Contact hearing system with wearable communication apparatus

Abstract

Contact hearing devices for use with a wearable communication apparatus are disclosed to provide the user with an open ear canal to hear ambient sound and sound from an audio signal. The disclosed devices and systems have an advantage of providing sound to user from the audio signal, in many embodiments without creating sound that can be perceived by others. The contact hearing device can also be used to amplify ambient sound to provide a hearing assistance to users with diminished hearing. The wearable information apparatus can be configured to couple wirelessly to the contact transducer assembly, such that the wearable information apparatus can be removed while the contact transducer assembly remains placed on the user.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 368,487, filed Dec. 2, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 627,336, filed Feb. 20, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,544,675, issued Jan. 10, 2017, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 943,040 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 943,069, both filed Feb. 21, 2014, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND[0002]The present disclosure relates generally to communication and various hearing systems, devices, and methods. Hearing is an important sense for people and allows them to listen to and understand others. Although significant progress has been made in providing subjects who have hearing deficiency with improved hearing aids, a wide adoption of the hearing aids among the population is still not achieved. One of the reasons is that there is still a stigma attached in weari...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides improved methods and devices for people with hearing deficiencies to interface with information related devices, such as wearable displays. The invention offers benefits such as high-quality sound and reduced or eliminated effects of occlusion. The wearable communication devices have an open ear canal that allows the user to hear ambient sound or listen to an audio signal from a remote source while maintaining privacy. Additionally, the contact hearing device can amplify ambient sound to provide hearing assistance to users with diminished hearing. The wearable information apparatus can wirelessly couple with the contact transducer assembly, which can be placed on the user.

Problems solved by technology

Although significant progress has been made in providing subjects who have hearing deficiency with improved hearing aids, a wide adoption of the hearing aids among the population is still not achieved.

One of the reasons is that there is still a stigma attached in wearing hearing aids, and in at least some instances users of prior hearing aids may be perceived as handicapped.

However, the prior wearable computer interface devices can be less than ideal in at least some respects.

However, the display can be somewhat larger than would be ideal, and the sound quality can be somewhat less than would be ideal.

Earbuds, for example, can provide high sound quality for an input audio signal, however, such devices can occlude the ear canal in at least some instances and provide a less than ideal user interface where the user would both like to listen to the audio signal and listen to people with whom the user is interacting.

Also, with an open ear canal, at least some of the prior hearing devices can transmit sound in a manner that is sufficiently loud for a person other than the user to perceive the sound, which can diminish the privacy of the user in at least some instances.

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