Method of providing input parameters or information for the fitting process of hearing instruments or ear pieces for a hearing device
View Patent ↗Input parameters or information for the fitting process of individually shaped or customized hearing devices and/or ear pieces of a hearing device are provided by storing fitting relevant data during the manufacturing process of an ear piece for the use with a hearing device into storage means, the data storage means being arranged at/or in the ear piece and/or a storage means kept or linked to the ear piece of the hearing device.
1. A method of providing information for a fitting process of an individually shaped ear piece of a hearing device characterized by storing information for the fitting process during a manufacturing process of the individually shaped ear piece into a data storage means, the data storage means being arranged at the individually shaped ear piece, the information for the fitting process being at least one of:
a diameter of a vent within the ear piece,
a length of the vent,
design information of an ear canal,
an acoustic vent mass (AVM),
a length of a shell of the ear piece,
a design of the shell of the ear piece,
a kind of hearing device to be used with the ear piece,
a kind of receiver used within a hearing system or the ear piece,
a side of the hearing device or the ear piece (right or left),
a producer of the hearing device or the ear piece,
a vent loss,
a reduction of occlusion effect,
a real ear occluded gain,
a real ear to coupler difference for low frequency range,
a microphone location effect, beamforming correction,
an estimation of residual volume and distance to ear drum,
a real ear to coupler difference for high frequency range,
an estimation of feedback threshold, or
an open ear gain.
2. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the information is applied directly on the ear piece as a laser print, as engraving, as a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode, or as a label-print.
3. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the information is stored in a data chip, which is arranged on the ear piece.
4. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the storing or reading of the information is accomplished inductively, by using radio frequency.
5. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the information is coded and can be decoded by means of a fitting software.
6. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the information is attached to the ear piece as a radio frequency identification (RFID) label.
7. An individually shaped ear piece for a hearing device provided with information for a fitting process according to claim 1 containing a code or a storage means with information being representative for at least one of the following information:
a diameter of a vent within the ear piece,
a length of a vent,
design information of an ear canal,
an acoustic vent mass (AVM),
a length of a shell of the ear piece,
a design of the shell of the ear piece,
a kind of the hearing device to be used with the ear piece,
a kind of a receiver used within a hearing system or the ear piece,
a side of the hearing device or the ear piece (right or left)
a producer of the hearing device or the ear piece,
a vent loss,
a reduction of occlusion effect,
a real ear occluded gain,
a real ear to coupler difference for a low frequency range,
a microphone location effect, beamforming correction,
an estimation of residual volume and distance to an ear drum,
a real ear to coupler difference for high frequency range,
an estimation of feedback threshold, or
an open ear gain.
8. The ear piece according to claim 7 , characterized in that the information is applied directly on the ear piece as a laser print, as engraving, as a barcode, or as a label-print.
9. The ear piece according to claim 7 , characterized in that a chip is arranged on or in the ear piece.
10. The ear piece according to claim 7 , characterized in that the information is arranged on a storage means such as a storage chip or a small card.
11. The ear piece according to claim 7 , characterized in that the information being stored at the ear piece is readable by wireless transmission such as by radio frequency or by induction.
12. A hearing system comprising the hearing device and/or the ear piece according to claim 7 , characterized in that the hearing device containing an inductive coil being usable as a reading device for the recognition of information being stored at the ear piece.
13. The ear piece according to claim 7 , characterized in that the information is applied directly on the ear piece as a RFID label.