ELECTRONIC EARPLUG

• US 20110103605A1
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Inventors: Monroe, Timothy Scott, Julstrom, Stephen Drake, Killion, Mead C., Drambarean, Viorel
• Granted Patent: US 8,649,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/72
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/08 internal, e.g. earplugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/145 electric, e.g. for active noise reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

Electronic earplugs, methods of enhancing and/or attenuating sound using electronic earplugs, and kits including electronic earplugs are provided. Certain electronic earplugs provided can deliver sound to a user'"'"'s ear canal at levels below, equal to, and/or above ambient sound levels for specified ambient sound level ranges. Certain electronic earplugs provided can be switched between first and second settings with different sound level delivery settings. Certain electronic earplugs provided can be coupled with or integrated into two-way communication devices. Certain of such two-way communication devices can use induction to receive and transmit audio signals. Certain electronic earplugs provided can include a receive coil configured to allow remote radio signals to be received. Certain electronic earplugs provided can block at least about 35 dB of ambient sound when fully inserted into a user'"'"'s ear canal. Kits that include electronic earplugs and accessories for use with electronic earplugs are also provided.

Claims

1. An electronic earplug comprising:

a microphone configured to convert ambient sound to input electrical signals;

a circuit operatively connected to the microphone, the circuit configured to receive the input electrical signals from the microphone and provide output electrical signals to a receiver, the circuit configured to modify a sound output level from the electronic earplug to a user'"'"'s ear canal based on a sound input level of the ambient sound, wherein the circuit is configured such that for sound input levels between a first value and a second value, the sound output level is about equal to the sound input level; and

the receiver operatively connected to the circuit, the receiver configured to convert the output electrical signals into sound that is communicated to the user'"'"'s ear canal.

2. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured such that for sound input levels between the second value and a third value that is greater than the second value, the sound output level is equal to about the second value.

3. The electronic earplug of claim 2, wherein the second value is about 105 dB SPL or about 115 dB SPL.

4. The electronic earplug of claim 2, wherein the circuit is configured to reduce the second value by about 10 dB using a resistor across terminals of the receiver.

5. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured such that for sound input levels between the first value and a third value that is less than the first value, the sound output level is greater than the sound input level.

6. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured such that for sound input levels between the first value and a third value that is less than the first value, the sound output level is less than the sound input level.

7. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured such that it can be switched between a first setting and a second setting, the first setting having the sound output level be about equal to the sound input level for inputs up to about the first value, the second setting having the sound output level be greater than the sound input level for inputs up to about the first value.

8. The electronic earplug of claim 7, wherein the circuit is configured such that it can be switched between the first setting and the second setting by throwing a single pole single throw switch in series with a threshold knee controlling portion of the circuit.

9. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured such that it can be switched between a first setting and a second setting, the first setting having the sound output level be greater than the sound input level for inputs up to about the first value, the second setting having the sound output level be less than the sound input level for at least one input below the first value.

10. The electronic earplug of claim 9, wherein the circuit is configured such that it can be switched between the first setting and the second setting by throwing a single pole double throw switch to select two different volume control resistors.

11. The electronic earplug of claim 1, further comprising an eartip configured to block at least about 35 dB of the ambient sound when the eartip is received in the user'"'"'s ear canal.

12. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the circuit includes a battery polarity reversing circuit configured to detect the polarity of a battery and reverse polarity based on the orientation of the battery.

13. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the circuit includes a Class B output.

14. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the circuit includes a circuit configured to signal when battery power is below a certain level.

15. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the microphone is blast resistant.

16. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the electronic earplug is fully supported by the ear canal.

17. The electronic earplug of claim 1 configured to be coupled with a two-way wireless communication device such that signals received from the two-way wireless communication device are communicated to the electronic earplug.

18. The electronic earplug of claim 1 configured to be coupled with a two-way wireless communication device such that signals received at a microphone configured to receive audible cues from the wearer of the electronic earplug are transmitted from the two-way wireless communication device.

19. The electronic earplug of claim 1, further comprising a receive coil configured to be magnetically coupled with a remote transmit coil such that signals received from the remote transmit coil are communicated to the electronic earplug.

20. The electronic earplug of claim 19, wherein the signals received from the remote transmit coil are not amplified or attenuated by the circuit prior to being converted to sound for delivery using the electronic earplug.

21. The electronic earplug of claim 19, wherein the receive coil includes a long axis that extends substantially parallel to a sound channel configured to deliver sound to a user'"'"'s ear canal such that the receive coil remains similarly oriented relative to the user'"'"'s ear canal when the electronic earplug is rotated in the user'"'"'s ear canal.

22. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the electronic earplug includes an exterior facing end that is disposed opposite the user'"'"'s ear canal when the electronic earplug is being worn, and wherein the microphone is configured to receive ambient sound through an inlet disposed on the exterior facing end.

23. The electronic earplug of claim 1, wherein the electronic earplug includes an exterior facing end that is disposed opposite the user'"'"'s ear canal when the electronic earplug is being worn, and wherein the microphone is configured to receive ambient sound through an inlet disposed on a side of the electronic earplug that is not the exterior facing end.

24. The electronic earplug of claim 1, further comprising:

a receive coil configured to inductively receive a first audio signal from a radio interface loop, the first audio signal being communicated from a two-way communication device operably connected to the radio interface loop; and

a transmit coil configured to generate a second audio signal, wherein the radio interface loop is configured to inductively receive the second audio signal and communicate the second audio signal to the two-way communication device.

25. The electronic earplug of claim 24, wherein the transmit coil is configured to generate the second audio signal based on sound received at a boom microphone extending from a headset that includes the electronic earplug.

26. The electronic earplug of claim 24, wherein the second audio signal is coupled as an FM signal, and wherein the radio interface loop is connected to the two-way communication device via a radio interface module comprising a high-pass filter configured to filter the second audio signal and an FM demodulator configured to demodulate the second audio signal.

27. The electronic earplug of claim 26, wherein the FM signal has a center frequency of about 100 kHz.

28. The electronic earplug of claim 26, wherein the radio interface module is configured such that the second audio signal is filtered using the high pass filter before the second audio signal is demodulated using the FM demodulator.

29. The electronic earplug of claim 24, wherein the first audio signal is a baseband audio signal, and wherein the radio interface loop is connected to the two-way communication device via a radio interface module comprising a low pass filter configured to filter the first audio signal.

30. The electronic earplug of claim 24, wherein the two-way communication device is a two-way radio.

31. A kit including:

an electronic earplug battery;

a damper removal tool; and

an electronic earplug comprising;

a microphone configured to convert ambient sound to input electrical signals;

a circuit operatively connected to the microphone, the circuit configured to receive the input electrical signals from the microphone and provide output electrical signals to a receiver, the circuit configured to modify a sound output level from the electronic earplug to a user'"'"'s ear canal based on a sound input level of the ambient sound;

the receiver operatively connected to the circuit, the receiver configured to convert the output electrical signals into sound that is communicated to the user'"'"'s ear canal;

a sound channel configured to communicate sound to the user'"'"'s ear canal; and

an acoustic damper disposed in the sound channel.

32. The kit of claim 31, further including a headband.

33. The kit of claim 31, further including an eartip.

34. The kit of claim 31, further including a pouch configured to store the other kit items.

35. The kit of claim 31, further including a second electronic earplug.