In-canal hearing device including sealed vibratory transducer
AssigneeStarkey Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsEmil Toma, Adrian Pirvu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ear-wearable electronic device comprises a housing configured for deployment at least partially within an ear canal of a wearer, sound processing circuitry, and a vibratory transducer disposed in the housing and coupled to the sound processing circuitry. The vibratory transducer comprises an oscillator arrangement disposed in a sealed case. The vibratory transducer is configured to generate output signals in the form of audible sound transmissible via air conduction to an eardrum of the wearer and vibratory signals for stimulating a cochlea of the wearer via transcranial bone conduction.
Claims22
An ear-wearable electronic device, comprising:
- a housing configured for deployment at least partially within an ear canal of a wearer;
- sound processing circuitry;
- and
- a vibratory transducer disposed in the housing and coupled to the sound processing circuitry, the vibratory transducer comprising an oscillator arrangement disposed in a sealed case, the vibratory transducer configured to generate output signals in the form of audible sound transmissible via air conduction to an ear drum of the wearer and vibratory signals for stimulating a cochlea of the wearer via transcranial bone conduction.
An ear-wearable electronic device, comprising:
- a housing configured for deployment at least partially within an ear canal of a wearer;
- sound processing circuitry;
- and
- a vibratory transducer disposed in the housing and coupled to the sound processing circuitry, the vibratory transducer comprising:
- a sealed case and an oscillator arrangement disposed in the sealed case, the oscillator arrangement comprising:
- a magnet arrangement comprising a first magnet and a second magnet spaced apart from the first magnet;
- a coil arrangement comprising a main coil;
- a weight ballast;
- and
- an armature positioned between the first and second magnets and passing through the main coil, the armature comprising a first end connected to the sealed case at a hard joint and a second end connected to the weight ballast;
- wherein the oscillator arrangement is suspended by the armature at the hard joint.
A method implemented by an ear-wearable electronic device, the method comprising:
- receiving or generating electrical signals indicative of sound;
- and
- generating, by an in-canal vibratory transducer from within a sealed case devoid of a sound output port, and in response to the electrical signals, output signals in the form of audible sound transmissible via air conduction to an ear drum and vibratory signals for stimulating a cochlea via transcranial bone conduction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.