WO2008068724A1

WO2008068724A1 - Invisible wireless earphones with rare earh magnet

Info

Publication number: WO2008068724A1
Application number: PCT/IB2007/054952
Authority: WO
Inventors: George Youssef Breidy; Carl Assad Dagher
Original assignee: MOUAWAD CHADY MOUHIB; NANO MAGIC TECHNOLOGIES SARL
Current assignee: MOUAWAD CHADY MOUHIB; NANO MAGIC TECHNOLOGIES SARL
Priority date: 2006-12-06
Filing date: 2007-12-06
Publication date: 2008-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 2009-06-06

Abstract

An audio signal transmission system comprising an amplifier means, a transmission means and a speaker means, said speaker system consisting of one or more pieces of magnetic material.

Description

INVISIBLE WIRELESS EARPHONES WITH RARE EARH MAGNET

This application claims priority from Lebanese Patent Application 7729 as filed 6th December 2006 in The Republic of Lebanon at The Ministry of Economy and Trade, The Directorate General of Economy, Intellectual Property Protection Department and accordingly the entire specification including abstract, specification, figures and claims are hereby incorporated by reference herein

Technical Field

This invention relates to the field of the wireless transmission and reproduction of audio signals, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to such transmission and reproduction using speakers comprising magnetic materials.

Background of the Invention

Traditional audio transmission and reproduction systems have traditionally relied on traditional wire based cables for the transmission of signals to output devises such as speakers, ear phones and hearing aids. It is well known in the art that common loudspeaker construction utilises a moving coil based arrangement, wherein a coil of wire is suspended in a magnetic field produced by a circular magnet. When a signal current is passed via through the coil, a varying magnetic field is generated by the coil and the subsequent interaction of magnetic fields produces movement of the coil and in turn movement of the cone to product the generation of pressure based sound waves. More recently there have been developments in the art of audio systems which have produced so called 'wireless' speakers which however continue to employ the same inductive coil and magnet based process as described above for conventional speaker systems to achieve the required pressure waves to reproduce audio sound. The distinction between traditional wire based signal transmission and that of 'wireless' lies in the replacement of the wire cable by the use of electromagnetic transmission means such as radio frequency or infra red to provide the transmission of signals from an amplifier to a receiver module. Such a received module is thereafter connected by a wire means (albeit typically internally), to a conventional magnet, coil and cone speaker means.

Further advances in the state of the art have produced so called 'magnetic' speaker systems which utilise the principle of transmission of signals to speaker systems via the use of magnetic induction. US Patent 6208740 discloses a stereophonic magnetic induction sound system which comprises an audio source, two ear pieces, each having an inductive pick-up coil, and a magnetic induction transmitter connected to the audio source and capable of transmitting different signals to the pick-up coils in the two ear pieces. The transmitter as disclosed may have two or more antennas, a first conductor for transmitting one signal to one of the antennas, a second conductor for transmitting a different signal to the other antenna, and grounds connected to each antenna. The antennas are comprised of a core with a wires coiled about the core and are shaped and positioned on a user's neck to, at least partially, selectively transmit their respect signals toward a particular, near-by pick-up coil.

The invention disclosed in US 6208740 comprises the use of magnetic induction as the electromagnetic mechanism by which the actual transmission of audio signals can be made. The associated speakers and ear pieces utilised in the invention are configured so as to receive said magnetic inductive signals and convert these to the requisite forces required to drive conventional magnet, coil and cone speaker means.

In all instances described in US 6208740, and in the current state of the art, it is the development of alternative signal transmission mechanisms that have been directly addressed, and not the mechanical basis by which the end speaker means i.e. the magnet, coil and cone converts the received signal to sound waves.

In order for speaker based systems to reproduce audio sound, vibrations must be produced which correspond directly to the amplitude and frequency of the original audio input signals. Accordingly, advances in the state of the art of speaker means have been directed at the reduction in physical size of the magnet, coil and cone elements required to produce the required vibrations, and consequently reductions in the physical size of such speaker systems when utilised in headphone or earphones.

Typically small wireless speaker means such as Bluetooth ear pieces and the like which are held against, or introduced into the outer ear canal, and as used with devices such as mobile phone, CD players, MP3 etc typically employ the use of a pick-up coil, and may require a battery, amplifier circuit, and miniature speaker all in one package.

The invention described herein overcomes the problems associated with the requirement for all speaker means, both large and small (i.e. stereo systems to inter ear canal miniature devices), to comprise the standard magnet, coil and cone components, and accordingly provides for a significant reduction in the physical size of conventional speaker means and a reduction in the associated complexity of manufacture.

The reduction in size of such speaker means provides for the use of said speaker means in applications such as wireless ear phones which can be placed deep within the ear canal or indeed in applications such as hearing aids wherein such speaker means may be implanted onto or within the body at locations wherein the vibration signals produced by said speaker means may be interpreted as sounds by a person using such a system.

Summary of the Invention

The invention described and claimed herein provides for a speaker means, and associated audio signal transmission systems comprising such speaker means, wherein said speaker means utilises a magnetic material designed to be responsive to electromagnetic signals to produce vibrations within said magnetic materials wherein said vibrations are converted to sound waves.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide speaker means consisting of one or more pieces of magnetic material.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide said speaker means wherein said magnetic material is a rare earth magnetic material.

It is a yet further an object of the present invention to provide a speaker means comprising one or more pieces of magnetic material wherein at least one piece of material is a rare earth magnetic material.

It is yet further object of the present invention to provide said speaker means comprising at least one acoustic material.

It a yet further object of the present invention to provide an audio signal transmission system comprising an amplifier means, a transmission means and a speaker means, said speaker system consisting of one or more pieces of magnetic material.

It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide an audio signal transmission system as described above wherein said magnetic material is a rare earth magnetic material.

It a yet further object of the present invention to provide an audio signal transmission system comprising an amplifier means, a transmission means and a speaker means, said speaker system comprising at least one or more pieces of rare earth magnetic material.

It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide an audio transmission system in accordance with the invention for use as a hearing aid means.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an audio transmission system in accordance with the invention wherein said speaker means is physically attachable to, or introducible into, the body of a human being or animal.

Brief Description of Drawings The invention will now be described by way of non-limiting examples by reference to the accompanying diagram Figure 1 which is a diagrammatic illustration of a preferred embodiment of a circuit diagram for an amplifier, transmission loop and speaker means accordance with the invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

In a preferred embodiment of the invention described herein the inventive concept relies on the novel and inventive use of magnetic materials as the primary vibration elements within speaker means which are excited so as to vibrate in response to an audio electromagnetic field and thus produce sound. The invention utilise the properties of so called 'rare earth' magnetic materials and combines the inventive use of an amplification and magnetic induction transmission means to generate the required excitation in the magnetic material to produce the required vibrations.

The preferred magnetic material for the invention is Neodymium, however other permanent magnetic materials such as Samarium Cobalt, Ceramic, and Alnico known in the art may be used and are considered as disclosed herein. In addition, any material displaying the required excitation response to an audio electromagnetic field and which may also be employed to achieve the purpose of the invention shall be considered within the scope of the disclosure contained herein.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the audio signal output of and an audio device such as an MP3 player or the like is connected via a standard audio jack plug to an amplifier, a non limiting example of which is fully described herein with reference to Figure 1 hereto.

The amplifier shown at in Figure 1 has preferred selection of pin contacts and associated electronic components including, but not limited to an 8 pin LM386 integrated circuit or equivalent wherein the following preferred connections, are made, namely;

a. The Pin number (6) connected to a 12 V Ziner Diode (D1 ) to stabilize the electricity (DC Positive Voltage (+)) and connected to a 12 V battery providing electricity to the circuit with a Capacitor (D4) as filter for the battery.

b. The Pin no. (4) connected to the Negative Pole of the Battery

c. The Pin no. (2) and the Pin no. (3), which are the Audio input to the circuit. Attached to Pin no. (3) are a 10 Pico Farad Capacitor (C5) and a 10 Kilo OHM Resistor in order to provide a moderate Audio input of a specific value to avoid distortion.

d. The Resistor (R2) of 100Ω connected to the Capacitor (C5) to provide Feedback Audio

e. A Capacitor of 10 Micro Farad connected to the Pin no. 1 to 8 of the IC to ensure the Gain in sound.

f. The Pin no. (5) connected to 2 Capacitors (C2) and (C3), (C2)= 1 Micro Farad, C3= 10 Micro farad) to ensure a magnified and filtered output without distortion. g. The Pin no. (7) NC not connected,

h. The IC is powered by a 12 V battery.

i. Pin no. (2) is the first audio input to the integrated circuit, and Capacitor (C5) is the second input thereto

The audio signal source could in fact be provided by form of audio device (analogue or digital), capable of being converted (if necessary), amplified (if required), and transmitted to a speaker means such as an earphone, to provide the ultimate audio sound wave output means for a device such as a cellular phone, CD player, MP3, MP4 player and the like, a computer, an audio system such as music or sound system, a hearing aid, radio, or any other conceivable form of audio source that can be adapted to connected to the circuit.

Once amplified, the audio signal in the preferred embodiment is transmitted via a transmission loop means shown at Figure 1 , said transmission loop means preferably comprising an 80 loop copper coil of 25 cm of diameter isolated with varnish and attached by its two edges to the first Audio Output (Output A and B audio), in order to provide an audio magnetic field. Preferably, the transmission loop means can be worn around the neck or incorporated into any elements of clothing of a wearer. In a further embodiment the transmission loop means may comprise more that one said loop thereby providing for the transmission and receipt of stereo signals or signals specific to each individual speaker means.

An audio magnetic produced by the amplifier is transmitted via the transmission loop to the speaker means which in the preferred embodiment are in the form of ear pieces. In accordance with the invention, the ear pieces each comprise at least one piece of magnetic material with outer dimensions preferably in the order of 0.7cm diameter, and designed for introduction into a ear canal and thereby to convert said signal into vibrations which are interpreted by the associated ear drum as sound waves. Preferably, each ear piece may be covered with a soft rubber material or the like to allowing for said output means to be comfortably placed and retained inside the ear canal.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a speaker means may comprise a piece of metallic material responsive to said audio electromagnetic signals which is implanted or attached in, or introduced within the body of a human being or animal in a location such as attached to the ear membrane, or within the auditory canal, or alternatively attached to, or within the cochlea, or attached to nerves associated with hearing to thereby provide the function of a hearing aid by providing vibrations in response to audio sound which are be interpreted by the brain accordingly as sound.

Further embodiments of the invention include the use of said speaker means integrated with or within portable audio devices such as mobile phones, PDA's, MP3 , MP4 players, game consoles, televisions, radios, walki-talkies, conference hall and language translation systems and services and any other conceivable application in which earphone or speaker based systems are or could be employed.

Additional embodiments of the inventive concept may be employed by the use of speaker means comprising the magnetic material with the addition or Mylar or other acoustic materials to produce an increase in performance of said speaker means. Yet further embodiments of the invention include the use of multiple pieces of said magnetic materials of various shapes and polarities ad in various configurations to further improve the performance of the speaker means and associated systems.

Alternative uses, modifications, changes, substitutions and embodiments of the invention as described herein will be readily apparent to the skilled man when reading this application and as such the claims described herein shall be construed in broad terms so as to encompass such uses and embodiments within the scope of the invention

Claims

A speaker means consisting of one or more pieces of magnetic material.

A speaker means in accordance with claim 1 wherein said magnetic material is a rare earth magnetic material.

A speaker means comprising one or more pieces of magnetic material wherein at least one piece of material is a rare earth magnetic material.

A speaker means in accordance with claim 3 comprising at least one acoustic material.

An audio signal transmission system in accordance with claim 5 wherein said magnetic material is a rare earth magnetic material.

An audio signal transmission system comprising an amplifier means, a transmission means and a speaker means, said speaker system comprising at least one or more pieces of rare earth magnetic material.

An audio transmission system in accordance with claim 5, claim 6 or claim 7 for use as a hearing aid means. audio transmission system in accordance with claim 5, claim or claim wherein said speaker means is physically attachable, or introducible into, the body of a human being or animal.