DE102005061001B3 - Cerumen protection device for hearing aid, has funnel-shaped support including sound opening, which is overstretched by membrane, where luminance contrast between membrane and support is larger than one specific value - Google Patents

Abstract

Of the Defect of a membrane (4) of a cerumen protection device should be easier can be recognized. For this purpose it is provided that a high contrast between the membrane (4) and the associated carrier (1) is set. In the case of a crack of the membrane is then the carrier easily recognizable in the background. For example, the brightness contrast should be between the membrane (4) and the carrier (1) be greater than 0.1. In the event of a desired one high color contrast, the color of the membrane should match the color of the carrier on a blue-yellow-red color circle spaced at least 60 °.

Description

The The present invention relates to a wax protection device for a hearing aid or a hearing aid other hearing device, z. A headset, with a wearer, the one sound passage opening and a membrane designed to protect against invading cerumen over the Sound passage opening tensioned is.

Hearing aids are in the daily Use various materials exposed to the pollution in the devices and especially in the converters of the devices. such Substances are especially sweat and Earwax. Dirt within the transducer, namely the microphones and listeners, to lead too high service costs, since the soiled transducer cleaned and in the worst case even need to be replaced.

to solution This problem is often open Cerumen protection systems used so that the cerumen does not readily for example to the listener can get. Such open cerumen protection systems can Pollution of the handset but not always prevent.

As an alternative solution is in the document DE 196 40 796 A1 a hearing aid is presented in which the listener is completed by a membrane of the eardrum. Likewise, the document US 2005/0018866 A1 shows an acoustically transparent contamination protection for audio converters. A protective film is intended to prevent solid, liquid and gaseous contaminants from the acoustic transducer.

There the protective membranes are very thin for acoustic reasons, they are also against damage and destructions very vulnerable. Therefore, it must be constantly checked whether the membrane is still intact. However, there is the problem here that the sound opening, over the the membrane is stretched, usually very small, so that damaging the Membrane only with difficulty can be visually perceived.

Also The company Sonion offers hearing aids whose jack to be protected against cerumen with a membrane. For inspection This membrane is used in an "Application Note "," C-Barrier ", dated 01.10.2005 at www.sonion.com on page 15, suggested a flashlight to use. When the membrane is intact, it reflects the light the flashlight at the appropriate angle. If the membrane dirty or damaged is, the light is not reflected. However, this examination procedure is only for one limited Persons circle readily executable, since it is relatively complicated is.

The The object of the present invention is thus to propose a cerumen protection device, at the time of the damage a membrane can be easily detected.

According to the invention this Task solved by a cerumen protection device for a hearing aid with a Carrier, the one sound passage opening and a membrane which protects against penetration Cerumen over the sound passage opening is curious, with the brightness contrast between the membrane and the carrier greater than 0.1 is.

Further It is inventively provided, a Cerumen protection device for a hearing aid with a Carrier, the one sound passage opening and a membrane which protects against penetration Cerumen over the sound passage opening is curious, with the color of the membrane on the color of the wearer a blue-yellow-red color circle is at least 60 ° apart.

In Advantageously, according to the invention is a clearly perceptible to the eye Contrast between the Schutzmemb ran and the carrier, so that when tearing the Membrane of the underlying carrier becomes visible and thus damage is easily detected can.

preferably, the brightness contrast between the membrane and the support is greater than 0.3, greater than 0.5, greater than 0.7 or even greater 0.9. The stronger the Contrast between the two components is the easier it is a damage of the membrane. This is the acoustic detection of a Defect of the membrane much easier than the usual used transparent membranes.

Becomes exploited the color contrast between the membrane and the carrier, so it may be helpful if the color of the membrane depends on the color of the carrier on the color wheel at least 90 ° apart is. Even cheaper it is when the two colors are essentially complementary. As a result, even in low light conditions usually one good opportunity given, the membrane reliable to investigate.

In a specific embodiment, the support on which the membrane is mounted may be funnel-shaped. Thus, in the case of a crack behind a large part of the membrane, the carrier op be perceived.

The The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: show:

1 a cross section through a cerumen protection device according to the invention and

2 a blue-yellow-red color circle of painting.

The below described embodiments represent preferred embodiments of the present invention.

In the 1 schematically shown wax guard device has a substantially funnel-shaped carrier 1 on. With his tapered end 2 the carrier is plugged into a sound outlet of a receiver, not shown, a hearing aid. At its opposite end, the carrier 1 a wide sound opening 3 on top of that by a membrane 4 is overstretched.

The membrane 4 For example, it has a dark color while the membrane carrier 1 brightly colored. This clear light-dark contrast can be a defect of the membrane 4 easy to recognize, because of the damaged, dark membrane 4 the bright carrier 1 becomes visible.

The difference in brightness between the membrane 4 and the carrier 1 determines the brightness contrast between both components. In general, the contrast K is defined as:
K = (I _{max -I min} ) / (I _max + I _min ). Here I _max denotes the light intensity of the lighter and I _min the light intensity of the darker component. The luminous intensity itself represents the quotient of luminous flux and solid angle. The term "brightness contrast" used in this document refers to the above definition.

If the membrane and the carrier are equally bright, then I _max = I _min and thus K = 0. However, if one of the two components is black, ie I _min = 0, K = 1. The contrast K moves according to this definition between the values 0 and 1.

Alternatively, a physiological contrast K _ph can also be considered. This is defined as follows: _Kph = (L _ob -L _U ) / (L _U ).

Here, L indicates _whether the luminance of an object and _L.sub.U the luminance of the environment. In order for the human eye to perceive objects in an environment, there must be a corresponding contrast between the object and the environment. In the simplest case, this is a difference in the Leuchtdich te. In addition color differences can be added. The physiological contrast K _ph can assume values between -1 and + ∞. The brightness contrast values specified above and in the claims can be converted into corresponding physiological contrast values. The core of the invention, that between the carrier and membrane is to consist of increased contrast remains unaffected.

Of the Just described brightness contrast can be considered as a physical Contrast variant can be viewed. But the human eye is also able to perceive other visual contrasts. Accordingly exist in painting, for example, in addition to the light-dark contrast other contrast definitions such as: cold-warm contrast, color-to-itself contrast, complementary contrast, Quality contrast, Quantity contrast, Simultaneous contrast and successive contrast. Regardless of the type of contrast exists the essence of the present invention, as mentioned, therein, between the carrier and To set the membrane a good perceptible contrast.

In a further embodiment, the color contrast is used to better perceive a defect of the membrane. To define the color contrast, the in 2 Illustrated blue-yellow-red color circle of painting used. The three main colors blue, red and yellow lie on the color wheel at a distance of 120 °. In order to realize a sufficient color contrast for the defect detection, the two colors used should be at least 60 ° apart. In 2 this is drawn for dark and light orange. At a distance of at least 90 °, the color contrast is already significantly higher, for example for dark organs and yellow. If that for the membrane 4 and the carrier 1 colors used are directly opposite each other on the color wheel, the two colors are complementary to each other and the largest color contrast is achieved (in the example chosen: dark organ and turquoise). A defect of the membrane 4 can then be easily recognized by color.

As whatever the high contrast between the membrane and the support achieved becomes, the perception of defects of the membrane is clear in any case facilitated.

Claims (9)

Cerumen protection device for a hearing aid with a support ( 1 ), which has a sound passage opening ( 3 ), and - a membrane ( 4 ), which protect against penetrating cerumen via the sound passage opening ( 3 ), characterized in that - the brightness contrast between the membrane ( 4 ) and the carrier ( 1 ) is greater than 0.1. The wax protection device of claim 1, wherein the Brightness contrast greater than 0.3 is. The wax protection device of claim 1, wherein the Brightness contrast greater than 0.5 is. The wax protection device of claim 1, wherein the Brightness contrast greater than 0.7 is. The wax protection device of claim 1, wherein the Brightness contrast greater than 0.9 is. Cerumen protection device for a hearing aid with a support ( 1 ), which has a sound passage opening ( 3 ), and - a membrane ( 4 ), which protect against penetrating cerumen via the sound passage opening ( 3 ), characterized in that - the color of the membrane ( 4 ) of the color of the carrier ( 1 ) is at least 60 ° apart on a blue-yellow-red color circle. The wax protection device according to claim 6, wherein the Colors are spaced on the color wheel at least 90 °. The wax protection device according to claim 6, wherein the Both colors are substantially complementary. Cerumen protection device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier ( 1 ) is funnel-shaped.