JP2007104548A - Ear receiving device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bone-conduction ear receiving device superior in phonetic, having high conversion efficiency, and utilizing glasses having good wearability. <P>SOLUTION: A bone-conduction speaker unit 11 for generating acoustic vibration is to be mounted to a bowstring unit 12 of a glass unit 10 so as to be adjusted. The bone-conduction speaker unit 11 has a bar-like structure and is normally positioned in parallel with the bowstring unit 12 of the glass unit 10 by a spring and hinge mechanism 30, while its direction can be changed by an angle of approximately 90° if needed, and its tip is to be contacted to an ear lobule 14 of both ears. Further, when the bone-conduction speaker unit 11 exists in parallel with the bowstring unit 12 of the glass unit 10, a holding mechanism capable of stably holding its state is to be provided. When the angle is rotated by approximately 90°, a stopper for stopping at the position is to be provided. A spring function is to be provided for contacting by a constant pressure when its tip is contacted to the ear lobule 14. Thus, the bone-conduction speaker unit 11 having the bar-like structure configures the ear receiving device by a vibrator combining a piezo-electric bimorph element and flexible substance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a receiving device using a bone conduction speaker, and particularly uses eyeglasses for holding the bone receiving speaker.

  There are two types of receivers that transmit sound information to the inner ear, which is a human auditory organ, with an air conduction type and a bone conduction type depending on the difference of a vibrating body forming a sound generating unit (hereinafter referred to as a speaker). The air-conducting receiver is designed to transmit audio information to the inner ear via the air conduction through the middle ear transmission system including the ear canal and the eardrum by placing a speaker at the entrance of the ear canal.

  The bone-conduction type earphone device directly transmits voice information to the inner ear through the bone tissue without passing through the middle ear transmission system by pressing a vibrating body on the skin on the bone tissue such as the vicinity of the auricle or the mandible. Designed to communicate to. The purpose of using such a bone conduction receiver is mainly for hearing aid for the hearing impaired when the function of the middle ear is deteriorated. Has begun to be utilized as.

  One of the problems of the bone conduction receiver is how the vibration part is pressed against the head, and one method is a headset type that follows the existing headphones. Many proposals have been made as disclosed in Patent Document 3. In addition, as other methods, a configuration of embedding in instruments that come into contact with the head, a method of directly attaching to the skin of the head via an adhesive substance, and the like have been proposed. Such proposals are disclosed in Patent Documents 4 to 6.

  In addition, many proposals have been made to use the string part of glasses. The vibration part is at the tip of the string part and touches the base of the auricle, so that not only bone conduction sound but also air conduction sound is used. It has been proposed that a bone conduction speaker unit is vertically installed at the center of the string portion. Such a proposal is disclosed in Patent Document 7 and Patent Document 8.

JP 2003-18683 A JP-A-11-331970 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-215581 JP 04-022293 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-200997 JP 2002-359889 A JP-A-56-119248 JP 2004-205839 A

  The headset-type bone conduction receiver is most reasonable for the purpose of pressure contact with a bone conduction speaker. In particular, in the case of the electromagnetic system that has been widely used in the past, the thickness is several centimeters and the thickness is about 1 centimeter. This is troublesome for the user in order to wear a large housing-like speaker exactly on both cheeks.

  In addition, even if the method using a sticky substance is simple, it will cause discomfort to many users, and in addition to instability of mounting, it will also reduce the acoustic propagation efficiency. Did not get.

  On the other hand, in the case of a receiver using the string part of the glasses, the tip part of the string part vibrates. By contacting this vibration part with the base of the auricle, not only bone conduction sound but also air conduction sound is used. However, when actually listening, it was confirmed that the place was not acoustically efficient. In addition, the bone conduction microphone is attached to the portion of the chord part that contacts the auricular root, and the bone conduction speaker unit is suspended from the central part of the chord part so that the bone conduction speaker contacts the cheekbone. Propagation efficiency is not enough. In addition, if the vibration level is increased to the level required for normal headphones or hearing aids, the string part of the glasses functions as a speaker due to vibration, radiating sound in the air and being heard by the surroundings. Has been experimentally confirmed to occur.

  As described above, the conventional receiver using the string part of the glasses, which is less burdensome for the user to wear, has poor efficiency in transmitting the acoustic signal as described above. There was a problem of radiating. In addition, it is impressive in design, gives an impression like a special device, and attracts the attention of the surroundings, so it becomes a mental burden for the user, and when a bone conduction speaker is not used It also has a very disturbing configuration. As described above, there is nothing in the conventional product that satisfies all of functionality and design, and there is a problem in practical use.

  In order to solve such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a bone conduction receiver that uses spectacles that are excellent in sound quality, have high propagation efficiency, and have good wearability.

  The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems. That is, through various experiments, it is confirmed that the vicinity of the tragus can transmit the sound most sensitively as a vibration input part of bone conduction, and a vibrating body attached to the string of the glasses so as to be able to swing can be brought into contact with the vicinity of the tragus. The gist of this is the structure.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a receiving device comprising a spectacle part having a string part and a bone conduction speaker part that generates acoustic vibration, the bone conduction speaker part swinging via a holding member on the string part. It is possible to obtain a receiving device characterized in that it can be attached and the fixing position of the bone conduction speaker portion with respect to the string portion can be adjusted.

  The present invention attaches a bone conduction speaker part to a string part of an eyeglass part via a holding member, and enables the bone conduction speaker part to swing, so that the vicinity of the tragus most suitable as a bone conduction vibration input part The bone conduction speaker can be moved. That is, the acoustic signal generated by the bone conduction speaker unit can be efficiently transmitted to the inner ear.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a receiving device characterized in that the bone conduction speaker unit has a rod shape.

  According to the invention, the holding member has a hinge mechanism, and the longitudinal direction of the chord portion and the longitudinal direction of the bone conduction speaker portion are parallel to each other with the bone conduction speaker portion serving as a fulcrum. A receiver can be obtained that swings from a position to the fixed position.

  In the present invention, when a bone conduction speaker unit is attached to a string part of an eyeglass part and the bone conduction speaker part is not used as a receiving device, the bone conduction speaker unit is inconspicuous and inconspicuous without being disturbed. When the bone conduction speaker unit is used as a receiving device, the position of the bone conduction speaker unit is brought into contact with the vicinity of the ear trabecular region when the bone conduction speaker unit is supported by a hinge mechanism. The structure is movable.

  In the case of the receiver of the present invention, the bone conduction speaker unit is configured to abut on the face near the tragus, thereby generating sound information for generating sound information and transmitting it to the inner ear. Since it can be configured with a dual-path transmission function that uses both the transmission path and the sound transmission path via the airway for transmitting audio information to the inner ear via the external auditory canal and middle ear, it is clearer. Sounds can be heard with good natural sound quality, and the basic functions of bone conduction can be fully utilized. In other words, since the transmission efficiency of the acoustic signal of the tragus is extremely high, an audio signal of an appropriate voltage is input to the bone conduction speaker unit and driven while the bone conduction speaker unit is in contact with the face near the tragus. And with the ear canal open, you can hear clear sound.

  Further, according to the present invention, the bone conduction speaker unit includes a stopper that stops the rocking of the bone conduction speaker unit at the fixed position, and the holding member has the direction of the rocking or the rocking of the rocking A receiving device is provided that includes a pressing mechanism that applies an urging force having a vertical component to a direction to the bone conduction speaker unit.

  The present invention is provided with the holding member having a hinge mechanism in the string portion, and when the bone conduction speaker portion is not used, it can be stored in a state parallel to the string portion of the spectacle portion, and does not get in the way. If the bone conduction speaker part is moved to the vicinity of the tragus when using it, the bone conduction speaker part is provided with a stopper. Further, the holding member is provided with a pressing mechanism for pressing the bone conduction speaker portion in the vicinity of the tragus.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, there can be obtained a receiving device in which the bone conduction speaker unit is composed of a piezoelectric bimorph element and a flexible substance.

  In the present invention, a bone conduction speaker unit having a composite structure of a piezoelectric bimorph and a flexible material is used as a converter from an electric signal to sound vibration. Therefore, the conversion efficiency is high, and by adopting the piezoelectric bone conduction speaker unit, An extremely lightweight and simple configuration can provide a receiver that satisfies the user in terms of usability and design.

  Bone-conducting speaker unit composed of a composite of piezoelectric bimorph element and flexible material can generate sufficient sound output even if it is light and slender, and is arranged in parallel with the string part of the spectacle unit when not in use Alternatively, it is possible to make a design that looks as if it forms a part of the string part of the spectacles part, and it is a design with less mental burden from the standpoint of use.

  In this way, when used, the free mechanism can be pressed against the tragus by releasing the holding mechanism and rotating the bone conduction speaker unit by about 90 degrees using the hinge mechanism on the upper side of the outer ear. A structure that can be made.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the user can use the same feeling as normal glasses, and at the same time, when listening to sound, the external auditory canal is completely released, so that the surrounding sound is blocked. It is possible to realize a receiver with a completely new function that was not found in existing receivers, with excellent sound quality, high conversion efficiency, good wearability, and a clean design of bone or cartilage. It is possible to provide a receiver using the glasses.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a receiver according to the present invention. FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a non-use state of the receiver device, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing a use state of the receiver device.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the receiver according to the present invention includes a spectacle unit 10 having a string portion 12, a holding member 30 including a metal fitting 31 and having a hinge mechanism 13, and a rod-like bone held by the holding member 30. It is composed of a conductive speaker unit 11. In a non-use state where the receiver of the present invention does not function as a receiver, the bone conduction speaker unit 11 is housed in a position along the string portion 12 of the spectacles unit 10, but the receiver of the present invention functions. In the state of use, as shown in FIG. 1B, the bone conduction speaker unit 11 is rotated about 90 degrees around the hinge mechanism 13 in the direction of the arrow X and the hinge mechanism 13 as a fulcrum. And is in pressure contact with the tragus 14.

  When a voltage to be an audio signal is input to the bone conduction speaker unit 11 in the use state, the rod-shaped bone conduction speaker unit 11 generates a bending vibration, and the tragus 14 is applied with a force corresponding to the audio signal at the tip thereof. The user can hear clear sound by whispering and bone conduction.

  The advantage of the receiver according to the present invention is that, unlike an existing electromagnetic type earphone that closes the ear, the sound signal emitted by the bone conduction speaker unit while still being able to listen to the sound of the surrounding environment without closing the ear There is in point that can be heard.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing a bone conduction speaker unit according to the present invention. 2A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 2B is a side view. As shown in FIG. 2A, the bone conduction speaker unit 11 according to the present invention includes a shim 21 made of a metal elastic plate, two piezoelectric ceramic plates 22, and a coating layer 23 made of a flexible material or the like. Has been. The two piezoelectric ceramic plates 22 are arranged so as to sandwich the shim 21 from above and below, and are mechanically joined with an adhesive or the like to constitute a piezoelectric bimorph element 24. In the piezoelectric bimorph element 24, when one piezoelectric ceramic plate 22 expands in the longitudinal direction, a voltage is applied so that the other contracts in the longitudinal direction, and vibration is generated. The flexible material 23 has a function of covering the piezoelectric bimorph element 24 to protect the piezoelectric bimorph element 24 from humidity, impact, and the like, and transmitting vibration generated by the piezoelectric bimorph element 24 to the tragus 14. is doing.

  The piezoelectric ceramic plate 22 generates a displacement in the longitudinal direction mainly using a piezoelectric lateral effect. The piezoelectric ceramic plate 22 is rectangular and polarized in the thickness direction, and causes expansion and contraction in accordance with electric signals applied to the upper and lower surfaces. Electrical connections are not shown.

  Hereinafter, a specific example is given and the receiver of this invention is demonstrated in more detail.

Example 1
In FIG. 2A, piezoelectric ceramics manufactured by NEC TOKIN Co., Ltd. were used for the two piezoelectric ceramic plates 22, and the dimensions were 30 mm in length, 3 mm in width, and 0.2 mm in thickness. The shim 21 is made of brass having a thickness of 50 μm, and its length and width are substantially the same as those of the piezoelectric ceramic plate 22. These are bonded with an epoxy adhesive to form a piezoelectric bimorph element 24, and electrodes are provided on the outer main surface of the piezoelectric ceramic plate 22, and lead wires are drawn from the electrodes and shims 21.

  Here, if the piezoelectric ceramic plates 22 are stacked in the thickness direction, and the electrodes are divided into two groups for each layer so that polarization and voltage can be applied to each layer, the driving voltage can be greatly reduced. In this embodiment, a piezoelectric ceramic plate having an integrally fired structure in which 50 μm layers are stacked in four layers is used, and the two piezoelectric ceramic plates 22 are electrically connected in parallel. The size is not limited, and may be set as appropriate in consideration of performance, design, cost, and the like.

  Next, liquid urethane rubber was poured over the entire surface of the piezoelectric bimorph element 24 using a brass mold, and a coating layer 23 having a thickness of about 2 mm was formed on two surfaces in the thickness direction by a curing process. At this time, the length of the urethane rubber coating layer 23 was 10 mm longer than the entire length of the piezoelectric bimorph element, and a through hole 25 penetrating in the thickness direction having a diameter of 1 mm was formed at one end to form the bone conduction speaker unit 11.

  FIG. 2B is a side view of the bone conduction speaker unit 11 as viewed from the direction of the arrow Y shown in FIG. 2A. The bone conduction speaker unit 11 has a protrusion protruding from the end by about 2 mm. A stopper 41 was provided at the corner of the end. The overall dimensions of the bone conduction speaker unit 11 excluding the stopper 41 were 5 mm wide, 4 mm thick, and 40 mm long. Here, if a plurality of piezoelectric bimorphs 24 are arranged at intervals and covered with urethane rubber, the generated vibration force can be increased, and such a configuration may be used as necessary.

  In the present embodiment, an off-the-shelf spectacle unit 10 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B was used. As shown in FIG. 1B, the chord part 12 of the spectacles part 10 has a thickness of 4 mm and a width of 6 mm so that the bone conduction speaker part 11 can be accommodated in the chord part 12. A notch portion 26 was provided from the portion to the support portion 13.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the metal fitting according to the present embodiment. A metal fitting 31 shown in FIG. 3 is a component constituting the holding member 30 shown in FIG. 1, and an aluminum plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 26 mm is processed to form a hole 33 having a diameter of 1 mm. There are two holes 32 at both ends and two holes 32 having a diameter of 1 mm in the center, and are provided at a total of four locations, and are bent into a U-shape as shown in FIG. Sometimes, the two holes 33 at both ends face each other, and the two holes 32 at the center face each other, so that a bolt for fixing and supporting the bone conduction speaker part 11 to the string part 12 is passed.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a hinge mechanism according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a usage state of the receiver, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a non-use state of the receiver. As shown in FIG. 4A, the string portion 12 is inserted into the metal fitting 31, and a bolt 42 having a diameter of 0.8 mm is passed through a direct 1 mm through hole provided in the string portion 12 and a hole 32 provided in the metal fitting 31 in advance. The metal fitting 31 was fixed to the string portion 12 by tightening with a nut.

  Further, the portion provided with the through hole 25 of the bone conduction speaker unit 11 is inserted into the portion where the hole 33 of the metal fitting 31 protrudes from the string portion 12, and the hole 33 of the metal fitting 31 and the through hole of the bone conduction speaker portion 11 are inserted. The bone conduction speaker unit 11 was fixed to the metal fitting 31 by tightening it with a nut through a bolt 43 having a diameter of 0.8 mm. FIG. 4A shows a use state as a receiver according to the present embodiment. In this state, the stopper 41 provided on the bone conduction speaker unit 11 abuts against the string unit 12 to move in the arrow Z2 direction. Prevents moving. Therefore, it is possible to freely adjust the angle θ formed by the bone conduction speaker unit 11 and the chord part 12 by changing the dimension of the stopper 41 protruding from the end of the bone conduction speaker unit 11.

  Further, when the receiver according to the present embodiment is not used, the bone conduction speaker unit 11 is moved in the direction of the arrow Z1 so that the bone conduction speaker unit 11 is parallel to the string portion 12 as shown in FIG. Thus, the unity with the string part 12 is given, and it can be stored without conspicuous. In practical use, it is necessary to have a holding mechanism for stably maintaining the bone conduction speaker portion 11 in parallel with the chord portion 12, such as a claw-like stopper using a spring, the chord portion 12 and the bone conduction portion. What is necessary is just to have the function, such as fixing the speaker part 11 with magnetic force. In the case of the present embodiment, the mounting bolts and nuts are tightened strongly to apply an urging force to the bone conduction speaker unit 11 so that it can be held at a designated position.

  As described above, when the bone conduction speaker unit 11 is rotated about 90 degrees, which is the state in use, the stopper 41 formed at the corner of the bone conduction speaker unit 11 is prevented from rotating more than necessary. By striking the string portion 12, it can have the function, but any configuration having the same function may be used. The attachment of the bone conduction speaker unit to the glasses has a function on one side, but it is effective to attach to both sides and listen from both sides to improve the hearing. At that time, when wearing the glasses and putting the bone conduction speaker unit 11 into use, it is desirable that the end or part of the bone conduction speaker unit 11 is in contact with the tragus. The position before and after attaching to the strings of glasses can be adjusted.

  The distal end portion of the bone conduction speaker portion 11 should be pressed against the tragus with an appropriate pressure. In this embodiment, however, the chord portion 12 of the spectacle portion 10 has a rod-like shape formed by a composite of rigidity, piezoelectric bimorph, and flexible material. The elasticity of the bone conduction speaker unit 11 has a pressure contact force that crushes the swelling of the tragus to about half, so that the pressure contact force was practically sufficient. Depending on the configuration, it is possible to adjust the pressure contact force to the tragus by adding rigidity to the holding member 30 that holds the chord part 12 of the eyeglass part 10 or the bone conduction speaker part 11 by reinforcement of a spring material or the like. It is. In this example, it was confirmed that if an audio signal of about 10 Vrms is input to the bone conduction speaker unit 11, music and audio information can be heard at a clear and sufficient volume by receiving the generated vibration with the tragus. .

(Example 2)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the hinge mechanism according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5A is a side view, and FIG. 5B is a bottom view. In the second embodiment, without using the metal fitting 31 in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a convex portion 51 is provided at the end of the bone conduction speaker portion 11, and a notch portion 52 provided in the chord portion 12. A holding member 54 having a hinge mechanism was formed by inserting the convex portion 51 and supporting it with a pin 53. The bone conduction speaker unit 11 swings in the direction of the arrow X, and the step portion formed by the bone conduction speaker unit 11 and the convex portion 51 abuts against the chord portion 12 so as to stop at the fixed position. 41 functions were provided.

  In Example 2, the material of the piezoelectric bimorph element and the coating layer used for the bone conduction speaker unit 11 was the same as that of the example. In Example 2, the same effect as in Example 1 was obtained.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used not only as a bone conduction receiver, but also as an acoustic vibration transmission device that converts an electroacoustic signal from an ordinary acoustic device, a mobile terminal device, a mobile phone, or the like into acoustic vibration and transmits it to the auditory sense.

The schematic diagram which shows the telephone receiver by this invention. Fig.1 (a) is a schematic diagram which shows the non-use state of a receiver. FIG.1 (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the use condition of a receiver. The figure which shows the bone conduction speaker part by this invention. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view. FIG. 2B is a side view. The perspective view which shows the metal fitting which concerns on a present Example. The perspective view which shows the hinge mechanism which concerns on a present Example. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a usage state of the receiver. FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a state where the receiver is not used. The figure which shows the hinge mechanism which concerns on the present Example 2. FIG. FIG. 5A is a side view. FIG. 5B is a bottom view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Glasses part 11 Bone conduction speaker part 12 String part 13 Hinge mechanism 14 Tragus 21 Shim 22 Piezoelectric ceramic board 23 Cover layer 24 Piezoelectric bimorph element 25 Through hole 26, 52 Notch part 30, 54 Holding member 31 Metal fittings 32, 33 Hole 41 Stopper 42, 43 Bolt 51 Convex 53 Pin X, Y, Z1, Z2 Arrow θ Angle

Claims (5)

  A receiving device comprising a spectacle part having a string part and a bone conduction speaker part that generates acoustic vibrations, wherein the bone conduction speaker part is swingably attached to the string part via a holding member, A receiving device characterized in that a position where the bone conduction speaker portion is fixed to a string portion can be adjusted.   The receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bone conduction speaker unit has a rod shape.   The holding member has a hinge mechanism, and the bone conduction speaker unit swings from the position where the longitudinal direction of the chord part and the longitudinal direction of the bone conduction speaker part are parallel to the fixed position with the hinge mechanism as a fulcrum. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the receiver is moved.   The bone conduction speaker unit includes a stopper that stops swinging of the bone conduction speaker unit at the fixed position, and the holding member has a component in a direction perpendicular to the direction of swinging or the direction of swinging. The receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pressing mechanism that applies an urging force to the bone conduction speaker unit.   The receiving apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bone-conducting speaker unit is composed of a piezoelectric bimorph element and a flexible material.

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