Method and device for acoustic sealing and occlusion effect mitigation
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system to occlude an ear canal comprising:
- an expandable device;
a reservoir for storing a medium;
a channel operatively coupled between the expandable device and the reservoir; and
a pump operatively coupled to the reservoir;
where the pump is configured to expand the expandable device to a predetermined internal pressure and to increase a stress of a surface of the expandable device to a predetermined stress via transfer of the medium from the reservoir to the expandable device, such that at least a majority portion of the surface of the expandable device contacts a bony region or a cartilaginous region of an ear canal wall and imparts a force along a substantial surface of the ear canal wall to a majority of the depth of the bony region or of the cartilaginous region of the ear canal to achieve the predetermined internal pressure and seal against the canal wall to reduce an occlusion effect, andwhere the predetermined stress and the predetermined internal pressure are selected according to a predetermined relationship to produce a predetermined attenuation of bodily- propagated sound such that the bodily-propagated sound is attenuated more below a predetermined frequency than above the predetermined frequency, to reduce the occlusion effect by the bodily-propagated sound.
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Abstract
A system to occlude an ear canal is provided. The system includes an expandable device, a reservoir, a channel coupled between the expandable device and the reservoir, and a pump. The pump expands the expandable device such that a surface of the expandable device contacts an ear canal wall and imparts a force onto the ear canal wall, to produce a tensional strain in the ear canal wall. The strained ear canal wall impedes bodily-propagated sound from entering the ear canal through the ear canal wall, to reduce an occlusion effect by the bodily-propagated sound.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A system to occlude an ear canal comprising:
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an expandable device; a reservoir for storing a medium; a channel operatively coupled between the expandable device and the reservoir; and a pump operatively coupled to the reservoir; where the pump is configured to expand the expandable device to a predetermined internal pressure and to increase a stress of a surface of the expandable device to a predetermined stress via transfer of the medium from the reservoir to the expandable device, such that at least a majority portion of the surface of the expandable device contacts a bony region or a cartilaginous region of an ear canal wall and imparts a force along a substantial surface of the ear canal wall to a majority of the depth of the bony region or of the cartilaginous region of the ear canal to achieve the predetermined internal pressure and seal against the canal wall to reduce an occlusion effect, and where the predetermined stress and the predetermined internal pressure are selected according to a predetermined relationship to produce a predetermined attenuation of bodily- propagated sound such that the bodily-propagated sound is attenuated more below a predetermined frequency than above the predetermined frequency, to reduce the occlusion effect by the bodily-propagated sound. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20)
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5. A method of voice pickup comprising:
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expanding an expandable device configured to expand in an ear canal of a user, forming a sealed chamber between a distal end of the expandable device and an ear drum of the ear canal, where the expandable device is expanded to a predetermined internal pressure and to increase a stress of a surface of the expandable device to a predetermined stress, such that at least a majority portion of the surface of the expandable device contacts a bony region or a cartilaginous region of an ear canal wall and imparts a force along a substantial surface of the ear canal wall to a majority of a total depth of the bony region or of the cartilaginous region of the ear canal to achieve the predetermined internal pressure and seal against the canal wall to reduce an occlusion effect, where the predetermined stress and the predetermined internal pressure are selected according to a predetermined relationship to produce a predetermined attenuation of bodily-propagated sound such that the bodily-propagated sound is attenuated more below a predetermined frequency than above the predetermined frequency, to reduce the occlusion effect by the bodily-propagated sound; and picking up a voice of the user with an Ear Canal Microphone (ECM), where the ECM is positioned to sample an acoustic environment of the sealed chamber. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 21)
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Specification