Knowles Electronics, Inc.

Christopher Lane Monti

Shehab Albahri

Thomas E Miller

Charles William King

Yahui Zhang

Charles Bender King

Kalyan Nadella

Matthew Manley

Mohammad Mohammadi

Jose Salazar

Christopher Jones

Erik Wiederholtz

Donald Verghese Jacob

Brenno Varanda

Dean A Badillo

Timothy K Wickstrom

Usha Murthy

Aviral Joshi

Andrew Bellavia

An ear-worn hearing device component is disclosed and includes an electrical connector a housing and multiple connector contacts integrated with a contact carrier. A portion of the contact carrier and connector contacts protrudes from the housing and each connector contact is connected to a corresponding contact of a circuit board located in a cavity of the housing. Wires of an electrical cable mechanically coupled to the electrical connector are connected to the connector contacts via the circuit board.

Ear-worn hearing device with electrical connector

A diaphragm for a balanced armature receiver and combinations thereof. The diaphragm includes a paddle having an area of concentrated mass located at or near a central portion of the paddle, the area of concentrated mass having an area density greater than an area density of other portions of the paddle, wherein the area of concentrated mass shifts a bending-mode frequency of the paddle to a lower frequency compared to a bending-mode frequency of the paddle in the absence of the area of concentrated mass.

Balanced armature receiver having improved frequency response

An in-ear hearing device including an adjustable cable assembly is disclosed. The cable assembly includes a shape-configurable portion between an end portion connected an in-ear unit and a flexible end portion adjustably connected to a behind-the-ear (BTE) unit. The flexible end portion is retractably insertable into a housing of the BTE unit to adjust a length of the cable assembly between the in-ear unit and BTE unit. A cable-retention member of the BTE unit is engageable with the flexible end portion of the cable assembly to fix the cable assembly relative to the BTE unit.

In-ear hearing device with cable assembly

Sound-producing acoustic receivers are disclosed. The acoustic receiver includes a receiver housing with a first internal volume and a second internal volume, a first diaphragm separating the first internal volume into a first front volume and a first back volume such that the first front volume has a first sound outlet port, a second diaphragm separating the second internal volume into a second front volume and a second back volume such that the second front volume has a second sound outlet port, a motor disposed at least partially inside the housing such that the motor including an armature mechanically coupled to both the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm, an acoustic seal between the first front volume and the second back volume such that the acoustic seal accommodates the mechanical coupling of the armature to one of the first diaphragm or the second diaphragm.

Acoustic receivers with multiple diaphragms

An ear-worn hearing device including an acoustic transducer and a physiological sensor located between an acoustic sealing flange and an inner end portion of the hearing device is disclosed. The flange can be integrated with the hearing device or be an integral part of a removable ear dome. The flange is configured to form at least a partial seal with the user's ear. The flange can also prevent light from entering into the user's ear canal. A removable ear dome can be located on the hearing device by a portion of the physiological sensor protruding from the housing.

Ear-worn hearing device

A wearable loudspeaker includes a magnetic-flux-carrying housing that houses an acoustic sealing structure that separates an interior of the housing into a back volume and a front volume acoustically coupled to a sound port. A first coil is retained in the front volume and comprises a first winding about a corresponding first magnetic core. A second coil is retained in the back volume and comprises a second winding about a corresponding second magnetic core. Opposing surfaces of the first and second magnetic cores have opposite magnetic polarities and produce a magnetic field in a gap between the first and second coils. A magnetic-flux-carrying armature is movably located in the gap and fastened to the acoustic sealing structure. Sound is emitted from the sound port when the armature moves the acoustic sealing structure in the gap.

Loudspeaker for hearing device

A balanced armature receiver can include a motor disposed in a case. The motor can include an armature having a first portion fixed to and extending from a yoke and a second portion extending through a coil tunnel. The second portion can have a free end-portion movably disposed in a magnet gap. The balanced armature receiver can include a damping compound-locating structure disposed on one or both of the armature and another portion of the receiver proximate the armature. The balanced armature receiver can include damping compound contacting the damping compound-locating structure and located between the armature and another portion of the receiver.

Balanced armature receiver having damping compound-locating structure

Various embodiments of balanced armature receivers are disclosed, where the receiver includes a yoke which retains permanent magnets, a coil assembly having a coil tunnel, and an armature coupled to the yoke, with a movable portion extending through the coil tunnel and an end portion that is free to deflect between the magnets when an excitation signal is applied to the coil assembly. There are a stationary protrusion which extends from the stationary portion of the receiver toward the movable portion of the armature, and a movable protrusion which extends from the movable portion of the armature toward the stationary portion of the receiver. The stationary and movable protrusions are offset laterally.

Shock protection implemented in a balanced armature receiver

A balanced armature receiver including a diaphragm with an elastomer surround is disclosed. The surround is fastened to multiple surfaces of the diaphragm and can be a siloxane-based material. In one implementation, the diaphragm includes a paddle flexibly coupled to a frame and the surround covers a gap between the frame and the paddle.

Balanced armature receiver having diaphragm with elastomer surround

The present disclosure relates to dual-diaphragm moving-coil audio transducers for hearing devices. The transducer includes a magnetic circuit including an inner portion located between first and second coils coupled to corresponding diaphragms supported by a housing. An outer portion of the magnetic circuit is adjacent outer portions of the first and second coils. The transducer emits sound when the first diaphragm moves in a first direction and the second diaphragm moves in a second direction, opposite the first direction, in response to an electrical audio signal applied to the first and second coils.

Dual-diaphragm moving-coil audio transducer for hearing device

A microphone assembly includes a housing including a sound port and an external-device interface having a plurality of electrical contacts. An acoustic transducer, such as a MEMS microphone, is disposed in the housing and is in acoustic communication with the sound port. An electrical circuit is disposed in the housing that is electrically coupled to the acoustic transducer and to electrical contacts on the external-device interface. A magnetic transducer including an electrical coil disposed about a core, such as a telecoil or charging coil configuration, is fastened to the housing. The electrical coil having leads, at least one of the leads electrically terminated at a coil contact of the housing.

Acoustic microphone with integrated magnetic transducer

A sound-producing balanced armature receiver, as disclosed, includes a receiver housing with a first internal volume, a second internal volume, and a sound outlet. The receiver includes a first diaphragm separating the first internal volume into a first front volume and a first back volume and a second diaphragm separating the second internal volume into a second front volume and a second back volume. The receiver also includes a motor inside the first back volume of the housing such that the motor includes an armature mechanically coupled to both the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm, an acoustic seal between the first front volume and the second back volume such that the acoustic seal accommodates the mechanical coupling of the armature to the second diaphragm while providing acoustic separation between the first internal volume and the second internal volume, and a back-volume increasing structure attached externally to the housing and acoustically coupled with the second back volume to provide additional volume to the second back volume.

The present disclosure relates to a balanced armature receiver diaphragm including a paddle () flexibly coupled to a frame () and spaced apart therefrom by a gap (). The paddle comprises a material having a specific modulus kg/m) in at least one direction and density selected to increase stiffness and reduce mass. In one implementation, at least the paddle includes a carbon fiber material. The resulting paddle has improved acoustic performance including improved frequency response and less resonance in the audio band, among other benefits.

Growing community of inventors

Elgin, IL, United States of America

Christopher Lane Monti