Ambient sonic low-pressure equalization

• US 10,165,352 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Westone Laboratories, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Westone Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Cartwright, Karl, Cartwright, Kris
• Primary Examiner(s): Eason, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Julie X
• Application Number:
  US15/590,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 381380, 381328, 381 716, 381330, 381 72, 381309
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1075 Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/26 Spatial arrangements of separate transducers responsive to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2811 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2842 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/11 Aspects relating to vents, e.g. shape, orientation, acoustic properties in ear tips of hearing devices to prevent occlusion

Abstract

A passive ambient in-ear monitor includes an interchangeable unidirectional sonic filter that allows ambient sound to pass through to the ear canal and be combined with sound generated by internal drivers. A sonic low pressure equalization device of a predetermined spatial volume links the sonic filter with the internal drivers to deliver to the user a mixture of generated and ambient sound without any substantial degradation to low frequency sound.

Claims

1. A passive ambient in-ear monitor, comprising:

a housing;

an ear canal stalk;

a filter, wherein the filter includes an outer face and an inner face and wherein ambient sound waves traverse the filter from the outer face to the inner face into an ambient sound channel;

one or more sound drivers, wherein the one or more sound drivers produce internal sound waves; and

a Sonic Low-pressure Equalization Device (“

SLED”

) wherein the SLED is coupled to each of the one or more sound drivers, the ear canal stalk and the ambient sound channel and wherein the SLED includes a predetermined spatial volume channeling internal sound waves and ambient sound waves to the ear canal stalk such that a measure of frequency response of the internal sound waves at the ear canal stalk is maintained within a frequency response predetermined range beginning at 20 Hz.

2. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 1, wherein the ear canal stalk includes an ear tip and wherein the ear tip fully occludes the ear canal.

3. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 1, wherein the filter is a unidirectional sonic filter.

4. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 3, wherein the unidirectional sonic filter substantially reduces internal sound waves traversing from the inner face to the outer face.

5. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 3, wherein the unidirectional sonic filter attenuates ambient sound waves traversing from the outer face to the inner face.

6. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 5, wherein the ambient sound waves traverse the unidirectional sonic filter at a predetermined diminished amplitude.

7. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 6, wherein the unidirectional sonic filter attenuates ambient sound from 0 to 10 dB.

8. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 6, wherein the unidirectional sonic filter attenuates ambient sound from 10 to 25 dB.

9. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 1, wherein a frequency response predetermined range is ±

4 dB.

10. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 1, wherein the predetermine spatial volume is based on a degree of attenuation of ambient sound waves.

11. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 1, wherein the frequency response predetermined range of the internal sound waves at the ear canal stalk over 20-20000 Hz is ±

4 dB.

12. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 1, wherein the frequency response predetermined range of the internal sound waves at the ear canal stalk over 20-20000 Hz is ±

6 dB.

13. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 1, wherein the frequency response predetermined range of the internal sound waves at the ear canal stalk over 20-2000 Hz is ±

4 dB.

14. The passive ambient in-ear monitor of claim 1, wherein the SLED is an integrated component of the ear canal stalk.

15. A method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor, the method comprising:

configuring the in-ear monitor to fully occlude an ear canal wherein the in-ear monitor includes an ear canal stalk, one or more drivers, a filter and a Sonic Low-pressure Equalization Device (“

SLED”

);

interposing the SLED between each of the one or more sound drivers, the ear canal stalk and the filter;

generating, by the one or more drivers, internal sound waves;

receiving, by the SLED, ambient sound waves through the filter and internal sound waves from the one or more sound drivers; and

channeling, by the SLED, ambient sounds waves and internal sound waves through a predetermined spatial volume to the ear canal stalk such that a measure of frequency response of the internal sound waves generated by the one or more sound drivers at the ear canal stalk is maintained within a frequency response predetermined range beginning at 20 Hz.

16. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 15, further comprising substantially reducing internal sound waves traversing the filter.

17. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 15, further comprising attenuating ambient sound waves received through the filter.

18. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 17, wherein the filter attenuates ambient sound waves from 0-10 dB.

19. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 17, wherein the filter attenuates ambient sound waves from 10-25 dB.

20. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 15, further comprising limiting the frequency response predetermined range to ±

4 dB.

21. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 15, further comprising limiting the frequency response predetermined range to ±

6 dB.

22. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 15, further comprising limiting the frequency response predetermined range is based on the predetermined spatial volume.

23. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 15, further comprising limiting the frequency response predetermined range of internal sound waves at the ear canal stalk for 20-20000 Hz to ±

4 dB.

24. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 23, further comprising limiting the frequency response predetermined range of internal sound waves at the ear canal stalk for 20-2000 Hz to ±

4 dB.

25. The method for providing passive ambient sound in an in-ear monitor according to claim 24, further comprising limiting the frequency response predetermined range of internal sound waves at the ear canal stalk for 20-200 Hz to ±

4 dB.