Earpiece positioning and retaining
A positioning and retaining structure for an in-ear earpiece. An outer leg and an inner leg are attached to each other at an attachment end and attached to a body of the earpiece at the other end. The outer leg lies in a plane. The positioning and retaining structure have a stiffness that is greater when force is applied to the attachment end in a counterclockwise direction in the plane of the outer leg than when force is applied to the attachment end in a clockwise direction in the plane of the outer leg. The positioning and retaining structure position an earpiece associated with the earpiece in a users ear and retains the earpiece in its position.
1. An earphone, comprising:
an acoustic driver that transduces applied audio signals to acoustic energy;
a housing containing the acoustic driver, the housing including a front chamber acoustically coupled to the acoustic driver;
an ear interface comprising an outlet structure and a compliant positioning and retaining structure,
the outlet structure extending from the housing and dimensioned and arranged to fit inside a user's ear canal entrance when the earphone is worn, providing a passageway for conducting acoustic energy from the acoustic driver to the user's ear canal; and
the positioning and retaining structure extending from the housing and configured to apply outward pressure along a substantial length of the antihelix of the user's ear to retain the earphone in the user's outer ear;
wherein the positioning and retaining structure has an outer edge and an inner edge, each extending from a base near the housing and meeting at a tip distant from the housing,
the outer edge having differing radii of curvature along its length, including a first section at the base having a first radius of curvature and a second section near the tip having a second radius of curvature greater than the first radius of curvature, such that the outer edge is more-sharply curved near the base and less-sharply curved near the tip.
2. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein
the first radius of curvature is less than 12 mm, and the second radius of curvature is greater than 12 mm.
3. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein
the second radius of curvature is at least 3 mm greater than the first radius of curvature.
4. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein
the ratio of the first radius of curvature to the second radius of curvature is within ten percent of 0.70.
5. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein
the length of the outer edge from the base to the tip is within ten percent of 2.6 times the length of the inner edge from the base to the tip.
6. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein
the ear interface further comprises a cushion structure disposed between the outlet structure and the positioning and retaining structure, the cushion structure substantially filling the concha of the user when the earphone is worn.
7. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein the positioning and retaining structure includes a projection at the tip that fits under the base of the user's helix when the earphone is worn.
8. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein
the ear interface is removable from the earphone.
9. The earphone of claim 8 , wherein the ear interface is retained to the earphone by a projection from the housing that fits into a void in the ear interface.
10. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein
the positioning and retaining structure comprises a plurality of legs, a first leg of the plurality corresponding to the outer edge and a second leg of the plurality corresponding to the inner edge.
11. The earphone of claim 1 , wherein
the housing includes an opening in the front chamber, and the positioning and retaining structure positions the housing such that the opening is not obstructed by the anatomy of the user's ear when the earphone is worn.
12. A positioning and retaining structure for an earphone, the positioning and retaining structure comprising an outer edge and an inner edge, each extending from a base to be coupled to the earphone and meeting at a tip distant from the base,
the outer edge having differing radii of curvature along its length, including a first section at the base having a first radius of curvature and a second section near the tip having a second radius of curvature greater than the first radius of curvature, such that the outer edge is more-sharply curved near the base and less-sharply curved near the tip.
13. The positioning and retaining structure of claim 12 , wherein
the first radius of curvature is less than 12 mm, and the second radius of curvature is greater than 12 mm.
14. The positioning and retaining structure of claim 12 , wherein
the second radius of curvature is at least 3 mm greater than the first radius of curvature.
15. The positioning and retaining structure of claim 12 , wherein
the ratio of the first radius of curvature to the second radius of curvature is within ten percent of 0.70.
16. The positioning and retaining structure of claim 12 , wherein
the length of the outer edge from the base to the tip is within ten percent of 2.6 times the length of the inner edge from the base to the tip.
17. The positioning and retaining structure of claim 12 , wherein
the base comprises a cushion structure shaped to substantially fill the concha of a user when the earphone is worn in the user's ear.
18. The set of positioning and retaining structures of claim 12 , wherein
each member of the set has a length ratio of the length of the outer edge from the base to the tip to the length of the inner edge from the base to the tip, and
the length ratio for each member of the set is within ten percent of the mean of the length ratios for all the members of the set.
19. A set of positioning and retaining structures of different size for interchangeable use with an earphone, each member of the set comprising an outer edge and an inner edge, each edge extending from a base to be coupled to the earphone and meeting at a tip distant from the base,
wherein
the outer edge of each member of the set has differing radii of curvature along its length, including a first section at the base having a first radius of curvature and a second section near the tip having a second radius of curvature greater than the first radius of curvature, such that the outer edge is more-sharply curved near the base and less-sharply curved near the tip, and
the outer edge of each member of the set has a curvature ratio of its first section's radius to its second section's radius, and
the curvature ratio for each member of the set is within ten percent of the mean of the curvature ratios for all the members of the set.
20. The set of positioning and retaining structures of claim 19 , wherein
the mean of the curvature ratio for all the members of the set is 0.70.
21. The set of positioning and retaining structures of claim 18 , wherein the mean of the length ratio for all the members of the set is 2.6.
22. The set of positioning and retaining structures of claim 19 , wherein
in each member of the set, the second radius of curvature is at least 3 mm greater than the first radius of curvature.
23. The set positioning and retaining structures of claim 19 , wherein
the base of each member of the set comprises a cushion structure shaped to substantially fill the concha of a user when the earphone is worn in the user's ear,
the bases of at least two members of the set being different sizes.
24. An earphone, comprising: an acoustic driver that transduces applied audio signals to acoustic energy; a housing containing the acoustic driver, the housing including a front chamber acoustically coupled to the acoustic driver;
an ear interface comprising a unitary structure having a body and a positioning and retaining structure, the body being configured to fit within the concha of a user's ear,
and further including an outlet extending from the body and dimensioned and arranged to fit inside the user's ear canal entrance, the outlet providing a passageway for conducting acoustic energy from the acoustic driver to the user's ear canal;
the positioning and retaining structure including a compliant member extending from the body and configured to apply outward pressure along a substantial length of the antihelix of the user's ear to retain the earphone in the user's outer ear;
wherein the member has a curvature generally in a plane, and
the member is substantially stiffer when force is applied in one rotational direction in the plane than when it is applied in the opposite rotational direction in the plane.
25. The earphone of claim 24 , wherein, when the earphone is in position, a reaction force is exerted that urges the positioning and retaining structure member against the anti-helix along the rear of the concha.
26. The earphone of claim 24 , wherein the stiffness when force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the positioning and retaining structure member is less than the stiffness when force is applied in either rotational direction in the plane of the member.
27. The earphone of claim 26 , wherein the stiffness when force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the positioning and retaining structure member is less than 0.8 times the stiffness when force is applied in either rotational direction in the plane of the member.
28. The earphone of claim 24 , wherein the stiffness when force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the positioning and retaining structure member is less than 0.01 N/mm.
29. The earphone of claim 24 wherein when the earphone is in its intended position in the user's ear, the end of the positioning and retaining structure member is located under the anti-helix; a planar portion of the body contacts the concha; and a portion of the body is under the anti-tragus of the user's ear.
30. The earphone of claim 24 , wherein the compliant member is a first compliant member and the positioning and retaining structure further includes a second compliant member extending from the body and connected at or near the distal end of the first compliant member.
31. The earphone of claim 24 , wherein the compliant member of the positioning and retaining structure applies outward pressure along the length of the antihelix from an attachment point of the compliant member to the body to the base of the antihelix.
32. The earphone of claim 31 , wherein the outward pressure is substantially uniform along the length of the compliant member.
33. An earphone, comprising:
an acoustic driver that transduces applied audio signals to acoustic energy;
a housing containing the acoustic driver, the housing including a front chamber acoustically coupled to the acoustic driver;
an ear interface comprising a unitary structure having a body and a positioning and retaining structure,
the body being configured to fit within the concha of a user's ear, and further including an outlet extending from the body and dimensioned and arranged to fit inside the user's ear canal entrance, the outlet providing a passageway for conducting acoustic energy from the acoustic driver to the user's ear canal;
the positioning and retaining structure including a compliant member extending from the body and configured and apply outward pressure along a substantial length of the antihelix of the user's ear to retain the earphone in the user's outer ear.