# US 2020/0288251 A1 · Communication device comprising an acoustical seal and a vent opening

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- Number: US 2020/0288251 A1
- Document ID: US20200288251A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/648,360
- Filed: 2018-07-13
- Published: 2020-09-10
- Earliest claimed: 2017-09-18
- Assignees: Sonion Nederland B.V.
- Applicants: Sonion Nederland B.V.
- Inventors: Erwin Kuipers
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200288251A1

## CPC

- H04R 1/1041: {Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H)}
- H04R 1/2803: {for loudspeaker transducers}
- H04R 25/456: {mechanically}
- H04R 25/603: {of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements}
- H04R 25/65: {Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture}
- H04R 1/1016: {Earpieces of the intra-aural type}
- H04R 25/652: {Ear tips; Ear moulds (hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659)}
- H04R 2460/09: Non-occlusive ear tips, i.e. leaving the ear canal open, for both custom and non-custom tips (H04R2460/11 takes precedence)
- H04R 2460/11: Aspects relating to vents, e.g. shape, orientation, acoustic properties in ear tips of hearing devices to prevent occlusion
- H04R 2460/17: Hearing device specific tools used for storing or handling hearing devices or parts thereof, e.g. placement in the ear, replacement of cerumen barriers, repair, cleaning hearing devices
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)

## Abstract

A communication device configured for use in a user's ear canal including a sealing mechanism configured to acoustically seal a section of the ear canal and a sound conduit in acoustic communication with a sound source. The sound conduit has a first and second opening, a conduit housing, and a vent opening. To provide a reliable adjustment for the venting of sound waves between a sealed section of the ear canal and an ambient environment outside the sealed section, an acoustic valve having a valve member is moveably coupled with the conduit housing, which moveable coupling is configured to provide a relative motion of the valve member and the conduit housing, such that by such relative motion the acoustic valve provides for opening the vent opening, closing the vent opening, and/or adjusting a size of the vent opening. The communication device further includes an electrical actuator to activate the relative motion.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-20. (canceled)

### Claim 21

A communication device configured for use in a user's ear canal comprising:
a sealing mechanism configured to acoustically seal a section of the ear canal upstream of the communication device, said sealed section being located between the sealing mechanism and the user's ear drum;
a sound conduit in acoustic communication with a sound source and configured to provide for transmission of sound waves from the sound source through the sound conduit and into the sealed section of the ear canal, wherein the sound conduit includes:
a first opening configured to provide for entry of sound waves from the sound source into the sound conduit;
a second opening configured to provide for output of sound waves from the sound conduit into the ear canal;
a conduit housing at least partially provided between the first opening and the second opening; and
a vent opening in the conduit housing, the vent opening configured to provide for venting of sound waves through the vent opening, an acoustic valve having a valve member moveably coupled with the conduit housing, which moveable coupling is configured to provide a relative motion of the valve member and the conduit housing, the relative motion including a translational motion of the valve member with respect to the conduit housing or a rotational motion of the valve member with respect to the conduit housing, such that by said relative motion the acoustic valve is configured to provide for opening or closing the vent opening;
the communication device further comprising an electrical actuator configured to activate said relative motion,
wherein the actuator is configured to provide a magnetic field, by which magnetic field a driving force for said relative motion is provided,
wherein the actuator includes a first driving part fixedly coupled to the conduit housing and a second driving part fixedly coupled to the valve member, wherein the first driving part and the second driving part are configured to interact via said magnetic field,
wherein said first driving part or said second driving part includes two of said magnetic members spaced from one another at a spacing distance and configured to provide for said magnetic interaction with the other of said first driving part and second driving part within the spacing distance, wherein the magnetic member of the other of said first driving part and second driving part is provided within the spacing distance,
wherein each of the two of the magnetic members includes a magnet or magnetisable material,
wherein at least one of the two of the magnetic members includes a conductor configured to be supplied with a current, such that the conductor is configured to generate at least part of said magnetic field an electrical conductor, and
wherein the other of the first and second driving part comprises a magnet.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the actuator is configured to move the valve member.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the conduit housing includes a coupling surface at which said moveable coupling is provided such that said relative motion is directed along said coupling surface.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The communication device according to claim 23, wherein the coupling surface is provided at a surface of a side wall of the conduit, wherein the valve member is at least partially disposed at the coupling surface.

### Claim 25 (depends on 21)

The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the magnetic member of the first driving part or the second driving part includes a magnetic pole having a pole surface configured such that flux lines of said magnetic field can emanate on the pole surface, wherein the magnetic member of the other of said first driving part and second driving part is provided in a space permeated by said flux lines of said magnetic field.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The communication device according to claim 25, wherein the pole surface includes a curvature around a central axis of the sound conduit.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The communication device according to claim 25, wherein the pole surface points in a direction at which the second opening of the sound conduit is provided.

### Claim 28 (depends on 21)

The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the magnetic members are arranged such that said spacing distance extends in parallel to a side wall of the conduit housing.

### Claim 29 (depends on 21)

The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the magnetic members spaced from one another at the spacing distance are configured such that a retention force is provided by said magnetic field at each end of the spacing distance, by which retention force the magnetic member provided within the spacing distance can be retained in a stable position at a respective end position of said relative motion of the valve member and the conduit housing.

### Claim 30 (depends on 21)

The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the magnetic member includes a magnetizable element that is provided within a range of the conductor, the range being selected such that the magnetizable element is configured to be magnetized by the magnetic field provided by the conductor.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The communication device according to claim 30, wherein the magnetic member is configured such that a retention force is provided by said magnetic field, by which retention force the first driving part and the second driving part can be retained in a stable position at a respective end position of said relative motion of the valve member and the conduit housing, wherein said retention force is at least partially provided from the magnetizable element.

### Claim 32 (depends on 30)

The communication device according to claim 30, wherein each of the magnetic members spaced from one another at the spacing distance includes a conductor configured to be supplied with a current and a magnetizable element within the range of the respective conductor, wherein said retention force is at least partially provided at each end of the spacing distance from the magnetizable element of the magnetic member provided at the respective end of the spacing distance.

### Claim 33 (depends on 21)

The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the magnetic member of the first driving part or the second driving part is provided at a larger axial distance from the second opening than an axial distance of the vent opening from the second opening, the axial distance defined as a distance in the direction of a central axis of the sound conduit.

### Claim 34 (depends on 21)

The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the conduit housing comprises an outer side wall and an inner side wall, the outer side wall having a larger distance from a central axis of the sound conduit than the inner side wall, wherein the magnetic member of the first driving part or the second driving part is provided in between the outer side wall and the inner side wall.

### Claim 35 (depends on 21)

The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the conduit housing includes a side wall, the side wall at least partially delimiting a sound conduit chamber in a direction of a central axis of the sound conduit, the sound conduit chamber configured to provide for travelling of sound waves from the first opening to the second opening along said central axis, wherein the vent opening is formed in the side wall of the conduit housing and leads to the sound conduit chamber.