Earpiece port configuration

Abstract

To allow a device, such as an earpiece, to be designed with low occlusion and flat low frequency output that cannot unintentionally produce excessive low frequency pressures due to blocking of its acoustic ports.SOLUTION: An earpiece includes an electro-acoustic transducer and a housing. The housing supports the electro-acoustic transducer such that the housing and the electro-acoustic transducer together define a first acoustic volume and a second acoustic volume. The electro-acoustic transducer is arranged such that a first radiating surface of the transducer radiates acoustic energy into the front acoustic volume and such that a second radiating surface of the transducer radiates acoustic energy into the second acoustic volume. A front port couples the first acoustic volume to a space outside the housing, and a rear port couples the second acoustic volume to the space outside the housing. Respective outlet ends of the front port and the rear port combine before exiting the housing via a combined exit volume and an exit port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5A

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to port configurations in earpieces. Summary of the Invention

[0002] All embodiments and features mentioned below can be combined in any technically possible manner.

[0003] In one aspect, the earpiece includes an electro-acoustic transducer and a housing. The housing supports the electro-acoustic transducer, and the housing and the electro-acoustic transducer collectively define a first acoustic space and a second acoustic space. The electro-acoustic transducer is positioned such that a first radiating surface of the transducer radiates acoustic energy into the front acoustic space and a second radiating surface of the transducer radiates acoustic energy into the second acoustic space. The front port couples the first acoustic space to a space outside the housing, and the rear port couples the second acoustic space to a space outside the housing. The respective outlet ends of the front and rear ports are coupled and then exit the housing via the combined outlet space and outlet port.

[0004] Implementations may include one or any combination of the following features.

[0005] In some implementations, the housing defines a nozzle, and the first acoustic space is acoustically coupled to an acoustic passage in the nozzle such that when the earpiece is worn, the electro-acoustic transducer is acoustically coupled to a user's ear canal.

[0006] In some implementations, the earpiece includes an eartip supported on the nozzle and configured to form a tight acoustic seal with the user's ear canal when the earpiece is worn.

[0007] In some cases, the housing includes a receptacle for receiving wiring for supplying power to the electro-acoustic transducer.

[0008] In some cases, the exit port is covered with a mesh along the exterior surface of the housing.

[0009] In some examples, the exit port comprises a tube.

[0010] In one example, the outlet end of the tube is covered with a mesh.

[0011] In some implementations, the front port is integrally formed with the housing.

[0012] In certain implementations, the maximum pressure in the first acoustic space when the exit port is sealed is between 100 dB SPL and 120 dB SPL.

[0013] In some cases, the maximum pressure in the first acoustic space when the exit port is sealed is no greater than 132 dB SPL.

[0014] In some cases, the hearing aid includes an earpiece, a casing, and wiring connecting the casing to the earpiece, the casing configured to rest behind the pinna of a user when worn.

[0015] In some examples, the hearing aid includes a battery, a microphone, and a sound processor housed within a casing.

[0016] In some examples, the hearing aid also includes electronics contained within the casing and a microphone supported by the housing, with wiring electrically coupling the microphone to the electronics.

[0017] In some implementations, the traces include flexible printed circuits.

[0018] In some implementations, wiring electrically couples the electro-acoustic transducer to the electronics.

[0019] In some cases, the microphone is a feedback microphone configured to pick up sound at the user's ear canal.

[0020] In some cases, the microphone is a feedforward microphone configured to pick up ambient noise in an area outside the housing for feedforward noise cancellation.

[0021] In some examples, the electronics are configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm that uses input from the microphone.

[0022] In one example, the earpiece includes a battery, a microphone, and a sound processor supported within the housing.

[0023] In some implementations, the electro-acoustic transducer includes a diaphragm defining first and second radiating surfaces, the diaphragm having a diameter of less than 6 mm.

[0024] In one implementation, the electroacoustic transducer is a moving coil transducer.

[0025] In some cases, the hearing aid includes a battery, a first microphone, a sound processor, a transceiver, a second microphone, and wiring. The battery, the first microphone, the sound processor, and the transceiver are housed within a casing. The second microphone is supported by the housing, and wiring extends between the housing and the casing to electrically couple the second microphone to the sound processor.

[0026] In some examples, the sound processor is configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm that uses input from the second microphone.

[0027] In another aspect, an earpiece includes an electro-acoustic transducer and a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer. The housing and the electro-acoustic transducer collectively define a first acoustic space and a second acoustic space. The electro-acoustic transducer is arranged such that a first radiating surface of the transducer radiates acoustic energy into the front acoustic space and a second radiating surface of the transducer radiates acoustic energy into the rear acoustic space. A front port connects the first acoustic space to a space outside the housing, and a rear port connects the second acoustic space to a space outside the housing. Valves are provided over the front and rear ports and are arranged to separately close the front and rear ports when the valves are closed.

[0028] Implementations may include one or any combination of the above and / or the following features.

[0029] Another aspect features a hearing aid that includes an electro-acoustic transducer, a microphone, and a housing that supports the electro-acoustic transducer and the microphone and is sized to fit at least partially within a user's ear canal. The hearing aid also includes electronics, a casing that supports the electronics and is configured to be positioned behind the user's pinna when worn, and wiring extending between the casing and the housing that electrically couples the electronics to the electro-acoustic transducer and the microphone.

[0030] Implementations may include one or any combination of the above and / or the following features.

[0031] In some implementations, the electronics are configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm based on input from the microphone to generate a signal that causes the electro-acoustic transducer to generate acoustic energy to cancel the noise.

[0032] Another aspect provides a hearing aid including an electro-acoustic transducer and a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer and sized to fit at least partially within a user's ear canal. The hearing aid also includes electronics, a casing supporting the electronics and configured to be positioned behind the user's pinna when worn, wiring extending between the casing and the housing and electrically coupling the electronics to the electro-acoustic transducer, and a microphone supported by the housing. The electronics are configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm based on input from the microphone to generate a signal that causes the electro-acoustic transducer to generate acoustic energy to cancel noise.

[0033] Implementations may include one or any combination of the above and / or the following features.

[0034] In some implementations, the electro-acoustic transducer is a full-range transducer.

[0035] In one implementation, the electroacoustic transducer is a moving coil transducer.

[0036] In some cases, the electronic equipment includes a transceiver that supports the transmission of high fidelity audio.

[0037] In some cases, a microphone is supported by the housing and wiring electrically couples the microphone to the electronics.

[0038] In some examples, the microphone is a feedback microphone configured to pick up sound at the user's ear canal.

[0039] In one example, the microphone is a feedforward microphone configured to be acoustically coupled to the air adjacent to the user's pinna for feedforward noise cancellation.

[0040] In some implementations, the hearing aid also includes a second microphone supported by the casing.

[0041] In some implementations, the second microphone includes a microphone array.

[0042] In some cases, the hearing aid is incorporated into a system that also includes a computing device that is communicatively coupled to the hearing aid and configured to execute software programs that allow a user to adjust one or more features of the hearing aid.

[0043] In some cases, the software program allows the user to adjust the signal processing parameters of the hearing aid.

[0044] In some examples, the signal processing parameters include filter coefficients for an active noise cancellation algorithm.

[0045] Implementations may provide one or more of the following advantages.

[0046] Implementations may allow devices such as earpieces to be designed with low occlusion and flat low-frequency output that cannot unintentionally generate excessive low-frequency pressure due to blockage of its acoustic port. Some implementations may allow for greater consistency of the earpiece's output, regardless of port blockage. In the case of hearing aid devices, certain implementations described herein may allow the device to be tested according to standardized tests without generating excessive pressure.

[0047] The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will become apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0048] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is a front view of a closed dome ear tip for a hearing aid. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 is a front view of an open dome ear tip for a hearing aid. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary RIC type hearing aid earpiece. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the earpiece of FIG. 3A. [Figure 4] 3B is a plot showing the difference in sound pressure level between a sealed and an unsealed front port for an earpiece constructed according to FIG. 3A. [Figure 5A] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of another exemplary earpiece constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view illustrating an alternative implementation of an earpiece constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 5C] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view illustrating an alternative implementation of an earpiece constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 5D] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view illustrating an alternative implementation of an earpiece constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 5B is a plot showing the difference in sound pressure level between a sealed and an unsealed front port for an earpiece constructed according to FIG. 5A. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary hearing aid constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 8A] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 8B] 8B is a schematic diagram of an example computing device from the system of FIG. 8A. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view illustrating an alternative implementation of an earpiece constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view illustrating an alternative implementation of an earpiece constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 11A] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view illustrating an alternative implementation of an earpiece constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 11B] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view illustrating an alternative implementation of an earpiece constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an ear cup constructed in accordance with the present disclosure; [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a pair of headphones incorporating the earcups of FIG. 12.

[0049] It should be noted that the drawings of the various implementations are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the disclosure, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements between the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0050] 1, a typical receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aid 100 includes an earpiece 102 that contains a battery, microphone, and sound processor housed in a casing 104 designed to sit behind the user's ear (pinna). This earpiece 102 of the hearing aid 100 has a small wire 106 that is designed to pass around the user's ear and into an earpiece 108 that is designed to sit in the user's ear canal. The earpiece 108 carries a speaker, also known as a "receiver" or "driver."

[0051] Conventional RIC hearing aids often include a flexible tip on the earpiece to engage the user's ear canal, which helps to hold the earpiece in place within the user's ear canal. These ear tips or "domes" are typically either i) closed: they form a tight acoustic seal with the user's ear canal (see "Closed Dome 200" in FIG. 2A), or ii) open: they have multiple large openings 204 that allow acoustic energy to travel in and out of the user's ear canal (see "Open Dome 202" in FIG. 2B).

[0052] The closed dome configuration suffers from what is known as the occlusion effect. The occlusion effect amplifies the low frequency components of the user's own voice due to the acoustic blockage of the ear canal. Vibrations caused by the user's voice travel through the head and into the ear canal. If the ear is not occluded, the associated pressure escapes the ear, but if the ear is occluded and the pressure cannot escape, the low frequency components are generally amplified inside the user's ear. An additional problem is caused by occluding the ear, in that the blockage of the ear canal inhibits the high frequency components of the user's voice from traveling around the head and returning to the ear. These two problems result in an undesirable self-voice quality, where the user's voice is typically perceived as "boomy" or "muffled". "Self-voice" refers to the user's perception of their own voice while speaking.

[0053] An open dome (or "low occlusion") configuration mitigates this occlusion effect, but creates another problem. Low occlusion in-ear devices typically have a leakage path from the ear canal to the device and outside the ear canal. This leakage reduces the low frequency pressure generated by the product that can reach the ear. To obtain a flat response in such a configuration, the device must generate excessive air compression at low frequencies relative to more occlusive devices. In many potential configurations, this leakage path can be blocked or sealed, for example, by a poor fit, ear wax, or foreign objects. This can result in the device generating higher pressures in the ear canal than intended by the design. These higher pressures can exceed regulatory or safety limits. The present disclosure is based at least in part on the recognition that the architecture of the earpiece can be designed such that these defects result in a smaller increase in the pressure potentially generated by the device.

[0054] 3A and 3B show an exemplary earpiece 300 for a RIC type hearing aid. The earpiece 300 includes an earbud 302 and an eartip 304. The earbud 302 includes a housing 306 that supports an electro-acoustic transducer 308 (i.e., a speaker or driver). The housing 306 and the electro-acoustic transducer 308 collectively define a first (front) acoustic space 310 and a second (rear) acoustic space 312. The electro-acoustic transducer 308 is positioned such that a first (front) radiating surface of the transducer 308 radiates acoustic energy into the front acoustic space 310 and a second (rear) radiating surface of the transducer 308 radiates acoustic energy into the rear acoustic space 312.

[0055] The housing 306 also defines a nozzle 314 configured to couple to the eartip 304. The front acoustic space 310 is acoustically coupled to an acoustic passage 316 in the nozzle 314 such that, for example, the electro-acoustic transducer 308 may be acoustically coupled to a user's ear canal when the earpiece 300 is worn. The housing 306 also defines a receptacle 318 for receiving wiring to provide power to the electro-acoustic transducer 308.

[0056] The eartip 304 is supported on the nozzle 314 and includes a pair of front ports, namely a first front port 320a and a second front port 320b, respectively. The housing 306 also defines a third front port 322 that acoustically couples the front acoustic space 310 to an area outside the housing 306. Although three front ports are shown and described, there may be fewer or more ports. The ports may consist of open holes, screened holes, or any other configuration that results in the desired acoustic behavior. In some configurations, the third front port 322 exhibits low acoustic leakage, while the first and second front ports 320a, 320b provide relatively large acoustic leakage. The earpiece 300 also includes a rear port 324 that couples the rear acoustic space 312 to an area outside the housing 306. The rear port 324 functions primarily to reduce the effective stiffness of the rear space above the driver and prevent overpressure due to environmental changes, while the front port(s) 320a, 320b, 322 prevent excessive low frequency pressure in the ear canal and reduce blockage.

[0057] In the earpiece 300 shown in Figures 3A and 3B, if the first and second front ports 320a, 320b are sealed, for example by improper fitting, ear wax, or foreign objects, large pressures can be generated at the eardrum. Also, note that some test procedures may require these ports to be sealed during testing. If a system has both a large leak due to its front ports and a large driver output to compensate for this leak, doing so will show artificially high pressures during these tests.

[0058] Figure 4 shows an example comparison of sealed and unsealed front ports 320a, 320b, 322 in an earpiece constructed according to Figure 3A. Curve 400 shows the difference in generated pressure per volt when the front ports 320a, 320b, 422 are sealed and when the front ports 320a, 320b, 422 are open. As can be seen in Figure 4, a significant increase in sound pressure level occurs when the front ports 302a, 320b, and 322 are sealed, especially at frequencies below 700 Hz.

[0059] 5A shows another exemplary earpiece 500 constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. One goal of the configuration shown in FIG. 5A is to help ensure that for any given blockage of the device's acoustic ports, changes in device performance do not result in the potential for unintentionally generating high SPLs. A side benefit is that the proposed device does not generate atypical high pressures during standardized testing.

[0060] The earpiece 500 includes an earbud 502 and an eartip 504. The earbud 502 includes a housing 506 that supports an electro-acoustic transducer 508 (i.e., a speaker or driver). The electro-acoustic transducer 508 may be a moving coil type transducer. The electro-acoustic transducer 508 may be, for example, a full-range micro-driver having a diaphragm less than 6 mm in diameter, e.g., between 3 mm and 5.5 mm in diameter, e.g., between 4.3 mm and 5.4 mm in diameter, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,942,662, issued April 10, 2018, entitled "Electro-acoustic driver having compliant diaphragm with stiffening element," and / or U.S. Pat. No. 10,609,489, issued March 31, 2020, entitled "Fabricating an integrated loudspeaker piston and suspension," the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. As used herein, "full range" is intended to mean capable of producing frequencies from about 20 Hz to about 20 kHz.

[0061] The housing 506 and the electro-acoustic transducer 508 collectively define a first (front) acoustic space 510 and a second (rear) acoustic space 512. The electro-acoustic transducer 508 is positioned such that a first (front) radiating surface of the transducer 508 generates acoustic energy in the front acoustic space 510 and a second (rear) radiating surface of the transducer 508 generates acoustic energy in the rear acoustic space 512.

[0062] The housing 506 also defines a nozzle 514 configured to couple to the ear tip 504. The front acoustic space 510 is acoustically coupled to an acoustic passage 516 in the nozzle 514 such that, for example, when the earpiece 500 is worn, the electro-acoustic transducer 508 may be acoustically coupled to a user's ear canal. The housing 506 also defines a receptacle 518 for receiving wiring to provide power to the electro-acoustic transducer 508. The housing 506 may be formed, for example by molding, from a rigid plastic such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate / acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PCB / ABS), polyetherimide (PEI), or stereolithography (SLA) resin.

[0063] In the illustrated example, the eartip 504 is in the shape of a hollow cylinder having a hollow passage 520 configured to receive the nozzle 514 of the earbud 502. The eartip 504 is configured to fit at least partially within a person's ear canal. The eartip 504 includes a body 522 configured to receive and / or be mounted over the earbud 502. The body 522 includes a first end 524 and a second end 526 opposite the first end 524. The body 522 further includes an inner wall 528 extending between the first end 524 and the second end 526. The inner wall 528 defines and surrounds the hollow passage 520, which may be configured to conduct sound waves. The body 522 also includes an outer wall 530 connected to the inner wall 528 at the first end 524. The outer wall 530 extends away from the inner wall 528 toward the second end 526. In the illustrated example, the outer wall 530 is dome-shaped. However, other shapes, such as a frusto-conical shape, are also contemplated. Additionally, implementations are contemplated in which the eartip is supported by the housing 506 without including a nozzle 514. In the example shown in FIG. 5A, the eartip 504 is closed, without any ports or openings, such that a tight acoustic seal is formed between the eartip and the user's ear canal. In the example shown in FIG. 5A, the eartip 504 is closed, without any ports or openings, such that a tight acoustic seal is formed between the eartip and the user's ear canal.

[0064] Although eartip 504 has been illustrated and described as being in the shape of a hollow cylinder, eartip 504 is not limited to any particular shape and other shapes are contemplated.

[0065] The body 522 can be made from any suitable soft, flexible material, including, for example, silicone, polyurethane, polynorbornene (e.g., Norsorex® material available from D-NOV GmbH, Vienna, Austria), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and / or fluoroelastomer. In some implementations, the inner wall 528 and the outer wall 530 can be formed from different materials, for example, in an additive manufacturing process or a two-shot mold process. In some cases, the inner wall 528 can be formed from a higher durometer material, for example, to ensure a good connection to the nozzle 514, and the outer wall 530 can be formed from a lower durometer material, for example, for flexibility (to ensure a good acoustic seal) and comfort. Alternatively or additionally, one or more parts of the ear tip can be custom molded from a substantially rigid material to fit an individual's ear. Furthermore, some implementations may not include an ear tip. In such cases, one or more parts of the earbud may be custom molded, for example from a substantially rigid material, to fit an individual's ear.

[0066] The earpiece 500 includes a front port 532 that connects the front acoustic space 510 to the space outside the housing 506, and a rear port 534 that connects the rear acoustic space 512 to the space outside the housing 506. The rear port 534 functions primarily to reduce the effective stiffness of the rear space above the driver and prevent overpressure due to environmental changes, while the front port 532 prevents excessive low frequency pressure in the ear canal and reduces blockage.

[0067] In some examples, the front port may be implemented in the form of a tube. The front port tube may be integrally formed with the housing 306. Alternatively or additionally, the front port tube may be made of metal, such as stainless steel. The front port tube may include a metal tube mounted inside the wall of the front acoustic space 310. The housing 306 may be made of plastic and the front port tube may be heat staked to the plastic. The tube may be substantially straight or curved along its length. As used herein, "diameter" is intended to encompass the diameter of a circle for a circular cross section and the equivalent diameter for a non-circular cross section (e.g., a square, rectangular, or substantially semicircular cross section). Alternatively, the front port may be in the form of a hole, such as an open hole or a hole covered with a mesh.

[0068] In some cases, the rear port 534 may be implemented in the form of a tube. The tube may be integrally formed with the housing 506. Alternatively or additionally, the tube may be made of metal, such as stainless steel. The tube may include a metal tube mounted inside the wall of the rear acoustic space 512. The housing 506 may be made of plastic and the tube may be heat staked to the plastic. Alternatively, the rear port may be implemented in the form of a hole, such as an open hole or a hole covered with a screen. The tube may be substantially straight or curved along its length. As used herein, "diameter" is intended to encompass the diameter of a circle for a circular cross-section as well as the equivalent diameter for a non-circular cross-section (e.g., a square, rectangular, or substantially semicircular cross-section).

[0069] In particular, the entrance end of the front port 532 is inside the earpiece 500, and the only way to block it outside the earpiece 500 is to block the nozzle 514 of the earpiece 500. This may be desirable, as blocking the nozzle 514 may prevent any artificially high product-generated sound pressure from entering the ear. Also, note that the respective exit ends of the rear port 534 and the front port 532 are combined and then exit the product through the combined exit volume 536 and exit port 538. This means that neither can be blocked without blocking the other. In the blocked state, the impedance of the exit port increases, thereby acoustically shorting the front acoustic space 510 and the rear acoustic space 512, reducing the pressure at the ear relative to that which would have been created by blocking only the front port 532. This can be designed to result in a reduction in maximum pressure as well. In some implementations, the maximum pressure in the front acoustic space 510 when the exit port 538 is sealed is between 100 dB SPL and 120 dB SPL. In some cases, the maximum pressure in the front acoustic space 510 when the exit port 538 is sealed is 132 dB SPL or less.

[0070] The outlet port 538 may take a variety of forms, such as a hole 540 (FIG. 5A) covered with a mesh (e.g., a metal screen), an open hole 542 (FIG. 5B), a tube 544 (FIG. 5C), or multiple holes, such as multiple mesh-covered or open holes 546 (FIG. 5D). The outlet end of the tube 544 in FIG. 5C may or may not be covered with a mesh. The size of the outlet space and the impedance of the outlet port may be tailored to provide the desired performance under open and sealed conditions. Additionally, although only a single outlet port is shown, the outlet may include multiple openings.

[0071] 6 shows an example (difference curve) of a sealed versus unsealed exit port 538 for an earpiece constructed according to FIG. 5A. Curve 600 shows the difference in generated pressure per volt when the exit port 538 is sealed versus when the exit port 538 is open. Note that the difference between the sealed and unsealed cases is small compared to that shown in FIG.

[0072] 7 shows an exemplary hearing aid 700 including the earpiece 500 of FIG. 5A and an ear piece 702 designed to sit behind a user's ear (pinna). The ear piece 702 includes a casing 704 that houses electronics 706 including a sound processor 708, a battery 710 that powers the electronics 708, and a microphone 712. In some cases, the microphone 712 may include multiple microphones that may be configured in an array. The sound processor 708 receives signals from the microphone 712 and performs one or more processing operations including beam steering, null forming, gain, compression, and / or active noise cancellation (e.g., feed-forward active noise cancellation).

[0073] The electronics 706 may also include a transceiver circuit 714. The transceiver circuit 714 may transmit and receive wireless signals, including receiving streaming audio (e.g., high fidelity audio) for rendering by the electro-acoustic transducer 508. The transceiver circuit 714 may wirelessly communicate with a data source, such as a smartphone, or any other suitable digital audio playback device, such as a laptop or personal computer, that stores and / or plays digital audio files. Alternatively or additionally, the transceiver circuit 714 may be configured to communicate with a second, companion hearing aid, for example, to transmit digital audio content between the two hearing aids, for example for stereo playback or beamforming. The transceiver circuit 714 may communicate with, for example, a data source or a second, companion hearing aid using any suitable wireless communication protocol, including Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16), Zigbee, UWB, NFMI, or any other suitable wireless communication protocol.

[0074] The transceiver circuitry 714 may also enable communication with a software application running on a computing device such as a smartphone. The software application may be used for self-tuning, allowing a user to adjust DSP filters to tune the audio (either high fidelity audio coming from an audio data source or audio delivered from a microphone 712 (e.g., a microphone array)).

[0075] The electronics 706 may further include an audio amplifier, an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter (e.g., for converting analog microphone signals to digital form), a digital-to-analog (D / A) converter (e.g., for converting digital audio signals to analog form for conversion by the electro-acoustic transducer 508), and a microcontroller for controlling the operation of the various electronic components.

[0076] The over-the-ear portion 702 of the hearing aid 700 includes wiring 718 designed to pass around the user's ear and into the earpiece 500. The wiring 718 may include multiple wires carried in a common conduit (e.g., a sheath or tube) that extends between the earpiece and the over-the-ear portion. The wiring 718 provides power to the electro-acoustic transducer 508. The wiring 718 may also be used to couple the electronics 706 to a microphone 720 (e.g., a feedback microphone) supported within the housing 506 of the earpiece 500. The wiring 718 may include a flexible printed circuit. That is, one or more flexible printed circuits and / or the wiring 718 may be coupled to one or more flexible printed circuits within the housing 506.

[0077] The microphone 720 is configured to pick up sound at the user's ear canal. Input from the microphone 720 may be fed back to the sound processor 708 for feedback active noise cancellation. The microphone 720 may be supported by the electro-acoustic transducer 508 as described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,015,581, entitled "FeedBack microphone adaptor for noise canceling headphone," issued July 3, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0078] In some implementations, alternatively or additionally, the hearing aid 700 may include a microphone 722 (e.g., a feed-forward microphone) supported by (e.g., supported on or in) the housing 506 of the earpiece 500 and positioned to acoustically couple to the air adjacent the user's pinna. Input from the microphone 722 may be fed back to the sound processor 708 via line 718 for feed-forward active noise cancellation.

[0079] 8A shows a system 800 including the hearing aid 700 of FIG. 7 and a computing device 802 (e.g., a smartphone). The hearing aid 700 and the computing device 802 can communicate wirelessly over a wireless network 804a via their respective transceivers. As described above, the computing device 802 can be configured to provide audio to the hearing aid 700. The computing device 802 can also be used to select audio content for playback, transport control, e.g., play / pause, and / or volume or equalization control. In some implementations, the computing device 802 can execute a software program that allows a user to adjust signal processing parameters for the hearing aid, such as that described in U.S. Patent No. 9,131,321, issued Sep. 8, 2015, entitled "Hearing assistance device control."

[0080] In some cases, the system 800 may include a second, companion hearing aid 700'. The computing device 802 may be configured to communicate with the second hearing aid 700' directly (e.g., via a wireless network 804b) or wirelessly via the (first) hearing aid 700. Furthermore, the hearing aids 700, 700' may be configured to communicate wirelessly with each other, for example to share audio data or control information via a wireless network 804c.

[0081] 8B, computing device 802 includes, among other components, a processor 852, memory 864, input / output devices such as a display 854, a communication interface 866, and a transceiver 868. Device 802 may also be provided with a storage device, such as a microdrive or other device, to provide additional storage. Each of components 802, 852, 864, 854, 866, and 868 are interconnected using various buses, and some of the components may be implemented on a common motherboard or in other manners as desired.

[0082] The processor 852 can execute instructions within the computing device 802, including instructions stored in the memory 864. The processor may be implemented as a chipset of chips including separate analog and digital processors. The processor may coordinate other components of the device 802, such as controlling a user interface, controlling applications run by the device 802, and wireless communication by the device 802.

[0083] The processor 852 can communicate with a user via a control interface 858 and a display interface 856 coupled to a display 854. The display 854 may be, for example, a TFT LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) or an OLED (organic light emitting diode) display, or other suitable display technology. The display interface 856 may comprise appropriate circuitry for driving the display 854 to present graphical and other information to the user. The control interface 858 may receive commands from the user and convert them for provision to the processor 852. Additionally, an external interface 862 may communicate with the processor 852 to enable the device 802 to communicate with other devices in close proximity. The external interface 862 may provide, for example, wired communication in some implementations and wireless communication in other implementations, and multiple interfaces may be used.

[0084] The memory 864 stores information within the computing device 802. The memory 864 may be implemented as one or more of one or more computer readable media, one or more volatile memory units, or one or more non-volatile memory units. An expansion memory 874 may also be provided and connected to the device 802 via an expansion interface 872, which may include, for example, a Single In Line Memory Module (SIMM) card interface. Such expansion memory 874 may provide additional storage space for the device 802 or may store applications or other information for the device 802. In particular, the expansion memory 874 may include instructions for performing or supplementing the processes described above, and may also include secure information. Thus, for example, the expansion memory 874 may be provided as a security module for the device 802 and may be programmed with instructions that enable secure use of the device 802. Additionally, secure applications may be provided via a SIMM card along with additional information, such as placing identifying information on the SIMM card in an unhackable manner.

[0085] The memory may include, for example, flash memory and / or NVRAM memory, as described below. In one implementation, the computer program product is tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The information carrier is a computer-readable or machine-readable medium, such as memory 864, expansion memory 874, memory on processor 852, or a propagated signal that may be received, for example, via transceiver 868 or external interface 862.

[0086] The device 802 may communicate wirelessly via a communication interface 866, which may include digital signal processing circuitry as required. The communication interface 866 may provide communications under various modes or protocols, such as GSM voice calls, SMS, EMS, or MMS mail, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA, CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others. Such communications may occur, for example, through a radio frequency transceiver 868. In addition, short-range communications may occur using Bluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceivers (not shown), etc. In addition, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver module 870 may provide additional navigation-related and location-related wireless data to the device 802, which may be used by applications executing on the device 802, as appropriate.

[0087] The device 802 may also communicate audibly using an audio codec 860, which may receive spoken information from a user and convert it into usable digital information. The audio codec 860 may similarly generate audible sounds for the user, such as through a speaker in a handset of the device 802. Such sounds may include sounds from a voice call, may include recorded sounds (e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.), and may also include sounds generated by applications running on the device 802.

[0088] The computing device 802 may be implemented in many different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as a mobile phone 880. It may also be implemented as part of a smartphone 882, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, or other similar mobile device.

[0089] Other implementations 5A, the eartip 504 is closed, with no ports or openings, such that a tight acoustic seal is formed with the user's ear canal. However, in some implementations, the eartip may include a pressure equalization port or opening, provided that any port in the eartip is much smaller than the pressure equalization port in the housing.

[0090] Although implementations have been described that include a single rear port and a single front port coupled to a common exit port, some implementations may include multiple pairs of rear and front ports, e.g., each pair may be coupled to a corresponding exit port. For example, FIG. 9 shows an earpiece 900 that includes a first front port 532 and a first rear port 534 that are coupled in a first exit space 536 before exiting the earpiece 900 via a first exit port 538. The earpiece 900 also includes a second front port 902 and a second rear port 904 that are coupled in a second exit space 906 before exiting the earpiece 900 via a second exit port 908. The front ports 532, 902 acoustically couple the front acoustic space 510 to an area outside the housing 506, and the rear ports 534, 904 acoustically couple the rear acoustic space 512 to an area outside the housing 506. As with the implementations described above, the outlet ports 538, 908 may or may not be covered with mesh and may or may not include a tube. The use of multiple outlet ports may reduce the chance of a perfect seal, but still helps to mitigate pressure buildup if either or both of the outlet ports are sealed. It is also possible to combine multiple front ports and / or multiple rear ports into the same outlet space. If multiple port paths are used, they may be the same or different in size / acoustic impedance.

[0091] The earpiece 900 may also include a microphone 720 (e.g., a feedback microphone) acoustically coupled to the first acoustic space 510 to pick up sound in the user's ear canal. Alternatively or additionally, the earpiece 900 may include a microphone 722 (e.g., a feedforward microphone) supported by the housing 506 of the earpiece 500 to pick up ambient noise for feedforward noise cancellation.

[0092] 10, in another implementation, the earpiece 1000 can be made with the valve 120 covering the front port 532 and the rear port 534, while omitting the exit volume. However, when the valve 1002 is closed, it closes the front port 532 and the rear port 534 separately. In this case, the front acoustic space 510 and the rear acoustic space 512 are not acoustically shorted. Instead, the seal of the mass port 534 would increase the stiffness of the system, but would be more effective if the earpiece 1000 is placed in the ear or 2 cm away from the ear. 3 4, but not as much as the sealed case shown in FIG 6. The earpiece 1000 may include a microphone 720 (e.g., a feedback microphone) acoustically coupled to the first acoustic space 510 to pick up sound in the user's ear canal. Alternatively or additionally, the earpiece 1000 may include a microphone 722 (e.g., a feedforward microphone) supported by the housing 506 of the earpiece 500 to pick up ambient noise for feedforward noise cancellation.

[0093] Although implementations have been described that use a moving coil electroacoustic transducer, some implementations may utilize a balanced armature driver. For example, some implementations may utilize a vented balanced armature driver that delivers acoustic power radiated from a first side of a diaphragm through a nozzle coupled to a first acoustic volume of the earpiece and vents acoustic energy radiated from a second side of the diaphragm to a second acoustic volume of the earpiece.

[0094] Some implementations may include multiple balanced armatures. One example includes two balanced armatures in a single housing with two diaphragms. The front sides of each of the diaphragms are connected within the housing and acoustically connected to the front acoustic space through an opening or nozzle. The rear sides of the diaphragms are separated within the housing and vent separately into the rear acoustic space.

[0095] Although implementations of earpieces for RIC type hearing aids have been shown and described above, the coupling of rear and front ports may be beneficial for other applications, such as earpieces for completely in the canal (CIC), in the canal (ITC), or in-the-ear (ITE) type hearing aids, and earpieces for headphones, such as wired or wireless headphones, and in-the-ear or around-the-ear headphones.

[0096] Further, while implementations have been described in which the earpiece includes an earbud and an eartip coupled to the earbud, FIG. 11A illustrates another implementation of an earpiece 1100 that includes an earbud 1102 without an eartip. The earbud 1102 is configured to directly engage a user's ear canal to form an acoustic seal therebetween. The earbud 1102 includes a housing 1106 that supports an electro-acoustic transducer 1108 (i.e., a speaker or driver). The housing 1106 and the electro-acoustic transducer 1108 collectively define a first (front) acoustic space 1110 and a second (rear) acoustic space 1112. The electro-acoustic transducer 1108 is positioned such that a first (front) radiating surface of the transducer 1108 radiates acoustic energy into the front acoustic space 1110 and a second (rear) radiating surface of the transducer 1108 radiates acoustic energy into the rear acoustic space 1112.

[0097] The housing 1106 also defines a nozzle 1114 configured to directly engage a user's ear canal to form an acoustic seal therebetween. The front acoustic space 1110 is acoustically coupled to an acoustic passage 1116 in the nozzle 1114 such that, for example, when the earpiece 1100 is worn, the electro-acoustic transducer 1108 may be acoustically coupled to the user's ear canal. The housing 1106 may also define a receptacle (not shown) for receiving wiring to provide power to the electro-acoustic transducer 1108. In some cases, the housing 1106 may also support a microphone, a battery, and / or a sound processor.

[0098] The earpiece 1100 includes a front port 1132 that couples the front acoustic space 1110 to a space outside the housing 1106, and a rear port 1134 that couples the rear acoustic space 1112 to a space outside the housing 1106. Similar to the implementation discussed above with respect to FIG. 5A, the respective outlet ends of the rear port 1134 and the front port 1132 are combined and then exit the product via the combined outlet space 1136 and the outlet port 1138. The outlet port 1138 may take a variety of forms, such as a tube, mesh, or hole. The earpiece 1100 may include a microphone 720 (e.g., a feedback microphone) acoustically coupled to the first acoustic space 510 to pick up sound within the user's ear canal. Alternatively or additionally, the earpiece 1000 may include a microphone 722 (e.g., a feedforward microphone) supported by the housing 506 of the earpiece 500 to pick up ambient noise for feedforward noise cancellation.

[0099] FIG 11A shows a configuration that may be useful for an in-the-ear hearing aid, and FIG 11B shows an alternative configuration of earpiece 1100' that may be beneficial for in-the-ear or fully in-the-ear configurations. In this regard, the configuration of FIG 11B relocates the exit port 1138 from the surface of the housing 1106 adjacent the nozzle 1114 (as shown in FIG 11A) to the surface of the housing 1106 opposite the nozzle 1114.

[0100] 12 shows an earpiece 1200 for around-the-ear headphones. The earpiece 1200 includes an earcup 1202 and a circum-ear cushion 1204. The earcup 1202 includes a housing 1206 that supports an electro-acoustic transducer 1208 (i.e., a speaker or driver). The housing 1206 and the electro-acoustic transducer 1208 collectively define a first (front) acoustic space 1210 and a second (rear) acoustic space 1212. The electro-acoustic transducer 1208 is positioned such that a first (front) radiating surface of the transducer 1208 radiates acoustic energy into the front acoustic space 1210 and a second (rear) radiating surface of the transducer 1208 radiates acoustic energy into the rear acoustic space 1212. The housing 1206 may be formed from a rigid material such as plastic, e.g., ABS plastic. The earmuff cushions 1204 are configured to circumferentially surround the user's ears and provide an acoustic seal between the front acoustic space 1210 and the user's head when the device is worn. The earmuff cushions 1204 may be formed from foam.

[0101] The earpiece 1200 includes a front port 1232 that connects the front acoustic space 1210 to a space outside the housing 1206, and a rear port 1234 that connects the rear acoustic space 1212 to a space outside the housing 1206. As with the implementations described above, the respective outlet ends of the rear port 1234 and the front port 1232 may be combined together and then exit the product via a combined outlet space 1236 and outlet port 1238.

[0102] Fig. 13 illustrates an exemplary pair of headphones 1300 incorporating the earcups 1200 of Fig. 12. The headphones 1300 include a pair of earpieces 1200 configured according to Fig. 12 and a band 1302 that mechanically couples the two earpieces 1200 together. The earcups 1200 (two are shown) may be coupled to the band via a yoke coupling 1304 that allows articulation of the earpieces 1200 relative to the band 1302.

[0103] Although multiple implementations have been described, it will be understood that additional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the inventive concepts described herein, and thus, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims and other claims to which the applicant may be entitled.

[0104] While various examples have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily conceive of various other means and / or structures for performing the functions and / or results and / or obtaining one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such modifications and / or variations is deemed to be within the scope of the examples described herein. More generally, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that all of the parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are exemplary, and furthermore, that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on the particular application or applications for which the teachings of the present invention are used. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain, using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific examples described herein. Thus, it is to be understood that the foregoing examples are presented by way of example only, and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof, the examples may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Examples of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. Furthermore, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods is within the scope of the present disclosure, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent.

[0105] [Section 1] An electroacoustic transducer; a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer, the housing and the electro-acoustic transducer collectively defining a first acoustic space and a second acoustic space, the electro-acoustic transducer positioned such that a first radiating surface of the electro-acoustic transducer radiates acoustic energy into a front acoustic space and a second radiating surface of the electro-acoustic transducer radiates acoustic energy into the second acoustic space; and a front port connecting the first acoustic space to a space outside the housing; a rear port connecting the second acoustic space to the space outside the housing; In an earpiece comprising: The earpiece, wherein the respective outlet ends of the rear port and the front port are joined prior to exiting the housing via a combined outlet space and outlet port. [Section 2] 2. The earpiece of claim 1, wherein the housing defines a nozzle, and the first acoustic space is acoustically coupled to an acoustic passage within the nozzle such that when the earpiece is worn, the electro-acoustic transducer is acoustically coupled to a user's ear canal. [Section 3] 3. The earpiece of claim 2, further comprising an eartip supported on the nozzle and configured to form a tight acoustic seal with a user's ear canal when the earpiece is worn. [Section 4] 2. The earpiece of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a receptacle for receiving wiring for supplying power to the electro-acoustic transducer. [Section 5] 2. The earpiece of claim 1, wherein the exit port is covered with a mesh along an outer surface of the housing. [Section 6] 2. The earpiece of claim 1, wherein the exit port comprises a tube. [Section 7] 7. The earpiece of claim 6, wherein the outlet end of the tube is covered with a mesh. [Section 8] 2. The earpiece of claim 1, wherein the front port is integrally formed with the housing. [Section 9] 2. The earpiece according to claim 1, wherein a maximum pressure in the first acoustic space when the outlet port is sealed is between 100 dB SPL and 120 dB SPL. [Section 10] 2. The earpiece of claim 1, wherein a maximum pressure in the first acoustic space when the exit port is sealed is 132 dB SPL or less. [Section 11] A hearing aid comprising the earpiece according to claim 1, a casing configured to be positioned behind the ear of a user when worn; a wire connecting the casing to the earpiece; The hearing aid further comprises: [Section 12] 12. The hearing aid of claim 11, further comprising a battery, a microphone and a sound processor housed within the casing. [Section 13] An electronic device housed in the casing; a microphone supported by the housing; Further comprising: 12. The hearing aid of claim 11, wherein the wiring electrically couples the microphone to the electronics. [Section 14] 14. The hearing aid of claim 13, wherein the wiring comprises a flexible printed circuit. [Section 15] 14. The hearing aid of claim 13, wherein the wiring electrically couples the electro-acoustic transducer to the electronics. [Section 16] 14. The hearing aid of claim 13, wherein the microphone is a feedback microphone configured to pick up sound at the user's ear canal. [Section 17] 14. The hearing aid of claim 13, wherein the microphone is a feedforward microphone configured to pick up ambient noise in an area outside the housing for feedforward noise cancellation. [Section 18] 14. The hearing aid of claim 13, wherein the electronics is configured to implement an active noise cancellation algorithm that uses input from the microphone. [Section 19] 12. The hearing aid of claim 11, further comprising a battery, a microphone, and a sound processor supported within the housing. [Section 20] 12. The hearing aid of claim 11, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer comprises a diaphragm defining the first and second radiating surfaces, the diaphragm having a diameter of less than 6 mm. [Section 21] 21. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 20, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is a moving coil transducer. [Section 22] Batteries and A first microphone; A sound processor and A transceiver; A second microphone; Wiring and Further comprising: the battery, the first microphone, the sound processor, and the transceiver are housed within the casing; the second microphone is supported by the housing; 12. The hearing aid of claim 11, wherein the wiring extends between the housing and the casing and electrically couples the second microphone to the sound processor. [Section 23] 12. A hearing aid as described in clause 11, wherein the sound processor is configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm using input from the second microphone. [Section 24] An electroacoustic transducer; a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer, the housing and the electro-acoustic transducer collectively defining a first acoustic space and a second acoustic space, the electro-acoustic transducer positioned such that a first radiating surface of the electro-acoustic transducer radiates acoustic energy into a front acoustic space and a second radiating surface of the electro-acoustic transducer radiates acoustic energy into a rear acoustic space; and a front port connecting the first acoustic space to a space outside the housing; a rear port connecting the second acoustic space to the space outside the housing; a valve covering the front port and the rear port, the valve being arranged to separately close the front port and the rear port when the valve is closed; The earpiece is characterized by comprising: [Section 25] An electroacoustic transducer; A microphone; a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer and the microphone and sized to fit at least partially within a user's ear canal; Electronic devices, a casing configured to support the electronic device and to be positioned behind the user's ear when worn; Wiring extending between the casing and the housing, electrically coupling the electronics to the electro-acoustic transducer and the microphone; A hearing aid comprising: [Section 26] 26. The hearing aid of claim 25, wherein the electronics is configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm based on input from the microphone to generate a signal that causes the electro-acoustic transducer to generate acoustic energy to cancel noise. [Section 27] An electroacoustic transducer; a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer and sized to fit at least partially within a user's ear canal; Electronic devices, a casing configured to support the electronic device and to be positioned behind the user's ear when worn; Wiring extending between the casing and the housing, electrically coupling the electronics to the electro-acoustic transducer; a microphone supported by the housing; Equipped with The hearing aid, characterized in that the electronics are configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm and generate a signal that causes the electro-acoustic transducer to generate acoustic energy that cancels noise based on input from the microphone. [Section 28] 28. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 27, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is a full-range transducer. [Section 29] 29. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 28, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is a moving coil transducer. [Section 30] 28. The hearing aid of claim 27, wherein the electronics includes a transceiver supporting high fidelity audio transmission. [Section 31] 28. The hearing aid of claim 27, wherein the microphone is supported by the housing and the wiring electrically couples the microphone to the electronics. [Section 32] 32. The hearing aid of claim 31, wherein the microphone is a feedback microphone configured to pick up sound at the user's ear canal. [Section 33] 32. The hearing aid of claim 31, wherein the microphone is a feedforward microphone configured to be acoustically coupled to air adjacent the user's pinna for feedforward noise cancellation. [Section 34] 34. A hearing aid as claimed in claim 33, further comprising a second microphone supported by the casing. [Section 35] 35. The hearing aid of clause 34, wherein the second microphone comprises a microphone array. [Section 36] 1. A system comprising: A hearing aid according to claim 27; a computing device communicatively coupled to the hearing aid and configured to execute a software program that allows a user to adjust one or more features of the hearing aid; The system comprises: [Section 37] 37. The system of claim 36, wherein the software program enables a user to adjust signal processing parameters of the hearing aid. [Section 38] 38. The system of claim 37, wherein the signal processing parameters include filter coefficients for the active noise cancellation algorithm. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 32b front port 100 Hearing aids 102 Ear hook 104 Casing 106 Wire 108 Earpiece 120 Valve 200 Closed Dome 202 Open Dome 204 Large Opening 300 earpieces 302 Earbuds 302a Front Port 304 Eartips 306 Housing 308 Electroacoustic Transducer 308 Converter 310 First (front) acoustic space 312 Second (rear) acoustic space 314 Nozzle 316 Acoustic Corridor 318 Receptacle 320a 1st Front Port 320b 2nd Front Port 322 3rd Front Port 324 Rear port 400 curves 422 Front Port 500 earpiece 502 Earbuds 504 Eartips 506 Housing 508 Electroacoustic Transducer 510 First (front) acoustic space 512 Second (rear) acoustic space 514 Nozzle 516 Acoustic Corridor 518 Receptacle 520 Hollow passage 522 Main unit 524 First End 526 Second End 528 Interior wall 530 Exterior Wall 532 1st Front Port 534 1st rear port 536 First Exit Space 538 First Exit Port 540, 542 holes 544 Tube 546 open hole 600 curves 700 Hearing Aids 702 Ear hook 704 Casing 706, 708 Electronic equipment 708 Sound Processor 710 battery 712 Microphone 714 Transmitter / Receiver Circuit 718 Wiring 720, 722 Microphones 800 Systems 802 Components 802 Computing Devices 804a~c Wireless Network 852 processor 854 Display 856 Display Interface 858 Control Interface 860 Audio Codec 862 External Interface 864 Memory 866 Communication Interface 868 Radio Frequency Transmitter / Receiver 872 Expansion Interface 874 Expandable Memory 880 Mobile Phones 882 Smartphones 900 earpiece 902 2nd Front Port 904 2nd rear port 906 Second Exit Space 908 Second Exit Port 1000 earpieces 1002 Valve 1100 Earpiece 1102 Earbuds 1106 Housing 1108 Electroacoustic Transducer 1110 First (front) acoustic space 1112 Second (rear) acoustic space 1114 Nozzle 1116 Acoustic Corridor 1132 Front Port 1134 Rear port 1136 Exit space 1138 Exit Port 1200 earpiece 1200, 1202 Ear cups 1204 Cushion 1206 Housing 1208 Electroacoustic Transducer 1210 First (front) acoustic space 1212 Second (rear) acoustic space 1232 Front Port 1234 Rear port 1236 Exit space 1238 Exit Port 1300 Headphones 1302 Band 1304 shaped joint

Claims

1. An electroacoustic transducer; a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer, the housing and the electro-acoustic transducer collectively defining a first acoustic space and a second acoustic space, the electro-acoustic transducer positioned such that a first radiating surface of the electro-acoustic transducer radiates acoustic energy into a front acoustic space and a second radiating surface of the electro-acoustic transducer radiates acoustic energy into the second acoustic space; a front port connecting the first acoustic space to a space outside the housing; a rear port connecting the second acoustic space to the space outside the housing; An earpiece comprising:

1. A hearing aid comprising an earpiece, the outlet ends of the rear port and the front port being joined before exiting the housing via a joined outlet space and outlet port, a casing configured to be positioned behind the ear of a user when worn; a wire connecting the casing to the earpiece; The hearing aid further comprises:

2. 10. The hearing aid of claim 1, further comprising a battery, a microphone, and a sound processor housed within the casing.

3. An electronic device housed in the casing; a microphone supported by the housing; Further comprising: The hearing aid of claim 1 , wherein the wiring electrically couples the microphone to the electronics.

4. The hearing aid of claim 3, wherein the wiring comprises a flexible printed circuit.

5. The hearing aid of claim 3 , wherein the wiring electrically couples the electro-acoustic transducer to the electronics.

6. The hearing aid of claim 3 , wherein the microphone is a feedback microphone configured to pick up sound at a user's ear canal.

7. 4. The hearing aid of claim 3, wherein the microphone is a feedforward microphone configured to pick up ambient noise in an area outside the housing for feedforward noise cancellation.

8. The hearing aid of claim 3, wherein the electronics is configured to implement an active noise cancellation algorithm that uses input from the microphone.

9. 10. The hearing aid of claim 1, further comprising a battery, a microphone, and a sound processor supported within the housing.

10. 2. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer comprises a diaphragm defining the first and second radiating surfaces, the diaphragm having a diameter of less than 6 mm.

11. 11. The hearing aid of claim 10, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is a moving coil transducer.

12. Batteries and A first microphone; A sound processor and A transceiver; A second microphone; Wiring and Further comprising: the battery, the first microphone, the sound processor, and the transceiver are housed within the casing; the second microphone is supported by the housing; 2. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the wiring extends between the housing and the casing and electrically couples the second microphone to the sound processor.

13. 2. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the sound processor is configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm using input from the second microphone.

14. An electroacoustic transducer; a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer, the housing and the electro-acoustic transducer collectively defining a first acoustic space and a second acoustic space, the electro-acoustic transducer positioned such that a first radiating surface of the electro-acoustic transducer radiates acoustic energy into a front acoustic space and a second radiating surface of the electro-acoustic transducer radiates acoustic energy into a rear acoustic space; and a front port connecting the first acoustic space to a space outside the housing; a rear port connecting the second acoustic space to the space outside the housing; a valve covering the front port and the rear port, the valve being arranged to separately close the front port and the rear port when the valve is closed; The earpiece is characterized by comprising:

15. An electroacoustic transducer; A microphone; a housing supporting the electroacoustic transducer and the microphone and sized to fit at least partially within a user's ear canal; Electronic devices, a casing configured to support the electronic device and to be positioned behind the user's ear when worn; Wiring extending between the casing and the housing, electrically coupling the electronics to the electro-acoustic transducer and the microphone; A hearing aid comprising:

16. 16. The hearing aid of claim 15, wherein the electronics is configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm based on input from the microphone to generate a signal that causes the electro-acoustic transducer to generate acoustic energy to cancel noise.

17. An electroacoustic transducer; a housing supporting the electro-acoustic transducer and sized to fit at least partially within a user's ear canal; Electronic devices, a casing configured to support the electronic device and to be positioned behind the user's ear when worn; Wiring extending between the casing and the housing, electrically coupling the electronics to the electro-acoustic transducer; a microphone supported by the housing; Equipped with The hearing aid, characterized in that the electronics are configured to execute an active noise cancellation algorithm and generate a signal that causes the electro-acoustic transducer to generate acoustic energy that cancels noise based on input from the microphone.

18. 18. The hearing aid of claim 17, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is a full-range transducer.

19. 20. The hearing aid of claim 18, wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is a moving coil transducer.

20. 20. The hearing aid of claim 17, wherein the electronics includes a transceiver supporting high fidelity audio transmission.

21. 18. The hearing aid of claim 17, wherein the microphone is supported by the housing and the wiring electrically couples the microphone to the electronics.

22. 22. The hearing aid of claim 21, wherein the microphone is a feedback microphone configured to pick up sound at the user's ear canal.

23. 22. The hearing aid of claim 21, wherein the microphone is a feedforward microphone configured to be acoustically coupled to air adjacent the user's pinna for feedforward noise cancellation.

24. 24. The hearing aid of claim 23, further comprising a second microphone supported by the casing.

25. 25. The hearing aid of claim 24, wherein the second microphone comprises a microphone array.

26. 1. A system comprising: A hearing aid according to claim 17; a computing device communicatively coupled to the hearing aid and configured to execute a software program that allows a user to adjust one or more features of the hearing aid; The system comprises:

27. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the software program allows a user to adjust signal processing parameters of the hearing aid.

28. 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the signal processing parameters include filter coefficients for the active noise cancellation algorithm.

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