HK1208111B - An earphone having a controlled acoustic leak port - Google Patents

Description

Earphone with controlled sound leakage port

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an earphone assembly having a controlled sound leakage port. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Background

Whether listening to an MP3 player while traveling or listening to a high fidelity stereo system at home, consumers increasingly choose in-canal and in-concha earphones for their listening enjoyment. Both types of electroacoustic transducer devices have a relatively thin housing containing a receiver or driver (earpiece speaker). The thin shell provides convenience for a wearer and also provides good tone quality.

In-canal earphones are typically designed to fit into and form a seal with the ear canal of a user. Thus, the in-canal earphone has a sound output tube portion extending from the housing. The open end of the sound output tube portion is insertable into the ear canal of a wearer. The sound output tube portion is typically formed or fitted with a flexible and resilient tip or cap made of rubber or silicone material. The tip may be custom molded for the identified audio enthusiast, or it may be a mass-produced piece. When the tip portion is inserted into the user's ear, the tip presses against the ear canal wall and creates a sealed (substantially air tight) cavity inside the ear canal. Although the sealed cavity allows maximum sound output power into the ear canal, external vibrations may be amplified, thereby reducing overall sound quality.

Inner concha earphones, on the other hand, typically fit in the outer ear and slightly above the inner ear canal. Inner-concha earphones typically do not seal within the ear canal and therefore do not suffer from the same problems as inner-canal earphones. However, sound quality may not be optimal for the user as sound may leak from the earpiece and not reach the ear canal. Furthermore, due to different ear shapes and sizes, different amounts of sound may leak resulting in inconsistent acoustic performance between users.

Disclosure of Invention

An embodiment of the present invention is an earphone including an earphone housing having a tip portion sized to be inserted into an ear canal of a wearer, a body portion extending outwardly from the tip portion, and a tube portion extending from the body portion. A primary output opening for outputting sound generated by a driver located within the body portion into the ear canal is formed in the tip portion. A secondary output opening for discharging air to the external environment is formed in a face of the body portion. The face of the body portion faces the pinna region of the ear when the tip portion is inserted into the ear canal. The primary and secondary output openings may be horizontally aligned with each other and face in different directions such that they form an acute angle with respect to each other.

The secondary output opening may serve as a controlled leakage port to expose acoustic pressure within the earpiece to the external ambient environment. In this regard, the secondary output opening may be calibrated to modify the acoustic response of the earpiece. For example, the secondary output opening may be calibrated to reduce the sound pressure level at a peak of about 6kHz and tune the frequency response of the headset to improve overall headset performance.

The above summary does not include an exhaustive list of all aspects of the present invention. It is contemplated that the present invention includes all systems and methods that can be practiced from all suitable combinations of the various aspects summarized above and disclosed in the detailed description that follows, and particularly pointed out in the claims filed with this patent application. Such combinations have particular advantages not specifically set forth in the summary above.

Drawings

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements. It should be noted that references to "an" or "one" embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and they mean at least one.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a headset.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of one embodiment of an earphone worn in the right ear.

Fig. 3 shows a top perspective cut-away view of one embodiment of a headset.

Fig. 4 shows a top perspective cut-away view of one embodiment of a headset.

Fig. 5 illustrates an exploded perspective view of internal acoustic components that may be included within one embodiment of a headphone housing.

Figure 6A illustrates a front perspective view of one embodiment of an acoustic tuning member.

Figure 6B illustrates a rear perspective view of one embodiment of an acoustic tuning member.

Figure 6C illustrates a cross-sectional top view of one embodiment of an acoustic tuning member.

Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional side view of one embodiment of a headset with an acoustic tuning member.

Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional side view of one embodiment of a headset with an acoustic tuning member.

Detailed Description

In this section we will explain several preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the attached drawings. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the components shown for illustrative purposes only, whenever the shapes, relative positions and other aspects of the components described in the embodiments are not explicitly defined. Additionally, while numerous details are set forth, it will be understood that some embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a headset. In one embodiment, the earphone 100 may be sized to rest within the concha of the ear (in this example, the right ear) and extend into the ear canal for improved acoustic performance. In this regard, the earphone 100 may be considered a combination of an inner concha earphone and an inner ear canal earphone. Typically, the earphone housing 102 may form a body portion 104 that stays within the concha like an inner-concha earphone and a tip portion 106 that extends into the ear canal like an inner-canal earphone. A receiver or driver (not shown) may be contained within the housing 102. Various aspects of the drive will be discussed in greater detail below.

Tube portion 114 may extend from body portion 104. Tube portion 114 may be sized to contain a cable 120 that may contain electrical wires extending from an electrical sound source (not shown) to the driver. The wire may carry an audio signal that is audible by the driver. In addition, tube portion 114 may be sized to provide an acoustic pathway that improves the acoustic performance of earphone 100. This feature will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 7. In some embodiments, tube portion 114 extends from body portion 104 in a substantially vertical direction such that tube portion 114 extends vertically downward from body portion 104 when body portion 104 is in a substantially horizontal orientation.

The housing 102 may include a primary output opening 108 and a secondary output opening 110. A primary output opening 108 may be formed within tip portion 106. When the tip portion 106 is positioned within the ear canal, the primary output opening 108 outputs sound (in response to the audio signal) produced by the driver into the ear canal. The primary output opening 108 may have any size and dimensions suitable for achieving the desired acoustic performance of the earphone 100.

The secondary output opening 110 may be formed in the body portion 104. Secondary output opening 110 may be sized to vent the ear canal and/or output sound from earphone 100 to the external environment outside of earphone 100. The external or ambient environment should be understood to refer to an ambient or atmospheric environment outside of the headset 100. In this regard, the secondary output opening 110 may serve as a leak port that allows a relatively small and controlled amount of air to leak from the ear canal and earphone housing 102 to the external environment. The secondary output opening 110 is considered a controlled leak port, rather than an uncontrolled leak port, because its size and shape are selected to achieve an amount of air leakage that is acoustically satisfactory and can not only remain consistent each time the same user wears the headset, but also remain consistent from user to user. This is in contrast to typical inner-concha earphones, which allow for a large amount of air leakage between the earphone and the ear canal, which may vary depending on the positioning of the earphone within the ear and the size of the user's ear. Therefore, the air leakage is uncontrolled in this case, resulting in inconsistent acoustic performance.

Controlling the amount of air that leaks out of the secondary output opening 110 is important for a number of reasons. For example, when a driver within the earphone 100 emits sound into the ear canal, high sound pressure levels at low frequencies may occur inside the ear canal. This high pressure can cause unpleasant sound effects to the user. As previously mentioned, the tip portion 106 extends into the ear canal, thus preventing a significant amount of air from leaking from the ear canal around the tip portion 106. Instead, air is conducted out of the secondary output opening 110. The secondary output opening 110 provides a controlled and direct path from the ear canal out of the earphone housing 102 so that sound pressure within the ear canal can be exposed or vented to the ambient environment outside of the earphone 100. Reducing the pressure within the ear canal improves the user's sound experience. The secondary output opening 110 is of a controlled size and shape such that approximately the same amount of air leakage can be expected regardless of the size of the ear canal of the user. This in turn allows the earphone 100 to have substantially consistent acoustic performance between users. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the air leakage may be controlled such that more (in the case of non-maxima) sound output reaches the ear canal.

Secondary output opening 110 may also be calibrated to tune the frequency response and/or provide a consistent low frequency response of earphone 100 among the same user and among different users. The secondary output opening 110 is calibrated in the sense that it is tested or evaluated (in at least one sample of a manufacturing lot) whether it meets a given specification or design parameter. In other words, it is not merely a random opening, but is intentionally formed for a specific purpose, i.e., to change the frequency response of the headset in a manner that facilitates tuning the frequency response and/or providing a consistent low frequency response among the same user and among different users. In this regard, the secondary output opening 110 may be calibrated to modify the acoustic pressure frequency response of the primary output opening 108.

For example, in one embodiment, the secondary output opening 110 may be used to increase the sound pressure level and tune the frequency response at a peak of about 6 kHz. In particular, it has been recognized that overall sound quality improves for the listener as the secondary output opening 110 becomes larger. However, large openings can be aesthetically unappealing, so it is desirable to maintain a reasonably minimum opening. However, a smaller opening may not bring the desired acoustic performance near the peak of 6kHz (e.g., the acoustic inductance may increase). In this regard, the size and/or shape of the secondary output opening 110 has been tested and calibrated to have a relatively small size and desired shape that still achieves optimal acoustic performance at a peak of 6 kHz. For example, secondary output opening 110 may have a thickness of about 3mm²To about 15mm²E.g. about 7mm²To about 12mm²E.g. of9mm². In one embodiment, the secondary output opening 110 may have an aspect ratio of about 3: 2. Thus, the secondary output opening 110 may, for example, have an elongated shape, such as a rectangle or an ellipse. However, it is contemplated that secondary output opening 110 may have other sizes and shapes suitable for achieving the desired acoustic performance.

The size and shape of secondary output opening 110 may also be calibrated to provide earphone 100 with a more consistent low frequency response for the same user and between different users. In particular, as previously mentioned, where the amount of air leakage of the earphone to the surrounding environment is uncontrolled (e.g., as it occurs through the gap between the ear canal and the outer surface of the earphone housing), the acoustic performance, which may include the low frequency response of the earphone, will vary depending on the size and positioning within the ear of the user. Because secondary output opening 110 is of a fixed size and shape, acoustic pressure within the ear canal and/or within earphone 100 can be expelled in substantially the same manner, regardless of the size of the user's ear and the positioning of earphone 100 within the ear, with earphone 100 having a substantially consistent low frequency response each time the same user wears earphone 100 and between different users.

Furthermore, it is believed that the secondary output opening 110 may reduce the amount of externally-radiated sound (e.g., uncontrolled sound leakage) compared to a headphone without the secondary output opening 110. In this regard, for the same sound pressure level produced by the driver diaphragm, the earphone 100 with the secondary output opening 110 will produce less externally-radiated sound so that more sound reaches the ear canal than an earphone without the secondary output opening 110.

To ensure consistent venting to the surrounding environment, the secondary output opening 110 may be formed within a portion of the housing 102 that is not obscured by the ear when the earphone 100 is positioned within the ear. In one embodiment, the secondary output opening 110 is formed in a surface portion 112 of the body portion 104. The surface portion 112 may face the pinna region of the ear when the tip portion 106 is positioned within the ear canal. Thus, the secondary output opening 110 faces the pinna region when the earphone 100 is positioned within an ear. Further, where secondary output opening 110 has an elongated shape, the longest dimension may be oriented in a generally horizontal direction such that it extends outwardly from the ear canal when earphone 100 is positioned in the ear. In this regard, most, if not all, of the surface area of the secondary output opening 110 is not obscured by the ear when the tip portion 106 is positioned within the ear canal. In other embodiments, secondary output opening 110 may have any orientation within surface portion 112 suitable for allowing sound from the ear canal and/or earphone housing 102 to vent to the external environment, e.g., vertical or diagonal.

The earphone housing 102, including the tip portion 106 and the body portion 104, may be formed of a substantially non-compliant and non-elastic material, such as a rigid plastic or the like. In this regard, unlike typical in-canal earphones, although the tip portion 106 may contact and form a seal with the ear canal, it is not designed to form an air seal as is typically formed by in-canal earphones having compliant or resilient tips. Tip portion 106, body portion 104, and tube portion 114 may be formed of the same or different materials. In one embodiment, the tip portion 106 and the body portion 104 may be molded into a desired shape and size as a single piece or one integral piece using any conventional molding process. Further, the tip portion 106 may have a tapered shape that tapers from the body portion 104 such that the distal end of the tip portion 106 facing the ear canal has a reduced size or diameter relative to the body portion 104 and fits comfortably within the ear canal. Accordingly, the earphone 100 does not require a separate flexible (elastic or compliant) tip, such as a rubber or silicon tip, to focus the sound output. In other embodiments, tip portion 106 may be formed of a compliant or flexible material or provided with a compliant cover that creates a sealed cavity within the ear canal.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of one embodiment of an earphone worn in the right ear. The ear 200 includes a pinna portion 202, which is the fleshy part of the outer ear that protrudes from the side of the head. The concha 204 is a curved cavity portion of the pinna portion 202 leading to the ear canal 206. The earpiece 100 is positionable within the ear 200 such that the tip portion 106 extends into the ear canal 206 and the body portion 104 rests within the concha 204. The tapered shape of tip portion 106 may allow contact area 208 of tip portion 106 to contact the wall of ear canal 206 and form a seal with ear canal 206. As previously described, tip portion 106 may be made of a non-compliant or rigid material, such as plastic, so the seal may not be airtight. Alternatively, the seal formed around the tip portion 106 at the contact region 208 may be hermetic.

When the earphone 100 is positioned in the ear 200, the surface portion 112 of the body portion 104 faces the pinna portion 202. Secondary output opening 110 also faces pinna portion 202 such that sound exits secondary output opening 110 toward pinna portion 202 and into the surrounding environment. Although secondary output opening 110 faces pinna portion 202, it is not obscured by pinna portion 202 due to its large size, orientation and positioning with respect to surface portion 112.

Fig. 3 shows a top perspective cut-away view of one embodiment of a headset. In particular, it can be seen from this view that the primary output opening 108 and the secondary output opening 110 are positioned along different sides of the housing 102 such that the openings face in different directions and form acute angles with respect to each other as described below. For example, the primary output opening 108 may be formed in the end 308 opposite the rear side 310 and facing the ear canal, while the secondary output opening 110 may be formed in the surface portion 112 facing the pinna portion and opposite the front side 312 of the housing 102.

When tube portion 114 is vertically oriented, primary output opening 108 and secondary output opening 110 are compared to the same horizontal plane 300, i.e., a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the length dimension or longitudinal axis 360 of tube portion 114. The angle (α) formed between primary output opening 108 and secondary output opening 110 and within horizontal plane 300 may be an acute angle. In one embodiment, angle (α) may be defined by lines 304 and 306, which emanate from longitudinal axis 360 of tube portion 114 and extend through the center of primary output opening 108 and the center of secondary output opening 110, respectively. In one embodiment, the angle (α) may be less than 90 degrees, for example, from about 80 degrees to about 20 degrees, from about 65 degrees to about 35 degrees, or from 40 degrees to 50 degrees, for example, 45 degrees.

Alternatively, the orientation of the primary output opening 108 and the secondary output opening 110 may be defined by an angle (β) formed by a first axis 340 passing through the center of the primary output opening 108 and a second axis 342 passing through the center of the secondary output opening 110. The first axis 340 and the second axis 342 may be formed within the same horizontal plane 300. The angle (β) between the first axis 340 and the second axis 342 may be less than 90 degrees, for example, from about 85 degrees to 45 degrees, typically from 60 degrees to 70 degrees.

In other embodiments, the primary output opening 108 and the secondary output opening 110 orientations may be defined relative to the driver 302. Specifically, as can be seen in this figure, the front face 314 of the driver 302 faces both the primary output opening 108 and the secondary output opening 110, but is not parallel to the side 308 and surface portion 112 in which the openings 108, 110 are formed. Instead, the end of driver 302 extends into tip portion 106 toward primary output opening 108 and the remainder of driver 302 extends along surface portion 112. In this regard, while the primary output opening 108 and the secondary output opening 110 may both be considered to be located forward of the driver front face 314, the entire area of the secondary output opening 110 may face the driver front face 314, while only a portion of the primary output opening 108 may face the driver front face 314, with the remainder facing the sides of the driver 302.

As shown in fig. 4, which is a more detailed representation of the earpiece shown in fig. 3, acoustic and/or protective material may be disposed over one or both of the primary output opening 108 and the secondary output opening 110. Typically, the acoustic material 432 and the protective material 430 may be disposed over the primary output opening 108. The acoustic material 432 may be a piece of acoustically designed material that provides a defined and engineered acoustic resistance or filtering effect. For example, in one embodiment, the acoustic material 432 is a mesh or foam material manufactured to filter out certain acoustic pressure waves output from the driver 302. The protective material 430 may be an acoustically transparent material, that is, it does not significantly affect the acoustic performance of the earphone 100. Instead, the protective material 430 protects the device by preventing dirt, water, or any other undesirable material or substance from entering the housing 102. The protective material 430 may be, for example, a mesh, polymer, or foam, or any other material that allows a substantially open channel for the output of acoustic pressure waves from the driver 302.

Similar to the primary output opening 108, the acoustic material 436 and the protective material 434 may be disposed over the secondary output opening 110. Similar to the acoustic material 432, the acoustic material 436 may be a mesh or foam material manufactured to filter out the desired acoustic pressure waves output from the driver 302. The protective material 434 may be an acoustically transparent material, such as a mesh, polymer, or foam, or any other material that protects the earpiece 100 from debris or matter and allows a substantially open channel for the output of sound pressure waves from the driver 302.

The acoustic material 432, 436 and the protective material 430, 434 may each be a single piece joined over their respective openings to form a sandwich structure capable of snap-fitting over the openings. Alternatively, the material may be glued or otherwise adhered over the opening. In some embodiments, the acoustic materials 432, 436 and protective materials 430, 434 may also be composite materials or multi-layer materials. Additionally, it is contemplated that the acoustic materials 432, 436 and protective materials 430, 434 may be positioned over their respective openings in any order.

The body portion 104 is divided into a front chamber 420 and a rear chamber 422 formed around opposite sides of the driver 302. The front chamber 420 may be formed around the front face 314 of the actuator 302. In one embodiment, the front chamber 420 is formed by the body portion 104 and the tip portion 106 of the housing 102. In this regard, the acoustic waves 428 generated by the front face 314 of the driver 302 pass through the front chamber 420 to the ear canal through the primary output opening 108. Additionally, the front chamber 420 may provide a sound pathway for air waves 426 or acoustic pressure within the ear canal to exit the secondary output opening 110 to the external environment. As previously described, secondary output opening 110 is a calibrated opening, and thus transmission of sound waves 428 and air waves 426 through secondary output opening 110 may be controlled such that the acoustic performance of earphone 100 is consistent between users.

The back chamber 422 may be formed around the back side 424 of the driver 302. The rear chamber 422 is formed by the body portion 104 of the housing 102. As will be discussed in more detail with reference to fig. 5, various internal acoustic components of the earphone 100 may be contained within the front chamber 420 and the rear chamber 422.

Fig. 5 shows an exploded perspective view of internal acoustic components that may be contained within a headphone housing. Tip portion 106 of housing 102 may be formed from a cover portion 502, which in this embodiment is shown removed from a base portion 504 of housing 102 to reveal internal acoustic components that may be contained within housing 102. The internal acoustic components may include a driver seat 506. Driver seat 506 may be sized to fit within cover portion 502 and forward of front face 314 of driver 302. In one embodiment, driver seat 506 may seal to front face 314 of driver 302. Alternatively, driver seat 506 may be positioned in front of driver 302 but not directly sealed to driver 302. Thus, the driver seat 506 is positioned within the forward chamber 420 as previously described with reference to fig. 4. Driver seat 506 may include an output opening 508 that is aligned with secondary output opening 110 and includes similar dimensions such that sound generated by driver 302 may be output through driver seat 506 to secondary output opening 110. Driver seat 506 may include another output opening (not shown) corresponding to and aligned with primary output opening 108. The driver seat 506 may be, for example, a molded structure formed from the same material as the housing 102 (e.g., a substantially rigid material such as plastic) or a different material (e.g., a compliant polymeric material).

The acoustic material 436 and the protective material 434 may be held in place over the secondary output opening 110 by the driver mount 506. In one embodiment, the acoustic material 436 and the protective material 434 are positioned between the driver seat 506 and the secondary output opening 110. Alternatively, they may be attached to the inner surface of driver seat 506 and over opening 508 such that they overlap secondary output opening 110 when driver seat 506 is located within cover portion 502. Although not shown, the acoustic material 432 and the protective material 430 covering the primary output opening 108 are also considered internal acoustic components. The acoustic material 432 and the protective material 430 may be mounted over the primary output opening 108 in a manner similar to that discussed with respect to the materials 436, 434.

Acoustic tuning member 510 is positioned behind rear face 424 of driver 302 (i.e., within rear chamber 422 shown in fig. 4) and fits within base portion 504 of body portion 104. In one embodiment, acoustic tuning member 510 is positioned near back face 424 of driver 302 but is not directly attached to driver 302. In another embodiment, acoustic tuning member 410 may be attached directly to driver 302. When acoustic tuning member 510 is positioned adjacent driver 302, acoustic tuning member 510 and body portion 104 define a back volume chamber of driver 302. The size and shape of the back volume chamber of the driver is important to the overall acoustic performance of the earphone. Since acoustic tuning member 510 defines at least a portion of the back volume chamber, acoustic tuning member 510 may be used to modify the acoustic performance of earphone 100. For example, acoustic tuning member 510 may be sized to tune the frequency response of earphone 100 by changing its size.

In particular, the size of the back volume chamber formed by acoustic tuning member 510 and earphone housing 102 around driver 302 may determine the resonance of earphone 100 in the frequency range of, for example, about 2kHz to about 3kHz (i.e., open ear gain). The ear canal generally acts as a resonator and has a specific resonance frequency when open and a different resonance frequency when closed. The acoustic response at the eardrum when the ear canal is open is called open ear gain. The user generally prefers a resonant frequency in the vicinity of 2kHz to 3 kHz. The dimensions of acoustic tuning member 510 may be designed to tune the resonance of earphone 100 to frequencies within this range. In particular, the open-ear gain increases in frequency as acoustic tuning member 510 occupies a larger area behind driver 302 (i.e., the air volume of the back volume chamber decreases). On the other hand, when acoustic tuning member 510 occupies a smaller area behind driver 302 (i.e., the volume of air within the back volume chamber increases), the open ear gain decreases in frequency. Accordingly, the dimensions of acoustic tuning member 510 may be modified to tune the resonance of earphone 100 to achieve desired acoustic performance.

In addition, acoustic tuning member 510 may form an acoustic channel between the back volume chamber, the acoustic duct, and a bass port 518 formed in tube portion 114. The sound channel along with the dimensions of the sound duct and bass port 518 may also be selected to modify the acoustic performance of the headphone 100. In particular, the dimensions may be selected to control the low frequency response of the headset (e.g., frequencies less than 1 kHz), which will be discussed in detail below.

In a typical headphone design, the headphone housing itself defines a rear volume chamber around the driver. Thus, the size and shape of the earphone housing affects the acoustic performance of the earphone. However, acoustic tuning member 510 may be a separate structure located within earphone housing 102. In this way, the size and shape of acoustic tuning member 510 may be changed to achieve desired acoustic performance without changing the size and shape of earphone housing 102. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the overall form factor of acoustic tuning member 510 may remain substantially the same, while the size of certain dimensions, such as the body portion, may be changed to modify the size of the back volume chamber formed by acoustic tuning member 510, which in turn modifies the acoustic performance of the associated earphone. For example, acoustic tuning member 510 may be a substantially conical structure. The thickness of the wall portion forming the tapered end may be increased such that the volume of air defined by acoustic tuning member 510 is reduced or may be decreased to increase the volume of air. However, the outer conical shape is maintained regardless of the wall thickness. Thus, acoustic tuning member 510, which defines a larger air volume, and another acoustic tuning member, which defines a relatively smaller air volume, may both fit within the same size earphone housing.

The ability to modify the volume of air defined by acoustic tuning member 510 without changing the form factor is important because the acoustic performance varies from driver to driver. Some aspects of acoustic performance may be determined by the size of the back volume chamber of the driver. One way to improve the acoustic consistency between drivers is therefore by modifying the size of the back volume chamber. Since acoustic tuning member 510 defines the driver back cavity, acoustic tuning members can be manufactured that accommodate drivers of different performance levels. Furthermore, acoustic tuning member 510 may be separate from headphone housing 102, modifying its dimensions to accommodate a particular driver that does not require changing the design of headphone housing 102.

Acoustic tuning member 510 also includes a sound output port 512 that acoustically connects the back volume chamber to a sound tube formed within tube portion 114 of housing 102. The sound duct is acoustically connected to a bass port 518 formed in the tube portion 114. The bass port 518 outputs sound from the enclosure 102 to the external environment. Although a single bass port 518 is shown, it is contemplated that tube portion 114 may include more than one bass port, for example, two bass ports located on opposite sides of tube portion 114.

Further, acoustic tuning member 510 may include a tuning port 514 that outputs sound from acoustic tuning member 510. Tuning port 514 may be aligned with a tuning output port 532 formed in housing 102 such that sound from acoustic tuning member 510 may be output to the external environment outside of housing 102. Each of the sound output port 512, the tuning port 514, the sound tube, and the bass port 518 is an acoustically calibrated opening or passageway that improves the acoustic performance of the earphone 100, which will be discussed in detail below.

Cable 120, which may include wires for transmitting power and/or audio signals to driver 302, which may be connected to acoustic tuning member 510. Cable 120 may be overmolded to acoustic tuning member 510 during the manufacturing process to provide additional strain relief for cable 120. Overmolding cable 120 to acoustic tuning member 510 helps prevent cable 120 from disconnecting from driver 302 when a force is applied to cable 120. In addition to providing additional strain relief, combining cable 120 and acoustic tuning member 510 into one mechanical component may result in a single piece that occupies less space within earphone housing 102. Accordingly, the proximal end of cable 120 and acoustic tuning member 510 may be assembled as a single piece into earphone housing 102. Specifically, to insert acoustic tuning member 510 into body portion 104, the distal end of cable 120 is inserted into body portion 104 and pulled down through the end of tube portion 114 until acoustic tuning member 510 is positioned within base portion 504 (with the proximal end of cable 120 attached thereto).

The internal components may also include protective material formed over the tuning port 514 and/or bass port 518 to prevent dust and other debris from entering. Typically, the protective mesh 520 may be sized to cover the tuning port 514 and the protective mesh 522 may be sized to cover the bass port 518. Each of the protective mesh 520 and the protective mesh 522 may be made of an acoustically transparent material that does not substantially impede sound transmission. Alternatively, one or both of the protective meshes 520, 522 may be made of an acoustic mesh material that provides a defined and engineered acoustic resistance or filtering effect. The protective mesh 520 and the protective mesh 522 may be snap-fit in place or held in place using adhesives, cements, and the like. Although not shown, it is also contemplated that in some embodiments, additional acoustic materials, such as those previously discussed with reference to fig. 3, may also be disposed over the tuning port 514 and/or the bass port 518 to tune the frequency response of the headphone 100.

A tail plug 524 may be provided to help secure cable 120 within duct section 114. The tail plug 524 may be a substantially cylindrical structure having an outer diameter sized to be inserted into the open end of the tube portion 114. In one embodiment, tail plug 524 may be formed from a generally resilient material capable of conforming to the inner diameter of tube portion 114. In other embodiments, the tail plug 524 may be formed from a substantially rigid material, such as plastic. Tail plug 524 may be retained within tube portion 114 by any suitable securing mechanism, such as a snap-fit arrangement, an adhesive, a chemical bond, or the like. Tail plug 524 may include an open end and a central opening that may be sized to receive cable 120 such that cable 120 may pass through tail plug 524 when it is inserted into tube portion 114. A bass port 530 may also be connected through a wall of the tail plug 524. When the tail plug 524 is inserted into the tube portion 114, the connecting bass port 530 aligns with the bass port 518 to facilitate sound spreading out of the bass port 518.

In one embodiment, the internal acoustic components may be assembled to form the earphone 100 as follows. Acoustic material 436 and protective material 434 may be placed over secondary output opening 110 and driver seat 506 may be inserted into cover portion 502 to hold materials 434, 436 in place. The acoustic material 432 and the protective material 430 of the primary output opening 108 may be assembled in a type manner. Front face 314 of driver 302 may be attached to driver seat 506 such that driver 302 is held in place within cover portion 502. Cable 120, which is attached to acoustic tuning member 510, may be inserted through body portion 104 and through tube portion 114 until acoustic tuning member 510 is positioned within body portion 504. The protective mesh 520, protective mesh 522, and tail plug 525 may be positioned within the housing 102 before or after the acoustic tuning member 510. Finally, the driver 302 may be inserted into the body portion 104 of the housing 102. The foregoing is merely one representative component operation. The internal acoustic components may be assembled in any manner and in any order sufficient to provide an earphone with optimal acoustic performance.

Figure 6A illustrates a front perspective view of one embodiment of an acoustic tuning member. The acoustic tuning member 510 is formed by tuning a member housing or casing 644 having a substantially closed body portion 642 and an open face portion 540 that opens towards the driver 302 when positioned within the earphone housing 102. The housing 644 may have any size and shape capable of tuning the acoustic response of an associated driver. In particular, the housing 644 may be sized to facilitate tuning of the mid-frequency and low-frequency responses in which the headset is used. Typically, in one embodiment, the housing 644 forms a generally conical body portion 642 having an acoustic output port 512 acoustically coupled to an acoustic groove 646 (see fig. 6B) formed in a rear side of the housing 644. Although a generally conical body portion 642 is depicted, other shapes are also contemplated, such as square, rectangular, or triangular configurations.

In one embodiment, the sound output port 512 may be an opening formed through a wall of the housing 644. Alternatively, the sound output port 512 may be a slot formed inward from an edge of the housing 644. Sound output port 512 outputs sound from acoustic tuning member 510 to sound groove 646. Acoustic groove 646 provides an acoustic path to an acoustic duct formed in tube portion 114. The sound output port 512 and sound groove 646 may be sized to tune the acoustic response of the earphone 100. In this regard, sound output port 512 and sound groove 646 are calibrated in the sense of testing or evaluating (in at least one sample of a manufacturing lot) whether they meet given specifications or design parameters. In other words, they are not merely random openings or slots, but are intentionally formed for a specific purpose, i.e., to modify the frequency response of the earpiece in a manner that helps tune the frequency response and improve the low frequency response.

For example, it has been recognized that the acoustic inductance within the earphone 100 controls the mid-frequency response and the low-frequency response of the earphone 100. In addition, acoustic resistance within the headset 100 may affect the low frequency response. Accordingly, the size and shape of sound output port 512 and sound groove 646 may be selected to achieve a desired acoustic inductance and acoustic resistance level that allows for optimal mid-frequency and low-frequency response within earphone 100. In particular, increasing the acoustic mass within the earpiece 100 causes greater acoustic energy to be output from the earpiece 100 at lower frequencies. However, the air quality within the earphone 100 should be maximized without increasing the acoustic resistance to an undesirable level. Accordingly, acoustic output port 512 and acoustic groove 646 may be calibrated to balance the acoustic inductance and acoustic resistance within earphone 100 such that the acoustically desired mid and low frequency responses are achieved. Typically, the sound output port 512 may have about 0.5mm²To about 4mm²Or about 1mm²To about 2mm²E.g. about 1.3mm². The sound output port 512 may have a height dimension that is different from its width dimension, for example, the height dimension may be slightly larger than the width dimension. Alternatively, the height dimension and the width dimension of the sound output port 512 may be substantially the same.

Acoustic groove 646 may have a cross-sectional dimension that substantially matches the cross-sectional dimension of acoustic output port 512. As previously described, acoustic groove 646 may be a groove formed in the rear side of housing 644. A sound groove 646 extends from the sound output port 512 toward the rear end of the housing 644. When acoustic tuning member 510 is positioned within earphone housing 102, sound groove 646 mates with housing groove 648 formed along the inner surface of housing 102 to form a closed sound channel 650 between sound output port 512 and tube portion 114 (see fig. 6C). Alternatively, housing groove 648 may be omitted and sound groove 646 may form sound channel 650 by mating with any interior surface of housing 102, or sound groove 646 may be formed as a closed channel such that it need not mate with any other surface to form sound channel 650. The acoustic waves within the back volume chamber formed by acoustic tuning member 510 are transmitted from acoustic tuning member 510 to tube portion 114 through acoustic channel 650. The length, width, and depth of sound groove 646 (and resulting sound channel 650) may enable acoustically desirable mid and low frequency responses to be achieved by earphone 100. Typically, the length, width, and depth may be large enough to allow for optimal acoustic quality within the earpiece 100 without increasing the acoustic impedance to an undesirable level.

Referring back to fig. 6A-6B, tuning port 514 may be formed along a top portion of acoustic tuning member 510. In one embodiment, tuning port 514 is a slot extending from an outer edge of open surface portion 540. Alternatively, the tuning port 514 may be an opening formed near the outer edge but not extending through the outer edge. In addition to its tuning function, as shown in fig. 6B, tuning port 514 may also be sized to accommodate electrical wires 602 extending from cable 120 to the driver. Typically, cable 120 may be overmolded along the rear side of body portion 642 such that the open end of cable 120 is positioned adjacent tuning port 514. Electrical wires 602 extending from the open end of the cable 120 may pass through the tuning port 514 and attach to electrical terminals located, for example, on the rear side of the drive to provide power and/or audio signals to the drive.

Acoustic tuning member 510 may be formed by molding a substantially non-compliant material, such as plastic, into a desired shape and size. Alternatively, acoustic tuning member 510 may be formed from any material, such as a compliant or elastic material, so long as it is capable of maintaining a shape suitable for improving the acoustic performance of earphone 100. Acoustic tuning member 510 may be formed separately from housing 102 such that it resides or fits within the interior of earphone housing 102. Since acoustic tuning member 510 is a separate piece from earphone housing 102, it may have a different shape than earphone housing 102 and define a rear volume chamber having a different shape than rear chamber 422 formed without earphone housing 102. Alternatively, housing 102 and acoustic tuning member 510 may be integrally formed as a single piece.

Fig. 6B shows a rear perspective view of acoustic tuning member 510. As can be seen in this figure, sound groove 646 is formed by the rear side of acoustic tuning member 510 and extends from sound output port 512 towards the rear end of acoustic tuning member 510.

Fig. 6C shows a cross-sectional top view of acoustic tuning member 510 positioned within earphone housing 102. As can be seen in this figure, when acoustic tuning member 510 is positioned within housing 102, sound groove 646 aligns with housing groove 648 formed along the inner surface of housing 102 to form sound channel 650. Sound channel 650 extends from sound output port 512 to tube portion 114 such that sound within the rear chamber defined by acoustic tuning member 510 may be transmitted from the rear volume chamber to tube portion 114, as will be described in detail with reference to fig. 7 and 8.

With continued reference to fig. 6C, body portion 642 may include a volume modifying portion 660 that can be increased or decreased in size during the manufacturing process to change the volume of air within acoustic tuning member 510, in addition to the acoustic properties achieved through sound output port 512 and sound groove 646. As previously described, acoustic tuning member 510 defines a rear volume chamber around the driver within the earphone housing. Thus, increasing the volume of air within acoustic tuning member 510 also increases the back volume chamber, which modifies the acoustic performance of earphone 100. Reducing the volume of air within acoustic tuning member 510 reduces the back volume chamber. Volume modifying portion 660 may be of any size and shape and positioned along any portion of the interior surface of acoustic tuning member 510 sufficient to change the volume of the back volume chamber defined by acoustic tuning member 510. For example, volume-modifying portion 660 may be positioned along a central region of acoustic tuning member 510 such that the inner profile of acoustic tuning member 510 has a generally curvilinear shape. Volume modifying portion 660 may be formed by thickening a wall portion of acoustic tuning member 510 or mounting a separate plug construction within acoustic tuning member 510. Furthermore, the size and shape of volume modifying portion 660 may also be changed without modifying the overall form factor of acoustic tuning member 510. Thus, during manufacture, one acoustic tuning member 510 may be made to define a larger air volume and the other a smaller air volume, while both are able to fit within the same type of earphone housing 102 since they have the same overall form factor. As shown in fig. 6C, cable 120 may be overmolded within volume modifying portion 660 of acoustic tuning member 510. In other embodiments, cable 120 may be overmolded within any portion of acoustic tuning member 510.

Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional side view of one embodiment of a headset. Acoustic tuning member 510 is shown forming, along with a portion of housing 102, a back volume chamber 706 surrounding driver 302. As can be seen in this figure, volume-modifying portion 660 of acoustic tuning member 510 occupies a substantial area within rear chamber 422 defined by earphone housing 102, and therefore rear volume chamber 706 is smaller in size than housing rear chamber 422. As previously described, the size and shape of the volume modification portion 660 may be modified to achieve a desired size of the back volume chamber 706.

The sound waves generated by the rear side of the driver 302 may be transmitted through the sound channel 650 to the sound tube 704 formed within the tube portion 114 of the earphone 100. The sound channel 650 provides a defined sound path for sound to be transmitted from the driver 302 to the sound tube 704. As previously described, acoustic channel 650 may be a closed channel formed by aligning or mating acoustic groove 646 along an outer surface of acoustic tuning member 510 and housing groove 648 along an inner surface of earphone housing 102. Alternatively, the acoustic channel 650 may be formed by one of the acoustic groove 646, the housing groove 648, or a separate structure mounted within the housing 102.

The sound tube 704 may be a tube formed within the tube portion 114 that allows air or sound to pass from one end of the tube portion 114 to the other. Air or sound passing through the sound duct 704 may exit the sound duct 704 through the bass port 518 such that sound within the sound duct 704 may be output to the environment outside the enclosure 102.

In addition to providing an acoustic pathway, the acoustic duct 704 may also house the cable 120 and various electrical wires that run through the cable 120 to the driver 302. Specifically, cable 120 may travel through the back side of acoustic tuning member 510 and sound duct 702. As previously described, the wires within the cable 120 may extend out the end of the cable 120 and through the tuning port 514 so that they can be attached to the driver 302.

Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional side view of one embodiment of a headset. The transmission of sound waves 802 generated by the back of driver 302 through earphone 100 is shown in fig. 8. In particular, as can be seen in this figure, acoustic tuning member 510 and housing 102 form a back volume chamber 706 around the back side of driver 302. The acoustic waves 802 generated by the driver 302 are transmitted into the back volume chamber 706. The sound waves 802 may exit the back volume chamber 706 through the sound output port 512. Sound waves 802 are transmitted from sound output port 512 through sound channel 650 to sound tube 704. Sound waves 802 traveling along sound duct 704 may exit sound duct 704 through bass port 518 into the ambient environment. It should also be noted that the acoustic wave 802 may also exit the back volume chamber 706 into the ambient environment through a tuning port of the acoustic tuning member 510 that is aligned with a tuning output port 532 formed in the housing 102.

Each of the sound output port 512, sound channel 650, sound duct 704, and bass port 518 are calibrated to achieve a desired acoustic response. Specifically, as the cross-sectional area of each of these structures decreases, the acoustic resistance within the back volume chamber 706 increases. Increasing the acoustic resistance, the low frequency response decreases. Accordingly, to improve the low frequency response of the earphone 100, the cross-sectional area of one or more of the sound output port 512, the sound channel 650, the sound duct 704, and the bass port 518 may be increased. To reduce the low frequency response, the cross-sectional area of one or more of the sound output port 512, sound channel 650, sound duct 704, and bass port 518 may be reduced. In one embodiment, the sound output port 512, the sound channel 650, the sound duct 704, and/or the cross bar of the bass port 518The cross-sectional area may be about 1mm²To about 8mm²Within a range of (3 mm), for example²To about 5mm²Typically about 4mm²。

Additionally, or alternatively, where a smaller cross-section of one or more of the sound output port 512, the sound channel 650, the sound tube 704, and the bass port 518 is desired, the size and shape of the volume modification portion 660 within the acoustic tuning member 510 may be reduced to balance any increase in acoustic resistance caused by the smaller passageways. In particular, reducing the size and/or shape of volume-modifying portion 660 will increase the back volume chamber 706 formed by acoustic tuning member 510. This larger air volume will help to reduce acoustic resistance and in turn improve low frequency response.

While certain embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art. For example, the secondary output opening, also referred to herein as a leak port, may be of any size and shape and formed within any portion of the earphone housing suitable for improving the acoustic response of the earphone. For example, the secondary output opening may be formed at a side of the housing that does not face the pinna portion of the ear when the earphone is positioned in the ear, such as a top or bottom side of the earphone housing or a side of the housing opposite the pinna portion of the ear. Still further, the acoustic tuning member may be used to improve the acoustic response of any type of earphone with acoustic functionality, such as a headphone for a hood ear, a patch ear or a headset for a mobile phone. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.

Claims (20)

1. An earphone, comprising:

an earphone housing having a tip portion sized for insertion into a wearer's ear with an outer surface of the tip portion in contact with the ear and a body portion extending outwardly from the tip portion, wherein the body portion has a surface portion that faces a pinna region of the ear when the tip portion is inserted into the ear;

a primary output opening formed in the tip portion for outputting sound generated by a diaphragm of a driver contained within the earphone housing into the ear; and

a secondary output opening formed in the surface portion for venting the ear to ambient,

wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening face in different directions and are positioned in front of a sound output face of the driver.

2. The earphone of claim 1, wherein the body portion rests within a concha of the ear when the tip portion is inserted into the ear.

3. The headphone of claim 1 wherein an end of the driver extends into the tip portion of the headphone housing.

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

5. The earphone of claim 1, wherein the secondary output opening has 3mm²To 12mm²Surface area of (a).

6. The headphone of claim 1, wherein the secondary output opening has an aspect ratio of 3: 2.

7. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the secondary output opening has an elongated shape oriented in a generally horizontal direction when the tip portion is inserted into the ear.

8. The headphone of claim 1, wherein the secondary output openings are sized to provide uniformity in acoustic performance of the headphone when worn by different users.

9. The headphone of claim 1, wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening are aligned with and face the sound output face of the driver.

10. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the tip portion and the body portion are formed of a non-compliant material.

11. An earphone, comprising:

an earphone housing having a tip portion sized for insertion into an ear of a wearer and a body portion extending outwardly from the tip portion, wherein the body portion has a surface portion that faces a pinna region of the ear when the tip portion is inserted into the ear;

a primary output opening formed in the tip portion for outputting sound from a driver contained within the housing into the ear; and

a secondary output opening formed in the surface portion such that it faces a different direction than the primary output opening, the secondary output opening for venting the ear to ambient,

wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening are located on the same side of the drive and form an angle of less than 90 degrees at an intersection between a first axis passing through a center of the primary output opening and a second axis passing through a center of the secondary output opening.

12. The earphone of claim 11 wherein the body portion rests within a concha of the ear when the tip portion is inserted into the ear.

13. The earphone of claim 11 wherein the secondary output opening modifies an acoustic pressure frequency response of the primary output opening.

14. The earphone of claim 11, wherein the secondary output opening has 3mm²To 12mm²Surface area of (a).

15. The earphone of claim 11, wherein the secondary output opening has an aspect ratio of 3: 2.

16. The earphone of claim 11, wherein the secondary output opening has an elongated shape oriented in a generally horizontal direction when a tube portion extending perpendicular to the body portion is positioned vertically downward.

17. An earphone, comprising:

an earphone housing having a non-compliant tip portion sized to be inserted into and contact a wearer's ear and a body portion extending outwardly from the tip portion, the body portion having a surface portion that faces a pinna region of the ear when the tip portion is inserted into the ear;

a primary output opening formed in the tip portion to output sound into the ear from a driver contained within the housing; and

a secondary output opening formed in the surface portion to vent the ear to ambient and modify an acoustic pressure frequency response of the primary output opening.

18. The earphone of claim 17 wherein the tip portion and the body portion are formed of the same material.

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

20. The earphone of claim 17 wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening are horizontally aligned with one another when a tube portion extending perpendicular to the body portion is positioned vertically downward.