337results about "Contact microphone transducers" patented technology

A communication device comprising a microphone, a conduction interface and an electromechanical force transducer mounted to the conduction interface to drive the interface to conduct sound to a user by bone conduction, characterised in that the transducer has an intended operative frequency range and comprises a resonant element having a frequency distribution of modes in the operative frequency range and coupling means for mounting the transducer to the interface.

Various methods and apparatus for processing audio signals are disclosed herein. The assembly may be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance to form a hearing aid assembly. Such an oral appliance may be a custom-made device which can enhance and / or optimize received audio signals for vibrational conduction to the user. Received audio signals may be processed to cancel acoustic echo such that undesired sounds received by one or more intra-buccal and / or extra-buccal microphones are eliminated or mitigated. Additionally, a multiband actuation system may be used where two or more transducers each deliver sounds within certain frequencies. Also, the assembly may also utilize the sensation of directionality via the conducted vibrations to emulate directional perception of audio signals received by the user. Another feature may include the ability to vibrationally conduct ancillary audio signals to the user along with primary audio signals.

Problem: To provide a bone conduction speaker unit which can sufficiently prevent generation of sound leakage at the time of non-calling, and can be easily incorporated in a main body casing of mobile phones, and the like.Solution: A bone conduction speaker unit, being configured by incorporating a bone conduction speaker main body 2 in a housing 1, wherein an elastic plate 21 is fixed on a top face of a plate yoke 17 of the bone conduction speaker main body 2; an elastic base 22 is disposed on a rear face of a yoke 11; and an elastic cover 3 for holding a contact 5 which, upon a pressing force having been applied thereto in use, is abutted against the plate yoke 17 through the elastic plate 21 is loaded on the housing 1 with a gap “a” being held between a bottom face of the contact 5 and a top face of the elastic plate 21.

An electronic stethoscope head includes a head member having a contact surface for contact with a patient's body, a transducer in the head member, and an adhesive on the contact surface. A processing system for an electronic stethoscope includes a conditioning circuit configured to receive a transducer signal from a transducer and to be capable of amplifying and / or filtering the transducer signal, to yield a conditioned signal. There is also a signal processor system configured to subject the conditioned signal to an audio editing process. Bodily sounds are detected by applying an electronic stethoscope head a patient's body; generating a patient sonograph of the patient's bodily sounds; and comparing the patient sonograph to a reference sonograph. An electronic stethoscope system may include an accessory device and control circuitry to control the accessory device when abnormal bowel sounds are detected or no bowel sounds are detected for a predetermined interval.

Various methods and apparatus for processing audio signals are disclosed herein. The assembly may be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance to form a hearing aid assembly. Such an oral appliance may be a custom-made device which can enhance and / or optimize received audio signals for vibrational conduction to the user. Received audio signals may be processed to cancel acoustic echo such that undesired sounds received by one or more intra-buccal and / or extra-buccal microphones are eliminated or mitigated. Additionally, a multiband actuation system may be used where two or more transducers each deliver sounds within certain frequencies. Also, the assembly may also utilize the sensation of directionality via the conducted vibrations to emulate directional perception of audio signals received by the user. Another feature may include the ability to vibrationally conduct ancillary audio signals to the user along with primary audio signals.

An earset communication device capable of reliably suppressing transmission of microvibration to a microphone part. The earset communication device of the present invention is an earset communication device 1 attached to a human ear, which has a main body 2, a sound guide part 3 where a sound guide housing 3a protruding from the main body 2 is attached to the cavum conchae 61, and a microphone part 4 where a microphone housing 4a protruding from the main body 2 in continuously to the sound guide housing 3a in a fork shape is inserted into the cavum conchae in contact therewith. The main body 2 has a speaker 11. The sound guide part 3 has a sound guide tube 12 for guiding the sound output from the speaker 11 to the cavum conchae 61 in the sound guide housing 3a. The microphone part 4 has a bone conduction microphone 30 in the microphone housing 4a.

Various methods and apparatus for processing audio signals are disclosed herein. The assembly may be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance to form a hearing aid assembly. Such an oral appliance may be a custom-made device which can enhance and / or optimize received audio signals for vibrational conduction to the user. Received audio signals may be processed to cancel acoustic echo such that undesired sounds received by one or more intra-buccal and / or extra-buccal microphones are eliminated or mitigated. Additionally, a multiband actuation system may be used where two or more transducers each deliver sounds within certain frequencies. Also, the assembly may also utilize the sensation of directionality via the conducted vibrations to emulate directional perception of audio signals received by the user. Another feature may include the ability to vibrationally conduct ancillary audio signals to the user along with primary audio signals.

The present invention eliminates the disadvantages of an analysis target used by a cellular phone and speech recognition, that is, a normal sound which is transmitted through the air and which is externally sampled through a microphone, and improves the disadvantages that noise may be mixed or occur in the target, that information may leak, and that corrections are difficult. The present invention also provides a personal portable information terminal realizing new portable terminal communications which do not require training and which conform to the cultural practice of human beings. In the present invention, no apparatus that obtains an analysis target is put off human body, and a normal sound is not an analysis target. A stethoscope-type microphone is installed on the surface of the human skin. Then, a vibration sound is sampled which is obtained when a non-audible murmur articulated in association with speech action (the motion of the mouth) not using the regular vibration of the vocal cords is transmitted through the flesh. A vibration sound obtained when a non-audible murmur amplified is transmitted through the flesh is similar to a whisper. The vibration sound can thus be heard and understood by human beings. Accordingly, the vibration sound can be used for a speech over the cellular phone as it is. Further, when the vibration sound obtained when the non-audible murmur is transmitted through the flesh is analyzed and converted into parameters, a kind of soundless recognition is realized. The present invention replaces the HMM model, conventionally used for speech recognition by an acoustic model created on the basis of a vibration sound obtained when a non-audible murmur is transmitted through the flesh. Therefore, the present invention provides a new method of inputting data to the personal portable information terminal.

A sensor for sensing bioacoustic energy includes a housing comprising an interfacing portion configured to establish coupling with a body part during use of the sensor. An anchoring arrangement is defined on the housing. A transducer member has an anchoring end and at least one free end. The anchoring end of the transducer is coupled to the housing such that the transducer member is arranged to be preferentially sensitive to bioacoustic energy transferred to the transducer via the interfacing portion relative to other portions of the housing.

Provided is an electroacoustic converter film including: a polymeric composite piezoelectric body having piezoelectric particles dispersed in a viscoelastic matrix which is formed of a polymer material exhibiting viscoelasticity at ordinary temperatures; thin film electrodes formed on both sides of the polymeric composite piezoelectric body; and protective layers formed on surfaces of the thin film electrodes. The electroacoustic converter film serves as a speaker capable of being integrated with a flexible display without impairing lightweightness or flexibility, and has considerable frequency dispersion in the storage modulus and also has a local maximum of the loss tangent around ordinary temperatures. A flexible display, a vocal cord microphone and a musical instrument sensor, in each of which the electroacoustic converter film is used, are also provided.

Methods and systems are provided for use of microphones with VSensors for wearable devices. VSensors may be used to detect and / or capture vibrations in bones. The captured bone vibrations may then be used to improve audio related operations. For example, bone vibrations may correspond to user audio input (e.g., speech), and as such the captured bone vibrations may be used in enhancing noise reduction functions in the wearable devices, by enabling distinguishing user audio input, as captured by microphone(s), from ambient noise. This may obviate the need to move the wearable device closer to the user's mouth (such that embedded microphones would be closer). The captured bone vibrations may also be analyzed to determine if they correspond to user control input (e.g., by means of finger tapping), such as by comparing them against predefined patterns.

Various methods and apparatus for processing audio signals are disclosed herein. The assembly may be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance to form a hearing aid assembly. Such an oral appliance may be a custom-made device which can enhance and / or optimize received audio signals for vibrational conduction to the user. Received audio signals may be processed to cancel acoustic echo such that undesired sounds received by one or more intra-buccal and / or extra-buccal microphones are eliminated or mitigated. Additionally, a multiband actuation system may be used where two or more transducers each deliver sounds within certain frequencies. Also, the assembly may also utilize the sensation of directionality via the conducted vibrations to emulate directional perception of audio signals received by the user. Another feature may include the ability to vibrationally conduct ancillary audio signals to the user along with primary audio signals.

In well-known electronic stethoscopic transducers the sensitive element is influenced by signals transmitted via the skin, and the rear side is enclosed in a housing to prevent airborne noise from reaching the sensitive element. According to the invention, an improved signal-to-noise ratio is obtained by letting the transducer be a piezoelectric transflexural diaphragm in contact with the skin, the rear side of the diaphragm communicating with the surronding air via an acoustical network, thereby receiving airborne noise which acts to counteract the influence of noise coming from the skin.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling bone conduction, in which a bone conduction element may be used to output acoustic signals when it is in contact with a user. A bone conduction sensor may also be made in contact with the user, and used to obtain feedback relating to the outputting of the acoustic signals via the bone conduction element. The outputting of the acoustic signals may then be adaptively controlled based on processing of the feedback. The adaptive controlling may comprise adjusting components and / or functions related to or used in the outputting of the acoustic signals. For example, the adaptive controlling may comprise adjusting gain, frequency response, and / or equalization associated with a drive amplifier driving the bone conduction element.

Intra-oral tissue conduction microphone apparatus and methods are described for internal, but non-surgically installed microphones located in the oral cavity. An intra-oral tissue conduction microphone may be attached, adhered or integrated with a removable dental appliance which is positioned against the inside surfaces of the cheek, palate or gingiva. The sensor serves as a component in a non-observable hearing, body sound monitoring or communications device that can operate in environments incompatible with most existing devices. Generally, a piezoelectric film serves as the sensor that is well matched to tissue and which directly converts to an electrical signal by the piezoelectric effect signals which are received through the oral mucosa, gingiva or palate.

A microphone structure has a diaphragm; a frame of which an inside is processed in a shape of a semispherical surface, a parabolic surface, or a conical surface; an acoustic transducer that converts sound pressure into an electric signal; and a wire that transmits the electric signal from the acoustic transducer to outside. A sound pressure input surface of the acoustic transducer is disposed on a bottom surface portion of the semispherical surface, the parabolic surface, or the conical surface inside the frame. The diaphragm and the frame, and the frame and the wire include waterproof mechanisms preventing ingress of water.

The present invention relates to a technique and method for manufacturing a bone conduction speaker device by improving the vibration efficiency of a vibrating part caused by a magnet and a coil, and greatly improving speaker performance. Whole device is constituted as follows: the frame container 110 of top opening, the magnet 130 that frame container 110 interior places and the coil 150 around it, the vibrating part pair 160 that is combined with the coil 150 top and is spaced apart from each other at a certain distance, and in this pair of vibrating part 160 A pair of laminated thin films 170 arranged between them, and a vibrating ring 180 sandwiched between the thin films 170 convert the vibration generated from the coil 150 into sound and amplify it.

A bone conduction device configured to couple to an abutment of an anchor system anchored to a recipient's skull. The bone conduction device includes a vibrating electromagnetic actuator configured to vibrate in response to sound signals received by the bone conduction device, and a coupling apparatus configured to attach the bone conduction device to the abutment so as to impart to the recipient's skull vibrations generated by the vibrating electromagnetic actuator. The vibrating electromagnetic actuator includes a bobbin assembly and a counterweight assembly. Two axial air gaps are located between the bobbin assembly and the counterweight assembly and two radial air gaps are located between the bobbin assembly and the counterweight assembly. No substantial amount of the dynamic magnetic flux passes through the radial air gaps.

A head worn displaying device of the disclosure includes an optical reflective lens, a display screen and a cover. The optical lens and the display screen are mounted under the cover, and the cover may be similar to a hat tongue located ahead of the forehead of a user. The display screen can be integrated in a mobile phone, and a holder such as a clamper set is used to clamp the mobile phone. The angle of the optical lens can be adjusted, for example, by using a sliding groove and a magnetic hinge which are located at a front end of the hat tongue. The magnetic hinge slides in the sliding groove to adjust a distance between the display screen and the optical lens. The light rays of the display screen will be reflected by the optical lens to form virtual magnified images with reduced distortions for both eyes at the same time, and the optical lens optically combines the reflected virtual images with and external environmental light rays transmitted through the optical lens to form the augmented reality for the eyes.

Provided are an electroacoustic transduction film capable of reproducing a sound with a sufficient sound volume at a high conversion efficiency, a manufacturing method thereof, an electroacoustic transducer, a flexible display, a vocal cord microphone, and a sensor for a musical instrument. The electroacoustic transduction film includes: a polymer composite piezoelectric body in which piezoelectric body particles are dispersed in a viscoelastic matrix formed of a polymer material having viscoelasticity at a normal temperature; two thin film electrodes laminated on both surfaces of the polymer composite piezoelectric body; and two protective layers respectively laminated on the two thin film electrodes, in which an intensity ratio α1=(002) plane peak intensity / ((002) plane peak intensity+(200) plane peak intensity) between a (002) plane peak intensity and a (200) plane peak intensity derived from the piezoelectric body particles in a case where the polymer composite piezoelectric body is evaluated by an X-ray diffraction method is more than or equal to 0.6 and less than 1.

The present invention discloses an ophthalmic device with micro-acoustic electromechanical elements and associated methods. In some embodiments, the micro-acoustic electromechanical elements may be useful for the purpose of providing audible warnings and / or messages to a user. The audible warnings and / or messages can include, for example, messages transmitted wirelessly through a communication element of the ophthalmic device and / or generated within the ophthalmic device. In addition, in some embodiments the ophthalmic device can be an energized contact lens that is used both for optical correction and the transmission of sound through bone resonance to the inner ear of a user.

The present invention provides a noise barrier apparatus for inhibiting external noise from causing the presence of noise in an audio chamber defined by a noise barrier device and including the user's ear canal. The noise barrier apparatus may be constituted by an in-ear noise barrier device or devices or an over-the-ear device or devices. An in-ear application of the present invention provides an in-ear-canal audio receiver comprising an in-ear-canal adapter body having a tapered ear plug portion that is inserted into the user's ear canal. The adapter body further has an opening in the plug portion, an exterior annular indent, and an inner chamber coupled to the opening of the plug portion. The inner chamber of the in-ear-canal adapter body holds a transducer assembly comprising a transducer housing and a transducer or speaker. The transducer is positioned in a passage extending through the transducer housing. A torus-shaped cushion is positioned in the annular indent of the in-ear-canal adapter body. The cushion provides comfort and establishes a good seal with the user's ear, and also provides mechanical damping to inhibit propagation of external acoustic pressure waves via the noise barrier device to an audio chamber including an interior of the noise barrier device and the user's ear canal. An over-the-ear application of the present invention provides an ear cup and has a torus-shaped cushion at an interface part thereof which bears against the side of the user's head at an area surrounding the user's ear. The cushion again provides comfort, establishes a good seal with the user's head and provides mechanical damping to inhibit propagation of external acoustic pressure waves via the noise barrier device to an audio chamber including an interior of the noise barrier device and the user's ear canal. The cushion is preferably formed of a material which is at least partially plastically deformable and provides a damping ratio greater than 0.75.

For use with a head-worn computer, such as Google's Glass device, a user-generated tooth-tapping based input is used to control various and select computer operations during its use. The user simply opens and closes their jaw slightly so that they tap their right side pair of canine teeth, their left side pair of canine teeth, or all their teeth together to generate a sound and a vibration. This sound and vibration generated by a single tooth tap or any combination thereof is detected by at least one microphone located on the head-worn computer, and according to other embodiments of this invention two or more microphones and / or vibration-detection sensors. The computer receives the tapping sound signals from the microphone and uses controlling circuitry and / an algorithm to determine the exact tap-sequence and time between taps to establish a “command signature”, specific to each particular tap-sequence. From this, the computer compares the command signature with a corresponding command or action stored in the onboard memory and then performs that command or action, as required. The user can effectively and discretely control many operations of the head-worn computer merely through tooth tapping.

A microphone unit is provided which includes a microphone for picking up sound of a unit which sound is to be picked up, a clamping unit having a first end configured to clamp to the unit and a second end for holding the microphone, a contactless vibration sensor configured to detect vibrations of the unit, and an audio gate unit coupled to the output of the microphone and to the output of the contactless vibration sensor as a trigger signal to allow the output of the microphone to be forwarded to an output terminal.