting portion is aligned with the sensor component so that the light path for the sensor component to emit light and the light path for receiving light are not blocked; The part of the housing covering the sensor component is made of a light transmitting material.

2. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor kit further includes a flexible circuit board, and the flexible circuit board is bent to form four parts: a first flexible portion, a second flexible portion, a third flexible portion and a fourth flexible portion. The first flexible portion, the second flexible portion, the third flexible portion and the fourth flexible portion are sequentially connected to form a cuboid-shaped housing with two open ends, and the cuboid-shaped housing is sleeved and fixedly connected to the horn tube; The first flexible portion and the third flexible portion are arranged opposite to each other, the second flexible portion and the fourth flexible portion are arranged opposite to each other, and two red light emitting elements and two infrared light emitting elements are embedded on the surface of one of the first flexible portion and the third flexible portion away from the horn tube, and one optical receiving element is embedded on the surface of one of the second flexible portion and the fourth flexible portion away from the horn tube.

3. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function according to claim 2, characterized in that, A rigid sheet is attached to the surface of each of the first flexible portion, the second flexible portion, the third flexible portion and the fourth flexible portion close to the horn tube.

4. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sensor component further includes: A fixing member disposed between the cuboid-shaped housing formed by the first flexible portion, the second flexible portion, the third flexible portion and the fourth flexible portion and the horn tube, and is used to fix the cuboid-shaped housing formed by the first flexible portion, the second flexible portion, the third flexible portion and the fourth flexible portion to the horn tube.

5. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function according to claim 2, characterized in that, Two sensor components are provided, and two red light emitting elements and two infrared light emitting elements are embedded on the outer peripheral surface of each of the first flexible portion and the third flexible portion away from the horn tube, and one optical receiving element is embedded on the outer peripheral surface of each of the second flexible portion and the fourth flexible portion away from the horn tube.

6. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function according to claim 5, characterized in that, The light shielding portion includes a first light shielding portion, a second light shielding portion, a third light shielding portion and a fourth light shielding portion. The first light shielding portion, the second light shielding portion, the third light shielding portion and the fourth light shielding portion are sequentially connected to form a cuboid-shaped housing with two open ends; through holes are provided in each of the first light shielding portion, the second light shielding portion, the third light shielding portion and the fourth light shielding portion. The light-transmitting part includes a first light-transmitting part, a second light-transmitting part, a third light-transmitting part, and a fourth light-transmitting part. The first light-transmitting part is embedded in the through-hole of the first light-shielding part, the second light-transmitting part is embedded in the through-hole of the second light-shielding part, the third light-transmitting part is embedded in the through-hole of the third light-shielding part, and the fourth light-transmitting part is embedded in the through-hole of the fourth light-shielding part.

7. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function according to claim 6, characterized in that, Two red light-emitting elements and two infrared light-emitting elements in the first light-transmitting part and the first flexible part are aligned, and the first light-shielding part does not block the two red light-emitting elements and the two infrared light-emitting elements in the first flexible part; The second light-transmitting part is aligned with the optical receiving element in the second flexible part, and the second light-shielding part does not block the optical receiving element in the second flexible part; Two red light-emitting elements and two infrared light-emitting elements in the third light-transmitting part and the third flexible part are aligned, and the third light-shielding part does not block the two red light-emitting elements and the two infrared light-emitting elements in the third flexible part; The fourth light-transmitting part is aligned with the optical receiving element in the fourth flexible part, and the fourth light-shielding part does not block the optical receiving element in the fourth flexible part.

8. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing includes a first housing body and a second housing body. The first housing body and the second housing body are buckled with each other to form the housing; One end of the horn tube extends into the first housing body, and the other end of the horn tube extends into the second housing body; The second housing body is made of a light-transmitting material, and the sensor kit is arranged inside the second housing body; The first housing body is made of an opaque material.

9. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function according to claim 2, characterized in that, It further includes: A hearing aid circuit board, arranged inside the housing; The sensor assembly further includes a connecting piece. The connecting piece is fixedly connected to the flexible circuit board. At least one soldering point is arranged on the connecting piece. The hearing aid circuit board is electrically connected to the sensor kit through the soldering point.

10. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function according to claim 9, characterized in that, The horn tube is a hollow tube with a hollow interior. The in-ear hearing aid with a health monitoring function further includes: A moving iron part. The moving iron part is arranged inside the housing. A moving iron part soldering point is arranged at one end of the moving iron part. The moving iron part soldering point is welded to the soldering point through a wire. The other end of the moving iron part is inserted into the interior of the horn tube.

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