Patent Grant
11523230
This disclosure generally relates to acoustic earpieces. More particularly, the disclosure relates to an earpiece with an electro-acoustic transducer in a wearable audio device.
The design and manufacture of wearable audio devices such as in-ear, on-ear or near-ear audio devices can present a number of challenges. In particular cases, it is difficult to achieve both desirable sizing and acoustic performance constraints in given device. That is, some conventional audio devices fail to provide adequate acoustic performance within a desired form factor.
All examples and features mentioned below can be combined in any technically possible way.
Various implementations of the disclosure include audio devices and related earpieces. In certain implementations, an earpiece includes an electro-acoustic transducer (e.g., a moving coil transducer) and an acoustic back volume configured to provide a desirable fit along with desirable acoustic performance. In some cases, the earpiece is part of a hearing aid, an on-ear audio device and/or an in-ear audio device.
In some particular aspects, an earpiece includes: an electro-acoustic transducer; a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer such that the housing and the electro-acoustic transducer together define a first acoustic volume and a second acoustic volume, the electro-acoustic transducer being arranged such that a first radiating surface of the transducer radiates acoustic energy into the first acoustic volume coupled to an outlet and such that a second radiating surface of the transducer radiates acoustic energy into the second acoustic volume, where at least a portion of the second acoustic volume is located between the first radiating surface and the outlet.
Implementations may include one of the following features, or any combination thereof.
In certain aspects, the electro-acoustic transducer includes a moving coil transducer.
In particular cases, the housing has a longitudinal axis, and the moving coil transducer includes a diaphragm with a motion axis that is approximately parallel with the longitudinal axis of the housing.
In some implementations, the housing defines a nozzle, and the first acoustic volume is acoustically coupled to an acoustic passage in the nozzle such that the electro-acoustic transducer is acoustically coupled to the user's ear canal when the earpiece is worn.
In certain cases, the earpiece further includes an ear tip supported on the nozzle, where the ear tip is either configured to: form a tight acoustic seal with a user's ear canal when the earpiece is worn, or the ear tip includes a set of apertures that allow acoustic energy to move into and out of the user's ear canal.
In particular aspects, the housing defines a main body having a first longitudinal axis and a nozzle having a second longitudinal axis that intersects with the first longitudinal axis, where the electro-acoustic transducer is supported in the main body and such that a motion axis of the electro-acoustic transducer is substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis, and where the first and second longitudinal axes are arranged at a non-zero angle relative to each other.
In some cases, the outlet is at least partially covered by at least one of: a screen, a mesh material, a thin foam, a reticulated foam, an open-cell foam, an expanded polymer, or a dome cover.
In particular aspects, the earpiece further includes a rear port coupling the second acoustic volume with a space outside the housing.
In certain implementations, the earpiece further includes a front port coupling the first acoustic volume with a space outside the housing.
In some aspects, the front port and the rear port are acoustically coupled into a combined exit volume.
In some cases, the second acoustic volume has an approximately constant cross-sectional width across a length thereof.
In particular implementations, the second acoustic volume includes at least two acoustically coupled sub-volumes.
In certain aspects, the acoustically coupled sub-volumes have distinct volumes.
In particular implementations, a ratio between a first sub-volume in the acoustically coupled sub-volumes and a second sub-volume in the acoustically coupled sub-volumes is equal to approximately 1:1 to approximately 4:1.
In certain aspects, a ratio between a first sub-volume in the acoustically coupled sub-volumes and a second sub-volume in the acoustically coupled sub-volumes is equal to approximately 2:1 to approximately 4:1.
In some aspects, a ratio between a first sub-volume in the acoustically coupled sub-volumes and a second sub-volume in the acoustically coupled sub-volumes is equal to approximately 3:1.
In particular cases, the acoustically coupled sub-volumes include at least three acoustically coupled sub-volumes, including: a first sub-volume having a first volume; a second sub-volume having a second volume; and a third sub-volume having a third volume, where the second sub-volume is smaller than each of the first sub-volume and the third sub-volume and acts as a port between the first sub-volume and the third sub-volume.
In some implementations, the acoustically coupled sub-volumes includes at least three acoustically coupled sub-volumes, including: a first sub-volume having a first volume; a second sub-volume having a second volume; and a third sub-volume having a third volume, where the second sub-volume acts as a waveguide that acoustically couples the first sub-volume and the third sub-volume.
In certain aspects, the housing includes a contour configured to complement a user's ear canal shape.
In particular implementations, the first acoustic volume and the second acoustic volume are separated by a wall, where at least a portion of the wall is located between the first radiating surface and the outlet.
In some cases, the earpiece further includes a microphone in the portion of the wall located between the first radiating surface and the outlet.
In certain implementations, the second acoustic volume is at least approximately 75 cubic millimeters (mm3).
In particular aspects, the earpiece is part of a hearing aid, the hearing aid further including: a casing configured to sit behind a user's pinna when worn; and wiring coupling the casing to the earpiece.
In certain cases, the hearing aid further includes: a battery, a microphone and a sound processor housed in the casing.
In some implementations, the earpiece is part of an in-ear audio device.
In certain cases, the earpiece is part of an on-ear audio device.
Two or more features described in this disclosure, including those described in this summary section, may be combined to form implementations not specifically described herein.
The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
It is noted that the drawings of the various implementations are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the disclosure, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements between the drawings.
As noted herein, various aspects of the disclosure generally relate to wearable audio devices such as in-ear, on-ear and/or near-ear audio devices with an earpiece having an electro-acoustic transducer (e.g., moving coil transducer) and an acoustic back volume configured to provide a desirable fit along with acoustic performance. In certain cases, the audio device includes a receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid or another form of hearing aid with a transducer mounted within the in-canal section.
Commonly labeled components in the FIGURES are considered to be substantially equivalent components for the purposes of illustration, and redundant discussion of those components is omitted for clarity.
Aspects and implementations disclosed herein may be applicable to a wide variety of wearable audio devices. In some cases, wearable audio devices can take various form factors, such as headphones (whether on or off ear), headsets, watches, eyeglasses, audio accessories or clothing (e.g., audio hats, audio visors, audio jewelry), a helmet (e.g., for military, industrial, or motorcycle applications), neck-worn speakers, shoulder-worn speakers, body-worn speakers, etc. Some aspects disclosed may be particularly applicable to personal (wearable) audio devices such as over-ear headphones, on-ear headphones, in-ear headphones (also referred to as earbuds), audio eyeglasses or other head-mounted audio devices. As noted herein, some disclosed aspects may be particularly applicable to in-ear or on-ear headphones, and earpieces in such headphones.
The wearable audio devices described according to various implementations can include features found in one or more other wearable electronic devices, such as smart glasses, smart watches, etc. These wearable audio devices can include additional hardware components, such as one or more cameras, location tracking devices, microphones, etc., and may be capable of voice recognition, visual recognition, and other smart device functions. The description of wearable audio devices included herein is not intended to exclude these additional capabilities in such a device.
As noted herein, conventional wearable audio devices, in particular those designed to rest in or near the user's ear canal, can fail to effectively balance desired fit with acoustic performance. For example, in a RIC hearing aid or in-ear audio device, it can be desirable to position the transducer (or, driver) as far into the user's ear canal as possible (e.g., toward the acoustic outlet) in order to aid with feedback noise cancelation. That is, it can be beneficial to position the transducer and feedback microphone close to the ear drum to enhance feedback noise cancelation. However, positioning the transducer closer to the acoustic outlet can increase the outer dimension of the in-ear portion (in some cases referred to as the in-canal portion) of the device, impacting the fit within the user's ear.
In contrast to conventional devices, the wearable audio devices disclosed according to various implementations include at least one earpiece with an electro-acoustic transducer and an acoustic volume (e.g., back-volume) that spans from a region behind the transducer to a region that is at least partially in front of the transducer. In these implementations, the transducer can be set back relative to the acoustic outlet. With the transducer set back from the outlet, the outer dimension of the in-canal, in-ear, on-ear or near-ear portion of the audio device can be sized to enhance fit, e.g., by narrowing the outer dimension of that portion. In certain cases, such as where the audio device is a RIC hearing aid with a casing separated from the earpiece, the earpiece enables use of an electro-acoustic (e.g., moving coil) transducer with a comfortable, consistent fit in the user's canal. In some cases, the RIC hearing aid disclosed according to various implementations has an earpiece with a contour configured to complement a user's ear canal shape.
In contrast to earpieces employing balanced-armature speakers, various implementations include an earpiece having an electro-acoustic transducer that is positioned to enable both desired fit and acoustic performance. In certain implementations, the electro-acoustic transducer includes a moving coil transducer with a low stiffness that is capable of large displacement, enabling effective active noise reduction at low frequencies. However, as noted herein, moving coil transducers benefit from a relatively larger back volume when compared with balanced-armature speakers. The earpieces disclosed according to various implementations provide the acoustic benefits of an electro-acoustic transducer, along with corresponding back volume, in a compact, discrete form factor.
In certain implementations, the earpiece 300 includes an earbud 302 that includes a housing 304 supporting an electro-acoustic transducer 306 (or, speaker or driver). In various implementations, the electro-acoustic transducer 306 is a moving coil transducer. The electro-acoustic transducer 306 may be a full range microdriver, e.g., having a diaphragm less than 6 mm in diameter, e.g., between 3 mm and 5.5 mm in diameter, e.g., 4.3 mm to 5.4 mm in diameter, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,942,662, titled “Electroacoustic driver having compliant diaphragm with stiffening element,” and issued on Apr. 10, 2018, and/or U.S. Pat. No. 10,609,489, titled “Fabricating an integrated loudspeaker piston and suspension,” issued on Mar. 31, 2020, the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. As used herein “full range” is intended to mean capable of producing frequencies from about 20 Hz to about 20 kHz.
Together, the housing 304 and the electro-acoustic transducer 306 define a first (front) acoustic volume 308 and a second (rear) acoustic volume 310. While a portion of the second acoustic volume 310 is located at or near the rear of the electro-acoustic transducer 306, as described herein, a portion of the second acoustic volume 310 can also be located in front of, or peripheral to, the electro-acoustic transducer (or simply, transducer) 306. That is, the transducer 306 is arranged in various implementations such that a first radiating surface 312 of the transducer 306 radiates acoustic energy into the first acoustic volume 308, which is in turn coupled to an outlet 314. The transducer 306 is also arranged such that a second radiating surface 316 of the transducer 306 radiates acoustic energy into the second acoustic volume 310. In certain implementations, the housing 304 has a first longitudinal axis (AL1), and the transducer 306 has a diaphragm 318 with a motion axis (AmT) that is approximately parallel with the longitudinal axis of the housing 304.
In various implementations, the housing 304 defines a nozzle 320 proximate the outlet 314, and the first acoustic volume 308 is acoustically coupled to an acoustic passage 322 in the nozzle 320 such that the transducer 306 is acoustically coupled to the user's ear canal when the earpiece 300 is worn. In particular cases, the earpiece 300 includes an ear tip 324 supported on the nozzle 320 and configured to couple with the user's ear canal when the earpiece is worn. The ear tip 324 is shown as phantom as optional, and in some cases, resembles ear tip 206 in
In certain implementations, the outlet 314 is at least partially covered by a protective material 326. In certain cases, the protective material 326 is part of an ear tip (e.g., ear tip 324), however, in other cases, the protective material 326 is coupled with the housing 304 proximate the outlet 314. Examples of protective material 326 can include one or more of: a screen, a mesh material, a wax guard, a thin foam, a reticulated foam, an open-cell foam, or an expanded polymer (e.g., ePTFE). Examples of other protective materials 326 (e.g., screens) compatible with the earpiece 300 are described in detail in U.S. application Ser. No. 16/690,586, previously incorporated by reference herein. Protective material(s) 326 can be coupled with and/or integrated with the outlet 314 or any acoustic opening in the earpiece 300, and in some cases, can be secured using a counter-bore port features such as those described in U.S. application Ser. No. 16/828,327, filed Mar. 23, 2020, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
As illustrated in the example implementation in
In certain example implementations, the first acoustic volume 308 and the second acoustic volume 310 are separated by a wall 330. In various implementations, at least a portion 332 of the wall 330 is located between the first radiating surface 312 and the outlet 314. In certain cases, as illustrated in the example configuration depicted in
The wall 330 can take any of a number of cross-sectional shapes, e.g., including one or more bends, corners, and/or contours, and is configured to separate the first acoustic volume 308 and the second acoustic volume 310. In certain cases, the wall 330 separates one or more portions (or, sub-volumes) of the second acoustic volume 310 from the first acoustic volume 308. In particular cases, the second acoustic volume 310 has an approximately constant cross-sectional width across a length thereof. For example, one or more sections of the second acoustic volume 310 have an approximately constant cross-sectional width across a given length.
According to certain implementations, the second acoustic volume includes at least two acoustically coupled sub-volumes 310A, 310B. In certain of these cases, the second acoustic volume includes at least three acoustically coupled sub-volumes, for example, sub-volumes 310A, 310B, 310C. In particular cases, the acoustically coupled sub-volumes 310A, 310B, 310C, etc., have distinct volumes, e.g., where the volume 310A that is axially behind the transducer 306 (relative to AmT) is larger than at least one of the other sub-volumes (e.g., 310B, 310C, etc.). It is understood that these sub-volumes are in fact fluidly coupled with one another, and that in some cases, delineation between sub-volumes can be defined by significant differences in the cross-sectional area of given sub-volumes. For example, a narrow passage between larger sub-volumes can qualify as a sub-volume, and act as a port between the larger sub-volumes.
In certain implementations, a ratio between the volume in one of the sub-volumes (e.g., sub-volumes 310A, 310B or 310C) and another one of the sub-volumes (e.g., a distinct one of sub-volumes 310A, 310B, or 310C) is equal to approximately 1:1 to approximately 4:1. In certain examples, a ratio between distinct sub-volumes is equal to approximately 2:1 to approximately 4:1. In more particular cases, the ratio between distinct sub-volumes is equal to approximately 3:1. In some implementations having at least three distinct sub-volumes (e.g., sub-volumes 310A, 310B, 310C), the ratio between sub-volume 310A and sub-volume 310C is equal to approximately 1:1 to approximately 4:1, and in more particular cases, approximately 2:1 to approximately 4:1, and in even more particular cases, approximately 3:1. The term “approximately” as used with respect to values herein can allot for a nominal variation from absolute values, e.g., of several percent or less. In some cases, the second acoustic volume 310 is at least approximately 75 cubic millimeters (mm3). In particular aspects, the portion of the second acoustic volume 310 that is located between the first radiating surface 312 of the transducer 306 and the outlet 314 is at least approximately 25 mm3.
In the particular example illustrated in
According to various implementations, e.g., where the second acoustic volume 310 includes distinct sub-volumes 310A, 310B (and in some cases, 310C) that define ports and/or waveguides, the port and/or waveguide introduces an acoustic resonance in the earpiece (e.g., earpiece 300). For example, a port or waveguide in the second acoustic volume 310 can introduce an effective peak in the mechanical admittance of the transducer 306, thereby producing more displacement per input force over a local frequency range.
With reference to
According to various implementations of the audio devices described herein, the housing can be shaped to enhance fit within the user's ear. For example, as illustrated in the schematic depictions of housing 304 in
Relative to conventional audio devices, in particular, conventional RIC hearing aids, the audio devices including earpieces disclosed herein can provide a number of benefits. For example, various implementations include earpieces with an electro-acoustic transducer (e.g., moving coil transducer) that is positioned to enable a reliable, comfortable fit across a range of users (and corresponding ear canal geometries), without sacrificing acoustic performance. That is, the earpieces disclosed according to various implementations are configured to fit a wide range of users and provide desired acoustic performance (e.g., output, noise cancelation, etc.). The earpieces disclosed according to various implementations can be beneficially incorporated into a variety of wearable audio devices, and may provide particular benefits in those devices designed to be worn in-ear or on-ear by users. Even further, in the example of hearing aids or other in-ear devices, the earpieces disclosed according to various implementations can be worn more discreetly than conventional earpieces due improved fit within the canal. The lateral dimension and taper of the earpieces disclosed herein enables those earpieces to be comfortably positioned deeper in the ear canal than conventional in-ear devices. Further, the configurations of the transducer, microphone, and acoustic volumes disclosed according to implementations enables use of a moving coil transducer that provides enhanced output capability for active noise reduction, as well as wider bandwidth audio, when compared with conventional in-ear devices such as RIC hearing aids.
In various implementations, components described as being “coupled” to one another can be joined along one or more interfaces. In some implementations, these interfaces can include junctions between distinct components, and in other cases, these interfaces can include a solidly and/or integrally formed interconnection. That is, in some cases, components that are “coupled” to one another can be simultaneously formed to define a single continuous member. However, in other implementations, these coupled components can be formed as separate members and be subsequently joined through known processes (e.g., soldering, fastening, ultrasonic welding, bonding). In various implementations, accessories (e.g., electronic components) described as being “coupled” can be linked via conventional hard-wired and/or wireless means such that these accessories can communicate data with one another. Additionally, sub-components within a given component can be considered to be linked via conventional pathways, which may not necessarily be illustrated.
Other embodiments not specifically described herein are also within the scope of the following claims. Elements of different implementations described herein may be combined to form other embodiments not specifically set forth above. Elements may be left out of the structures described herein without adversely affecting their operation. Furthermore, various separate elements may be combined into one or more individual elements to perform the functions described herein.
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