Hearing Aid Receiver Damping Support Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing aids with external receivers often experience feedback due to vibration transmission between the receiver and the device housing, particularly in Cymba devices, where the stiff wire connecting the receiver to the main unit exacerbates this issue.
Innovation Solution
A receiver device with a shaft attached to the earpiece, featuring a damping support element that reduces vibration transmission, where the shaft is elastically suspended and connected to a soft carrier element, and an electrical line with a thin, helical wire that minimizes vibration transfer, providing mechanical and electrical isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a stiff wire is used to connect the receiver to the main part of the hearing aid, then the device is held securely in position, but vibration transmission increases causing feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediate damping support element between the receiver shaft and the earpiece housing. This intermediary component absorbs and dissipates vibrations while allowing the receiver to remain securely positioned, thereby blocking the harmful vibration transmission path without compromising positional stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the connection structure by transitioning from a stiff wire to a flexible shaft with damping properties. The shaft's flexibility and the damping support element modify the vibration transmission characteristics, reducing feedback while maintaining adequate mechanical support.
2Strength
If a rigid connection structure is used between receiver and housing, then mechanical strength is improved, but feedback due to vibration transmission worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure combining a flexible shaft material with a damping support element. This composite approach provides both mechanical strength for structural integrity and vibration-damping properties to reduce feedback, achieving a balance between strength and harmful vibration transmission.
3Reliability
If the wire connecting receiver to main unit is made stiff, then connection reliability is improved, but vibration transmission to microphone increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damping support element serves as an intermediary between the shaft and the earpiece housing, providing reliable mechanical support while blocking the transmission path for vibrations. This intermediary structure maintains connection reliability between the receiver and the main unit without transmitting harmful vibrations to the microphone.
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
Effectively dampens vibrations in all spatial directions, reducing feedback and improving the functionality of hearing aids by enhancing open-loop amplification and reducing resonance transmission to the hearing aid.
Implementation Method 1
a damping support element for reducing the transmission of vibrations of the earphone to the earpiece is arranged between the shaft and an inner wall of the earpiece
Implementation Method 2
the shaft is elastically suspended with the support element is held
Data Source
AI summary
The device has a receiver (14) for converting electrical signals, and a hollow-cylindrical earpiece (11) adapted to an ear canal during wearing of the device. A shaft (17) is attached to the receiver, and has a periphery smaller than a periphery of the receiver with respect to a common axis. A hollow-cylindrical carrier element (19) is arranged between the shaft and an inner wall of the earpiece, and movably holds the shaft in the earpiece. A material of the carrier element is softer than an inner wall of a tubular base part (10).