JP2012138770A - Portable phone and piezoelectric element controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable phone having an easy-to-use function and a piezoelectric element controller.SOLUTION: A cartilage conduction vibration source and a vibration conductor whose center part is abutted to the cartilage conduction vibration source and both ends for tragus contact are extended to both corners on the ear side at the upper part of the portable phone are provided so as not to project from the outer wall of the portable phone. When a gravity acceleration detection part detects a horizontal still state of the portable phone when it is mounted on a desk or the like, even when a proximity sensor for ear detection erroneously detects the desk or the like, vibrations of the cartilage conduction vibration source are inhibited. By adjusting the sound quality of voice information inputted from a voice input part, inverting a phase, and performing output from a cartilage conduction vibration part when an ear hole is closed by the pressurization of a tragus, the feeling of incompatibility of use's own voice due to bone conduction from a vocal cord when an earplug bone conduction effect is generated is mitigated. The cartilage conduction vibration part is configured using a piezoelectric element, and the state that the ear hole is closed by the pressurization of the tragus is detected by a pressure change sensed by the piezoelectric element.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile phone and a piezoelectric element control device.

Conventionally, various mobile phones have been proposed for various purposes. For example, in order to provide a mobile phone that can be heard clearly even under high noise, a bone-conduction speaker is employed, and a mobile phone including an external ear canal closing means has been proposed. (Patent Document 1) On the other hand, as a method of using a bone conduction speaker, the vibration surface abutted against the tragus is manually adjusted to adjust the pressure with which the abutment comes into contact with the tragus so that the cartilage guide is adapted to the magnitude of the external noise. It has also been proposed to change the transmission ratio between voice information via the air and voice information via the air guide. (Patent Document 2) Further, it has been proposed to use a piezoelectric element as a vibration source for bone conduction.

JP 2003-348208 A Japanese Patent No. 4541111

  However, there are many problems to be further studied regarding the functions of mobile phones and audio output devices.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile phone and a piezoelectric element control device having functions that are easy to use.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a mobile phone having a cartilage conduction vibration portion including a cartilage conduction vibration source and a vibration conductor for guiding the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration source to an upper portion of the mobile phone that abuts the ear cartilage. To do. As a result, it is possible to provide a mobile phone that can be used with a feeling of use close to a normal call state without using the good voice information transmission ability of the ear cartilage and without the discomfort of pressing and ear insertion. Furthermore, according to the configuration of the cartilage transmission vibration unit as described above, the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration source can be guided to a desired position by the vibration conductor, and the degree of freedom in layout of the cartilage conduction vibration source itself can be increased. It is useful for mounting a cartilage conduction vibration part on a cellular phone that cannot afford.

  According to a specific feature of the present invention, the cartilage conduction vibration source and the vibration conductor are configured not to protrude from the outer wall of the mobile phone. As a result, it is possible to realize a shape that does not impair the function and aesthetics of the mobile phone without the uncomfortable protrusion due to the arrangement of the cartilage conduction vibration portion. According to a more specific feature, the vibration conductor end is arranged at the upper corner on the ear side of the mobile phone. As a result, natural contact with the ear cartilage can be achieved, and the arrangement of the cartilage conduction vibration portion that does not protrude from the outer wall of the mobile phone can be realized. According to a more specific feature, the end portion of the vibration conductor is arranged at a lower corner of the mobile phone in the use posture among the ear-side upper corners. As a result, the cartilage conduction vibration unit can be brought into contact with the ear cartilage without any sense of incongruity to the caller himself / herself by a posture close to a normal call state in which the mobile phone is held in his / her hand. This posture is suitable for contact with the tragus, and the tragus is particularly suitable because it has a high cartilage conduction effect.

  According to another specific feature of the present invention, both ends of the end portion of the vibration conductor are arranged at both corners of the upper part on the ear side of the mobile phone. This configuration is suitable for enhancing the contact effect with the ear cartilage. For example, both ends of the vibration conductor end can be brought into contact with the ear cartilage as appropriate depending on whether the right ear is used or the left ear is used. Can do.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the cartilage conduction vibration unit abutting the ear cartilage, the gravitational acceleration detection unit, and the gravitational acceleration detection unit prohibit vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration unit when detecting a stationary state of the mobile phone. A mobile phone having a control unit is provided. Thus, for example, when the mobile phone is placed on a desk or the like with the cartilage conduction vibration portion on the lower side, it is possible to prevent the cartilage conduction portion from inadvertently vibrating and making an unpleasant sound.

  According to the specific feature of the present invention, the mobile phone has a sensor that detects the presence or absence of a proximity object to the cartilage conduction vibration unit, and the control unit detects the proximity object by the sensor according to the detection of the proximity object. When the gravitational acceleration detection unit detects the stationary state of the mobile phone, the cartilage conduction vibration unit is prohibited from vibrating regardless of the proximity object detected by the sensor. The sensor that detects the presence or absence of a proximity object is a useful configuration for detecting that the mobile phone is applied to the ear and causing the cartilage conduction vibration unit to vibrate. For example, the mobile phone is placed on a desk or the like. When this occurs, there is a possibility that the cartilage conduction vibration part is vibrated by misidentifying this as contact with the ear. Here, the specific features described above can prevent unpleasant sounds from being generated by the vibration of the cartilage conduction portion based on such misperception.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a cartilage conduction vibration unit that contacts the ear cartilage, a voice input unit, a phase inversion unit that reverses the phase of audio information input from the voice input unit, and a phase inversion by the phase inversion unit A mobile phone having a control unit that outputs the voice information from the vibration conducting unit is provided. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately control a sense of discomfort based on one's own voice in a conversation using a mobile phone with the cartilage conduction vibration unit in contact with the ear cartilage.

  According to the specific feature of the present invention, the mobile phone includes the sound quality adjustment unit, and the control unit adjusts the sound information adjusted by the sound quality adjustment unit and phase-reversed by the phase reversal unit from the vibration conduction unit. Output. This makes it possible to more appropriately control a sense of incongruity based on one's own voice in a mobile phone conversation.

  According to another specific feature of the present invention, the mobile phone includes a contact state detection unit that detects a contact state of the cartilage conduction vibration unit to the ear cartilage, and the control unit detects the contact state. In accordance with the detection state of the part, it is determined whether or not the sound information whose phase is reversed by the phase inverting part is output from the vibration conducting part. Thereby, the uncomfortable feeling based on one's own voice can be more appropriately controlled according to the contact state of the mobile phone with the ear cartilage.

  According to a more specific feature, the contact state detection unit is configured such that the cartilage conduction vibration unit contacts the ear cartilage in a state in which the ear hole is blocked by the contact of the mobile phone with the ear cartilage and the ear plug bone conduction effect occurs. The control unit detects that the cartilage conduction vibration unit is in contact with the ear cartilage in a state in which the ear plug bone conduction effect is generated, and the control unit detects the audio information phase-inverted by the phase inversion unit. Is output from the vibration conduction unit. The ear plug bone conduction effect caused by closing the ear canal realizes a very good reception situation that conveys voice information from the vibration conducting part with a louder sound and blocks environmental noise. However, on the other hand, the ear plug bone conduction effect is accompanied by a sense of incongruity in one's own voice due to bone conduction from the vocal cords. The above features are useful for alleviating such an uncomfortable feeling in one's own voice.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a conduction vibration unit that includes a piezoelectric element and transmits vibrations of the piezoelectric element by contacting the conductor, a signal output unit that outputs conduction vibration information to the piezoelectric element, and conduction vibration There is provided a piezoelectric element control device having a pressure detection unit that detects a change in contact pressure of a conductor to the unit by a piezoelectric element. With such a configuration, the piezoelectric element can be used as both a contact vibration output element and a contact pressure sensor, and a conduction vibration output corresponding to various situations is possible. Such a piezoelectric element control device is configured as a mobile phone having the conductive body as an ear cartilage, and is suitable for detecting the contact state of the cartilage conduction vibration portion to the ear cartilage by a pressure change sensed by the piezoelectric element. is there.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a useful mobile phone using cartilage conduction, and an input / output piezoelectric element control device suitable for a mobile phone or the like.

It is a perspective view which shows Example 1 of the mobile phone which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Example 1 It is a side view of the mobile telephone 1 which shows the function of a right ear use state and a left ear use state. 1 is a block diagram of Example 1. FIG. It is a flowchart of operation | movement of the control part in Example 1 of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows Example 2 of the mobile telephone which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (Example 2) It is a perspective view which shows Example 3 of the mobile telephone which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (Example 3) It is a perspective view which shows Example 4 of the mobile telephone which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Example 4 FIG. 10 is a block diagram of Example 4. It is a principal part conceptual block diagram which shows the structure relevant to the ear plug bone conduction effect of Example 4. FIG. It is a flowchart of operation | movement of the control part in Example 4 of FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing Example 1 of the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a cellular phone 1 includes an upper part 7 having a display unit 5 and the like, and a lower part 11 having an operation unit 9 such as a numeric keypad and a transmission unit 23 such as a microphone that plays a sound generated from the operator's mouth. The upper part 7 is configured to be foldable on the lower part 11 by the hinge part 3. The upper part 7 is provided with a receiving part 13 such as an earphone for transmitting sound to the operator's ear, and constitutes a telephone function together with the transmitting part 23 of the lower part 11. In addition, an upper camera 7 can be used to capture the face of the operator who is looking at the display unit 5 when the mobile phone 1 is used as a videophone. Has been. Further, the upper portion 7 has a pair of infrared light emitting units 19 and 20 constituting a proximity sensor for detecting that the mobile phone 1 is in contact with the ear for a call and infrared reflected light from the ear. Is provided with a common infrared proximity sensor 21 for receiving light. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a rear camera is provided on the rear surface of the upper portion 7, and a subject that is on the rear surface side of the mobile phone 1 and is monitored by the display unit 5 can be photographed.

  The upper portion 7 is further provided with a right ear vibrating portion 24 and a left ear vibrating portion 26 made of a piezoelectric bimorph element or the like for contacting the tragus at the upper corner on the inner side (the side that contacts the ear). The right-ear vibration part 24 and the left-ear vibration part 26 are configured to protrude from the outer wall of the mobile phone so as not to harm the design. Contact. Accordingly, it is possible to receive the voice by the bone conduction from the tragus cartilage together with the voice reception from the receiver 13. In addition, as disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, the tragus is the most audible sensation in the structure of the ear cartilage such as the otic mastoid process, the outer cartilage surface of the outer ear mouth, the tragus and the raised part, and is pressed. It is known that the rise of the bass when the pressure is increased is greater than other positions. Since this knowledge is described in detail in Patent Document 2, it can be referred to.

  When this is applied to the right ear, the mobile phone 1 is slightly rotated clockwise in FIG. Then, by providing the right-ear vibration unit 24 at the lower inclined corner of the upper end of the mobile phone ear side, the right-ear vibration unit 24 can be naturally connected to the right ear without projecting the vibration unit from the outer wall of the mobile phone. Can be brought into contact with the beads. This state is a posture close to a normal call state, and there is no sense of incongruity for the caller himself / herself. Note that since the receiver 13 is in the vicinity of the right-ear vibration unit 24, both the audio information via the tragus cartilage and the audio information via the external auditory canal are transmitted to the ear. At this time, since the same audio information is transmitted through different pronunciation pairs and routes, phase adjustment between the two is performed so that they do not cancel each other.

  On the other hand, when the mobile phone 1 is put on the left ear, the mobile phone 1 is slightly rotated counterclockwise in FIG. Then, in the same manner as in the case of the right ear, the left-ear vibration unit 26 is provided at the inclined lower side corner at the upper end of the mobile phone ear side, and the left-ear vibration unit 26 is naturally connected to the left ear tragus. Can be contacted. Since this state is a posture close to a normal call state, and the receiving unit 13 is in the vicinity of the left ear vibrating unit 26, both voice information via the tragus cartilage and voice information via the ear canal are transmitted to the ear. The phase adjustment between the two is the same as in the case of the right ear.

  In addition, since the pair of infrared light emitting units 19 and 20 in the proximity sensor emit light alternately in a time-division manner, the common infrared light proximity sensor 21 receives reflected light by infrared light from any light emitting unit. Whether the light is received or not can be identified, so that it can be determined which of the right-ear vibration unit 24 and the left-ear vibration unit 26 hits the tragus. As a result, it is possible to determine which ear the mobile phone is being used, and it is possible to vibrate the vibration part on which the tragus is in contact and turn off the other. However, since there are variations in how the mobile phone 1 is applied to the ear and individual differences in the shape of the ear, the acceleration sensor is incorporated in the first embodiment as will be described later, and the gravitational acceleration detected by this acceleration sensor. Thus, the mobile phone 1 is detected to be tilted to vibrate, and the vibration portion on the lower corner of the tilt is vibrated and the other is turned off. The use of the right ear and the use of the left ear described above will be described again with reference to the drawings corresponding to each specification state.

  Further, the upper part 7 is arranged on the outer side (the back side that does not hit the ear) so as to pick up environmental noise, and is provided with a means for preventing vibration conduction of the right-ear vibration part 24 and the left-ear vibration part 26. A microphone 38 is provided. The environmental noise microphone 38 further picks up sound produced from the operator's mouth. The environmental noise picked up by the environmental noise microphone 38 and the operator's own voice are phase-inverted and then mixed by the right-ear vibration unit 24 and the left-ear vibration unit 26, and are included in the audio information via the reception unit 13. Cancels noise and the operator's own voice to make it easier to hear the voice information of the other party. Details of this function will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a side view of the mobile phone 1 showing the functions of the right-ear vibration unit 24 and the left-ear vibration unit 26. FIG. 2A shows the mobile phone 1 in the right hand and the right ear 28 applied thereto. Indicates the state. On the other hand, FIG. 2B shows a state in which the mobile phone 1 is held in the left hand and is placed on the left ear 30. 2A is a view seen from the right side of the face, and FIG. 2B is a view seen from the left side of the face, so the mobile phone 1 is on the back side (the back side in FIG. 1). Is visible. In addition, in order to illustrate the relationship between the mobile phone 1 and the right ear 28 and the left ear 30, the mobile phone 1 is indicated by a one-dot chain line.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, when the mobile phone 1 is put on the right ear, the mobile phone 1 is slightly tilted counterclockwise in FIG. . And since the vibration part 24 for ear | edges is provided in the inclination lower side corner of such a mobile telephone ear side upper end, this can be made to contact the tragus 32 of a right ear naturally. As already described, this state is a posture close to a normal call state, and there is no sense of incongruity for the caller himself / herself. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), when the cellular phone 1 is put on the left ear, the mobile phone 1 is slightly inclined clockwise in FIG. Become. Since the ear vibration unit 26 is provided at the lower inclined corner at the upper end of the mobile phone ear side, it can be naturally brought into contact with the tragus 34 of the left ear. Even in this state, as in the case of the right ear, the posture is close to that of a normal call state, and there is no sense of incongruity between the caller and the side.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the first embodiment. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted unless necessary. The mobile phone 1 is controlled by a control unit 39 that operates according to a program stored in the storage unit 37. The storage unit 37 can also temporarily store data necessary for the control of the control unit 39 and also store various measurement data and images. Display on the display unit 5 is performed based on display data held by the display driver 41 under the control of the control unit 39. The display unit 5 has a display backlight 43, and the control 39 adjusts the brightness based on the ambient brightness.

  The telephone function unit 45 including the reception unit 13 and the transmission unit 23 can be connected to a wireless telephone line by a telephone communication unit 47 under the control of the control unit 39. The speaker 51 performs ringtones and various guidance under the control of the control unit 39 and outputs the other party's voice during a videophone call. The sound output of the speaker 51 is not output from the right-ear cartilage transmission vibration unit 24 and the left-ear cartilage transmission vibration unit 26. This is because there is no possibility that the cartilage conduction vibration part is applied to the ear during a videophone call. Further, the image processing unit 53 processes images captured by the videophone inner camera 17 and the rear main camera 55 under the control of the control unit 39, and inputs images of these processing results to the storage unit 37.

  As described above, the pair of infrared light emitting units 19 and 20 in the proximity sensor emit light alternately in a time-sharing manner based on the control of the control unit 39. Therefore, the reflected infrared light input to the control unit 39 by the common infrared light proximity sensor 21 can be reflected by the infrared light from any light emitting unit. When the reflected light is detected from both of the infrared light emitting units 19 and 20, the control unit 39 compares these with each other, and either the right ear vibrating unit 24 or the left ear vibrating unit 26 hits the tragus. Judge whether. Furthermore, the acceleration sensor 49 detects the direction of the detected gravitational acceleration. Based on this detection signal, the control unit 39 determines whether the mobile phone 1 is tilted in FIG. 2 (A) or FIG. 2 (B), and as described with reference to FIG. One vibration part is vibrated and the other is turned off.

  The cellular phone 1 further includes a phase adjustment mixer unit 36 that adjusts the phase of the audio information from the control unit 39 and transmits the audio information to the right ear vibration unit 24 and the left ear vibration unit 26. More specifically, the phase adjusting unit 36 is generated from the receiving unit 13 and transmitted from the external ear canal via the eardrum and the right ear vibrating unit 24 or the left ear vibrating unit 26 via the tragus cartilage. The sound information from the control unit 39 is phase-adjusted with reference to the sound information transmitted from the control unit 39 to the receiving unit 13 so that the same sound information transmitted through 24 and the left ear vibration unit 26. This phase adjustment is a relative adjustment between the receiving unit 13 and the right-ear vibration unit 24 and the left-ear vibration unit 26, so that the control unit 39 changes the right-ear vibration unit 24 and the left-ear vibration unit 26. You may comprise so that the phase of the audio | voice information transmitted to the receiving part 13 from the control part 39 may be adjusted on the basis of the audio | voice information transmitted. In this case, the audio information to the speaker 51 is also adjusted in the same phase as the audio information to the receiver 13.

  The phase adjustment mixer unit 36 prevents the audio information from the receiving unit 13 and the same audio information from the right ear vibration unit 24 or the left ear vibration unit 26 from canceling each other. In addition to the above function, the second function is provided in cooperation with the environmental noise microphone 38. In this second function, the environmental noise picked up by the environmental noise microphone 38 and the voice of the operator itself are phase-inverted by the phase adjustment mixer unit 36, and then the audio information of the right ear vibrating unit 24 or the left ear vibrating unit 26 is obtained. This cancels the environmental noise and the operator's own voice included in the voice information via the receiver 13, thereby making it easier to hear the voice information of the other party. At this time, the environmental noise and the operator's own voice are effective regardless of the transmission route of the voice information from the receiver 13 and the voice information from the right-ear vibration unit 24 or the left-ear vibration unit 26. In order to cancel, the mixing is performed in consideration of the phase adjustment based on the first function.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the operation of the control unit 39 in the first embodiment of FIG. Note that the flow of FIG. 4 mainly illustrates the functions of the right-ear vibration unit 24 and the left-ear vibration unit 26, so that the operations are extracted with a focus on related functions. There are also operations of the control unit 39 that are not shown in the flow of FIG. The flow of FIG. 4 starts when the main power supply is turned on by the operation unit 9 of the mobile phone 1, and at step S <b> 2, initial startup and function check of each unit are performed and screen display on the display unit 5 is started. Next, in step S4, the functions of the right-ear vibration unit 24 and the left-ear vibration unit 26 are turned off, and the process proceeds to step S6. In step S, it is checked whether or not there is an operation that does not use radio waves such as a mail operation, Internet operation, other settings, and a downloaded game (hereinafter collectively referred to as “non-call operation”). If there are these operations, the process proceeds to step S8 to execute non-call processing, and the process proceeds to step S10. Note that the non-call operation does not assume a function that applies the functions of the receiver 13, the right ear vibrating unit 24, and the left ear vibrating unit 26 in the upper portion 7 of the mobile phone 1 to the ear. On the other hand, when a non-call operation is not detected in step S6, the process directly proceeds to step S10.

  In step S10, it is checked whether or not a call using mobile radio waves is being received. If the call is not being received, the process proceeds to step S12, and it is checked whether or not the response from the other party to the call from the mobile phone 1 is correct. If a response is detected, the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, when it is detected in step S10 that a call using a mobile radio wave is being received, the process proceeds to step S16, in which the mobile phone is opened, that is, the upper portion 7 is folded over the lower portion 11. To check whether it is open as shown in FIG. If it is not detected that the mobile phone is open, the process returns to step S10, and thereafter, steps S10 and S16 are repeated to wait for the mobile phone to be opened. If the incoming call is terminated without repeating the cellular phone, the flow moves from step S10 to step S12. On the other hand, if it is detected in step S16 that the mobile phone is open, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the transmitter 23 and receiver 13 are turned on, and the process proceeds to step S18. In step S18, it is checked whether or not the call is a videophone. If it is not a videophone, the process proceeds to step S20, and it is confirmed whether or not the call is disconnected at this point. If the call is not disconnected, the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S22, it is checked whether or not the infrared light proximity sensor 21 detects the contact of the ear. If the contact is detected, the process proceeds to step S24. On the other hand, when the infrared light proximity sensor 21 does not detect the contact of the ear in step S22, the process returns to step S14, and thereafter, steps S14 and S18 to 22 are repeated to wait for the detection of the proximity sensor in step S22. In step S24, based on the detection signal of the acceleration sensor 49, it is checked whether or not there is a right-ear talking state tilt as shown in FIG. If applicable, the process proceeds to step S26, the right ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 is turned on, and the process proceeds to step S28. On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S24 that the right-ear call state tilt has occurred, the detection signal of the acceleration sensor 49 has detected the left-ear call state tilt as shown in FIG. In step S30, the left ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 is turned on, and the process proceeds to step S28.

  In the description of the flow of FIG. 4, the process proceeds to step S24 regardless of whether the infrared reflected light detected by the infrared light proximity sensor 21 is generated by the infrared light emitting unit 19 or 20 and in step S24, the acceleration sensor is detected. It has been described that it is detected whether or not the right-ear communication state inclination is based on the 49 signal. However, since the infrared light proximity sensor 21 can also detect whether or not the right-ear call state is inclined, the infrared light at the light emission timing of the infrared light emitting unit 19 is replaced with the signal of the acceleration sensor 49 in step S24. If the output of the proximity sensor 21 is larger than that at the light emission timing of the infrared light emitting unit 20, it may be determined that the right-ear call state is inclined. In step S24, it is determined whether or not the right ear communication state inclination is obtained by combining the signal from the acceleration sensor and the output comparison result of the infrared light proximity sensor 21 at the light emission timing of the infrared light emitting units 19 and 20. You may comprise so that it may carry out.

  In step S28, it is checked whether or not the call state is cut off. If the call is not cut off, the process returns to step S24, and step S24 to step S30 are repeated until a call cut is detected in step S28. This corresponds to the change of the mobile phone between the right-ear call state and the left-ear call state during a call. On the other hand, when a call disconnection is detected in step S28, the process proceeds to step S32, and the right-ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 or the left-ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26, the reception unit 13 and the transmission unit 23 are turned off. Then, the process proceeds to step S34. On the other hand, if no call origination response is detected in step S12, the process immediately proceeds to step S34. If it is detected in step S18 that the videophone is used, the process proceeds to videophone processing in step S36. In the videophone processing, the video camera inner camera 17 captures the face of the user, the speaker 51 outputs the voice of the other party, the sensitivity of the transmitter 23 is switched, the display unit 5 displays the other party's face. When such a videophone process is completed, the process proceeds to step S38, the speaker 51, the receiving unit 13 and the transmitting unit 23 are turned off, and the process proceeds to step S34. When the call disconnection is detected in step S20, the process proceeds to step S38. At this time, since the speaker 51 is not originally turned on, the reception unit 13 and the transmission unit 23 are turned off, and the process proceeds to step S34.

  In step S34, it is checked whether or not the main power is turned off. If there is an off operation, the flow ends. On the other hand, when the main power-off operation is not detected in step S34, the flow returns to step S6, and thereafter steps S6 to S38 are repeated. As described above, the right ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 or the left ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 can be used even when the mobile phone 1 is not open, when the mobile phone 1 is not in a call state, or in a call state. It is not turned on when it is a videophone call and when the mobile phone 1 is not placed on the ear even in a normal call state. However, once the right ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 or the left ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 is turned on, the on / off switching between the right ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 or the left ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 is performed. This will not be turned off unless a call disconnect is detected.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing Example 2 of the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since the gist of the invention is also common in the second embodiment, the corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. The mobile phone 101 according to the second embodiment is an integrated type that does not have a movable part, and is not divided into an upper part and a lower part. Therefore, the “upper part” in this case does not mean the separated upper part, but means the upper part of the integrated structure.

  In the first embodiment, when the mobile phone 1 is folded, the right ear cartilage conduction vibration portion 24 and the left ear cartilage conduction vibration portion 26 are sandwiched and stored between the upper portion 7 and the lower portion 11. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the right ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 and the left ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 are always exposed on the outer wall of the mobile phone 101. Also in the second embodiment, the internal structure of FIG. 3 and the flowchart of FIG. 4 can be basically used. However, in relation to the difference in the structure described above, step S16 in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is omitted, and if it is confirmed in step S10 that a call is being received, the process proceeds directly to step S14.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing Example 3 of the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since the spirit of the invention is common also in the third embodiment, the corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. The mobile phone 201 according to the third embodiment has a structure in which an upper part 107 can slide relative to a lower part 111. In the structure of the third embodiment, when the upper portion 107 is overlapped with the lower portion 111, there is no vertical relationship, but the “upper portion” in the third embodiment means a portion that comes up when the mobile phone 201 is extended. To do.

  In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the full function can be used with the upper portion 107 extended and the operation portion 9 exposed, and the upper portion 107 is overlapped with the lower portion 111 so that the operation portion 9 is hidden. But you can use basic functions such as incoming calls and calls. Also in the third embodiment, the right ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 and the left ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 are both in the state in which the cellular phone 201 is extended as shown in FIG. The shape is always exposed on the outer wall of the mobile phone 201. Also in the third embodiment, the internal structure of FIG. 3 and the flowchart of FIG. 4 can basically be used. However, as described above, in the third embodiment, it is possible to make a call even when the upper portion 107 is overlapped with the lower portion 111. Therefore, similarly to the second embodiment, step S16 in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is omitted, and the call is made in step S10. When it is confirmed that the incoming call is being received, the process directly proceeds to step S14.

  The implementation of the various features of the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, but can be implemented in other embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, the right-ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 and the left-ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 are provided in order to cope with both the right ear use and the left ear use due to change of hand and change of user. However, in the case of cartilage conduction, if it is assumed that only the right ear or only the left ear is used, one cartilage conduction vibration unit may be provided.

  The right-ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 and the left-ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 are originally provided on the premise that they come into contact with the tragus of the right ear and the left ear, respectively, but are disclosed in Patent Document 2. As described above, since cartilage conduction is possible even in an otic cartilage configuration other than the tragus, such as the otic mastoid process and the posterior cartilage surface of the outer ear mouth, both the cartilage conduction vibration part 24 for the right ear and the cartilage conduction vibration part 26 for the left ear For example, when using the right ear, an appropriate portion of the right ear cartilage may be pressed at the same time. In this sense, the two cartilage conduction vibration units 24 and 26 are not necessarily limited to the right ear and the left ear. In this case, instead of turning on only one of the two cartilage conduction vibration parts 24 and 26 as in the embodiment, both are turned on simultaneously.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the earpiece 13 and the right ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 24 or the left ear cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 are turned on simultaneously. When the cartilage conduction vibration unit 26 is turned on, the receiver 13 may be turned off. In this case, it is not necessary to adjust the phase of the audio information.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing Example 4 of the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since the spirit of the invention is also common in the fourth embodiment, the corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. The mobile phone 301 according to the fourth embodiment is not a folding method separated into an upper part and a lower part as in the second example, but is an integrated type having no movable part. Moreover, it is comprised as what is called a smart phone which has the big screen 205 provided with the GUI (graphical user interface) function. Also in the fourth embodiment, the “upper part” does not mean the separated upper part, but means the upper part of the integrated structure. In the fourth embodiment, the operation unit 9 such as a numeric keypad is displayed on the large screen 205, and a GUI operation is performed according to a finger touch or slide on the large screen 205.

The cartilage conduction vibration function in the fourth embodiment is performed by a cartilage conduction vibration unit including a cartilage conduction vibration source 225 including a piezoelectric bimorph element and the vibration conductor 227. The cartilage conduction vibration source 225 is disposed in contact with the lower portion of the vibration conductor 227 and transmits the vibration to the vibration conductor 227. The cartilage conduction vibration source 225 is configured to protrude from the outer wall of the mobile phone (front side in FIG. 7) in the same manner as in the first to third embodiments so as not to harm the design, but the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration source 225 is caused by the vibration conductor 227. Is transmitted to the side, causing both ends 224 and 226 to vibrate. Since both ends 224 and 226 of the vibration conductor 227 are located at the inner corners of the upper portion 7 of the mobile phone 301 that comes into contact with the tragus, the ears can be effectively prevented from protruding from the outer wall of the mobile phone in the same manner as in the first to third embodiments. Contact the bead. As described above, the right end portion 224 and the left end portion 226 of the vibration conductor 227 constitute the right ear vibrating portion 24 and the left ear vibrating portion 26 in the first embodiment, respectively.
Since the vibration conductor 227 vibrates not only at the right end 224 and the left end 226 but as a whole, in the fourth embodiment, any part of the inner upper end side of the mobile phone 301 is brought into contact with the ear cartilage. Audio information can be transmitted. In such a structure of the cartilage conduction vibration unit, the vibration conductor 227 can guide the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration source 225 to a desired position, and the cartilage conduction vibration source 225 itself does not need to be disposed on the outer wall of the mobile phone 301. This is useful for mounting a cartilage conduction vibration unit on a mobile phone having a high degree of freedom in layout and having no space.

  In the fourth embodiment, two functions are further added. However, these functions are not specific to the fourth embodiment, and can be applied to the first to third embodiments. One of the additional functions is to prevent malfunction of the cartilage transmission vibration unit. In any of the first to fourth embodiments, the infrared light emitting units 19 and 20 and the infrared light proximity sensor 21 detect that the mobile phone has been applied to the ear. Since the proximity sensor is detected when placed on a desk or the like with the inside facing down, there is a possibility that the mobile phone is mistakenly recognized as being placed on the ear and the process proceeds from S22 in the flow of FIG. 4 to step S24. And since it does not correspond to the right-ear call state inclination detected in step S24, the flow proceeds to step S30, and the left-ear cartilage conduction vibration unit may be erroneously turned on. Since the vibration energy of the cartilage conduction vibration part is relatively large, if such a malfunction occurs, vibration noise may occur between the desk and the desk. In the fourth embodiment, in order to prevent this, the horizontal stationary state is detected by the acceleration sensor 49, and if applicable, the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration source 225 is prohibited. Details of this point will be described later.

  Next, a second additional function in the fourth embodiment will be described. In each embodiment of the present invention, the right ear vibrating portion 24 or the left ear vibrating portion 26 (in the fourth embodiment, the right end portion 224 or the left end portion 226 of the vibration conductor 227) is used as the tragus of the right ear or the left ear. The voice information is transmitted by contact, but by increasing the contact pressure and closing the ear hole with the tragus, the ear plug bone conduction effect is produced, and the voice information can be transmitted with a louder sound. Furthermore, since the environmental noise is blocked by closing the ear hole with the tragus, the use in such a state realizes a reception situation that can be obtained at once, reducing unnecessary environmental noise and increasing necessary voice information, for example, station It is suitable for a telephone call under noise. When the earplug bone conduction effect is occurring, the user's own voice due to bone conduction from the vocal cords becomes louder and the sense of incongruity between the left and right auditory senses is lost. In Example 4, in order to alleviate the uncomfortable feeling of one's own voice during the generation of the ear plug bone conduction effect, the phase of the information of one's own voice picked up from the transmitter 23 is inverted and transmitted to the vibration conductor 228. Configured to cancel your voice. Details of this point will also be described later.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the fourth embodiment, and the same components as those in FIG. In addition, since there are many parts in common with the first to third embodiments, the same numbers are assigned to the corresponding parts. The description of the same or common parts is omitted unless particularly necessary. In the fourth embodiment, the telephone function unit 45 is illustrated in some detail, but the configuration is the same as in the first to third embodiments. More specifically, the reception processing unit 212 and the microphone 213 in FIG. 8 correspond to the reception unit 13 in FIG. 3, and the transmission processing unit 222 and the microphone 223 in FIG. 8 correspond to the transmission unit in FIG. 23. On the other hand, the cartilage conduction vibration source 225 and the vibration conductor 227 of FIG. 7 are collectively shown as a cartilage conduction vibration unit 228 in FIG. The transmission processing unit 222 transmits a part of the operator's voice picked up from the microphone 223 to the reception processing unit 212 as a side tone, and the reception processing unit 212 receives the caller's voice from the telephone communication unit 47 in the operator's own voice. By superimposing these side tones and outputting them to the earphone 213, the balance between the bone conduction and the air conduction in the state where the mobile phone 301 is placed on the ear is brought close to a natural state.

  The transmission processing unit 222 further outputs a part of the operator's voice picked up from the microphone 223 to the sound quality adjustment unit 238. The sound quality adjustment unit 238 outputs the sound quality of the voice to be transmitted to the cochlea from the cartilage conduction vibration unit 228 to a sound quality that approximates the operator's own voice transmitted from the vocal cords to the cochlea by internal conduction when the earplug bone conduction effect occurs. Adjust and make both cancellations effective. Then, the phase inversion unit 240 inverts the phase of the voice of which the sound quality has been adjusted in this way and outputs the result to the phase adjustment mixer unit 236. When the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 242 is predetermined and corresponds to a state in which the ear hole is closed with a tragus by the mobile phone 301, the phase adjustment mixer unit 236 receives a command from the phase inversion unit 240 according to an instruction from the control unit 239. Are mixed to drive the cartilage conduction vibration unit 228. As a result, excessive one's own voice during the occurrence of the ear plug bone conduction effect is canceled, and the uncomfortable feeling is alleviated. At this time, the degree of cancellation is adjusted so that the voice corresponding to the side tone is left without being canceled. On the other hand, when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is low, this corresponds to a state in which the ear hole is not blocked by the tragus and the effect of the ear plug bone conduction is not generated, so the phase adjustment mixer unit is instructed by the control unit 239. Based on this, the voice phase inversion output from the phase inversion unit 240 is not mixed. In FIG. 8, the positions of the sound quality adjusting unit 238 and the phase inverting unit 240 may be reversed. Furthermore, the sound quality adjustment unit 238 and the phase inversion unit 240 may be integrated as functions within the phase adjustment mixer unit 236.

  FIG. 9 is a main part conceptual block diagram showing a state in which the mobile phone 301 is applied to the right tragus in Example 4, and explains the cancellation of one's own voice during the generation of the ear plug bone conduction effect. is there. FIG. 9 also shows a specific example of the pressure sensor 242, which is configured on the assumption that the cartilage conduction vibration unit 225 is a piezoelectric bimorph element. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected about FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 about the same part, and description is abbreviate | omitted unless there is particular need.

  FIG. 9A shows a state in which the mobile phone 301 is applied to the tragus 32 to such an extent that the tragus 32 does not block the ear hole 232. In this state, the phase adjustment mixer unit 236 drives the cartilage conduction vibration unit 225 based on the voice information of the communication partner from the reception processing unit 212. The pressure sensor 242 monitors a signal line that appears between the phase adjustment mixer section 236 and the cartilage conduction vibration section 225, and a signal that appears in the cartilage conduction vibration section 225. Bimorph element) 225 is configured to detect signal changes based on distortion to 225. Thus, when the cartilage conduction vibration part 225 that transmits voice information by contacting the tragus 32 is constituted by a piezoelectric bimorph element, the piezoelectric bimorph element itself can also be used as a pressure sensor for the tragus 32. The press sensor 242 further monitors a signal appearing on a signal line connecting the phase adjustment mixer unit 236 and the reception processing unit 212. Since the signal that appears here is not affected by the pressure on the tragus 32, it can be used as a reference signal for pressure determination.

  As described above, in FIG. 9A, the tragus 32 does not block the ear hole 232, and the pressure determined by the pressure sensor force 242 is small. Based on this determination, the control unit 239 controls the phase inversion unit 240. The phase adjustment mixer unit 236 is instructed not to mix the phase-inverted voice from the cartilage conduction vibration unit 225. On the other hand, FIG. 9B shows a state in which the mobile phone 301 presses the tragus 32 more strongly in the direction of the arrow 302, and the tragus 32 blocks the ear hole 232. And in this state, the ear plug bone conduction effect has occurred. The pressure sensor force 242 determines that the ear hole is closed based on detection of an increase in pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The phase adjustment mixer unit 236 is instructed to mix with the unit 225. As described above, the sense of incongruity of the voice during the generation of the ear plug effect is alleviated. On the other hand, when the pressing sensor 242 detects a decrease in the pressing force beyond a predetermined level from the state of FIG. 9B, it is determined that the ear hole is not blocked as shown in FIG. Then, the mixing of the phase-inverted voice is stopped. Note that the press sensor 242 determines the state transition between FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B based on the absolute amount of press and the change direction of the press. In a silent state where both voices are absent, the pressure sensor 242 detects a pressure by directly applying a pressure monitor signal that cannot be heard by the ear to the bone conduction vibration unit 225.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the operation of the control unit 239 in the fourth embodiment of FIG. Since the flow of FIG. 10 is often in common with the flow of the first embodiment in FIG. 4, the corresponding steps are denoted by the same step numbers, and the description is omitted unless necessary. FIG. 10 also mainly shows the functions of the cartilage conduction vibration unit in order to explain the functions of the cartilage conduction vibration unit. Therefore, as in the case of FIG. 4, there are operations of the control unit 239 that are not shown in the flow of FIG. In FIG. 10, portions different from those in FIG. 4 are shown in bold, and therefore, these portions will be mainly described below.

  Step S42 is a summary of Step S6 and Step S8 in FIG. 4, and includes the case where the non-call processing in Step S42 includes the case of going straight to the next step without a non-call operation. The contents are the same as those in steps S6 and S8 in FIG. Step S44 is a summary of Step S10 and Step S12 in FIG. 4, and is a step for checking the presence or absence of a call state between both parties regardless of whether the call is an incoming call from the other party or a call from the other party. Although shown, the contents are the same as those in steps S6 and S8 in FIG. In the fourth embodiment, since there is no configuration for opening and closing the mobile phone 301, a step corresponding to step S16 in FIG. 4 is not included.

  Step S46 relates to the first additional function in the fourth embodiment, and checks whether or not the mobile phone 301 is left in a horizontal state apart from the handheld state for a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds). When the proximity sensor is detected in step S22, if it is confirmed in step S46 that such a horizontal stationary state is not established, the process proceeds to step S48 for the first time to turn on the cartilage conduction vibration source 225. On the other hand, when the horizontal stationary state is detected in step S46, the process proceeds to step S50, the cartilage conduction vibration source 225 is turned off, and the process returns to step S14. Note that step S50 corresponds to the step S46 in which the cartilage conduction vibration source is turned on in the repetition of the flow to be described later, and corresponds to when the horizontal stationary state is detected. When S50 is reached, the process returns to step S14 without doing anything.

  Step S52 relates to the second additional function in the fourth embodiment, and checks whether or not the ear plug bone conduction effect is produced by closing the ear hole 232 by strongly pressing the mobile phone 301 against the tragus 32. It is. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, this is checked based on the presence or absence and a direction of a predetermined pressure change by the pressure sensor 242. If it is detected that the effect of the ear plug bone conduction is produced, the process proceeds to step S54, where the phase inversion signal of own voice is added to the cartilage conduction vibration source 225, and the process proceeds to step S58. On the other hand, when it is detected in step S52 that the effect of the ear plug bone conduction is not generated, the process proceeds to step S56, and the addition of the phase inversion signal of the own voice to the cartilage conduction vibration source 225 is eliminated, and step S58 is performed. Migrate to In step S58, it is checked whether or not the call state is cut off. If the call is not cut off, the process returns to step S22, and step S22 and step S46 to step S58 are repeated until a call cut is detected in step S58. This responds to the occurrence and disappearance of the ear plug bone conduction effect during a call.

  Various features of each embodiment described above are not limited to individual embodiments, and can be appropriately replaced or combined with features of other embodiments. For example, the flowchart of the fourth embodiment in FIG. 10 does not have a configuration for switching between the cartilage conduction vibration portion for the right ear and the cartilage conduction vibration portion for the left ear in the flowchart of the first embodiment of FIG. As the configuration of the conduction vibration unit 228, the right ear cartilage conduction vibration part 24 and the left ear cartilage conduction vibration part as in the first embodiment are adopted, and the loop of steps S22 and S46 to S58 is repeated in the ear. In addition to responding to the occurrence and disappearance of the plug bone conduction effect, the mobile phone is switched between the right-ear call state and the left-ear call state by the function according to steps S24 to S26 in FIG. You may comprise. In addition, the horizontal stationary state check and the off function of the cartilage conduction vibration unit in the fourth embodiment of FIG. 10 can be added to the first to third embodiments. Furthermore, in Examples 1 to 3, it is also possible to employ a cartilage conduction vibration unit as in Example 4.

The present invention can be applied to a mobile phone.

225 Cartilage conduction vibration source 227 Vibration conductor 225, 227 Cartilage conduction vibration unit 224, 226 Vibration conductor end 34 Tragus 19, 21, 22 Sensor 49 Gravity acceleration detection unit 222, 223 Audio input unit 239 Control unit 240 Phase inversion Unit 238 sound quality adjustment unit 225, 242 contact state detection unit 225 piezoelectric element 236 signal output unit 242 pressure detection unit

Claims (18)

  A mobile phone comprising a cartilage conduction vibration portion including a cartilage conduction vibration source and a vibration conductor that guides the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration source to an upper portion of the mobile phone that abuts on the ear cartilage.   The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the cartilage conduction vibration source and the vibration conductor do not protrude from the outer wall of the mobile phone.   The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the end portion of the vibration conductor is arranged at an upper corner of the mobile phone.   4. The mobile phone according to claim 3, wherein the end portion of the vibration conductor is disposed at a lower inclined corner in the use posture among the ear-side upper corners of the mobile phone.   5. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the end portion of the vibration conductor is disposed at a position where it can come into contact with the tragus.   6. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the end portion of the vibration conductor are disposed at both corners of an upper part on the ear side of the mobile phone.   7. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising: a sensor that detects presence / absence of a proximity object to the cartilage conduction vibration unit, wherein the cartilage conduction vibration unit is vibrated according to detection of the proximity object by the sensor. A mobile phone according to any one of the above.   The mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a gravitational acceleration detection unit, wherein the cartilage conduction vibration unit is prohibited from vibrating when the gravitational acceleration detection unit detects a stationary state of the mobile phone. phone.   9. The mobile phone according to claim 1, further comprising a voice input unit, wherein the voice input from the voice input unit is phase-inverted and output from the vibration conducting unit.   A cartilage conduction vibration unit that contacts the ear cartilage, a gravitational acceleration detection unit, and a control unit that prohibits vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration unit when the gravitational acceleration detection unit detects a stationary state of a mobile phone. Mobile phone.   A sensor that detects the presence or absence of a proximity object to the cartilage conduction vibration unit; and the control unit vibrates the cartilage conduction vibration unit according to the detection of the proximity object by the sensor, and the gravitational acceleration detection unit 11. The mobile phone according to claim 10, wherein when detecting a stationary state of the mobile phone, vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration portion is prohibited regardless of detection of a proximity object by the sensor.   A cartilage conduction vibration unit that comes into contact with the ear cartilage, a voice input unit, a phase inversion unit that reverses the phase of voice information input from the voice input unit, and the voice information that has been phase inverted by the phase inversion unit And a control unit that outputs from the mobile phone.   13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a sound quality adjustment unit, wherein the control unit outputs sound information that has been subjected to sound quality adjustment by the sound quality adjustment unit and phase-inverted by the phase inversion unit from the vibration conduction unit. Mobile phone.   A contact state detection unit that detects a contact state of the cartilage conduction vibration unit to the ear cartilage, and the control unit is phase-inverted by the phase inversion unit according to a detection state of the contact state detection unit; 14. The mobile phone according to claim 12, wherein it is determined whether to output the voice information from the vibration conducting unit.   The contact state detection unit detects that the cartilage conduction vibration unit is in contact with the ear cartilage in a state where the ear hole is blocked by contact with the ear cartilage of the mobile phone and the ear plug bone conduction effect occurs, In response to detecting that the cartilage conduction vibration unit is in contact with the ear cartilage in a state where the ear canal bone conduction effect occurs, the control unit outputs the audio information phase-inverted by the phase inversion unit to the vibration conduction unit. 15. The mobile phone according to claim 14, wherein the mobile phone is output from the mobile phone.   15. The cartilage conduction vibration unit includes a piezoelectric element, and the contact state detection unit detects a contact state of the cartilage conduction vibration unit to the ear cartilage by a change in pressure on the piezoelectric element. Or 15. The mobile phone according to 15.   A conduction vibration unit that includes a piezoelectric element and transmits vibration of the piezoelectric element by contacting the conductor, a signal output unit that outputs conduction vibration information to the piezoelectric element, and contact of the conductor to the conduction vibration unit A piezoelectric element control device comprising: a pressure detection unit that detects a pressure change by the piezoelectric element.   The piezoelectric element control device according to claim 17, wherein the conductor is an ear cartilage and is configured as a mobile phone.