Constrained layer damping for hearing assistance devices
AssigneeStarkey Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsThomas Howard Burns, Andrew Beeson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein, among other things, is a system for constrained layer damping for hearing assistance devices. According to various embodiments, a hollow in-the-ear (ITE) hearing instrument shell is formed. The shell has an air space within a wall of the shell, in various embodiments. A port is created in the wall of the shell. The port is adapted to interface the air space to an area outside the shell, in an embodiment. A viscous fluid is dispensed into the air space via the port, and the viscous fluid is cured within the air space. The cured fluid acts as a constrained layer of mechanical damping within the wall of the ITE shell, reducing audible feedback to a wearer of the ITE.
Claims20
An in-the-ear (ITE) hearing instrument, comprising:
- a rigid hollow plastic shell of the ITE hearing instrument, including a wall;
- an air space within the wall of the shell;
- at least one port in the shell, the port adapted to interface the air space to an area outside the shell;
- and
- a viscous fluid dispensed within the air space via the port, the fluid adapted to be cured such that the cured fluid acts as a constrained layer of mechanical damping within the wall of the ITE shell, the constrained layer adapted to reduce audible feedback in a microphone of the ITE hearing instrument.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.