Methods and devices for occluding an ear canal having a predetermined filter characteristic

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10757496-B2
Application number	US-201816101597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2018
Priority date	Jun 26, 2010
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

Occlusion devices, earpiece devices and methods of forming occlusion devices are provided. An occlusion device is configured to occlude an ear canal. The occlusion device includes an insertion element and at least one expandable element disposed on the insertion element. The expandable element is configured to receive a medium via the insertion element and is configured to expand, responsive to the medium, to contact the ear canal. Physical parameters of the occlusion device are selected to produce a predetermined sound attenuation characteristic over a frequency band, such that sound is attenuated more in a first frequency range of the frequency band than in a second frequency range of the frequency band.

First claim

I claim:

1. An earpiece that inserts in an ear, comprising:
an earpiece housing unit with a proximal and distal end, wherein the distal end inserts in an ear canal of the ear;
an occlusion structure that extends distally from the earpiece housing unit;
an expandable occlusion element located on the occlusion structure and having an expandable occlusion element material compliance;
an expansion medium having an expansion medium attenuation property;
wherein the expandable occlusion element receives the expansion medium to expand the expandable occlusion element such that the expandable occlusion element contacts the ear canal;
wherein the expansion medium attenuation property and the expandable element material compliance are selected to produce a predetermined sound attenuation over a frequency band, such that sound is attenuated more in a first frequency range of the frequency band than in a second frequency range of the frequency band.

2. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the first frequency range is higher than the second frequency range.

3. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the second frequency range is higher than the first frequency range.

4. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the expandable occlusion element comprises:
an expandable occlusion element material; and
a barrier layer having less permeability than a permeability of the expandable occlusion element material.

5. The earpiece of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second expandable occlusion element located on the occlusion structure and having the expandable occlusion element material compliance.

6. The earpiece of claim 1 , further comprising:
a channel connecting the first expandable occlusion element and the second expandable occlusion element, wherein the channel provides for transfer of a portion of the expansion medium between the first expandable occlusion element and the second expandable occlusion element.

7. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined sound attenuation is selected based on an electro-acoustical circuit model.

8. The occlusion device according to claim 7 , wherein a material of the expandable occlusion element is selected based on an acoustical capacitance of a corresponding expandable element in the electro-acoustical circuit model.

9. The earpiece of claim 1 , further comprising: wherein the expandable occlusion element is divided into a first expandable occlusion element portion and a second expandable occlusion element portion; wherein division of the expandable occlusion element into a first expandable occlusion element portion and a second expandable occlusion element portion is selected to result in a predetermined leak that attenuates the sound.

10. The earpiece of claim 9 , further comprising: a ring that divides the first expandable occlusion element into the first expandable occlusion element portion and the second expandable occlusion element portion.

11. The earpiece of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the first expandable occlusion element portion contacts the ear canal; wherein the second expandable occlusion element portion contacts the ear canal.

12. An earpiece that inserts in an ear, comprising: an earpiece housing unit with a proximal and distal end, wherein the distal end inserts in an ear canal of the ear; an occlusion structure that extends distally from the earpiece housing unit; a first expandable occlusion element located on the occlusion section; a second expandable occlusion element location on the occlusion section; a first expansion medium having a first expansion medium attenuation property; a second expansion medium having a second expansion medium attenuation property, wherein the first expansion medium is different than the second expansion medium; wherein the first expandable occlusion element receives the first expansion medium to expand the first expandable occlusion element such that the first expandable occlusion element contacts the ear canal; wherein the second expandable occlusion element receives the second expansion medium to expand the second expandable occlusion element such that the second expandable occlusion element contacts the ear canal; wherein the first expandable occlusion element that is expanded with the received first expansion medium attenuates sound as a low pass filter; and wherein the second expandable occlusion element that is expanded with the received second expansion medium attenuates sound as a high pass filter.

13. The earpiece of claim 12 , wherein the first expandable occlusion element comprises a first barrier layer that reduces an overall permeability of the first expandable occlusion element.

14. The earpiece of claim 13 , wherein the second expandable occlusion element comprises a second barrier layer that reduces an overall permeability of the second expandable occlusion element.

15. The earpiece of claim 12 , wherein a predetermined pressure of the first expandable occlusion element that is expanded with the received first expansion medium is selected based on an electro-acoustical circuit model.

16. The earpiece of claim 15 , wherein a predetermined pressure of the second expandable occlusion element that is expanded with the received second expansion medium is selected based on an electro-acoustical circuit model.

17. The occlusion device according to claim 15 , wherein a material of the expandable occlusion element is selected based on an acoustical capacitance of a corresponding expandable element in the electro-acoustical circuit model.

18. The earpiece of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the first expandable occlusion element and the second expandable occlusion element are selected to provide a predetermined leak that attenuates the sound.

19. A method, comprising: selecting an expandable occlusion element based on an expandable occlusion element material compliance; selecting an expansion medium based on an expansion medium attenuation property; determining a sound attenuation over a frequency band, such that sound is attenuated more in a first frequency range of the frequency band than in a second frequency range of the frequency band; providing an earpiece, comprising: an earpiece housing unit with a proximal and distal end, wherein the distal end inserts in an ear canal of the ear; an occlusion structure that extends distally from the earpiece housing unit; the selected expandable occlusion element having the expandable occlusion element material compliance and located on the occlusion structure; the selected expansion medium having the expansion medium attenuation property; wherein the expandable occlusion element receives the expansion medium to expand the expandable occlusion element such that the expandable occlusion element contacts the ear canal; wherein the expansion medium attenuation property and the expandable element.

Assignees

• Staton Techiya Llc

Inventors

• Goldstein Steven W

Classifications

• A61F11/145

  electric, e.g. for active noise reduction · CPC title

• A61F11/08

  internal, e.g. earplugs · CPC title

• H04R1/1016 Primary

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• H04R1/1083

  Reduction of ambient noise (active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49005

  Acoustic transducer · CPC title