Combined receiver and ear-canal microphone assembly for a hearing instrument
View Patent ↗A sound tube having two passages affords a compact arrangement for a combined receiver and ear-canal microphone assembly. The ear-canal microphone is positioned in line with the receiver but above the receiver's output port, and the sound tube connects both with the ear canal.
1. A receiver and ear-canal microphone assembly for an in-the-canal hearing instrument, comprising:
a receiver comprising a receiver output port;
an ear-canal microphone comprising an ear-canal input port; and
a dual-passage sound tube connected to the ear canal, the sound tube comprising
a separate, acoustically isolated receiver passage comprising
first and second ends;
a receiver aperture at the first end connected to the receiver output port of the receiver; and
a hearing instrument aperture at the second end connected to the ear canal;
a separate, acoustically isolated ear-canal microphone passage comprising
first and second ends;
an ear-canal microphone aperture at the first end connected to the ear-canal input port of the ear-canal microphone; and
a hearing instrument aperture at the second end connected to the ear canal.
2. A receiver and ear-canal microphone assembly as set forth in claim 1 , where the receiver and the ear-canal microphone are arranged in tandem.
3. A receiver and ear-canal microphone assembly as set forth in claim 2 , where
the sound tube has a generally cylindrical shape and the receiver passage is located beneath the ear-canal microphone passage; and
the ear-canal microphone is positioned above the receiver passage.
4. An in-the-canal hearing instrument, comprising:
a shell comprising an interior and a receiver hole in the shell connected to the ear canal; and
a receiver and ear-canal microphone assembly within the interior of the shell, comprising
a receiver comprising a receiver output port;
an ear-canal microphone comprising an ear-canal input port; and
a dual-passage sound tube connected to the receiver hole, the sound tube comprising
a separate, acoustically isolated receiver passage comprising
first and second ends;
a receiver aperture at the first end connected to the receiver output port of the receiver; and
a hearing instrument aperture at the second end connected to the receiver hole:
a separate, acoustically isolated ear-canal microphone passage comprising
first and second ends;
an ear-canal microphone aperture at the first end connected to the ear-canal input port of the ear-canal microphone; and
a hearing instrument aperture at the second end connected to the receiver hole.
5. An in-the-canal hearing instrument as set forth in claim 4 , where the interior of the shell comprises a recess that conforms to the ear-canal microphone.
6. An in-the-canal hearing instrument as set forth in claim 4 , where the receiver and the ear-canal microphone are arranged in tandem.