US-20260129328-A1 - In-Ear Headphone with Ear Cuff

Abstract

Aspects include headphones. In certain cases, a headphone includes: an ear cuff body having: a first portion configured to pass over an outer side of at least one of an antihelix, a helix, or a lobule of a user's outer ear; and a second portion configured to sit behind the outer ear; an acoustic package configured to deliver sound to the ear canal region; and wiring extending between the ear cuff body to the acoustic package.

Inventors

• Zachary David PROVOST
• Kenneth Gagnon
• Allen Timothy Graff
• Richard Lionel Lanoue, III
• Joel Henry Miller

Assignees

• BOSE CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20241104

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A headphone comprising: an ear cuff body having: a first portion configured to pass over an outer side of at least one of an antihelix, a helix, or a lobule of a user's outer ear; and a second portion configured to sit behind the outer ear; an acoustic package configured to deliver sound to the ear canal region; and wiring extending between the ear cuff body to the acoustic package.
2. 2 . The headphone of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic package is housed in an ear tip.
3. 3 . The headphone of claim 2 , wherein the ear tip provides an acoustic seal on the ear canal during use.
4. 4 . The headphone of claim 2 , wherein the ear tip is non-occluding during use.
5. 5 . The headphone of claim 2 , wherein the ear tip is one of a plurality of ear tips of distinct size configured to accommodate distinct ear fits for the acoustic package.
6. 6 . The headphone of claim 2 , wherein the acoustic package comprises a driver having a diameter less than approximately 10 millimeters (mm).
7. 7 . The headphone of claim 1 , wherein the wiring is housed in a sleeve.
8. 8 . The headphone of claim 7 , wherein the sleeve is deformable to tailor a fit of the acoustic package in the user's ear.
9. 9 . The headphone of claim 7 , wherein the sleeve includes a thermoformed material.
10. 10 . The headphone of claim 1 , wherein the wiring has an adjustable length to accommodate different fits.
11. 11 . The headphone of claim 1 , wherein the wiring is at least partially housed in the ear cuff body.
12. 12 . The headphone of claim 11 , and wherein the ear cuff body includes a service loop for storing a portion of the wiring.
13. 13 . The headphone of claim 11 , further comprising at least one wire guide coupled with the ear cuff body.
14. 14 . The headphone of claim 1 , wherein the wiring is modularly coupled with the ear cuff body such that distinct lengths of wiring can be coupled and decoupled with the ear cuff body to accommodate distinct fits.
15. 15 . The headphone of claim 1 , wherein the wiring is modularly coupled with the acoustic module.
16. 16 . The headphone of claim 1 , wherein the wiring includes a structural element providing a force on the acoustic package to retain the acoustic package in the ear canal region.
17. 17 . The headphone of claim 16 , wherein the structural element includes at least one of: a protrusion for contacting a portion of the user's ear, or a thickened section of a sleeve around a portion of the wiring.
18. 18 . The headphone of claim 1 , further comprising a driver for delivering the sound via the acoustic package, wherein the driver is located in the ear cuff body or in the acoustic package.
19. 19 . The headphone of claim 1 , further comprising at least one microphone located in the ear cuff body and/or the acoustic package.
20. 20 . The headphone of claim 19 , wherein the at least one microphone comprises at least two microphones at distinct locations on the headphone, one of which includes a feedforward microphone located on the ear cuff body.

Description

BACKGROUND The disclosure relates generally to wearable audio devices. More particularly, the disclosure relates to headphones such as in-ear headphones. SUMMARY Various implementations are directed to headphones. In certain cases, a headphone includes an ear cuff and an acoustic package configured to deliver sound to the ear canal region. In particular cases, a headphone includes: an ear cuff body having: a first portion configured to pass over an outer side of at least one of an antihelix, a helix, or a lobule of a user's outer ear; and a second portion configured to sit behind the outer ear; an acoustic package configured to deliver sound to the ear canal region; and wiring extending between the ear cuff body to the acoustic package. All examples and features mentioned below can be combined in any technically possible way. In certain cases, the acoustic package is housed in an ear tip. In some cases, the ear tip provides an acoustic seal on the ear canal during use. In certain cases, the ear tip is non-occluding during use. In some aspects, the ear tip is one of a plurality of ear tips of distinct size configured to accommodate distinct ear fits for the acoustic package. In particular aspects, the acoustic package comprises a driver having a diameter less than approximately 10 millimeters (mm), and in more particular cases, a diameter less than approximately 5 mm. In certain examples, a hearing aid can have a driver with a diameter of approximately 5 mm or less. In other examples, an earbud can have a driver with a diameter of approximately 10 mm or less. In certain cases, the wiring is housed in a sleeve. In some cases, the sleeve is deformable to tailor a fit of the acoustic package in the user's ear. In particular aspects, the sleeve includes a thermoformed material. In some cases, the wiring has an adjustable length to accommodate different fits. In particular cases, the adjustable length is configured to accommodate different ear dimensions, such as a distance from the user's ear canal to the antihelix or helix. In particular cases, the wiring is at least partially housed in the ear cuff body. In some examples, the ear cuff body includes a service loop for storing a portion of the wiring. In some cases, the headphone further includes at least one wire guide coupled with the ear cuff body. In some cases, the wire guide includes a wire management component for controlling an effective distance between the ear cuff and the acoustic module and/or for retaining a portion of the wire. In certain aspects, the wiring is modularly coupled with the acoustic module. In certain aspects, the wiring is modularly coupled with the ear cuff body such that distinct lengths of wiring can be coupled and decoupled with the ear cuff body to accommodate distinct fits. In particular cases, the wiring includes a structural element providing a force on the acoustic package to retain the acoustic package in the ear canal region. In some aspects, the structural element includes a protrusion for contacting a portion of the user's ear. In some examples, the protrusion includes a wing, a pillar, a bump, etc. In certain cases, the structural element includes a thickened section of a sleeve around a portion of the wiring. In some aspects, the headphone further includes a driver for delivering the sound via the acoustic package, wherein the driver is located in the ear cuff body or in the acoustic package. In some cases, the headphone further includes at least one microphone located in the ear cuff body and/or the acoustic package. In certain cases, the at least one microphone comprises at least two microphones at distinct locations on the headphone. In particular aspects, a feedforward microphone is located on the ear cuff body. In some cases, at least one of the antihelix, the helix, or the lobule of the ear is configured to be located between the first portion of the ear cuff body and the second portion of the ear cuff body. In certain aspects, the ear cuff body is generally “C”-shaped. In some cases, the headphone further includes a battery module contained in the ear cuff body. In particular cases, the battery module is housed in the second portion of the body. In some aspects, the acoustic package defines an earbud. In some cases, a hearing aid includes the headphone. In particular aspects, a receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid includes the hearing aid. In some aspects, the acoustic package is configured to seal an entrance to the user's ear canal. Two or more features described in this disclosure, including those described in this summary section, may be combined to form implementations not specifically described herein. The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects and benefits will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various aspects of at least one example are discussed