Abstract: An ear piece is formed for insertion and placement in an external auditory canal, preferably for deep insertion and in close vicinity of a tympanic membrane inwardly bounding the auditory canal. The ear piece has an inflatable balloon which, when it is inflated, expands and braces against the walls of the auditory canal. When it is deflated, it may be withdrawn from the auditory canal. The ear piece has a receiver module with a sound generator and a connection to an exterior device (e.g., a hearing aid, an MP3 player, a cell phone). The receiver module is integrally formed with a pressure relief valve that allows the balloon to be deflated by external activation. A pull cord pulls a valve piston off a valve seat, whereupon the pressure in the balloon is relieved and the ear piece may be pulled out of the auditory canal.

Abstract: A hearing aid can be inserted deep inside an auditory canal without the risk of injury. The hearing system has a hearing device that can be completely inserted into a human auditory canal, and a positioning device, which is attached to the hearing device in a self-retaining manner. The positioning device can be detached from the hearing device, when the latter is in the state where it is inserted into the auditory canal, and cannot or can only partly be inserted into the auditory canal because it serves as a stop on a section of the concha when the hearing device is being positioned. The positioning device is decoupled from the hearing device after placement and removed from the auditory canal.

Abstract: For particularly good adaptation to a given hearing situation, an in-the-ear hearing device which has a housing with a channel in the housing that is designed as a through-opening for sound and air between the interior of the ear and the environment outside the ear, the channel is provided with a structural element for changing the size of the through-opening at at least one position. The structural element is a valve formed with electroactive material and the size of the through-opening is adjusted by application of a voltage to the valve.

Abstract: A connector for a hearing instrument, in particular a receiver-in-canal behind-the-ear hearing aid, is small and visually inconspicuous. The connector should be as invisible as possible on the hearing instrument as it is worn, and the connector allows a microphone arrangement favorable for directionality and sound pick-up. The connector is disposed on an earpiece tube, which defines a longitudinal direction at the connector. The connector is connected by insertion into a connector receptacle of a hearing instrument transversely to the longitudinal direction. The hearing instrument has a laterally arranged connector receptacle, into which a connector is inserted transversely to the longitudinal direction. Because of the transverse insertion, the connector can be arranged laterally on the housing and because of the lateral placement, the front end face of the housing is smaller and the housing is overall flatter.

Abstract: A behind-the-ear hearing device has a housing with a plug-in connector on a sidewall of the housing for connecting to an earpiece tube or sound tube. The lateral arrangement of the plug-in connector moves the plug-in connector away from the exposed position on the front end face of the housing. This enables the front end face, which is generally visible, to be made smaller. Advantageously, at least two microphones are provided, with one microphone position in the vicinity of the front end face of the housing. The front microphone position is thus moved farther away from a position that may possibly be covered by the pinna, and the rear microphone position can also be moved farther toward the front. The microphone positions are thus approximately horizontal, which promotes the spatial resolution of the detected surrounding sound (directionality) by the signal processing of the hearing aid.

Abstract: A connector for a hearing instrument has an electrical or acoustic connection component and a mechanical connection component. The electrical or acoustic connection component is brought into mutual engagement with an electrical or acoustic connection element inside a housing of the hearing instrument. The mechanical connection component is brought into mutual engagement with a mechanical connection element of the hearing instrument. The connector is disposed on a receiver tube or a sound tube. The connector connects the tube to the electrical or acoustic connection element of the hearing instrument and is detachably connected inside the housing to a connector receptacle of the hearing instrument and, in the connected state, is disposed completely inside the housing. The hearing instrument has an opening through which the connector is introduced and inserted into the connector receptacle. A hearing instrument system contains the above described hearing instrument and the above described connector.

Abstract: A deep-ear-canal hearing device is worn deep in the ear canal of a user. The hearing device is easy to produce and use, has a small overall size, and can be comfortably worn deep within the auditory canal, in particular in the bony part of the auditory canal as well. The hearing device has a housing, a signal-processing apparatus, and a receiver. The signal-processing apparatus is arranged within the housing. The receiver is merely arranged partly within the housing and another part is arranged outside of the housing. The receiver only being arranged partly within the housing, it is thus not completely surrounded by the housing. Hence, the housing can have a smaller configuration. In the region where the receiver is arranged outside of the housing, the double wall in the form of, the receiver wall and, the housing wall can be dispensed with, which helps in reducing the size.

Abstract: Hearing devices and, more particularly hearing aids, can be inserted into the auditory canal in an improved fashion. A hearing device has a first unit, which can be completely inserted within a human auditory canal. The first unit has a first housing into which a sound-recording element, a receiver and, connected therebetween, an amplifier are integrated. The hearing device moreover has a second unit, which is outside of the first housing and can be inserted into the human auditory canal in addition to the first unit. The second unit is galvanically connected to the first unit and configured for wireless energy absorption and for supplying the first unit with current. Hence, the first unit, together with the second unit, does not require a battery as an energy source and can thus have a smaller configuration, and therefore it can optionally be introduced further into the auditory canal.