Hearing Aid Insert Member With Protruding Engagement Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hearing aid insert members often push ear wax and dirt into the device during removal, causing damage and maintenance issues.
Innovation Solution
The design includes an insert member with a sound path and a protruding engagement member that allows for removal without engaging the sound path, using a support part to prevent insertion too far and a retention member to minimize wax ingress, along with a removal tool with an uneven surface to catch the insert member securely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the insert member is removed by engaging a removal tool at the sound path opening, then the removal process is simple and accessible, but ear wax and dirt are pressed into the hearing aid during removal
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful function of the sound path opening by providing a separate engagement member that extends beyond the sound path opening. This engagement member is specifically designed to be engaged by the removal tool, separating the removal function from the sound transmission function and preventing wax from being pressed into the hearing aid during removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement member acts as an intermediary element between the removal tool and the insert member. It provides a dedicated interface for tool engagement that is positioned away from the sound path opening, thereby mediating the removal process to avoid direct contact between the tool and the sound path opening that would otherwise press wax into the hearing aid.
2Quantity of substance
If an insert member is designed to retain ear wax, then more ear wax is retained, but the risk of pressing unwanted items into the hearing aid increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the removal interface from the sound path opening area by providing a separate engagement member that extends beyond the opening. This allows the insert member to retain ear wax effectively while providing a dedicated, wax-free zone for tool engagement during removal, preventing contamination of the hearing aid.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert member is segmented into functional zones: the sound path opening area that retains ear wax and the engagement member area that provides a clean interface for removal tool engagement. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function without interfering with the other, enabling effective wax retention while preventing contamination during removal.
3Ease of operation
If the insert member structure is simplified for easy removal, then removal is easier, but the ability to prevent wax ingress is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the engagement function from the complex sound path structure by providing a simple engagement member that extends beyond the sound path opening. This simple protruding structure provides easy tool engagement while the positioning of this engagement member away from the opening inherently prevents wax ingress, achieving both simplicity and protection.
Data Source
Figure 1a~2b
Figure 2c~2d
Figure 3a~3e
AI summary
The present invention provides a hearing aid comprising a housing for positioning in or at an ear canal of a user, where the housing has a sound channel extending in a longitudinal direction and terminating in a sound opening, and a transducer located in the housing and configured for transducing sound at the sound opening. Furthermore, the hearing aid comprises an insert member comprising an insert part for insertion into the sound channel and a support part for arrangement against the housing. The insert member forms a sound path from a first sound opening to a second sound opening, where the first sound opening is arranged in the insert part and the second sound opening is arranged in the support part outside the sound channel. The insert part comprises a retention member for retention of wax, where the retention member comprises at least one opening and is arranged so that at least a part hereof extends transverse to the longitudinal direction. The support part forms a protruding engagement member which facilitates catching of the insert member without engaging the sound path during removal of the insert member.