Knowles Electronics, Inc.

Yahui Zhang

Shehab Albahri

Thomas E Miller

Christopher Lane Monti

Kalyan Nadella

Charles William King

Jose Salazar

Richard Scheleski

Matthew Manley

Charles Bender King

Donald Verghese Jacob

Steve Kearey

Mohammad Mohammadi

Daryl Barry

Earl E Houcek

Christopher Gabel

A balanced armature receiver including a motor with a yoke for retaining magnets and fastening to an armature are disclosed. The yoke includes a close-ended wall structure defining a passage through which an armature is extendable. The close-ended wall structure includes a plurality of wall portions interconnecting a plurality of folded corner portions, wherein a thickness of the plurality of wall portions less than a thickness of the plurality of folded corner portions.

Balanced armature receiver and yoke therefor

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

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

Two coils are wrapped in one of numerous different implementations. In one implementation, the two coils are wrapped about a portion of a bobbin that has at least three flanges. The first coil is disposed about a first portion of the bobbin between the first flange and the second flange, and a second coil is disposed about a second portion of the bobbin between the second flange and the third flange.

Coil with different windings

A balanced armature receiver including a motor with a yoke for retaining magnets and fastening to an armature are disclosed. The yoke includes a close-ended wall structure formed of a soft magnetic material having multiple folded corners defining an armature passage. A first magnet retaining wall portion of the yoke is arranged in parallel with, and opposite, a second magnet retaining wall portion, wherein at least a portion of the first magnet retaining wall portion has a reduced thickness relative to other wall portions of the close-ended wall structure. The armature is connected to the reduced thickness portion of the first magnet retaining wall portion, thereby reducing an overall z-axis dimension of the motor.

Balanced armature receiver

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.

Coil bobbins for balanced armature receivers are disclosed. The balanced armature receiver bobbin includes a coil support member, at least two flanges, and a shoulder. The coil support member has an armature passage extending between a first end and a second end thereof. The flanges extending radially from the coil support member such that the first flange extends from the coil support member proximate the first end and the second flange extends from the coil support member proximate the second end. The shoulder extends from the first flange, with the first flange located between the shoulder and the coil support member. The shoulder has a plurality of conductive coil pads disposed on a bottom portion thereof.

Coil bobbin for a balanced armature receiver

A hearing device and subassembly therefor includes a sleeve member configured for at least partial insertion into a user's ear canal, the sleeve member defining a cavity that receives and retains at least a portion of a sound-producing electroacoustic transducer. The sleeve member includes a cable interface, wherein an electrical interface of a sound-producing electroacoustic transducer received in the cavity is accessible via the cable interface. The device also includes on or more sensors integrated with the sleeve member and positioned to sense a biomarker or other condition when the sleeve member is at least partially inserted into the user's ear canal. The hearing device includes conductive traces integrated with the sleeve member, where at least one conductive trace is electrically connected to the sensor and electrically connectable via the cable interface.

Receiver housing with integrated sensors for hearing device

Sound-producing acoustic receivers are disclosed. The acoustic receiver includes a housing, a first diaphragm, and a motor. The housing has an internal volume separated by the first diaphragm into a first front volume and a first back volume such that the first front volume has a first sound outlet. The first diaphragm includes a first paddle movable about a first hinge. The motor is disposed in the housing and includes an armature mechanically coupled to the first paddle. The first hinge is located between opposite ends of the first paddle such that actuation of the armature pivots both ends of the first paddle about the hinge.

Acoustic receivers with hinged diaphragms

An acoustic receiver includes a cover made from an electrically non-conductive material configured to cover an open end of a housing portion of the acoustic receiver. The cover has an inner surface and an outer surface. A motor is disposed on the inner surface, while electrical contacts are disposed on the outer surface. The motor is connected to the electrical contacts on the outer surface. Various electrical components, such as integrated circuits and sensors, are disposed on the outer surface. In one embodiment, the cover is a printed circuit board.

Acoustic receiver housing with integrated electrical components

An acoustic receiver includes a first receiver subassembly having a bottom housing plate with a motor assembly fastened thereto, and a second receiver subassembly having a closed-ended receiver housing sidewall fastened to the bottom housing plate that includes at least one sidewall opening where a portion of the acoustic receiver is disposed in the at least one sidewall opening.

Growing community of inventors

Schaumburg, IL, United States of America

Yahui Zhang