MODULAR IN-EAR DEVICE

• US 20200137475A1
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IYO Incorporated
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rugolo, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 10,659,862 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17827 Desired external signals, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17885 additionally using a desired external signal, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1081 Earphones, e.g. for telephones, ear protectors or headsets
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/105 Earpiece supports, e.g. ear hooks for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1058 Manufacture or assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1075 Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones
• 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 11/02 Loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659

Abstract

An in-ear device includes a molding shaped to hold the in-ear device in an ear, and an audio package configured to emit sound. The audio package is structured to removably attach to the molding. An electronics package is structured to removably couple to the audio package and removably attach to the molding. The electronics package includes a controller to control the sound output from the audio package.

Claims

1. An in-ear device, comprising:

a molding shaped to hold the in-ear device in an ear, wherein the molding comprises a material that is shaped to fit the ear prior to inserting the in-ear device into the ear;

an audio package including audio electronics configured to emit sound, wherein the audio package is structured to removably attach to the molding; and

an electronics package structured to removably couple to the audio package and removably attach to the molding, wherein the electronics package includes;

a controller to control the sound output from the audio package.

2. The in-ear device of claim 1, wherein the molding includes a cavity, wherein the audio package includes a first housing in which the audio electronics are disposed, and wherein the first housing is shaped to removably fit into the cavity.

3. The in-ear device of claim 1, wherein the audio electronics include one or more balanced armature drivers to emit the sound.

4. The in-ear device of claim 1, wherein the electronics package further includes:

a battery coupled to supply power to the controller and to the audio package when the electronics package is coupled to the audio package;

charging circuitry coupled to charge the battery.

5. The in-ear device of claim 1, wherein the electronics package further includes communication circuitry to receive wireless signals from an external device.

6. The in-ear device of claim 1, wherein the audio package mechanically attaches to the molding, and wherein the electronics package magnetically attaches to the audio package.

7. The in-ear device of claim 6, wherein the audio package includes first electrodes, and the electronics package includes second electrodes, and wherein the first electrodes and the second electrodes are positioned to self-align when the electronics package magnetically attaches to the audio package.

8. The in-ear device of claim 1, wherein the electronics package includes one or more microphones positioned to record a second sound and output second sound data to the controller.

9. The in-ear device of claim 8, wherein the controller includes logic that when executed by the controller causes the in-ear device to perform operations including:

in response to receiving the second sound data with the controller, emitting the sound from the audio package to reduce a magnitude of the second sound received by an eardrum in the ear.

21. The in-ear device of claim 2, wherein the electronics package includes a second housing in which the controller is disposed and sealed separate from the audio electronics, wherein the first housing, the second housing, and the molding are distinct and separable from each other.

22. The in-ear device of claim 21, wherein the cavity is a hallowed out portion of the molding and shaped to receive and removably hold the first housing of the audio package and the second housing of the electronics package.

10. A system, comprising:

a molding shaped to hold the in-ear device in an ear;

an audio package including a first housing having audio electronics disposed therein, wherein the audio electronics are configured to emit sound, wherein the audio package is structured to removably attach to the molding; and

an electronics package including a second housing distinct from the first housing and removably couplable to the audio package, wherein the electronics package includes a controller to control the sound output from the audio package when the electronics package and the audio package are coupled; and

a charging container distinct from the molding, audio package, and the electronics package, the charging container having a slot shaped to receive the second housing of the electronics package when the electronics package is separated from the audio package, wherein the charging container includes charging circuitry to provide power to the electronics package when the electronics package is disposed in the charging container.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the charging container includes inductive charging circuitry to output an electromagnetic signal to charge the electronics package.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the charging container includes a first battery and the electronics package includes a second battery, wherein the first battery has a larger energy storage capacity than the second battery.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the audio package mechanically attaches to the molding, and wherein the electronics package magnetically attaches to the audio package.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the molding is custom shaped to fit in the ear.

15. A method of using an in-ear device, including:

removably attaching a molding, shaped to hold the in-ear device in an ear, to an audio package including audio electronics configured to emit sound, wherein the molding comprises a material that is shaped to fit the ear prior to inserting the in-ear device into the ear; and

removably attaching an electronics package to the audio package, wherein when the electronics package is attached to the audio package the electronics package is coupled to communicate with the audio package, and wherein the electronics package includes a controller to control the sound output from the audio package.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

removing the electronics package from the audio package; and

placing the electronics package in a charging container shaped to receive the electronics package.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

charging the electronics package using the charging container, wherein the charging container includes charging circuitry to provide power to the electronics package when the electronics package is disposed within the charging container.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising, after removably attaching the electronics package to the audio package, emitting sound from one or more balanced armature drivers disposed in the audio package.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving second sound from one or more microphones disposed in the electronics package; and

in response to receiving the second sound, emitting the sound from one or more balanced armature drivers to reduce a magnitude of the second sound received by an eardrum in the ear.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising

receiving data with communication circuitry disposed in the electronics package;

and

emitting the sound from the audio package in response to receiving the data, after attaching the electronics package to the audio package.