JP2009224911A - Headphone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headphone capable of switching between wireline input and radio reception of audio signals automatically with a simple circuit arrangement. <P>SOLUTION: When voltage supply with a battery 15 in the headphone 1 is inhibited by a power switch 16, operation of a receiver 12 is an idle state, and a path switching portion 17 switches an audio signal output path into a path from an input terminal 11 to loudspeakers 14L and 14R. When voltage supply with the battery 15 is permitted by the power switch 16, operation of the receiver 12 is in an active state, and the path switching portion 17 switches the audio signal output path into a path from the receiver 12 to the loudspeakers 14L and 14R. According to the arrangement, wireline input and radio reception of audio signals can be changed automatically, linking with switching of the power switch 16 in the headphone 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to headphones capable of receiving audio signals by wire input and wirelessly.

  A conventional headphone capable of wired input and wireless reception of an audio signal includes a switch for switching between wired input and wireless reception of an audio signal in addition to a power switch, and the switch is manually operated by a user by operating the switch manually. Can be switched. However, since the manual operation switch requires a certain amount of installation space, it is important to reduce the number of manual operation switches used as much as possible in small electronic devices such as headphones.

  Therefore, the input terminal for wired input has a built-in switch that turns on / off according to the connection state of the audio signal cable, and the wireless signal is connected to the input terminal and the switch is turned on (or off). There is a headphone for reproducing an audio signal input through an audio signal cable after the operation of the receiving circuit is stopped.

  The headphone described in Patent Document 1 below includes a connecting means for separating the audio signal cable into one cable and the other cable and detachably connecting the cables, and separating and connecting the cables. Is detected. And, by switching between wired input and wireless reception based on the detection result, audio signal is usually input by wired input, and wireless reception is performed when using headphones beyond the reach of the cord There are headphones that can.

  The headphones as described above do not need to be equipped with a manual operation switch, and furthermore, can automatically switch between wired input and wireless reception of audio signals, and do not operate the receiving circuit during wired input, thereby consuming power. Can be suppressed. However, an input terminal with a switch that incorporates a switch that turns on and off according to the connection state of a signal cable for wired input is more expensive than an input terminal that does not incorporate a switch, which causes a problem of increasing costs. Further, the headphones described in Patent Document 1 have a complicated circuit configuration.

JP 2003-319485 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to automatically switch between wired input and wireless reception of an audio signal with a simple circuit configuration. It is to provide headphones.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a headphone includes an input unit through which an audio signal is wired, a receiving unit that wirelessly receives the audio signal, a speaker unit that reproduces the audio signal as sound, and supplies a voltage to the receiving unit. The audio signal output path to the speaker according to the battery and the voltage supplied from the battery, the first path from which the audio signal is output from the input means to the speaker, or the audio signal from the receiving means to the speaker Path switching means for switching to the second path from which power is output, and power switch means for prohibiting or permitting voltage supply from the battery to the receiving means and the path switching means; When voltage supply by the battery is prohibited, the operation of the receiving means is stopped and the path switching is performed. When the stage switches the audio signal output path to the speaker to the first path, and the voltage supply by the battery is permitted by the power switch means, the receiving means is activated, and the path switching means is connected to the speaker. Is switched to the second path.

  In a further preferred embodiment, when the voltage supplied from the battery is less than a predetermined voltage, the path switching means switches the audio signal output path to the speaker to the first path and is supplied from the battery. When the voltage to be output is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage, the audio signal output path to the speaker is switched to the second path.

  In a further preferred embodiment, when voltage supply to the receiving means is permitted by the power switch means and the receiving means is in an operating state, the switching means is configured such that the voltage supplied from the battery is the predetermined voltage. If not, the audio signal input path is switched from the second path to the first path.

  According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a headphone comprising: an input means through which an audio signal is input by wire; a receiving means for wirelessly receiving the audio signal; a speaker means for reproducing the audio signal as sound; and a voltage applied to the receiving means. Depending on the battery to be supplied and the voltage supplied from the battery, the audio signal output path to the speaker is the first path from which the audio signal is output from the input means to the speaker, or from the receiving means to the speaker. Path switching means for switching to a second path through which an audio signal is output; and when the path switching means has a voltage supplied from the battery less than a predetermined voltage, the audio signal output path to a speaker is When switching to the first path and the voltage supplied from the battery is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage, the speaker Switching the audio signal output path to the path of the second

  According to the present invention, when voltage supply by the battery is prohibited by the power switch means, the operations of the receiving means and the amplifying means are stopped, and the path switching means uses the audio signal output path to the speaker as the first path. Switch. When voltage supply by the battery is permitted by the power switch means, the receiving means and the amplifying means are activated, and the path switching means switches the audio signal output path to the speaker to the second path. Accordingly, it is possible to automatically switch between wired input of audio signals and wireless reception in conjunction with switching of the power switch of the headphones.

  Furthermore, the path switching means switches the audio signal output path to the speaker to the first path when the voltage supplied from the battery is less than the predetermined voltage. When the voltage supplied from the battery is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage, the path switching unit switches the audio signal output path to the speaker to the second path. As a result, it is possible to automatically switch between the audio signal input by wire and the audio signal received wirelessly according to the amount of charge of the battery.

  Furthermore, when voltage supply to the receiving means and the amplifying means is permitted by the power switch means and the receiving means and the amplifying means are in an operating state, the switching means is configured such that the voltage supplied from the battery is less than a predetermined voltage. The audio signal input path is switched from the second path to the first path. As a result, when the audio signal is wirelessly received with the power switch turned on, the audio signal can be automatically switched to the wired input and reproduced when the battery charge amount is reduced.

  Hereinafter, headphones according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is incorporated.

  First, a schematic configuration of the headphone 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a headphone 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

  The headphone 1 is a headphone that can receive an audio signal L / R by wire input or wirelessly. The headphone 1 includes an input terminal 11, a receiving unit 12, an amplifying unit 13, an L channel speaker 14 </ b> L, an R channel speaker 14 </ b> R, a battery 15, a power switch 16, and a switching unit 17. The audio signal can be switched between wired input and wireless reception according to the on / off state of the power switch 16 and the amount of power stored in the battery 15.

  An audio signal cable (not shown) is connected to the input terminal 11, and an audio signal L / R for an analog L / R channel is input through the cable. The audio signal L input from the input terminal 11 is output to the speaker 14L, and the audio signal R is output to the speaker 14R.

The receiving unit 12 receives an audio signal L / R digitally transmitted from an external device (not shown) by an antenna 121, converts the received audio signal L / R from a digital signal to an analog signal, and will be described later. Output to the amplifying unit 13. The digital wireless transmission method is, for example, a frequency band of 2.4 GHz or 5.0 GHz, and a modulation method is DSSS (Direct
(Sequence Spread Spectrum) and Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity).

  The amplifying unit 13 amplifies the audio signal L / R output from the receiving unit 12, outputs the audio signal L to the speaker 14L, and outputs the audio signal R to the speaker 14R. The speakers 14L and 14R reproduce the audio signal L / R.

  The battery 15 is connected to the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 and supplies a voltage thereto. The power switch 16 is switched by a user operation and prohibits or permits the supply of voltage from the battery 15 to the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13. The power switch 16 is connected between the battery 15 and the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13. When the power switch 16 is turned off, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifier 13 are stopped. Also, when the amount of power stored in the battery 15 is less than the amount that can operate the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifier 13 are stopped.

  The switching unit 17 is connected to the battery 15 via the power switch 16 and is supplied with a switching voltage V1 that is adjusted to be decompressed. The switching unit 17 selects an audio signal output path to the speakers 14L and 14R according to the switching voltage V1, a path through which the audio signal L / R is output from the input terminal 11 to the speakers 14L and 14R, or a receiving unit 12. To the path through which the audio signal L / R is output from the speaker 14L to 14R.

  Specifically, the switching unit 17 includes relays 171 and 172. Each of the relays 171 and 172 includes an input contact a that is a fixed contact, an input contact b, and an output contact c that is a movable contact. The audio signal L output from the amplifying unit 13 is input to the input contact a of the relay 171. The The audio signal L is input from the input terminal 11 to the input contact b of the relay 171. The output contact c of the relay 171 is connected to the speaker 14L, and outputs the audio signal L input from the input contact a or the input contact b. The audio signal R output from the amplifying unit 13 is input to the input contact a of the relay 172. The audio signal R is input from the input terminal 11 to the input contact b of the relay 172. The speaker 14R is connected to the output contact c of the relay 172, and the audio signal R input from the input contact a or the input contact b is output. The relays 171 and 172 are each supplied with a switching voltage V1. When the switching voltage V1 is less than a predetermined voltage Va, the relays 171 and 172 connect the input contact b and the output contact c, and audio signals to the speakers 14L and 14R. The output path is a path through which the audio signal L / R is output from the input terminal 11 to the speakers 14L and 14R. When the switching voltage V1 is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage Va, the relays 171 and 172 connect the input contact a and the output contact c, and the audio signal output path from the reception unit 12 to the speaker 14L and the speakers 14L and 14R. The audio signal L / R is routed to 14R.

  Next, the operation of the headphones 1 having the above configuration will be described.

  First, when the user wants to reproduce the audio signal L / R by wired input using the headphones 1, the power switch 16 is turned off. When the power switch 16 is in the off state, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are not in operation because the voltage is not supplied from the battery 15. The relays 171 and 172 connect the input contact b and the output contact c because the switching voltage V1 becomes less than the predetermined voltage Va when the voltage supply from the battery 15 is prohibited. As a result, the audio signal L / R input from the input terminal 11 is output to the speakers 14L and 14R.

  In addition, when the user wants to reproduce the audio signal L / R by wireless reception using the headphones 1, the power switch 16 is turned on. When the power switch 16 is in the on state, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are supplied with voltage from the battery 15 and are in an operating state, and therefore receive and amplify the audio signal L / R. The relays 171 and 172 connect the input contact a and the output contact c because the switching voltage V1 becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage Va when the voltage supply from the battery 15 is permitted. As a result, the audio signal L / R received by the receiving unit 12 is output to the speakers 14L and 14R. As described above, it is possible to switch between the audio signal L / R being input to the headphones 1 and being played back in conjunction with the on / off of the power switch 16 or the audio signal L / R being received by the headphones 1 and being played back. .

  Next, when power is consumed by the operation of the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 when the audio signal L / R is wirelessly received, and the remaining amount of charge of the battery 15 is reduced, that is, the voltage output from the battery 15 is a predetermined voltage. If it is less, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are not in operation because a sufficient voltage for operation is not supplied. When the voltage output from the battery 15 is less than the predetermined voltage, the switching voltage V1 is also less than the predetermined voltage Va, and the relays 171 and 172 connect the input contact b and the output contact c. As a result, the audio signal L / R input from the input terminal 11 is output to the speakers 14L and 14R.

  When the power switch 16 is on and the audio signal L / R is wirelessly received, the battery 15 is output from the battery 15 when the amount of power stored in the battery 15 is such that the receiver 12 and the amplifier 13 can be operated. When the voltage to be received is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are supplied with voltage from the battery 15 and are in an operating state. When the voltage output from the battery 15 is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage, the switching voltage V1 is also equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage Va, and the relays 171 and 172 connect the input contact a and the output contact c. As a result, the audio signal L / R received by the receiving unit 12 is output to the speakers 14L and 14R. As described above, when the power switch 16 is in the on state and the audio signal L / R is wirelessly received, the audio signal L / R can be automatically switched to the wired input when the remaining amount of charge of the battery 15 decreases. it can. Further, when the storage amount of the battery 15 is an amount capable of operating the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13, the audio signal L / R can be continuously received by the headphones 1. Note that, when the audio switch L / R is input by wire with the power switch 16 turned off, the wired input is continued regardless of the amount of power stored in the battery 15.

  Next, a headphone 2 that is another preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram showing a headphone 2 which is another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The headphone 2 has the same configuration as the headphone 1 described above except that the power switch 16 is not provided. The headphones 2 can switch between wired input and wireless reception of audio signals in accordance with the amount of power stored in the battery 15. The operation will be described below.

  When power is consumed by the operation of the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 when the audio signal L / R is wirelessly received, and the amount of power stored in the battery 15 is reduced, that is, the voltage output from the battery 15 is less than a predetermined voltage. In this case, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are in an operation stop state because a sufficient voltage for operation is not supplied. When the voltage output from the battery 15 is less than the predetermined voltage, the switching voltage V1 is also less than the predetermined voltage Va, and the relays 171 and 172 connect the input contact b and the output contact c. As a result, the audio signal L / R input from the input terminal 11 is output to the speakers 14L and 14R.

  When the storage amount of the battery 15 is an amount capable of operating the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13, that is, when the voltage output from the battery 15 is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are A voltage is supplied from 15 to enter an operating state. When the voltage output from the battery 15 is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage, the switching voltage V1 is also equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage Va, and the relays 171 and 172 connect the input contact a and the output contact c. As a result, the audio signal L / R received by the receiving unit 12 is output to the speakers 14L and 14R. As described above, when the charged amount of the battery 15 is an amount capable of operating the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13, the wireless reception of the audio signal L / R is continued, and the remaining charged amount of the battery 15 is reduced. The audio signal L / R can be automatically switched to wired input.

  Next, a headphone 3 that is still another preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram showing a headphone 3 which is another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The headphones 3 further include a determination unit 18 that determines the amount of electricity stored in the battery 15, and has the same configuration as the headphones 2 described above except that the switching signal V <b> 1 is output from the determination unit 18. The determination unit 18 is connected between the battery 15 and the switching unit 17, and receives the battery voltage V <b> 2 from the battery 15. The determination unit 18 determines whether or not the battery voltage V2 is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage Vb, and outputs a switching signal V1 to the switching unit 12 based on the determination result, thereby performing wired input and wireless reception of the audio signal. Can be switched. The determination unit 18 is, for example, a microcomputer. Hereinafter, the operation of the headphones 3 will be described.

  When the storage amount of the battery 15 is an amount capable of operating the reception unit 12 and the amplification unit 13, that is, when the battery voltage V2 output from the battery 15 is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage Vb, the determination unit 18 A high-level switching signal V1 is output, and the switching unit 17 is switched to an audio signal output path from the receiving unit 12 to the speakers 14L and 14R. Here, the high-level switching signal V1 is a voltage equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage Va for bringing the input contact a and the output contact c of the relays 171 and 172 into a connected state. Further, when power is consumed by the operation of the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 when the audio signal L / R is wirelessly received, and the remaining amount of charge of the battery 15 is reduced, that is, the battery voltage V2 output from the battery 15 is When the voltage is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage Vb, the determination unit 18 outputs a low-level switching signal V1, and switches the switching unit 17 to an audio signal output path from the input unit 11 to the speakers 14L and 14R. Here, the low-level switching signal V1 is a voltage lower than a predetermined voltage Va for bringing the input contact b and the output contact c of the relays 171 and 172 into a connected state. As described above, when the charged amount of the battery 15 is an amount that can operate the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13, the headphones 3 continue to receive the audio signal L / R wirelessly. Further, when the remaining amount of power stored in the battery 15 is reduced, the audio signal L / R can be automatically switched from wireless reception to wired input. The headphones 3 may further include the same power switch 16 as that of the headphones 1 described above.

  Next, a headphone 4 that is still another preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram showing a headphone 4 which is another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The headphone 4 has an input terminal 11 directly connected to the speakers 14L and 14R, and the amplifying unit 13 is connected to the speakers 14L and 14R via the switches 173 and 174. The other configurations are the same as those of the headphone 1 described above. . The switches 173 and 174 are connected to the battery 15 via the power switch 16 and are supplied with the switching voltage V1 that is adjusted to be decompressed. The switches 173 and 174 are turned on / off according to the switching voltage V1, and permit or prohibit the audio signal output from the receiving unit 12 to the speakers 14L and 14R.

  When the user wants to reproduce the audio signal L / R by the wired input with the headphones 1, when the power switch 16 is turned off, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are not in operation because the voltage is not supplied from the battery 15. . In addition, the switches 173 and 174 are turned off because the voltage supply from the battery 15 is prohibited and the switching voltage V1 becomes less than the predetermined voltage Va. As a result, a path through which the audio signal L / R can be input to the speakers 14L and 14R is a path from the input terminal 11. At this time, if an audio signal cable is connected to the input terminal 11 and an audio signal L / R is input, the audio signal is output to the speakers 14L and 14R.

  Further, when the user wants to reproduce the audio signal L / R by wireless reception with the headphones 1, when the power switch 16 is turned on, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are supplied with voltage from the battery 15 and are in an operating state. Therefore, the audio signal L / R is received and amplified. The switches 173 and 174 are turned on because the voltage supply from the battery 15 is permitted and the switching voltage V1 becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage Va. As a result, the audio signal L / R received by the receiving unit 12 is output to the speakers 14L and 14R.

  Further, when power is consumed by the operation of the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 when the audio signal L / R is wirelessly received, and the amount of power stored in the battery 15 is reduced, that is, the voltage output from the battery 15 is less than a predetermined voltage. In this case, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are in an operation stop state because sufficient voltage for operation is not supplied. When the voltage output from the battery 15 is less than the predetermined voltage, the switching voltage V1 is also less than the predetermined voltage Va, and the switches 173 and 174 are turned off. As a result, the audio signal L / R input from the input terminal 11 is output to the speakers 14L and 14R.

  When the power switch 16 is on and the audio signal L / R is wirelessly received, the battery 15 is output from the battery 15 when the amount of power stored in the battery 15 is such that the receiver 12 and the amplifier 13 can be operated. When the voltage to be received is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage, the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13 are supplied with voltage from the battery 15 and are in an operating state. When the voltage output from the battery 15 is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage, the switching voltage V1 is also equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage Va, and the relays 173 and 174 are turned on. As a result, the audio signal L / R received by the receiving unit 12 is output to the speakers 14L and 14R.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented by appropriately modifying the above-described embodiment without departing from the spirit thereof.

For example, in the present embodiment, the receiving unit 12 receives the audio signal L / R transmitted digitally and outputs it to the amplifying unit 13, but the receiving unit 12 transmits the audio signal L / R transmitted analogly. R may be received by the antenna 121 and output to the amplifying unit 13. The transmission method of analog wireless transmission is, for example, FM (Frequency)
(Modulation) method.

  In the headphones 2 and 3 as well, the input terminal 11 is directly connected to the speakers 14L and 14R, and the amplifier 13 is connected to the speakers 14L and 14R via the switches 173 and 174 as in the above-described headphones 4, and the battery 15 The output path of the audio signal can be switched according to the amount of stored power.

  Furthermore, the headphones according to the present invention may be further switched between wired input and wireless reception of an audio signal in accordance with connection / disconnection of an audio signal cable. Specifically, the input terminal is an input terminal having a switch that is turned on / off in accordance with the connection / disconnection of the connected audio signal cable, the audio signal cable is connected to the input terminal, and the switch in the input terminal is turned off. (Or turned on) stops the operation of the receiving unit 12 and the amplifying unit 13, and the switching unit 17 sets the audio signal output path so that the audio signal L / R is output from the input terminal 11 to the speakers 14L and 14R. You may make it switch. Thus, even when the audio signal is received by wireless transmission with the power switch turned on, the audio signal L / R is automatically switched to the wired input only by connecting the audio signal cable to the input terminal. be able to.

  The headphones of the present invention can be suitably used for headphones capable of receiving audio signals by wire input and wirelessly.

1 is a circuit block diagram illustrating a headphone according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit block diagram explaining the headphones by another preferable embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram illustrating a headphone according to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram illustrating a headphone according to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Headphone 11 Input terminal 12 Reception part 121 Antenna 13 Amplification part 14R, 14L Speaker 15 Battery 16 Power switch 17 Switching part 171, 172 Relay 173, 174 Switch L, R Audio signal V1 Switching voltage V2 Battery voltage

Claims (4)

Input means through which audio signals are input by wire;
Receiving means for wirelessly receiving an audio signal;
Speaker means for reproducing audio signals as sound;
A battery for supplying voltage to the receiving means;
Depending on the voltage supplied from the battery, the audio signal output path to the speaker is the first path through which the audio signal is output from the input means to the speaker, or the audio signal is output from the receiving means to the speaker. Route switching means for switching to the second route,
Power supply switch means for prohibiting or permitting voltage supply from the battery to the receiving means and the path switching means;
When voltage supply by the battery is prohibited by the power switch means, the operation of the receiving means is stopped, and the path switching means switches the audio signal output path to the speaker to the first path,
Headphones in which, when voltage supply by the battery is permitted by the power switch means, the receiving means is activated, and the path switching means switches the audio signal output path to the speaker to the second path. The route switching means
When the voltage supplied from the battery is less than a predetermined voltage, the audio signal output path to the speaker is switched to the first path,
The headphone according to claim 1, wherein an audio signal output path to a speaker is switched to the second path when a voltage supplied from the battery is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage. When voltage supply to the receiving means is permitted by the power switch means and the receiving means is in operation,
The said switching means switches the said audio signal input path | route from the said 2nd path | route to the said 1st path | route, when the voltage supplied from the said battery is less than the said predetermined voltage. headphone. Input means through which audio signals are input by wire;
Receiving means for wirelessly receiving an audio signal;
Speaker means for reproducing audio signals as sound;
A battery for supplying voltage to the receiving means;
Depending on the voltage supplied from the battery, the audio signal output path to the speaker is the first path through which the audio signal is output from the input means to the speaker, or the audio signal is output from the receiving means to the speaker. Route switching means for switching to the second route;
The route switching means
When the voltage supplied from the battery is less than a predetermined voltage, the audio signal output path to the speaker is switched to the first path,
A headphone that switches an audio signal output path to a speaker to the second path when a voltage supplied from the battery is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage.

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