Apparatus for vented hearing assistance systems
View Patent ↗An apparatus related to earmolds with venting configurations designed to relieve the occlusion effect. Various designs provide multiple vents allow residual ear canal air volume to vent to and from air outside the ear and the earmold. In various designs, the earmold includes one vent between the residual ear canal air volume and a volume of air internal to the earmold. A second vent provides passage of air internal to the earmold and air external to the ear and the inserted earmold when worn by a user.
1. An apparatus for an ear having an ear canal, the ear canal having a residual ear canal volume after the apparatus is placed in the canal, the apparatus comprising:
an earmold having a shell with sidewalls adapted to at least partially fit within the ear canal, the earmold including an internal air volume;
a first vent with an elongated acoustical passage connecting the internal air volume of the earmold to the residual ear canal air volume;
a second vent with an elongated acoustical passage connecting the internal air volume of the earmold to air external to the ear;
wherein the first vent has a first internal opening adjacent to the internal air volume and a first external opening adjacent to the residual ear canal air volume;
wherein the second vent has a second internal opening adjacent to the internal air volume and a second external opening adjacent to the residual ear canal air volume;
wherein the first and second internal openings are located at opposite ends of a line that intersects a longitudinal axis of the earmold running from the residual ear canal volume to the air external to the ear; and
wherein the earmold contains a microphone, an amplifier, and a receiver.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a sound tube in acoustical communication with the second vent.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a behind-the-ear hearing assistance housing connected to the sound tube.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the receiver further comprises wireless electronics.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a wireless communications module in a housing adapted for wireless communications with the wireless electronics.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the housing is a behind-the-ear housing.
7. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprises a housing wired to the receiver.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the housing is a behind-the-ear housing.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first vent is formed through a faceplate.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is an in-the-ear housing.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a completely-in-the-canal housing.
12. A method of forming an apparatus for an ear having an ear canal, the ear canal having a residual ear canal volume after the apparatus is placed in the canal, the method comprising:
forming an earmold having a shell with sidewalls adapted to at least partially fit within the ear canal, the earmold including an internal air volume;
disposing a microphone, an amplifier, and a receiver within the earmold;
forming a first vent with an elongated acoustical passage connecting the internal air volume of the earmold to the residual ear canal air volume;
forming a second vent with an elongated acoustical passage connecting the internal air volume of the earmold to air external to the ear;
wherein the first vent has a first internal opening adjacent to the internal air volume and a first external opening adjacent to the residual ear canal air volume;
wherein the second vent has a second internal opening adjacent to the internal air volume and a second external opening adjacent to the residual ear canal air volume; and,
wherein the first and second internal openings are located at opposite ends of a line that intersects a longitudinal axis of the earmold running from the residual ear canal volume to the air external to the ear.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the apparatus includes using computer aided manufacturing.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the computer aided manufacturing includes stereo lithography.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the first vent includes forming a substantially cylindrical vent.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the second vent includes forming a substantially cylindrical vent.
17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the line intersecting the longitudinal axis of the earmold is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first and second vents are located on the sidewalls of the earmold on opposite sides of a plane defined by the longitudinal axis of the earmold and a line intersecting therewith.
19. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the first vent includes forming the vent with a length less than 4 centimeters.
20. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the second vent includes forming the vent with a length less than 4 centimeters.
21. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the first vent includes forming the vent having a cross-sectional surface area of between about 0.0003 to about 0.30 centimeters squared.
22. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the second vent includes forming the vent having a cross-sectional surface area of about 0.0003 to about 0.30 centimeters squared.
23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and second vents are constructed to attenuate acoustic energy at frequencies above 1 kHz.
24. The method of claim 12 wherein the first and second vents are constructed to attenuate acoustic energy at frequencies above 1 kHz.