WO2021207332A1

WO2021207332A1 - Ear tips

Info

Publication number: WO2021207332A1
Application number: PCT/US2021/026138
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alexander Irwin; Robert James KNOX; Ethan Colburn
Original assignee: Bose Corp
Current assignee: Bose Corp
Priority date: 2020-04-07
Filing date: 2021-04-07
Publication date: 2021-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 2022-10-07

Abstract

Ear tips and methods of providing ear tips having electrically conductive contacts are provided. An electrically conductive elastomer is molded into a form that includes a first electrical contact configured to be in contact with a user's ear when worn. An electrically non-conductive elastomer is molded to the electrically conductive elastomer to form an ear tip.

Description

EAR TIPS

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Serial Number 63/006,392, filed on April 7, 2020, titled “EAR TIPS” the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure generally relates to configurations for ear tips for use with earpieces such as audio earbuds or other applications.

SUMMARY

Aspects and examples are directed to ear tips having components that accommodate one or more electrodes to be in contact with a wearer’s skin. The electrodes enable capturing of bioeleetrical signals and/or providing stimulation of nerves through application of electricity.

According to an aspect, an ear tip is provided that includes an electrically conductive elastomer including a first electrical contact formed to be at least partially in contact with a user's ear when in use, and a non-conductive elastomer coupled to the electrically conductive elastomer and formed to be at least partially in contact with the user’s ear when in use.

In various examples, the electrically conductive elastomer includes an exposed portion defining a second electrical contact to an external electrode when the ear tip is at least partially fitted onto the external electrode or when the external electrode is at least partially fitted into the ear tip. According to some examples, tire electrically conductive elastomer includes an electrical conductor that electrically couples the first electrical contact to the second electrical contact.

In certain examples the non-conductive elastomer is at least partially formed around the electrically conductive elastomer.

In certain examples the non-conductive elastomer is conjoined with the electrically conduct! ve elastomer.

According to various examples, one or more of tire electrically conductive elastomer and the non-conductive elastomer is a silicone elastomer. In some examples a portion of the ear tip may be structured to rest in at least one of a concha or partially in an ear canal of the user, such that the electrically conductive elastomer may be in contact with the at least one of the concha or the ear canal when worn.

According to various examples, an ear piece headphone is provided that includes an ear bud and an ear tip in accord with any of the preceding ear tips described.

In certain examples the electrically conductive elastomer includes an exposed portion allowing electrical contact to the ear bud.

In some examples a second ear bud and a second ear' tip in accord with any of the preceding ear tips may be included, e.g., to form a left and right stereo pair of ear piece headphones.

According to other aspects, a method of forming an ear tip is provided that includes molding an electrically conductive elastomer in a form that includes a first electrical contact to be at least partially in contact with a user's ear when in use, and molding a non -conductive elastomer to the electrically conductive elastomer, the non-conductive elastomer formed to be at least partially in contact with the user's ear when in use, wherein the combination of the electrically conductive elastomer and the electrically non-conductive elastomer forms an ear tip.

According to various examples, the electrically conductive elastomer includes an exposed portion defining a second electrical contact to an external electrode when the ear tip is at least partially fitted onto the external electrode or when the external electrode is at least partially fitted into the ear tip. In certain examples the electrically conductive elastomer may be molded to include an electrical conductor that electrically couples the first electrical contact to the second electrical contact.

In certain examples the non-conductive elastomer is conjoined with the electrically conductive elastomer.

According to various examples, one or more of the electrically conductive elastomer and the non-conductive elastomer is a silicone elastomer.

In some examples a portion of the ear tip may be structured to rest in at least one of a concha or partially in an ear canal of the user, the electrically conductive elastomer being in contact with the at least one of the concha or the ear canal when worn. Various examples include mating the molded electrically conductive elastomer and the molded electrically non-conductive elastomer to an ear bud. In certain examples, mating to the ear bud may include forming electrical contact between the ear bud and the electrically conduct! v e elastomer. Still other aspects, examples, and advantages of these exemplary aspects and examples are discussed in detail below. Examples disclosed herein may he combined with other examples in any manner consistent with at least one of the principles disclosed herein, and references to “an example,” “some examples,” “an alternate example,” “various examples,” “one example” or the like are not necessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described may be included in at least one example. The appearances of such terms herein are not necessarily all referring to the same example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various aspects of at least one example are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures, which are not intended to he drawn to scale. The figures are included to provide illustration and a further understanding of the various aspects and examples and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification hut are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention(s). In the figures, identical or nearly identical components illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like reference character or numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure. In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic cross-sectional view of an example ear tip;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the example ear tip of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another portion of the example ear tip of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another portion of the example ear tip of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 5 is an alternate perspective schematic cross-sectional view of the example ear tip of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods to provide electrodes in an ear tip for fitting a user’s ear and providing electrical coupling to a portion of the user’s skin, and to provide electrical conductivity to external electronics. Systems and methods disclosed herein are directed to ear tips having a combination of conductive elastomers and non-conductive elastomers. The elastomers may be silicone based elastomers in some examples, but any suitable material may be used. The conductive elastomers may provide electrical conductivity in a manner integral to an overall elastomeric shape.

Conventional ear tips that provide an electrical contact with a user’s skin use embedded wires, which may be placed during molding operations of the ear tip or in channels of the ear tip after fabrication.

In contrast, systems and methods of the present disclosure form an ear tip from a combination of conductive and non-conductive elastomers such that the conductive components are integrally formed in the ear tip. In various examples, a conductive elastomer may be first molded and secondarily inserted in a subsequent mold in which a non-conductive elastomer may be over-molded with the conductive elastomer at least partially inside or encompassed by at least a portion of the non-conductive elastomer. In various examples, conductive portions may be formed of conductive polymers.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example ear tip 100 including an ear loop 110 (or pretzel), a main body 150, and an umbrella 160 that surrounds a nozzle or extension that may, in some cases, act as an acoustic conduit to deliver acoustic signals into an ear canal of a wearer. The ear loop 110 is generally soft and fits in the concha of an ear and provides a retention function. The umbrella 160 is generally partially inserted into the ear canal and forms at least a partial seal, and in the case of an audio ear tip the umbrella 160 helps position a distal opening from which acoustic energy is emitted.

The ear ioop 110 of FIG.l includes a first portion 120 formed of an electrically conductive material and a second portion 130 fotmed of a non-conducti ve material. Each of these materials may be soft or pliable, e.g., elastomers, and either or both may be formed of silicone based elastomers in some examples. In various examples, the first and second portions 120, 130 may be formed of different materials and may have varying hardness.

The electrically conductive first portion 120 of the ear loop 110 forms a number of components, including a first electrical contact 122 arranged to make contact with the user’s skin, a second electrical contact 126 arranged to make contact with an external conductor or circuitry, and an electrical conductor 124 to convey electrical signals between the first electrical contact 122 and the second electrical contact 126. In various examples, tire non- conductive second portion 130 may be partially formed around at least a part of the conductive first portion 120 to form the complete ear loop 110. Such non-conductive portion of material may also form at least a portion of the main body 150 in some examples.

FIG. 2 illustrates the electrically conductive first portion 120 in a more detailed example. As above, the first electrical contact 122 is positioned to be exposed, e.g., not encompassed by the non-conductive second portion 130, such that it may be placed in contact with a user’s skin. The electrical conductor 124 is formed of a smaller cross section, in some examples, and is configured to be protected and electrically insulated from the exterior by portions of the non-conductive second portion 130. Finally, the second electrical contact 126 is positioned and formed to provide an external electrical contact when the overmoided non- conductive second portion 130 is formed. Various examples may have varying arrangements of the components of the electrically conductive first portion 120 and those shown in the figures are merely an example. Various examples provide electrical connectivity to a user’s skin from an external circuit via the conductive first portion 120, and any of various shapes and arrangements may provide the suitable connectivity.

According to various examples, the first electrical contact 122 may take any of numerous structural forms. For example, as illustrated in the figures, the first electrical contact 122 is shown as a “fin” or tab. In other examples, the first electrical contact 122 may be one or more bumps, ridges, arches, or the like, or may be a smooth surface without protrusions. Any physical geometry or structure that may allow an electrical contact with the user’s skin may be suitable for the first electrical contact 122.

FIG. 3 illustrates the ear loop 110 in a more detailed example. As above, the electrically conductive first portion 120 is illustrated, and in this case the overmoided non- conductive second portion 130 is also illustrated. The exposed first electrical contact 122 is visible in the figure while the exposed second electrical contact 126 exists but is obscured by the main body 150. In various examples, an ear bud or other device and/or circuitry may be inserted in the main body 150 of the ear tip 100 and may include contacts positioned to align with and provide electrical connectivity to the second electrical contact 126.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example umbrella 160 that may also be formed of a combination of electrically conductive and non-conductive materials. Each of these materials may be soft or pliable, e.g., elastomers, and either or both may be formed of silicone based elastomers in some examples. In various examples, the umbrella 160 may be formed separately from the ear loop 110 and/or the body 150. In other examples, the umbrella 160 may be integrally formed with either or both of the ear loop 110 and the body 150. in some examples, the umbrella 160 may include two conductive portions 162, 164 conjoined with a non-conductive portion 166, though other numbers of conductive and non-conductive portions may he included in other examples. In various examples, each of the portions 162, 164, 166 may he formed by molding and/or over-molding. In some examples, various of the portions 162, 164, 166 may be formed together into the umbrella 160 by various process steps including molding, over-molding, adhesion, etc.

The conductive portions 162, 164 fire formed, positioned, and configured such that an outer surface thereof may be in contact with a user’s skin when in use. Accordingly, each of the conductive portions 162, 164 may provide electrical contact to the user’s skin, at each of two places. Other examples may provide only one electrical contact to the user’s skin or may provide additional electrical contacts to the user’s skin. With reference to FIG. 4, a hack side of the umbrella 160 is visible and a front side (reverse) is obscured. In various examples electrical contact with the user’s skin is provided on the front side. A further electrical contact may be pro vided by another component in contact with the back side of the conductive portion 162 and/or the conductive portion 164, such as illustrated in at least one example in FIG. 5

FIG. 5 illustrates the ear tip 100 with the umbrella 160 provided and further illustrates an example electrical contact to a conductive portion of the umbrella 160 via a pogo pin 170. In various examples, an ear bud or other device and/or circuitry may be inserted in the main body 150 of the ear tip 100 and may include contacts positioned to align with tire pogo pin 170 and thereby provide electrical connectivity to the user’s skin through the pogo pin 170 and the umbrella 160. In various examples, an ear bud or other device and/or circuitry may be inserted in the main body 150 of the ear tip 100 and may include contacts positioned to align with and directly contact one or more conductive portions of the umbrella 160, without a pogo pin 170.

In various examples, electrically conductive portions intended to provide contact with a user’s skin when in use may he coated with additional materials to enhance electrical connectivity and conductivity to the user’s skin. Some examples may include an ionic conductive coating. Certain examples may include a coating of ionic silver chloride. For example, each of the first electrical contact 122 and the front sides of the conductive portions 162, 164 of the umbrella 160 may be coated with such ionic conductive coalings.

While the example ear tips disclosed herein include electrically conductive materials to provide multiple contact surfaces with the user’s skin, such as on the ear loop 110 and on the umbrella 160, various examples may provide any number of electrically conductive contact surfaces. Some examples may include a single electrical contact surface as a component of the ear loop 110 and a single electrical contact surface as a component of the umbrella 160. Other examples may provide only one or the other of these electrical contact surfaces, e.g., an ear loop contact without an umbrella contact or an umbrella contact without an ear loop contact. Some examples may include any number of umbrella contacts, ear loop contacts, or other contacts positioned to contact other portions of the user’s ear, such as differently shaped ear tips that may contact other portions of the ear anatomy, including behind the ear in some examples.

Examples of the methods and apparatuses discussed herein are not limited in application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the above descriptions or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The methods and apparatuses are capable of implementation in other examples and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Examples of specific implementations are provided herein for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. In particular, functions, components, elements, and features discussed in connection with any one or more examples are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in any other examples.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the pnipose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Any references to examples, components, elements, acts, or functions of the systems and methods herein referred to in the singular may also embrace embodiments including a plurality, and any references in plural to any example, component, element, act, or function herein may also embrace examples including only a singularity. Accordingly, references in the singular or plural form are not intended to limit the presently disclosed systems or methods, their components, acts, or elements. The use herein of “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. References to “or” may be construed as inclusive so that any terms described using “or” may indicate any of a single, more than one, and all of the described terms. Any references to front and back, left and right, top and bottom, upper and lower, and vertical and horizontal are intended for convenience of description, not to limit the present systems and methods or their components to any one positional or spatial orientation, unless the context reasonably implies otherwise.

Having described above several aspects of at least one example, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only, and the scope of the invention should be determined from proper construction of the appended claims, and their equi valents.

Claims

1. An ear tip, comprising: an electrically conductive elastomer including a first electrical contact formed to be at least partially in contact with a user’s ear when in use; and a non-conductive elastomer coupled to the electrically conductive elastomer and formed to be at least partially in contact with the user’s ear when in use.

2. The ear tip of claim 1 wherein the electrically conductive elastomer includes an exposed portion defining a second electrical contact to an external electrode when the ear tip is at least partially fitted onto the external electrode or when tire external electrode is at least partially fitted into the ear tip.

3. The ear tip of claim 2 wherein the electrically conductive elastomer includes an electrical conductor that electrically couples the first electrical contact to the second electrical contact.

4. The ear tip of any of claims 1-3 wherein the non-conductive elastomer is at least partially formed around the electrically conductive elastomer.

5. The ear tip of any of claims 1-4 wherein the non-conductive elastomer is conjoined with the electrically conductive elastomer.

6. The ear tip of any of claims 1-5 wherein at least one of the electrically conductive elastomer and the non-conductive elastomer is a silicone elastomer.

7. The ear tip of any of claims 1-6 wherein at least a portion of the ear tip is structured to rest in at least one of a concha or partially in an ear canal of the user, the electrically conductive elastomer being in contact with the at least one of the concha or the ear canal when worn.

8. An ear piece headphone comprising: an ear bud; and an ear tip in accord with any of claims 1-7 coupled to the ear bud.

9. The ear piece headphone of claim 8 wherein the electrically conductive elastomer includes an exposed portion allowing electrical contact to the ear bud.

10. The ear piece headphone of either of claim 8 or 9 further comprising a second ear bud and a second ear tip in accord with any of claims 1-7 coupled to the second ear bud.

11. A method of forming an ear tip, the method comprising: molding an electrically conductive elastomer in a form that includes a first electrical contact to be at least partially in contact with a user’s ear when in use; and molding a non-conductive elastomer to the electrically conductive elastomer, the non-conductive elastomer formed to be at least partially in contact with the user’s ear when in use, wherein the combination of the electrically conductive elastomer and the electrically non-conductive elastomer forms an ear tip.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the electrically conductive elastomer includes an exposed portion defining a second electrical contact to an external electrode when the ear tip is at least partially fitted onto the external electrode or when the external electrode is at least partially fitted into the ear tip,

13. The method of claim 12 'wherein the electrically conductive elastomer is molded to include an electrical conductor that electrically couples the first electrical contact to the second electrical contact.

14. The method of any of claims 11-13 wherein the non-conductive elastomer is at least partially formed around tire electrically conductive elastomer.

15. The method of any of claims 11-14 wherein the non-conductive elastomer is conjoined with the electrically conductive elastomer.

16. The method of any of claims 11-15 wherein at least one of the electrically conductive elastomer and the non-conductive elastomer is a silicone elastomer.

17. The method of any of claims 11-16 wherein at least a portion of the ear tip is structured to rest in at least one of a concha or partially in an ear canal of the user, the electrically conductive elastomer being in contact with the at least one of the concha or the ear canal when worn.

18. The method of any of claims 11-17 further comprising mating the molded electrically conductive elastomer and the molded electrically non-conductive elastomer to an ear bud.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein mating to the ear bud comprises forming electrical contact between the ear bud and the electrically conductive elastomer.