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EP-4037295-B1 - EAR LEVEL PART FOR A HEARING DEVICE

EP4037295B1EP 4037295 B1EP4037295 B1EP 4037295B1EP-4037295-B1

Inventors

  • SCHMIDT, MARK
  • MA, MING-LUN DAVE
  • TALASLIAN, ARA
  • TAMSIRAN, RAFAEL

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20210129

Claims (14)

  1. An ear level part (2) for a hearing device (1), the ear level part (2) comprising: - a body (3), the body (3) further comprising a flange (12), wherein a receiver (14) is arranged within the body (3), wherein the flange (12) has a sound exit (17) for the receiver (14), - an upper tab (8) generally protruding in a lateral direction from the body (3) and configured to be positioned above the tragus (22) of a user's ear (20) and a lower tab (9) generally protruding in a lateral direction from the body (3), wherein the upper tab (8) and/or the lower tab (9) comprise/comprises a loop defining an opening or eye generally extending in a distal or medial direction through the respective tab (8, 9), characterized in that the body (3) contains at least two microphones (13) acoustically connected to at least two microphone openings (5), the at least two microphone openings (5) arranged in a microphone line (ML), wherein the lower tab (9) is configured to be positioned beneath the tragus (22) of the user's ear (20) thereby aligning the ear level part (2) in such a way that the microphone line (ML) lies on the tragus (22) and/or in such a way that a perpendicular on the microphone line (ML) in the middle between the two microphones lies on the antitragus (24) of the user's ear (20), wherein the lower tab (9) is configured to be positioned between the tragus (22) and the antitragus (24).
  2. The ear level part (2) according to claim 1, wherein due to the positioning of the upper tab (8) above the tragus (22) of a user's ear (20) and due to the positioning of the lower tab (9) beneath the tragus (22) of the user's ear (20) the ear level part (2) is aligned in such a way that the microphone line (ML) lies on a central region of the tragus (22).
  3. The ear level part (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper tab (8) is configured to be positioned between the tragus (22) and the crus helicis (23).
  4. The ear level part (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flange (12) comprises an oval cross section, wherein a main axis of the oval cross section of the flange (12) is perpendicular relative to the microphone line (ML) or deviates from being perpendicular by at most +/- 15 degrees.
  5. The ear level part (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - a dome (16) arranged at a medial end of the body (3), the dome (16) comprising a socket (6) and a collar (7), the collar (7) being arranged at a medial end of the socket (6) generally extending back in a distal direction thus at least partially enclosing the socket (6), wherein the collar (7) is configured to flare in the distal direction, wherein the socket (6) is connected with the flange (12).
  6. The ear level part (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receiver (14) is arranged within the flange (12).
  7. The ear level part (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the loop of the upper tab (8) and/or the lower tab (9) has a first end (8.1, 9.1) and a second end (8.2, 9.2) respectively protruding from a lateral face of the body (3), wherein the first end (8.1, 9.1) protrudes in a direction which is closer to a radial direction while the second end (8.2, 9.2) protrudes in a direction which is closer to a tangential direction.
  8. The ear level part (2) according to claim 7, wherein the respective first end (8.1, 9.1) of the loops of each tab (8, 9) is positioned to be closer to the face of the user than the second end (8.2, 9.2) when the ear level part (2) is worn within the user's ear (20).
  9. The ear level part (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper tab (8) is smaller than the lower tab (9).
  10. The ear level part (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising - an exit point (11) for a cable (10), the exit point (11) arranged in a lateral face of the body (3) next to the upper tab (8).
  11. The ear level part (2) according to claims 7 and 10, wherein the exit point (11) is next to the second end (8.2) of the loop of the upper tab (8) such that the second end (8.2) is closer to the face of the user than the exit point (11) when the ear level part (2) is worn within the user's ear (20).
  12. The ear level part (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flange (12) comprises a vent (31).
  13. A hearing device (1), comprising an ear level part (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, a behind the ear part (15) and a cable (10) electrically connecting the behind the ear part (15) to the at least two microphones (13) and to the receiver (14) of the ear level part (2).
  14. The hearing device (1) according to claim 13, wherein the cable (10) is a plastically deformable cable.

Description

Technical Field The invention relates to an ear level part for a hearing device. Background of the Invention Hearing devices, in particular for hearing impaired people, are known in the art. In so called Receiver-in-the-Canal (RIC) hearing devices, a speaker is placed within a hearing canal and connected by a cable to an on-the-ear component or behind-the-ear component. In the domain of hearing devices the speaker is referred to as a receiver. US 2020/0162824 A1 describes a hearing device including a housing, at least two microphones, and a sound receiving arrangement coupled to the housing such to span across the tragus of the user's ear in a direction from the rear of the user's head to the front of the user's head. The sound receiving arrangement includes a case formed with at least two openings adapted to allow sound entrance from the environment to the at least two microphones, respectively. wherein the openings are formed in portions of the sound receiving arrangement such that one of the at least two openings is located in front of the tragus and one is located rear the tragus. US 2019/0223747 A1 describes a wearable physiological activity sensor, sensing device and sensing system, which employs at least an ear-worn structure to install physiological sensing element(s), thereby acquiring physiological signals from the head and/or the ear(s) of a user. The sensor, sensing device and sensing system also can be used to perform procedure(s) capable of influencing the user's physiological state in accordance with the physiological signals. There remains a need for an improved hearing device. Summary of the Invention It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved ear level part for a hearing device. The object is achieved by a hearing device according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are given in the dependent claims. The term distal as used herein refers to a direction generally away from a user's body whereas the term medial refers to the opposite direction. The invention is set out in the appended set of claims. According to the invention an ear level part for a hearing device is provided, the ear level part comprising: a body, the body further comprising a flange, wherein a receiver is arranged within the body and wherein the flange has a sound exit for the receiver,an upper tab generally protruding in a lateral direction from the body and configured to be positioned above the tragus of a user's ear and a lower tab generally protruding in a lateral direction from the body, wherein the upper tab and/or the lower tab comprise/comprises a loop defining an opening or eye generally extending in a distal or medial direction through the respective tab, characterized in that the body contains at least two microphones acoustically connected to at least two microphone openings, the at least two microphone openings arranged in a microphone line, wherein the lower tab is configured to be positioned beneath the tragus of the user's ear thereby aligning the ear level part in such a way that the microphone line lies on the tragus and/or in such a way that a perpendicular on the microphone line in the middle between the two microphones lies on the antitragus of the user's ear, wherein the lower tab is configured to be positioned between the tragus and the antitragus. The upright head posture may be a head posture in which the person looks directly ahead. In an exemplary embodiment, the microphone line may lie on the tragus, in particular on a central region of the tragus, e.g. a central third, a central fourth, a central fifth, a central sixth, a central seventh or a central eighth of the tragus. In an exemplary embodiment, the upper tab and the lower tab may be arranged such that a perpendicular on the microphone line in the middle between the two microphones lies on a central region of the antitragus, e.g. a central third, a central fourth, a central fifth, a central sixth, a central seventh or a central eighth of the antitragus. In an exemplary embodiment, the upper tab is configured to be positioned between the tragus and the crus helicis. According to the invention, the lower tab is configured to be positioned between the tragus and the antitragus. In an exemplary embodiment, the body has a generally oval cross section. This facilitates a smooth rounded surface without a sudden protrusions that could otherwise press into the ear and cause discomfort. In an exemplary embodiment, the body comprises a face plate configured to point in a distal direction when the ear level part is in place within a user's ear, wherein the face plate comprises two or more microphone openings with a respective microphone arranged behind each of the microphone openings. In an exemplary embodiment, the microphone line is in parallel or identical with a main axis of an oval cross section of the body. In an exemplary embodiment, the flange has an oval cross section, wherein a main axis of the oval cross s