Voice transmission system and method for high ambient noise conditions

A voice transmission system comprising:

• a) earpiece means having a structural configuration with an outer surface effective to removably interlock contiguously to the outer ear auricle of a wearer of the earpiece means, said earpiece means includes a sound transmitting section removably secured to a sound dampening section,
• b) first speaker means for sending inbound sounds and first microphone means for receiving outbound voice sounds respectively to and from the tympanic membrane of said wearer,
• c) said first speaker means and first microphone means being structurally and electrically connected to a circuit board member to form a speaker/microphone module,
• d) said circuit board member including means for electrically connecting and transmitting inbound electrical audio signals to the first speaker means and means for electrically connecting and transmitting outbound electrical voice signals from the first microphone means to control circuit means,
• e) said control circuit means including outbound audio circuit means and inbound audio circuit means, said outbound audio circuit means being electrically connected to said first microphone means and said inbound audio circuit means being electrically connected to said first speaker means,
• f) second speaker means disposed at a location remote from said person for receiving said outbound electrical voice signals from the first microphone means, and
• g) second microphone means disposed at a location remote from said person for forwarding said inbound electrical audio signals to said first speaker means.

A voice transmission system comprising:

• a) earpiece means including two separate and independent sound passageway means having end ports open to respectively send and receive sounds directly to and from the tympanic membrane of a wearer of the earpiece means,
• b) control circuit means for alternately transmitting sound through one of the passageway means while the other passageway means is precluded from the transmission of sound,
• c) said one of the passageway means being effective when open, to send inbound sound from speaker means to cause modulation of the tympanic membrane of said wearer,
• d) said other passageway means being effective when open, to receive outbound voice sound caused by reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane of said wearer, when speaking, for directing said voice sound to microphone means,
• e) said control circuit means, said speaker means and microphone means being located outside the earpiece means, and
• f) means for disposing the speaker means and microphone means at a location on the wearer's body away from the wearer's head.

An earpiece assembly for a voice transmission system, said assembly comprising:

• a) an earpiece member having an outer surface effective to removably interlock contiguously to the outer ear auricle of a wearer of the earpiece member,
• b) sound dampening means being effective to substantially eliminate audio vibration pickup of sound signals via bone conduction through the earpiece member,
• c) said earpiece member including a canal extension section having open end ports and a length sufficient to dispose the open end ports at a spaced distance from the tympanic membrane to form an enclosed canal air chamber in the external auditory canal of said wearer,
• d) one of said end ports open into a first sound passageway means to receive voice sounds produced by the reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane of said wearer and transmitted through the canal air chamber, and
• e) the other of said end ports being opened into a second sound passageway means to send sounds through the canal air chamber to the tympanic membrane,
• f) said sound dampening means including means located to isolate the canal extension section from the bone conduction of sound.

An earpiece assembly for a voice transmission system, said assembly comprising:

• a) an earpiece member having a structural configuration with an outer surface effective to removably interlock contiguously to the outer ear auricle of a wearer of the earpiece member,
• b) said structural configuration further being effective to substantially eliminate audio vibration pickup of sound signals via bone conduction through the earpiece member,
• c) said earpiece member including a canal extension section having open end ports and a length sufficient to dispose the open end ports at a spaced distance from the tympanic membrane to form an enclosed canal air chamber in the external auditory canal of said wearer,
• d) one of said end ports open into a first sound passageway means to receive voice sounds produced by the reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane of said wearer and transmitted through the canal air chamber, and
• e) the other of said end ports being opened into a second sound passageway means to send sounds through the canal air chamber to the tympanic membrane,
• f) said earpiece member includes a speaker/microphone module which is encapsulated in a rigid material.

An earpiece assembly for a voice transmission system, said assembly comprising:

• a) an earpiece member having a structural configuration with an outer surface effective to removably interlock contiguously to the outer ear auricle of a wearer of the earpiece member,
• b) said structural configuration further being effective to substantially eliminate audio vibration pickup of sound signals via bone conduction through the earpiece member,
• c) said earpiece member including a canal extension section having open end ports and a length sufficient to dispose the open end ports at a spaced distance from the tympanic membrane to form an enclosed canal air chamber in the external auditory canal of said wearer,
• d) one of said end ports opens into a first sound passageway means to receive voice sounds produced by the reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane of said wearer and transmitted through the canal air chamber,
• e) the other of said end ports being opened into a second sound passageway means which delivers sounds to be transmitted through the canal air chamber to the tympanic membrane,
• f) first speaker means which sends inbound sounds to the tympanic membrane via said second sound passageway means, and
• g) first microphone means which receives outbound voice sounds, via said first sound passageway means, from the canal air chamber caused by reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane of said wearer,
• h) said first speaker means and first microphone means are structurally and electrically connected to a circuit board member within a speaker/microphone module which is disposed at a location outside the earpiece member.

A method of communicating to a remote location a person's outgoing voice sounds caused by reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane when said person speaks, said method comprising:

• a) providing means for picking up said voice sounds substantially exclusively from the air within the external auditory canal of the person,
• b) isolating the means for picking up said voice sounds for substantially eliminating audio vibration pickup of sound transmitted by bone and tissue conduction,
• c) converting the voice sounds to amplified electrical voice signals without a noise portion, and
• d) directing the amplified electrical voice signals to speaker means for transmitting a clear voice sound of said person at the remote location.

A method of communicating to a remote location a person's outgoing voice sounds caused by reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane when said person speaks, said method comprising:

• a) picking up said voice sounds substantially exclusively from the air within the external auditory canal of the person while substantially eliminating audio vibration pickup of sound transmitted by bone and tissue conduction,
• b) converting the voice sounds to amplified electrical voice signals without a noise portion, and
• c) directing the amplified electrical voice signals to speaker means for transmitting a clear voice sound of said person to the remote location,
• d) said picking up step includes forming an enclosed air chamber within the external auditory canal,
• e) said audio vibration eliminating step includes forming an inner sound attenuating chamber within a thin, flexible outer shell composed of pliable material which substantially conforms to the ear wall surface profile of the person and is effective to dampen sound vibration from the ear wall surface into the inner sound attenuating chamber,
• f) said audio picking up step further includes directing said voice sounds from the air chamber through the inner attenuating chamber and to a sound inlet port of microphone means disposed at a location remote from the person's ear.

A method of communicating to a remote location a person's outgoing voice sounds caused by reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane when said person speaks, said method comprising:

• a) picking up said voice sounds substantially exclusively from the air within the external auditory canal of the person while substantially eliminating audio vibration pickup of sound transmitted by bone and tissue conduction,
• b) converting the voice sounds to amplified electrical voice signals without a noise portion, and
• c) directing the amplified electrical voice signals to speaker means for transmitting a clear voice sound of said person to the remote location,
• d) said voice sounds converting step includes forming outbound electrical voice signals from the outgoing voice sounds, eliminating a low frequency portion from the outgoing electrical signals to produce intelligible electrical audio signals, amplifying the intelligible audio signals to a preselected fixed level output gain to produce a predetermined increased gain electrical audio signal, processing the increased gain audio signal to separate the noise portion from the electrical audio signal, and transmitting the voice portion electrical signal to speaker means at the remote location.

A communication assembly for transmitting outgoing voice sounds caused by reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane of a person who is speaking, said assembly comprising:

• a) means for picking up the outgoing voice sounds substantially exclusively from the air within the external auditory canal of the person speaking while substantially eliminating the audio vibration pickup of sound transmitted by bone conduction,
• b) said voice sounds picking up means including sound dampening means and sound transmitting earpiece means having an outer shell composed of pliable material which substantially conforms to the ear wall surface profile of the person, and said sound dampening means being effective to dampen sound vibration from the ear wall surface into the sound transmitting earpiece means,
• c) said sound transmitting earpiece means including a canal extension section having an outer surface spaced inwardly from the wall of the external auditory canal and including an open end port disposed a spaced distance from the tympanic member when the sound transmitting earpiece means is contiguously interlocked with the outer ear auricle of said person,
• d) said sound dampening means including means disposed between the auditory canal wall and the outer surface of the canal extension section to isolate the extension section from bone conduction of sound, and
• e) means for directing the outgoing voice sounds from the open end port to an inlet sound port of microphone means.

A voice transmission assembly for communicating to a remote location a person's outgoing voice sounds caused by reverse modulation of the tympanic membrane when said person speaks, said assembly comprising:

• a) means for picking up said voice sounds substantially exclusively from the air within the external auditory canal of the person,
• b) means for isolating the means for picking up said voice sounds for substantially eliminating audio vibration pickup of sound transmitted by bone and tissue conduction,
• c) means for converting the voice sounds to amplified electrical voice signals without a noise portion, and
• d) means for directing the amplified electrical voice signals to speaker means for transmitting a clear voice sound of said person at the remote location.