Method and arrangement for improving leak tolerance of an earpiece
AssigneeNokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
InventorJuha Backman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to an arrangement for improving leak tolerance in an earpiece. The invention can be applied preferably in teleterminals, particularly in mobile stations. One idea of the invention is that an acoustic return path (314, 313, 311, 312, 320) is directed from the back part of the earpiece capsule (301) to a volume (307) between the earpiece (300) and the user's ear. By means of the solution according to the invention an optimum, controlled load is achieved particularly for low frequencies, such that a change in the volume (307) between the earpiece and the ear only has a minor effect on the volume and quality of the sensed sound. By means of the solution a good leak tolerance is achieved, even though the volume to be arranged behind the earpiece capsule is small.
Claims25
A method for improving leak tolerance in a small earpiece for a mobile station, comprising the steps of:
- providing an earpiece capsule for disposing at the ear of a user and for forming a sound received therein, wherein the sound formed by the earpiece capsule is directed via a first acoustic path to a first acoustic volume which is confined by the ear of the user,
- disposing a housing part of the mobile station between the earpiece capsule and the user's ear for conducting the formed sound to the user's ear wherein the housing part is substantially flat and the first acoustic volume is formed in a cavity created when the user's ear substantially directly contacts the housing part, and
- directing the sound formed by the earpiece capsule from the back part of the earpiece capsule to said first acoustic volume by means of a second acoustic path wherein
- the second acoustic path is arranged to compensate for the effect of changes in the first acoustic volume on the intensity and/or frequency characteristics of the sound sensed by the user's ear, the second acoustic path comprising an acoustic return path for low frequencies that operate as an acoustic load for the earpiece capsule at low frequencies, the second acoustic path having the highest acoustic effect on low frequencies.
An arrangement for improving the leak tolerance of a small earpiece in a housing of a mobile telephone, which comprises
- an earpiece capsule,
- a housing part between the earpiece capsule and the ear of a user for confining a first acoustic volume between said housing part and the user's ear, the user's ear being in substantially direct contact with the housing part,
- a first acoustic path disposed between the front part of the earpiece capsule and the first acoustic volume for directing sound from the front part of the earpiece capsule to said acoustic volume, and
- a second acoustic path disposed between the back part of the earpiece capsule and the first acoustic volume to compensate for the effect of changes in the first acoustic volume on the intensity and/or frequency characteristics of the sound sensed by the user's ear, the second acoustic path comprising an acoustic return path for low frequencies that operate as an acoustic load for the earpiece capsule at low frequencies the second acoustic path having the highest acoustic effect on low frequencies.
A mobile station having a small earpiece which comprises:
- an earpiece capsule,
- a housing part of the mobile station between the earpiece capsule and the ear of a user for confining the acoustic volume between said housing part and the user's ear, the user's ear being in substantially direct contact with the housing part,
- a first acoustic path arranged between the front part of the earpiece capsule and said acoustic volume for directing sound from the front part of the earpiece capsule to said acoustic volume, and
- a second acoustic path arranged from the back part of the earpiece capsule to said acoustic volume for improving leak tolerance by compensating the effect of changes in the first acoustic volume on the intensity and/or frequency characteristics of the sound sensed by the user's ear, the second acoustic path having the highest acoustic effect on low frequencies and comprising an acoustic return path for low frequencies that operate as an acoustic load for the earpiece capsule at low frequencies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.