Device and method for equalizing low frequency rolloff for wearable sound device

Abstract

To provide a wearable sound device.SOLUTION: A wearable sound device includes: a ventilation module that is configured to form at least one ventilation hole connecting a volume in the wearable sound device with a circumference environment; and a sound generation device that is configured to generate a sound in accordance with an input signal to be equalized. The ventilation module including at least one ventilation device, is operated in a plurality of situations corresponded to a plurality of open degrees. A controller generates the input signal to be equalized in accordance with each degree of the plurality of open degrees in order to cancel a rolloff generated by at least one ventilation hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable sound device, a controller, and an equalization method, and more particularly to a wearable sound device, a controller, and an equalization method that improve user experience. [Background technology]

[0002] The occlusion effect arises from the sealed volume of the ear canal, which creates a perceived pressure for the listener. For example, the occlusion effect occurs when a listener with a wearable sound device in the ear canal engages in certain movements (e.g., jogging) that generate bone-conducted sound. However, releasing the pressure in the sealed field chamber affects the frequency response and can face serious low frequency roll-off issues, which degrade the user experience, especially in the low frequency bass parts of music. There is room for further improvement in terms of optimizing audio quality. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the main objective of the present application is to provide a wearable sound device, a controller, and an equalization method to remedy the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0004] One embodiment of the present application discloses a wearable sound device having a ventilation module including at least one ventilation device and a sound generating device configured to generate a sound according to an equalized input signal; the ventilation module configured to form at least one vent connecting a volume in the wearable sound device and an ambient environment operates in a plurality of states corresponding to a plurality of opening degrees; and a controller generates the equalized input signal according to an opening degree among the plurality of opening degrees to counteract roll-off caused by the at least one vent.

[0005] One embodiment of the present application discloses a device having a controller configured to generate an equalized input signal according to an opening degree among a plurality of opening degrees of an airflow module; the airflow module is configured to form at least one airflow hole and has a plurality of opening degrees; and the controller generating the equalized input signal compensates for roll-off due to the at least one airflow hole.

[0006] An embodiment of the present application discloses an equalizing method configured to generate an equalized input signal for a sound generating device, the equalizing method including: obtaining a state of a ventilation module among a plurality of states; and generating an equalized input signal according to the state, wherein the ventilation module forming at least one ventilation hole operates among a plurality of states corresponding to a plurality of opening degrees.

[0007] One embodiment of the present application discloses a wearable sound device having an acoustic transducer configured to form at least one opening connecting a volume within the wearable sound device with the surroundings and configured to generate sound according to an equalized input signal; the acoustic transducer operates in a plurality of states corresponding to a plurality of opening degrees; and a controller generates the equalized input signal according to an opening degree of the opening among the plurality of opening degrees to offset a roll-off caused by the at least one air vent.

[0008] These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an audio system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0010] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a frequency response corresponding to one ventilation device according to one embodiment of the present application.

[0011] [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of frequency responses corresponding to two ventilation devices according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an equalization curve according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] [Diagram 5] 1A-1D are schematic diagrams of three different modes of a venting device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wearable sound device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of a sound generating device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a signal transmission and sound propagation mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an equalization process according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] 1 is a schematic diagram of an audio system 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. The audio system 10 may include ventilation devices 10DV1, 10DV2, a sound generating device 10SPD, driving circuits 10drvC, 10drvC1, 10drvC2, and a controller 10CTR. The ventilation devices 10DV1, 10DV2 and the sound generating device 10SPD may be disposed in a wearable sound device, such as an in-ear sound device, an earbud, or a hearing aid. The controller 10CTR may include an equalizer 10EQ, which may represent a part / portion of the controller 10CTR that performs operations related to equalization disclosed in the present application. The ventilation devices 10DV1, 10DV2 may be considered / formed together as a ventilation module 10DV.

[0019] The ventilation device 10DV1 / 10DV2 may operate in an open mode (e.g., FIG. 5(a)) to form a vent (e.g., 513vnt shown in FIG. 5), in a closed mode (e.g., FIG. 5(b)) to seal the vent, or in a comfort mode (e.g., FIG. 5(c)) to slightly open the vent. However, because the ventilation device 10DV1 / 10DV2 may affect the sound transmission channel, different states of the ventilation module 10DV result in different frequency responses (e.g., low frequency roll-off (LFRO)).

[0020] For example, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of frequency responses corresponding to a single venting device configuration without / before equalization. In Figure 2 (each earphone features a single venting device (e.g., 10DV1) and houses a single MEMS speaker), below 100 Hz, the frequency response corresponding to the comfort mode / state (i.e., dashed curve) rolls off slightly, while the frequency response corresponding to the open mode / state (i.e., thick solid curve) shows a more pronounced / noticeable roll-off at / towards low frequencies. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of frequency responses corresponding to two venting device configurations without / before equalization. In FIG. 3 (each earphone with dual venting devices (e.g., 10DV1 and 10DV2) including one dynamic driver (DD) and one MEMS speaker (2-way)), when both venting devices open their vents in the open state, the low frequency roll-off becomes severe (i.e., the thick solid curve). However, when both venting devices close their vents in the closed state, the frequency response curve remains substantially flat at low frequencies (i.e., the thin solid curve). In other words, a state that expels more sound / air from one side to the other may result in weaker low frequency sound generated by the sound generating device 10SPD measured in a closed or semi-closed cavity (e.g., ear canal or ear simulator / coupler (e.g., 711)) compared to other states.

[0021] To compensate for the (low frequency) roll-off across different states of the ventilation module 10DV, the equalizer 10EQ may generate an equalized input signal by utilizing different equalization curves to perform the equalization. This involves the equalizer 10EQ having multiple equalization curves EQCV1-EQCV M 8. The equalizer 10EQ can obtain / access a particular equalization curve (e.g., EQCV1) corresponding to the state (e.g., both open) of the ventilation module 10DV. The selection of the equalizer 10EQ (or generating an equalized input signal) is intended to compensate / cancel the roll-off effect caused by the vent(s) specifically related to the state of the ventilation module 10DV, so that the frequency response of the sound (e.g., SS2 shown in FIG. 8) perceived under or corresponding to the various ventilation module open states is consistent (meaning approximately the same).

[0022] Specifically, the equalization of the present application (via generating a sound according to an equalized input signal generated by a controller) makes the first frequency (loudness) response of the sound perceived under a first open state corresponding to a minimum opening degree and the second frequency (loudness) response of the sound perceived under a second open state corresponding to a maximum opening degree substantially the same. That is, the difference between the first loudness (or sound pressure level, SPL) of the sound perceived under the first open state at a specific frequency and the second loudness (SPL) of the sound perceived under the second open state at that specific frequency is less than a certain / specific threshold, which may be ±1 dB, ±3 dB, or ±5 dB depending on the good user experience the supplier wants to provide. The perceived sound and / or the first / second (loudness) frequency response may be obtained via an acoustic measurement device and / or an audio analysis device.

[0023] For example, FIG. 4 illustrates equalization curves 4EQCV1 and 4EQCV according to one embodiment of the present application. M 1 is a schematic diagram of the equalization curve EQCV1 or EQCV M is equalization curve 4EQCV1 or 4EQCV M In FIG. 4, the equalization curve 4EQCV1 or 4EQCV in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 1000 Hz can be realized by M The attenuation at 4EQCV1 and 4EQCV2 is almost greater than the attenuation below 100 Hz. M However, the attenuation of the equalization curve 4EQCV1 below 100 Hz is greater than that of the equalization curve 4EQCV below 100 Hz. M Since the attenuation of the equalization curve 4EQCV1 is significantly smaller than that of the equalization curve 4EQCV2, the equalization curve 4EQCV3 is more suitable for conditions where the low frequency roll-off is more severe. For example, the equalization curve 4EQCV1 may be selected for the both open conditions and the equalization curve 4EQCV4 may be selected for the both closed conditions. M can be selected.

[0024] To select the equalization curve, the equalizer 10EQ can check the state of the ventilation module 10DV. Specifically, the controller 10CTR can instruct the driver circuits 10drvC1, 10drvC2 in what state the ventilation module 10DV should be in, according to its own evaluation or user's instruction. The driver circuits 10drvC1, 10drvC2 then drive the ventilation devices 10DV1, 10DV2 to set the ventilation module 10DV to a particular state, according to the control message Mctr provided by the controller 10CTR. Furthermore, since the controller 10CTR has or knows information about what state the ventilation module 10DV should be in or is currently in, the equalizer 10EQ in the controller 10CTR utilizes the information about the state of the ventilation module 10DV (e.g., the control message Mctr) and selects the equalization curves EQCV1-EQCV2 according to the information provided by the controller 10CTR to adjust / equalize the input signal Sin. M A corresponding / appropriate equalization curve (e.g., EQCV1) may be selected / adopted from among

[0025] After the equalizer 10EQ converts the input signal Sin into an adjusted / equalized input signal SIN according to a selected equalization curve (e.g., EQCV1), the driving circuit 10drvC can drive the sound generating device 10SPD according to the adjusted / equalized input signal SIN sent from the output terminal of the equalizer 10EQ. This causes the sound generating device 10SPD to generate a sound (sound) (e.g., SS1 shown in FIG. 8) in a manner corresponding to the adjusted / equalized input signal SIN. Since the equalizer 10EQ has already boosted the signal strength to overcome low-frequency attenuation, the low-frequency sound generated by the sound generating device 10SPD is emphasized (e.g., when the ventilation module 10DV operates in both open states).

[0026] The term state (open) is distinct from the term mode: the state of all ventilation device(s) in the audio system 10 (i.e., the state of the ventilation module 10DV) may be affected by the mode of one ventilation device, and the modes of each ventilation device together may define / form the state of the ventilation module 10DV. However, with respect to a single vent configuration, the terms state and mode may be used interchangeably.

[0027] In other words, the ventilation device 10DV1 or 10DV2 may operate in one of an open mode, a closed mode, and a comfort mode. The open mode, closed mode, and comfort mode of the ventilation device 10DV1 / 10DV2 form / define the multiple states of the ventilation module 10DV.

[0028] For example, there are three different modes for the ventilation device and three different states for the single vent configuration. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of three different modes of the ventilation device / module 50DV according to an embodiment of the present application. The ventilation device 10DV1 or 10DV2 can be realized by the ventilation device 50DV. The ventilation device 50DV can include two flaps 511Fa, 511Fb facing each other and actuating parts 512Ca, 512Cb driven by the driving circuit 50drvC and disposed on the flaps 511Fa, 511Fb, respectively. The flaps 511Fa / 511Fb can be actuated by the actuating parts 512Ca / 512Cb to bend / pivot / tilt up and down to provide the dynamic vent 513vnt.

[0029] When the flap 511Fa is actuated to bend upward and the flap 511Fb is actuated to bend downward (or the flaps 511Fa and 511Fb swing in opposite directions) to form the vent hole 513vnt with a first opening width, the ventilation device 50DV is said to be operating in an open mode / state shown in FIG. 5(a). This forms an air passage between the volume 530chmF (connected or connected to the ear canal) and the volume 530chmB (connected or connected to the external surrounding environment), and releases / reduces the pressure caused by the occlusion effect. As a result, the frequency response curve (e.g., the thick solid curve shown in FIG. 2) drops significantly (when extending toward low frequencies).

[0030] The opening width here can be evaluated as the distance between the two tips of the two flaps (511Fa and 511Fb), and can be regarded as a kind of opening degree.

[0031] When the flaps 511Fa and 511Fb are aligned substantially parallel to each other (or actuated to be parallel to each other) to close / seal the vent 513vnt, the vent device DV is said to be actuated in a closed mode / state shown in FIG. 5(b), and the vent 513vnt has a second opening width. In the closed mode, the vent device 50DV blocks background noise from entering the ear canal to improve passive isolation. The volumes 530chmF and 530chmB are barely connected, which can avoid a significant drop in sound pressure level (SPL) at low frequencies (e.g., the thin solid curve shown in FIG. 2).

[0032] When the flaps 513Fa and 511Fb are hanging neutrally / loosely and / or tilted below the horizontal level corresponding to their fixed parts, the ventilation device 50DV is said to be operating in the comfort mode / state shown in FIG. 5(c), and the ventilation hole 513vnt has a third opening width. The first opening width is the largest of the three opening widths, and the second opening width is narrower than the third opening width. That is, the opening degree of the comfort mode is between the opening degrees of the open mode and the closed mode. The small ventilation hole 513vnt formed in the comfort mode can relieve the pressure accumulated in the ear canal to improve comfort and save energy. The frequency response curve corresponding to the comfort mode / state (e.g., the thick solid curve shown in FIG. 2) gradually decreases toward the lower end of the spectrum.

[0033] In the comfort mode, the vent device 50DV is in a lowest power state as low / zero power is applied to the actuators on the flaps (e.g., the drive voltage applied to the actuators can be either 0V or floating). The position of the two vent flaps creates a small leak opening to relieve pressure build-up in the ear canal and improve the wearing comfort of the earphones during extended use.

[0034] Operating in comfort mode may reduce ear canal pressure during extended earphone use, may reduce static pressure that builds up in a blocked ear canal, and may reduce ear wax due to reduced ear canal temperature and humidity. The venting device 50DV may be switched to closed mode when the user prefers enhanced passive isolation for ambient noise reduction and / or focused media listening.

[0035] On the other hand, an occluded ear increases the sensitivity of the ear, for example by 25 dB at 250 Hz. The occlusion effect creates a muffled and louder version of the user's voice, footsteps, and chewing sounds inside the user's head. Operating in Comfort mode creates a leakage path that reduces the intensity level of the occlusion effect while limiting the impact on the earphones' battery life. The reduced leakage also improves the feeling of low-frequency bass during music playback over Open mode. To cancel the complete occlusion effect, the Vented Device 50DV can be moved to Open mode, at the expense of higher energy consumption.

[0036] Additionally, operating in comfort mode also improves awareness of surroundings. Voice intelligibility may be improved in comfort mode over closed mode by providing a physical pass-through for more natural one-to-one conversations, rather than digitally altering it as in most active pass-through features that use microphones, digital signal processor (DSP) technology, and speakers to re-broadcast and amplify the human voice. Safety is improved in comfort mode over closed mode by providing a direct and more natural pass-through of environmental and situational noises (e.g., oncoming vehicles or sirens). Of course, the venting device 50DV can be reverted to closed mode if the user prefers increased passive isolation for ambient noise reduction and / or focused media listening.

[0037] In short, there are three different states for the single vent configuration. The equalizer 10EQ can obtain three equalization curves corresponding to the three different states of the only vent device (e.g., 50DV) in the audio system.

[0038] In one embodiment, the dual vent configuration has nine different states: each ventilation device (e.g., 10DV1 or 10DV2) can operate in one of three modes (e.g., open mode, closed mode, and comfort mode). Thus, when both ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2 are operating, the two ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2 together produce a total of 3×3=9 different states (e.g., both open, both closed, both comfort, one open, one closed, or one closed, one open). The equalizer 10EQ can obtain nine equalization curves (e.g., EQCV1-EQCV9) for the nine different states of the ventilation device (e.g., 10DV).

[0039] In one embodiment, in the case of a dual vent configuration, the operation of the two ventilation devices (e.g., 10DV1 and 10DV2) can be classified / simplified into three different states: both open, both closed, and only one open. In both open states, both ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2 open the vents and operate in an open mode. In only one open state, one of the ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2 operates in an open mode and the other operates in a closed mode or a comfort mode. In both closed states, both ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2 operate in either a closed mode or a comfort mode. The equalizer 10EQ can obtain three equalization curves (e.g., EQCV1-EQCV3) corresponding to the three different states, respectively.

[0040] Using only three equalization curves (e.g., EQCV1-EQCV3) for the two ventilation devices implicitly assumes that the difference between the equalization curve for the closed mode / state and the other equalization curves for the comfort mode / state is negligible, and that the equalization curve for the one-open-one-closed state is indistinguishable from the other equalization curve for the one-closed-one-open state. For example, because ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2 are symmetrically arranged and identically manufactured, the frequency responses corresponding to the one-open-one-closed state and the one-closed-one-open state may be indistinguishable regardless of whether ventilation device 10DV1 or 10DV2 is in the open mode.

[0041] As mentioned above, the equalization curve (e.g., EQCV1-EQCV M The total number of equalization curves accessible to the equalizer 10EQ may be equal to or related to the total number of possible states of the vent module 10DV. For example, there are three equalization curves accessible to the equalizer 10EQ corresponding to three (or nine) different states for a dual vent configuration.

[0042] In one embodiment, an equalization curve (e.g., EQCV1-EQCV M The total number of ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2 may relate to at least the total number of ventilation device(s), the total number of modes of one ventilation device, or the music style. For example, for two ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2, each having three different modes (e.g., an open mode, a closed mode, and a comfort mode), the equalizer 10EQ may have three 2 Different equalization curves can be accessed.

[0043] In one embodiment, the total number of equalization curves or the total number of states that the ventilation module 10DV implements can be at least 3, but can be greater than 2. In other words, the types of low frequency roll-off that the audio system 10 can compensate for goes beyond a simple two-way on or off scenario, meaning that more than two types of low frequency roll-offs, one for the open mode and the other for the closed mode, can be compensated / equalized by the audio system 10, because 1) the ventilation devices have the option to operate in a third comfort mode; and / or 2) the ventilation module with multiple ventilation devices has the option of more than two states to operate on.

[0044] 6 is a schematic diagram of a wearable sound device 60IE according to an embodiment of the present application, showing the arrangement of ventilation device(s) and sound generating device. The wearable sound device 60IE (e.g., an in-ear device, an earphone, or a hearing aid) may include ventilation devices 60DV1, 60DV2, a sound generating device 60SPD, and a driving circuit for the ventilation devices 60DV1, 60DV2 or the sound generating device 60SPD, all of which may be arranged in a housing 600. The ventilation devices 10DV1, 10DV2, and the sound generating device 10SPD may be realized by the ventilation devices 60DV1, 60DV2, and the sound generating device 60SPD, respectively.

[0045] In Fig. 6, two ventilation devices (i.e., 60DV1 and 60DV2) are arranged in one wearable sound device (i.e., 60IE), so the total number of ventilation devices is equal to 2. However, the present application is not limited thereto. There may be a ventilation module having n ventilation devices arranged in one wearable sound device (i.e., 60IE), and the total number of ventilation devices may be equal to n.

[0046] Corresponding to the state of n ventilation devices of the ventilation module, equalization curves (e.g., EQCV1-EQCV M ) may be M, where n and M are positive integers (e.g., 1, 2, or 3). As noted above, M may be a function of n (e.g., M=3 n , M=n+1, M=p×c n , M=(n+1)×p), or may not be related to n (e.g., M≧n), where c and p are positive integers, c represents the total number of modes (e.g., open mode, closed mode and comfort mode) of one ventilation device, and p represents a coefficient that may be related to music style. It should be noted that a ventilation module having only one ventilation device is also within the scope of this application.

[0047] In one embodiment, an equalization curve (e.g., EQCV1-EQCV M ) may be created / adjusted automatically by a program or manually by a user. For example, audio system 10 may utilize software to automatically generate / calculate equalization curves based on presets or algorithms to compensate for the (low frequency) roll-off of different conditions of the ventilation module. Audio system 10 may analyze all possible conditions of one wearable sound device (i.e., 60IE) and generate / adjust equalization curves in advance for subsequent audio quality optimization.

[0048] Alternatively, a user may control the volume of each frequency band using a graphic equalizer graphical user interface (GUI) application with a series of physical or virtual sliders. After the user adjusts the sliders to manually design a customized equalization curve, the overall audio quality may be improved according to individual preferences and needs. The curves graphically displayed by the sliders may correspond to equalization curves (e.g., EQCV1) for addressing the (low frequency) roll-off of different states of the ventilation module. Alternatively, a user may use a parametric equalizer application to manipulate parameters such as center frequency, bandwidth, or amplitude of each frequency band to create tailored equalization curves (e.g., EQCV1) for addressing the (low frequency) roll-off of different states of the ventilation module. The equalization curves created automatically or manually may be stored in a memory circuit or a look-up table.

[0049] 6, ventilation devices 60DV1 and 60DV2 may be arranged symmetrically. When ventilation devices 60DV1 or 60DV2 are operated in an open mode to open the vent, air may flow in the direction indicated by the corresponding dashed arrow.

[0050] Please refer to Fig. 1 and Fig. 6. The controller 10CTR may or may not be located in the wearable sound device 60IE. The ventilation device 60DV1, 60DV2, or the sound generating device 60SPD may be communicatively coupled to the controller 10CTR via a wireless / wired connection to deliver signals (e.g., control messages Mctr or adjustment / equalization input signals SIN) between the controller 10CTR and the ventilation device 60DV1, 60DV2, or the sound generating device 60SPD. The wireless connection may be a short-range connection such as IEEE802.15.4 (ZigBee®) or Bluetooth®, a medium-range connection such as Wi-Fi®, or a long-range connection such as LTE or 5G. The controller 10CTR may be located in an electronic device such as a smartphone, tablet, or other device that meets most high-speed computing needs and has a large battery capacity. Leveraging the computing resources of the electronic device may reduce the complexity, power consumption, or extend battery life of the wearable sound device 60IE by offloading all (computational) processing to the electronic device.

[0051] The controller 10CTR may receive status indications regarding the status of the ventilation module (e.g., 10DV) from another device(s) via a wireless / wired connection (e.g., Bluetooth®). For example, a user may provide information / instructions regarding the status of the ventilation module to the controller 10CTR via a GUI of a device that includes the controller 10CTR or is communicatively coupled to the controller 10CTR via a wireless / wired connection so that the user can dynamically open and close the vent(s). Alternatively, a sensor may inform the controller 10CTR of the status of the ventilation module to force the vent(s) to be dynamically opened and closed.

[0052] The controller 10CTR, which indirectly or directly controls the ventilation devices (e.g., 60DV1 and 60DV2) or the sound generating devices (e.g., 60SPD), may operate in the digital domain. The equalizer 10EQ disposed in the controller 10CTR may operate in the digital domain. The equalizer 10EQ may be an equalization filter or may include a set of filters (programmed or programmable). In one embodiment, the controller 10CTR may be realized by, but is not limited to, a system on chip (SoC).

[0053] The driver circuit 10drvC for driving a sound generating device (eg, 60SPD) may include an analog amplifier or a digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

[0054] The driver circuit 10drvC1 or 10drvC2 for driving the ventilation device (e.g., 60DV1 or 60DV2) may include an (analog) amplifier. The driver circuit (e.g., 60DV1 or 60DV2) may provide a driving voltage(s) to the ventilation device 10DV1 or 10DV2 according to a control message Mctr sent by the controller 10CTR such that the ventilation device (e.g., 60DV1 or 60DV2) operates in a mode specified by the control message Mctr. In one embodiment, the driver circuit 10drvC1 or 10drvC2 may include, but is not limited to, the driver circuit disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 366,637.

[0055] In one embodiment, the driving circuit 10drvC1, 10drvC2 or 10drvC2 may or may not be located in the wearable sound device according to actual requirements. In one embodiment, the driving circuit 10drvC and the sound generating device 10SPD can be integrated in the sound generating package. Similarly, the ventilation device (10DV1) and its corresponding driving circuit (10drvC1) can be integrated in the ventilation package. The sound generating package and the ventilation package can both be located in the wearable sound device.

[0056] Additionally, the ventilation device (e.g., 60DV1 or 60DV2) may be a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device. The sound generating device (e.g., 60SPD) may be or include any type of electroacoustic transducer (e.g., a MEMS device), any type of speaker, or a combination thereof. For example, but not limited to, MEMS fabricated ventilation devices or sound generating devices disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Nos. 17 / 842,810, 17 / 344,980, 17 / 344,983, and 17 / 720,333 may be utilized in the audio system or wearable sound device of the present application.

[0057] For example, as taught in U.S. Patent Applications 17 / 842,810, 17 / 344,980, and 17 / 344,983, the ventilation device in the ventilation module may have a film structure having slits formed thereon, such that the slits can form ventilation holes connecting the volume in the wearable sound device (and / or the volume of the ear canal) with the surrounding environment.

[0058] Furthermore, U.S. Patent Application Nos. 17 / 842,810, 17 / 344,980, and 17 / 344,983 teach acoustic transducers having film structures that can be actuated not only to perform acoustic conversion (e.g., to generate sound), but also to form at least one vent (to connect the volume of a wearable sound device or ear canal with the surrounding environment). It is also within the scope of this application to arrange acoustic transducers that can both form vents and generate sound via an equalized input signal.

[0059] In one embodiment, the film structure of the acoustic transducer capable of both forming an air vent and generating sound may have a similar structure to the flap shown in FIG. 5 as an example, but not limited to, the acoustic transducer may have a first membrane for forming an air vent(s) (as the air vent(s)) and a second membrane for generating sound (as the sound generating device), and the first and second membranes may be considered as a film structure. In another view, the air vent device 10DV1 / 10DV2 and the sound generating device 10SPD shown in FIG. 1 may both be viewed as an acoustic transducer of the present application.

[0060] In one embodiment, the wearable sound device may have only one ventilation device and still be within the scope of this application.

[0061] So long as an equalized input signal is used to generate sound in a wearable sound device to offset the roll-off caused by at least one vent at multiple opening degrees so that the perceived sound has a substantially consistent (magnitude) frequency response, the requirements of this application are met and are within the scope of this application.

[0062] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a sound generating device 70SPD according to an embodiment of the present application. The sound generating device 10SPD or 60SPD may be realized by the sound generating device 70SPD. The sound generating device 70SPD may include a two-way speaker including sound generating sub-devices 70SPDa and 70SPDb. The sound generating sub-devices 70SPDa and 70SPDb may function as tweeters and woofers, respectively. The sound generating sub-device 70SPDa may be realized by a MEMS device, for example, as disclosed in US patent application Ser. No. 17 / 720,333. The sound generating sub-device 70SPDb may be realized by an audio dynamic driver or a moving coil speaker. Preferably, the sound generating sub-device 70SPDb functioning as a woofer may be selected to provide / generate a larger volume or sufficient acoustic driving capacity (than a tweeter) at low frequencies to facilitate acoustic equalization at low frequencies.

[0063] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a signal transmission mechanism and a sound propagation mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application. After the equalizer 10EQ outputs the input signal SIN adjusted / equalized according to a selected equalization curve (e.g., EQCV1) in response to the input signal Sin, the sound generating device 10SPD can generate a sound SS1. The sound SS1 traveling from the sound generating device 10SPD toward the eardrum of the listener is reshaped / distorted and transformed into a sound SS2 when passing through / encountering the cover / housing (e.g., 600) of the wearable sound device (e.g., 60IE). Compared with the sound SS1, the sound SS2 may have low-frequency roll-off due to the state of the ventilation module (e.g., 10DV). However, since the low-frequency roll-off has already been compensated / cancelled by the equalizer 10EQ, the acoustic effect of the sound SS2 is finally as expected.

[0064] 1 and 8, when the ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2 are switched from both closed to both open in response to a control message Mctr signaled by the controller 10CTR, the closed ventilation holes of the ventilation devices 10DV1 and 10DV2 are opened, which results in a change in the acoustic properties of the cover / housing of the wearable sound device (e.g., 60IE), which may increase the low frequency roll-off of the sound SS2.

[0065] Meanwhile, prompted by a control message Mctr indicating the both open state, the equalizer 10EQ may select one equalization curve (e.g., 4EQCV) to treat the input signal Sin differently based on the state. M ) with another equalization curve (e.g., 4EQCV1). The adjusted / equalized input signal SIN, which may be divided into a first frequency component (e.g., a low frequency component) and a second frequency component (e.g., a mid-frequency component) corresponding to the both open state, may have been modified by the equalizer 10EQ to be different from the adjusted / equalized input signal SIN corresponding to the both closed state. Thus, the difference between the first frequency component corresponding to the both open state and the first frequency component corresponding to the both closed state may be different (or larger) than the difference between the second frequency component corresponding to the both open state and the second frequency component corresponding to the both closed state; the difference between the first frequency component corresponding to the both open state and the second frequency component corresponding to the both closed state may be different (or larger) than the difference between the first frequency component corresponding to the both open state and the second frequency component corresponding to the both closed state.

[0066] For example, the equalizer 10EQ may tend to attenuate the first frequency component less for the both open state than for the both closed state, and therefore the sound generating device 10SPD may tend to make the first frequency sound (e.g., low frequency sound) of the sound SS1 louder for the both open state than for the both closed state.The strong first frequency sound of the sound SS1 propagating through the wearable sound device may then be attenuated and transformed into the first frequency sound of the sound SS2, which is as expected.For example, the sound effect of the sound SS2 in the both closed state may approach the sound effect of the sound SS2 in the both open state.

[0067] In other words, for the dynamic vent(s) of the ventilation device 10DV1 or 10DV2, the equalizer 10EQ dynamically performs switchable equalization to achieve a desired audio balance. The transformation by the equalizer 10EQ and the sound transmission channels of the wearable sound device and the ear canal may result in a similar acoustic effect for the sound SS2 in one state (e.g., both open) as observed in the other state (e.g., both closed).

[0068] The frequency response may involve exciting the sound generating device 10SPD with a well-designed input signal and measuring the resulting sound at the listener's eardrum (or an occluded ear canal simulator such as a 711 coupler).

[0069] The equalization operation can be summarized as an equalizing process 90 shown in Figure 9. The equalizing process 90 includes the following steps:

[0070] Step 900: Obtain a state of a ventilation module among a plurality of states. The ventilation module forming at least one ventilation hole operates among a plurality of states corresponding to a plurality of opening degrees.

[0071] Step 902: Generate an input signal that is equalized according to a state.

[0072] Details of the equalizing process 90 can be found in the above paragraphs and will not be described here for the sake of brevity.

[0073] Details or modifications of the wearable sound device, sound generating device, ventilation device, driving circuitry, or controller are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 17 / 842,810, 17 / 344,980, 17 / 344,983, 17 / 720,333, 18 / 172,346, 18 / 303,599, 18 / 366,637, 18 / 530,235, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63 / 320,703, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties and made a part of this specification.

[0074] The use of ordinal terms such as "first" and "second" does not, in and of itself, imply a priority, precedence, or order of an element relative to other elements, a time sequence in which acts of a method are performed, or a requirement that all elements be present at the same time, but rather these terms are merely used as labels to distinguish an element with a certain name from another element with the same name. The technical features described in the following embodiments may be mixed or combined in various ways so long as there is no inconsistency between them.

[0075] In summary, the present application discovers various effects that different states of the ventilation device(s) may have on audio quality. Thus, the present application provides multiple (e.g., more than two) equalization curves, each corresponding to a different state of the ventilation device(s). Furthermore, the equalizer of the present application can select from equalization curves for a current state, a predicted state, or a future state of the ventilation device(s) to improve the audio experience or enhance the sound quality.

[0076] Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that numerous modifications and variations of the devices and methods may be made while retaining the teachings of this invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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Non - Patent Document 5

Non - Patent Document 6

Non - Patent Document 7

Claims

1. a controller configured to generate an equalized input signal according to a degree of opening of the ventilation module among a plurality of degrees of opening; the ventilation module is configured to form at least one ventilation hole and has the plurality of openings; the controller generating the equalized input signal is for countering roll-off due to the at least one vent. device.

2. the controller utilizes a first equalization curve among a plurality of equalization curves according to a first state of the ventilation module to generate the equalized input signal. The device of claim 1 .

3. 1. An equalizing method configured to generate an equalized input signal for a sound generating device, the equalizing method comprising: obtaining a state of a ventilation module among a plurality of states, the ventilation module forming at least one ventilation hole operating among the plurality of states corresponding to a plurality of opening degrees; and generating the equalized input signal according to the condition; Equalizing method.

4. utilizing a first equalization curve among a plurality of equalization curves according to a first state of the ventilation module to generate the equalized input signal. The equalizing method according to claim 3 .

5. and switching from the first equalization curve to a second equalization curve of the plurality of equalization curves in response to a control message regarding switching from the first state to a second state.

5. The equalizing method according to claim 4.

6. the plurality of equalization curves are established parametrically, graphically, automatically, or according to a user instruction corresponding to one of the plurality of states of the ventilation module; 5. The equalizing method according to claim 4.

7. A wearable sound device, an acoustic transducer configured to form at least one opening connecting a volume within the wearable sound device with a surrounding environment and configured to generate sound according to an equalized input signal; the acoustic transducer operates in a plurality of states corresponding to a plurality of opening degrees; a controller generating the equalized input signal according to an aperture among the plurality of apertures to counteract roll-off caused by at least one vent; Wearable sound device.

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