Earphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10827248-B2
Application number	US-201916284727-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2019
Priority date	Feb 25, 2019
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

An earphone with a first acoustic cavity, an electro-acoustic transducer configured to deliver acoustic energy into the first acoustic cavity, and a port that acoustically couples the first acoustic cavity to a different volume, wherein the port comprises a series of through-holes that are open to the first acoustic cavity and the different volume.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An earphone, comprising:
a first acoustic cavity;
an electro-acoustic transducer configured to deliver acoustic energy into the first acoustic cavity; and
a port that acoustically couples the first acoustic cavity to a different volume, wherein the port comprises a series of through-holes that are open to the first acoustic cavity and the different volume, wherein the port and the through-holes are defined by the same material.

2. The earphone of claim 1 , further comprising a second acoustic cavity, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is configured to deliver acoustic energy into the first and second acoustic cavities.

3. The earphone of claim 2 , wherein the port directly acoustically couples the first and second acoustic cavities.

4. The earphone of claim 3 , further comprising a frame that supports the transducer, wherein the port is integrated into the frame.

5. The earphone of claim 4 , wherein the frame comprises an annular seat for the transducer, and an integral extension that comprises the port.

6. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the port comprises an integral structure that comprises the series of through-holes.

7. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the port comprises an acoustically resistive element.

8. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the port comprises an acoustically reactive element.

9. The earphone of claim 8 , wherein the port comprises a tube.

10. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the port acoustically couples the first acoustic cavity to an environment external to the earphone.

11. The earphone of claim 10 , wherein the port comprises a nozzle that is configured to directly deliver acoustic energy into an ear canal.

12. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the series of through-holes comprises a moisture-resistant element.

13. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the series of through-holes are created by molding, machining, laser drilling, chemical etching, electrical discharge machining, or electroforming.

14. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the through-holes of the series of through-holes are identical.

15. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the through-holes of the series of through-holes have lengths and diameters, and wherein the diameters of at least some of the through-holes vary along their lengths.

16. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the through-holes of the series of through-holes have lengths, and wherein at least some of the through-holes are tapered along their lengths.

17. The earphone of claim 16 , wherein the through-holes of the series of through-holes have first openings that are open to the first acoustic cavity and second openings that are open to the different volume, and wherein some of the through holes have larger first openings than second openings, and some of the through holes have smaller first openings than second openings.

18. The earphone of claim 17 , wherein the through holes have sidewalls, and wherein the sidewalls of adjacent through-holes are parallel.

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Bacon Cedrik
• Davidson Keith
• Collins Daniel
• Kelly Liam
• Zalisk Michael

Classifications

• 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

• H04R1/1016 Primary

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• H04R1/1075

  Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones · CPC title

• H04R1/2876

  by means of damping material, e.g. as cladding (damping material for tuning desired resonances H04R1/2807, e.g. in vents H04R1/2823, H04R1/2846) · CPC title

• H04R1/2888

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title