High fidelity earphone and hearing aid

• US 4,852,177 A
• Filed: 08/28/1986
• Issued: 07/25/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sensesonics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sensesonics Incorporated
• Inventors: Ambrose, Stephen D.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Byrd, Danita R.
• Application Number:
  US06/901,203
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 381/154, 381/68, 381/68.1-68.4, 381/69, 381/194, 381/183, 381/187, 381/158, 381/159, 381/153, 381/154, 181/135
• US Class Current: 381/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/456 mechanically
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/60 Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles ear wax retarders, e.g. mounting thereof H04R25/654
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659

Abstract

A high fidelity earphone or hearing aid utilizes an acoustic path from a location near where the sound is delivered to the ear, to a location near the backside of the sound-producing diaphragm. A vent to the atmosphere from a location near the backside of the sound-producing diaphragm is also taught. A microphone on the earphone makes it safe to listen to the radio or a tape player in public, because of the capability of hearing outside sounds.

Claims

1. A method of providing sound to the ear, comprising, providing a first path to the ear canal for sound, and providing a second path to the ear canal for said sound approximately 180 degrees out of phase with the sound in said first path.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said paths terminate in proximity to each other at their ends which provide sound to the ear.

3. The method of claim 2 further including the step of damping at least one of said paths.

4. The method of claim 3 further including the step of venting at least one of said paths to the atmosphere.

5. A method of providing sound to the ear comprising providing a first path from one surface of a diaphragm, which vibrates and causes variable air pressure, to the ear canal for sound, and providing a second path from inside the ear at approximately the termination of said first path to a location having the variable air pressure caused by the other surface of said diaphragm.

6. The method of claim 5 further including the step of damping at least one of said paths.

7. The method of claim 5 further including the step of providing a third path, for venting purposes, from one of said surfaces of said diaphragm to the atmosphere.

8. An earphone comprising a manifold comprising a chamber having at least first and second walls, a magnet fixed with respect to said manifold chamber, a coil of wire adapted to receive electrical signals representing sound and to provide a magnetic field in accordance with said sound, said coil of wire disposed near said magnet and adapted to magnetically interact with said magnet, a diaphragm having its periphery fixed in proximity to said first wall of said manifold chamber and said diaphragm being attached to said coil and adapted to be driven thereby to provide air vibrations, venting means for venting the pressures from said diaphragm to the atmosphere, said first wall of said manifold chamber in proximity to said diaphragm having at least one hole therethrough wherein said diaphragm provides air vibrations through said holes into said chamber of said manifold, an eartip comprising a first conduit therein adapted to receive said air vibrations on one end and the other end of said eartip adapted to fit into the ear, a second conduit running from a location near said other end of said eartip, to said manifold chamber.

9. An earphone as recited in claim 8 wherein said location is at the end of said eartip adapted to fit into the ear.

10. An earphone as recited in claim 8 wherein said second conduit extends past said diaphragm at its periphery.

11. An earphone as recited in claim 8 wherein said venting means includes damping means.

12. An earphone as recited in claim 8, further including an air baffle between said diaphragm and said eartip, and wherein said air baffle and said diaphragm form a sound chamber.

13. An earphone as recited in claim 8 wherein said venting means comprises a conduit which runs through the center of said magnet to the atmosphere.

14. An earphone as recited in claim 8 wherein said venting means runs from said manifold chamber to the atmosphere.

15. An earphone as recited in claim 8 wherein said magnet is fixedly attached to said first wall of said manifold chamber.

16. An earphone as recited in claim 8 wherein said magnet is fixedly attached to said second wall of said manifold chamber.

17. An earphone comprising a manifold having a chamber having at least two walls, a magnet fixed with respect to at least one wall of said manifold chamber, a coil of wire adapted to receive electrical signals representing sound and to provide a magnetic field in accordance with said sound, said coil of wire disposed so that said magnetic field magnetically interacts with said magnet, a diaphragm having first and second sides, and having its periphery fixed with respect to one of the walls of said manifold chamber and said diaphragm being attached to said coil and adapted to be vibrated thereby, providing an output of sound on its first side, the wall of said manifold chamber near said second side of said diaphragm having a plurality of holes therethrough, an air baffle next to said diaphragm, on the first side of said diaphragm, an eartip having a first conduit therethrough, said first conduit adapted to receive the output through said air baffle on one side of said eartip which is adapted to fit into the ear on the other side and a second conduit disposed to run from a location approximately at the end of said eartip adapted to fit into the ear, to said manifold chamber.

18. An earphone as recited in claim 17 wherein said second conduit extends past said diaphragm and said baffle at their peripheries.

19. An earphone as recited in claim 17 wherein said second conduit begins at the end of said eartip where it fits into the ear.

20. An earphone as recited in claim 17 further including a third conduit, for venting purposes, from one side of said diaphragm to the atmosphere, and means for acoustically damping the sound in said third conduit by at least one of, its length, its size, acoustic damping material covering said conduit and acoustic damping material within said conduit.

21. An earphone having a diaphragm, said diaphragm having a front side and a back side, and an eartip which fits inside the ear and which eartip has two conduits therein;

one of said conduits being adapted to receive the output from the front side of said diaphragm and transmit it to the end of said eartip which fits inside the ear, a manifold chamber on the back side of said diaphragm, the other of said conduits running from a location near the end of said eartip, which fits inside the ear, to said manifold chamber.

22. An earphone as recited in claim 21, wherein said location is at the end of said eartip inside the ear.

23. An earphone as recited in claim 21, wherein venting conduit means is included, venting the back side of said diaphragm to the atmosphere.

24. An earphone comprising a diaphragm adapted to be vibrated in accordance with sound, a first conduit for delivery of sound vibrations to the ear, one surface of said diaphragm disposed to deliver sound vibrations to an ear canal through said first conduit, a second conduit, running from a location in close proximity to where sound is delivered by said first conduit, to the other surface of said diaphragm.

25. An earphone as recited in claim 24, wherein said second conduit has damping means associated therewith to reduce the flow of air through said second conduit.

26. An eraphone as recited in claim 25, wherein said damping means comprises at least one of the structural elements of said conduit, said elements comprising the resilience of the inner walls of such conduit, the conduit length or the conduit size.

27. An earphone comprised of a diaphragm having front and back sides, first and second conduit means, one end of said first conduit means disposed to connect said front side of said diaphragm to a location for delivery of sound in the ear canal of a wearer of the earphone and one end of said second conduit means disposed to connect said back side of said diaphragm to approximately said same location.

28. An earphone as recited in claim 27 wherein said second conduit means connects said back side of said diaphragm to the same location said first conduit means delivers sound.

29. An earphone as recited in claim 27 further including means for venting to the atmosphere at least one of the back side of said diaphragm or said conduit means.

30. An earphone as recited in claim 29 wherein said means for venting comprises acoustic damping means.

31. An earphone comprising an eartip having a first path therethrough for providing sound to the ear canal, a second path for providing sound to the ear canal for sound approximately 180 degrees out of phase with the sound in said first path, said first and second paths terminating at approximately the same location at their ends providing said sound.

32. An earphone as recited in claim 31 wherein means for damping the sound in one or both of said paths is included.

33. An earphone as recited in claim 31 wherein said second path is provided at least partially by a channel between the ear canal and said eartip.

34. An earphone as recited in claim 33 wherein said eartip comprises at least one of a flat surface and a channel running along the outside of said earphone to a location at the back side of said diaphragm.

35. An earphone as recited in claim 31 wherein said second path is provided at least in part by space between the circumference of said eartip and the ear canal when said eartip is disposed in an ear canal.

36. An earphone comprising a manifold comprising a chamber, a diaphragm disposed in fixed proximity to said chamber and adapted produce sound vibrations of air in said chamber from one side of said diaphragm, an eartip in fixed proximity to said diaphragm, a first sound conduit extending from the other side of said diaphragm through said eartip and a second sound conduit extending from said chamber to a location near the end of said first sound conduit.