Earpieces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12526569-B2
Application number	US-202418589374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2024
Priority date	Feb 27, 2024
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

An earpiece includes an electro-acoustic transducer, a housing that encloses the electro-acoustic transducer, and a nozzle. The nozzle is coupled to the housing and is configured to direct acoustic energy from the transducer toward a user's ear canal when the earpiece is worn. The nozzle defines an inlet opening, an exit opening, and an acoustic pathway extending therebetween. A microphone is disposed within the nozzle and includes a microphone port. A chimney acoustically couples the microphone port to the exit opening and at least partially defines an effective port for the microphone. The inlet opening is closer to the electro-acoustic transducer than the exit opening such that acoustic energy radiated by the electro-acoustic transducer travels from the inlet opening toward the exit opening. The effective port is closer to the exit opening than the microphone port. The effective port is spaced from an exit opening of the nozzle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An earpiece comprising:
an electro-acoustic transducer; a housing enclosing the electro-acoustic transducer; a nozzle coupled to the housing and configured to direct acoustic energy from the electro-acoustic transducer toward a user's ear canal when the earpiece is worn, the nozzle defining an inlet opening, an exit opening, and an acoustic pathway extending therebetween; a microphone disposed within the nozzle and comprising a microphone port; and a chimney that acoustically couples the microphone port to the exit opening of the nozzle and at least partially defines an effective port for the microphone, wherein the inlet opening is closer to the electro-acoustic transducer than the exit opening such that acoustic energy radiated by the electro-acoustic transducer travels from the inlet opening toward the exit opening, wherein the effective port is closer to the exit opening than the microphone port, and wherein the effective port is spaced from an exit opening of the nozzle.

2 . The earpiece of claim 1 , further comprising a nozzle mesh arranged along the exit opening of the nozzle, wherein the effective port is spaced from the nozzle mesh.

3 . The earpiece of claim 1 , further comprising a flexible printed circuit board,
wherein the microphone is mounted on a first surface of the flexible printed circuit board and the chimney is disposed along a second surface, opposite the first surface, of the flexible printed circuit board.

4 . The earpiece of claim 3 , further comprising a stiffener plate disposed between the second surface of the flexible printed circuit board and the chimney.

5 . The earpiece of claim 4 , wherein the flexible printed circuit board includes an aperture that aligns with the microphone port and the stiffener plate includes a hole that is aligned with the aperture on the flexible printed circuit board, wherein the hole and the aperture acoustically couple the microphone port to an acoustic channel defined by the chimney.

6 . The earpiece of claim 4 , further comprising a mesh mounted on a surface of the stiffener plate opposite the flexible printed circuit board and overlying the hole.

7 . The earpiece of claim 6 , wherein the chimney comprises a sidewall and a top plate, wherein the sidewall, the top plate, and the stiffener plate together define the acoustic channel and a chimney opening that acoustically couples the microphone port to the external environment outside of the housing.

8 . The earpiece of claim 7 , wherein the sidewall extends three-quarters around the hole in the stiffener plate.

9 . The earpiece of claim 7 , wherein the sidewall is U-shaped.

10 . The earpiece of claim 7 , wherein the sidewall is secured to the stiffener plate via a first layer of pressure sensitive adhesive.

11 . The earpiece of claim 10 , wherein the sidewall is secured to the top plate via a second layer of pressure sensitive adhesive.

12 . The earpiece of claim 7 , wherein the sidewall is integrally formed with the top plate.

13 . The earpiece of claim 1 , further comprising a recess formed in a wall of the nozzle, wherein the recess at least partially defines the chimney.

14 . The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle is configured to receive and support a compliant eartip.

15 . The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the microphone is a feedback microphone for a feedback active noise reduction (ANR) system.

16 . The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the microphone is an error microphone for an adaptive feedforward active noise reduction (ANR) system.

17 . The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the chimney includes a first acoustic channel that extends between the microphone port and the exit opening and a second acoustic channel that extends between the microphone port and the electro-acoustic transducer.

18 . An earpiece comprising: an electro-acoustic transducer; a housing enclosing the electro-acoustic transducer; a nozzle defining an exit opening for directing acoustic energy from the electro-acoustic transducer toward a user's ear canal when the earpiece is worn through the exit opening; a microphone disposed within the nozzle and comprising a microphone port; and a chimney that acoustically couples the microphone port to the exit opening, wherein the chimney comprises a sidewall and a top plate which together at least partially define an effective port for the microphone, wherein the effective port is closer to the exit opening than the microphone port.

19 . The earpiece of claim 18 , wherein the top plate is substantially planar.

20 . The earpiece of claim 18 , wherein the sidewall and the top plate are integrally formed.

21 . The earpiece of claim 18 , wherein the sidewall and the top plate are secured together via adhesive.

22 . The earpiece of claim 18 , wherein the sidewall extends partway around a perimeter of the top plate.

23 . The earpiece of claim 18 , further comprising a printed circuit board,
wherein the microphone is mounted along a first surface of the printed circuit board and wherein the chimney is mounted along a second, opposite surface of the printed circuit board.

24 . The earpiece of claim 23 , wherein the circuit board is a flexible printed circuit board.

25 . The earpiece of claim 24 , further comprising a stiffener plate disposed along the second surface of the flexible printed circuit board, wherein the chimney is mounted on the stiffener plate.

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Graff Allen T
• Doyle Andrew
• Munro Andrew D
• Sullivan Donna Marie
• Herr Richard
• Krosner Benjamin Jason

Classifications

• H04R1/1075 Primary

  Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones · CPC title

• H04R2460/11

  Aspects relating to vents, e.g. shape, orientation, acoustic properties in ear tips of hearing devices to prevent occlusion · CPC title

• H04R2460/01

  Hearing devices using active noise cancellation · 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

• H04R1/1016 Primary

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title