US 12,231,849 B2
Hearing assistance devices and methods of generating a resonance within a hearing assistance device
Michael J. Daley, Shrewsbury, MA (US); Shaun Ente, Brighton, MA (US); and Lei Cheng, Wellesley, MA (US)
Assigned to Bose Corporation, Framingham, MA (US)
Filed by Bose Corporation, Framingham, MA (US)
Filed on Sep. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/446,896.
Prior Publication US 2023/0076171 A1, Mar. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. H04R 25/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 25/48 (2013.01) 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A hearing assistance device comprising:
a housing having a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion arranged to be acoustically coupled to a user's ear canal;
an acoustic driver disposed within the housing, the acoustic driver comprising a driver housing, a diaphragm, and an internal volume; and
an acoustic port provided in the driver housing, open to the rear portion of the housing and the internal volume of the acoustic driver, and configured such that:
i.) at low frequencies the acoustic port is acoustically open to the internal volume of the acoustic driver; and
ii.) at high frequencies the acoustic port is acoustically sealed such that a compliance of air within the driver housing resonates with a mass of the diaphragm at the high frequencies,
wherein the acoustic driver includes a front side configured to face the front portion of the housing and a rear side configured to face the rear portion of the housing, wherein the acoustic port is disposed on and through the rear side of the acoustic driver, and
wherein the acoustic port includes an elongated portion configured to protrude from the rear side of the acoustic driver toward the rear portion of the housing and wherein an acoustic mass is formed within the elongated portion.
 
7. A hearing assistance device comprising:
an acoustic driver; and
a housing supporting the acoustic driver such that the housing and the acoustic driver together define a first acoustic volume and a second acoustic volume, the acoustic driver being arranged such that a first radiating surface of the acoustic driver radiates acoustic energy into the first acoustic volume of the housing and such that a second radiating surface of the driver radiates acoustic energy into the second acoustic volume,
wherein the housing defines a nozzle, and wherein the first acoustic volume is acoustically coupled to an acoustic passage in the nozzle such that the acoustic driver is acoustically coupled to a user's ear canal when the hearing assistance device is worn, and
wherein the acoustic passage has a configurable or tunable length, width, and/or shape to create an acoustic mass within the acoustic passage such that, in response to acoustic energy generated by the acoustic driver, the acoustic mass in the acoustic passage resonates with air in the first acoustic volume in a high frequency range, thereby increasing acoustic output into the user's ear canal in the high frequency range.
 
13. A method of generating a resonance within a hearing assistance device, the method comprising:
forming an acoustic port on or in a driver housing of an acoustic driver, the acoustic port open to a rear portion of a housing enclosing the driver housing and an internal volume of the acoustic driver, the acoustic driver disposed within the hearing assistance device and comprising a diaphragm;
driving the acoustic driver such that:
i.) at low frequencies the acoustic port is acoustically open to the internal volume of the acoustic driver; and
ii.) at high frequencies the acoustic port is acoustically sealed such that a compliance of a volume of air within the driver housing resonates with a mass of the diaphragm at the high frequencies,
wherein the acoustic driver includes a front side configured to face the front portion of the housing and a rear side configured to face the rear portion of the housing, wherein the acoustic port is disposed on and through the rear side of the acoustic driver, and
wherein the acoustic port includes an elongated portion configured to protrude from the rear side of the acoustic driver toward the rear portion of the housing and wherein an acoustic mass is formed within the elongated portion.
 
19. A hearing assistance device comprising:
a housing having a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion arranged to be acoustically coupled to a user's ear canal;
an acoustic driver disposed within the housing, the acoustic driver comprising a driver housing and a diaphragm; and
an acoustic port of configurable or tunable length, width, and/or shape, wherein the acoustic port is provided in the driver housing and configured such that:
i.) at low frequencies the acoustic port is acoustically open; and
ii.) at high frequencies the acoustic port is acoustically sealed such that a compliance of air within the driver housing resonates with a mass of the diaphragm at the high frequencies to assist with the generation of acoustic energy at the high frequencies, wherein the acoustic port is acoustically open at low frequencies and simultaneously acoustically closed at high frequencies.