JP2010118877A - Body-embedded type speaker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transmit clear sound to a user without allowing a skin or the like to absorb vibration. <P>SOLUTION: This body-embedded type speaker 1 includes: a transmission device 2 having a transmitting coil 8 for transmitting a sound signal; and a reception device 3 for receiving a signal from the transmission device 2. The reception device 3 has a hollow case 11 embedded between a skin S and a bone B, and a vibratingly-supported vibrator 12 housed in the case 11. Thereby, vibration from the reception device 3 can be transmitted to the bone of a user, and clear sound can be transmitted to the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a bone-conduction-type implantable speaker that transmits vibration to bones and allows a user to recognize voice.

  In recent years, bone conduction type speakers for transmitting vibrations to the user's skull and recognizing the sound by the user have been put to practical use as hearing aids, mobile phones, and audio speakers.

  As a conventional bone conduction speaker of this type, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 1. The technique described in Patent Document 1 includes vibration generating means for generating vibration according to sound information, and transmits the sound to the user by pressing the vibration generating means against the skull from outside the body.

  Moreover, there exists what is described in patent document 2 as what transmits a vibration directly to a bone. In the technique described in Patent Document 2, vibration generating means is configured by fixing a magnet to a case. The vibration generation means is fixed to the skull, and the vibration is directly transmitted to the skull, thereby transmitting the voice to the user.

JP 2008-17399 A JP 61-273100 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the vibration generating means is pressed against the skull from outside the body, so that the vibration of the vibration generating means is transmitted to the skull through the skin to listen to the sound. . For this reason, the person with thick subcutaneous fat or the person without bones cannot absorb the vibration to the skull efficiently because the vibration is absorbed by the skin or the like. As a result, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the state of voice transmission is greatly influenced by the body shape of the user. Further, in order to efficiently transmit vibration to the skull, the vibration generating means must be strongly pressed against the skull from outside the body, and there is a problem that the burden on the user is very large.

  In the technique described in Patent Document 2, the vibration generating means is fixed to the skull by screwing a bone screw provided in the vibration generating means into the skull. As a result, a large-scale operation is required to fix the vibration generating means to the skull. Furthermore, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the vibration generating means is configured by fixing the magnet to the case, and the entire vibration generating means is vibrated. Since the vibration generating means is fixed to the skull, the vibration of the vibration generating means is restricted by the case, the skull, etc., and the vibration generating means cannot be vibrated efficiently. As a result, the technique described in Patent Document 2 has a problem that it is difficult to transmit clear voice to the user.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an implantable speaker that can transmit clear sound to the user without vibrations being absorbed by the skin or the like. .

  In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object of the present invention, an in-vivo speaker according to the present invention includes a transmission device having a transmission coil for transmitting an audio signal and a reception device for receiving a signal from the transmission device. And provided. The receiving device includes a hollow case embedded between the skin and the bone, and a vibrating body that is housed in the case and supported so as to be able to vibrate.

  According to the implantable speaker of the present invention, since the vibration of the receiving device can be directly transmitted to the bone of the user, the voice can be transmitted to the user without being influenced by the body shape of the user. it can. In addition, since the vibrating body can be efficiently vibrated by storing the vibrating body in the hollow case, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of sound and transmit clear sound to the user. it can.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the in-body speaker according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the common member in each figure. The present invention is not limited to the following form.

1. First Embodiment [Configuration of Implantable Speaker]
First, an in-vivo speaker according to a first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “this example”) will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an implantable speaker of this example, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic views showing a transmitting apparatus according to the implantable speaker of this example. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are diagrams showing a receiving device according to the implantable speaker of this example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vivo speaker 1 is embedded between a transmitter 2 set outside the body (for example, the back of the ear E) and the skin S and bone B (for example, a skull) of the human body. It is comprised from the receiver 3. In addition, as a place where the receiving apparatus 3 is embedded, for example, the back of the ear E in the vicinity of the cochlea T can be cited. The implantable speaker 1 sends a sound signal (magnetic field or radio wave) from the transmitter 2 to the receiver 3 in a non-contact manner, and vibrates the receiver 3 to transmit the sound signal as vibration to the bone B of the user. Is.

[Transmitter]
As shown in FIG. 2A, the transmission device 2 includes a hollow, substantially cylindrical casing 6, a power supply unit 7, and a transmission coil 8. The power supply unit 7 and the transmission coil 8 are accommodated in the internal space of the housing 6. The transmitting device 2 transmits the sound collected by a microphone (not shown) or the sound stored in advance in the information storage medium to the receiving device 3 using the transmitting coil 8. In the transmission device 2 according to this example, a magnetic field is formed by supplying a current from the power supply unit 7 to the transmission coil 8. Then, the change in the magnetic field formed by the transmission coil 8 is transmitted to the reception device 3 as an audio signal.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the transmission device 2 includes an ear hook arm 9. The ear hook arm 9 extends from the housing 6 and is shaped to be attached to the ear E. By placing the ear arm 9 on the ear E, the housing 6 can be set on the back of the ear E without putting a hand.

[Receiver]
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the receiving device 3 includes a hollow case 11, a vibrating body 12 housed in the case 11, and two support wires 13 that support the vibrating body 12 so as to vibrate. 13.

  The case 11 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape that is hollow. The case 11 includes a cylindrical body 14, a first lid body 15, and a second lid body 16. In this example, the diameter of the case 11 is set to 3 mm to 4 mm. Of course, the diameter of the case 11 may be set to 3 mm or less or 4 mm or more.

  The cylindrical body 14 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and has a cylindrical hole 14a penetrating in the longitudinal direction. Examples of the material of the cylindrical body 14 include materials that are compatible with living tissue such as biocompatible glass.

  The first lid 15 has a substantially hemispherical base portion 15a and a fitting portion 15b protruding from one surface of the base portion 15a. The fitting portion 15b has a substantially cylindrical shape, and two concave portions 17, 17 are provided on one surface thereof. The fitting portion 15b is fitted into an opening on one side of the cylindrical hole 14a in the cylindrical body 14. And the 1st cover body 15 is fixed by fixing methods, such as an adhesive agent, and is attached to the cylinder 14 integrally.

  Similarly to the first lid body 15, the second lid body 16 has a substantially hemispherical base portion 16 a and a fitting portion 16 b protruding from one surface of the base portion 16 a. The fitting portion 16b has a substantially cylindrical shape, and two concave portions 17, 17 are provided on one surface thereof. The fitting portion 16 b is fitted into the opening on the other side of the cylindrical hole 14 a in the cylindrical body 14. And the 2nd cover body 16 is fixed by fixing methods, such as an adhesive agent, and is attached to the cylinder 14 integrally. A vibrating body 12 and two support wires 13 and 13 are accommodated in the internal space of the case 11 having such a configuration.

  The vibrating body 12 is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped and has a main surface portion 12a having a substantially rectangular shape. In this example, the vibrating body 12 is a permanent magnet made of a neodymium magnet or the like. On both sides of the main surface portion 12a of the vibrating body 12 in the short direction, two support wires 13 and 13 are disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the main surface portion 12a.

  In addition, although the example which used the magnet as a vibrating body was demonstrated in this example, it is not limited to this. That is, as long as the vibrating body is a magnetic body that generates a driving force by a magnetic field from the outside, the material is not particularly limited, and for example, a ferrite magnet or an iron core can be used.

  The two support wires 13 and 13 which show one specific example of a support member are formed as a wire which has elasticity. The two support wires 13 and 13 are fixed to the vibrating body 12 by a fixing method such as an adhesive 19 at the approximate center in the axial direction. That is, the vibrating body 12 is bonded to the two support wires 13 and 13 by the adhesive 19 at two points at both ends in the short direction. Thereby, the two support wires 13 and 13 and the vibrating body 12 are attached integrally. In addition, as a method for fixing the vibrating body 12 and the two support wires 13 and 13, in addition to bonding with an adhesive, resistance welding, ultrasonic welding means, or fastening means such as screwing may be used. In addition, both ends of the two support wires 13 and 13 are inserted into recesses 17 and 17 provided in the first lid body 15 and the second lid body 16 and fixed by a fixing method such as an adhesive. .

  As described above, the vibrating body 12 is supported by the two support wires 13 and 13 at a point, and is stored in a floating state in the case 11. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the vibration operation of the vibrating body 12 from being restricted by the case 11. As a result, the vibrating body 12 can be vibrated efficiently, and clear sound can be transmitted to the user. Further, the frequency of the vibrating body 12 can be easily changed by changing the elastic coefficient of the support wire 13. As a result, the frequency of the vibrating body 12 can be set to a desired frequency, and a clear voice can be transmitted to the user.

  In addition, external vibration caused by the user's walking or the like can be absorbed by the elastic force of the two support wires 13. Therefore, it can suppress that the vibrating body 12 vibrates in the case 11 contrary to a user's intention, and can prevent that a noise and abnormal noise generate | occur | produce.

  In addition, although the example which used the support wire which is a wire which has elasticity as a specific example of the support member was demonstrated in this example, it is not limited to this. For example, any material having elasticity such as a leaf spring can be applied as a support member.

  Further, the case 11 in which the vibrating body 12 and the two support wires 13 and 13 are accommodated is filled with a gel-like buffer member such as urethane resin or silicon. Thereby, the vibration from the outside can be absorbed not only by the support wires 13 and 13 but also by the buffer member. As a result, it is possible to suppress the vibrating body 12 from vibrating in the case 11 against the user's intention, and it is possible to more effectively prevent the generation of noise and abnormal noise. The object of the present invention can be achieved without filling the case 11 with a gel-like buffer member.

  Here, the diameter of the case 11 is set to 3 mm to 4 mm, and the receiving device 3 is formed in an elongated cylindrical shape. Therefore, it is possible to embed the receiving device 3 between the skin S and the bone B in the human body using, for example, a syringe. Therefore, since the receiving device 3 can be easily implanted in the body without performing a major operation, the burden on the user can be greatly reduced. Further, by embedding the receiving device 3 having the vibrating body 12 between the skin S and the bone B of the user, vibration can be directly transmitted to the bone B of the user. As a result, the implantable speaker 1 of the present invention can transmit sound without being influenced by the body shape of the user such as the thickness of the skin.

[Assembly of receiver]
The receiving device 3 can be assembled as follows, for example. First, the two support wires 13 and 13 are arrange | positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the main surface part 12a on the both sides of the transversal direction of the main surface part 12a in the vibrating body 12. FIG. Next, the approximate center in the axial direction of the two support wires 13 and 13 is bonded to the approximate center in the longitudinal direction of the vibrating body 12 with an adhesive 19. Thereby, the vibrating body 12 and the two support wires 13 and 13 are fixed integrally.

  Next, one end in the axial direction of the two support wires 13 and 13 to which the vibrating body 12 is fixed is inserted into the two concave portions 17 and 17 of the first lid 15 and fixed by a fixing method such as an adhesive. . And the fitting part 15b of the 1st cover body 15 to which the two support wires 13 and 13 were attached is engage | inserted in the opening part of the cylinder hole 14a in the cylinder 14 at one side. The fitted first lid 15 and cylinder 14 are fixed by a fixing method such as an adhesive.

  Next, a gel-like buffer member is injected into the internal space of the cylindrical body 14. And the fitting part 16b of the 2nd cover body 16 is engage | inserted in the cylinder hole 14a so that the opening of the other side of the cylinder 14 may be closed. At this time, the other axial end of the two support wires 13 and 13 is inserted into the two recesses 17 and 17 of the second lid body 16. Then, the fitted second lid body 16 and cylinder body 14 are integrally fixed by a fixing method such as an adhesive. At this time, the vibrating body 12 is housed in the internal space of the cylindrical body 14 in a state where the vibrating body 12 is supported by the two support wires 13 and 13 so as to vibrate. Thereby, the assembly of the receiving device 3 is completed. The assembling method of the receiving device 3 is not limited to the above-described method, and it is needless to say that the receiving device 3 may be assembled by other procedures.

[Operation of implantable speaker]
Next, the operation of the implantable speaker 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. First, the transmission device 2 supplies a current from the power supply unit 7 to the transmission coil 8 based on a sound collected by a microphone (not shown) or a sound stored in advance in an information storage medium. When a current is supplied to the transmission coil 8, a magnetic field is formed. Here, when a magnetic field is formed in the transmitting coil 8, a force acts on the vibrating body 12 of the receiving device 3 according to Fleming's left-hand rule.

  Further, when the current supplied to the transmission coil 8 is changed based on the sound, the magnetic field formed by the transmission coil 8 also changes. The change in the magnetic field generated in the transmission coil 8 is supplied to the reception device 3 as an audio signal. When the magnetic field generated in the transmission coil 8 changes, the magnitude of the force acting on the vibrating body 12 changes, and the vibrating body 12 vibrates in the case 11. The vibration of the vibrating body 12 is transmitted to the case 11 of the receiving device 3 and transmitted to the bone B of the user. As shown in FIG. 1, the vibration transmitted to the user's bone B is directly transmitted to the cochlea T located behind the eardrum via the bone B, so that the user can recognize the voice. . Further, the in-vivo speaker 1 according to the present example can operate without accommodating a complicated electronic circuit or the like inside the receiving device 3, and thus is less reliable and has excellent reliability. Has advantages.

  In addition, in order to cause the change in the magnetic field generated in the transmission coil 8 to efficiently act on the vibrating body 12, the main surface portion 12 a of the vibrating body 12 is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic flux in the magnetic field generated in the transmission coil 8. It is preferable to arrange the main surface portion 12a so as to face the bone B.

2. Second Embodiment Next, with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a second embodiment of the in-body speaker according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a receiving device for an implantable speaker according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the receiving device.

  The implantable speaker according to the second embodiment is obtained by changing the vibration method of the receiving device with respect to the implantable speaker according to the first embodiment. Note that the transmission coil of the transmission device transmits sound vibrations as radio waves to the reception device. Further, the transmission device transmits not only the radio wave for audio signals but also the radio wave for power supply to the reception device in a contactless manner. Since the configuration of the transmission apparatus is the same as that of the transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted, and the configuration of the reception apparatus will be described.

[Receiver]
As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the receiving device 21 includes a hollow case 22, a vibrating body 23, a substrate 24, a power feeding coil 26, and a receiving coil 27.

  As in the first embodiment, the case 22 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape that is hollow. The case 22 includes a cylindrical body 28, a first lid body 31, and a second lid body 32. Since the cylindrical body 28 has the same configuration as the cylindrical body 14 according to the first embodiment described above, the description thereof is omitted.

  The first lid 31 has a base portion 31a and a fitting portion 31b. Furthermore, the first lid 31 is provided with a hollow portion 31c that is recessed in a substantially circular shape in the fitting portion 31b. The second lid 32 has the same configuration as that of the first lid 31 and includes a base portion 32a, a fitting portion 32b, and a hollow portion 32c. In the case 22, a vibrating body 23, a substrate 24, a feeding coil 26, and a receiving coil 27 are housed.

  The vibrating body 23 is formed as a substantially flat plate-like member having a substantially rectangular main surface portion 23a. The vibrating body 23 uses a piezoelectric element that is deformed by a voltage. The vibrating body 23 is attached to the substrate 24 so as to vibrate.

  Here, the configuration and operation of the vibrating body 23 using a piezoelectric element will be described. The vibrating body 23 has a general piezoelectric element structure in which electrode films are formed on both surfaces of a thin piezoelectric plate. In this case, when a pulsed signal voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element from the outside, vibration is excited by continuously generating a distortion corresponding to the signal voltage.

  The substrate 24 has a substantially flat plate shape, and an opening window 24a that is opened in a substantially rectangular shape is provided at a substantially central portion. The opening area of the opening window 24 a is set to be slightly larger than the area of the main surface portion 23 a of the vibrating body 23. Further, joint portions 24b and 24b are provided at substantially the center of the two long sides of the opening window 24a, respectively. The vibrating body 23 is fixed to the two joint portions 24b, 24b by a fixing method such as soldering or adhesion, and the vibrating body 23 and the substrate 24 are electrically and mechanically connected. At this time, when the vibrating body 23 and the substrate 24 are fixed by soldering, both the electrical connection and the mechanical connection between the vibrating body 23 and the substrate 24 can be used. Further, when the vibrating body 23 and the substrate 24 are fixed by an adhesive or the like, the vibrating body 23 and the substrate 24 may be electrically connected using a lead wire or the like. Thereby, the vibrating body 23 is supported in the opening window 24a of the board | substrate 24 so that a vibration is possible.

  As described above, since the opening area of the opening window 24 a of the substrate 24 is set slightly larger than that of the vibrating body 23, a gap is generated between the vibrating body 23 and the opening window 24 a of the substrate 24. Therefore, the vibrating body 23 can be supported in a floating state in the case 22, and the vibration operation of the vibrating body 23 can be suppressed from being restricted by the case 22. As a result, similar to the receiving device 3 according to the first embodiment described above, the vibrating body 12 can be efficiently vibrated, and clear sound can be transmitted to the user.

  Further, on both ends of the substrate 24 in the longitudinal direction, mounting portions 24c on which electronic components (not shown) are mounted are respectively provided. The two placement portions 24c are housed in the hollow portion 31c of the first lid body 31 and the hollow portion 32c of the second lid body 32 in a state where electronic components are mounted.

  The power supply coil 26 is supplied with power from the transmission device 2 by non-contact power transmission. Supply of power from the transmission device 2 to the reception device 21 using the power feeding coil 26 is performed as follows. First, non-contact power transmission is performed from the transmission device 2 so as to change the magnetic flux. As a result, a voltage is generated in the feeding coil 26 of the receiving device 21 by mutual induction, and power is transmitted to the receiving device 21. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a power source for vibrating the vibrating body 23 in the receiving device 21, so that the number of parts can be reduced and the power source need not be replaced.

  In addition, the feeding coil 26 is electrically connected to the substrate 24 and supplies the substrate 24 with the power supplied from the transmission device 2. The feeding coil 26 is attached so as to cover the side surface of the fitting portion 31 b of the first lid 31. As another embodiment, the coil winding shaft of the feeding coil 26 and the coil winding shaft of a non-contact power transmission coil (not shown) provided in the transmission device 2 may be opposed to each other. In this case, the degree of magnetic coupling between the transmission coil 8 and the feeding coil 26 is improved, and more efficient power supply can be ensured.

  The reception coil 27 receives radio waves transmitted as an audio signal from the transmission coil 8 of the transmission device 2. The vibrating body 23 vibrates based on the audio signal received by the receiving coil 27. The receiving coil 27 is attached so as to cover the side surface of the fitting portion 32 b of the second lid 32. Even in this case, it is desirable that the coil winding axis of the reception coil 27 and the coil winding axis of the transmission coil 8 are opposed to each other so that the effect of improving the sensitivity of the audio signal can be obtained.

  Other configurations are the same as those of the receiving apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted. Even with the implantable speaker including the receiving device 21 having such a configuration, the same operations and effects as those of the implantable speaker 1 according to the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

3. Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the implantable speaker according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a receiving device for an implantable speaker according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the receiving device.

  The difference between the implantable speaker according to the third embodiment and the implantable speaker according to the first embodiment is that the shape of the receiving device is changed. Since the configuration of the transmission device is the same as that of the transmission device according to the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted and the configuration of the reception device will be described.

[Receiver]
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the receiving device 41 is formed in a substantially disk shape. The receiving device 41 includes a hollow case 42, a vibrating body 43, two support wires 44 and 44, and two holding members 46 and 46 that hold the support wire 44.

  The case 42 is formed in a substantially disk shape that is hollow. The case 42 includes a cylindrical body 47, a first lid body 48, and a second lid body 49. In this example, the diameter of the case 42 is set to 3 mm, and the thickness thereof is set to 1 mm. Therefore, since the thickness of the case 42 is extremely thin, the receiving device 41 can be easily embedded in the body without performing a major operation. Needless to say, the diameter of the case 42 may be set to less than 3 mm or 3 mm or more, and the thickness thereof may be set to less than 1 mm or 1 mm or more.

  The cylindrical body 47 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and has a cylindrical hole 47a penetrating in the vertical direction. The first lid 48 and the second lid 49 are formed in a substantially disc shape, and the size thereof is set to be substantially equal to the opening area of the opening of the cylindrical hole 47 a of the cylindrical body 47. ing. The first lid 48 is fitted into an opening on one side of the cylinder hole 47a in the cylinder 47, and is fixed to the cylinder 47 by a fixing method such as an adhesive. The second lid 49 is fitted into the opening on the other side of the cylinder hole 47a in the cylinder 47, and is fixed to the cylinder 47 by a fixing method such as an adhesive.

  Examples of the material of the cylindrical body 47, the first lid body 48, and the second lid body 49 include a material that is compatible with a living tissue such as biocompatible glass. In the case 42, the vibrating body 43, the two support wires 44 and 44, and the two holding members 46 and 46 are accommodated.

  In addition, you may chamfer the corner | angular part of the cylinder 47 in the case 42, the 1st cover body 48, and the 2nd cover body 49. FIG. Thereby, when the receiving device 41 is embedded in a human body, it is possible to prevent the living tissue from being damaged by the corners of the case 42.

  The two holding members 46 and 46 are formed as flat plates having a substantially arc shape. Two concave portions 46a and 46a are provided on one surface corresponding to the chord of the arc in the two holding members 46 and 46 at a predetermined interval. The two holding members 46 and 46 are accommodated in the case 42 with the surfaces provided with the recesses 46a and 46a facing each other. And the edge part of the support wire 44 which has elasticity is inserted in the recessed part 46a of the two holding members 46 and 46, and is being fixed by fixing methods, such as an adhesive agent.

  The two support wires 44 and 44 are disposed so as to connect the two holding members 46 and 46. A vibrating body 43 is disposed between the two support wires 44. As in the first embodiment, the vibrating body 43 is configured as a permanent magnet formed in a rectangular parallelepiped showing a specific example of the magnetic body. The vibrating body 43 is fixed to the two support wires 44 and 44 by bonding two points at both ends in the longitudinal direction with an adhesive 51. Thereby, the vibrating body 43 is accommodated in the case 42 in a state where the vibrating body 43 is supported by the two support wires 44 and 44 so as to vibrate.

  The receiving device 41 having such a configuration is embedded between the user's skin S and bone B so that the first lid 48 or the second lid 49 faces the user's bone B. .

  According to the receiving device 41 according to this embodiment, since the first lid 48 or the second lid 49 faces the bone B, the receiving device 3 according to the first embodiment. However, the area that contacts or approaches the bone B increases. As a result, the vibration of the vibrating body 43 can be transmitted to the bone B more efficiently.

  Other configurations are the same as those of the receiving apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted. Even with the implantable speaker including the receiving device 41 having such a configuration, the same operations and effects as those of the implantable speaker 1 according to the above-described first embodiment can be obtained.

4). Fourth Embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment of the implantable speaker according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a receiving device for an implantable speaker according to a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the receiving device.

[Receiver]
In the implantable speaker according to the fourth embodiment, the vibration method of the receiving device 61 is the same as that of the receiving device 21 according to the second embodiment. Further, the shape of the receiving device 61 is formed in a substantially disk shape, similar to the receiving device 41 according to the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the receiving device 61 includes a hollow case 62 having a substantially disk shape, a vibrating body 63, a substrate 64, a power feeding coil 66, and a receiving coil 67. Similar to the receiving device 41 according to the third embodiment, the case 62 includes a substantially cylindrical tube 69, a substantially circular first lid 71, and a substantially circular second lid 72. It is composed of

  The feeding coil 66 is disposed on one side in the axial direction of the case 62, and the receiving coil 67 is disposed on the other side in the axial direction of the case 62. Further, a substrate 64 is disposed between the power supply coil 66 and the reception coil 67 so as to be sandwiched between the power supply coil 66 and the reception coil 67.

  The substrate 64 is formed in a substantially circular shape corresponding to the shape of the case 62. A substantially rectangular opening window 64 a is provided in the approximate center of the substrate 64. And joint part 64b, 64b is provided in the approximate center of two long sides of the opening window 64a, respectively. The vibrating body 23 is fixed to the two joint portions 64b and 64b by a fixing method such as soldering, and the vibrating body 63 and the substrate 64 are electrically connected. An electronic component 68 is mounted on the substrate 64. The vibrating body 63 uses a piezoelectric element, like the vibrating body 23 according to the second embodiment.

  Since other configurations are the same as those of the receiving device 21 according to the second embodiment and the receiving device 41 according to the third embodiment, description thereof will be omitted. Even with the implantable speaker including the receiving device 61 having such a configuration, the same operation and effect as those of the implantable speaker 1 according to the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention described in the claims. For example, the shape of the receiving device may be formed as a prism or an oval shape. When the shape of the receiving device is a prism, it is preferable to chamfer the corners so that the living tissue is not damaged at the corners.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the transmission device and the reception device are arranged behind the ear has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the receiving device can be suitably arranged as long as vibrations transmitted through the bone, such as the jawbone, cheekbone, inside the dental bone, and inside the denture, can be transmitted to the inner ear. In particular, the aspect in which the receiving device is arranged inside the tooth bone and the denture has an advantage that the burden on the human body is small in that it can be embedded by dental treatment.

It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the use condition of the 1st Embodiment of the implantable speaker of this invention. 1 shows a transmitting apparatus according to a first embodiment of an implantable speaker of the present invention. FIG. 2 (A) is an explanatory view showing a section of the transmitting apparatus, and FIG. 2 (B) is a transmitting apparatus. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a receiving apparatus according to an in-body speaker according to the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the 1st Embodiment of the receiver concerning the implantable speaker of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd Embodiment of the receiver concerning the implantable speaker of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the 2nd Embodiment of the receiver concerning the implantable speaker of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the 3rd Embodiment of the receiver concerning the implantable speaker of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the 3rd Embodiment of the receiver concerning the implantable speaker of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the 4th Embodiment of the receiver concerning the implantable speaker of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the 4th Embodiment of the receiver concerning the implantable speaker of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Implantable speaker, 2 ... Transmitter, 3, 21, 41, 61 ... Receiver, 6 ... Housing, 7 ... Power supply unit, 8 ... Coil for transmission, 9 ... Arm for arm, 11,22 42, 62 ... case, 12, 43 ... vibrating body (magnetic body), 13, 44 ... support wire (support member), 14, 28, 47, 69 ... cylindrical body, 15, 31, 48, 71 ... first Lid, 16, 32, 49, 72 ... second lid, 15a, 16a, 31a ... base, 15b, 16b, 31b ... fitting, 17, 46a ... recess, 19, 51 ... adhesive, 23, 63 ... Vibrating body (piezoelectric element), 24, 64 ... Substrate, 24a, 64a ... Opening window, 24b, 64b ... Joint part, 26, 66 ... Feeding coil, 27, 67 ... Coil for receiving, 31c, 32c ... Hollow part 46 ... Holding member S ... Skin, B ... Bone, E ... Ear, T ... Cochlea

Claims (3)

A transmission device having a transmission coil for transmitting an audio signal;
A receiving device that has a hollow case embedded between skin and bone and a vibrating body that is housed in the case and is supported so as to vibrate, and that receives a signal from the transmitting device;
Implantable speaker equipped with. The in-body implantable speaker according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating body is made of a magnetic body and is supported in the case so as to be able to vibrate via an elastic support member. The implantable speaker according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating body includes a piezoelectric element and is supported in the case so as to be able to vibrate via a substrate.

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