JP2004208220A - Earphone and sound transmission apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an earphone and a sound transmission apparatus capable of attaining communications with the circumference while performing transmission of sounds using bone conduction. <P>SOLUTION: A vibrating element 12 is made cylindrical and openings 14, 15 are also formed on a housing 11 for housing the vibrating element 12, so that an earphone 10 has a through hole H. A voice corresponding to an audio signal sent from a reception apparatus or acoustic equipment is conducted through the bone of a user to be recognized and at the same time, sounds of the surroundings can be also recognized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an earphone and a voice transmission device used by being worn on a user's ear.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Normally, sound (vibration) propagates through the air and is transmitted to the brain by vibrating the eardrum of an animal such as a human (hereinafter simply referred to as a human), thereby enabling the human to recognize the sound .
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, bone conduction type sound transmission devices and the like have been proposed which utilize the ability to recognize sound by applying mechanical vibration to a bone of a head, for example, a skull (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). ). Such bone-conduction-type voice transmission devices are attracting attention because they can recognize voice, for example, even when hearing impaired or when wireless communication is performed in noise.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Publication No. 9-504663 [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-261797
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The above-described bone conduction type voice transmission device has the following problems.
In other words, when vibration is transmitted to bone and skin tissue, the higher the frequency component, the more easily it is attenuated. preferable.
However, if a sound transmission device is attached to the external auditory canal as a so-called earphone, the hole of the ear will be closed, and the sound from other than the sound transmission device, that is, the sound of the surrounding outside world will not be heard. is there. In this case, in particular, in a use environment where it is necessary to listen to surrounding sounds while performing wireless communication with the voice transmitting device, the bone conduction type voice transmitting device cannot be adopted.
In addition, there is also a problem that the user has a feeling of obstruction when the earphone is used for a long time by closing the ear hole.
[0005]
The present invention has been made based on such a technical problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an earphone and a voice transmission device capable of communicating with surroundings while performing voice transmission by bone conduction.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
For this purpose, the present invention relates to an earphone that outputs sound by being worn on a user's ear, and includes a vibrating unit that vibrates in a predetermined direction in accordance with an input audio signal, and a vibrating unit. A housing and a transmission member for transmitting vibration of the vibrating portion to the outside of the housing, and a penetrating portion penetrating a side facing the external ear canal and a side facing the outside world with the earphone attached to the user's ear. It is characterized by being formed in a housing.
Such earphones are used in a state in which the user abuts the transmitting member on the peripheral wall surface of the ear canal, and the vibration of the vibrating portion generated according to an audio signal input from the outside via a lead wire or the like is generated. It is transmitted to the bone around the ear canal of the user via the transmission member, reaches the brain via the skull and the like, and the user recognizes the voice. Since the earphone housing is formed with a penetrating portion that penetrates through the side facing the external ear canal and the side facing the outside in a state where the earphone is attached to the user's ear, the external ear canal may be blocked. Absent.
By the way, this penetrating part can be formed so as to avoid the vibrating part housed in the housing, and by making the vibrating part cylindrical, the penetrating part can be formed not only in the housing but also in the vibrating part.
Further, the housing itself can function as a transmission member. In this case, a projection that projects from the housing to the side facing the ear canal can be formed with the earphone attached to the user's ear, and a penetration can be formed in the projection.
[0007]
The sound transmission device of the present invention vibrates in a predetermined direction in response to a sound signal, a vibrating portion having a penetrating portion having an axis in a predetermined direction, and a housing for accommodating the vibrating portion. A housing having an opening at a portion corresponding to the opening.
In such a sound transmitting device, a vibrating portion having a through portion is housed in a housing having an opening, so that a through hole penetrating the entire sound transmitting device is formed. The user wears the sound transmission device such that the housing comes into contact with a portion of the bone near the ear canal with one of the through holes facing the ear canal and the other facing outward.
In addition, a protrusion that abuts on one end of the vibrating portion and protrudes on one side of the housing may be formed integrally with the housing. In this case, the protrusion may be inserted into the ear canal instead of the housing, and mounting can be easily performed.
In this sound transmission device, the vibration of the vibration unit can be transmitted to the outside via the housing. Therefore, it is preferable that both ends of the vibrating portion are sandwiched between the housings and the two are brought into close contact with each other.
In addition, instead of transmitting the vibration of the vibrating portion to the outside via the housing, a configuration in which the vibration is transmitted from one end of the vibrating portion to the outside via a transmitting member having a penetrating portion protruding outside the housing. You can also. In this case, it is preferable to further include a pressing member that presses the transmission member against the vibrating portion in the housing.
[0008]
In the above-described earphones and sound transmission devices, a piezoelectric element, a magnetostrictive element, or the like can be used as the vibration unit. In the case of a magnetostrictive element, one containing Tb, Dy, and Fe is preferable. When the magnetostrictive element is used as a vibrating section, a drive coil is provided around the vibrating section in the housing to generate a magnetic field corresponding to an input audio signal to vibrate the vibrating section.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the earphone and the voice transmission device according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, an earphone (voice transmission device) 10 that functions as a voice transmission device when worn by a user on an ear has an outer shell formed by a housing 11, and a vibration element (vibration device) is provided in the housing 11. ) 12 and a drive coil 13 for vibrating the vibrating element 12.
[0010]
The housing 11 includes a housing 11A for the vibration element 12 and the drive coil 13, and a protrusion (transmission member) 11B protruding from the housing 11A.
The storage portion 11A includes a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 11c having a predetermined outer diameter, a flange portion 11d extending perpendicularly inward from the peripheral wall portion 11c at one end side of the peripheral wall portion 11c, and another end side of the peripheral wall portion 11c. And a flange portion 11e extending perpendicularly inward from the peripheral wall portion 11c. An opening 14 having a predetermined diameter is formed at the center of the flange 11d forming one end surface of the housing 11. Similarly, the center of the flange 11e is open, and the protrusion 11B is formed to protrude laterally from the outer peripheral side of the opening of the flange 11e. The protruding portion 11B has a cylindrical shape having an opening (penetrating portion) 15 penetrating at the center thereof, and has an outer diameter smaller than that of the storage portion 11A.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the housing 11 is hollow, and has an opening 14 formed at one end and an opening 15 formed at the other end, and has an opening on both sides. ing. Since the housing 11 itself transmits the vibration of the vibration element 12, it is preferable to form the housing 11 from an elastic material having excellent vibration transmission properties.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 1A, the vibrating element 12 housed in the housing portion 11A of the housing 11 has a cylindrical shape having a through hole (through portion) 12h formed in the center, and both ends are housed. It is in contact with the flange portions 11d and 11e of the portion 11A. At this time, the housing 11 sandwiches the vibration element 12 between the flanges 11d and 11e so that the vibration element 12 and the flanges 11d and 11e are in close contact with each other, and the vibration of the vibration element 12 is transmitted to the housing 11 efficiently. Has become.
[0012]
For such a vibration element 12, a piezoelectric material such as a piezoelectric ceramic can be used. When a piezoelectric material is used, a booster circuit is separately required. Therefore, in order to reduce the size of the earphone 10 itself, it is necessary to provide the booster circuit outside, such as a receiving device that outputs a sound signal or an acoustic device. preferable.
[0013]
Further, it is more preferable that the vibration element 12 is formed of a magnetostrictive material from the viewpoint of miniaturization, acoustic characteristics, and the like.
When the vibration element 12 is formed of a magnetostrictive material, it is preferable to provide a magnet 16 for applying a bias magnetic field to a magnetic field generated by the drive coil 13 in the housing 11 as shown in FIG. In this case, the magnet 16 can be sandwiched between the end of the vibrating element 12 and the flange portion 11d and fixed by appropriate means such as adhesion or the like, or can be embedded in the flange portion 11d of the housing 11. .
[0014]
The magnetostrictive material used for the vibration element 12 is a Laves-type cubic (RT ₂ ) material composed of a lanthanoid element R having a large magnetic moment and an iron group element T. To be specific, Tb _X Dy _{1 -X} Fe _Y crystals (X = 0.25~0.50, Y = 1.7~2.0 ) is preferable to have a. As the large magnetostrictive material of the other magnetostrictive, some with SmFe _Y crystals (Y = 1.7~2.0).
[0015]
On the outer peripheral side of the vibrating element 12, a drive coil 13 fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the housing portion 11A of the housing 11 by a suitable fixing means is provided so as to face the vibrating element 12 in a non-contact state. In the drive coil 13, a current supplied from a power supply (not shown) flows, so that a magnetic field having lines of magnetic force along the axial direction of the vibration element 12, that is, the central axis direction of the housing 11 can be generated.
The vibration element 12 is configured to be driven to expand and contract in its axial direction by a magnetic field generated by the drive coil 13.
[0016]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing driving characteristics of the vibration element 12 when the vibration element 12 having a diameter of 2 mm and a length of 13 mm is formed from a Tb _0.3 Dy _0.7 Fe _2.0 magnetostrictive material. As shown in FIG. 3, the vibrating element 12 shows an output corresponding to the drive current, and can output a vibration having an amplitude in a range of ± 3 μm.
In this figure, Ip-p is the current (A) supplied to the drive coil 13, Vp-p is its voltage (V), Hp-p is the applied magnetic field (Oe), and △ l / l is the It is a displacement amount (ppm) due to expansion and contraction (vibration).
[0017]
By providing the cylindrical vibrating element 12 in the housing 11 in this manner, the earphone 10 has a configuration in which the through-hole H penetrating the whole is formed.
In the present embodiment, the opening 14 of the flange 11d of the housing 11, the through hole 12h of the vibration element 12, and the opening 15 of the protrusion 11B have the same diameter, and the inner wall surface of the through hole H is smooth. Although a continuous surface is formed, it is not excluded that these diameters are set differently.
[0018]
The earphone 10 having such a configuration is connected to an audio signal output terminal of an external receiving device, audio equipment, or the like, and a waveform (electric signal) corresponding to the audio signal (electric signal) from the audio signal output terminal via a lead wire (not shown). ) Is supplied to the drive coil 13. Then, the drive coil 13 generates a magnetic field corresponding to the drive current, whereby the vibrating element 12 expands and contracts in its axial direction, and generates vibration according to the audio signal.
Due to the vibration of the vibration element 12, the elastic housing 11 itself expands and contracts in its axial direction. By pressing the protruding portion 11B of the housing 11 to an appropriate part of the body of the user, the vibration of the vibration element 12 can be transmitted to the user via the housing 11.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 4, the earphone 10 having such a configuration is used by being attached to a user's ear 100. At this time, the protruding portion 11 </ b> B abuts on the peripheral wall surface of the ear canal 101 of the ear 100.
As a result, the vibration generated in the vibration element 12 is transmitted to the ear bone 102 existing around the external auditory meatus 101 via the protrusion 11B, and reaches the brain via the skull and the like, so that the user can recognize the voice. Become.
[0020]
At this time, since the through-hole H is formed in the earphone 10, the sound (vibration) around the user wearing the earphone 10 is not interrupted, enters the ear canal 101 through the through-hole H, and enters the eardrum 103. The user can hear the surrounding sounds as well.
[0021]
As described above, the earphone 10 has a configuration in which the vibrating element 12 has a cylindrical shape, and the housing 11 that accommodates the vibrating element 12 has the through holes H by forming the openings 14 and 15 in the housing 11. It is possible to recognize a sound corresponding to a sound signal sent from an audio device or the like by conducting the bone of the user, and also to recognize surrounding sounds. As a result, it is possible to smoothly communicate with the surroundings while using the earphone 10, and to pay attention to the surroundings. In addition, even if the earphone 10 is used for a long time, the earphone 10 is less likely to be blocked due to the ear clogging.
[0022]
In the above-described embodiment, the outer shape of the storage portion 11A may be any shape, and it is preferable to adopt an appropriate shape in order to easily attach it to the ear and maintain the attachment position.
Further, the housing 11 is configured to include the storage portion 11A and the projecting portion 11B having a smaller diameter than the housing portion 11A. However, if the outer diameter of the storage portion 11A can be made small enough to be attached to the external auditory canal 101 of the user, It is also possible to adopt a shape in which the protrusion 11B is omitted.
[0023]
[Other embodiments]
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the voice transmission device according to the present invention. In the following description, the same components as those of the earphone 10 described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 5, an earphone (sound transmission device) 20 that functions as a sound transmission device when worn by the user on an ear includes a cylindrical vibration element 12 having a through hole 12 h formed in a housing 21. A drive coil 13 for vibrating the vibration element 12 is housed therein, and a transmission member 22 for transmitting the vibration of the vibration element 12 to the outside of the housing 21 is provided.
[0024]
The housing 21 includes a cylindrical peripheral wall 21a having a predetermined outer diameter, a flange 21b extending perpendicularly inward from the peripheral wall 21a at one end of the peripheral wall 21a, and a flange 21b at the other end of the peripheral wall 21a. And a flange portion 21c extending perpendicularly inward from the peripheral wall portion 21a. An opening 14 having a predetermined diameter is formed at the center of the flange 21b forming one end surface of the housing 21. Similarly, an opening 23 having a predetermined diameter is formed in the center of the flange 21c.
That is, the housing 21 is hollow, and has an opening 14 formed at one end and an opening 23 formed at the other end, and has an opening on both sides.
[0025]
The transmission member 22 is formed of a cylindrical portion 22a having a diameter smaller than that of the opening portion 23, and a flange portion 22b whose diameter is increased from the cylindrical portion 22a to the outer peripheral side at one end thereof, and a through hole 25 is formed along the central axis thereof. Is formed. The transmission member 22 is provided in the housing 21 with the flange portion 22b abutting on one end of the vibration element 12 and the cylindrical portion 22a protruding outside the housing 21. A ring-shaped pressing member 24 having a spring function of pressing the transmitting member 22 against the vibration element 12 is provided between the flange portion 22 b of the transmitting member 22 and the flange portion 21 c of the housing 21.
Such a transmission member 22 is separate from the housing 21. When the vibration element 12 expands and contracts, it vibrates in the axial direction of the housing 21 and transmits the vibration of the vibration element 12 to the outside of the housing 21. Has functions.
[0026]
The vibrating element 12 can be formed of a piezoelectric material or a magnetostrictive material. When the vibrating element 12 is formed of a magnetostrictive material, as shown in FIG. However, it is preferable to provide a magnet 16 for applying a bias magnetic field. In this case, the magnet 16 can be sandwiched between the end of the vibrating element 12 and the flange 21b and fixed by appropriate means such as adhesion or the like, or can be embedded in the flange 21b of the housing 21. .
[0027]
In the earphone 20 having such a configuration, as in the case of the earphone 10, the vibration element 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and openings 14 and 23 are formed in a housing 21 that accommodates the vibration element 12, and the transmission member 22 is also formed with a through hole. By having a cylindrical shape having 25, it has a configuration having a through hole H penetrating the entire earphone 20. Thus, the user can recognize the sound corresponding to the sound signal transmitted from the receiving device, the audio device, or the like by bone conduction and also recognize the surrounding sound. As a result, it is possible to smoothly communicate with the surroundings while using the earphones 20, pay attention to the surroundings, and the like, and it is less likely that the ears are blocked by the feeling of being closed.
[0028]
By the way, in each of the above-described embodiments, the vibration element 12 has a cylindrical shape. However, it is not always necessary to integrally form the vibration element 12, and if the vibration element 12 has the through hole 12h, for example, as shown in FIG. As shown, the vibration element (vibration section) 12 having a through hole (through section) 12h as a whole may be formed by abutting the vibration element members 12A and 12B having a substantially fan-shaped cross section. In addition, in the example of FIG. 6, the vibration element members 12A and 12B form a complete cylindrical vibration element 12 by combining them, but they may be arranged separately from each other.
Of course, in the case described above, the number of divisions of the vibrating element 12 is not limited to two as in the example of FIG. 6, but may be three or more.
When the vibration element 12 is divided, the shapes of the openings 14 and 15 can be changed correspondingly.
[0029]
Note that the earphones 10 and 20 described in the above embodiment not only function as a sound output device that transmits sound to the user by being worn on the user's ear, but also perform the bone conduction in the same manner. It is needless to say that it is possible to function as an ear microphone as an audio transmission device, which picks up the audio signal using an audio signal, converts the audio signal into an audio signal (electric signal) corresponding to the audio (vibration), and outputs the audio signal to the outside. In this case, the housing 11 and the transmission member 23 have a function of transmitting the vibration corresponding to the voice transmitted from the user by bone conduction to the vibration element 12.
In addition, if the earphones 10 and 20 are used while inserted or pressed into the user's external auditory canal 101, for example, a mounting member for the ear 100 is provided in the housings 11 and 21 so that the earphones 10 and 20 are so-called ears. It is also possible to use a hanging type or a so-called headphone type by providing a mounting member to be mounted on the head.
In addition, the configuration described in the above embodiment can be selected or changed to another configuration as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since the earphone or the sound transmitting unit has the penetrating portion, it is possible to transmit the sound using the bone conduction, and at the same time, the user can recognize the surrounding sound. Become. As a result, it is possible to communicate with the surroundings while using the earphone or the voice transmission device by wearing it on the ear. Further, even if the earphone or the sound transmission device is used for a long period of time, the user is less likely to feel a feeling of being closed by closing his / her ear.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an earphone according to the present embodiment.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing an appearance of an earphone, in which FIG. 2A is a view as seen from a side facing a user's ear canal, and FIG. 2B is a view as seen from a side facing the outside with the user wearing the earphone. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating characteristics of a vibrating element using a magnetostrictive element.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state where a user wears earphones.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the earphone.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of the vibration element.
[Explanation of symbols]
10, 20 ... earphone (voice transmission device), 11, 21 ... housing, 11A ... storage section, 11B ... protruding section (transmission member), 12 ... vibrating element (vibrating section), 12h ... through hole (through section), 13 .. Drive coil, 14, 23 opening, 15 opening (penetrating part), 22 transmitting member, 24 pressing member, 100 ear, 101 ear canal, 102 otic bone, H through hole

Claims (9)

An earphone that is attached to a user's ear and transmits sound,
A vibrating unit that vibrates in a predetermined direction according to an input audio signal;
A housing for housing the vibrating section;
A transmitting member for transmitting the vibration of the vibrating portion to the outside of the housing;
With
An earphone, wherein a penetrating portion is formed in the housing so as to penetrate a side facing an external auditory canal and a side facing the outside world in a state where the earphone is attached to a user's ear. The earphone according to claim 1, wherein the housing functions as the transmission member. The earphone according to claim 2, wherein a projection is formed from the housing to project toward a side facing the ear canal, and the penetration is formed in the projection. The earphone according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vibrating part is cylindrical. The vibrating section is a magnetostrictive element containing Tb, Dy, and Fe;
The earphone according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a drive coil that vibrates the vibrating section. A vibrating unit that vibrates in a predetermined direction in response to the audio signal, and in which a penetrating part having an axis in the predetermined direction is formed;
A housing that houses the vibrating section and has an opening at a portion corresponding to the opening at both ends of the vibrating section;
A voice transmission device comprising: The sound transmission device according to claim 6, wherein the housing sandwiches both ends of the vibrating portion. Vibration of the vibrating part is transmitted from one end of the vibrating part, protrudes outside the housing, and a transmitting member having a penetrating part formed therein,
The voice transmitting device according to claim 6, further comprising: a pressing member configured to press the transmitting member against the vibrating portion in the housing. 9. The sound transmission device according to claim 6, wherein the vibrating section is a piezoelectric element.

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