Earplug and method for manufacturing the same

• US 7,369,670 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2004
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Haussmann, Mathias
• Primary Examiner(s): Ni; Suhan
• Application Number:
  US10/925,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 381/322, 381/324, 381/325, 381/328, 298/962.1
• US Class Current: 381/322
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/08 internal, e.g. earplugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/085 including an inner channel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/145 electric, e.g. for active noise reduction
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/658 Manufacture of housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49572 Hearing aid component making

Abstract

The invention relates to an active hearing protection earplug comprising a shell (2000) to be worn at least in part in a user'"'"'s ear canal and being adapted to attenuate sound waves arriving at the outer end (2001) of the shell, and an active system (2002, 2010) comprising an input transducer (2024) for converting ambient sound into audio signals, an audio signal processing unit (2028) for processing said audio signals, and an output transducer unit (2010) mounted within the shell for converting said processed audio signals into sound output at the inner end of the shell, wherein the amplification of the active system is negative and wherein the output transducer unit comprises at least two separate outputs (2032, 2034). The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such an earplug.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an earplug including a shell to be worn at least in part in a user'"'"'s ear canal and an acoustic output transducer unit, mounted within said shell, for sound output at an inner end of said shell, comprising:

determining a desired sound frequency response function of said output transducer unit when mounted within said shell, establishing an acoustic model of said shell including said output transducer unit, and forming a shell having a receptacle for mounting said output transducer unit within said shell and a sound cavity connecting said output transducer unit to a sound outlet opening at said inner end of said shell, wherein said sound cavity is shaped and sized according to said model in order to tune an actual sound frequency response of said output transducer unit according to said desired sound frequency response of said output transducer unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said desired sound frequency response function and said model relate to said shell when worn in a standard ear canal and outer ear.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein further comprising:

measuring an inner shape of said user'"'"'s outer ear and ear canal, wherein said desired sound frequency response function and said model relate to said shell when worn in the measured user'"'"'s ear canal and outer ear, with said sound cavity thus being individually shaped and sized according to said measured inner shape of said user'"'"'s ear canal and outer ear.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said output transducer unit comprises two separate outputs, wherein said sound cavity has a Y-like shape with a first sound output tube and a second sound output tube combining at a mixing point into a common sound outlet tube which connects to said sound outlet opening, and wherein said first sound output tube connects to one of said outputs of said output transducer unit and said second sound output tube connects to the other one of said outputs said output transducer unit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said earplug is designed as an active hearing protection device including an input transducer and an audio signal processing unit, wherein amplification of an active system comprising said input transducer, said audio signal processing unit and said output transducer unit is negative.