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(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2009/0028356 A1 Ambrose Et Al

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(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2009/0028356 A1 Ambrose Et Al US 20090028356A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2009/0028356 A1 Ambrose et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jan. 29, 2009 (54) DIAPHONIC ACOUSTIC TRANSDUCTION Publication Classification COUPLER AND EAR BUD (51) Int. Cl. (75) Inventors: Stephen D. Ambrose, Longmont, GIOK II/6 (2006.01) CO (US); Samuel P. Gido, Hadley, H04R L/10 (2006.01) MA (US); Jimmy W. Mays, Knoxville, TN (US); Roland (52) U.S. Cl. ........................................ 381/71.6; 381/380 Weidisch, Schonebeck (DE); Robert B. Schulein, Schaumburg, IL (US) (57) ABSTRACT Correspondence Address: The disclosed methods and devices incorporate a novel THE LAW OFFICE OF EDWARD LBSHOP expandable bubble portion which provides superior fidelity to 1240 S. OLD FORGE CT. a listener while minimizing listener fatigue. The expandable PALATINE, IL 60067 (US) bubble portion may be expanded through the transmission of low frequency audio signals or the pumping of a gas to the (73) Assignee: ASIUSTECHNOLOGIES, LLC, expandable bubble portion. In addition, embodiments of the Beaverton, OR (US) acoustic device may be adapted to consistently and comfort (21) Appl. No.: 12/178,236 ably fit to any ear, providing for a variable, impedance match ing acoustic Seal to both the tympanic membrane and the (22) Filed: Jul. 23, 2008 audio transducer, respectively, while isolating the Sound-vi bration chamber within the driven bubble. This reduces the Related U.S. Application Data effect of gross audio transducer vibration excursions on the (60) Provisional application No. 60/951,420, filed on Jul. tympanic membrane and transmits the audio content in a 23, 2007, provisional application No. 61/038,333, manner which allows the ear to utilize its full inherent capa filed on Mar. 20, 2008. bilities. Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 1 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 2 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 3 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 N ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ // ///// FIGURE 3 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 4 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 1 10 10 : : ---...-. -- 2. i. 162 . FIGURE 4 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 5 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 170 ar:7"rrivers m 170 170 FIGURE 5 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 6 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 667 140 644 145 142 FIGURE 6 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 7 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 142 130 153 150 140 145 51 130 153 130 153 145 151 130 150 45 FIGURE 7 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 8 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 FIGURE 8 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 9 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 170 PRIOR ART FIGURE 9A 170 - PRIOR ART FIGURE 9B Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 10 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 777777/7ZZYZZZZYYYYYYYZXSYNYNYNYNYNYNYNY. 7%E.AYAASYAASAASSAA SAASAAAAAAAYA NM4N \ N \(ZAZEzisz,N A. N 43.444444444NNNNNNNNN) / 1/ n n N 1. Y 1 ----------- 267 ------ n ( ) Y----- Y aS 258 <s(SY NS 2t 69 ZZ/7ZZZZZZ 2 $ z-Az (WZ44 14 YYYYYYYZZYYYYYYYY NS I M s 7777 NNS QSY s 2 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 11 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 N NNw \ N w \ aNYN N - N -269 NN N N N \ NY, \ N N \ y N N 265 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 12 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 Q,<<<<<<<<<<>>_^ Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 13 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 N Œ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~); <-Z-4-4,Z~~NNNNNNNNY, Fig. 13 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 14 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 FIGURE 14 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 15 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 S 3 O O O O O O s s s s t sx- sa sw t - s- Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 16 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 SJ|||| ||| GIGI‘??? ||| (ZH)KON300383 | | ---- ||| || 0 0|— OZ– 09– 07– 09– 0||— OZ|— 09|— |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 09-E.0/-© 09—PE 06-Co 00|– 07||— Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 17 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 8|9|7|Z|0||89#7Z | | 8p OZ– 09– 07– 09– 09– 0/– 08– 06– 0 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 18 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 ZHX| 2.I?!). —+-----K8pTTTTTT---H——|------__l__ |/ NOMSN?d?005N9,0"| Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 19 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 ZH 9 |9|7|Z|0||997Z QI‘??? (s)||||ENOHJONOW,HÖHGELYSNIJWOO | | ||_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_| --No.======te=====~ 06– 0 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 21 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 (INGWISñTOWON|dd|108p0|- }}GMENINYNOSI?OINOHAVIO0 0 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 22 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 23 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 24 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 FIGURE 23 Patent Application Publication Jan. 29, 2009 Sheet 25 of 25 US 2009/0028356 A1 307 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,, ,, 31 O FIGURE 24 US 2009/0028356 A1 Jan. 29, 2009 DAPHONCACOUSTIC TRANSDUCTION same gross excursions and also to respond to average pressure COUPLER AND EAR BUD changes in addition to Sound pressures. This changes the natural vibrational modes and frequency response of the tym CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED panic membrane and thereby inhibits its ability to differenti APPLICATIONS ate Sounds. 0009 Personal listening devices have become extremely 0001. This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. wide spread in recent years while physicians, audiologists S 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/951,420, and news agencies have continued to warn against hearing filed Jul. 23, 2007 and U.S. Provisional Application No. damage and old age deafness resulting from their use. These 61/038,333, filed Mar. 30, 2008, the disclosures of which are admonitions generally fail to delineate the specific mechani hereby incorporated herein by reference. cal factors causing Such hearing loss and rather infer that listeners in general choose to listen to Such devices at inordi BACKGROUND nate Volume levels, or that these devices do unspecified dam 0002 1. Field of the Invention age despite reasonable use. Potential damage from choosing 0003. This invention relates generally to the field of listen to listen at excessive volume levels is not limited to the use of ing devices. More specifically, the invention relates to novel in-ear or on-ear devices. Rather, the actual cause for concern personal listening devices with increased discernability and is attributable to the fact that personal listening devices reduced listener fatigue. occlude the ear canal, thereby damping the tympanic mem 0004 2. Background of the Invention brane and reducing its sensitivity to audio vibrations, and 0005. The human ear is sensitive to sound pressure levels further create a closed-canal pressure coupling of the audio over 12 orders of magnitude. This broad range of sensitivity, transducer to the tympanic membrane which forces it to which is measurable as discernability, is easily overwhelmed undergo unnaturally large excursions. Such abnormal excur and restricted by the artificial Sound and pressure concentra sions interrupt the normal tympanic modes of vibration, tions extant in devices such as hearing aids, ear buds, in-the thereby rendering the ear even less sensitive and able to ear monitors and headphones. This is different than mere perceive sound naturally. The harmonic and other significant sensitivity or susceptibility to overall volume levels. Discern audio nuances of natural hearing are thereby lost and replaced ability depends upon the ear’s inherent ability to discern by artificial membrane excitations whose audio resolution is differences in sound pressure levels at different audio fre insufficient to orient blind persons normally able to discern quencies, relative to one another. and navigate their environments by 'seeing with their unim 0006 Conventional in-ear audio technologies occlude the paired natural resort to louder volume levels in a futile effort ear canal to a greater or lesser degree with an ear mold, plug to hear adequately. This is especially observable in cellphone or other means of a device which contains a transducer and and hearing aid users. In general use, prolonged exposure to joins it to the canal, thereby creating a closed Volume out of these conditions may lead to permanent reductions in sensi the ear canal itself. The ear is naturally Suited to act as an tivity and Sound perception. impedance matching horn or Helmholtz resonator, not as a 0010. By simply forcing air through the Eustachian tubes closed Sound-vibration chamber. Occluding the ear canal into the middle ear Volume repeatedly one can cause various with an audio transducer lowers the ear’s discernability. over-excursions of the tympanic membrane. Hearing under Audio transducers comprise electromechanical mechanisms these conditions is severely hampered. Just because the lis which involve greater mass and inertia than the delicate com tener can still hear during the lesser tympanic over-excursions ponents of the inner ear. Directly coupling these to the tym caused by conventional devices does not mean that he is panic membrane by creating a closed sound-vibration reso hearing optimally. Due to the factors described above, audio nance chamber out of the ear canal markedly degrades the fatigue from personal listening devices often occurs much discernability of the earby forcing it to emulate the transducer Sooner than it does with ambient Sounds or even those pro amplitude excursions as opposed to natural Sound field exci duced by conventional loudspeakers in a concertorina movie tations of the open ear.
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