Abstract: The present invention relates to earphone arrangements configured to accommodate an acoustically-resistant couple within the compact dimensions of ear-bud type earphones, and aims to incorporate a front volume to rear volume acoustic couple into an earphone without requiring significant addition to the lateral dimensions of the earphone. The earphone has an elongate sound outlet port that locates into a listener's ear canal and bears an internal support surface which is apertured and communicates with the outlet port. A microspeaker is supported on the support surface and projects sound through the aperture and toward the outlet port. Furthermore, the housing includes a front cavity in front of the microspeaker and in communication with the outlet port, and a rear cavity behind the microspeaker. The support surface bears a recess that communicates with the front cavity, and an acoustic resistor is accommodated in the recess.

Abstract: The invention provides earphone arrangements for use with electronic host devices, such as cellular telephone handsets and music storage and reproduction devices, and it provides in particular earphone arrangements with ambient noise cancellation (“ANC”). Typically, in prior arrangements, the complex signal processing required for ANC is carried out in the earphones themselves and/or in a pod connected between the earphones and the host device. The invention configures the processing elements such that the ANC signal-processing function is transferred to an ANC processor incorporated into the host device.

Abstract: An ear-worn speaker carrying device (“ESD”) incorporating active ambient noise reduction circuitry provided with a seal intended to contact or surround the ear of a user. The seal is intended to present a substantial impedance to inward or outward transmission of sound to or from the ear. At least one acoustic channel of predetermined dimensions bypasses the seal, providing an acoustic leakage path of known characteristics, thereby permitting predetermined levels of sound to enter and exit by way of the channel, such that minor variations in leakage are rendered relatively unimportant. In a preferred embodiment, the device further includes an acoustic conduit connected to vent the speaker's rear surface to the external ambient, and respective exit apertures for the acoustic channel and the acoustic conduit are relatively located so that sounds exiting from them tend to cancel each other, reducing sound emissions from the device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to earphone arrangements configured to accommodate an acoustically-resistant couple within the compact dimensions of ear-bud type earphones, and aims to incorporate a front volume to rear volume acoustic couple into an earphone without requiring significant addition to the lateral dimensions of the earphone. The earphone has an elongate sound outlet port that locates into a listener's ear canal and bears an internal support surface which is apertured and communicates with the outlet port. A microspeaker is supported on the support surface and projects sound through the aperture and toward the outlet port. Furthermore, the housing includes a front cavity in front of the microspeaker and in communication with the outlet port, and a rear cavity behind the microspeaker. The support surface bears a recess that communicates with the front cavity, and an acoustic resistor is accommodated in the recess.

Abstract: An ear simulator has an inlet port (62), for receiving sounds from a speaker (18) of a communications device such a mobile phone handset (12), and has an outlet port (38) in an opposite surface. The ear simulator has at least one additional aperture (60) in the same surface as the inlet port (62), representing acoustic leakage around a mobile phone held against a user's ear. This allows the ear simulator to provide measurement results that more accurately represent the frequency dependent phase response of the transfer function from the handset loudspeaker driver to the ear of a user of the handset.

Abstract: The invention provides improved ambient noise reduction for ear-worn devices, such as earphones and headphones and for other devices worn upon or used in close proximity to the ear, such as cellular telephone handsets, and it provides, in particular, improvements to “feed-forward” ambient noise-reduction systems. Most feed-forward noise-reduction systems available hitherto purport to operate only below about 1 kHz and, even then, provide only relatively modest amounts of noise reduction. In accordance with this invention, predetermined filter parameters, such as the gain and cut-off frequency of a selected filter stage used in the noise-reduction processing, are mathematically modelled and the model is adjusted in real-time, in response to user-interpretation of a graphical display of a predicted residual noise amplitude spectrum.

Abstract: An ear-worn speaker carrying device (“ESD”) incorporating active ambient noise reduction circuitry is provided with a seal intended to contact or surround the ear of a user; the seal being intended to present a substantial impedance to inward or outward transmission of sound to or from the ear. At least one acoustic channel of predetermined dimensions bypasses the seal to providing an acoustic leakage path of known characteristics, thereby permitting predetermined levels of sound to enter and exit by way of the channel, such that minor variations in leakage, dependent, for example, upon precise mounting of the seal to the ear as used from time to time, are rendered relatively unimportant.