Device for listening to voice and/or musical signals by means of cranial bone transmission

• US 20040247143A1
• Filed: 04/01/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Amphicom
• Original Assignee: Amphicom
• Inventors: Lantrua, Jean-Francois, Bauguil, Nicole, Bauguil, Patrick, Bauguil, Adrien
• Application Number:
  US10/491,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20040247143A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1058 Manufacture or assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2834 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/127 dome-shaped

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for listening to voice and/or musical signals by means of cranial bone transmission, comprising a case (8, 15) having a forward frontal face, which is sealed by a flexible membrane (11), and a rear frontal face (15a), which consists of a rigid, hermetic wall, and comprising a piezoelectric element (1) having suitable dimensions in order for same to be integrated in the case, means (18) for supporting the piezoelectric element which are suitable for joining the periphery of the latter to the case in a solid manner, in such a way as to divide the internal volume of the said case into two hermetic chambers: a forward chamber (6) filled with an incompressible gel or fluid, and a rear chamber (7) comprising damping means (28) suitable for compensating the stresses exerted on the piezoelectric element (1) which result from the forces exerted on the flexible membrane (11).

Claims

1. / A device for listening to voice and/or musical signals by means of cranial bone transmission, wherein it comprises:

a case (8, 15;

30, 32) having an open frontal face, termed the forward frontal face, sealed by a flexible membrane (11;

42), and an opposite frontal face (15a;

32), termed the rear frontal face, which consists of a rigid, hermetic wall,

a piezoelectric element (1) having suitable dimensions in order for same to be integrated in the case, in such a way as to extend in parallel to the frontal faces of the latter,

means (18;

32) for supporting the piezoelectric element (1) which are suitable for joining the periphery of the latter to the case in a solid manner, in such a way as to divide the internal volume of the said case into two hermetic chambers;

a chamber (6), termed the forward chamber, delimited by the flexible membrane (11;

42) and the piezoelectric element (1), and filled with an incompressible gel or fluid, and

a chamber (7), termed the rear chamber, delimited by the piezoelectric element (1) and the rear frontal wall (15a;

32) of the case, and comprising damping means (20;

28;

34, 43) suitable for compensating the stresses exerted on the piezoelectric element (1) which result from the forces exerted on the flexible membrane (11;

42) during its application against a skull.

2. / A listening device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the damping means comprise resilient means (20) bearing against the piezoelectric element (1) and the rear frontal wall (15a) of the case, so as to form a flexible support capable of opposing a remanent deformation of this piezoelectric element.

3. / A listening device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the resilient means consist of at least one O-ring (20) which is disposed in an annular groove (19) provided in the rear frontal wall (15a) of the case, and which has a diameter cross-section greater than the depth of this groove (19).

4. / A listening device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rear chamber (7) of the case encloses a compressible fluid.

5. / A listening device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear chamber (7) is filled with an incompressible gel or fluid, the damping means comprising resilient means (28;

34, 43) which do not contact the piezoelectric element (1) and are capable of deforming so as to absorb the volume variations of the rear chamber (7) during the vibrations of the said piezoelectric element.

6. / A listening device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the resilient means consist of an annular ring (28) of a resilient material located in the rear chamber (7) of the case.

7. / A listening device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the flexible membrane (1) is shaped so as to have a domed form.

8. / A listening device as claimed in claim 5, wherein it comprises an annular chamber (34), termed a damping chamber, provided around the forward chamber (6) so as to be delimited by a peripheral annular zone (43) of the flexible membrane (42), the said damping chamber being isolated from the said forward chamber, and communicating with the rear chamber (7) in such a way that the peripheral zone (43) of the flexible membrane (42) constitutes the resilient means for absorbing volume variations of the said rear chamber.

9. / A listening device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the flexible membrane (42) is shaped so as to have a central zone (45) having a domed form suitable for delimiting the forward chamber (6), separated by an annular groove from a domed annular collar (43) suitable for delimiting the damping chamber (34).

10. / A listening device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the incompressible gel or fluid consists of water, and wherein the piezoelectric element (1) is covered by a covering which isolates it from the water.

11. / A listening device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rear chamber (7) of the case encloses a compressible fluid.

12. / A listening device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the flexible membrane (1) is shaped so as to have a domed form.