Canal Hearing Device Sizer Tool with Inflatable Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current extended wear hearing devices face challenges in proper sizing due to clinicians' inability to observe the medial portion of the sizer tool, leading to improper seal sizes and potential discomfort or injury, as well as inadequate acoustic feedback suppression.
Innovation Solution
A hearing device sizer tool system with a shaft and in-the-canal seal that is flexible to conform to the ear canal shape, featuring inflatable or contractable structures and indicators to display seal sizes, allowing for accurate sizing without obstruction from a lateral seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional sizer tool with both medial and lateral seals is used, then the hearing device can be retained in the ear canal, but the lateral seal obscures the medial seal making it impossible to observe during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the lateral seal from the sizer tool, extracting only the problematic component that causes obscuration. The sizer tool now includes only the medial seal, which can be fully observed during insertion and sizing without being blocked by a lateral seal, while still providing adequate hearing device retention through the medial seal alone.
2Reliability
If the medial seal is made highly compliant to conform to ear canal geometry, then acoustic feedback suppression is improved, but the seal becomes difficult to observe and evaluate during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies visual indicators to the medial seal, such as colored bands or contrasting colors, that allow the clinician to easily observe and evaluate the seal's position, compression, and fit within the ear canal. These visual cues remain effective even when the seal material itself is highly compliant and difficult to see, enabling proper sizing while maintaining acoustic feedback suppression performance.
3Manufacturing precision
If the sizer tool includes depth markers to ensure proper insertion depth, then insertion accuracy is improved, but the tool complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the sizer tool into distinct segments including the shaft, the medial seal, and depth markers positioned at specific intervals along the shaft. This segmentation allows the depth markers to be clearly visible and readable without adding excessive complexity, as each component serves a specific function and can be independently manufactured and assembled.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise determination of appropriate seal sizes, improving comfort and acoustic performance by allowing clear observation and selection of optimal seal sizes during the sizing process.
Implementation Method 1
a contractable structure, associated with the medial end of the shaft, that is biased to an expanded state and that is configured to contract in response to contact with the ear canal bony region
Implementation Method 2
The seals 54 and 56 are frequently formed from a highly porous and highly compliant foam material (e.g., hydrophilic polyurethane foam), which conforms to the ear canal geometry by deflection and compression
Implementation Method 3
an inflatable structure, associated the medial end of the shaft, having an uninflated state where the inflatable structure is insertable into the ear canal bony region and an inflated state where the inflatable structure contacts the ear canal bony region
Data Source
AI summary
A hearing device sizer tool in accordance with at least one of the present inventions includes a shaft defining a medial end and a lateral end, and an in-the-canal (ITC) hearing device seal associated with the medial end of the shaft. A hearing device sizer tool system in accordance with at least one of the present inventions includes a plurality of hearing device sizer tools with differently sized ITC hearing device seals.