JP2007336429A - Headphone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headphone which can be worn to the head without stress over a long time by making a press contact force of an adjust band to the head almost constant irrespective of differences of head shapes of users and the configuration of the extension and contraction means of which is considerably simplified. <P>SOLUTION: In the headphone provided with: a pair of right and left headphone units 120 each with a built-in headphone driver; a head band 110 both ends of which support each of the headphone units 120 and which is formed into nearly an inverted U-shape in a manner of being arranged along the head of the user; and the adjust band 130 that is arranged inside the head band 110 so as to be brought into press-contact with the head top of the user, stretched between support members 150 provided at the both-ends of the head band 110 or at prescribed positions of the headphone units 120, and at least partly includes the extension and contraction means, a constant weight spring 140 is employed for the extension and contraction means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a headphone having an adjustment band as an adjustment mechanism inside a headband that supports a headphone unit. More specifically, the contact force of the adjustment band against the head regardless of the difference in the shape of the head of the user. The present invention relates to headphones that can be worn for a long time without stress.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the headband headphone 10 has a substantially inverted U-shaped headband 11 arranged along the user's head as a basic configuration, and at both ends of the headband 11. A pair of left and right headphone units 12 and 12 incorporating a headphone driver are supported.

  The headband 11 is made of an elastic plate or wire, and is formed in a substantially inverted U shape with a predetermined curvature so that the width between both ends thereof is narrower than the average head width of a general adult. . When using the headphone 10, the user pushes the headband 11 in the left-right direction in FIG. 10 and wears the headphone units 12, 12 in contact with the auricle.

  In this way, when the headphones 10 are worn, the headband 11 is curved and deformed so as to increase the radius of curvature, so that a biasing force is generated in the headband 11 in a direction to recover the original radius of curvature. Thus, a lateral pressure is applied to the headphone units 12 and 12.

  The headband 11 is designed on the basis of the average head width of a general adult. However, if the headband 11 is designed so as to give an optimal urging force to the auricle with priority given to the wearing feeling, the headphone units 12 and 12 are connected to the ear. May fall out of the way. On the other hand, if the side pressure is designed so as to give priority to the certainty of wearing, it may be painful to the user when used for a long time.

  Therefore, in order to achieve both an optimal urging force for the auricle and prevention of slipping, a headphone 20 having an adjustment mechanism as schematically shown in FIG. 11 has been proposed, and many models are actually commercially available.

  This type of headphones 20 includes an adjustment band 21 as an adjustment mechanism inside the headband 11. The adjustment band 21 is spanned between the headphone units 12 and 12 (or between both ends of the headband 11) so as to support the weight of the headphone 20 at the top of the user's head.

  The adjustment band 21 is provided with expansion / contraction means for adjusting the position of the headphone units 12, 12 with respect to the auricle. In this example, the expansion / contraction means 22, 22 are disposed at both ends of the adjustment band 21. ing. The expansion / contraction means 22 can be roughly classified into those by friction sliding and those by spring material or rubber material, but those by spring material or rubber material are often used for ease of operation and adjustment. .

  According to this headphone 20, since the weight of the headphone is supported by the adjustment band 21, the urging force (side pressure) applied to the auricle can be optimally set without worrying about the problem of slipping off.

  Moreover, since the position of the headphone units 12 and 12 can be finely adjusted by the expansion / contraction means 22 and 22, it can be made to fit favorably with respect to the auricle. Headphones equipped with such an adjustment mechanism are described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example.

JP 7-46684 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-23586

  However, there is considerable variation in the human head shape (here, the distance from the pinna to the top of the head). FIG. 12A shows a person whose distance from the pinna to the top of the head is shorter than the average, FIG. 12B shows a person having an average head shape, and FIG. Each figure of a person whose distance is longer than average is schematically shown.

  The adjustment band 21 is usually designed on the basis of a person having an average head shape as shown in FIG. As described above, the expansion / contraction means 22 is a coil spring, a crank-shaped bending spring, or a rubber material.

  The expansion / contraction means 22 is appropriately supported by the head of the person having an average head shape via the adjustment band 21 in which the headphone units 12, 12 are fitted to the auricle. Thus, the reference length is determined, and the reference length is assumed to be Xb.

  When the headphone 20 designed in this way is worn by a person whose distance from the auricle to the top of the head in FIG. The length is a length Xa shortened shorter than the reference length Xb. Accordingly, the adjustment band 21 floats from the top of the user's head and the wearing becomes unstable.

  When the headphone 20 is worn by a person whose distance from the pinna to the top of the head in FIG. 12C is longer than the average, and the headphone units 12 and 12 are applied to the pinna, the length of the expansion / contraction means 22 is the reference length. The length Xc is longer than the length Xb. Therefore, an extra pressure is applied to the top of the user's head as the spring is extended, which is not preferable.

  On the other hand, regarding the structural aspect of the expansion / contraction means, the invention described in Patent Document 1 requires a complex spring material and its peripheral members, and the invention described in Patent Document 2 includes an interlocking mechanism comprising a rack and a pinion. Therefore, there is a problem that the number of parts is generally large and the cost must be increased.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a headphone having an adjustment band as an adjustment mechanism on the inner side of a headband that supports a headphone unit, regardless of a difference in the shape of the user's head. It is an object to provide a headphone that can be worn almost without stress for a long time and can greatly simplify the configuration of the expansion and contraction means.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a pair of left and right headphone units with a built-in headphone driver and the headphone units supported at both ends, as described in claim 1, to the user's head. A headband formed in a substantially inverted U-shape, and both ends of the headband or each of the headphones in a state of being arranged inside the headband so as to contact the top of the user's head In a headphone provided between a support member provided at a predetermined position of the unit and an adjustment band including at least a part of the expansion / contraction means, a constant load spring is used for the expansion / contraction means. It is a feature.

  In this case, as described in claim 2, the winding base end side of the constant load mainspring is rotatably supported by the support member, and the end on the drawer side is fixed to the end of the adjustment band. Alternatively, as described in claim 3, the winding base end side of the constant load spring is rotatably supported by the end of the adjustment band, and the end on the drawer side is fixed to the support member. May be.

  In addition, the present invention includes a mode in which the constant load mainspring is stretched between the support members. In this case, as described in claim 4, the constant load mainspring is at both ends. Are provided with a winding base end portion, and each winding base end portion is rotatably supported by each of the support members.

  Further, in order to make the rotation smooth when the winding base end side of the constant load spring is rotatably supported by the support member and / or the adjustment band, as described in claim 5, It is preferable that the winding base end side of the constant load spring is rotatably supported via a radial bearing.

  The constant load spring is a type of thin plate spring that is obtained by winding a spiral spring plate material tightly in a spiral shape. The free end side is pulled out with the winding base end rotatably attached to the cylindrical shaft that is the central axis. And a characteristic that shows a constant pull-out load (constant load) regardless of the pull-out amount from the time when the pull-out amount exceeds a certain initial value.

  In the present invention, by applying the constant load mainspring having such characteristics to the expansion / contraction means of the mounting adjustment band, the contact force of the adjustment band with respect to the head can be made substantially constant regardless of the difference in the shape of the head of the user. In addition, the configuration of the expansion / contraction means can be greatly simplified.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the headphones of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view.

  According to this, the headphone 100 is a headband formed in a substantially inverted U-shape (also referred to as a C-shape) with a predetermined curvature so as to be disposed along the top of the user's head as a head mounting means. 110, and a pair of left and right headphone units 120, 120 are supported at both ends thereof.

  In this example, the headphone unit 120 is directly connected to the end of the headband 110. However, the headphone unit 120 may be supported on the end of the headband 110 via, for example, a universal joint-shaped hanger (not shown). . Moreover, although the headband 110 is formed of one metal round bar, a band plate having elasticity of metal or synthetic resin may be used.

  In any case, the headband 110 is preferably designed in consideration of its radius of curvature, material, and structure so that a good biasing force can be exhibited based on the average head width. . The headband 110 can also be designed to be placed on the back of the user.

  The headphone unit 120 has a bottomed cylindrical housing 121 containing a headphone driver (electroacoustic transducer) (not shown), and an ear pad 122 made of, for example, a sponge material is provided on the sound emitting surface side of the housing 121. .

  This headphone 100 is provided with an adjustment band 130 as an adjustment mechanism inside the headband 110 in order to achieve both an optimal urging force for the auricle of the headphone unit 120 and prevention of slipping.

  The adjustment band 130 is spanned between the headphone units 120 and 120 or between both ends of the headband 110 so as to support the weight of the headphone 100 at the top of the user's head. It is stretched between.

  The adjustment band 130 is provided with expansion / contraction means for enabling adjustment of the position of the headphone units 120, 120 with respect to the auricle. In the present invention, a constant load mainspring 140 is used as the expansion / contraction means. Then, constant load mainsprings 140, 140 are provided at both ends of the adjustment band 130 as expansion / contraction means.

  When the constant load mainspring 140 is disposed between the end of the adjustment band 130 and the headphone unit 120, in this example, the support member 150 of the constant load mainspring 140 is provided on the housing 121 side of the headphone unit 120.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the support member 150 includes an L-shaped support shaft 151 having a vertical shaft 151a inserted into the housing 121 and a horizontal shaft 151b bent substantially at right angles from the upper end thereof. The winding base end portion 141 of the constant load mainspring 140 is rotatably supported on the horizontal shaft 151b of 151, preferably via a radial bearing 152. An end portion 142 on the drawer side that is a free end of the constant load mainspring 140 is fixed to an end portion of the adjustment band 130.

  As a modification, a support shaft 151 is provided on the adjustment band 130 side to rotatably support the winding base end 141 of the constant load mainspring 140, and the drawer-side end 142 is connected to the headphone unit 120 side or the end of the headband 110. You may fix to the side. Alternatively, the support shaft 151 may be provided on the end side of the headband 110 and the constant load spring 140 may be connected between the headband 110 and the adjustment band 130.

  Next, the basic configuration and characteristics of the constant load spring 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4A, the constant load mainspring 140 is a kind of thin plate spring formed by winding a spring plate material tightly in a spiral shape and quenching it.

  As shown in FIG. 4 (b), the support shaft 151 is inserted into the center hole of the winding base end 141 of the constant load mainspring 140, and the constant load mainspring 140 is rotated while the end 142 on the drawing side is shown in FIG. When pulled out as in (a) to (e), there is a relationship as shown in the graph of FIG. 6 between the pull-out amount X and the pull-out load F at that time.

That is, when it exceeds a certain initial value X ₀ where there is withdrawal-amount X, thereafter as long as the spring is present, has a load F = F ₀ regardless of the withdrawal-amount X relationship. Referring also to the graph of FIG. 6, FIG. 5B shows a state in which the amount of withdrawal is X ₀ and the load F has reached a constant value F ₀ at that time. FIGS. 5C to 5E show a state in which the amounts of withdrawal are sequentially large and become X ₁ , X ₂ , X _3, and even in this case, each load F is a constant load value F _0. Is shown.

The constant load value F ₀ of the constant load mainspring 140 and the value of the pull-out amount X _{0 from which} the constant load value F ₀ is obtained are the material and shape to be used, that is, the plate thickness t, shown in FIGS. It is determined by the width b, the inner diameter R ₁ , the outer diameter R ₂ and the longitudinal elastic modulus which is a physical property of the material.

  Next, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 7A to 7C correspond to FIGS. 12A to 12C described above, and FIG. 7A shows a person whose distance from the pinna to the top of the head is shorter than the average. FIG. 7B is a schematic view showing a person having an average head shape, and FIG. 7C is a schematic view showing a person having a distance from the auricle to the top of the head longer than the average.

As shown in FIG. 7 (b), the amount of the constant load mainspring 140 drawn when a person with an average head shape wears the headphones 100 is Xb, from the auricle shown in FIG. A person whose distance to the head is shorter than the average is Xa when the headphone 100 is worn, and a person whose distance from the auricle to the top of the head shown in FIG. Let Xc be the amount of pulling out of the constant load spring 140 when the headphones 100 are attached.
Xa <Xb <Xc
It becomes.

Thus, although the lead X of the constant force spiral spring 140 by the head shape of the user (the distance from the auricle to the top of the head) is different, a constant so that a constant force even when the shortest lead weight X ₁ obtained by designing the force spiral springs 140, one of the pull-out amount Xa, Xb, even if Xc, it is possible to obtain the biasing force F ₀ constant as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, the contact force of the adjustment band 130 with respect to the head can be made substantially constant regardless of the difference in the user's head shape, and the headphone units 120 and 120 can be adjusted with respect to the auricle. It becomes possible to wear without stress for a long time in the fitted state. Moreover, since the constant load mainspring 140 does not require a winding device, the configuration of the expansion / contraction means can be greatly simplified.

  As another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a constant load mainspring 140a having winding base end portions 141 and 141 at both ends may be used.

  In this case, the winding base end portions 141 and 141 are rotatably supported by support shafts 151 and 151 provided on the headphone units 120 and 120 (or both ends of the headband 110), preferably via radial bearings 152 and 152. The lead portion 142a between the winding base end portions 141 and 141 may be stretched along the top of the user's head, and the adjustment band 130 may be attached to the lead portion 142a.

The perspective view which shows an example of the headphones of this invention. The front view of the said headphones. The disassembled perspective view of the said headphones. (A) (b) The perspective view which shows the basic form of a constant load mainspring. (A)-(e) Explanatory drawing which shows the extraction amount and characteristic of a constant load mainspring. The graph which shows the amount of drawer | drawing-out versus load characteristics of a constant load mainspring. (A)-(c) The schematic diagram for demonstrating the effect | action of this invention. The graph which shows the amount of drawer | drawing-out versus load characteristics of the constant load mainspring in FIG.7 (a)-(c). The typical front view which shows another embodiment of this invention. The typical front view which shows the conventional headband type headphones. The typical front view which shows the headphones which have the conventional adjustment band. (A)-(c) The typical front view which shows the mounting state of the headphones of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Headphone 110 Headband 120 Headphone unit 130 Adjustment band 140,140a Constant load mainspring (expansion / contraction means)
141 Winding base end 142 Drawer side end 142a Drawer 150 Support member 151 Support shaft 152 Radial bearing

Claims (5)

A pair of left and right headphone units with a built-in headphone driver, a headband formed in a substantially inverted U shape that supports each headphone unit at both ends, and is arranged along the user's head; and In a state of being arranged inside the headband so as to contact the top of the head, it is stretched between the support members provided at both ends of the headband or at predetermined positions of the headphone units, and expands and contracts at least partially. In a headphone provided with an adjustment band including means,
A headphone characterized in that a constant load spring is used for the expansion and contraction means.   The headphone according to claim 1, wherein a winding base end side of the constant load spring is rotatably supported by the support member, and an end on a drawing side is fixed to an end of the adjustment band.   The headphone according to claim 1, wherein a winding base end side of the constant load spring is rotatably supported by an end of the adjustment band, and an end on a drawer side is fixed to the support member.   The headphone according to claim 1, wherein the constant load mainspring includes winding base end portions at both ends, and each winding base end portion is rotatably supported by the support members. The headphone according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a winding base end side of the constant load spring is rotatably supported via a radial bearing.

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