JP6816880B2 - Bone conduction earphones - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a bone conduction type earphone, and more specifically, a bone conduction that does not cause pain to the user even when worn for a long time and can efficiently transmit a vibration sound to the user. It is about type earphones.

Normally, when a person or the like recognizes sound, the vibration of air generated by an appropriate sound source such as a speaker vibrates the eardrum by entering the ear from the ear canal, and the organs and nerves in the back of the eardrum are vibrated. It depends on being transmitted as a signal to the brain via the system.

On the other hand, bone conduction, for example, a bone conduction type earphone, presses an acoustic converter directly or indirectly against the head, thereby vibrating a part of the skull and causing the user to sense sound. It is useful when it is difficult to hear sound due to a disorder in the eardrum or other auditory organs, and recently, it is also promising as a means of listening to music by a portable music player.

For example, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a type of bone in which an acoustic converter is pressed against a bone portion (position A or B in FIG. 1) before and after the auricle (earlobe) using a wearing band. The conduction type earphone is disclosed and has the advantage that the external sound can be heard naturally because it does not block the ear canal. However, in order to maintain the wearing position of the bone conduction type earphone, acoustic conversion is performed. It is necessary for the user to wear the device by pressing the device against the portion with a certain pressure, and therefore, there is a drawback that unbearable pain occurs in the portion when the device is worn for a long time.

In order to solve the above-mentioned difficulties, for example, in Patent Documents 3 and 4, instead of pressing the acoustic converter using the wearing band, the earplug part is earplugged like a normal ear canal insertion type earphone. Bone conduction earplugs of the type that are inserted directly into the canal are disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-273804 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-67426 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-87810 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-147315

However, since the bone conduction type earphone disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a structure in which a piezoelectric element having a very high impedance is used as an acoustic converter, an electromagnetic type or electrokinetic type converter is practically used in order to put it into practical operation. It requires a voltage higher than that for operation, and has the disadvantage of requiring a dedicated electric signal amplifier or booster coil. In addition, since the conversion efficiency of the piezoelectric element is proportional to the diameter of the conversion element and inversely proportional to the thickness, there is a drawback that the diameter of the housing becomes large when trying to increase the conversion efficiency.

Further, in the bone conduction type earphone disclosed in Patent Document 4, since the distance between the earplug and the connection portion of the housing is short, the vibration transmission attenuation of the connection portion and the earplug are held in the ear canal when worn. Then, there is a drawback that the housing causes a secondary movement due to the movement of the converter with that as a fulcrum, and the secondary vibration of the housing causes interference with the frequency characteristics of the converter.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is possible to efficiently transmit the vibration sound to the user without causing pain to the user even when worn for a long period of time. It was made to provide a bone conduction type earphone that can be used.

That is, the present invention provides a bone conduction type earphone configured as follows.

(1) It consists of a housing formed of separate members , earplugs, and earplug pedestals, and the housing and earplugs are detachably and vibrationally transmissively fitted via the earplug pedestal, and inside the housing. Is not provided with a damper, and by arranging an acoustic converter in which the main vibration surface does not directly connect the earplug pedestal and the earplug, the vibration generated by the acoustic converter vibrates the housing. At the same time , the bone conduction type earplugs are characterized in that vibration is transmitted to the earplugs by the earplug pedestal .

(2) The bone conduction type earphone according to (1), wherein the earplug pedestal is detachably connected to the sound converter by screwing it with a joint metal fitting.

(3) The bone conduction type earphone according to (1) or (2), wherein the earplug is fitted to the earplug pedestal at a main portion on the inner surface thereof.

(4) The bone conduction type earphone according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the housing has a sealed structure and has a waterproof / dustproof function.

(5) The bone conduction type earphone according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein a passage connecting the eardrum side and the outside of the ear is formed in the earplug pedestal.

According to the present invention, since it is not necessary to press the acoustic converter using the wearing band, pain may occur in the bone portions before and after the auricle (earlobe) even if the earplug is worn for a long time. In addition, since the area of contact with the inner wall of the ear canal can be increased by inserting the earplug portion into the ear canal, it is possible to provide a bone conduction type earphone capable of efficiently transmitting the vibration of the acoustic converter. it can.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the wearing part of the bone conduction type earphone which presses an acoustic transducer by using a wearing band. It is a side view which shows an example of the bone conduction type earphone of this invention. It is a side sectional view which shows an example of the bone conduction type earphone of this invention. It is a side view which shows the use state of an example of the bone conduction type earphone of this invention. It is a top view which shows the electromagnetic type acoustic transducer used in an example of the bone conduction type earphone of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the electromagnetic type acoustic transducer used in an example of the bone conduction type earphone of this invention. It is a side view which shows an example of the bone conduction type earphone of this invention, and the wearing state of the bone conduction type earphone described in Patent Document 4. FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention and the frequency characteristics of the bone conduction type earphone described in Patent Document 4. It is a side sectional view which shows another example of the bone conduction type earphone of this invention. It is a side sectional view which shows still another example of the bone conduction type earphone of this invention. It is a side sectional view which shows the wearing state of still another example of the bone conduction type earphone of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as “embodiments”) will be described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 2 shows a structure of an example of a bone conduction type earplug of the present invention, in which 1 is a housing composed of a resin upper case 2 and a lower case 3 in which an acoustic converter is arranged, and 4 is an ear. The earplug 5 inserted in the road is a resin earplug pedestal for connecting the acoustic converter in the housing 1 and the earplug 4, and in this embodiment, the earplug 4 is used as the earplug pedestal. Those having substantially the same outer shape as the above are connected to the housing 1 at the convex portion 2a of the upper case 2 in the housing 1. Further, 6 is a cord for connecting a sound source device such as a portable music player and the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention, and 7 is a cord bush for protecting the connection portion between the cord 6 and the housing 1. The material for forming the upper case 2 and the lower case 3 is not limited, and may be formed of metal or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, although the earplug 4 is fitted to one end of the earplug pedestal 5 having the cavity 8 inside, the cavity 8 does not communicate with the electromagnetic acoustic transducer 9. The vibration generated by the sound converter 9 in response to the electric signal from the cord 6 is transmitted to the earplugs 4 via the earplug pedestal 5 coupled to the sound converter 9 so as to vibrate the earplugs 4. At this time, the housing 1 also vibrates.

In this embodiment, the earplug 4 is formed on the main portion of the inner surface thereof, specifically on the inner surface of the portion other than the tip 4a of the earplug 4, one end 5a of the earplug pedestal 5 (opposite the portion connected to the acoustic transducer 9). It is fitted to the side) so that the vibration of the acoustic converter 9 can be efficiently transmitted via the earplug pedestal 5.

There are no restrictions on the shape of the earplugs 4 and the material for forming the earplugs 4, and the earplugs 4 can come into contact with the inner surface of the ear canal while maintaining an appropriate airtightness without giving a sense of discomfort to the user when worn. Anything is fine. Further, as in the embodiment described later, the earplug 4 is not limited to the type inserted into the ear canal, and may be a disk-shaped earplug having a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the ear canal. The shape of the earplug pedestal 5 and the material for forming the earplug pedestal 5 are not limited, and the cavity 8 is not indispensable and may be a solid one. Furthermore, the structure of the sound converter 9 is not limited to the electromagnetic sound converter, and a structure having an appropriate principle can be adopted.

Further, in this aspect, the sound converter 9 and the earplug pedestal 5 are a screw portion 11 provided at one end of the amateur 10 of the sound converter 9 and a screw portion 12 provided at one end of the earplug pedestal 5. Are detachably connected to each other by being screwed into the joint metal fittings 13 provided on the convex portion 2a of the housing 1.

The coupling between the sound converter 9 and the earplug pedestal 5 is performed by the joint metal fitting 13 as long as it is ensured that the vibration generated by the sound converter 9 is transmitted to the earplug 4 via the earplug pedestal 5. It is not limited to the screw structure.

As shown in FIG. 4, an example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention configured as described above is worn by inserting only the earplug 4 into the ear canal e in the user's ear E. At this time, if there is a risk that the wearing state may become unstable by inserting only the earplug 4, an auxiliary tool using the back surface of the ear (earlobe), which is also used in the prior art, is adopted. You may.

As described above, in the example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention, since the earplug is inserted into the ear canal and used, the bone conduction type earphone of the type in which the acoustic converter is pressed against the position A or B in FIG. Unlike, it does not cause pain to the user even if it is used for a long time.

Further, in an example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention, the transmission of the vibration sound from the sound converter to the earplugs is transmitted not only from the housing but directly to the earplugs via the earplug pedestal. Vibration transmission efficiency can be increased, and if the earplugs are fitted to the earplug pedestal at the main part of the inner surface thereof, the contact surface between the two can be expanded and the vibration transmission efficiency can be further increased. it can.

Embodiment 2
On the other hand, an example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention may have a waterproof / dustproof structure. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the joint metal fitting 13 is made into an integral part by insert molding into a mold for making a housing 1 molded from resin, and the upper case 2 constituting the housing 1 is formed. And the lower case 3 are ultrasonically welded at their joints. Further, a sealing material 15 is filled around the cord knot portion 14 provided on the upper portion of the cord bush 7 to prevent the cord from coming off, and the joint portion between the acoustic converter 9 and the earplug pedestal 5, the upper case 2 and The joint with the lower case 3 and the cord bush 7 are ensured to be waterproof and dustproof, and at the same time, the cord 6 is prevented from coming off.

On the other hand, FIGS. 5 and 6 show the structure of the electromagnetic acoustic converter used in an example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention, and the plate 15 and the amateur 10 are used to minimize the leakage magnetic flux of the magnet 16. The plate 15 and the magnet 16 are fixed to each other while being made of a magnetic material and having a thickness corresponding to the magnetic flux density, and the amateur 10 is welded and fixed to the diaphragm 17 and positioned at a gap between the magnet surface and the designed dimensions. It is designed to let you.

Further, the plate 15 crimps or welds the pole piece 18 made of a magnetic material to the designed dimensions, and the plate 15 and the pole piece 18 may be formed as an integral part in this portion. Further, the coil lead wire 20 that gives an electric signal to the closed magnetic circuit formed by fixing the coil 19 to the pole piece 18 is soldered to the substrate 21.

It is desirable that the integrated magnetic circuits (magnet 16, plate 15, pole piece 18 and coil 19), excluding the amateur 10 and diaphragm 17, be welded together to be completely integrated with the yoke 22. Further, the yoke 22 must have the amateur 10 fixed to the diaphragm 17 ensuring the designed gap dimension from the magnet 16.

Next, an example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention and the wearing state of the bone conduction type earphone described in Patent Document 4 will be compared and described. The right side of FIG. 7 conceptually shows the wearing state of an example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention, and the left side conceptually shows the wearing state of the bone conduction type earphone described in Patent Document 4. Obviously, in the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention, the dimension a (the length of the tip 4a of the earplug 4, that is, the length of the portion where the pedestal and the earplug are not integrated) is short, and the dimension b (the length of the pedestal and the ear) is short. The length of the part where the plug is integrated) is long, whereas in the bone conduction type earphone described in Patent Document 4, the lengths of dimensions a and b are reversed, so only the part made of the soft material of the earplug is used. This means that the earplugs are held, and secondary vibration is generated, causing interference with the original frequency characteristics.

In FIG. 8, the solid line shows the frequency characteristic of an example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention, and the dotted line shows the frequency characteristic of the bone conduction type earphone described in Patent Document 4. Obviously, in the bone conduction type earphone described in Patent Document 4, interference occurs in the original frequency characteristics at three places surrounded by the solid line.

Based on the above results, it seems preferable that the size a is set to zero in the example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention, but in such a case, the earplugs are deformed at the time of wearing. Since the tip of the earplug pedestal is exposed in the ear canal and comes into contact with the inner surface of the ear canal to hinder the wearing feeling, it is preferable to secure the size a to some extent.

Embodiment 3
FIG. 9 shows another example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention. In this example, a passage 23 leading from the eardrum side to the joint metal fitting 13 side and a passage 24 extending the passage 23 in the vertical and horizontal directions (viewed from the eardrum side) and communicating the eardrum side with the outside of the ear. The earplug pedestal 25 equipped with the above is used. Since the joint metal fitting 13 side of the earplug pedestal 25 has a solid structure, the vibration of the acoustic converter is not directly transmitted to the eardrum side and other configurations are examples of the bone conduction type earphone. Is similar to.

In another example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention configured as described above, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 9, the eardrum side and the outside of the ear are in communication with each other, so that the bone conduction type earphone is connected. It is possible to reduce the feeling of pressure and blockage on the ear due to long-term use, and it also corresponds to the case where it is necessary to hear both the sound from the eardrum and the external sound. be able to. The passage 24 does not need to extend the passage 23 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and may extend in either direction.

Embodiment 4
FIG. 10 shows another example of the bone conduction type earphone of the present invention. In this example, a disk-shaped earplug pedestal 26 having a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the user's ear canal is used, and the entire earplug pedestal 26 is used as an alternative to the earplug in the above embodiment. Since the covering cover 27 is used, it is possible to reduce the stress caused by obstructing the ear canal for a long time. Since the joint metal fitting 13 side of the earplug pedestal 26 has a solid structure, the vibration of the acoustic converter is not directly transmitted to the eardrum side and other configurations are examples of the bone conduction type earphone. Is similar to.

In this embodiment, the earplug pedestal 26 is preferably made of a resin or the like having high hardness in terms of vibration transmission, and the cover 27 is preferably made of a soft material so as to fit well in the concha, but of the converter. It is preferable to select a hardness that does not easily generate secondary vibration due to vibration. Note that FIG. 11 shows an example of wearing the bone conduction type earphone in this embodiment.

Further, in the bone conduction type earphones of each aspect described above, if the earplug pedestal is configured to be removable from the main body, the structure is different from that of one housing including the inside. By exchanging the earplug pedestal and earplugs with each other and wearing them, various situations can be dealt with.

As described above, according to the present invention, since it is not necessary to press the acoustic converter using the wearing band, pain occurs in the bone portions before and after the auricle (earlobe) even if the earplug is worn for a long time. And by inserting the earplug part into the ear canal, the area of contact with the inner wall of the ear canal can be increased, so that the vibration of the acoustic converter can be efficiently transmitted. Can be provided.

1: Housing, 2: Upper case, 3: Lower case, 4: Earplugs, 5: Earplug pedestal, 6: Cord, 7: Cord bush, 9: Electromagnetic acoustic transducer

Claims (5)

It consists of a housing formed of separate members , earplugs, and earplug pedestals, and the housing and earplugs are detachably and vibrationally mated via the earplug pedestal, and a damper is inside the housing. By disposing an earplug pedestal and an earplug whose main vibration surface does not directly connect the earplugs, the vibration generated by the earplugs vibrates the housing and simultaneously ears. A bone conduction type earphone characterized in that vibration is transmitted to earplugs by a plug pedestal .
The bone conduction type earphone according to claim 1, wherein the earplug pedestal is detachably connected to the sound converter by screwing it with a joint metal fitting. The bone conduction type earphone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the earplug is fitted to the earplug pedestal at a main portion of the inner surface thereof. The bone conduction type earphone according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing has a sealed structure and has a waterproof / dustproof function. The bone conduction type earphone according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a passage connecting the eardrum side and the outside of the ear is formed in the earplug pedestal.

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