Talk/listen headset

• US 5,125,032 A
• Filed: 11/28/1989
• Issued: 06/23/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Edwin Bollier, Erwin Meister
• Original Assignee: Edwin Bollier, Erwin Meister
• Inventors: Bollier, Edwin, Meister, Erwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US07/442,146
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 381/72, 381/151, 381/74, 381/114, 381/173, 381/183, 379/430, 455/89, 455/90
• US Class Current: 381/72
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/14 external, e.g. earcaps or earmuffs
• 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 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

In a talk/listen headset, essentially comprising two ear protection capsules (1, 2) connected to one another via a headband (3), two microphones (6, 7) are located in one of these along a vertical (9) which runs, projected on the head of the wearer, through the middle of the temporal bone and extends up to the mandibular angle. While the upper microphone (6) acts in the area of the end of the zygomatic arch, the lower microphone (7) is located in the area of the articular process of the ascending ramus of the jaw. Both microphones (6, 7) react to solid-borne sound and are piezoelectric resonators with a mass-forming body, an impedance converter and a filter/equalizer, the microphones being connected to one another in terms of voltage in order to absorb or compensate the local tone amplitudes to the bottom and to the top caused by the reproduction. This has the effect that this indirect reproduction of the voice is optimised in terms of tone and timbre. The ear protection capsules (1, 2) also contain earphones (4a, 4b) and one receiving element (12a, 12b) each. The latter are directed towards the background noises. Microphones (6, 7), earphones (4a, 4b) and receiving elements (12a, 12b) interact with an electronic component (13) integrated in the ear protection capsules, the circuit of which component has, inter alia a communication priority in favor of the microphones and earphones and not in favor of the receiving elements.

Claims

1. A talk/listen headset, comprising:

a pair of ear protection capsules;

a first microphone;

mounting means for mounting said first microphone in one of said ear protection capsules such that said first microphone is positioned, when said headset is worn by a person, in an area of an end of the zygomatic arch of the person;

a second microphone;

mounting means for mounting said second microphone in one of said ear protection capsules such that said second microphone is positioned, when said headset is worn by a person, in an area of the articular process of the ascending ramus of the person'"'"'s jaw; and

an earphone integrated into at least one of said ear protection capsules.

2. A talk/listen headset according to claim 1, wherein voltage outputs of said first and second microphones are connected.

3. A talk/listen headset according to claim 1, wherein said first microphone is positioned a distance of 3-5 cm from the outer bone of the person'"'"'s auditory canal, and said second microphone lies in a vertical plane with said first microphone a distance of about 3-10 cm from said first microphone.

4. A talk/listen headset, comprising:

at least one earphone;

an outwardly-directed receiving element for receiving a background noise;

an electronic component which includes

means for regulating a sound level of the background noise received by said receiving element to a middle sound level, and for transmitting the background noise at said regulated sound level to said earphone,

a plurality of channels, and

means for setting a communications priority such that reception and transmission of the background noise remains interrupted when one of said channels is activated;

at least one microphone for picking up solidborne sound; and

a pair of ear protection capsules said earphone and said microphone being integrated into said ear protection capsules.

5. A talk/listen headset according to claim 4, wherein a priority communication amplifier can be activated via a first receiving channel or a second digital receiving channel to said earphone, wherein a monitoring channel to said earphone via said priority communication amplifier can be activated via a first LF (low frequency) channel from said microphone via an LF controller, wherein a transmitter key can be activated externally of said electronic component and said monitoring channel internal to the component can be activated via said LF controller by means of a second logic level channel from said microphone, and wherein redundant means for redundantly limiting a sound level of the background noise received by said receiving element is connected downstream of said regulating means.

6. A talk/listen headset according to claim 4, wherein at least one induction coil interacts with said electronic component.

7. A talk/listen headset according to claim 4, wherein at least one vibrator, one positionable ear plug and a positionable ear reed are integrated into said ear protection capsules, and wherein said regulating means includes an equaliser.

8. A talk/listen headset according to claim 4, wherein said regulatory means includes a limiter/compressor/ expander.