Acoustic transducer, wearable sound device and manufacturing method of acoustic transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11323797-B2
Application number	US-202117344983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2021
Priority date	Jul 11, 2020
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

An acoustic transducer is disposed within a wearable sound device or to be disposed within the wearable sound device. The acoustic transducer includes a first anchor structure and a first flap. The first flap includes a first end and a second end. The first end is anchored by the first anchor structure, and the second end is configured to perform a first up-and-down movement to form a vent temporarily. The first flap partitions a space into a first volume to be connected to an ear canal and a second volume to be connected to an ambient of the wearable sound device. The ear canal and the ambient are connected via the vent temporarily opened.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An acoustic transducer, disposed within a wearable sound device or to be disposed within the wearable sound device, the acoustic transducer comprising:
a first anchor structure and a second anchor structure;
a first flap comprising:
a first end anchored by the first anchor structure; and
a second end configured to perform a first up-and-down movement to form a vent temporarily; and

a second flap comprising:
a third end anchored by the second anchor structure; and
a fourth end opposite to the second end of the first flap and configured to perform a second up-and-down movement to form the vent;

wherein the first flap partitions a space into a first volume to be connected to an ear canal and a second volume to be connected to an ambient of the wearable sound device;
wherein the ear canal and the ambient are connected via the vent temporarily opened;
wherein the first flap is actuated according to a first signal to move toward a first direction, and the second flap is actuated according to a second signal to move toward a second direction opposite to the first direction, such that the vent is formed.

2. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 , wherein the second end of the first flap makes no contact with any component of the acoustic transducer when performing the first up-and-down movement.

3. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 , wherein a net air movement produced due to forming the vent is substantially zero, forming the vent represents a flap movement of opening the vent or closing the vent.

4. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 , wherein the first flap and the second flap partition the space into the first volume connected to the ear canal and the second volume connected to the ambient of the wearable sound device.

5. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 , wherein
a first air movement is produced because the first flap is actuated to move toward the first direction;
a second air movement is produced because the second flap is actuated to move toward the second direction;
the first air movement and the second air movement substantially cancel each other when the first flap and the second flap are simultaneously actuated to form the vent.

6. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 , wherein
at a time instant, the second end of the first flap is actuated to have a first displacement toward the first direction, and the fourth end of the second flap is actuated to have a second displacement toward the second direction;
the first displacement and the second displacement are of substantially equal in distance.

7. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 , wherein
the first signal is a common signal plus an incremental voltage;
the second signal is the common signal plus a decremental voltage.

8. The acoustic transducer of claim 7 , wherein the incremental voltage and the decremental voltage are of substantially the same magnitude.

9. The acoustic transducer of claim 7 , wherein the common signal comprises a constant bias voltage.

10. The acoustic transducer of claim 7 , wherein when the common signal is a constant bias voltage, the first flap and the second flap are substantially parallel to a horizontal surface and the vent is closed.

11. The acoustic transducer of claim 7 , wherein the common signal comprises an input audio signal.

12. The acoustic transducer of claim 7 , wherein when both the incremental voltage and the decremental voltage are zero, the vent is closed.

13. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 , wherein the wearable sound device comprises:
a sensing device configured to generate a sensing result indicating a sensed quantity;
wherein the first signal is a common signal plus an incremental voltage;
wherein the incremental voltage is generated according to the sensing result.

14. The acoustic transducer of claim 13 , wherein the incremental voltage has a monotonic relationship with the sensed quantity indicated by the sensing result.

15. The acoustic transducer of claim 13 , wherein the sensing device comprises a proximity sensor, the sensed quantity represents a distance between an object and the proximity sensor, and a magnitude of the incremental voltage increases as the distance decreases or decreases below a threshold.

16. The acoustic transducer of claim 13 , wherein the sensing device comprises a motion sensor, the sensed quantity represents a motion of the wearable sound device, and a magnitude of the incremental voltage increases as the motion increases.

17. The acoustic transducer of claim 13 , wherein the sensing device comprises a force sensor, the sensed quantity represents a force applied on the force sensor, and a magnitude of the incremental voltage increases as the force increases.

18. The acoustic transducer of claim 13 , wherein the sensing device comprises a light sensor, the sensed quantity represents an ambient light sensed by the light sensor, and a magnitude of the incremental voltage increases as the ambient light decreases.

19. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 , wherein
the first flap and the second flap are disposed within a first layer;
the first anchor structure and the second anchor structure are disposed within a second layer.

20. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 , comprising:
a membrane configured to perform an acoustic transformation.

21. The acoustic transducer of claim 20 , wherein the membrane comprises the first flap.

22. The acoustic transducer of claim 20 , wherein
the wearable sound device comprises a driving circuit configured to generate a driving signal to actuate the membrane;
the driving circuit comprises an equalizer;
the equalizer is configured to compensate for a degradation of a low-frequency response of the acoustic transducer due to the vent being opened.

23. A wearable sound device, comprising:
an acoustic transducer configured to perform an acoustic transformation, the acoustic transducer comprising:
at least one anchor structure;
a film structure anchored by the at least one anchor structure; and
an actuator disposed on the film structure, the actuator configured to actuate the film structure to form a vent temporarily; and

a housing structure comprising a first housing opening and a second housing opening, wherein the acoustic transducer is disposed in the housing structure and between the first housing opening and the second housing opening;
wherein the film structure comprises a first flap and a second flap, the first flap has a first end anchored by the at least one anchor structure and a second end configured to perform a first up-and-down movement, the second flap has a third end anchored by the at least one anchor structure and a fourth end opposite to the second end and configured to perform a second up-and-down movement, the first flap is actuated according to a first signal to move toward a first direction, and the second flap is actuated according to a second signal to move toward a second direction opposite to the first direction, such that the vent is formed;
wherein a space formed within the housing structure is partitioned into a first volume and a second volume by the film structure, the first volume is connected to the first housing opening, and the second volume is connected to the second housing opening;
wherein the first volume and the second volume are to be connected via the vent temporarily opened.

Assignees

• Xmems Labs Inc

Inventors

• Liang Jemm Yue
• Lo Chiung C
• Lim Martin George
• Chen Wen-Chien
• Housholder Michael David
• Hong David

Classifications

• H04R1/1091

  Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083 · CPC title

• H04R1/1075 Primary

  Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones · CPC title

• H04R2231/00

  Details of apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor covered by H04R31/00, not provided for in its subgroups · CPC title

• H04R1/1016 Primary

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• H04R2201/003

  Mems transducers or their use · CPC title