Earphones and earbuds with physiologic sensors

• US 10,194,233 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Burgett, Seth D., Gorga, Aaron, Karayiannis, Effrosini A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Leshui
• Application Number:
  US15/408,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20170127174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 381 72, 381 74, 381309, 381 231, 381 60, 381312, 381314, 381315, 381322, 381323, 381324, 381325, 381326, 381328, 381329, 381330, 381150, 381151, 381337, 381338, 381339, 381367, 381376, 381380, 381381, 381111, 381116, 381117, 381 3, 381 28, 4555752, 455405, 4554563, 700 94, 600300-301, 600309, 600310, 600340, 600322, 600323, 600324, 600344, 600559, 3405731, 348 77, 348E07085
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/043 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/066 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/2017 specially adapted for the ear cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/105 Earpiece supports, e.g. ear hooks for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083

Abstract

An earphone with a physiologic sensor includes a housing; a speaker in the housing; an enhancer comprising a body mounted on the housing and adapted to be secured in the ear to acoustically couple the speaker to the user'"'"'s ear; and an optical physiologic sensor disposed inside the enhancer, the enhancer having an aperture or window aligned with the optical physiologic sensor, so that the sensor can optically couple with the user'"'"'s ear when the enhancer is secured in the user'"'"'s ear.

Claims

1. An earphone, comprising:

a housing;

a speaker in the housing;

an enhancer comprising a body mounted on the housing and adapted to be secured in a user'"'"'s ear to acoustically couple the speaker to the user'"'"'s ear, the body having a front outer wall and adjoining side walls, the front outer wall spaced from the housing and the side walls contacting the housing;

a sound tube projecting from and above the front outer wall of the body and adapted to fit in a user'"'"'s ear canal; and

an optical physiologic sensor disposed inside the enhancer beneath the front outer wall of the body adjacent the sound tube, and at least one aperture in the front outer wall of the body adjacent the sound tube and aligned with the optical physiologic sensor, so that the optical physiologic sensor can optically couple with the user'"'"'s ear external to the front outer wall when the enhancer is secured in the user'"'"'s ear.

2. The earphone according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of apertures, arranged in an array.

3. The earphone according to claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture is in the portion of the enhancer that faces the concha of the user'"'"'s ear.

4. The earphone according to claim 1 wherein the at least one aperture is in a portion of the enhancer that faces the upwardly facing wall of the concha of the user'"'"'s ear.

5. The earphone according to claim 1 wherein the at least one aperture is in a portion of the enhancer that faces the forwardly facing wall of the concha of the user'"'"'s ear.

6. The earphone according to claim 1 further comprising at least one channel in the outer surface of the enhancer for directing sweat away from the at least one aperture.

7. The earphone according to claim 1 further comprising an absorbent patch for absorbing sweat from adjacent the at least one aperture.

8. An earphone, comprising:

a housing;

a speaker in the housing;

an enhancer comprising a body mounted on the housing and adapted to be secured in a user'"'"'s ear to acoustically couple the speaker to the user'"'"'s ear, the body having a front outer wall and adjoining side walls, the front outer wall spaced from the housing and the side walls contacting the housing;

a sound tube projecting from and above the front outer wall of the body and adapted to fit in a user'"'"'s ear canal; and

an optical physiologic sensor disposed inside the enhancer beneath the front outer wall of the body adjacent the sound tube, and at least one window in the front outer wall of the body adjacent the sound tube and aligned with the optical physiologic sensor, so that the optical physiologic sensor can optically couple with the user'"'"'s ear external to the front outer wall when the enhancer is secured in the user'"'"'s ear.

9. The earphone according to claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of windows, arranged in an array.

10. The earphone according to claim 8 wherein the at least one window is in the portion of the enhancer that faces the concha of the user'"'"'s ear.

11. The earphone according to claim 8 wherein the at least one window is in a portion of the enhancer that faces the upwardly facing wall of the concha of the user'"'"'s ear.

12. The earphone according to claim 8 wherein the at least one window is in a portion of the enhancer that faces the forwardly facing wall of the concha of the user'"'"'s ear.

13. The earphone according to claim 8 further comprising at least one channel in a surface of the enhancer for directing sweat away from the at least one aperture.

14. The earphone according to claim 8 further comprising an absorbent patch for absorbing sweat from adjacent the at least one window.

15. An earphone, comprising:

a housing;

a speaker in the housing;

an enhancer comprising a body mounted on the housing and adapted to be secured in a user'"'"'s ear to acoustically couple the speaker to the user'"'"'s ear, the body having a front outer wall and adjoining side walls, the front outer wall spaced from the housing and the side walls contacting the housing;

a sound tube projecting from and above the front outer wall of the body and adapted to fit in a user'"'"'s ear canal; and

an optical physiologic sensor disposed inside the enhancer beneath the front outer wall of the body adjacent the sound tube, and a deformable pillow on the front outer wall of the body adjacent the sound tube and aligned with the optical physiologic sensor, the deformable pillow being transparent to optical wavelengths used by the optical physiologic sensor, the deformable pillow contacting and conforming to the user'"'"'s ear, so that the optical physiologic sensor can optically couple with the user'"'"'s ear external to the front outer wall when the enhancer is secured in the user'"'"'s ear.