US 12,348,932 B2
Hearing assistance using active noise reduction
Jahn Dmitri Eichfeld, Natick, MA (US); Daniel M. Gauger, Jr., Berlin, MA (US); Ryan C. Silvestri, Franklin, MA (US); and Ryan terMeulen, Watertown, MA (US)
Assigned to Bose Corporation, Framingham, MA (US)
Filed by Bose Corporation, Framingham, MA (US)
Filed on Feb. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/672,866.
Application 16/846,681 is a division of application No. 15/789,085, filed on Oct. 20, 2017, granted, now 10,623,870, issued on Apr. 14, 2020.
Application 17/672,866 is a continuation of application No. 16/846,681, filed on Apr. 13, 2020, granted, now 11,297,443.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/411,044, filed on Oct. 21, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0174430 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04R 25/00 (2006.01); G10K 11/178 (2006.01); H04R 5/027 (2006.01); H04R 1/10 (2006.01); H04R 1/40 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 25/453 (2013.01) [G10K 11/17861 (2018.01); G10K 11/17881 (2018.01); H04R 5/027 (2013.01); H04R 25/405 (2013.01); H04R 25/505 (2013.01); G10K 2210/1081 (2013.01); G10K 2210/111 (2013.01); H04R 1/1016 (2013.01); H04R 1/1083 (2013.01); H04R 1/406 (2013.01); H04R 25/554 (2013.01); H04R 2460/01 (2013.01); H04R 2460/05 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising
an active noise reduction (ANR) circuit for providing ANR; and
an earphone including an ear tip that seals an ear canal when the apparatus is worn,
wherein the earphone and the ANR circuit in combination attenuate sounds reaching the ear canal through the apparatus by a first amount of gain, resulting in residual sounds,
the ANR circuit includes an internal microphone acoustically coupled to the ear canal when the apparatus is worn, and reduces an occlusion effect in the ear canal caused by the sealing of the ear canal,
wherein the apparatus is configured to detect when the user is speaking, and, in response, automatically enable the ANR,
wherein the apparatus detects sounds arriving at an external microphone, amplifies those sounds by a second amount of gain, and provides the amplified sounds to the ear canal later in time than the residual sounds arrive at the ear canal through the earphone, and
wherein the amplification of the detected sounds by the second amount of gain results in the amplified sounds being at least 14 dB greater than the residual sounds at the ear canal.