Noise reduction with in-ear headphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9635452-B2
Application number	US-201514818639-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2015
Priority date	Aug 5, 2015
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

An in-ear headphone comprises an earbud body constructed and arranged for positioning in an ear canal of a wearer, and configured to have a distal end farther into the ear canal than a proximal end. The earbud body includes a cavity and an opening to the cavity. The in-ear headphone further comprises a transducer in the opening to the cavity, a portion of the transducer facing outward from the opening; a microphone at the distal end of the earbud body; an earbud tip on the earbud body and complying with a surface of the earbud body; and an acoustically resistive mesh structure at a distal end of the earbud tip. The mesh structure covers the microphone and the portion of the transducer facing outward from the opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An in-ear headphone, comprising:
an earbud body constructed and arranged for positioning in an ear canal of a wearer, configured to have a distal end farther into the ear canal than a proximal end, the earbud body including a cavity and an opening to the cavity;
a transducer in the opening to the cavity, a portion of the transducer facing outward from the opening;
a microphone at the distal end of the earbud body and external to the cavity of the earbud body, the transducer between the microphone and the cavity of the earbud body;
an earbud tip on the earbud body and complying with a surface of the earbud body; and
an acoustically resistive mesh structure at a distal end of the earbud tip, the mesh structure covering the microphone and the portion of the transducer facing outward from the opening.

2. The in-ear headphone of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is a moving coil transducer.

3. The in-ear headphone of claim 1 , further comprising a retaining loop coupled to the proximal end of the earbud body.

4. The in-ear headphone of claim 1 , wherein the earbud body has a conical shape.

5. The in-ear headphone of claim 4 , wherein the cavity has a conical shape including a first end and a second end wider than the first end, and wherein the opening to the cavity has a cylindrical shape extending from the distal end of the earbud body to the first end of the cavity.

6. The in-ear headphone of claim 1 , the earbud body includes a bend for accommodating a bend in the ear canal.

7. The in-ear headphone of claim 6 , wherein the earbud body has a first portion and a second portion, the cavity is at the first portion, the opening to the cavity is at the second portion, the first portion and the cavity extending in a first direction of extension, the second portion and the opening to the cavity diverging from the first direction of extension in a second direction of extension at an angle relative to the first direction of extension, and wherein the bend is at a region of the earbud body between the first portion and the second portion where the second portion and the opening to the cavity diverges from the first direction of extension.

8. The in-ear headphone of claim 7 , wherein the earbud tip has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the earbud tip on the first portion of the earbud body, the second portion of the earbud tip on the second portion of the earbud body, the first portion of the earbud tip extending in the first direction of extension, the second portion of the earbud tip extending in the second direction of extension at an angle relative to the first direction of extension, and the earbud tip including a bend at a region of the earbud tip between the first portion of the earbud tip and the second portion of the earbud tip.

9. The in-ear headphone of claim 1 , wherein the cavity is a sealed back cavity.

10. The in-ear headphone of claim 1 , wherein the earbud tip includes a coupling mechanism that engages with a coupling mechanism at the surface of the earbud body to secure the earbud tip against the earbud body.

11. An in-ear headphone, comprising:
a cone-shaped earbud body constructed and arranged for positioning in an ear canal of a wearer, the earbud body including a cavity having a first end and a second end wider than the first end, the first end including an opening to the cavity, a region of the earbud body including a bend for accommodating a contour in the ear canal, wherein:
the earbud body has a first portion and a second portion, the cavity is at the first portion, the opening to the cavity is at the second portion, the first portion and the cavity extending in a first direction of extension, the second portion and the opening to the cavity diverging from the first direction of extension in a second direction of extension at an angle relative to the first direction of extension, and wherein the bend is at a region of the earbud body between the first portion and the second portion where the second portion and the opening to the cavity diverges from the first direction of extension; and
a flexible earbud tip attached to and about at least a portion of the earbud body and about the opening to the cavity, the earbud tip constructed and arranged for positioning over the bend in the earbud body, wherein:
the earbud tip has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the earbud tip on the first portion of the earbud body, the second portion of the earbud tip on the second portion of the earbud body, the first portion of the earbud tip extending in the first direction of extension, the second portion of the earbud tip extending in the second direction of extension at an angle relative to the first direction of extension, and the earbud tip including a bend at a region of the earbud tip between the first portion of the earbud tip and the second portion of the earbud tip.

12. The in-ear headphone of claim 11 , further comprising a microphone at the opening to the cavity of the earbud body.

13. The in-ear headphone of claim 11 , further comprising an acoustically resistive mesh structure covering the opening to the cavity, and positioned over the microphone.

14. The in-ear headphone of claim 11 , wherein the second end of the cavity includes a sealed back.

15. The in-ear headphone of claim 11 , further comprising a transducer in the cavity of the earbud body, the transducer proximal to the microphone.

16. The in-ear headphone of claim 11 , further comprising a retaining loop coupled to the second end of the earbud body.

17. An in-ear headphone, comprising:
an earbud body constructed and arranged for positioning at an ear canal of an ear of a wearer, the earbud body including a cavity having a first end including an opening to the cavity and a second end having a sealed back;
a transducer in the cavity;
a microphone external to the cavity of the earbud body, wherein the transducer is between the microphone and the cavity of the earbud body; and
a flexible earbud tip attached to and about at least a portion of the earbud body and about the opening to the cavity.

18. The in-ear headphone of claim 3 , wherein the microphone and transducer extend from the first end of the cavity at the first end.

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Cheng Lei
• Searl Ellen I
• Jankovsky Joseph

Classifications

• H04R1/1091

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

• H04R1/10

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

• H04R1/1058

  Manufacture or assembly · CPC title

• H04R1/1083 Primary

  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

• H04R9/06

  Loudspeakers · CPC title