Hearing Instrument PCB Wall for Reduced Ear Canal Occlusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hearing aids often cause occlusion effects, discomfort, and feedback issues due to their design, which obstructs the ear canal and requires customization, leading to increased costs and user dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
The use of a Signal Processor Module as a wall within the hearing instrument housing minimizes space, allowing for a shorter, more invisible design that positions deeper in the ear canal, providing an open solution with reduced occlusion and improved comfort, and incorporating an elongate member for secure retention without customization, along with feedback suppression mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a solid housing is used to secure retention and tightness, then reliability is improved, but user comfort deteriorates due to discomfort when placed in the ear canal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by making the canal portion of the device from a soft, flexible material that can adapt to the ear canal walls. This flexible material provides both secure retention and user comfort by conforming to the anatomical shape without causing discomfort, resolving the contradiction between reliability and comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining a rigid housing structure with a soft, flexible canal portion. The rigid part provides structural integrity and retention, while the soft material portion provides comfort and adaptability to the ear canal, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and user comfort.
2Reliability
If the housing is placed completely or partially in the ear canal to secure retention, then reliability is improved, but user comfort deteriorates due to occlusion effects
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible canal portion allows the device to be positioned in the ear canal while adapting to the ear's anatomy, providing secure retention without complete occlusion. The flexibility enables the device to conform to the ear canal walls, maintaining retention while reducing occlusion effects that cause discomfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the canal portion by using soft, flexible material with specific mechanical properties that allow deformation and adaptation. This parameter change enables the device to provide retention through conformity rather than rigid occlusion, thereby reducing occlusion effects.
3Reliability
If a custom made earpiece is used to fit precisely in the ear canal, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a standardized housing and canal portion that can fit multiple ear canal sizes and shapes without requiring custom manufacturing for each user. The flexible material and modular design allow a single universal component to adapt to individual anatomical variations, achieving precise fit while simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamics by incorporating a flexible, adaptable canal portion that can dynamically conform to the user's ear canal shape during insertion and wear. This dynamic adaptation allows a universal design to achieve precise fit for different users without requiring custom manufacturing, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a new type of hearing instrument with a housing that is adapted for positioning in the ear canal of a user without obstructing the ear canal of the user, the housing accommodating a signal processor for generating an audio signal, and a receiver that is connected to an output of the signal processor for converting the processed compensated audio signal into a sound signal, wherein the housing has a trunk part that is interconnected with a tip part, the housing further accommodating a printed circuit board with the signal processor forming a wall within the housing extending transversely to the longitudinal extension of the trunk part.