Bone-conduction anvil and diaphragm

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9288591-B1
Application number	US-201213629944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 28, 2012
Priority date	Mar 14, 2012
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods and apparatuses for the transmission of audio information from a bone-conduction headset to a user. The bone-conduction headset may be mounted on a glasses-style support structure. The bone-conduction transducer may be mounted near where the glasses-style support structure approach a wearer's ears. In one embodiment, an apparatus has a bone-conduction transducer with a diaphragm configured to vibrate based on a magnetic field. The magnetic field being based off an applied electric field. The apparatus may also have an anvil coupled to the diaphragm. The anvil may be configured to conduct the vibration from the bone-conduction transducer. Additionally, the anvil may be coupled to a metallic component. The metallic component may be configured to couple to a magnetic field created by the bone-conduction transducer.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a support structure having two side-arms;
at least one bone-conduction transducer mounted to at least one of the side-arms, wherein the bone-conduction transducer comprises a diaphragm configured to vibrate in response to a magnetic field generated by the one bone-conduction transducer, and wherein the side-arm positions the bone-conduction transducer to the posterior of a wearer's ear;
a mount coupled to an external surface of the diaphragm;
an anvil coupled to the external surface of the diaphragm, wherein the anvil is configured to conduct the vibration from the diaphragm, and wherein the anvil is coupled to the support structure via a sheath; and
at least one metallic component (i) aligned to the mount and (ii) located within the anvil, wherein the metallic component is configured to couple to the magnetic field of the bone-conduction transducer and cause a desired acoustic frequency response for the bone-conduction transducer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the metallic component is a magnet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the metallic component alters the acoustic impedance of the bone-conduction transducer.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the acoustic impedance of the bone-conduction transducer is chosen based on an acoustic impedance of a human head.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the external surface of the diaphragm forms an external surface of the bone-conduction transducer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second bone-conduction transducer mounted to a second side-arm of the two side arms; and
a second anvil coupled to a second diaphragm, wherein the second anvil is configured to conduct the vibration from the second diaphragm, and wherein the second anvil comprises at least one second metallic component configured to couple to a magnetic field of the second bone-conduction transducer.

7. A method comprising:
receiving a signal with a bone-conduction transducer, wherein the bone conduction transducer comprises a diaphragm; and
responsive to receiving the signal, the bone conduction transducer creating an electromagnetic field based on the signal and:
coupling the electromagnetic field to a diaphragm; and
coupling the electromagnetic field to a metallic component located within an anvil, wherein the anvil is coupled to a side-arm of a support structure via a sheath and is configured to: (i) couple to an external surface of the diaphragm, and (ii) conduct a vibration from the diaphragm, and wherein the metallic component: (i) is aligned to a mount, wherein the mount coupled to the external surface of the diaphragm, and (ii) causes a desired acoustic frequency response for the bone-conduction transducer; and
coupling the vibration conducted by the anvil to the posterior of a wearer's ear.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the metallic component is a magnet.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the metallic component alters the acoustic impedance of the bone-conduction transducer.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the acoustic impedance of the bone-conduction transducer is chosen based on an acoustic impedance of a human head.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the external surface of the diaphragm forms an external surface of the bone-conduction transducer.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising a second bone-conduction transducer mounted on a second side-arm of the support structure side section; and
a second anvil coupled to a second diaphragm, wherein the second anvil is configured to conduct the vibration from the second diaphragm, and wherein the second anvil comprises at least one second metallic component configured to couple to a magnetic field of the second bone-conduction transducer.

13. An apparatus comprising:
a vibration transducer comprising a diaphragm configured to vibrate in response to a magnetic field generated by the one bone-conduction transducer, wherein the vibration transducer is mounted on a side-arm of a head-mounted support structure having two side-arms, and wherein the side-arm positions the bone-conduction transducer to the posterior of a wearer's ear;
an anvil coupled to an external surface of the diaphragm, wherein the anvil is configured to conduct a vibration from the diaphragm, and wherein the anvil is coupled to the support structure via a sheath; and
a component coupled within the anvil, wherein the component is aligned to a mount that is coupled to an external surface of the diaphragm, and wherein the component causes a desired acoustic frequency response for the vibration transducer.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the component is a magnet.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the component alters the acoustic impedance of the vibration transducer.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the diaphragm is configured to vibrate based on a magnetic field produced when a signal is applied to the vibration transducer.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the external surface of the diaphragm forms an external surface of the vibration transducer.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the component is configured to couple to a magnetic field produced when a signal is applied to the vibration transducer.

Assignees

• Dong Jianchun
• Heinrich Mitchell
• Fitch John Stuart
• Martin Matthew
• Kim Eliot
• Google Inc

Inventors

• Dong Jianchun
• Heinrich Mitchell
• Fitch John Stuart
• Martin Matthew
• Kim Eliot

Classifications

• H04R1/20

  Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics (for stereophonic purpose H04R5/00) · CPC title

• H04R1/14

  Throat mountings for microphones · CPC title

• H04R1/10 Primary

  Earpieces; Attachments therefor {; Earphones; Monophonic headphones (H04R1/28 takes precedence; stereophonic headphones H04R5/033)} · CPC title

• H04R1/46

  Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope (throat mountings H04R1/14) · CPC title

• H04R1/28

  Transducer mountings or enclosures modified by provision of mechanical or acoustic impedances, e.g. resonator, damping means {(combinations of transducers with horns, i.e. front-loaded horns H04R1/30)} · CPC title