Earphone having a controlled acoustic leak port

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10694282-B2
Application number	US-201916286346-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2019
Priority date	Jun 20, 2012
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a wall comprising (1) a front side that joins (2) an end portion in which a primary sound output opening is formed, which joins (3) a face portion in which a secondary output opening is formed, which joins (4) a back side which joins the front side and encloses a driver, wherein the primary output opening is dimensioned to output sound generated by a diaphragm of the driver contained within the earphone housing into the ear and the secondary output opening is dimensioned to vent the ear to a surrounding environment, and wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening face different directions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An earphone comprising:
an earphone housing having a housing wall that encloses a driver, the driver having a front face that outputs sound waves and a back face opposite the front face, the housing wall comprising a first portion defining a first chamber coupled to the front face of the driver and a second portion defining a second chamber coupled to the back face of the driver,
a first opening formed through the first portion of the housing wall; and
a first port and a second port formed through the second portion of the housing wall, the first port and the second port facing different directions and open to a surrounding environment, and wherein a distance between the front face of the driver and the first opening is smaller than a distance between the back face of the driver and at least one of the first port or the second port.

2. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the first portion comprises an end portion in which the first opening is formed and a face portion, which join to form the first chamber, and the second portion comprises a front side that joins a back side to form the second chamber, and the face portion faces a pinna portion of an ear when the end portion is inserted into the ear.

3. The earphone of claim 1 further comprising:
a second opening, wherein both the first opening and the second opening are formed through the first portion of the housing wall and directly over the front face of the driver, and the first opening and the second opening face different directions.

4. The earphone of claim 3 wherein the second opening is calibrated to modify a sound pressure level at around 6 kHz.

5. The earphone of claim 3 wherein the second opening has a surface area of from 3 mm 2 to 12 mm 2 .

6. The earphone of claim 3 wherein the second opening has an elongated shape that extends outward from an ear when the first opening is facing an ear canal of the ear.

7. The earphone of claim 3 wherein the earphone housing further comprises a tube portion coupled to the second chamber, and the second port is a bass port formed in the tube portion, the bass port is dimensioned to control a bass response of the earphone.

8. The earphone of claim 3 wherein the second opening is dimensioned to provide consistency in an acoustic performance of the earphone when worn by different users.

9. The earphone of claim 3 further comprising an acoustic material positioned over the first opening or the second opening to tune an acoustic response of the earphone, and a protective material positioned between the acoustic material and the second opening.

10. The earphone of claim 7 further comprising a protective mesh positioned over the bass port.

11. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the earphone housing does not have a rubber tip.

12. An earphone comprising:
an earphone housing having a housing wall comprising a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion that are joined together to enclose a driver, the driver having a front face that outputs sound waves and a back face opposite the front face, the first portion and the second portion define a first chamber coupled to the front face of the driver, and the third portion defines a second chamber coupled to the back face of the driver,
a first output opening to output sound from the front face of the driver into an ear is formed through the first portion,
a second output opening that vents the ear to a surrounding environment is formed through the second portion, the second portion is arranged relative to the first portion such that the second output opening and the first output opening face different directions, and a portion of the front face of the driver is closer to the first output opening than the second output opening, and
a first port is formed through the housing wall defining the second chamber.

13. The earphone of claim 12 wherein an angle formed at an intersection, within the earphone housing, of a first axis through a center of the first output opening and a second axis through a center of the second output opening is less than 90 degrees.

14. The earphone of claim 12 wherein the second output opening has a surface area of from 3 mm 2 to 12 mm 2 .

15. The earphone of claim 12 wherein the first port is a turning port formed through the third portion of the housing wall.

16. The earphone of claim 12 wherein the earphone housing further comprises a second port and a tube portion, the first port is a tuning port, the second port is a bass port and the bass port is formed through the tube portion and faces a different direction than the tuning port.

17. An earphone housing comprising:
an earphone housing wall that encloses a driver, the driver having a front face that outputs sound waves and a back face opposite the front face, the housing wall defines a first chamber coupled to the front face of the driver and a second chamber coupled to the back face of the driver, and wherein a first output opening, a second output opening, a first port and a second port are formed through the housing wall to a surrounding environment and face different directions, and an angle between a front face of the driver and the portion of the housing wall formed between the first output opening and the second output opening being less than 90 degrees.

18. The earphone housing of claim 17 wherein the housing wall comprises a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion that are joined together to enclose the driver, the first portion and the second portion define the first chamber, the third portion defines the second chamber, the first output opening is formed through the first portion, and the second output opening is formed through the second portion, and the second portion is at an angle to the front face of the driver.

19. The earphone housing of claim 18 wherein at least portions of the first output opening and the second output opening are formed directly over the front face of the driver, and the first port is a tuning output port formed over the back face of the driver.

20. The earphone housing of claim 17 wherein the second port is a bass port, and the earphone housing wall comprises a tube portion through which the bass port is formed.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Howes Michael B
• Azmi Yacine
• Porter Scott P
• Aase Jonathan S
• Bright Andrew P
• Wilk Christopher R

Classifications

• H04R1/2826

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/02

  Casings; Cabinets {; Supports therefor;} Mountings therein (H04R1/28 takes precedence {; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075}) · CPC title

• H04R1/2849 Primary

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/023

  Screens for loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R1/1058 Primary

  Manufacture or assembly · CPC title