Patents Examined by Brian Ensey
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Patent number: 11172287Abstract: A structure of micro-electro-mechanical-system microphone includes a substrate of semiconductor, having a first opening in the substrate. A dielectric layer is disposed on the substrate, the dielectric layer has a second opening, corresponding to the first opening. A diaphragm is located within the second opening, having an embedded part held by the dielectric layer and an exposed part exposed by the second opening. The exposed part has a junction peripheral region, a buffer peripheral region and a central region. The junction region has an elastic structure with slits, the buffer peripheral region includes a plurality of holes and is disposed between the junction peripheral region and the central region. A backplate is disposed on the dielectric layer above the second opening, wherein the backplate includes venting holes distributed at a region corresponding to the central part of the diaphragm.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2019Date of Patent: November 9, 2021Assignee: Solid State System Co., Ltd.Inventors: Tsung-Min Hsieh, Cheng-Wei Tsai, Chien-Hsing Lee
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Patent number: 11159890Abstract: An acoustic receiver includes a first receiver subassembly having a bottom housing plate with a motor assembly fastened thereto, and a second receiver subassembly having a closed-ended receiver housing sidewall fastened to the bottom housing plate that includes at least one sidewall opening where a portion of the acoustic receiver is disposed in the at least one sidewall opening.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2019Date of Patent: October 26, 2021Assignee: Knowles Electronics, LLCInventors: Yahui Zhang, Shehab Albahri, Christopher Gabel
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Patent number: 11153689Abstract: A loudspeaker including a magnetic circuit; a voice coil body; a diaphragm attached to the voice coil body; a housing which accommodates the magnetic circuit and the voice coil body and to which an outer circumferential portion of the diaphragm and the magnetic circuit are attached; two connection terminals disposed exposed inside and outside the housing; and signal wires which extend from the voice coil body and are connected to the connection terminals. Each signal wire is outwardly curved to be away from a virtual straight line connecting the proximal end of the signal wire and the connection portion. The distal end of the signal wire projects from the connection portion toward the voice coil body.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2020Date of Patent: October 19, 2021Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.Inventors: Takuji Miyamoto, Kengo Takeda, Kazuma Fujioka
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Patent number: 11140469Abstract: An open-ear headphone with an acoustic module that is configured to be located at least in part in a concha of an outer ear of a user. The acoustic module includes an acoustic transducer, and a sound-emitting opening that is configured to emit sound produced by the acoustic transducer. A body is coupled to the acoustic module and includes a first portion that is configured to pass over an outer side of at least one of an anti-helix and a helix and a lobule of the outer ear, and a second portion that is configured to be located behind the outer ear.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2021Date of Patent: October 5, 2021Assignee: Bose CorporationInventors: Joel Miller, Todd Reily
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Patent number: 11134348Abstract: A method of operating a hearing aid system in order to provide improved performance for a multitude of hearing aid system processing stages and a hearing aid system (400) for carrying out the method.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2018Date of Patent: September 28, 2021Assignee: WIDEX A/SInventors: Lars Dalskov Mosgaard, Thomas Bo Elmedyb, Michael Johannes Pihl, Pejman Mowlaee, David Pelegrin-Garcia
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Patent number: 11128962Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling hearing devices are disclosed. Each hearing device is worn by a user, the users of the hearing devices having a conversation and the hearing devices being communicatively interconnected with each other for data exchange to form a hearing device system. A method includes acquiring a sound signal of each user with a microphone of the hearing device of the user; acquiring spatial information of each user; determining conversation patterns from the spatial information acquired for all users; determining conversation groups from the conversation patterns; outputting the sound signals from the users with a hearing device, such that sound signals from users of a conversation group that the user of the hearing device is a member of are output to the user and that sound signals from users of conversations groups of which the user is not a member are muted.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 2020Date of Patent: September 21, 2021Assignee: Sonova AGInventors: Manuela Feilner, Harald Kruger, Anahi Balbi, Claudio Santelli
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Patent number: 11122373Abstract: A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, is configured to be worn by a user, e.g. fully or partially on the head of the user, comprises a) an input transducer for converting a sound comprising a target sound from a target talker and possible additional sound in an environment of the user, when the user wears the hearing device, to an electric sound signal representative of said sound, b) an auxiliary input unit configured to provide an auxiliary electric signal representative of said target signal or properties thereof, c) a processor connected to said input transducer and to said auxiliary input unit, and wherein said processor is configured to apply a processing algorithm to said electric sound signal, or a signal derived therefrom, to provide an enhanced signal by attenuating components of said additional sound relative to components of said target sound in said electric sound signal, or said signal derived therefrom. The auxiliary electric signal is derived from visual information, e.g.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2019Date of Patent: September 14, 2021Assignee: OTICON A/SInventors: Jesper Bruun Jensen, Sigurdur Sigurdsson
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Patent number: 11115763Abstract: A device includes a voltage source configured to selectively drive a first wire and a second wire with a first voltage level. The device further includes an adjustable current source configured to selectively discharge the first and second wire. The device further includes a control circuit configured to output data and power by way of the first and second wire by selectively coupling the first wire to the voltage source and the second wire to the adjustable current source such that, during a first time period, the first wire has the first voltage level and the second wire has a second voltage level. The data and power is output by also selectively switching the couplings of the first time period such that, during a second time period subsequent to the first time period, the first wire has the second voltage level and the second wire has the first voltage level.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2020Date of Patent: September 7, 2021Assignee: Advanced Bionics AGInventors: R. Tissa Karunasiri, Jie Yan, Scott Kenneth Arfin, Don Banh
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Patent number: 11115759Abstract: A system and method for aiding hearing are disclosed. In one embodiment of the system, a programming interface is configured to communicate with a device. The system screens, via a speaker and a user interface associated with the device, a left ear—and separately, a right ear—of a patient. The system then determines a left ear hearing range and a right ear hearing range. The screening utilizes harmonic frequencies of a harmonic frequency series, where the harmonic frequency series includes a fundamental frequency and integer multiples of the fundamental frequency. In some embodiments, the harmonic frequencies may include classical music instrument sounds.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2021Date of Patent: September 7, 2021Assignee: Texas Institute of Science, Inc.Inventor: Laslo Olah
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Patent number: 11109148Abstract: A waveguide (1) comprising a shell (11, 12) having an inlet opening (110, 120) intended to receive acoustic energy and an outlet opening (111, 121) for emitting acoustic energy; and a phase plug (13, 14) located into the shell (11, 12) so as to define therebetween a pathway (W) for the acoustic energy from the inlet opening (110, 120) to the outlet opening (111, 121). The acoustic pathway (W) has a longitudinal extension direction (D) between the openings (110, 120, 111, 121) and the directions of all longitudinal splines (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6) of the pathway (W) are perpendicular to the inlet opening (110, 120) at the inlet opening (110, 120) on one ideal longitudinal surface.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2019Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: EAW NORTH AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Steven Desrosiers, Geoffrey Peter McKinnon, Zhao Zuo
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Patent number: 11109170Abstract: A system and method for aiding hearing are disclosed. In one embodiment of the system, a programming interface is configured to communicate with a device. The system screens, via a speaker and a user interface associated with the device, a left ear—and separately, a right ear—of a patient at an incrementally selected frequency within a frequency range, with tinnitus detected frequencies being re-ranged tested to better identify the tinnitus frequencies. The system then determines a left ear tinnitus-impacted hearing range and a right ear tinnitus-impacted hearing range.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2021Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: Texas Institute of Science, Inc.Inventor: Laslo Olah
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Patent number: 11102589Abstract: A hearing aid and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the hearing includes a body that at least partially conforms to the contours of an external ear and is sized to engage therewith. Various electronic components are contained within the body, including an electronic signal processor that is programmed with a respective left ear qualified sound range and a right ear qualified sound range. Each of the left ear qualified sound range and the right ear qualified sound range may be a range of sound corresponding to a preferred hearing range of an ear of the patient modified with a subjective assessment of sound quality according to the patient. Sound received at the hearing aid is converted to the qualified sound range prior to output.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2020Date of Patent: August 24, 2021Assignee: Texas Institute of Science, Inc.Inventors: Laslo Olah, Grigorii Sokolovskii, Sergey Losev, Ekaterina Sokolovskaya
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Patent number: 11095975Abstract: A line array loudspeaker has a first group of acoustic drivers comprising a first plurality of acoustic drivers each comprising an axis, the first plurality of acoustic drivers arranged so that their axes are parallel. There is a second plurality of acoustic drivers each comprising an axis, the second plurality of acoustic drivers arranged so that their axes are parallel. The first and second plurality of acoustic drivers are arranged such that a projection onto an azimuth plane of the axes of the first plurality of acoustic drivers intersects with a projection onto the azimuth plane of the axes of the second plurality of acoustic drivers at a first, fixed articulation angle. There is a second group of acoustic drivers that is adjacent to the first group. The second group comprises a third plurality of acoustic drivers each comprising an axis.Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 2019Date of Patent: August 17, 2021Assignee: Bose CorporationInventors: Greg Zastoupil, Joseph John Kutil, III, Peter C. Santoro
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Patent number: 11092379Abstract: A dryer and sanitizer unit for rechargeable electronic devices, including a drying chamber formed by a base and a repositionable lid that covers the base, the drying chamber configured to enclose one or more rechargeable electronic devices and one or more electronic charger units associated with the one or more electronic devices, the drying chamber including one or more passages through which electric cords associated with the one or more electronic charger units may pass out of the drying chamber; and one or more disinfecting light sources located within the drying chamber.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2019Date of Patent: August 17, 2021Assignee: Ear Technology CorporationInventors: Daniel R. Schumaier, Karlee Harrison
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Patent number: 11089394Abstract: A device includes a loudspeaker body, a loudspeaker fastener structure, and a loudspeaker shock absorption structure, in which the loudspeaker absorption structure further comprises a first elastomer, a second elastomer, and a bridging beam, wherein the bridging beam is made of an elastic material, and the first elastomer is connected to the second elastomer by the bridging beam.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2020Date of Patent: August 10, 2021Assignee: GUANGZHOU SHIRUI ELECTRONICS CO. LTD.Inventors: Jiabin Yuan, Zongtao Zhang, Yulong Wang
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Patent number: 11082777Abstract: A hearing assisting (10) device including a receiver (1) for generation of acoustic signals and a fixture (3, 8, 9) for positioning the receiver. A suspension (2, 21, 22) supports the receiver to the fixture. The combination of the receiver and the suspension has a mechanical resonance frequency in the range from 6 kHz to 10 kHz.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2016Date of Patent: August 3, 2021Assignee: WIDEX A/SInventors: Lars Friis, Christian Christiansen Burger, Christian Lyngsoe Svejgaard, Jan Topholm, Rune Aarup Due, Toke Borgen Linander, Christian Andersen
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Patent number: 11076244Abstract: A hearing instrument is provided comprising a microphone for reception of sound and conversion of the received sound, a signal processor for processing the received sound into an audio signal compensating a hearing loss of a user, a speaker connected to the signal processor, and a wireless communication unit connected to the signal processor for wireless communication, the wireless communication unit being interconnected with an antenna structure for emission and reception of an electromagnetic field, the antenna structure comprising an antenna element having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to a feed of the antenna structure, and wherein a controllable component is provided in series with the antenna element, the controllable component being configured to change one or more characteristics of the antenna structure.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2018Date of Patent: July 27, 2021Inventor: Søren Kvist
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Patent number: 11064279Abstract: A headphone device having an earcup that is configured to form a portion of an acoustic assembly of a headphone device. The earcup includes a seamless three-dimensional cover. The cover is formed from a continuous fabric of interlocking yarn. The cover can include portions having different performance characteristics, such as acoustic properties and/or comfort properties, that can be provided using different knit patterns and/or different fabric materials.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2019Date of Patent: July 13, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Kelly M. Bogan, Paul Ryan Sandoval
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Patent number: 11057717Abstract: A MEMS microphone, includes: a base with a back cavity; and an electric capacitance system arranged on the base. The electric capacitance system includes a back plate, a first diaphragm opposite to and arranged on one side of the back plate, and a second diaphragm arranged on the other side of the back plate. The first diaphragm and the second diaphragm keeps a distance from the back plate for forming a first insulation gap and a second insulation gap respectively. The back plate includes a plurality of through holes; the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are circular. The MEMS microphone further includes a first support piece between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm through the through holes. Thus, the two diaphragms are not easy to adhere to the back plate.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2019Date of Patent: July 6, 2021Assignee: AAC ACOUSTIC TECHNOLOGIES (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.Inventors: Zhenkui Meng, Zhengyan Liu
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Patent number: 11046256Abstract: An audio system, including an accelerometer positioned to produce an accelerometer signal representative of road noise within a vehicle cabin; a microphone disposed within the vehicle cabin such that the microphone receives the road noise and produces a microphone signal having a road-noise component; and a road-noise canceler, comprising a road-noise cancellation filter, configured to receive the accelerometer signal and the microphone signal and to minimize the road-noise component of the microphone signal according to the accelerometer signal, to produce an estimated microphone signal.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2019Date of Patent: June 29, 2021Assignee: Bose CorporationInventors: Ankita D. Jain, Cristian M. Hera, Elie Bou Daher, Ben John Feng