Completely-in-canal hearing aid with segmented housing axes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional completely-in-canal hearing aids face challenges in achieving a compact, ergonomic, and aesthetically pleasing design while maintaining effective sound amplification and user comfort.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a housing with a front and rear section, where the receiver and chip are located in the front section and the battery in the rear, with distinct central axes and a flexible circuit board that surrounds the battery, allowing for a smaller, more comfortable, and versatile hearing aid structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the battery is located in the rear section with distinct central axes, then the hearing aid achieves a compact and ergonomic structure, but the internal space arrangement becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a front section and a rear section with distinct central axes. The front section contains the receiver and chip, while the rear section houses the battery. This segmentation allows each component to be optimally positioned in its own zone, reducing overall device volume while managing internal complexity through structured division.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an angular relationship between the central axes of the front and rear sections, transitioning from a linear arrangement to a three-dimensional angular configuration. This dimensional change enables more efficient space utilization and compactness while accommodating all necessary components.
2Volume of moving object
If the flexible circuit board surrounds the battery in an annular shape, then space utilization is improved and device size is reduced, but the circuit board layout becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible circuit board is configured in an annular shape that surrounds the battery in a curved, circular pattern. This curved layout optimizes space utilization around the cylindrical battery, reducing the overall device volume while the flexibility of the circuit board material accommodates the curved geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible circuit board is used instead of a rigid one, allowing it to be bent into an annular configuration that surrounds the battery. This flexibility enables the circuit board to adapt to the curved space around the battery, achieving compact integration without requiring complex rigid structural arrangements.
3Shape
If the rear section has two opposite planes and two opposite side surfaces, then the appearance is regular and compact, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rear section is designed with two opposite planes and two opposite side surfaces that are not all coplanar, creating an asymmetric yet regular appearance. The first and second planes are positioned at different orientations relative to the side surfaces, achieving a compact ergonomic shape while avoiding the need for extremely high precision in all surfaces simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Different surfaces of the rear section have different geometric properties - two opposite planes and two opposite side surfaces with distinct orientations. This local differentiation allows each surface to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining an overall regular appearance, reducing the need for uniform high precision across all surfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A completely-in-canal hearing aid, including a housing, a receiver, a chip, a battery, a flexible circuit board and a microphone, wherein the housing includes a front section and a rear section; the receiver and the chip are located in the front section; the battery is located in the rear section; the rear section has two opposite surfaces and two opposite side surfaces; the front section has a first central axis parallel to the length of the front section; the rear section has a second central axis located between the two opposite surfaces and between the two opposite side surfaces; the first central axis and the second central axis are different straight lines. The completely-in-canal hearing aid is fine and compact in structure, reasonable and ingenious in design, diversified in function and comfortable to wear.