Bone conduction assembly for communication headsets

• US 8,213,645 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rye, Ryan P., Aulert, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mandala, Michelle
• Assistant Examiner(s): KLEIN, JORDAN M
• Application Number:
  US12/413,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20100246860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 381/151, 381/326, 381/375, 381/380, 381/322, 381/324, 381/328, 381/337, 381/338, 600/559, 455/569.1
• US Class Current: 381/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A bone conduction assembly can include at least a microphone, an assembly stem, an ear cushion, and a microphone channel. The microphone can include an acoustic-to-electric transducer. The assembly stem can house the microphone and can be shaped for insertion into an ear canal of a user. The ear cushion can have an inner surface surrounding an outer surface of the assembly stem and an outer, contiguous, annular surface configured to maintain contact with an ear canal of a user when worn. The microphone channel can be shaped to channel vibrations resulting from bone conduction from the ear canal through the assembly stem to the microphone. In one embodiment, the bone conduction assembly can include a speaker having a speaker channel that is acoustically isolated from the microphone channel.

Claims

1. A bone conduction assembly comprising:

a microphone comprising an acoustic-to-electric transducer;

an assembly stem for housing said microphone and shaped for insertion into an ear canal of a user;

an ear cushion having an inner surface surrounding an outer surface of said assembly stem and an outer, contiguous, annular surface configured to maintain contact with an ear canal of a user when worn; and

a microphone channel shaped to channel vibrations resulting from bone conduction from the ear canal through the assembly stem to the microphone, wherein the microphone channel comprises a sealed, 360-degree air channel between the ear cushion and the assembly stem housing, wherein the microphone channel further comprises a second air channel extending between an acoustic sensor of the microphone and the 360-degree air channel of the ear cushion, whereby said assembly is constructed so that vibrations are conveyed through the material of the ear cushion, to the 360-degree air channel, to the air channel, to the acoustic sensor, where the microphone converts the vibrations to electric signals.

2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker comprising an electric-to-acoustic transducer, wherein said speaker is housed in said assembly stem; and

a speaker channel shaped to channel sound produced by the speaker to the ear canal, wherein the speaker channel and the microphone channel are acoustically isolated from each other.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein said microphone channel and said speaker channel are both distinct air channels, wherein said microphone channel is sealed by the ear cushion, and wherein an opening exists between the ear cushion and said speaker channel.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said ear cushion is a solid uniform material, wherein the second air channel of the microphone channel extends between the acoustic sensor of the microphone and an inner surface of the ear cushion.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said microphone channel comprises a rubber material directly coupled to the ear cushion and directly coupled to a microphone sensor of the microphone or directly coupled to an accelerometer, wherein the rubber material is configured to transfer any circumferentially-detected vibrations of the ear cushion to the microphone sensor or to the accelerometer.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said ear cushion is a solid uniform material, wherein the 360-degree air channel is in contact with a circumference of the inner surface of the ear cushion, wherein the the 360-degree air channel is an air channel shaped in the assembly stem.

7. A bone conduction assembly comprising:

a microphone comprising an acoustic-to-electric transducer;

a speaker comprising an electric-to-acoustic transducer;

an assembly stem for housing said microphone and said speaker and shaped for insertion into an ear canal of a user;

an ear cushion configured to maintain contact with an ear canal of a user when worn, the ear cushion having an inner surface surrounding an outer surface of said assembly stem, and an outer, contiguous, annular surface;

a microphone channel shaped to channel vibrations resulting from bone conduction from the ear canal through the assembly stem to the microphone, the microphone channel having a sealed 360-degree air channel between the ear cushion and the assembly stem housing, and an air channel extending between an acoustic sensor of the microphone and the 360-degree air channel of the ear cushion, whereby said assembly is constructed so that vibrations are conveyed through the material of the ear cushion, to the 360-degree air channel, to the air channel, to the acoustic sensor, where the microphone converts the vibrations to electrical signals; and

a speaker channel shaped to channel sound produced by the speaker to the ear canal, wherein the speaker channel and the microphone channel are acoustically isolated from each other, wherein said microphone channel and said speaker channel are both distinct air channels, wherein said microphone channel is sealed by the ear cushion, and wherein an opening exists between the ear cushion and said speaker channel.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein said bone conduction assembly is a headset for a mobile communication device.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the headset is a wireless headset and wherein the mobile communication device is a mobile phone.

10. An electronic device headset comprising:

a microphone comprising an acoustic-to-electric transducer;

a speaker comprising an electric-to-acoustic transducer;

an assembly stem for housing said microphone and said speaker and shaped for insertion into an ear canal of a user;

a microphone channel shaped to channel vibrations resulting from bone conduction from the ear canal through the assembly stem to the microphone;

a speaker channel shaped to channel sound produced by the speaker to the ear canal, wherein the speaker channel and the microphone channel are acoustically isolated from each other, wherein said microphone channel and said speaker channel are both distinct air channels;

an ear cushion having an inner surface surrounding an outer surface of said assembly stem and an outer, contiguous, annular surface configured to maintain contact with an ear canal of a user when worn, wherein said microphone channel is sealed by the ear cushion, and wherein an opening exists between the ear cushion and said speaker channel;

a communication linkage for communicating between the electronic device headset and an electronic device, wherein said communication linkage is configured to conduct electronic signals from a electronic device to the speaker and is configured to conduct electronic signals from the microphone to the electronic device, wherein said communication linkage is a wireless communication linkage or a wired communication linkage, wherein said wireless communication linkage comprises a wireless transceiver; and

wherein the microphone channel comprises a sealed, 360-degree air channel between the ear cushion and the assembly stem housing, and wherein the microphone channel further comprises an air channel extending between an acoustic sensor of the microphone and the 360-degree air channel of the ear cushion, whereby said assembly is constructed so that vibrations are conveyed through the material of the ear cushion, to the 360-degree air channel, to the air channel, to the acoustic sensor, where the microphone converts the vibrations to electrical signals.

11. The electronic device headset of claim 10, wherein said ear cushion is a solid uniform material, wherein the air channel of the microphone channel extends between the acoustic sensor of the microphone and an inner surface of the ear cushion.

12. The electronic device headset of claim 10, wherein said microphone channel comprises a rubber material directly coupled to the ear cushion and directly coupled to a microphone sensor of the microphone or directly coupled to an accelerometer, wherein the rubber material is configured to transfer any circumferentially-detected vibrations of the ear cushion to the microphone sensor or the accelerometer.

13. The electronic device headset of claim 10, wherein said ear cushion is a solid uniform material, wherein said microphone channel comprises an annular air channel in contact with a circumference of the inner surface of the ear cushion, wherein the annular air channel is an air channel shaped in the assembly stem.

14. The electronic device headset of claim 10, further comprising:

at least one user selectable control exposed when the assembly stem is placed in an ear canal of a user, wherein said user selectable control is a headset control a selection of which causes a signal associated with the selection to be conveyed over the communication linkage to the electronic device, which results in a change of state being triggered in the electronic device, wherein the change of state corresponds to the selection.

15. The electronic device headset of claim 14, wherein said communication linkage is a wireless communication linkage, and wherein said electronic device is a mobile phone.