JP7434821B2 - earphone - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to earphones.

As described in Patent Document 1, an earphone is known that includes a main body that is attached to the auricle and a protrusion (supporter) that protrudes from the main body. The protrusion comes into contact with the inner wall of the auricle when the main body is attached to the auricle, thereby stabilizing the attachment.
It is desirable that the main body portion be made of hard resin and the supporter be made of flexible silicone rubber or the like. Therefore, conventionally, a housing serving as the outer shell of the main body and a supporter are integrally formed by insert molding.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-060157

Insert molding requires expensive molds and sophisticated molding technology, so there are a limited number of molding factories that can perform high-quality molding. Further, when developing variations in shapes in which either the housing or the supporter has a different shape, a dedicated mold is required for each shape, making it difficult to share the members.
As described above, there is room for improvement in insert molding of earphones equipped with a flexible supporter that contacts the auricle from the viewpoint of improving productivity.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an earphone that has a flexible supporter that contacts the auricle and is highly productive.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration 1).
1) A first housing and a second housing that are combined in a first direction to form a housing having a space inside;
a speaker unit housed in the space;
a supporter that is held between the first housing and the second housing and is more flexible than the first housing and the second housing;
an inner frame that restricts reduction in width of the supporter in the first direction;
It is an earphone equipped with.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, although a flexible supporter that contacts the auricle is provided, productivity is excellent.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view modeling the structure of an earphone 91, which is an example of an earphone according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a first external perspective view of the earphone 91A. FIG. 4 is a second external perspective view of the earphone 91A. FIG. 5 is an assembly diagram of the earphone 91A. FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view showing a supporter attachment structure TK1, which is a first modification of the supporter attachment structure TK. FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view showing a supporter attachment structure TK2, which is a second modification of the supporter attachment structure TK. FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view showing a supporter attachment structure TK3 which is a third modification of the supporter attachment structure TK. FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view showing a supporter attachment structure TK4, which is a fourth modification of the supporter attachment structure TK. FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view showing a supporter attachment structure TK5, which is a fifth modification of the supporter attachment structure TK.

Earphones according to embodiments of the present invention will be explained using earphones 91 and 91A as examples.

(Example)
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a modeled structure of the earphone 91, and FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the model shown in FIG. The earphone 91 described below is of a canal type (earplug type) and is for the right ear, which is attached to the right auricle. The earphone 91 for the left ear has a symmetrical shape with the earphone for the right ear, and the earphone 91 for the right ear will be described below as a representative.
In FIG. 1, arrows define the left, right, top, and bottom directions when the earphone 91 is attached to the right auricle. Therefore, the front is the back of the page, and the back is the front of the page.

The earphone 91 includes a first housing 11 , a second housing 12 , an inner frame 13 , a supporter 14 , a speaker unit 82 , and a cord 83 .
The first housing 11 and the second housing 12 are housings that become the head side and the opposite head side, respectively, when the earphone 91 is attached to the auricle. The first and second housings are combined in the left-right direction, which is the first direction, to form a hollow housing 1K that forms a space Va inside.

A speaker unit 82 is housed in the space Va. A lead 83a is connected to the speaker unit 82, and a cord 83 containing the lead 83a is drawn out from the space Va through a through hole 122 of a cord pull-out portion 124 formed to protrude from the second housing 12.
A sound cylinder portion 111 that protrudes leftward is formed at the left end portion of the first housing 11 . An earpiece 81 that is inserted into the ear canal when the earphone 91 is used is removably attached to the sound tube part 111.

In the cross-sectional shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner frame 13 has a T-shaped base 131 having a narrow neck 131a, and protrusions 13a that protrude from the lower end of the base 131 in the left and right directions. . The protrusion 13a that protrudes to the left is referred to as a protrusion 13a1, and the protrusion 13a that protrudes to the right is referred to as a protrusion 13a2.
The first housing 11 is provided with a frame engagement hole 11a into which the protrusion 13a1 enters and engages. The second housing 12 is provided with a frame engagement hole 12a into which the protrusion 13a2 enters and engages.

The first housing 11, the second housing 12, and the inner frame 13 are made of hard resin. An example of a resin is ABS.

The supporter 14 is formed to be more flexible than the first housing 11 and the second housing 12. An example of the material of the supporter 14 is silicone rubber.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the supporter 14 has a base 14a that has an inverted U-shape that is open at the bottom in a longitudinal section, and a left and right outer opening at the lower end of the base 14a. It has an overhanging portion 14b that overhangs in both directions. The overhanging portion 14b extending outward to the left is referred to as an overhanging portion 14b1 of the first overhanging portion, and the overhanging portion 14b extending outward to the right is referred to as an overhanging portion 14b2 of the second overhanging portion.
The first housing 11 is provided with a supporter engagement hole 11b as a first engaging portion into which the overhanging portion 14b1 can enter and engage, and the second housing 12 is provided with a supporter engagement hole 11b as a first engaging portion into which the overhanging portion 14b2 can enter and engage. A supporter engagement hole 12b is formed as a possible second engagement portion.

In the earphone 91, the tip of the cord 83 is connected to a music playback device or the like, and an audio signal is supplied to the speaker unit 82. The speaker unit 82 converts the incoming audio signal into audio and outputs it to the left. The output sound passes through the internal space of the sound cylinder section 111 and is emitted from the tip of the earpiece 81 to the outside.

The earphone 91 is assembled from the disassembled state of the model shown in FIG. 2 as follows.
First, as indicated by the arrow DRa shown in FIG. 2, the inner frame 13 is fitted into the open end of the supporter 14 so that the neck 131a and the protrusion 13a of the base 131 are exposed.
Since the opening width on the inner surface of the supporter 14 is formed to be slightly smaller than the width in the left and right direction on the outer surface of the inner frame 13, the inner frame 13 is held in the fitted state without falling naturally due to friction with the supporter 14. be done.

Next, the lead 83a is connected and fixed to the speaker unit 82. Then, the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 are fitted together so that the integral body of the supporter 14 and the inner frame 13 held by the supporter 14 is sandwiched therebetween, resulting in the assembled state shown in FIG. 1. The mating portion of the fitting is indicated by a border 15.
The fitting at the boundary portion 15 between the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 may be a simple strong fitting between projections and depressions, an adhesive may be used, or welding may be performed.

The supporter 14 is not limited to a hollow one that forms a space V14 inside as shown in FIG. 1, but may have a solid interior.

As shown in FIG. 1, even if a force is applied to the supporter 14 to narrow the outer width D14 in the left-right direction in an attempt to remove it, the inner frame 13 will be interposed at the open end of the supporter 14 with almost no gap. Therefore, the width D14 of the supporter 14 cannot be reduced.
That is, the inner frame 13 restricts the reduction in the width D14 of the supporter 14 in the left-right direction.
Thereby, the supporter 14 will not come off from the main body part 1 during normal use.
Therefore, by forming the supporter 14 as an independent member without using insert molding and assembling it as described above, in the earphone 91, the supporter 14 can have detachment resistance strength that is practically the same as that of insert molding. .

Furthermore, since the inner frame 13 is interposed at the open end of the supporter 14 with almost no gap, it is possible to use the same inner frame 13 to assemble even deformed supports with different protrusion amounts and protrusion shapes from the supporter 14. It is possible.

In this way, the earphone 91 does not require a special mold for insert molding even if it includes the supporter 14, and productivity is improved.

An example in which the above-described model structure is designed as a product earphone will be explained using an earphone 91A shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. The earphone 91A has a symmetrical shape for the left ear and the right ear, and the earphone 91A for the right ear will be described below.
FIG. 3 is a view from the rear of the head with the earphone 91A attached to the right side, and FIG. 4 is a view from the front diagonally upper right side of the head.

In the earphone 91A, a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 are fitted together at a boundary 15. The supporter 14 is sandwiched between a part of the boundary portion 15 in the circumferential direction, which extends from the upper obliquely front side through the upper and rear sides to the rear obliquely lower side.
Thereby, when the earphone 91A is attached to the auricle, the supporter 14 comes into contact with a wide range of the inner wall of the antihelix, so that the earphone 91A feels good when attached to the auricle.

An inner frame 13 (not shown because it is hidden inside the supporter 14) held by the supporter 14 is sandwiched between the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 at the open end of the supporter 14.
The cord 83 is pulled out from the through hole 122 of the cord pullout part 124 in the second housing 12 .

FIG. 5 is an assembly diagram of the earphone 91A.
The inner frame 13 is formed into a crescent-shaped thin arc when viewed from the side (for example, when viewed from the left). The protrusions 13a of the inner frame 13 are formed in the shape of a brim as protrusions 13a1 and 13a2, one on each left and right at the center of the arcuate longitudinal direction (vertical direction).
The first housing 11 is formed with a frame engagement hole 11a into which the protrusion 13a1 can enter and engage, and the second housing 12 is formed with a frame engagement hole 12a into which the protrusion 13a2 can enter and engage. There is.

The supporter 14 is formed into a crescent-shaped arch having a height greater than that of the inner frame 13 in a side view (for example, left view). The supporter 14 is formed into a bag shape with an opening on the back side of the plane of the paper in FIG.
The overhanging portions 14b of the supporter 14 are formed in a flange-like manner as three overhanging portions 14b1 and 14b2 on the left and right, respectively, at the center in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the open end of the supporter 14.
The first housing 11 is formed with a supporter engagement hole 11b into which the overhanging portion 14b1 can enter and engage, and the second housing 12 is formed with a supporter engagement hole 12b into which the overhanging portion 14b2 can enter and engage. There is.

Thereby, the earphone 91A can be assembled using the following example procedure.
First, the inner frame 13 is fitted into the supporter 14 from the back side in FIG. 5 as indicated by the arrow DRb to form an integral body.
Further, the speaker unit 82 to which the lead 83a is electrically connected is housed inside the first housing 11 as indicated by the arrow DRc. The tip end of the cord 83 is passed through the through hole 122 (see FIG. 3) of the cord drawer 124 of the second housing 12 from the inside and pulled out to the outside, as indicated by the chain arrow DRd.

Next, the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 are assembled with the integrated supporter 14 and inner frame 13 interposed therebetween.
At this time, the protrusion 13a1 of the inner frame 13 is engaged with the frame engagement hole 11a of the first housing 11, and the protrusion 14b1 of the supporter 14 is engaged with the supporter engagement hole 11b of the first housing 11.
Furthermore, the protrusion 13a2 of the inner frame 13 is engaged with the frame engagement hole 12a of the second housing 12, and the protrusion 14b2 of the supporter 14 is engaged with the supporter engagement hole 12b of the second housing 12.
The protrusions 13a1 and 13a2 of the inner frame 13 and the frame engagement holes 11a and 12a are also collectively referred to as frame engagement portions FK. The engagement of the frame engagement portion FK restricts movement of the inner frame 13 relative to the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 at least in a direction orthogonal to the left-right direction.

As is clear from the above procedure, the earphone 91A and its model, the earphone 91, can be easily assembled. Further, in the earphones 91A, 91, the supporter 14 does not come off after assembly.
Further, the earphones 91A, 91 can be manufactured as earphones having the supporter 14 serving as a cushion without performing insert molding.
Therefore, since the mold is inexpensive and the component parts can be easily molded, the molding factory is not limited. Thereby, the earphones 91A, 91 have excellent productivity.

Furthermore, the earphones 91A, 91 can be assembled using the inner frame 13 and supports of different shapes. In this way, the earphones 91A, 91 can easily share components and are excellent in productivity.
Further, the earphones 91A, 91 can use the first housing 11 and the second housing 12, while at least one of the inner frame 13 and the supporter 14 can have a different shape. Also from the viewpoint of sharing parts, the earphones 91A, 91 are excellent in productivity.

The embodiment described in detail above is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.

The attachment structure of the supporter 14 to the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 is not limited to the above-mentioned structure, and for example, as in Modifications 1 to 5 described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10, respectively. Can be transformed.
The supporter attachment structures TK1 to TK5 shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, respectively, can be replaced with the supporter attachment structure TK shown by section A in FIG. 1. The earphones of Modifications 1 to 5 in which the supporter attachment structure TK of the earphone 91 is replaced with the supporter attachment structures TK1 to TK5 are referred to as earphones 911 to 915.

(Modification 1)
As shown in FIG. 6, the supporter attachment structure TK1 included in the earphone 911 of the first modification has no engagement portion between the inner frame 13 and the first housing 11 and the second housing 12, and the supporter 14 is connected to the inner frame 13. This differs from the supporter attachment structure TK in that it has a portion sandwiched between the first and second housings.
Specifically, the supporter 14 has a projecting portion 14b1 that engages with the first housing 11 and a projecting portion 14b2 that engages with the second housing 12, as in the case of the supporter attachment structure TK. Further, the supporter 14 has an inner protruding portion 14c including inner protruding portions 14c1 and 14c2 that engage with inner engaging portions 13c1 and 13c2 formed as inner engaging portions 13c on the inner frame 13, respectively.
In the supporter attachment structure TK1, even if the width D14 of the supporter 14 is intentionally narrowed to remove it, the width D14 of the supporter 14 can be reduced because the inner frame 13 is interposed at the open end of the supporter 14 with almost no gap. It cannot be narrowed down. Thereby, the supporter 14 will not come off from the main body part 1 after assembly.
In the supporter attachment structure TK1, since the inner frame 13 and the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 do not engage with each other, the boundary portion 15 where the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 engage is formed with a step. positioning.
The inner frame 13 may be fixed to the first housing 11 or the second housing 12 by adhesion or welding to more firmly integrate them.

(Modification 2)
As shown in FIG. 7, the supporter attachment structure TK2 included in the earphone 912 of the second modification differs from the supporter attachment structure TK in that there is no engagement portion between the inner frame 13 and the first housing 11 and the second housing 12. .
In the supporter attachment structure TK2, even if the width D14 of the supporter 14 is intentionally narrowed to be removed, the width D14 of the supporter 14 can be reduced because the inner frame 13 is interposed at the open end of the supporter 14 with almost no gap. It cannot be narrowed down. Thereby, the supporter 14 will not come off from the main body part 1 after assembly.
In the supporter attachment structure TK2, since the inner frame 13 and the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 do not engage with each other, the boundary portion 15 where the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 engage is formed with a step. positioning.
The inner frame 13 may be fixed to the first housing 11 or the second housing 12 by adhesion or welding to more firmly integrate them.

(Modification 3)
As shown in FIG. 8, the supporter attachment structure TK3 included in the earphone 913 of modification 3 has a supporter attachment structure in that the supporter 14 has a portion sandwiched between the inner frame 13 and the first and second housings. Different from TK.
Specifically, the supporter 14 includes an inner projecting portion 14c1 sandwiched between the inner frame 13 and the first housing 11, and an inner projecting portion 14c2 sandwiched between the inner frame 13 and the second housing 12. It has a section 14c.
In the supporter attachment structure TK3, even if the supporter 14 is intentionally pulled out to narrow the width D14, the inner frame 13 is interposed at the open end of the supporter 14 with almost no gap, so the width D14 of the supporter 14 is narrowed. It is not possible. Thereby, the supporter 14 will not come off from the main body part 1 after assembly.
In the supporter attachment structure TK3, since the combination position of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 in the thickness direction is defined by the inner frame 13, the boundary area where the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 engage No. 15 does not require a step and has a shape that simply abuts against each other.

(Modification 4)
As shown in FIG. 9, the supporter attachment structure TK4 included in the earphone 914 of the fourth modification is formed such that the engagement portion between the inner frame 13 and the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 protrudes toward the space Va side. It differs from the supporter mounting structure TK in that it is
Specifically, the inner frame 13 has a T-shaped protrusion 13d that projects downward in FIG.
A housing recess 13d1, which is a recess into which the end of the first housing 11 enters and engages, and a housing recess 13d2, which is a recess into which the end of the second housing 12 enters and engages, are formed in the neck of the T-shaped protrusion 13d. ing. The tip portion of the T-shaped convex portion 13d projects into the space Va.
In the supporter attachment structure TK4, even if the supporter 14 is intentionally pulled out to narrow the width D14, the inner frame 13 is interposed at the open end of the supporter 14 with almost no gap, so the width D14 of the supporter 14 is narrowed. It is not possible. Thereby, the supporter 14 will not come off from the main body part 1 after assembly.
In the supporter attachment structure TK4, the combination position of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 in the thickness direction is defined by the T-shaped convex portion 13d of the inner frame 13, but a protruding portion is generated in the space Va. Since the space Va functions as a back cavity of the speaker unit 82, there is a risk that the sound reproduced by the earphones 914 may be affected.From the viewpoint of the airtightness of the back cavity, the supporter mounting structure TK1 does not have a protruding part in the space Va. ~ There may be cases where the playback characteristics differ from those of TK3.

(Modification 5)
As shown in FIG. 10, the supporter attachment structure TK5 included in the earphone 915 of the fifth modification has a structure in which the supporter 14 and the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 are engaged and positioned with respect to the inner frame 13. It differs from the supporter mounting structure TK in that it is
Specifically, the inner frame 13 has dowels 13e including a dowel 13e1 and a dowel 13e2 that protrude in the left and right directions, respectively.
The supporter 14 has a dowel hole 14d1 and a dowel hole 14d2 through which the dowel 13e1 and the dowel 13e2 can be inserted, respectively.
The first housing 11 and the second housing 12 have dowel holes 11d and 12d into which the dowels 13e1 and 13e2 can enter and engage, respectively.
During assembly, the dowels 13e1 and 13e2 of the inner frame 13 are inserted into the dowel holes 14d1 and 14d2 of the supporter 14, respectively. Since the dowels 13e1 and 13e2 are formed sufficiently long and still protrude, the dowels 13e1 and 13e2 are engaged with the dowel holes 11d of the first housing 11 and the dowel holes 12d of the second housing 12, respectively. and assemble.
In the supporter attachment structure TK5, even if the supporter 14 is intentionally pulled out to narrow the width D14, the inner frame 13 is interposed at the open end of the supporter 14 with almost no gap, so the width D14 of the supporter 14 is narrowed. It is not possible. Thereby, the supporter 14 will not come off from the main body part 1 after assembly.
In the supporter attachment structure TK5, the frame engaging portions FK correspond to the dowels 13e1 and 13e2 of the inner frame 13, the dowel holes 11d of the first housing 11, and the dowel holes 12d of the second housing 12. In the supporter attachment structure TK5 as well, the movement of the inner frame 13 relative to the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 at least in the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction is restricted by the engagement of the frame engagement portion FK.
Further, in the supporter attachment structure TK5, the inner frame 13, the supporter 14, the first housing 11, and the second housing 12 are positioned by a dowel 13e that is one part. Thereby, the vertical dimension in FIG. 10 can be reduced, and the earphone 915 can be easily miniaturized.

Earphones 911 to 915 equipped with the supporter attachment structures TK1 to TK5 of Modifications 1 to 5 can all be manufactured as earphones having the supporter 14 serving as a cushion without performing insert molding. Therefore, the molds are inexpensive and there are no restrictions on molding factories. As a result, the earphones 911 to 915 have excellent productivity.
Further, the earphones 911 to 915 can be assembled using the inner frame 13 and supports of different shapes. From the viewpoint of sharing parts, the earphones 911 to 915 have excellent productivity.

Examples and Modifications 1 to 5 can be freely combined to the extent possible.

The earphone 91 is not limited to a canal type in which the earpiece 81 is inserted into the ear canal. The earphone 91 may be a so-called in-ear type in which the main body 1 is mounted inside the auricle E without having the sound cylinder section 111.

The earphones 91, 91A, 911 to 915 are attached to the user's auricle so that the supporter 14 comes into contact with the inner wall of the auricle when the housing 1K is placed in the concha. The inner wall of the auricle is, for example, the inner wall of the antihelix.
In this wearing state, the supporter 14 normally compresses slightly and urges the inner wall by its elastic repulsive force, so that the user can feel a good wearing feeling and the wearing state can be stably maintained.
The supporter 14 is not limited to being in contact with the inner wall of the antihelix, but may be in contact with the inner wall of other parts of the auricle.

1 Main body part 1K Housing 11 First housing 11a Frame engagement hole 11b Supporter engagement hole 111 Sound cylinder part 12 Second housing 12a Frame engagement hole 12b Supporter engagement hole 122 Through hole 124 Cord extraction part 13 Inner frame 13a, 13a1, 13a2 Projecting portions 13c, 13c1, 13c2 Inner engaging portion 131 Base portion 131a Neck portion 14 Supporter 14a Base portion 14b, 14b1, 14b2 Projecting portions 14c, 14c1, 14c2 Inner projecting portion 15 Boundary portion 81 Earpiece 82 Speaker unit 83 Cord 83a Lead 91 , 91A, 911 to 915 Earphone D14 (Supporter) Width FK Frame engaging part TK, TK1 to TK5 Supporter mounting structure Va, V14 Space

Claims (4)

A first housing and a second housing that are combined in a first direction to form a housing having a space inside;
a speaker unit housed in the space;
The first housing is held between the first housing and the second housing.
a supporter that is more flexible than the housing and the second housing;
an inner frame that restricts reduction in width of the supporter in the first direction;
Equipped with
The supporter includes a first projecting portion projecting outwardly on one side in the first direction and a first projecting portion projecting outwardly on the other side in the first direction.
having a second overhanging portion;
The first housing has a first engaging part that engages with the first projecting part, and the second housing has a first engaging part that engages with the first projecting part.
The earphone is characterized in that the ring has a second engaging portion that engages with the second projecting portion . the first housing relative to the first housing and the second housing of the inner frame;
Claim 1 , further comprising a frame engaging portion that restricts movement in a direction perpendicular to the direction.
Earphones listed . The earphone according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the housing fits into the concha of the auricle, and the supporter is attached to the auricle while coming into contact with an inner wall of the auricle. 4. The earphone according to claim 3 , wherein the inner wall is an inner wall of the antihelix in the auricle.

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