JP7262850B2 - Bone conduction headset exclusively for tinnitus treatment that stimulates the mastoid process and auricle at the same time - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a bone conduction headset, and more particularly, it can transmit sound vibrations by contacting the mastoid and transmit sound vibrations by contacting the auricle, so that the mastoid and the auricle can be simultaneously transmitted. A bone conduction headset capable of treating tinnitus while providing a stimulating tinnitus care sound source.

In general, sound audible to the human ear is transmitted in the form of waves. External sound enters the human outer ear, causes the eardrum to vibrate, stimulates cells in the inner ear inside the eardrum, and is transmitted to the brain.

The frequency range of sounds that humans can hear is about 20-20000 Hz, and the frequency range of human speech is about 500-2000 Hz.

However, a hearing-impaired person may not hear all or part of the sound frequency range. Therefore, recently, a bone conduction system that transmits sound through vibration of the skull is used.

In the bone conduction method, the sound that vibrates the skull is transmitted to the cochlear canal and transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve. It omits the process of

In other words, the acoustic vibrations applied to the skin surface around the ear are immediately transmitted to the cochlea through the skull, so even a person with hearing loss who has an abnormality in the eardrum or auditory ossicles can hear if the cochlea and auditory nerve are normal. , bone conduction through the skin makes it possible to hear sound reliably.

On the other hand, in the case of air-conducting headsets, the use of air-conducting headsets with their ears blocked makes it impossible to hear external noise, etc., increasing the risk of accidents due to carelessness. It is legally prohibited to listen to music on the road while wearing air-conducting earphones or headphones.

Recently, due to the worldwide increase in noise-induced hearing loss among young people due to the rapid spread of digital audio and communication equipment, more than 10% of the population complain of hearing loss. Since the increase in hearing loss is also regarded as a social problem, it is the current situation that reducing the speaker volume received and shortening the usage time are presented as alternatives.

Therefore, the bone conduction headset is used by the general public with their ears open to receive surrounding noise at the same time. Since it uses the principle of bone conduction, it can prevent hearing loss.

Since such a bone conduction headset transmits sound by vibrating the bones around the ear, it can be useful not only for the hearing impaired but also for those who work in noisy environments.

In the past, bone conduction type headsets only performed a simple sound transmission function, making it difficult to realize various functions. There was a problem that

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention is intended to solve the above-described problems. To provide a bone conduction headset capable of simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle to treat tinnitus by simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle which can be enhanced.

The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems described above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be obtained from the following descriptions by common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. should be clearly understood by those who have

As specific means for achieving the above object, a bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a neckband portion that surrounds the back of the user's head in a strip shape, One end is detachably assembled to both side ends of the neckband, and assembled to an ear hook portion forming an ear hook groove for hooking on the user's ear, and an attachment groove formed on the inner side surface of the ear hook portion. a first bone conduction part that is provided in the mount part and transmits sound to the auditory nerve by bone conduction via the mastoid process located behind the auricle of the user; and one end of the first bone conduction part a second bone conduction part assembled to the mounting part in contact with the mounting part, elastically sticking to the rear side of the auricle of the user, and transmitting sound to the auditory nerve by bone conduction.

At this time, the neckband portion includes at least one internal band member, and the width of the internal band member gradually increases from the center of the length toward both side ends connected to the pair of ear hooks. It may be provided by a plate material of a constant length tapering to a certain length.

At this time, at both ends of the internal band material, a connection plate having an assembly hole penetrating therethrough is provided via a connection portion having a plate width smaller than the plate width of the internal band material, and the connection plate extends toward the connection plate side. A straight line-shaped press groove may be recessed and formed.

At this time, the ear hook portion is connected to both side ends of the neckband portion and includes an ear hook main body having an assembly groove on an inner side surface to be inserted and assembled corresponding to the mount portion, and an ear hook body on the rear side of the ear hook main body. and an ear hook extension extending in a curved shape, and an elastic force from the end of the ear hook extension is bent in a direction in which both ends of the neck band are gathered inward and then reversed. and a curvilinear bent portion that is bent in a spreading direction.

At this time, the ear hooking part may include a soft contact member made of a soft material so as to be in close contact with the user's skin on the outer surface of the lower end forming the ear hooking groove.

At this time, the mount part has a cylindrical housing tube in which the first bone conduction part is housed at the other end of a plate whose one end is correspondingly coupled to the mounting groove, and the plate is provided with the ear. It is preferable that it is arranged at a certain angle with respect to the inner surface of the hook.

At this time, the second bone conduction part includes a coupling tube having an inner hole correspondingly coupled with the mount part to which the first bone conduction part is attached, and a rear side of the user's auricle from the outer frame of the coupling tube. and a contact plate extending toward the auricle side so as to elastically contact the , and a contact plate extending from the coupling tube toward the contact plate side so as to transmit sound vibration generated in the first bone conduction portion to the auricle. and a vibration transmission plate.

At this time, an extension plate extending from the outer frame of the coupling tube to the lower side of the mastoid process is included, and the inner surface of the extension plate extends outward to generate adsorption force with the skin to enhance wearing comfort. It may have a curved arcuate cross section.

At this time, the vibration transmitting plate includes a receiving plate wound around the coupling pipe in a circular shape and a transmitting plate branched from one end of the receiving plate and disposed on the contact plate. and may include

At this time, the neckband portion may include a pair of LED members for generating electroencephalogram tuning light when power is applied to the inner surface.

At this time, the controller may further comprise a tinnitus care program to treat tinnitus by providing a therapeutic sound source to a tinnitus patient who feels that they can hear sound in the absence of an external auditory stimulus.

As described above, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the following effects are obtained.

When the headset is worn, along with bone conduction through the first bone conduction part corresponding to the mastoid process of the user, sound vibration is transmitted to the auditory nerve through the cartilage of the user's auricle, thereby In addition to reducing the sound burden on the middle ear and bone conduction system, it is possible to increase the sound reception rate and to hear the sound with high accuracy, thereby increasing the user's satisfaction.

By providing a tinnitus patient with a care sound source for tinnitus treatment, it is possible to effectively treat tinnitus.

1a, 1b, 1c and 1d are external perspective views showing a bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing an internal band material of a neckband portion applied to a bone conduction headset that simultaneously stimulates the mastoid process and the auricle according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view of the rear of a bone conduction headset for simultaneous stimulation of the mastoid process and the auricle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 5(a) and 5(b) are an exploded perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a first bone conduction part applied to a bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to an embodiment of the present invention; is. 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d are structural diagrams showing a second bone conduction part applied to a bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a user wears a bone conduction headset that simultaneously stimulates the mastoid process and the auricle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments that enable those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains to easily carry out the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in describing the structural principles of the preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail, if it is determined that specific descriptions of related well-known functions or constructions unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the details thereof may be omitted. detailed description is omitted.

In addition, the same reference numerals are attached to parts having similar functions and actions throughout the drawings.

Furthermore, throughout the specification, a part is "connected" to another part not only when it is "directly connected" but also when it is "indirectly connected" with another element in between. including cases where they are “linked”. In addition, "including" a component means that it may further include other components, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise specified.

A bone conduction headset 100 for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a neckband portion 10, an ear hook portion 20, and an ear hook portion 20, as shown in FIGS. 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d. A first bone conduction part 30 and a second bone conduction part 40 may be included.

As shown in FIGS. 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d, the neckband part 10 is positioned behind the neck, which is the occipital side of the user, and has a substantially arc-shaped belt shape to surround and accommodate it. It is a structure provided by

Such a neckband part 10 is formed of rubber or synthetic resin, is provided inside the body of an elastic outer member, and may include an inner band member 12 of metal material to reinforce structural rigidity.

By embedding an internal band material made of a heavy metal material inside the neckband portion 10 made of a light material such as resin or synthetic resin, the overall weight of the neckband portion is reduced and structural rigidity is increased. can be secured.

The inner band member 12 is a metal plate member of a certain length, which is provided in a shape in which the plate width gradually narrows from the center of the length toward both ends connected to the pair of ear hooks 20 . may be

In this case, the inner band material 12 incorporated in the neckband part 10 is designed to have a width larger than that at both ends, so that the user can adjust the center according to the size of the back of the neck. At the same time, it is possible to easily perform a flexible fitting operation for warping and deforming the curved neckband portion.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, both ends of the internal band material 12 have a width smaller than the plate width of the internal band material so as to be assembled and connected to the assembled part provided in the ear hooking part 20 . A connecting plate 13 having an assembly hole 13a penetratingly formed through a connecting portion 14 having a plate width size is provided.

In one side surface of the connecting portion 14, a substantially straight-shaped press groove 14a extending toward the connecting plate 13 side is formed so as to prevent fatigue fracture due to concentrated stress during bending deformation of the connecting portion having a narrow width. and short circuits can be prevented.

Also, a pair of LED members 15 for generating electroencephalogram tuning light may be provided on the inner surface of the neckband portion 10 when power is applied.

The neckband part 10 is turned over to face the front of the user, and the pair of LED members correspond to the left and right eyes of the user one-to-one, and then the user closes the eyes. In this state, an external power source is supplied to the pair of LED members 15 to generate light having a frequency band for brain wave tuning. effect is obtained.

It is preferable that the pair of LED members 15 are provided at regular intervals on the inner surface of the neckband so as to correspond one-to-one with the user's eyes.

As shown in FIGS. 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, and 4, the ear hooks 20 are detachably assembled at both ends of the neckband to be worn on the ears of the user. An ear hook groove is formed for wearing on the ear.

The ear hooking part 20 is connected to both ends of the neckband part 10 and has a mounting groove on the inner side thereof to be inserted and assembled corresponding to the mounting part 39 on which the first bone conduction part 30 is installed. An ear hook body 21 may be included, and an ear hook extension 22 extending rearward from the ear hook body 21 in a substantially curved shape may be included.

The outer surface of the upper end of the earhook body may include an operation button part 25 having a number of buttons such as a volume button and a power button. A button 26 may also be included.

In addition, a microphone 24 for receiving external sound is exposed at the end of the ear hook extension part 22, and both ends of the neckband part 10 are bent inward so as to have elasticity. , may include a curvilinear fold 23 folded in the opposite direction of divergence.

Said microphone 24 may be a condenser microphone, such as an electrostatic microphone that applies a capacitor to generate electricity from the sound source to receive the user's voice and use it for telephone call purposes, or it may capture ambient sound. It may be equipped with a low electrical and mechanically operated MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanics System) microphone made with semiconductor fabrication techniques to perform the microphone function of the hearing aid function by collectively noise-canceling.

Due to the curved bent portion 23, when the user wears the neckband part of the headset by elastically spreading it behind the neck, the curved inner surface of the curved bent portion is placed on the back of the user's neck. The headset can be softly touched and slid on the skin of the wearer, and can enhance the feeling of wearing and close contact of the headset.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the ear hooking part 20 is attached to the outer surface of the lower end forming an ear hooking groove for fitting on the user's ear so as to be in close contact with the user's skin. A soft contact member 27 made of a soft material such as silicone resin may be provided.

With such a soft contact member 27, when the headset is worn, the adhesion between the ear hook and the user's ear can be enhanced to enhance the feeling of wearing. 2) By minimizing the vibration interference of self-vibration generated in the bone conduction part and transmitted to the microphone 24 through the ear hook 20 made of plastic molding, back-howling can be reduced.

Therefore, it is preferable that the soft contact member 27 is extended to the end of the curved bent portion 23 where the microphone is exposed to the outside.

As a result, the curved bent portion and the soft contact member provided in the ear hook portion enhance the wearing comfort when wearing the headset, and when exercising with a lot of body movement while wearing the headset. , the headset can be interlocked with the neckband portion to reduce the likelihood of it coming off or being separated from the user's back.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first bone conduction part 30 is combined with a mount part 29 that is detachably assembled by being inserted correspondingly to a mounting groove formed on the inner surface of the ear hook part. It is to transmit sound to the auditory nerve of the cochlear canal by conducting bone conduction of sound vibration through the mastoid process, which is a bony process located behind the auricle.

As shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), the first bone conduction part 30 includes a lid case 31a assembled on the other side of a case 31 having a substrate 32 on one side. contains a bobbin 35 connected to the upper end, which is the other end, of a coil-shaped voice coil 33, whose one end, which is the lower end, is connected to the substrate 32, and which is positioned inside the coil-shaped voice coil, A cylindrical magnet 34 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the bobbin 35 .

Between the case 31 and the lid case 31a, an outer frame of a suspension leaf spring 36 is fixedly installed, and the outer frame of the suspension leaf spring 36 is fixedly attached to the center of the lower surface of the upper surface, which is the outer surface of the bobbin 35, and is disposed above the suspension leaf spring. An outer frame of a diaphragm 37, which is a vibration plate, is fixedly installed.

Accordingly, when a signal received from the outside through the substrate or an electrical signal of sound is transmitted to the voice coil, the interaction between the voice coil and the magnet causes the vibration and vibration of the suspension leaf spring. By causing the vibrating action of the diaphragm to generate noise vibration and reproduce sound, received external signals and sounds are transmitted through the breast, which is a bony projection corresponding to the rear side of the ear, without passing through the user's eardrum. Sound can be heard by transmitting sound vibrations to the auditory nerve via the sacral process.

The mount part 39 has a plate body whose one end is coupled to a mounting groove formed on the inner surface of the ear hook part, and the cylindrical case 31 constituting the first bone conduction part 30 is inside. It is preferable that a cylindrical housing tube is provided, and the plate body is arranged to be inclined at a certain angle (θ) with respect to the inner surface of the ear hook portion.

The mount part 39 may be made of elastic rubber or resin material.

In this case, the mount part 39 that accommodates the first bone conduction part 30 is a plate that is inclined inward at a certain angle when the user wears the headset, and is elastically deformed outward. By generating the restoring force of the spring, it is possible to enhance the adhesion between the first bone conduction part provided in the mount part and the mastoid process, thereby enhancing the efficiency of bone conduction through the mastoid process.

As shown in FIGS. 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, and 2, the second bone conduction part 40 is detachably assembled to the mount part 39 together with the first bone conduction part 30, and the By elastically adhering to the back side of the user's auricle, sound vibration is transmitted to the auditory nerve of the cochlear canal through bone conduction through the cartilage of the auricle.

The second bone conduction part 40 includes a coupling tube 41 having an inner hole 41a so as to be correspondingly coupled with the mount part 39 on which the first bone conduction part 30 is mounted, and an outer frame of the coupling tube 41. and a contact plate 43 extending toward the auricle so as to elastically contact the rear side of the user's auricle, and transmit sound vibration generated in the first bone conduction part 30 to the auricle. Also, a vibration transmission plate 44 extending from the coupling pipe to the contact plate side may be included.

As shown in FIG. 6a, the second bone conduction part 40 includes an extension plate 42 extending from the outer frame of the coupling tube to the lower side of the mastoid process to expand the contact area with the user's skin, The inner surface 42a of the extension plate 42, which contacts the user's skin, may have an arc-shaped cross-section that curves from the outside so as to generate an adsorption force with the skin and enhance the wearing comfort.

In addition, it is preferable that the extension plate 42 has a cross-sectional shape in which the plate thickness becomes thinner toward the outside so as to enhance the adhesion to the user's skin when the headset is worn.

The connecting tube 41 has a circular shape so that the inner surface thereof is inserted corresponding to the outer surface of the cylindrical receiving tube of the mount portion in which the first bone conduction portion is accommodated and is detachably connected. It may consist of a substantially hollow cylindrical tube having an internal bore 41a.

One end of the internal hole 41a of the coupling tube 41 corresponding to the mount part is open, while the other end of the internal hole 41a corresponding to the user's skin is accommodated in the cylindrical housing tube of the mount part. Although illustrated and described as having a sealing surface that blocks contamination of sweat generated on the user's skin and external foreign matter to the first bone conduction part side of the body, it is not limited to this, and the use described above is not limited to this. An opening may be formed so that the mastoid process of the person and the first bone conduction part are in direct contact with each other.

As shown in FIG. 6a, the contact plate 42 is illustrated and described as having a web-like outer frame formed of corrugations so as to elastically come into contact with the rear side of the user's auricle. However, as shown in FIG. 6b, it may have a substantially square plate shape with rounded outer corners.

The vibration transmission plate 44 is preferably made of a thin metal plate material such as SUS, which has excellent vibration transmissibility and machinability.

As shown in FIG. 6C, the vibration transmission plate 44 is wound around the body of the coupling tube 41 in a substantially circular shape, and is a receiving plate for receiving sound vibrations generated in the first bone conduction part 30. It includes a body 44 a and may include a transmission plate 44 b branched from one end of the receiving plate 44 a and disposed on the body of the contact plate 43 .

As a result, the sound vibration generated in the first bone conduction part 30 passes through the reception plate of the vibration transmission plate and is transmitted to the multi-branched transmission plate, whereby the sound is transmitted through the mastoid process. The sound vibration of the first bone conduction part that bone-conducts the vibration is transmitted to the auditory nerve through the cartilage of the auricle with which the contact plate is elastically contacted, so that the user can clearly hear the sound with a higher sound reception rate. can listen.

Here, the vibration transmission plate 44 may be buried in the interior of the coupling pipe 41 and the contact plate 43, which are made of a resin material such as silicon resin, so as not to be exposed to the outside. , but not limited to this, one side is configured to increase the reception rate of receiving sound vibrations generated in the first bone conduction part and increase the bone conductivity of transmitting sound vibrations to the cartilage side of the auricle. may be placed exposed to

The headset 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is capable of treating tinnitus by periodically providing a therapeutic sound source to a tinnitus patient who feels that they can hear sounds in the absence of an external auditory stimulus. may include a controller with a tinnitus care program.

That is, the headset reproduces the tinnitus care sound source stored in the memory of the control unit in the first bone conduction unit, transmits the reproduced sound source through the mastoid process and the auricle by bone conduction, and listens. Tinnitus treatment can be performed by

In addition, the headset may be wirelessly connected to a smartphone, and may play back a tinnitus sound source stored in an application server of the smartphone in the first bone conduction unit in a streaming manner.

At this time, a diagnostic program for diagnosing tinnitus of the user is installed in the application of the smartphone, and tinnitus treatment information of various forms is provided, thereby diagnosing the tinnitus state according to the diagnostic program for each user. Then, the tinnitus care sound source can be reproduced according to the diagnosis and transmitted to the user, so that the tinnitus patient can be effectively treated.

As described above, the present invention is not limited by the above-described embodiments and attached drawings, and various substitutions, modifications, and alterations are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains.

Claims (5)

A neckband part that surrounds the back of the user's head in a strip shape,
an ear hooking part having one end detachably assembled at both ends of the neckband part and forming an ear hooking groove to be hooked on the user's ear;
A mount portion assembled in a mounting groove formed on the inner surface of the ear hook portion, and transmits sound to the auditory nerve by bone conduction via the mastoid process located behind the auricle of the user. 1 bone conduction part;
a second bone conduction part which is assembled to the mount part with one end in contact with the first bone conduction part, elastically adheres to the rear side of the auricle of the user, and transmits sound to the auditory nerve by bone conduction; , including
The second bone conduction part includes a coupling tube having an inner hole correspondingly coupled with the mount part to which the first bone conduction part is attached, and extending from the outer frame of the coupling tube to the rear side of the auricle of the user. a contact plate extending toward the auricle for elastic contact; and a contact plate extending from the connecting tube toward the contact plate so as to transmit sound vibration generated in the first bone conduction part to the auricle. A bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle , including a vibration transmission plate . An extension plate extending from the outer frame of the coupling tube to the lower side of the mastoid process is included, and the inner surface of the extension plate is curved outward to generate adsorption force with the skin and enhance wearing comfort. The bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to claim 1 , having a cross-sectional shape. The vibration transmission plate includes a reception plate wound around the coupling pipe in a circular shape and a transmission plate branched from one end of the reception plate and disposed on the contact plate. A bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to claim 1 , comprising: 2. The bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to claim 1, wherein the neckband part comprises a pair of LED members that generate brain wave tuning light when power is applied to the inner surface thereof. 13. Further comprising a control unit comprising a tinnitus care program to treat tinnitus by periodically providing a therapeutic sound source to a tinnitus patient who perceives a sound in the absence of external auditory stimulation. A bone conduction headset for simultaneously stimulating the mastoid process and the auricle according to any one of claims 4 to 9.

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