Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R17/00—Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
  • H04R1/20—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics
  • H04R1/22—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired frequency characteristic only 
  • H04R1/28—Transducer mountings or enclosures modified by provision of mechanical or acoustic impedances, e.g. resonator, damping means
  • H04R1/2807—Enclosures comprising vibrating or resonating arrangements
  • H04R1/283—Enclosures comprising vibrating or resonating arrangements using a passive diaphragm
  • H04R1/2834—Enclosures comprising vibrating or resonating arrangements using a passive diaphragm for loudspeaker transducers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R7/00—Diaphragms for electromechanical transducers; Cones
  • H04R7/02—Diaphragms for electromechanical transducers; Cones characterised by the construction
  • H04R7/12—Non-planar diaphragms or cones
  • H04R7/127—Non-planar diaphragms or cones dome-shaped
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
  • H04R1/10—Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones
  • H04R1/1058—Manufacture or assembly
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R2460/00—Details of hearing devices, i.e. of ear- or headphones covered by H04R1/10 or H04R5/033 but not provided for in any of their subgroups, or of hearing aids covered by H04R25/00 but not provided for in any of its subgroups
  • H04R2460/13—Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers

Definitions

• the invention relates to a device for listening to vocal and / or musical signals by cranial bone transmission.
• devices for listening to vocal and / or musical signals are conventionally made up of internal earphones, that is to say earphones with small tips that are introduced into the ear canal.
• the first disadvantage of such headphones lies in the fact that their regular use results in a deterioration of the auditory faculties, phenomenon observed medically more and more frequently, in particular at the users of tape recorders and / or portable radios known under the name portable players , and which can lead to irreversible damage.
• the transmission of sounds is carried out by means of a point contact such as a contact pad suitable, because of its small dimensions, to exert on the skull a consequent pressure which makes it possible to obtain an excellent transmission. sounds.
• a point contact such as a contact pad suitable, because of its small dimensions, to exert on the skull a consequent pressure which makes it possible to obtain an excellent transmission. sounds.
• this point pressure exerted on the skull is unpleasant and can become traumatic after a certain time of use of the listening device. This pressure punctual can also be traumatic in case of accidental impact on the listening device.
• the contact between the listening device and the skull is a surface contact since it consists of an acoustically conductive plate, and in theory not likely to annoy the user.
• the conductive plate undergoes deformations induced by those of the piezoelectric membrane and therefore proves to transmit this deformation against the skull at the level of a support area of reduced surface practically comparable to a point contact. Consequently, such listening devices turn out to lead to the same inconveniences as those of contact pad listening devices.
• the quality of the bone transmission of such listening devices is lower than that of contact pad listening devices.
• the present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks and has the main objective of providing a device for listening to vocal and / or musical signals by bone transmission, the wearing of which is very comfortable for the user and having excellent bone transmission quality. sounds.
• the invention relates to a device for listening to vocal and / or musical signals by cranial bone transmission comprising:
• a housing provided with a front face, called the front, open and closed by a flexible membrane, and an opposite front face, called the rear, consisting of a rigid hermetic wall,
• a piezoelectric element of dimensions adapted to be integrated into the housing so as to extend parallel to the front faces of the latter, means for holding the piezoelectric element adapted to secure the periphery of the latter to the housing, so as to divide the internal volume of said housing into two hermetic chambers:
• a chamber delimited by the flexible membrane and the piezoelectric element, and filled with an incompressible fluid or gel, and
• a chamber delimited by the piezoelectric element and the rear front wall of the housing, and incorporating damping means capable of compensating for the stresses exerted on the piezoelectric element, resulting from the forces exerted on the flexible membrane during its application against a skull.
• the listening device therefore comprises a piezoelectric element maintained at its periphery inside a housing so as to be able to deform axially, and delimiting two hermetic chambers inside said housing: a chamber before closed by a flexible membrane forming a contact surface with the skull, and filled with an incompressible fluid or gel which allows, on the one hand, to distribute uniformly over the entire surface of the flexible membrane, the forces and pressures resulting from deformations of the piezoelectric element, and on the other hand, to transmit without altering them, the vibrations of this piezoelectric element and thus to obtain an excellent sound transmission equivalent to that obtained with a point contact, and a chamber rear incorporating damping means making it possible to compensate for the stresses exerted on the piezoelectric element.
• Such a listening device is therefore very pleasant to wear due to the uniform distribution of the forces and pressures exerted on the skull, over a large surface consisting of the entire surface of the flexible membrane, which makes it possible to reduce notably the forces and pressures exerted on the skull compared to those exerted by current devices.
• it makes it possible to obtain an excellent quality of sound transmission due to the non-alteration by the incompressible fluid or gel of the vibrations of the piezoelectric element which are therefore perfectly reflected at the level of the flexible membrane.
• the damping means comprise elastic means in abutment against the piezoelectric element and the rear front wall of the housing, so as to form a flexible support capable of opposing a remanent deformation of this piezoelectric element.
• the elastic means arranged in the rear chamber act as springs preventing the piezoelectric element from crushing and breaking and having a flexibility adapted to allow the vibration of this piezoelectric element.
• the elastic means consist of at least one O-ring placed in an annular groove formed in the rear front wall of the housing, and of cross section of diameter greater than the depth of this groove.
• the rear chamber of the housing contains a compressible fluid.
• the rear chamber is filled with an incompressible fluid or gel, the damping means comprising elastic means devoid of contact with the piezoelectric element and capable of deforming so as to absorb the variations in volume of the rear chamber during the vibrations of said piezoelectric element.
• the rear chamber is therefore filled with an incompressible fluid or gel which makes it possible to obtain a balance of pressures on either side of the piezoelectric element.
• this rear chamber contains elastic means capable of deforming so as to absorb variations in volume despite the incompressibility of the fluid or gel.
• the vibration damping effect of the piezoelectric element is anger that that obtained with a spring system in contact with this piezoelectric element, and the vibrations are therefore less attenuated.
• the elastic means can advantageously consist of an annular ring of an elastic material housed in the rear chamber of the housing.
• the flexible membrane is advantageously shaped so as to have a domed shape which leads to avoid contact of the housing against the skull.
• the listening device comprises an annular chamber, called damping chamber, formed around the front chamber so as to be delimited by a peripheral annular zone of the flexible membrane, said damping chamber being isolated from said front chamber, and communicating with the rear chamber so that the peripheral zone of the flexible membrane constitutes the elastic means of absorbing variations in volume of said chamber back.
• the flexible membrane is then shaped so as to present a central zone of convex shape capable of delimiting the front chamber, separated by an annular groove, of a convex annular crown capable of delimiting the damping chamber .
• the incompressible fluid or gel consists of water, and the piezoelectric element is coated with an insulating coating against water.
• FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the constituent elements of a first embodiment of the listening device according to the invention
• Figure 2 is a longitudinal transverse and axial section of this device d 'listening
• - Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the components of a second embodiment of the listening device according to the invention
• Figure 4 is a longitudinal and axial cross section of this device listening
• - Figure 5 is a perspective view in exploded view of the components of a third embodiment of the device according to the invention
• Figures 6 and 7 are longitudinal cross sections along respective planes A and B of this listening device.
• the listening devices according to the invention shown in the figures are suitable for transmitting or receiving voice and / or musical signals by cranial bone transmission.
• these listening devices are, moreover, shaped so as to have a reduced shape and thickness allowing a natural and comfortable hold under any known means worn on the head, without requiring any specific holding means.
• these listening devices are, moreover, suitable for operating in both aquatic and aerial environments.
• Each of these devices comprises, firstly, a conventional vibrating piezoelectric element 1 comprising a circular vibrating ceramic layer 2 deposited on a metal disc 3 bordered by an annular ring 4 of neutral damping.
• electrical connection wires 5 are conventionally connected to this vibrating element;
• this vibrating element 1 is isolated by any known coating such as latex or silicone elastomer ...
• this vibrating element 1 is integrated inside a hermetic housing and delimits inside this housing two hermetic chambers called front 6 and rear 7.
• this box consists of two sub-assemblies intended to be assembled at the end of assembly.
• the first of these subassemblies comprises a front flange 8 consisting of an annular ring 9 of L-shaped section, extended by a radial end piece 10 in the form of a trough.
• the first sub-assembly further comprises a flexible membrane 11 made of a material such as latex, having a curved circular shape bordered by a radial peripheral collar 12.
• the dimensions of this membrane 11 are adapted so that the collar 12 comes to bear resting inside the front flange 8 in a position where the central part of the latter extends outside said front flange.
• the first sub-assembly finally comprises an annular ring 13 provided with an annular boss 14 adapted to be housed in the front flange 8 so as to maintain the flexible membrane l i inside the latter.
• the second sub-assembly comprises, first of all, a rear flange 15 in the form of a cylindrical cup of dimensions adapted to accommodate the vibrating element 1, and the bottom wall 15a of which comprises an annular protruding stud 16 for supporting the damping ring 4 of this vibrating element 1.
• this rear flange 15 also includes a radial end piece 21 in the form of a trough formed so as to be assembled with that of said front flange.
• This rear flange 15 comprises, finally, an internal shoulder 17 formed in the peripheral rim 15b of the latter.
• the second sub-assembly further comprises an annular ring 18 for blocking the vibrating element 1 inside the rear flange 15, having an L-shape adapted so that one of its wings, radial, comes in support on the damping ring 4 of this vibrating element 1, and that its other axial wing comes into abutment against the internal shoulder 17 of the rear flange 15.
• the rear flange 15 has an annular groove 19 formed in the bottom wall 15a of the latter, capable of partially housing an O-ring 20 made of an elastic material arranged to be able to be compressed between the vibrating element 1 and this wall background 15 a.
• the various elements of the two subsystems are assembled and these two subsystems are joined together, and as shown in FIG. 2, the latter form a hermetic casing provided with a sleeve formed by the two end pieces 10, 21, on which is clipped on a sleeve 22.
• the vibrating element 1 delimits inside this housing two hermetic chambers: the front chamber 6 intended to be filled with water via an orifice 23 formed in the end piece 21 of the flange rear 15 and communicating with this front chamber 6, said orifice then being closed by a plug 25, the rear chamber 7 in which the O-ring 20 acts as a flexible spring allowing vibrations of the vibrating element 1.
• the listening device shown in Figures 3 and 4 also includes a housing consisting of two almost identical sub-assemblies and identified with the same reference numbers for similar elements.
• the rear chamber 7 is filled with water via an orifice 26 formed in the bottom wall 15a of the rear flange 15 and closed by a plug 27.
• the damping means consist of an annular ring 28 housed in the rear flange 15 and of diameter adapted to serve as a support for the damping ring 4 of the vibrating element 1, without contact with the metal disc 3 of the latter.
• This annular ring 28 made of a material such as a silicone elastomer, absorbs the variations in volume of the rear chamber 7, and thus authorizes the vibrations of the vibrating element 1.
• the housing of the listening device shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 mainly consists of an annular flange 30 provided firstly with a radial external groove 31.
• This flange 30 is closed off with a rigid cylindrical plate 32 intended to delimit the rear chamber 7.
• a second ring 36 concentric with the first ring 33, and of diameter smaller than that of this first ring 33, adapted so that said second ring forms a support seat for the vibrating element 1.
• These two internal rings 33, 36 also have a crenellated longitudinal section 35, 37 capable of bringing the rear chamber 7 and the annular damping chamber 34 into communication.
• the device according to this third embodiment further comprises a ring 38 of L-shaped section, for holding the vibrating element 1 against the crown 36.
• this ring comprises an annular section 39 provided with a crenellated end portion provided with internal lugs 40 arranged to be clipped into the slots 37 of the second ring 36.
• This retaining ring 38 finally comprises an oblique front boss 41 adapted to form a housing 44 of retentive shape with the first ring 33 of the rear flange 30.
• This third type of listening device finally comprises a flexible membrane 42 shaped so as to present a central zone 45 of convex shape capable of delimiting the front chamber 6, separated by an annular groove, of an annular crown 43 convex capable to delimit the damping chamber.
• this flexible membrane 42 and held on the rear flange 30 by means of two O-rings: an O-ring 46 housed in the outer groove 31 of the rear flange 30, and an O-ring 47 housed in the groove of this membrane itself introduced into the retentive housing
• the rear chamber 7 is filled with water and communicates with the annular chamber 34 delimited by the domed annular crown 43 of the membrane 42, which therefore acts as elastic means for absorbing variations in volumes of this rear chamber 7 .

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Otolaryngology (AREA)
• Details Of Audible-Bandwidth Transducers (AREA)
• Piezo-Electric Transducers For Audible Bands (AREA)
• Surgical Instruments (AREA)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging Apparatus (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8867796

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

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Family Cites Families (9)

• 2001
  • 2001-10-01 FR FR0112600A patent/FR2830404B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2002
  • 2002-09-27 DE DE60203016T patent/DE60203016D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-09-27 EP EP02785512A patent/EP1433357B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-09-27 WO PCT/FR2002/003311 patent/WO2003030585A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-09-27 US US10/491,344 patent/US20040247143A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-09-27 AT AT02785512T patent/ATE289471T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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