Earphone having a controlled acoustic leak port

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9781506-B2
Application number	US-201615339563-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2016
Priority date	Jun 20, 2012
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a wall comprising (1) a front side that joins (2) an end portion in which a primary sound output opening is formed, which joins (3) a face portion in which a secondary output opening is formed, which joins (4) a back side which joins the front side and encloses a driver, wherein the face portion and the front side form a tapered portion of the earphone housing that is dimensioned to be inserted into, and contact, an ear of a wearer, wherein the primary output opening is dimensioned to output sound generated by a diaphragm of the driver contained within the earphone housing into the ear, the secondary output opening is dimensioned to vent the ear to a surrounding environment, and wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening face different directions and are positioned over a sound output face of the driver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An earphone comprising:
an earphone housing having a housing wall that encloses a driver, and the housing wall defines a primary output opening and a secondary output opening, and
wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening face different directions and at least a portion of the primary output opening and at least a portion of the secondary output opening are positioned directly over a sound output face of the driver.

2. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the housing wall comprises (1) a front side that joins (2) an end portion in which the primary output opening is formed, which joins (3) a face portion in which the secondary output opening is formed, which joins (4) a back side which joins the front side, and the back side is positioned within a concha of an ear when the end portion is inserted into the ear.

3. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the primary output opening is dimensioned to output sound generated by a diaphragm of the driver contained within the earphone housing into an ear and the secondary output opening is dimensioned to vent the ear to a surrounding environment.

4. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the secondary output opening is calibrated to modify a sound pressure level at around 6 kHz.

5. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the secondary output opening has a surface area of from 3 mm 2 to 12 mm 2 .

6. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the secondary output opening has an elongated shape that extends outward from an ear when an end portion of the housing wall is positioned in the ear.

7. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the earphone housing further comprises a tube portion, wherein the secondary output opening has an elongated shape that is oriented in a substantially horizontal direction when the tube portion of the earphone housing is positioned vertically downward.

8. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the secondary output opening is dimensioned to provide consistency in an acoustic performance of the earphone when worn by different users.

9. The earphone of claim 1 further comprising an acoustic material positioned over the secondary output opening to tune an acoustic response of the earphone.

10. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the housing wall forms a tapered portion of the earphone housing that is dimensioned to be inserted into, and contact, an ear of a wearer, and the tapered portion is formed of a non-compliant material.

11. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the earphone housing does not have a rubber tip.

12. An earphone comprising:
an earphone housing having an end portion, a face portion, a back side and a front side that are joined together in that order to surround a driver that is positioned within the earphone housing, the end portion and the face portion forming a first chamber with a front side of the driver, and the front side and the back side of the earphone housing forming a second chamber with a rear side of the driver,
wherein the end portion of the earphone housing comprises a primary output opening and the face portion comprises a secondary output opening, and
wherein an angle formed at an intersection, within the earphone housing, of a first axis through a center of the primary output opening and a second axis through a center of the secondary output opening is less than 90 degrees.

13. The earphone of claim 12 wherein the primary output opening is dimensioned to output sound from the front side of the driver into an ear of a wearer, and the secondary output opening modifies a sound pressure frequency response of the primary output opening.

14. The earphone of claim 12 wherein the secondary output opening has a surface area of from 3 mm 2 to 12 mm 2 .

15. The earphone of claim 12 wherein the secondary output opening has an aspect ratio of 3:2.

16. The earphone of claim 12 wherein the earphone housing further comprises a tube portion having a longitudinal axis which is perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis.

17. An earphone housing comprising:
an earphone housing wall comprising (1) a front side that joins (2) an end portion in which a primary output opening is formed, which joins (3) a face portion in which a secondary output opening is formed, which joins (4) a back side which joins the front side and encloses a driver, wherein the secondary output opening comprises an elongated shape having a length dimension that extends toward the end portion.

18. The earphone housing of claim 17 wherein the face portion and the front side form a tapered portion that tapers from the back side to the end portion, and wherein the tapered portion is one integrally formed structure that is dimensioned to be inserted into and contact an ear of a wearer in the absence of a rubber tip.

19. The earphone housing of claim 17 wherein an angle formed at an intersection between a first axis through a center of the primary output opening and a second axis through a center of the secondary output opening is less than 90 degrees.

20. The earphone housing of claim 17 wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening are horizontally aligned with one another when a tube portion that joins the front side and the back side is positioned vertically downward.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Howes Michael B
• Azmi Yacine
• Porter Scott P
• Aase Jonathan S
• Bright Andrew P
• Wilk Christopher R

Classifications

• H04R1/02

  Casings; Cabinets {; Supports therefor;} Mountings therein (H04R1/28 takes precedence {; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075}) · CPC title

• H04R1/023

  Screens for loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R1/2849 Primary

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/2826

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/1016 Primary

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title