Abstract: An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a wall comprising (1) a front side that joins (2) an end portion in which a primary sound output opening is formed, which joins (3) a face portion in which a secondary output opening is formed, which joins (4) a back side which joins the front side and encloses a driver, wherein the face portion and the front side form a tapered portion of the earphone housing that is dimensioned to be inserted into, and contact, an ear of a wearer, wherein the primary output opening is dimensioned to output sound generated by a diaphragm of the driver contained within the earphone housing into the ear, the secondary output opening is dimensioned to vent the ear to a surrounding environment, and wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening face different directions and are positioned over a sound output face of the driver.

Abstract: An in-ear earphone housing has a speaker driver installed therein. The driver has a diaphragm with a front face and a rear face, and a motor to vibrate the diaphragm in accordance with an audio signal. A back volume chamber is positioned behind the driver within the earphone housing. The diaphragm is part of a wall of the back volume chamber. An acoustic mass loading membrane that is part of a wall of the back volume chamber, and that is to vibrate in response to acoustic waves produced by vibration of the diaphragm impinging on a front face of the membrane, is provided. Other embodiments are also described and claimed, including a polymer production process for an elastic material.

Abstract: An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a wall comprising (1) a front side that joins (2) an end portion in which a primary sound output opening is formed, which joins (3) a face portion in which a secondary output opening is formed, which joins (4) a back side which joins the front side and encloses a driver, wherein the face portion and the front side form a tapered portion of the earphone housing that is dimensioned to be inserted into, and contact, an ear of a wearer, wherein the primary output opening is dimensioned to output sound generated by a diaphragm of the driver contained within the earphone housing into the ear, the secondary output opening is dimensioned to vent the ear to a surrounding environment, and wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening face different directions and are positioned over a sound output face of the driver.

Abstract: An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a body portion, the body portion having an acoustic output opening to output sound from a driver positioned therein into an ear of a user. An acoustic tuning member is positioned within the body portion. The acoustic tuning member defines a back volume chamber of the driver and includes an acoustic output port for outputting sound from the back volume chamber of the driver to improve an acoustic performance of the earphone.

Abstract: A speaker assembly membrane including a sound radiating surface (SRS) having a first material; a substantially planar SRS ring positioned concentrically outward from the SRS and having a second material; and a suspension member positioned concentrically outward from the SRS ring and having a third material. The second material is stiffer than the first material and the third material to locally stiffen an area surrounding the SRS and improve a breaking mode frequency of the membrane. In another embodiment, the speaker assembly membrane may include a diaphragm having a first material density; a substantially planar stiffening ring extending radially outward from an outer edge of the diaphragm and having a second material density; and a suspension member extending radially outward from an outer edge of the stiffening ring and having a third material density. The second material density is greater than the first material density and the third material density.

Abstract: Intra-concha earphones are disclosed. In an embodiment, an intra-concha earphone includes a housing having a rear space divided into a back volume, a bass duct, and a vent chamber between a driver and a rear wall. The vent chamber may be acoustically coupled with the back volume through both an acoustic port and the bass duct. Furthermore, the vent chamber may be acoustically coupled with a surrounding environment through a vent port, which may be a sole acoustic opening in the rear wall. Thus, sound emitted by the driver may propagate through the acoustic port and the bass duct to meet in the vent chamber before being discharged through the vent port to the surrounding environment. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a wall comprising (1) a front side that joins (2) an end portion in which a primary sound output opening is formed, which joins (3) a face portion in which a secondary output opening is formed, which joins (4) a back side which joins the front side and encloses a driver, wherein the face portion and the front side form a tapered portion of the earphone housing that is dimensioned to be inserted into, and contact, an ear of a wearer, wherein the primary output opening is dimensioned to output sound generated by a diaphragm of the driver contained within the earphone housing into the ear, the secondary output opening is dimensioned to vent the ear to a surrounding environment, and wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening face different directions and are positioned over a sound output face of the driver.

Abstract: An adaptive noise-cancelling headphone including an earcup housing having a driver for outputting sound to a user positioned therein. The headphone further including an active noise control assembly. The active noise control assembly may include an ambient microphone capable of detecting an ambient noise outside of the housing and an error microphone capable of detecting an earcup noise inside of the housing. Based on the detected noise, active noise cancellation within the headphone is either enabled or disabled. The headphone may further include a passive noise control assembly. The passive noise control assembly may include an acoustic valve associated with an acoustic vent formed within the earcup housing. The acoustic valve is capable of being modified between an open configuration to decrease sound attenuation and a closed configuration to increase sound attenuation in response to the detected ambient noise so as to improve an acoustic performance of the earcup.

Abstract: A system for speech enhancement in a room having a directional lapel microphone arrangement for capturing an audio signal from a speaker's voice; audio signal processor for generating a processed audio signal from the captured audio signal, and an adaptive beamformer unit for imparting directivity to the microphone arrangement provides maximum sensitivity towards the speaker's mouth and minimum sensitivity towards noise sources identified by the beamformer unit. A unit shifts the frequency of components of the audio signal above a frequency threshold value only. A feedback cancelling unit has an adaptive filter and a selection unit which automatically switches between a first mode causing the audio signal to by-pass the adaptive filter and a second mode in which the audio signal is filtered by the adaptive filter. A loudspeaker arrangement generates sound according to the processed audio signal and has plural loudspeakers arranged to form a directional loudspeaker array.

Abstract: An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a body portion, the body portion having an acoustic output opening to output sound from a driver positioned therein into an ear of a user. An acoustic tuning member is positioned within the body portion. The acoustic tuning member defines a back volume chamber of the driver and includes an acoustic output port for outputting sound from the back volume chamber of the driver to improve an acoustic performance of the earphone.

Abstract: A first earphone of an earphone system includes a first magnet assembly and a first voice coil. A second earphone of the earphone system includes a second magnet assembly and a second voice coil. The second magnet assembly has a magnetic polarity that is opposite to the first magnet assembly. The current direction in the second voice coil is reversed relative to the current direction in the first voice coil. The first earphone and the second earphone attract each other because of the opposite magnetic polarity between the first magnet assembly and the second magnet assembly.

Abstract: A speaker assembly membrane including a sound radiating surface (SRS) having a first material; a substantially planar SRS ring positioned concentrically outward from the SRS and having a second material; and a suspension member positioned concentrically outward from the SRS ring and having a third material. The second material is stiffer than the first material and the third material to locally stiffen an area surrounding the SRS and improve a breaking mode frequency of the membrane. In another embodiment, the speaker assembly membrane may include a diaphragm having a first material density; a substantially planar stiffening ring extending radially outward from an outer edge of the diaphragm and having a second material density; and a suspension member extending radially outward from an outer edge of the stiffening ring and having a third material density. The second material density is greater than the first material density and the third material density.

Abstract: An in-ear earphone housing has a speaker driver installed therein. The driver has a diaphragm with a front face and a rear face, and a motor to vibrate the diaphragm in accordance with an audio signal. A back volume chamber is positioned behind the driver within the earphone housing. The diaphragm is part of a wall of the back volume chamber. An acoustic mass loading membrane that is part of a wall of the back volume chamber, and that is to vibrate in response to acoustic waves produced by vibration of the diaphragm impinging on a front face of the membrane, is provided. Other embodiments are also described and claimed, including a polymer production process for an elastic material.

Abstract: An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a wall comprising (1) a front side that joins (2) an end portion in which a primary sound output opening is formed, which joins (3) a face portion in which a secondary output opening is formed, which joins (4) a back side which joins the front side and encloses a driver, wherein the face portion and the front side form a tapered portion of the earphone housing that is dimensioned to be inserted into, and contact, an ear of a wearer, wherein the primary output opening is dimensioned to output sound generated by a diaphragm of the driver contained within the earphone housing into the ear, the secondary output opening is dimensioned to vent the ear to a surrounding environment, and wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening face different directions and are positioned over a sound output face of the driver.

Abstract: A first driver housing and a second driver housing are positioned inside an earbud cup. The first driver housing has a rear side, a front side, a top face a bottom face, and a sound output tube extending from the front side. The second driver housing has a top side, a bottom side, a front face, a rear face, and a sound output opening formed in the front face of the second housing with essentially no tube extending therefrom. The rear face of the second housing is disposed a) adjacent to the front side of the first housing, and b) behind an exit of the sound output tube of the first housing. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a body portion, the body portion having an acoustic output opening to output sound from a driver positioned therein into an ear of a user. An acoustic tuning member is positioned within the body portion. The acoustic tuning member defines a back volume chamber of the driver and includes an acoustic output port for outputting sound from the back volume chamber of the driver to improve an acoustic performance of the earphone.

Abstract: An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a body portion acoustically coupled to a tube portion extending from the body portion, the body portion having an acoustic output opening to output sound from a driver positioned therein into an ear canal of a wearer. An acoustic tuning member is positioned within the body portion for acoustically coupling the driver to the tube portion. The acoustic tuning member defines a back volume chamber of the driver and includes an acoustic output port for outputting sound from the back volume chamber of the driver to the tube portion to improve an acoustic performance of the earphone.

Abstract: An earphone having an earphone housing including a tip portion dimensioned to be inserted into an ear canal of a wearer, a body portion extending outward from the tip portion, and a tube portion extending from the body portion. The body portion has a face portion that faces a pinna region of the ear when the tip portion is inserted into the ear canal. A primary output opening, that outputs sound from a driver in the housing to the ear canal, is formed in the tip portion. A secondary output opening, that outputs air from the ear canal to the surrounding environment, is formed in the face portion. The primary output opening and the secondary output opening are horizontally aligned when the tube portion is positioned vertically downward and an angle formed between the primary output opening, the tube portion and the secondary output opening is less than 90 degrees.

Abstract: A first driver housing and a second driver housing are positioned inside an earbud cup. The first driver housing has a rear side, a front side, a top face a bottom face, and a sound output tube extending from the front side. The second driver housing has a top side, a bottom side, a front face, a rear face, and a sound output opening formed in the front face of the second housing with essentially no tube extending therefrom. The rear face of the second housing is disposed a) adjacent to the front side of the first housing, and b) behind an exit of the sound output tube of the first housing. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: An adaptive noise-cancelling headphone including an earcup housing having a driver for outputting sound to a user positioned therein. The headphone further including an active noise control assembly. The active noise control assembly may include an ambient microphone capable of detecting an ambient noise outside of the housing and an error microphone capable of detecting an earcup noise inside of the housing. Based on the detected noise, active noise cancellation within the headphone is either enabled or disabled. The headphone may further include a passive noise control assembly. The passive noise control assembly may include an acoustic valve associated with an acoustic vent formed within the earcup housing. The acoustic valve is capable of being modified between an open configuration to decrease sound attenuation and a closed configuration to increase sound attenuation in response to the detected ambient noise so as to improve an acoustic performance of the earcup.