Dynamic driver in hearing instrument

• US 9,571,941 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knowles Electronics Llc (Knowles Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Knowles Electronics Llc (Knowles Corporation)
• Inventors: Heidenreich, Joseph, Llamas-Young, Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S
• Application Number:
  US14/454,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20150049893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 381/320, 381/71.6, 381/312, 381/322, 381/328
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/05 Electronic compensation of the occlusion effect
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/50 Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics

Abstract

A hearing instrument includes a first speaker having a first frequency range. The hearing instrument also includes a second speaker that is disposed in the ear of a listener. The second speaker has a second frequency range that is wider than the first frequency range. A microphone unit is coupled to the first speaker and the second speaker. The first speaker creates replacement sounds within the first frequency range that replicate sounds that are lost to the listener as a result of an occlusion effect at the second speaker. The replacement sounds are presented to the listener.

Claims

1. A hearing instrument, the hearing instrument comprising:

a first electro-acoustic transducer;

a second electro-acoustic transducer having an acoustic output;

an ear tip having a first sound channel terminating at an orifice on a first end portion of the ear tip, the second electro-acoustic transducer disposed at least partially in the ear tip and the acoustic output of the second electro-acoustic transducer acoustically coupled to the first sound channel,

the ear tip having a second sound channel that allows sound produced by the first electro-acoustic transducer to pass through the ear tip, the second sound channel compensating for occlusion that occurs when the ear tip is in use;

wherein the first electro-acoustic transducer compensates for sounds lost as a result of occlusion compensation.

2. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the sounds produced by the first electro-acoustic transducer have frequencies less than 1 kHz.

3. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the second sound channel extends through the ear tip from a second end portion of the ear tip to the first end portion thereof, the first electro-acoustic transducer is positioned adjacent to and apart from the second end portion of the ear tip.

4. The hearing instrument of claim 1, further comprising a microphone unit coupled to the first electro-acoustic transducer and the second electro-acoustic transducer.

5. The hearing instrument of claim 4, wherein the microphone unit comprises a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphone.

6. The hearing instrument of claim 4, wherein the microphone unit is a behind-the-ear (BTE) unit.

7. The hearing instrument of claim 4, wherein the microphone unit is an in-the-ear (ITE) unit.

8. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the second sound channel comprises a plurality of channels.

9. The hearing instrument of claim 1, wherein the first electro-acoustic transducer comprises a woofer.

10. A hearing instrument comprising:

a first electro-acoustic transducer;

an ear tip having a first sound channel with a port at an inner end portion of the ear tip, at least a portion of the ear tip sized to fit in a user'"'"'s ear canal;

a second electro-acoustic transducer, the second electro-acoustic transducer disposed at least partially in the ear tip in communication with the first sound channel;

the ear tip including a second sound channel extending through the ear tip from an outer end portion of the ear tip to the inner end portion thereof, the outer end portion opposite the inner end portion, the first electro-acoustic transducer disposed proximate the outer end portion of the ear tip;

an unsealed acoustic coupling between the first electro-acoustic transducer and the second sound channel;

whereby sound from the first electro-acoustic transducer passes through the second sound channel from the outer end portion of the ear tip to the inner end portion of the ear tip.

11. The hearing instrument of claim 10 further comprising a microphone, the first electro-acoustic transducer and the second electro-acoustic transducer both coupled to the microphone.

12. The hearing instrument of claim 10, wherein frequencies from the first electro-acoustic transducer that pass through the second sound channel are lower than frequencies from the second electro-acoustic transducer that pass through the first sound channel when the inner end portion of the ear tip is disposed in the user'"'"'s ear canal.

13. The hearing instrument of claim 12, wherein the second electro-acoustic transducer is disposed at least partially within the ear tip on a side of the ear tip opposite the inner end portion thereof, a sealed coupling between the second electro-acoustic transducer and the first sound channel, at least a portion of the ear tip sized to contact a user'"'"'s ear canal when the inner end portion of the ear tip is disposed in the user'"'"'s ear canal.

14. The hearing instrument of claim 10, wherein the second electro-acoustic transducer is disposed at least partially within the ear tip on a side of the ear tip opposite the inner end portion thereof, and a sealed coupling between the second electro-acoustic transducer and the first sound channel.

15. The hearing instrument of claim 14, wherein a first frequency range that passes through the second sound channel from the first electro-acoustic transducer includes frequencies that are lower than frequencies that pass through the first sound channel from the second electro-acoustic transducer when the inner end portion of the ear tip is disposed in the user'"'"'s ear canal.

16. The hearing instrument of claim 15 further comprising a microphone, the first electro-acoustic transducer and the second electro-acoustic transducer both coupled to the microphone.

17. The hearing instrument of claim 16, the microphone is a micro-electromechanical systems microphone.