CN214429687U

CN214429687U - Hearing device and hearing device tube

Info

Publication number: CN214429687U
Application number: CN202120634788.7U
Authority: CN
Inventors: D·V·雅克布; R·A·桑尼基
Original assignee: Knowles Electronics LLC
Current assignee: Knowles Electronics LLC
Priority date: 2020-03-31
Filing date: 2021-03-29
Publication date: 2021-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 2031-03-29
Also published as: PH22021050264U1; PH22021050264Y1

Abstract

A hearing device and a hearing device tube. The hearing device includes a housing having an aperture and an internal cavity configured to retain a component of the hearing device. A portion of the tube is disposed in the bore and secured to the housing by a weld without the need for an adhesive. In some implementations, the hearing device tube includes a welded flange, while in other implementations, the tube does not have a flange.

Description

Hearing device and hearing device tube

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to hearing devices, and more particularly to hearing devices employing a wiring or sound tube, tubes for such hearing devices, and combinations thereof.

Background

Hearing devices, such as hearing aids, ear phones (earphones), and other audible devices worn on or in the ears of a user, typically employ one or more sound producing acoustic transducers that convert an electrical input signal into an acoustic output signal. Some hearing devices include a tube that interconnects a behind-the-ear (bte) shell and an in-canal receiver (ric) assembly. The BTE housing is suspended over the back of the user's ear, and the RIC assembly includes an earpiece plug (ear tip) configured to fit at least partially in the user's ear canal. The tube carries wires that interconnect the circuitry in the BTE housing to the balanced armature receiver in the RIC assembly. Other hearing devices also employ plastic tubing that provides an acoustic path for the acoustic output or protects electrical wiring connected to the electrical components.

Fig. 1 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a prior art RIC assembly housing 112 having an inner cavity 100 configured to receive a component (not shown), and a tube 102 disposed in a bore 108 of the housing and affixed thereto with an adhesive or glue 110. The glue generally prevents rotational and axial movement of the tube within the bore. However, glues are expensive, laborious to apply, prone to some tube and shell imperfections, and do not always provide a sufficiently strong seam to prevent the tube from separating from the shell. In fig. 1, the tube includes an over-molded flange 104 (also referred to as a blunt (blunt)) that fits over a shoulder 106 of an aperture 108 to compensate for the poor retention provided by the adhesive bond. However, the overmolded flange is expensive to manufacture and either occupies space within the housing or requires a larger housing. Thus, in some implementations, it is desirable to eliminate adhesives and blunt tips. In other implementations, it is desirable to maintain a blunt tip and reduce the costs associated with the manufacture of the blunt tip.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

An aspect of the invention relates to a hearing device for use in or on the ear of a user, wherein the hearing device comprises: a housing having an internal cavity configured to house components of the hearing device; an aperture disposed in the housing; and a tube having the following parts: the portion is disposed in the bore and is axially affixed to the housing without the need for adhesive.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a hearing device tube, wherein the hearing device tube comprises: a tube having a passage and configurable to extend between a back of an ear of a user and an ear canal of the user; an annular flange disposed about an end of the pipe, the annular flange having a uniform circumferential thickness between an inner diameter of the annular flange and an outer diameter of the annular flange; and a weld securing the annular flange to the end of the pipe, the weld being located at an interface between the annular flange and the pipe.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a prior art hearing device sub-assembly having a flanged tube secured to a housing by an adhesive;

fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a hearing device assembly including a housing having a tube at least partially attached thereto;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a hearing device subassembly having a tube at least partially affixed to a shell by a weld between the tube and a neck of the shell;

fig. 4 is a partial top view of the hearing device sub-assembly of fig. 3;

fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of another hearing device subassembly including a housing having a tube at least partially attached thereto;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pipe with a flange welded on the end; and

fig. 7 is a cross-section of another hearing device with a tube having a flange welded thereto, wherein the tube is at least partially attached to the housing.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to hearing devices, assemblies and subassemblies therefor, which include an acoustic tube or a tube containing one or more wires. Such hearing devices include behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids and in-the-canal Receiver (RIC) hearing aids among other audible devices having a tube secured to a housing.

Hearing devices described herein generally include a housing having an internal cavity configured to house one or more components. According to one aspect of the invention, the housing includes a bore that receives a tube that is secured to the housing with a weld, thereby eliminating the need for the use of an adhesive. The tube may contain electrical wires or the tube may transmit sound from a sound producing acoustic transducer disposed in the housing. The weld limits axial and/or rotational movement of the tube relative to the housing and provides good retention and sealing properties, among other benefits. The weld is strong enough to eliminate the need for an upper flange on the tube in some applications. Thus, flanges may or may not be used, depending on space constraints and cost considerations.

In some implementations, the housing includes a body portion and a neck portion having a distal end protruding from the body portion of the housing, wherein the tube is welded to a portion of the neck portion through which the aperture and the tube extend. The energy required to form the weld depends on the thickness of the neck. A relatively uniform circumferential thickness between the inner and outer diameters of the neck will ensure uniform welding and optimum performance. In some implementations, the neck tapers toward its distal end. The tube and the housing may be made of the same or different materials. Such materials include thermoplastics, metals, and other known or future weldable materials, or combinations of these.

The weld may be formed by Laser Beam Welding (LBW), including through laser welding (TTLW) and Direct Laser Welding (DLW), ultrasonic welding, or some other known or future welding operation. In some implementations, an Infrared (IR) conductive ink is applied between the tube and the housing prior to welding to improve energy absorption. In other implementations, the tube, the shell, or both are doped with carbon or other materials, which improves energy absorption during the welding operation. The use of dopants eliminates the need to apply IR conductive inks. It is desirable to use IR inks or dopants for the following materials: materials that are relatively transparent to the welding energy (e.g., certain thermoplastics).

Welding the tube to the housing eliminates the need for adhesives, increases throughput by eliminating adhesive application and curing operations, reduces environmental impact and reduces cost, among other advantages. Welding the tube to the housing also provides a sufficiently strong seam that can eliminate a blunt tip on the tube, further saving costs. The removal of the blunt tip may also reduce the housing size as a whole, which is desirable for in-ear hearing devices, BTE hearing devices, and other devices requiring less space.

In some implementations, the housing is an RIC component having a housing configured with or accepting an earpiece plug that is at least partially inserted into the ear canal of the user. Wires provided in a tube attached to the RIC housing are connected to a sound producing acoustic transducer provided in the inner cavity of the RIC housing. In other implementations, the housing is a BTE assembly having a housing configured to overhang the back of the user's ear. A sound producing acoustic transducer disposed in the interior cavity of the BTE housing is acoustically coupled, without wires, to a sound tube that is affixed to the BTE housing. Other hearing devices may also include a tube attached to the housing. In general, the transducers used in a hearing device may be one or more balanced armature receivers, dynamic speakers, or a combination thereof.

Fig. 2-6 illustrate a hearing device, an assembly or subassembly including a housing, and a tube located or otherwise disposed in a bore of the housing and axially affixed to the housing. Fig. 2, 3, 5 and 6 show the tube positioned in a bore 108 extending through the housing. In fig. 2-5, the housing includes a neck 140, the neck 140 having a distal end protruding therefrom, wherein the bore and the tube extend through the neck, and the neck is disposed about a portion of the tube. The housing in fig. 5 does not have a neck.

In some implementations, the housing includes two or more separable housing portions that are fastened together before or after assembly of the components within the housing cavity. In fig. 2 and 3, the housing includes

separable portions

112 and 114. In other implementations, the separable housing portions fit along a seam extending through the aperture. The housing portions may be secured together by adhesive, snap fit, welding, or other fastening mechanisms. Welding the housing portions eliminates the need for adhesives or glues. The tube and the housing may be assembled by inserting the tube into the bore from the inside or outside of the housing.

In some implementations, welding (also referred to as a weld) secures the tube and the housing, eliminating the need for adhesives, as described more fully herein. Welding has good tube retention and thus in some implementations, flanges on the tube can be eliminated if desired (e.g., to save space). Welding also provides good sealing properties, as well as other benefits described herein.

Fig. 2-5 show the tube 124 welded to the neck 140 of the housing. In these examples, the weld is at the interface between the tube 124 and the neck 140 of the shell. The weld may be formed by laser welding, ultrasonic welding, or some other known or future welding operation.

In a Laser Welding System (LWS) implementation, welding energy is propagated through a portion of the shell (e.g., the neck) to form a weld between the shell and the tube. Thus, the energy required to form the weld depends on the thickness of the shell through which the energy must travel. In the case of a housing part through which the welding energy propagates having a relatively uniform thickness, a uniform weld and optimum holding and sealing properties will result. In implementations where the weld is formed by LWS, Infrared (IR) conductive ink may be applied between the tube and the portion of the housing to which the tube is to be welded prior to welding. The IR conductive ink increases the absorption of laser energy by the working material and improves the quality of the weld. The IR conductive ink may be applied by dipping a portion of the tube into the IR ink, spraying or otherwise applying the IR ink onto the tube, the housing, or both, prior to welding. Alternatively, instead of IR conductive ink, the tube, the housing, or both, include dopants just like carbon or some other material to better absorb laser energy to improve welding performance.

In ultrasonic welding operations, as is well known, by configuring the welding location at the interface between the tube and the shell portion with a point of contact that promotes local material melting, optimal weld quality will result.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an in-the-canal Receiver (RIC) assembly that includes a sound-producing acoustic transducer 126, such as a balanced armature receiver, disposed in the cavity 100 of the housing 122. The housing includes a nozzle 128, the nozzle 128 having an acoustic port 136 acoustically coupled to the transducer output. The nozzle also accommodates an earpiece plug (not shown) that fits into the ear canal of the user. An optional filter cup 130 provided at one end of the nozzle prevents contaminants (like earwax and other debris) from entering the acoustic port and acoustic transducer. Fig. 3 and 4 are partially assembled RIC subassemblies. The subassembly of fig. 3 lacks a receiver, a cord, and a headphone plug, while the subassembly of fig. 4 lacks a headphone plug.

Fig. 5 illustrates a BTE housing configured to be worn on the back of a user's ear. The BTE housing includes a sound tube 124 through which sound is propagated from an acoustic transducer (not shown) disposed within the housing along with circuitry and other components. The tube is secured to the neck of the housing by the weld 142 described above.

In some hearing device implementations, it may be desirable to include a flange on the tube, regardless of how the tube is secured to the housing. Thus, according to another aspect of the present invention, the weld secures the flange to the tube, rather than forming the flange by overmolding as in the prior art. Welding the flange to the tube is less expensive than overmolding, and has other advantages. Fig. 6 shows a pipe 200 having a flange 146 welded to the end of the pipe at weld 142. The tube, the flange, or both may comprise a thermoplastic material or other weldable material as described herein.

The weld may be formed by laser welding, ultrasonic welding, or some other welding operation, as described herein in connection with welded tubes. The weld is located at the interface between the tube and the flange. In a Laser Welding System (LWS) implementation, welding energy is propagated through a portion of the flange to form a weld between the tube and the flange. The energy required to form the weld is therefore dependent on the thickness of the flange through which the weld energy must propagate. Where the flange portion through which the welding energy propagates has a relatively uniform thickness, a uniform weld will result with optimum retention and sealing performance, but slight variations can be tolerated. In implementations where a weld is formed by LWS, Infrared (IR) conductive ink may be applied where a weld is desired prior to welding, as described herein. Alternatively, the tube, the flange, or both may include a dopant just like carbon or some other material to better absorb the laser energy to improve the welding performance, as described herein.

Fig. 7 illustrates a hearing device housing subassembly comprising a tube 200, the tube 200 having a welded flange disposed in the bore 108 of the housing. In one implementation, the shell of fig. 7 is part of an RIC assembly configured to be at least partially inserted into an ear canal of a user such that an acoustic port of the shell extends into the ear canal of the user, as described herein. In another implementation, the housing of fig. 7 is part of a BTE housing configured to be worn behind the ear of a user. In either case, the housing includes a cavity that houses hearing device parts like transducers, circuitry, etc.

In one implementation, an adhesive or glue attaches the flanged tube 200 to the housing in fig. 7, as is conventionally done. In another implementation, the weld attaches the flanged pipe 200 to the housing in fig. 7, as described herein. In a more particular implementation, the housing includes a neck having a distal end protruding from a body portion of the housing, and the aperture and the tube extend through the neck, wherein the neck is disposed about a portion of the tube that is welded to the neck. In some welding implementations, infrared ink is provided at the interface between the tube and the housing prior to forming the weld. Alternatively, at least the portion of the tube or the portion of the housing to which the tube is welded, or both, comprise a dopant that increases the absorption of energy during welding. The housing or tube may comprise a thermoplastic material as described herein or other materials.

While the present invention and what are considered presently to be the best modes thereof have been described in a manner that establishes possession thereof by the inventors and that enables those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the same, it will be understood and appreciated that there are many equivalents to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein and that myriad modifications and variations may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventions, which are to be limited not by the exemplary embodiments but by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A hearing device for use in or on the ear of a user, the hearing device comprising:

a housing having an internal cavity configured to house components of the hearing device;

an aperture disposed in the housing; and

a tube having the following: the portion is disposed in the bore and is axially affixed to the housing without the need for adhesive.

2. A hearing device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a weld securing the tube to the housing.

3. A hearing device according to claim 2, characterised in that at least the part of the tube or the part of the shell to which the tube is welded comprises a dopant which increases the absorption of energy when the tube is welded to the shell.

4. A hearing device according to claim 2, characterised in that the hearing device further comprises infrared ink at the interface between the tube and the shell before the weld is formed.

5. A hearing device as set forth in claim 2, where the portion of the tube is devoid of a flange.

6. A hearing device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the shell includes a body portion and a neck portion having a distal end protruding from the body portion, the hole being provided through the neck portion, wherein the neck portion is provided around the portion of the tube, and wherein the weld is at an interface of the tube and the shell.

7. A hearing device as set forth in claim 1, where the shell or the tube comprises a thermoplastic.

8. A hearing device according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the hearing device is an in-canal receiver sub-assembly, wherein the housing comprises an acoustic port and is configured to be at least partly inserted into the ear canal of a user in such a way that the acoustic port is directed towards the ear canal of the user.

9. A hearing device as set forth in claim 8, further comprising: a sound producing acoustic transducer disposed in the interior cavity of the housing; and an electric wire provided in the tube and electrically connected to the sound-generating transducer.

10. A hearing device according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the hearing device is a behind-the-ear hearing device further comprising a sound producing sound transducer arranged in the inner cavity of the housing, wherein the tube is free of wires.

11. A hearing device tube, comprising:

a tube having a passage and configurable to extend between a back of an ear of a user and an ear canal of the user;

an annular flange disposed about an end of the pipe, the annular flange having a relatively uniform circumferential thickness between an inner diameter of the annular flange and an outer diameter of the annular flange; and

a weld securing the annular flange to the end of the pipe, the weld being at an interface between the annular flange and the pipe.

12. A hearing device tube as set forth in claim 11, where the hearing device tube comprises a thermoplastic material.

13. A hearing device tube as set forth in claim 12, further comprising infrared ink at an interface between the tube and the annular flange prior to forming the weld.

14. A hearing device tube according to any of claims 11-13, characterised in that the hearing device tube is combined with a housing of a hearing device for use in or on the ear of a user, the housing having a bore and a lumen configured to contain hearing device components, the tube having the following: the portion is disposed in the bore and is axially affixed to the housing, wherein the annular flange is located on an interior of the housing.

15. A hearing device tube according to claim 14, characterised in that at least the part of the tube or the annular flange comprises a dopant which increases the absorption of energy during welding.

16. A hearing device tube as set forth in claim 14, wherein the shell includes a neck having a distal end protruding from the shell, the hole being disposed through the neck, wherein the neck is disposed around the portion of the tube, and wherein the tube is welded to the neck.

17. The hearing device tube of claim 16, wherein the hearing device is an in-canal receiver subassembly, the shell includes an acoustic port, and the shell is configured to be at least partially inserted into an ear canal of a user in a manner such that the acoustic port is directed toward the ear canal of the user.

18. A hearing device tube according to claim 16, characterized in that the hearing device is a behind-the-ear hearing device further comprising a sound generating sound transducer arranged in the inner cavity of the housing, wherein the tube is free of wires.