JP2011244405A - Sound emitting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sound emitting apparatus capable of emitting sounds to a plurality of directions.SOLUTION: The apparatus is composed of a hollow case 110 having a first wall part, a second wall part opposed to the first wall part, and a third wall part enclosing the surrounding between the first wall part and the second wall part, a sound source 120 attached to the first wall part and emitting sounds to the second wall part, a sound reflection part 140 attached to the second wall part at the position opposite to the sound source 120 and reflecting the sound emitted from the sound source 120 to the third wall part, and openings 130a through 130d mounted on the third wall part and emitting the sounds reflected by the sound reflection part 140 out of the hollow case 110. The sound reflection part 140 is a pyramid shape. The openings 130a through 130d are mounted on the third wall part in a direction where each pyramid surface of the sound reflection part 140 faces.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sound emitting device. In particular, the present invention relates to a sound emitting device that emits sound in a plurality of directions.

  In recent years, in retail stores and restaurants, the use of electronic payment systems that pay for products and services by exchanging data electronically without using cash has been increasing. Generally, an electronic payment system uses a contactless IC (Integrated Circuit) card that has an antenna inside the card and transmits and receives data using weak radio waves transmitted from an external electronic payment terminal. That is, the customer can perform electronic payment processing by bringing the contactless IC card closer to the external electronic payment terminal when paying for the goods or services. At that time, depending on the model of the electronic payment terminal, the customer is prompted to bring the contactless IC card closer to the electronic payment terminal, the electronic payment processing is notified normally, or the electronic payment processing Some of them are equipped with a sound source that emits a chime sound, a sound, or the like in order to notify that the sound is not normally performed.

  FIG. 11 shows a known electronic payment terminal 900 equipped with a sound source. The electronic payment terminal 900 stores a sound source 920 inside a hollow box-shaped housing 910. Specifically, the sound source 920 is attached to one side surface of the housing 910. An opening 930 is provided on the surface facing the surface on which the sound source 920 is attached. Then, the electronic payment terminal 900 emits the sound radiated from the sound source 920 from the opening 930 on the opposite surface, as indicated by the arrows in the figure.

  On the other hand, there is known a speaker / phone structure for a telephone that allows a speaker and a microphone to be housed in a single housing or housing and can be talked while being released and placed on a table or the like (for example, Patent Document 1). According to the speakerphone structure for a telephone, the speaker is installed upward in the upper half or in the upper part of the interior of the speaker room, and the radiated sound is reflected by a 360 ° omnidirectional reflector having a downward cone shape. After reflection, the light is diffused non-directionally in all directions in the radial direction through the sound holes.

JP 60-010900 A

  A known electronic payment terminal 900 having a sound source as shown in FIG. 11 is usually provided with an opening 930 so that customers can easily hear the sound emitted from the electronic payment terminal 900. It is installed at the cashier counter for customers. However, when the electronic payment terminal 900 is installed in this way, the store clerk facing the customer across the checkout counter is positioned in a direction opposite to the direction in which sound is emitted from the opening 930. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to hear the sound emitted from the electronic payment terminal 900.

  On the other hand, according to the speakerphone structure for a telephone set described in Patent Document 1, after the radiated sound radiated from the speaker is reflected by a 360 ° omnidirectional reflector having a downward cone, It diffuses omnidirectionally in the radial direction through the sound hole. When this structure is adopted for an electronic payment terminal, the sound emitted from the electronic payment terminal can be easily heard by both the customer and the store clerk. However, according to this structure, the radiated sound radiated from the speaker is reflected by the 360-degree omnidirectional reflector having a conical shape, but the sound is removed over the entire surface in the direction in which the reflected sound travels. There are no holes. Therefore, according to this structure, the radiated sound radiated from the speaker is reflected by the 360-degree omnidirectional reflector having a conical shape, but a part of the wall is not provided with a sound release hole. Reflected and reflected at the part. As a result, there is a problem that the sound emitted from the sound release hole becomes a muffled sound. In addition, when the casing is made of a highly sound-absorbing material, there is a problem that the sound hitting the wall portion of the casing is absorbed and the sound emitted from the sound release hole is reduced.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the sound emission apparatus which can solve said subject. This object is achieved by a combination of features described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous specific examples of the present invention.

  That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the sound emitting device emits sound in a plurality of directions, and includes a first wall portion and a second wall portion facing the first wall portion. And a hollow housing having a third wall portion surrounding the periphery between the first wall portion and the second wall portion, and being attached to the first wall portion and facing the second wall portion A sound source that emits sound, a sound reflection unit that is provided at a position facing the sound source of the second wall portion, and reflects the sound radiated from the sound source toward the third wall portion; And an opening for emitting the sound reflected by the sound reflecting portion to the outside of the housing, the sound reflecting portion having a pyramid shape, and the opening being a third wall portion In the direction in which each pyramid surface of the sound reflecting portion faces.

  The above summary of the invention does not enumerate all necessary features of the present invention, and sub-combinations of these feature groups can also be the invention.

  As is clear from the above description, in the present invention, the sound reflecting portion is formed in a pyramid shape, and an opening is provided at a position in a direction in which each pyramid surface faces. It can reflect on each pyramid surface of a reflection part, and can guide actively toward each opening part. As a result, according to the present invention, the sound radiated from the sound source is emitted from each opening as a clear sound with almost no reflection at the wall portion inside the housing.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the terminal 100 for electronic payment which concerns on an example of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the AA cross section of the terminal 100 for electronic payments. It is a figure which shows the BB cross section of the terminal 100 for electronic payments. It is a figure which shows the advancing direction of the sound in the terminal 100 for electronic payments. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the terminal 200 for electronic payment which concerns on another example of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows CC cross section of the terminal 200 for electronic payments. It is a figure which shows the DD cross section of the terminal 200 for electronic payments. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the terminal 300 for electronic payment which concerns on another example of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the EE cross section of the terminal 300 for electronic payments. It is a figure which shows the FF cross section of the terminal 300 for electronic payments. It is a figure which shows the known electronic payment terminal provided with the sound source.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims, and are combinations of features described in the embodiments. Not all are essential to the solution of the invention.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an electronic payment terminal 100 according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an AA cross section of the electronic payment terminal 100. FIG. 3 shows a BB cross section of the electronic payment terminal 100.

  The electronic payment terminal 100 is a terminal that performs processing for paying the price of a product by electronically exchanging data without using cash when the contactless IC card is brought close to the terminal. The electronic payment terminal 100 may be an example of an embodiment of a “sound emitting device” in the present invention.

  The electronic settlement terminal 100 includes an upper casing 150 having a reader / writer mechanism and a lower casing 110 having a speaker mechanism. The reader / writer mechanism is a mechanism for transmitting a weak radio wave to the non-contact IC and transmitting / receiving data to / from the non-contact IC card. The speaker mechanism prompts the customer to bring the non-contact IC card closer to the electronic payment terminal, notifies that the electronic payment processing is normally performed, or the electronic payment processing is not normally performed. This is a mechanism for emitting a chime sound, voice, etc. The lower housing 110 may be an example of the “housing” in the present invention.

  The upper housing 150 includes an upper wall 150a and a side wall 150b. A reader / writer mechanism (not shown) is attached to the upper wall 150a of the upper casing 150. For example, the reader / writer mechanism is attached to the lower surface of the upper wall 150a of the upper housing 150. With such a configuration, in the electronic payment terminal 100, when the non-contact type IC card is brought close to the upper surface of the upper wall 150a of the upper housing 150, the reader / writer mechanism and the non-contact type IC card are Data transmission / reception for electronic payment processing is performed.

  The lower housing 110 includes an upper wall 110a, a side wall 110b, and a lower wall 110c, and the inside is hollow. And the upper housing | casing 150 is attached to the upper surface of the upper wall 110a of the lower housing | casing 110 in the state mounted. The upper wall 110a of the lower housing 110 may be an example of the “first wall” in the present invention. Further, the side wall 110b of the lower housing 110 may be an example of the “third wall” in the present invention. In addition, the lower wall 110c of the lower housing 110 may be an example of the “second wall portion” in the present invention.

  A plurality of holes 160 are provided in the upper wall 110 a of the lower housing 110. A speaker 120 is attached to the upper surface of the upper wall 110a of the lower housing 110 so as to be in contact with the plurality of holes 160. Specifically, the speaker 120 is attached such that the sound emission surface is in contact with the plurality of holes 160. The speaker 120 may be an example of a “sound source” in the present invention.

  In addition, on the upper surface of the lower wall 110 c of the lower housing 110, a sound reflecting unit 140 for reflecting the sound radiated from the speaker 120 toward the side wall 110 b of the lower housing 110 is provided. Specifically, the sound reflection unit 140 is provided at a position facing the speaker 120. In addition, the sound reflection unit 140 has a quadrangular pyramid shape. Moreover, the sound reflection part 140 is formed of a member having high sound reflectivity. The quadrangular pyramid shape may be an example of the “pyramidal shape” in the present invention.

  In addition, openings 130 a to 130 d for releasing the sound reflected by the sound reflection unit 140 to the outside of the lower housing 110 are provided on the side wall 110 b of the lower housing 110. Specifically, the openings 130a to 130d are provided at positions in the direction in which the pyramid surfaces 140a to 140d of the sound reflecting unit 140 face.

  FIG. 4 shows the traveling direction of sound in the electronic payment terminal 100. Specifically, the arrows in FIG. 4 indicate the traveling direction of the sound. With the above configuration, the sound radiated from the speaker 120 passes through the plurality of holes 160 and is radiated into the lower housing 110. And the sound radiated | emitted inside the lower housing | casing 110 is reflected in the direction of each opening part 130a-d provided in the side wall 110b of the lower housing | casing 110 by each pyramid surface 140a-d of the sound reflection part 140. FIG. . And the sound reflected by each pyramid surface 140a-d of the sound reflection part 140 is discharge | released outside the lower housing | casing 110 from each opening part 130a-d. Thus, the sound radiated from the speaker 120 is not reflected in the direction in which the openings 130a to 130d in the side wall 110 inside the lower housing 110 are not provided. Therefore, in this configuration, sound is not reflected so much inside the side wall 110 inside the lower housing 110, so that clear sound can be emitted from the openings 130a to 130d without being muffled.

  Further, for example, the electronic payment terminal 100 is installed at a counter of a store or a restaurant. Assume an environment where there is a store clerk at one side of the counter and a customer on the other side. At this time, when the electronic payment terminal 100 is installed with the opening 130c facing the store clerk, the sound emitted from the opening 130c is transmitted to the store clerk in an easy-to-understand manner. In this case, the sound emitted from the opening 130a is easily transmitted to the customer on the opposite side of the store clerk.

  In the above configuration, the speaker 120 is not provided inside the lower housing 110. Therefore, in the above configuration, even if water enters the inside of the lower housing 110 from the openings 130a to 130d, there is no possibility that the speaker 120 is submerged. Therefore, in the electronic payment terminal 100 having the above-described configuration, it is not necessary to perform the drip-proofing process on the openings 130a to 130d of the lower housing 110.

  In the above configuration, preferably, the size of the sound reflection unit 140 is set such that the size of the bottom surface is larger than the size of the sound emission surface of the speaker 120. With this configuration, the sound radiated from the speaker 120 is not reflected or absorbed in the vertical direction by the lower wall 110c of the lower housing 110 where the sound reflecting unit 140 is not provided. . Therefore, the sound radiated from the speaker 120 is reflected more efficiently in the direction of the openings 130a to 130d.

  In the above configuration, preferably, the lengths of the openings 130a to 130d in the circumferential direction (horizontal direction) are longer than the lengths of the bottom sides of the opposing pyramid surfaces 140a to 140d. Preferably, the length of each opening 130 in the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction (vertical direction) is equal to or longer than the height of the sound reflection unit 140. With such a configuration, the size of the opening portion of each of the openings 130a to 130d is larger than the size of each of the pyramidal surfaces 140a to 140d in the horizontal view. Therefore, the sound reflected by the respective pyramidal surfaces 140 a to 140 d is emitted from the openings 130 a to 130 d to the outside of the lower casing 110 with almost no reflection inside the side wall 110 b of the lower casing 110. Become.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of an electronic payment terminal 200 according to another example of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a CC cross section of the electronic payment terminal 200. FIG. 7 shows a DD cross section of the electronic payment terminal 200.

  The configuration of the electronic payment terminal 200 is different from the electronic payment terminal 100 in the shape of the sound reflection unit 240. Since the configuration of the electronic payment terminal 200 other than the sound reflection unit 240 is the same as that of the electronic payment terminal 100, a specific description thereof will be omitted.

  The shape of the sound reflection unit 140 is a general pyramid shape. On the other hand, the shape of the sound reflecting portion 240 is a pyramid shape in which each of the pyramidal surfaces 240a to 240d is curved in a concave shape. By adopting such a configuration, the sound emitted from the speaker 220 is guided more actively toward the openings 130a to 130d provided on the side wall 210b of the lower housing 210. Reflected by the pyramid surfaces 240a to 240d.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of an electronic payment terminal 300 according to still another example of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 shows an EE cross section of the electronic payment terminal 300. FIG. 10 shows an FF cross section of the electronic payment terminal 300.

  The electronic payment terminal 300 is different from the electronic payment terminal 100 in the shape of the sound reflection unit 340. Since the configuration of the electronic payment terminal 300 other than the sound reflection unit 340 is the same as that of the electronic payment terminal 100, a specific description thereof will be omitted.

  The sound reflection unit 140 is locally provided at a position facing the speaker 120 on the lower wall 110 c of the lower housing 110. On the other hand, the sound reflecting portion 340 is formed over the entire lower wall 310c of the lower housing 310. With this configuration, the sound radiated from the speaker 120 is not reflected or absorbed by the lower wall 310c of the lower housing 310 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the sound reflected by the respective pyramidal surfaces 340a to 340d is more efficiently emitted from the openings 330a to 330d to the outside of the lower housing 310.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. Various changes or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

100 Electronic Payment Terminal 110 Lower Housing 120 Speaker 130 Opening 140 Sound Reflecting Unit 150 Upper Housing 160 Hole 200 Electronic Payment Terminal 210 Lower Housing 220 Speaker 230 Opening 240 Sound Reflecting Unit 250 Upper Housing 260 Hole 300 Electronic Payment Terminal 310 Lower Housing 320 Speaker 330 Opening 340 Sound Reflector 350 Upper Housing 360 Hole

Claims (8)

A sound emitting device that emits sound in a plurality of directions,
A first wall portion; a second wall portion facing the first wall portion; and a third wall portion surrounding the periphery between the first wall portion and the second wall portion. A hollow housing;
A sound source attached to the first wall and radiating sound toward the second wall;
A sound reflecting portion provided at a position facing the sound source of the second wall portion and reflecting the sound radiated from the sound source toward the third wall portion;
An opening provided on the third wall for emitting the sound reflected by the sound reflecting portion to the outside of the housing;
The sound emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the sound reflecting portion has a pyramid shape, and the opening is provided at a position of the third wall portion in a direction in which each pyramid surface of the sound reflecting portion faces. Provided at a position where the sound source of the first wall portion is attached, further comprising a plurality of holes for passing sound emitted from the sound source;
2. The sound emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the sound source is attached to an upper surface of the first wall portion so that a sound emission surface is in contact with the plurality of hole portions.   3. The sound emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the size of the bottom surface of the pyramid is equal to or larger than the size of the sound emission surface of the sound source.   4. The sound emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the opening in a circumferential direction is equal to or longer than a length of a base of the opposite pyramid surface. 5.   5. The sound emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the opening in a direction orthogonal to a circumferential direction is equal to or greater than a height of the sound reflecting unit.   The sound emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of the pyramid surfaces is curved in a concave shape.   The sound emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the sound reflecting portion is locally provided on the second wall portion.   The sound emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the sound reflecting portion is provided over the entire surface of the second wall portion.

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