Charging device and charging system

Abstract

To provide a charging device having a construction that left and right hearing devices can be correctly housed.SOLUTION: In a charging device 1, a magnet 32 in which an S pole is directed to an upper side to a bottom part of a concave 31 forming a left housing space 30 is installed, and a magnet 42 in which an N pole is directed to the upper side to the bottom part of a concave 41 forming a right housing space 40 is installed. By corresponding to them, a magnet 65 in which the N pole is directed to an outside is built-in a hearing device 60 for a left ear, and a magnet 75 in which the S pole is directed to the outside is built-in a hearing device 70 for a right ear. Since each magnet is installed in such a direction, the magnet on the hearing device side and the magnet on the charging device side are reacted each other when the left and right hearing devices are housed at an inverse position in an error, and thus, a user can notice the error of the position and can house each hearing device into a correct position. As a result, each charging terminal on the hearing device side and the charging device side can be surely connected, and an error mounting of the left and right of them can be prevented when each hearing device took out from the charging device is mounted to each ear.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charger for charging a secondary battery built into a small hearing device such as a hearing aid. [Background technology]

[0002] As hearing aids become smaller, smaller batteries are being used as their power source. Behind-the-ear and in-the-ear hearing aids usually use small button batteries. Because it is difficult to replace small batteries and environmental considerations must be taken into account, an increasing number of recent models of small hearing devices such as hearing aids are equipped with built-in secondary batteries that can significantly reduce the number of times the battery needs to be replaced. Such models are also provided with dedicated chargers (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-100251 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When placing a hearing device with a built-in secondary battery in a charger, there is a specific way to place it, depending on the charger. If the hearing device is not placed correctly in the charger, for example, if the left and right hearing devices are placed in the opposite positions (the hearing device for the left ear is placed in the charging position for the right ear on the charger), or if the left and right positions are correct but the hearing devices are not placed properly, the charging terminal on the hearing device may not be in contact with the charging terminal on the charger, or the charging terminals on both may be misaligned, causing the secondary battery to be improperly charged. Such situations are often not noticed unless you look carefully at the state of the hearing device placed in the charger.

[0005] However, since charging is a common daily occurrence, it is unreasonable to have the user check every time whether the hearing device is correctly placed in the charger. In addition, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a magnet is used to hold the hearing device in the charger when charging, but if the magnetic attraction force is strong, even if the left and right hearing devices are placed in the wrong position, the user will mistakenly think that the hearing devices are correctly placed because they are attracted by the magnet on the charger, making it even more difficult to ask the user to check the placement status afterwards. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to correctly place the left and right hearing devices in the charger without the user having to check the placement status.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a charger having a structure that allows the left and right hearing devices to be stored correctly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following charger and charger system. Note that the following words in parentheses are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0008] In other words, the charger of the present invention is a charger capable of charging a secondary battery built into a listening device, and is equipped with a first accommodating section that receives a listening device for one ear during charging, a first magnet that is installed in correspondence with the first accommodating section and has a predetermined magnetic pole (e.g., a south pole) facing in a predetermined direction (e.g., upward), a second accommodating section that receives a listening device for the other ear during charging, and a second magnet that is installed in correspondence with the second accommodating section and has a magnetic pole opposite to the predetermined pole (e.g., a north pole) facing in a predetermined direction.

[0009] In addition, the charger system of the present invention includes a charger of the above-mentioned aspect, a first listening device for one ear, which has a magnet on the back side of a first outer shell part (e.g., a face plate) that faces the first housing part during charging, with a magnetic pole opposite to a predetermined magnetic pole facing the first outer shell part, and a second listening device for the other ear, which has a magnet on the back side of a second outer shell part that faces the second housing part during charging, with a predetermined magnetic pole facing the second outer shell part.

[0010] In this embodiment of the charger and charger system, the first and second magnets are installed in the charger with their magnetic poles facing opposite directions, and magnets are installed on the back of the outer shell portions of the first and second listening devices with their magnetic poles oriented in such a way that they attract each other. Therefore, if a user attempts to set the listening device in the wrong position, the magnets will repel each other and the device will not be able to be placed in place.

[0011] Therefore, according to the charger and charger system of this aspect, if the position where the listening device is set is incorrect, the user can easily notice this and the listening device can be guided to the correct position. As a result, the listening device is set in the correct position and is fixed to the charger by the attractive force of the magnet, so that the connection between the charging terminal on the listening device side and the charging terminal on the charger side can be stabilized and the secondary battery built into the listening device can be properly charged.

[0012] More preferably, in the charger system of the above-mentioned aspect, the first storage section is provided on the left side of the charger, the second storage section is provided on the right side of the charger, the first listening device is a listening device for the left ear, and the second listening device is a listening device for the right ear.

[0013] With this type of charger system, when a listening device that has been set in the correct position and charged is removed from the charger and worn by the user, the listening device can be naturally guided to the correct ear from its position on the charger, so that the listening device set on the left side of the charger is guided to the left ear, the listening device set on the right side is guided to the right ear, and so on, thereby preventing the user from mistakenly wearing the left and right listening devices in reverse. Effect of the Invention

[0014] As described above, the charger and charging system of the present invention allow the user to properly store the left and right hearing devices in the charger without having to check the storage position, and makes it possible to properly charge the secondary batteries built into the hearing devices. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a charger according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 shows a listening device in which an internal battery is charged by a charger. [Diagram 3] 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the charger (a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1). [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between a magnet on the charger side and a magnet on the hearing device side when the hearing device is set in the charger (an enlarged view of the area surrounded by dashed line IV in FIG. 3). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are preferred examples of a charger for a listening device (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "charger") and a charging system composed of a charger and a listening device, and the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state in which a cover 10 of a charger 1 according to one embodiment is open. The charger 1 serves both as a charger for charging a secondary battery built into the hearing device and as a case for storing the hearing device, and a lid 10 is provided on a main body 20 so as to be openable and closable.

[0018] The upper part of the main body 20 has a generally symmetrical structure, with a left storage space 30 formed on the left side for storing part of a hearing device for the left ear, and a right storage space 40 formed on the right side for storing part of a hearing device for the right ear. The left storage space 30 is recessed downward from the substantially horizontal upper surface 22 of the main body 20, with a magnet 32 ​​installed at the bottom of the recess and a charging terminal 34 installed near the magnet 32. The right storage space 40 is also recessed downward from the upper surface 22 of the main body 20, with a magnet 42 installed at the bottom of the recess and a charging terminal 44 installed near the magnet 42. The left and right storage spaces 30, 40 are provided at the front side with placement spaces 36, 46 for allowing removal knobs provided on the hearing device to escape.

[0019] It should be noted that the charger 1 has a configuration inside the main body 20 that is capable of supplying charging current to the secondary batteries built into the left and right hearing devices via the charging terminals 34, 44; however, as this configuration is not directly related to the present invention, a description of this configuration will be omitted.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hearing device in which a built-in secondary battery is charged by a charger 1. As shown in FIG. Although the left and right hearing devices have different shapes and different positions of each part, they have the same parts, and the arrangement of each part is generally symmetrical between the left and right hearing devices. Therefore, for ease of explanation, the structure of the hearing device will be explained with reference to the hearing device 60 for the left ear shown in Figure 2.

[0021] FIG. 2A: A perspective view of the hearing device 60. The outer shell of the hearing device 60 is composed of a shell 61, which is a portion that fits into the space from the ear canal to the concha when worn, and a face plate 62, which is a portion that is visible from the outside. On the front side of the face plate 62, a knob portion 63 made of fishing line or the like that is used by pinching when removing the hearing device 60 from the ear, and a charging terminal 64 that is used when charging are provided. On the back side of the face plate 62 (inside the hearing device 60), in addition to a secondary battery and various electronic components, a magnet 65 is provided. As shown in the figure, the magnet 65 is provided near the charging terminal 64. Although not shown in the figure, the right-ear hearing device 70 also has a shell 71, a face plate 72, a knob portion 73, a charging terminal 74, a magnet 75, and the like, in the same positions as the respective portions of the left-ear hearing device 60.

[0022] 2(B): A side view of the hearing device 60 as seen from the front side when being placed in the charger 1. The hearing device 60 is set in the main body 20 (left storage space 30) of the charger 1 with the shell 61 facing up, the faceplate 62 facing down, and the knob part 63 facing forward (hereinafter, this orientation will be referred to as the "correct orientation"). At this time, the magnet 65 is in a horizontal state. Note that, in the hearing device 60, when it is set in the charger 1 in the correct orientation, two charging terminals 64 are provided at positions that overlap the two charging terminals 34 provided in the left storage space 30.

[0023] FIG. 2C: A table showing the orientation of the magnetic poles of the magnets installed inside the left and right hearing devices. The magnet 65 installed in the hearing device 60 for the left ear has a magnetic pole facing outward (toward the face plate 62), i.e., the magnetic pole facing the main body 20 of the charger 1 during charging (magnetic pole on the A side in FIG. 2B) as the N pole, and a magnetic pole facing inward (toward the shell 61) (magnetic pole on the B side in FIG. 2B) as the S pole. In contrast, the magnet 75 installed in the hearing device 70 for the right ear has a magnetic pole facing outward (toward the face plate 72), i.e., the magnetic pole facing the main body 20 of the charger 1 during charging as the S pole, and a magnetic pole facing inward (toward the shell 71) as the N pole. In this way, the magnets are installed in the left and right hearing devices so that the orientations of their magnetic poles are opposite to each other.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the charger 1 (a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1). In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the cover 10 of the charger 1 is omitted from FIG.

[0025] 3A: A vertical cross-sectional view showing the charger 1. As described above, the magnet 32 ​​is installed at the bottom of the recess 31 forming the left storage space 30, and the magnet 42 is installed at the bottom of the recess 41 forming the right storage space 40. The magnet 32 ​​on the left side has an S pole facing upwards, which faces the left-ear hearing device 60, and an N pole facing downwards. In contrast, the magnet 42 on the right side has an N pole facing upwards, which faces the right-ear hearing device 70, and an S pole facing downwards. In this way, the magnets installed at the bottoms of the recesses 31, 41 forming the left and right storage spaces 30, 40 are installed so that the magnetic poles are oriented in opposite directions on the left and right.

[0026] Fig. 3(B): A vertical cross-sectional view showing the left and right hearing devices 60, 70 set in the left and right storage spaces 30, 40 of the charger 1. To facilitate understanding of the invention, the shells 61, 71 forming the outer shells of the hearing devices 60, 70 and the speakers built into them are omitted from Fig. 3(B).

[0027] As described above, the magnetic pole of magnet 65 built into left ear listening device 60 facing charger 1 is the north pole, so when left ear listening device 60 is set in left storage space 30 in the correct orientation (accepted in recess 31), magnet 65 and magnet 32 ​​installed at the bottom of recess 31 attract each other, thereby securely fixing listening device 60 to main body 20, and charging terminal 64 on the listening device 60 overlaps with charging terminal 34 on the charger 1 and is securely connected to charging terminal 34.

[0028] Furthermore, as described above, the magnetic pole of magnet 75 built into right-ear listening device 70 facing charger 1 is an S pole, so when right-ear listening device 70 is set in right storage space 40 in the correct orientation (accepted in recess 41), magnet 75 and magnet 42 installed at the bottom of recess 41 attract each other, securely fixing listening device 70 to main body 20, and charging terminal 74 on the listening device 70 overlaps with charging terminal 44 on the charger 1 and is securely connected to charging terminal 44.

[0029] In this embodiment, the left and right magnets on the charger are installed so that the magnetic poles are in the opposite directions, so that if a user tries to set the left and right hearing devices in the wrong positions (for example, the hearing device for the left ear in the right storage space), the magnets on the hearing device side and the magnets on the charger repel each other, making the user aware that the setting positions are wrong and naturally guiding the user to set them in the correct position. In addition, since the left and right hearing devices are set in the correct positions in this way, the charging terminals on the hearing device side and the charger side can be reliably connected to properly charge the hearing devices, and it is also possible to prevent the user from mistakenly putting the hearing devices on the left and right ears when removing them from the charger and wearing them on their ears.

[0030] 3B, the magnets 65, 75 built into the hearing device are smaller than the magnets 32, 42 installed in the charger 1. That is, in this embodiment, a magnet that is small in size and has a weaker magnetic force is used for the hearing device, and a magnet that is large in size and has a stronger magnetic force is used for the charger. This configuration makes it possible to both miniaturize the hearing devices 60, 70 and ensure that the charger 1 can hold the hearing devices 60, 70 in place.

[0031] Furthermore, the magnets 32, 42 installed on the charger 1 are installed in an exposed state, without covering their surfaces with resin or the like. By leaving the magnets 32, 42 exposed, the distance between the magnets 32, 42 and the magnets 65, 75 built into the left and right hearing devices can be made smaller than when they are covered with resin, and the magnetic force can be strengthened accordingly. By strengthening the magnetic force of the magnets 32, 42 in this way, the magnets built into the left and right hearing devices can be made smaller, making it possible to further miniaturize the hearing devices.

[0032] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between magnet 32 ​​on the charger side and magnet 65 on the hearing device side when left-ear hearing device 60 is set on charger 1 (an enlarged view of the area surrounded by dashed line IV in FIG. 3).

[0033] In this embodiment, the distance D between the magnet 32 ​​installed on the charger 1 and the magnet 65 built into the hearing device 60, i.e., between the upper end surface 32t of the magnet on the charger side and the lower end surface 65b of the magnet on the hearing device side, is 1 is about 1 mm. The magnetic flux density at upper end surface 32t of the charger-side magnet is about 4000 G, while the magnetic flux density at lower end surface 65b of the listening device-side magnet is about 3000 G, meaning that magnet 32 ​​on the charger side is stronger in magnetic force than magnet 65 on the listening device side.

[0034] In addition, the surface 62s of the face plate 62 is not in contact with the upper end surface 32t of the charger-side magnet, and there is a distance D between them. 2In other words, magnet 32 ​​on the charger side is installed so that its upper end surface 32t is slightly lower than the surface of recess 31. With this arrangement, when listening device 60 is set on charger 1, listening device 60 does not come into direct contact with magnet 32 ​​on the charger side, so that scratches or cracks on the surface of listening device 60 due to contact with magnet 32 ​​can be prevented in advance.

[0035] Although not shown in the figure, the structure on the right side of the charger 1 (the structure between the magnet 42 installed on the charger 1 and the magnet 75 built into the listening device 70) is similar to the structure on the left side described above, except for the direction of the magnetic poles of each magnet.

[0036] [Advantages of the present invention] As described above, the charger 1 of the above-described embodiment provides the following advantages.

[0037] (1) The left and right magnets 32, 42 on the charger 1 are installed so that their magnetic poles face in opposite directions, and the left and right hearing devices 60, 70 each have built-in magnets 65, 75 with magnetic poles oriented in such a way that they attract each other to the magnets 32, 42. Therefore, if an attempt is made to set the left and right hearing devices 60, 70 in the wrong positions, the magnets will repel each other and the devices will not be able to be set. This makes it easy for the user to realize that the positions are incorrect, and the left and right hearing devices can be set in the correct positions on the charger 1 (the hearing device 60 for the left ear is in the left storage space 30, and the hearing device 70 for the right ear is in the right storage space 40).

[0038] (2) When the left and right hearing devices 60, 70 are set in the correct positions on the charger 1, the hearing devices are fixed to the charger by the attractive force acting between the magnets 32, 42 on the charger side and the magnets 65, 75 on the hearing device side, so that the charging terminals 64, 74 of the left and right hearing devices can be securely and stably connected to the left and right charging terminals 34, 44 on the charger side, respectively, and the secondary batteries 67, 77 built into the hearing devices can be reliably charged.

[0039] (3) Because the left and right hearing devices 60, 70 are charged in the correct positions on the charger 1, it is possible to prevent the user from incorrectly attaching the hearing devices 60, 70 to their ears when removing them from the charger 1.

[0040] (4) Because the magnets 32, 42 on the charger 1 side are installed in an exposed state, the distance between these magnets and the magnets 65, 75 built into the left and right hearing devices can be made smaller than when they are covered with resin or the like, and the magnetic force can be strengthened accordingly. As a result, the magnets built into the left and right hearing devices can be made smaller, making it possible to further miniaturize the hearing devices.

[0041] (5) The magnets 32, 42 on the charger side are installed so that their upper end surfaces are slightly lower than the surfaces of the recesses 31, 41. This prevents the listening devices 60, 70 from directly touching the magnets 32, 42 on the charger side when the listening devices 60, 70 are set on the charger 1, thereby preventing scratches or cracks on the surfaces of the listening devices 60, 70 due to contact with the magnets.

[0042] (6) Magnets 32, 42 on the charger side are large in size and have strong magnetic force, while magnets 65, 75 on the listening device side are small in size and have weaker magnetic force. This makes it possible to miniaturize the listening device while ensuring the force with which the listening device is fixed to the charger.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modified forms.

[0044] In the above-described embodiment, the magnetic pole of magnet 65 built into the left ear listening device facing the charger is an N pole, and the magnetic pole of magnet 75 built into the right ear listening device facing the charger is an S pole. Correspondingly, the upward magnetic pole of magnet 32 ​​on the left side of charger 1 is an S pole, and the upward magnetic pole of magnet 42 on the right side is an N pole; however, the magnetic pole orientations of magnets 65, 75 built into the listening devices and magnets 32, 42 installed on charger 1 may be reversed from those in the embodiment.

[0045] In the above-described embodiment, two charging terminals 34, 44 are provided in the left and right recesses 31, 41 of the charger 1, and correspondingly, two charging terminals 64, 74 are provided in the left and right hearing devices 60, 70, but the number of charging terminals is not limited to two each.

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, the surface of the bottom of the recess 31, 41 where the magnet 32, 42 on the charger side is placed is not closed, and the magnet 32, 42 is placed at a position slightly lower than the surface at the open (disconnected) portion of the surface, but the surface may be closed at the bottom of the recess 31, 41. In this case, the magnet 32, 42 is placed on the back side of the bottom of the closed recess.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, the upper surface 22 of the main body 20 is provided substantially horizontally, but the upper surface 22 of the main body does not have to be horizontal, and may be inclined, for example.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, the charger 1 serves both as a charger and a storage case, but it is also possible to employ a configuration similar to that of the embodiment in a pure charger that does not also serve as a storage case.

[0049] Additionally, the configurations and numerical values ​​given in the course of the description of the charger 1 of the above embodiment are merely examples and can be modified as appropriate when implementing the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 charger 20 Main body 30 Left storage space (first storage section) 31 Recess (first storage section) 32 Magnet (First Magnet) 40 Right storage space (second storage section) 41 Recess (second storage area) 42 Magnet (Second Magnet) 60 Left ear hearing device (first hearing device) 62 Faceplate (first outer shell part) 65 Magnet 70 Right-ear hearing device (second hearing device) 72 Faceplate (second outer shell part) 75 Magnet

Claims

1. A charger capable of charging a secondary battery built into a hearing device, a first receiving portion for receiving the hearing device for one ear during charging; a first magnet that is installed in correspondence with the first housing portion and has a predetermined magnetic pole oriented in a predetermined direction; a second receptacle for receiving a hearing device for the other ear during charging; a second magnet that is installed in correspondence with the second storage portion and has a magnetic pole opposite to the predetermined magnetic pole oriented in the predetermined direction; Charger with.

2. 2. The charger according to claim 1, Each of the storage sections is The charger has a recessed shape relative to the surface thereof, Each of the magnets is A charger characterized in that it is installed at a position recessed from the surface of the storage section.

3. A charger according to claim 1 or 2; a first hearing device for the one ear, the first hearing device having a magnet on a back side of a first outer shell portion that faces the first housing portion during charging, the magnet having a magnetic pole opposite to the predetermined magnetic pole facing the first outer shell portion; a second hearing device for the other ear, the second hearing device having a magnet on a back side of a second outer shell portion that faces the second housing portion during charging, the predetermined magnetic pole of the magnet being oriented toward the second outer shell portion; Equipped with a charging system.

4. 4. The charger system according to claim 3, The first storage section includes: Located to the left of the charger, The second storage section includes: Located to the right of the charger, The first hearing device A hearing device for the left ear, The second listening device A charger system that is a right-ear hearing device.

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