1413 results about "Bone conduction hearing" patented technology

The present invention relates to a personal multimedia electronic device, and more particularly to a head-worn device such as an eyeglass frame having a plurality of interactive electrical / optical components. In one embodiment, a personal multimedia electronic device includes an eyeglass frame having a side arm and an optic frame; an output device for delivering an output to the wearer; an input device for obtaining an input; and a processor comprising a set of programming instructions for controlling the input device and the output device. The output device is supported by the eyeglass frame and is selected from the group consisting of a speaker, a bone conduction transmitter, an image projector, and a tactile actuator. The input device is supported by the eyeglass frame and is selected from the group consisting of an audio sensor, a tactile sensor, a bone conduction sensor, an image sensor, a body sensor, an environmental sensor, a global positioning system receiver, and an eye tracker. In one embodiment, the processor applies a user interface logic that determines a state of the eyeglass device and determines the output in response to the input and the state.

A hearing-aid device and a method for transmitting sound through bone conduction are disclosed. The hearing-aid device comprises a piezoelectric-type actuator, housing and connector. The piezoelectric actuator is preferably a circular flextensional-type actuator mounted along its peripheral edge in a specifically designed circular structure of the housing. During operation, the bone-conduction transducer is placed against the mastoid area behind the ear of the patient. When the device is energized with an alternating electrical voltage, it flexes back and forth like a circular membrane sustained along its periphery and thus, vibrates as a consequence of the inverse piezoelectric effect. Due to the specific and unique designs proposed, these vibrations are directly transferred trough the human skin to the bone structure (the skull) and provide a means for the sound to be transmitted for patients with hearing malfunctions. The housing acts as a holder for the actuators, as a pre-stress application platform, and as a mass which tailors the frequency spectrum of the device. The apparatus exhibits a performance with a very flat response in the frequency spectrum 200 Hz to 10 kHz, which is a greater spectrum range than any other prior art devices disclosed for bone-conduction transduction which are typically limited to less than 4 kHz.

A voice communication device such as an earpiece that provides for ultra short range transmission of voice sound information using ultra wide band (UWB) radio communications is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a voice communication device includes a speaker, a bone conduction sensor for sensing voice sound vibrations, and an UWB transceiver operatively connected to the speaker and the bone conduction sensor. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a voice communication device is disclosed that includes an earpiece housing, a speaker operatively connected to the earpiece housing for transducing audio, an air conduction sensor operatively connected to the housing for sensing voice sound information, a processor electrically connected to the speaker and the bone conduction sensor and disposed within the earpiece housing, and an UWB transceiver operatively connected to the processor.

A bone conduction hearing aid system for generating bone conduction vibrations is disclosed. The bone conduction hearing aid system has an external hearing aid unit with a vibrator and a skin contact pressure plate. The skin contact pressure plate is placed on an outside of the external hearing aid unit and the skin contact pressure plate is magnetically attached to an implanted unit anchored to the skull under the skin. The vibrator transforms an electrical signal into mechanical vibrations and the skin contact pressure plate allows transmission of the vibrations from the vibrator to the implanted unit when the external hearing aid unit is magnetically fixed to the implanted unit.

In a mobile device, a bone conduction or vibration sensor is used to detect the user's speech and the resulting output is used as the source for a low power Voice Trigger (VT) circuit that can activate the Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) of the host device. This invention is applicable to mobile devices such as wearable computers with head mounted display, mobile phones and wireless headsets and headphones which use speech recognition for the entering of input commands and control. The speech sensor can be a bone conduction microphone used to detect sound vibrations in the skull, or a vibration sensor, used to detect sound pressure vibrations from the user's speech. This VT circuit can be independent of any audio components of the host device and can therefore be designed to consume ultra-low power. Hence, this VT circuit can be active when the host device is in a sleeping state and can be used to wake the host device on detection of speech from the user. This VT circuit will be resistant to outside noise and react solely to the user's voice.

A two-way communication system particularly valuable for noisy environments where a user has a tooth bone conduction microphone in his mouth normally controlled by a tongue switch that transmits an electrical signal representing speech to a retransmit module usually worn on the user's body or mounted on an earphone or headset where the speech electrical signal is retransmitted to a second user usually by RF. The retransmit module can also receive signals from the second user and transmit them to the earphone or headset thus providing two-way communication.

An eyeglass interface device includes a camera section, a wireless communication section, and a power generation section. The camera section acquires the image of the retina of an eyeball of a user, and outputs the imaging signal thereof to the wireless communication section. The wireless communication section transmits the imaging signal from the camera section by a radio wave. The power generation section supplies power to the camera section and the wireless communication section. The eyeglass interface device preferably includes a display section for displaying, on eyeglass lenses, image information sent from a mobile phone or the like to the wireless communication section, and an audio section having a bone conduction earphone and a microphone.

Methods, apparatus and systems for treating sensrineural hearing loss include applying high frequency to ultrasonic frequency vibration stimulus to the head or neck of a patient for a suitable period of time. Hearing and sound discrimination are improved by stimulating the patient's cortices leading to stimulation of cortical neurons to increase sensitivity to high frequency sound. Stimulus signals may be applied by bone conduction via transducers attached to the head or neck, or by airborne conduction via headphones, or by a combination thereof. Stimulus signals may be recorded and may be remotely produced and transmitted via a telecommunications link to a receiver in a remote location. A compact auditory stimulation device includes electronics for storing a personalized stimulus signal, sound generators to produce the stimulus, a microprocessor, and a vibrator, such as headphones. Audiometer functions may be included in the auditory stimulation device to permit testing of the patient's hearing level thresholds.

An object of the invention resides in the provision of a bone conduction headset, which is inconspicuous in appearance during wearing thereof, adapted for use in avoiding absorbing nearby people's attention to the headset thus worn, easy to wear and take off in use, and comprises: a band running around a back part of the user's head; a fastening portion formed in each of opposite end portions of the band; a bone conduction speaker provided with a knob which is engaged with the fastening portion; and, an ear engagement portion, which runs over the bone conduction speaker during wearing of the headset to reach and engage with the user's ear. An extension of either the fastening portion in the band or a casing of the bone conduction speaker may be formed into the ear engagement portion.

A two-way communication system particularly valuable for noisy environments where a user has a tooth bone conduction microphone in his mouth normally controlled by a tongue switch that transmits an electrical signal representing speech to a retransmit module usually worn on the user's body or mounted on an earphone or headset where the speech electrical signal is retransmitted to a second user usually by RF. The retransmit module can also receive signals from the second user and transmit them to the earphone or headset thus providing two-way communication.

A wearable communication device includes a bone conduction actuator which is applicable for being in contact with a user's wrist, hand, back of the hand, finger or nail in order to transmit voice signals. The user inserts the user's finger into the user's ear canal, or touches the user's finger to a part near the user's ear, or puts the user's fingertip or nail on the user's ear canal so as to block the user's ear canal when the user uses the wearable communication device. Also, the wearable command input device includes a first part for detecting shock or acceleration which arises when the user taps the user's fingertip on the surface of an object or when the user taps the fingertips mutually and which is transmitted through the user's finger, a second part for detecting specific frequency components which are included in signals from the first part and for detecting the presence or the absence of the tap of the finger of the user, and a part for determining and executing commands based on series of signals output from the second part.

A hearing device (FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3) that simultaneously generates both air and bone conduction sounds. The vibrator (6) placed on mastoid bone can effectively produce enhanced bass sound effects.This hearing device can be used for an hearing impaired person.

A wearable communication device includes a bone conduction actuator which is applicable for being in contact with a user's wrist, hand, back of the hand, finger or nail in order to transmit voice signals. The user inserts the user's finger into the user's ear canal, or touches the user's finger to a part near the user's ear, or puts the user's fingertip or nail on the user's ear canal so as to block the user's ear canal when the user uses the wearable communication device. Also, the wearable command input device includes a first part for detecting shock or acceleration which arises when the user taps the user's fingertip on the surface of an object or when the user taps the fingertips mutually and which is transmitted through the user's finger, a second part for detecting specific frequency components which are included in signals from the first part and for detecting the presence or the absence of the tap of the finger of the user, and a part for determining and executing commands based on series of signals output from the second part.

The vibrator system is for generating bone conduction vibrations. A magnet (8a) provides a static magnetic flux (φ1) that follows a first path. A bobbin (4a) is disposed at a center a vibrator (2). A housing (10) encloses the bobbin and has a coil surrounding a center of the bobbin. The coil is powered by an alternating current for providing an alternating dynamic magnetic flux (φ2) following the first path through a magnetic circuit. The housing has an upper end (116). The upper end and the bobbin have a first gap (14a) formed therebetween. The housing has a lower end (118) opposite the upper end. The lower end and the bobbin have a second gap (14b) formed therebetween. The magnet is positioned so that the static magnetic flux (φ1) is passing through the first and second gaps in a direction substantially parallel with an axial direction (A) of the vibrator. Suspension means (16a, 16b) are provided for suspending the bobbin in a center of the housing.

A communication device comprising a microphone, a conduction interface and an electromechanical force transducer mounted to the conduction interface to drive the interface to conduct sound to a user by bone conduction, characterised in that the transducer has an intended operative frequency range and comprises a resonant element having a frequency distribution of modes in the operative frequency range and coupling means for mounting the transducer to the interface.

An earpiece for providing an audio signal to two ears of a user, includes an audio interface for providing the audio signal, a bone conduction speaker coupled to the audio interface for outputting an output signal, an adaptive filter with an adjustable impulse response to provide a filtered signal that once played to the second ear of a user, by an in-ear speaker, reduces an audio effect of the leakage signal on the second ear of the user, an in-ear speaker coupled to the audio interface for providing an in-ear audio signal to the second ear of the user, in response to the filtered signal and the second input signal, an in-ear microphone for sensing a sensed audio signal, and a processor for updating an impulse response of the adaptive filter in order to reduce a contribution of the leakage signal to the sensed audio signal.

A tooth microphone apparatus worn in a human mouth that includes a sound transducer element in contact with at least one tooth in mouth, the transducer producing an electrical signal in response to speech and a means for transmitting said electrical signal from the sound transducer to an external apparatus. The sound transducer can be a MEMS accelerometer, and the MEMS accelerometer can be coupled to a signal conditioning circuit for signal conditioning. The signal conditioning circuit can be further coupled to a transmitter. The transmitter can be an RF transmitter of any type, an optical transmitter, or any other type of transmitter. In particular, it can be a bluetooth device or a device that transmits into a Wi-Fi network or any other means of communication. The transmitter is optional.

Method and system are disclosed for automated testing of a patient's hearing. The automated hearing test allows the patient to quickly and accurately test his own hearing with minimal or no assistance from an audiologist or other hearing health professionals. The test prompts and instructs the patient for inputs and responses as needed as needed. The patient can select one or several tests to be performed, including air and bone conduction testing with masking, speech reception threshold, speech discrimination, and tympanogram / acoustic reflex testing. Multiple languages are supported. Data obtained from one test may be used for another test or another iteration of the same test to calculate masking levels. The automatic hearing test also detects ambient noise and can compensate for it in the test results. If a contingency occurs, the automated hearing test is configured to page the operator for assistance.

A system for welding communication that includes a welding headgear and a bone conduction transducer (BCT) disposed in or on the welding headgear is provided. The BCT facilitates communication of signals to a welding operator via bone conduction. The bone conduction facilitates the transmission of sound directly to an inner ear of the welding operator.

A vibrator for a bone conduction-type hearing aid device by which sound information is mechanically transmitted via the skull bone directly to the inner ear of a person with impaired hearing. The vibrator includes a coil that is directly into two coil halves for generating a dynamic magnetic field and a permanent magnet for generating a static magnetic field. The permanent magnet is radially magnetized and arranged in such a way that the static and dynamic magnetic fields coincide in air gaps formed between the coil and magnet arrangement and the casing, whereby the vibrator provides an axial force.

A system for and method of communicating content data through bone conduction is disclosed. The content data can include radio content data, such as FM and AM radio content data, radio packet content data, recorded or stored content data and / or timing signals. The system includes bone conduction speakers configured to deliver the content data to a user through bone conduction using flexible contact diaphragms.

An automatic speech recognition (ASR) triggering system, and a method of providing an ASR trigger signal, is described. The ASR triggering system can include a microphone to generate an acoustic signal representing an acoustic vibration and an accelerometer worn in an ear canal of a user to generate a non-acoustic signal representing a bone conduction vibration. A processor of the ASR triggering system can receive an acoustic trigger signal based on the acoustic signal and a non-acoustic trigger signal based on the non-acoustic signal, and combine the trigger signals to gate an ASR trigger signal. For example, the ASR trigger signal may be provided to an ASR server only when the trigger signals are simultaneously asserted. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

A bone conduction hearing aid includes an in-the-ear (ITE) component and a behind-the-ear (BTE) component. A bone vibrator is carried by the ITE component and positioned in the concha of the ear when in use. A vibrationally conductive structural member of the ITE component conducts vibration produced by the vibrator into the ear canal. From there, the vibration is transferred to a cochlea of the user by way of the mastoid bone, enabling enhanced hearing perception in patients with hearing loss.

A bone conduction device, comprising: a sound input element configured to receive an acoustic sound signal; one or more functional components, wherein at least one of said one or more functional components is an electronics module configured to generate an electrical signal representing said acoustic sound signal; and a transducer configured to generate motion of a mass component based on said electrical signal so as to generate one or more mechanical forces resulting in one or more of motion and vibration of a recipient's skull thereby causing sound perception, wherein said mass component comprises at least one of said one or more functional components.

The present invention relates to a bone conduction speaker and its compound vibration device. The compound vibration device comprises a vibration conductive plate and a vibration board, the vibration conductive plate is set to be the first torus, where at least two first rods inside it converge to its center; the vibration board is set as the second torus, where at least two second rods inside it converge to its center. The vibration conductive plate is fixed with the vibration board; the first torus is fixed on a magnetic system, and the second torus comprises a fixed voice coil, which is driven by the magnetic system. The bone conduction speaker in the present invention and its compound vibration device adopt the fixed vibration conductive plate and vibration board, making the technique simpler with a lower cost; because the two adjustable parts in the compound vibration device can adjust both low frequency and high frequency area, the frequency response obtained is flatter and the sound is broader.

The invention relates to an earphone device of a mobile phone, with a function of representing stereo music in a non-communication state and picking up a clear sound signal conducted by vocal cords from air in the external auditory canal of a user in a communication state. The problem of poor pickup effect of the microphone of the earphone device configured in the conventional mobile phone in a normal use state and under a high-noise environment, and the technical defect of intrinsic uncomfortable wearing of the bone conduction microphone, such as external auditory canal pickup, does not exist.

A bone conduction speaker having a vibration prevention structure is disclosed. In the speaker structure that a magnet and a voice coil are installed in the interior of a housing disposed in an inner side of an external casing of a bone conduction speaker and are engaged with a yoke, and a diaphragm is installed in an outer side of the yoke, there is provided a bone conduction speaker having a vibration prevention structure which comprises one or at least two ribs which are formed as an outer side of the diaphragm is outwardly extended; and an engaging part which is disposed in an end of each rib and is fixedly assembled to the casing.

A self-retaining bone conduction hearing device having a sound processor (104) and a nonoccluding in-the-canal vibrating component (108) responsive to the sound processor and configured for non-surgical-implantation in a recipient's ear canal. Utilizing bone conduction eliminates the dependency on acoustic stimulation, thereby enabling the hearing device of the present invention to address a wider range of sound frequencies in conductive hearing loss.

Problem: To provide a bone conduction speaker unit which can sufficiently prevent generation of sound leakage at the time of non-calling, and can be easily incorporated in a main body casing of mobile phones, and the like.Solution: A bone conduction speaker unit, being configured by incorporating a bone conduction speaker main body 2 in a housing 1, wherein an elastic plate 21 is fixed on a top face of a plate yoke 17 of the bone conduction speaker main body 2; an elastic base 22 is disposed on a rear face of a yoke 11; and an elastic cover 3 for holding a contact 5 which, upon a pressing force having been applied thereto in use, is abutted against the plate yoke 17 through the elastic plate 21 is loaded on the housing 1 with a gap “a” being held between a bottom face of the contact 5 and a top face of the elastic plate 21.