US 11,792,564 B2
Hearing device comprising a vent and an acoustic valve
Erwin Kuipers, Wolfhausen (CH); Manuel Weibel, Erlenbach (CH); Christian Frei-Krumme, Stäfa (CH); and Maxi Susanne Moritz, Stäfa (CH)
Assigned to Sonova AG, Staefa (CH)
Filed by SONOVA AG, Staefa (CH)
Filed on Jan. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/588,192.
Claims priority of application No. 21156686 (EP), filed on Feb. 11, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0256280 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. H04R 1/10 (2006.01); H04R 1/28 (2006.01); H04R 25/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 1/2846 (2013.01) [H04R 1/1016 (2013.01); H04R 25/652 (2013.01); H04R 25/70 (2013.01); H04R 2460/11 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A hearing device comprising
an earpiece configured to be at least partially inserted into an ear canal of a user, wherein a vent configured to provide for a venting of sound waves between an inner region of the ear canal and an ambient environment outside the ear canal is provided in the earpiece; the earpiece further comprising
an acoustic valve including a valve member moveable relative to the vent between different positions and an actuator configured to provide an actuation force for a movement of the valve member between the different positions such that an effective open cross-sectional area of the vent can be modified by the movement of the valve member between the different positions; the hearing device further comprising
an output transducer configured to be acoustically coupled to the inner region of the ear canal and to generate sound waves;
characterized in that the vent and the acoustic valve are configured to provide for the effective open cross-sectional area of the vent remaining larger than zero in all said different positions of the valve member to provide the venting of sound waves through the vent in all said different positions of the valve member;
characterized in that the vent and the acoustic valve are configured to provide for a cutoff frequency of sound waves in the inner region of the ear canal, wherein a sound pressure level of said sound waves in the inner region of the ear canal with a frequency below the cutoff frequency is reduced by at least 3 decibel as compared to a configuration in which the inner region of the ear canal is acoustically sealed from the ambient environment, wherein the cutoff frequency has a value of at least 50 Hz in all said different positions of the valve member.