JP2012249186A - Earphone - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a canal type earphone which allows a user to wear the earphone with no oppression feeling without conducting special operation.SOLUTION: A canal type earphone has a body part having a first space housing a speaker with a front cavity provided at the front side and provided with a first opening allowing the first space to communicate with an external auditory meatus of a user and located at a tip of the body part. In the canal type earphone, a second space, communicating with the first space through a second opening provided near the first opening, and a third opening, allowing the second space to communicate with the external space, are provided at the body part. Then, a lid part, which freely opens and closes in at least one of the second opening and the third opening, and an opening/closing control part, opening the lid when receiving a notification signal indicating that the earphone is removed from the user's ear or a notification signal indicating that the earphone is likely to be removed from the user's ear, are provided in the second space.

Description

  The present invention relates to an earphone, and more particularly to a canal-type earphone used by being inserted into an ear canal.

  In general, a main body (housing) of an earphone houses a speaker with a front cavity and a back cavity provided at the front and rear, and has an opening at the tip that communicates with the front cavity. The opening and the space in the main body extending from the opening to the front cavity serve as a sound path for guiding sound radiated from the speaker to the front cavity to the user's external auditory canal. The canal type earphone is formed by attaching an earpiece formed of a soft elastic body such as elastomer or silicone rubber to the tip of the main body. FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating a usage mode of a canal-type earphone. As shown in FIG. 8 (A), the canal type earphone is attached to the user's ear when the earpiece EP is pushed into the user's external auditory canal 84. Since the earpiece EP of the canal-type earphone is formed of a soft elastic body, the earpiece EP is deformed in accordance with the shape of the ear canal 84 in the process of being pushed into the user's ear canal 84 and is in close contact with the wall surface of the ear canal 84.

  The canal type earphone is closely attached to the wall surface of the user's ear canal 84 when worn, so there is little sound leakage to the surroundings, and even if the user exercises while listening to musical sounds, Therefore, the reproduction of a wide band up to a low frequency is possible. On the other hand, the canal-type earphone has a problem that the user may feel an uncomfortable feeling of pressure when wearing it. FIG. 8B and FIG. 8C are schematic diagrams modeling the wearing process of the canal type earphone. The earpiece EP of the canal-type earphone shown in FIG. 8B and FIG. 8C is elastically deformed in the process of being pushed into the ear canal 84 and is in close contact with the wall surface of the ear canal 84. For this reason, the space defined by the eardrum 82, the ear canal 84, the earpiece EP, the sound path 86, and the front cavity 88 is sealed. When the earpiece EP is further pushed toward the eardrum 82 in this state (see FIG. 8C), the volume of air in the sealed space decreases, and the pressure of the air increases in accordance with the decrease in volume. This increase in pressure is perceived by the user as an unpleasant feeling of pressure.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for solving the above-described problems of the canal type earphone. The canal-type earphone disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a vent pipe that communicates the front cavity with the outside, and an on-off valve 8 that controls the flow of air in the vent pipe. When the canal-type earphone is inserted into the ear canal, the on-off valve 8 is opened so that the air in the vent pipe can be moved by the operation of holding the main body, and the on-off valve 8 is operated by releasing the finger from the main body. Try to close it. If the on-off valve 8 is open, the space defined by the eardrum, the ear canal, the earpiece, the sound path, and the front cavity communicates with the outside through the vent pipe and is not sealed. For this reason, when the canal type earphone is worn on the ear, the pressure of the air in the space does not increase, and the user does not feel an uncomfortable pressure.

JP 2008-147710 A Special table 2009-525629 JP 2004-229179 A

However, it is actually difficult to simultaneously hold the earphone main body so that the on-off valve 8 is opened and to push the earpiece into the ear canal at the same time. For this reason, when the canal-type earphone disclosed in Patent Document 1 is worn on the ear, it is necessary to sequentially execute the following two steps. The first step is to insert the earpiece lightly into the ear canal. The second step is a step of pushing the open / close valve 8 further into the ear canal while further opening the on-off valve 8 with respect to the earphone in which the earpiece is gently held by the ear canal. On the other hand, if it is a general canal type earphone, it can be worn simply by pushing it into the ear canal while holding its main body. In other words, when the canal-type earphone disclosed in Patent Document 1 is attached to the ear, an extra operation must be performed by one step compared to the general wearing of the canal-type earphone.
The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and an object thereof is to provide a canal-type earphone that can be worn without feeling a pressure without performing an extra operation.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a first space for housing a speaker in a state where a front cavity is provided in the front, and a first space for communicating the first space with a user's ear canal. A second space that communicates with the first space via a second opening provided near the first opening. A main body provided with a third opening for communicating the second space with an external space; and at least one of the second opening and the third opening can be opened and closed. And a notification signal indicating the removal of the earphone from the user's ear, or a notification signal indicating that the earphone may be removed from the user's ear. An opening / closing controller that opens the lid, A, wherein the switching control unit and the lid provides an earphone, characterized in that provided in the second space.

  When the earpiece formed of an elastic body so as to deform according to the shape of the user's external auditory canal is attached to the tip of the main body and used as a canal-type earphone, the canal-type earphone is removed from the user's ear Or, when it is estimated that the canal type earphone may be removed from the user's ear, the lid is automatically opened. If the earphone is removed while the lid is open, the lid is open the next time the earphone is mounted. For this reason, when the earphone is worn on the ear, an air outflow path such as the external auditory canal → first opening → second opening → third opening → external space is formed, and the canal type earphone is formed. The space defined by the user's eardrum, ear canal, earpiece, sound path and front cavity is not sealed. Therefore, the user of the canal-type earphone can wear the canal-type earphone without feeling uncomfortable pressure without performing an extra operation.

  In Patent Document 2, a housing of an earphone is provided with a channel having one end opening toward the ear canal and the other end opening toward an external space, and means for opening or closing the other end of the channel. A technique is disclosed in which the channel is opened when an external sound is heard, and the channel is closed when the external sound is blocked. However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is for controlling whether or not to block external sounds, and canals that can be mounted without feeling uncomfortable pressure without performing extra operations. This is completely different from the present invention aimed at providing a type earphone. This is also clear from the fact that Patent Document 2 does not describe or suggest that the lid is opened (the channel is opened) before being attached to the ear. Patent Document 3 discloses an earphone that can be worn without sealing the ear canal, but the earphone is a so-called ear-hook type, which is completely different from the present invention related to a canal-type earphone. is there.

  In a more preferred aspect, a signal indicating that an operation for turning off the power to a device that supplies a sound signal to the speaker has been performed, or that the device is instructed to stop playing music. The signal is used as a notification signal indicating that the earphone may be removed from the user's ear. When listening to music using an earphone, attach the earphone to your ear and then instruct the music playback device connected to the earphone to start playing the music (or turn on the music playback device) This is because the earphone is often removed from the ear after instructing to stop playback (or after turning off the power of the music playback device).

  The point to be noted here is that the earphone is not necessarily removed if an operation for instructing to stop the reproduction of the musical sound (or an operation for turning off the power of the musical sound reproducing apparatus) is performed. . For example, there may be a case where after the instruction to stop the reproduction of the musical sound is instructed, the reproduction start of the musical sound is instructed again. Therefore, the lid is closed when a signal indicating that the power of the device that supplies the sound signal to the speaker is turned on or a signal indicating that the device has started playing music is received. You may make it make an opening-and-closing control part perform a process. According to such an aspect, it is possible to prevent sound leakage during reproduction of musical sounds and deterioration of reproduced sound quality (insufficient volume in the low frequency range).

  In addition, a mode is also conceivable in which opening / closing control of the lid is performed by actually detecting attachment / detachment of the earphone to / from the user's ear. For example, a pressure sensor is provided in a portion of the earphone component that is inserted into the user's ear canal, and a signal indicating that the pressure applied to the pressure sensor has started to decrease is transmitted from the user's ear. A mode of using as a notification signal indicating the removal of the earphone can be considered. In addition, an optical sensor is provided in a portion of the earphone component that is inserted into the user's ear canal, and a signal indicating that the amount of light irradiated to the optical sensor has started to increase is transmitted from the user's ear. It is also conceivable to use the notification signal indicating the removal of the earphone.

  As another preferred mode, a mode in which a latch type actuator such as a latch type solenoid is used as the open / close control unit can be considered. Although details will be described later, according to such an embodiment, it is only necessary to energize the latch-type actuator only when the lid is opened or closed, and the lid is closed or the lid is opened. There is an advantage that no electric power is required to maintain the state.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance and usage condition of the earphone 1A of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the earphone 1A. It is the figure which showed typically the structure and operation | movement of the opening / closing control part 30 of the earphone 1A. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of the earphone 1A. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of the earphone 1A. It is a figure which shows the structure of the earphone 1B of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the earphone 1C of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the problem of the conventional canal type earphone.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
<A: First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance and usage of the earphone 1A according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The earphone 1A is a canal-type earphone. As shown in FIG. 1, the earphone 1A is attached to the user's ear so as to push the earpiece EP into the ear canal, similarly to the conventional canal-type earphone (see FIG. 8A). FIG. 1 shows a wearing mode for one of the left and right ears of the user. As shown in FIG. 1, the earphone 1 </ b> A includes a main body 10 and an earpiece EP that is attached to the tip of the main body 10. The main body 10 is connected to a portable music player or the like via a signal line. An audio signal of one of the left and right channels is supplied from the music sound reproducing device. The earpiece EP is formed of a soft elastic body such as an elastomer or silicon rubber. The earpiece EP is deformed according to the shape of the ear canal in the process of being pushed into the user's ear canal, and is in close contact with the wall surface of the ear canal. In addition, a controller 320 that controls the operation of the earphone 1 </ b> A is connected to the main body 10.

  2A and 2B are cross-sectional views showing a cross section of the earphone 1A taken along line XX 'of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the inside of the main body 10 is roughly divided into two spaces. The speaker SP is housed in one of these two spaces (hereinafter referred to as the first space) with the front cavity 110 and the back cavity 120 provided in the front and rear. As shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B), an opening 130 (first opening) that connects the first space to the user's external auditory canal is provided at the distal end of the main body 10. It has been. The portion of the first space from the front cavity 110 to the opening 130 and the opening 130 serve as a sound path 86 that guides the sound vibration of the speaker SP to the ear canal of the user of the earphone 1A. In the main body 10, an opening 170 (second opening) that connects the first space and the other space (hereinafter referred to as a second space) is provided in the vicinity of the opening 130. It has been. Further, the housing of the main body 10 is provided with an opening 160 (third opening) that communicates the second space with an external space. In this second space, a lid portion 20 provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the opening portion 160 and a latch-type solenoid 310 for opening and closing the lid portion 20 are housed.

  2A is a diagram showing a cross section of the earphone 1A in a state in which the lid portion 20 is closed and the opening portion 160 is closed (hereinafter referred to as “a state in which the opening portion 160 is closed”). ) Is a diagram showing a cross section of the earphone 1A in a state where the opening portion 160 is not blocked by the lid portion 20 (hereinafter, referred to as “a state in which the opening portion 160 is open”). In the present embodiment, when the opening 160 is closed, as shown in FIG. 2A, the opening 170 is also closed by the lid 20, and when the opening 160 is open, FIG. As shown, the opening 170 is also opened. Therefore, when the opening 160 is open, the first space (that is, the space serving as the front cavity 110 and the sound path 86) communicates with the external space via the openings 170 and 160. The first feature of the present embodiment is that openings 170 and 160 for communicating the first space with an external space are provided in the main body 10 separately from the opening 130. The second feature of the present embodiment is that the lid portion 20 is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the opening portion 160. The third feature is that the opening portion is opened while being worn on the user's ear. Opening / closing control for controlling the opening / closing of the lid 20 so that the opening 160 is opened when it is estimated that the earphone 1 </ b> A may be removed from the user's ear. Part (opening / closing control part 30 in FIG. 3).

  More specifically, in this embodiment, the opening 160 is opened and closed by sliding the lid 20 in the direction of the arrow MA in FIG. 2A or the direction of the arrow MB in FIG. Is done. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the opening 160 is closed, the opening 160 is opened by sliding the lid 20 in the direction of the arrow MA in FIG. And transition. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), when the opening 160 is open, the opening 160 is closed by sliding the lid 20 in the direction of the arrow MB in FIG. 2 (B). Can be transitioned to. As shown in FIG. 2B, in the state where the opening 160 is open, an air outflow path AC such as the external auditory canal → opening 130 → opening 170 → opening 160 → external space is formed. If the air outflow path AC is formed as shown in FIG. 2B, the eardrum, the ear canal, the earpiece EP, the sound path 86, and the front cavity of the user in the process of attaching the earphone 1A to the ear. The space defined by 110 is not sealed, and the user does not feel uncomfortable pressure. The earphone 1A of the present embodiment is shipped from the factory with the opening 160 opened. This is because when the user wears the earphone 1A for the first time, the opening 160 is always open, and when the earphone 1A is worn for the first time, the user does not feel an uncomfortable pressure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration and operation of the latch type solenoid 310.
As shown in FIG. 3, the latch type solenoid 310 constitutes an open / close control unit 30 that performs open / close control of the lid unit 20 together with a controller 320 that controls driving of the latch type solenoid 310. The configuration and function of the latch type solenoid 310 is not different from a general latch type solenoid. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the latch type solenoid 310 includes a plunger 310a, an urging member 310b, an exciting coil 310c, a fixed iron core 310d, and a permanent magnet 310e.

  The exciting coil 310c is energized under the control of the controller 320, and functions as an electromagnet together with the fixed iron core 310d. The fixed iron core 310d is shorter than the exciting coil 310c in the axial direction, and is inserted into the exciting coil 310c so as to protrude from one end of the exciting coil 310c by the thickness of the permanent magnet 310e. The permanent magnet 310e is a donut-type permanent magnet having an outer diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the exciting coil 310c and an inner diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the exciting coil 310c. In the present embodiment, one of the two donut-shaped surfaces of the permanent magnet 310e is an N pole and the other is an S pole. As shown in FIG. 3, the permanent magnet 310e is fitted into the fixed iron core 310d so that one donut surface (in this embodiment, the N pole side surface) is in contact with the exciting coil 310c.

  In the latch-type solenoid 310, a magnetic field in the same direction as the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 310e or a magnetic field in a direction that cancels the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 310e can be generated in the excitation coil 310c depending on the direction of the current to be passed through the excitation coil 310c. it can. For example, when a current having a direction shown in FIG. 3A is applied to the exciting coil 310c, a magnetic field in the same direction as the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 310e is generated, and a reverse current (see FIG. 3B) is generated. When the exciting coil 310c is energized, a magnetic field in a direction that cancels the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 310e is generated. In the present embodiment, a donut-type permanent magnet in which one donut surface is N-pole and the other donut surface is S-pole is used as the permanent magnet 310e. However, for example, the outer peripheral surface is one magnetic pole. A donut-type permanent magnet whose inner peripheral surface is the other magnetic pole may be used as the permanent magnet 310e. Even in the donut-shaped permanent magnet having such a configuration, the exciting coil 310c can generate a magnetic field in the same direction as the magnetic field of the permanent magnet or in a canceling direction depending on the direction of the current supplied to the exciting coil 310c. Because.

  The biasing member 310b is a coiled spring having an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the exciting coil 310c. The plunger 310a includes a cylindrical plunger shaft having a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the excitation coil 310c, and a flat cylindrical head having a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the excitation coil 310c. The plunger 310a is made of a ferromagnetic material such as iron. The head of the plunger 310a is connected to the lid portion 20, and the plunger shaft is inserted into the exciting coil 310c via the biasing member 310b. As shown in FIG. 3, the urging member 310b is sandwiched between the head of the plunger 310a and the exciting coil 310c. In the present embodiment, when the urging member 310b is in a natural length state, the tip of the plunger 310a is separated from the fixed iron core 310d, and the opening 160 is formed by the lid 20 connected to the head of the plunger 310a. The dimensions of the plunger 310a and the lid part 20, the urging force of the urging member 310b, and the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 310e are determined so as to be in a closed state.

  Since the plunger 310a is made of a ferromagnetic material, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the magnetic field in the same direction as the magnetic field formed by the permanent magnet 310e is generated in the exciting coil 310c, the plunger 310a is made permanent. The biasing member 310b is compressed by being attracted by the magnet 310e and the magnetic force of the electromagnet, and is attracted to the fixed iron core 310d. Accordingly, when the lid 20 is changed from the closed state to the opened state, a current that causes the exciting coil 310c to generate a magnetic field in the same direction as the magnetic field formed by the permanent magnet 310e is supplied to the exciting coil 310c. good. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, in a state where the plunger 310a is attracted to the fixed iron core 310d, the magnetic force by the permanent magnet 310e is configured to exceed the urging force by the urging member 310b. . For this reason, even if the current flowing through the exciting coil 310c is turned off while the plunger 310a is attracted to the fixed iron core 310d, the plunger 310a remains adsorbed to the fixed iron core 310d.

  On the other hand, when the magnetic field is generated in the exciting coil 310c in a direction that cancels out the magnetic field formed by the permanent magnet 310e as shown in FIG. 3B in a state where the plunger 310a is attracted to the fixed iron core 310d, The biasing member 310b is extended until it becomes a natural length, and the plunger 310a is restored by the biasing force. Therefore, when the lid 20 is changed from the opened state to the closed state, the exciting coil 310c can be energized with a current that causes the exciting coil 310c to generate a magnetic field in a direction that cancels the magnetic field formed by the permanent magnet 310e. It ’s fine. After the urging member 310b has been extended to the natural length, this state is maintained even if the current flowing through the exciting coil 310c is turned off. That is, in the earphone 1A of the present embodiment, the excitation coil 310c only needs to be energized only when the lid 20 is opened or when the lid 20 is closed, and the lid 20 is opened without power consumption. It is possible to maintain the state or the state in which the lid portion 20 is closed.

The controller 320 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and, for example, a RAM (Random Access).
The memory includes a volatile memory configured by (Memory) and a nonvolatile memory configured by, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) (both are not shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B). The controller 320 is provided on a cable for connecting the earphone 1A and the musical sound reproducing device together with, for example, a volume controller. The non-volatile memory stores in advance an open / close control program that causes the CPU to execute a process of driving the latch solenoid 310 so as to open / close the lid 20 in a manner that clearly shows the features of the present embodiment. The volatile memory is used by the CPU as a work area when the opening / closing control program is executed. Then, the CPU operating in accordance with this open / close control program communicates with the control unit of the musical tone reproduction apparatus to which the earphone 1A is connected, and executes the following processing. In other words, when the CPU receives a signal indicating that an operation for instructing the music sound reproduction device to start reproduction of music has been performed through communication with the control unit of the music sound reproduction device, the lid 20 The latch solenoid 310 is driven so as to close, and when a signal indicating that the operation for instructing the musical sound reproducing apparatus to stop the reproduction of the musical sound is received, the latch 20 is opened so that the lid 20 is opened. A process of driving the mold solenoid 310 is executed.

The reason why the opening 160 is opened when an instruction to stop the reproduction of the musical sound is given to the musical sound reproducing apparatus to which the earphone 1A is connected is as follows. If the opening 160 is opened when the earphone 1A is removed from the ear, the opening 160 can be opened when the earphone 1A is next attached to the ear. If the opening 160 is in an open state, the user does not feel an uncomfortable pressure in the process of pushing the earpiece EP into the ear canal. The problem here is how to detect the removal of the earphone 1A from the ear. In general, when a user of an earphone removes the earphone from the ear, the earphone is often removed after the reproduction of the musical sound is stopped. In other words, it is estimated that there is a possibility that the earphone 1 </ b> A may be removed from the user's ear when an instruction to stop the reproduction of the musical sound is given to the musical sound reproducing device to which the earphone 1 </ b> A is connected. Focusing on this point, in the present embodiment, a signal indicating that an operation for instructing the music playback device connected to the earphone 1A to stop playback of the music has been performed is “an earphone 1A is heard from the user's ear”. It is used as a “notification signal indicating that there is a possibility of being removed” and causes the CPU of the controller 320 to execute a process of opening the opening 160 when the signal is received.
The above is the configuration of the earphone 1A of the present embodiment.

  4 and 5 are diagrams for explaining the effect of the earphone 1A. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a state of the earphone 1A in the process of being worn on the user's ear, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing that the wearing of the user's ear is completed and the reproduction of the musical sound is started. It is a figure which shows the state of the earphone 1A immediately after. As described above, the earphone 1A is in the state in which the opening 160 is opened before being attached to the user's ear. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4A, the ear canal 84 → the opening 130 → the opening 170 → An air outflow path AC such as an opening 160 → external space is formed, and in the process of pushing the earphone 1A into the ear canal, the eardrum 82, the ear canal 84, the earpiece EP, the sound path 86, and the front cavity of the user of the earphone 1A The space defined by 110 is not sealed. For this reason, in the process of pushing the earphone 1A into the ear, the user does not feel uncomfortable pressure.

  On the other hand, when the wearing of the earphone 1A is completed and an operation for instructing the music sound reproducing apparatus to which the earphone 1A is connected to start playing music is performed, the lid 20 is closed. As shown in FIG. 4B, sound leakage to the outside is prevented when the opening 160 is closed by the lid 20. In other words, if music playback is performed with the opening 160 left open, sound leakage that leaks to the outside along the air outflow path AC occurs, and the sound played back by the speaker SP is not generated. The sound quality is degraded. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the frequency response of the reproduced sound in each of the state where the lid is open and the state where the lid is closed. As apparent from FIG. 5, when the lid portion 20 is opened, the lowering of the bass range is more noticeable than when the lid portion 20 is closed. This drop in the low frequency range is perceived as a reduction in the playback sound quality. In the earphone 1A of the present embodiment, the reproduction of the musical sound is started with the lid portion 20 closed, so that no sound leakage occurs and the reproduction sound quality of the musical sound does not deteriorate. This causes the CPU of the controller 320 to execute a process of closing the lid 20 when a signal for performing an operation to instruct the music playback device to start playing the music is received from the control unit of the music playback device. That is why.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the lid portion 20 is opened when the reproduction of the musical sound is stopped, there is a high possibility that the earphone 1A is removed from the ear with the lid portion 20 open, and then the earphone. The earphone 1A can be worn without causing the user to perform an extra operation when wearing the 1A and without giving an uncomfortable feeling of pressure. In addition, according to the earphone 1A of the present embodiment, the lid 20 is closed when the musical sound starts to be reproduced, so that no sound leakage occurs and the reproduction quality of the musical sound does not deteriorate. What should be noted here is that even if the opening 160 is always opened, a canal-type earphone that can be worn without feeling a pressure can be provided without causing the user to perform an extra operation. This is the point. Specifically, the canal type earphone is configured by removing the lid 20 and the opening / closing control unit 30 that controls the opening / closing of the lid 20 from the earphone 1A of the present embodiment. However, in the canal type earphone in which the opening 160 is always open, sound leakage occurs during the reproduction of the musical sound, and the reproduction quality of the musical sound cannot be avoided. In this respect, the earphone 1A of the present embodiment is not affected. It is inferior to that. In the present embodiment, when the opening portion 160 is opened, the opening portion 170 is opened when the lid portion 20 is opened and closed, and when the opening portion 160 is closed, the opening portion 170 is also closed. However, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained also by a mode in which one of the opening 160 and the opening 170 is opened and closed by the lid 20 and the other is always opened.

<B: Other Embodiments>
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the following modifications may of course be added to this embodiment.
(1) In the earphone 1A of the first embodiment described above, the earpiece EP formed of an elastic body so as to be deformed according to the shape of the user's ear canal when the earphone 1A is worn on the user's ear is the main body of the earphone 1A. Part 10 was previously mounted. However, the portion excluding the earpiece EP from the earphone 1A may be distributed as an earphone. Since the earpiece part is a consumable item that deteriorates with use and is also a part in which the user's preference is strongly expressed, various types of earpieces alone are distributed in the market. This is because a user can select one according to the user's preference from these commonly distributed earpieces and use the earpieces as canal-type earphones. Thus, it is needless to say that the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained even if the earphone 1A is distributed without the earpiece EP. The opening 160 which is a feature of the present invention is formed in the main body 10, and the lid 20 and the latch solenoid 310 for opening and closing the lid 20 are both built in the main body 10. This is because, for example, it is provided on a cable that connects the earphone 1A and the musical sound reproducing apparatus together with a volume controller or the like.

(2) In the first embodiment described above, the controller 320 sends a signal indicating that an operation for instructing to start and stop the reproduction of the musical sound is performed by communication with the control unit of the musical sound reproducing device to which the earphone 1A is connected. The latter signal was used as a “notification signal indicating that the earphone 1A may be removed from the user's ear”. However, the CPU detects whether or not the sound signal is supplied to the speaker SP, and closes the lid portion 20 when the supply of the sound signal is started, and opens the lid portion 20 when the supply of the sound signal is stopped. The CPU may execute processing for controlling 310. That is, the sound signal itself supplied to the speaker SP is “notification signal indicating that the earphone 1A is likely to be attached to the user's ear” and “the earphone 1A can be removed from the user's ear. It is used as a “notification signal indicating that there is a characteristic”. Also, through communication with the control unit of the music playback device connected to the earphone 1A, a signal indicating that the power playback device has been turned on or turned off is acquired. The former is used as a “notification signal indicating that the earphone 1A is likely to be attached to the user's ear”, and the latter is used to indicate that the earphone 1A may be removed from the user's ear. It may be used as a “notification signal”. In short, any mode may be used as long as it causes the opening / closing control unit 30 to perform the process of opening the lid portion 20 when receiving a notification signal indicating that the earphone 1A may be removed from the user's ear. In the first embodiment described above, the controller 320 is provided on the cable for connecting the earphone 1A and the musical sound reproducing apparatus together with, for example, a volume controller. However, the controller 320 may be built in the main body 10 or the earphone 1A. You may make it incorporate in the musical tone reproduction apparatus of a connection destination (or make the control part of the said apparatus also serve as the controller 320).

(3) In the first embodiment described above, the earphone 1A is shipped from the factory with the lid 20 opened, and the lid 20 is closed when the reproduction of the musical sound is started, and the lid 20 is triggered when the reproduction of the musical sound is stopped. Was opened. This is to realize that the lid 20 is open when the earphone 1A is worn, and that the lid 20 is closed while listening to music using the earphone 1A. However, the point is that the lid can be closed while the earphone is attached to the user's ear and the lid can be opened when the earphone is removed from the user's ear. It is not limited to a mode in which opening / closing of the lid is interlocked with the start / stop of music playback or power on / off of the music playback device.
Specifically, the following two modes can be considered.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of an earphone 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the part of the earphone 1 </ b> B that is inserted into the user's ear canal (in the example shown in FIG. 6, the part of the earpiece EP that deforms according to the shape of the user's ear canal ) Is provided with a pressure-sensitive sensor 410. The pressure sensor 410 is connected to the controller 320 of the opening / closing control unit 30. As described above, in the process of pushing the earpiece EP of the earphone 1B into the user's ear canal, the earpiece EP is elastically deformed in accordance with the shape of the ear canal. When the earpiece EP is elastically deformed, a pressure corresponding to the elastic deformation is applied to the pressure sensor 410, and the pressure sensor 410 outputs a signal corresponding to the pressure. Utilizing this, the lid 20 is closed while the earphone 1B is worn on the user's ear, and the lid 20 is opened when the earphone 1B is removed from the user's ear. Can do. Specifically, the CPU of the controller 320 performs a process of closing the lid portion 20 when a signal indicating that a pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is applied is output from the pressure-sensitive sensor 410 continuously for a predetermined time or more. On the other hand, a signal indicating that the pressure has started to decrease is used as a “notification signal indicating removal of the earphone 1B from the user's ear”, and the lid 20 is opened when the signal is received. Is executed by the CPU. According to such an aspect, similar to the first embodiment described above, the canal can be worn without feeling a sense of pressure without requiring the user to perform any special operation, and the sound quality can be reduced when listening to music. Of course, it is possible to provide a type earphone, and it is possible to detect attachment / detachment to / from the user's ears more accurately than in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of an earphone 1C according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, an optical sensor 420 is provided in a portion of the constituent members of the earphone 1C that is inserted into the user's external ear canal (in the example shown in FIG. 7, in the vicinity of the sound outlet of the earpiece EP). . This optical sensor 420 is also connected to the controller 320 in the same manner as the pressure sensitive sensor 410 in the second embodiment. In the process of pushing the earphone 1C into the user's ear canal or the process of removing the earphone 1C pushed into the ear canal, the amount of light detected by the optical sensor 420 changes. Utilizing this, the lid 20 is closed while the earphone 1C is worn on the user's ear, and the lid 20 is opened when the earphone 1C is removed from the user's ear. Can do. Specifically, the CPU of the controller 320 executes the process of closing the lid 20 when a signal indicating a light amount equal to or less than a predetermined threshold is continuously output from the optical sensor 420 for a predetermined time or longer. Is used as a “notification signal indicating the removal of the earphone 1C from the user's ear” and causes the CPU to execute a process of opening the lid 20 when the signal is received. It is. The same effect as that of the second embodiment can be obtained by such an aspect.

(4) In the first to third embodiments, a latch-type actuator (latch-type solenoid) is used as an actuator for opening and closing the lid 20, but a pull-type solenoid (or a push-type solenoid) such as a pull-type solenoid (or a push-type solenoid) is used. Of course, it is also possible to use a push type). In addition, other types of actuators such as an electromagnetic type other than a solenoid, an electrostatic type, a piezoelectric type, or a polymer type may be used. However, when opening / closing control of the lid portion 20 is performed using a pull-type (or push-type) actuator, a mechanism for returning the position of the lid portion 20 in a state where the actuator is energized to a position before the energization is separately provided. There is a need. Moreover, in the aspect which performs opening / closing control of the cover part 20 using a pull type (or push type) actuator, it is necessary to continue energizing those actuators in order to maintain the cover part 20 in the open state (or closed state). In this respect, it is inferior to the case of using a latch type.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B, 1C ... Earphone, 10 ... Main body, 88, 110 ... Front cavity, 120 ... Back cavity, 130, 160, 170 ... Opening part, 20 ... Cover part, 30 ... Opening / closing control part, 310 ... Latch type solenoid, 310a ... Plunger, 310b ... Biasing member, 310c ... Excitation coil, 310d ... Fixed iron core, 310e ... Permanent magnet, 320 ... Controller, 410 ... Pressure sensor, 420 ... Optical sensor, 82 ... Tympanic membrane, 84 ... Ear canal, 86 ... Soundway, EP ... Earpiece.

Claims (6)

A main body having a first space inside which a speaker is accommodated in a state where a front cavity is provided in the front, and a first opening that communicates the first space with a user's ear canal And having a second space communicating with the first space through a second opening provided in the vicinity of the first opening, the second space being an external space A main body provided with a third opening communicating with the main body;
A lid provided to be openable and closable with respect to at least one of the second opening and the third opening;
Opening / closing control unit that opens the lid when triggered by receiving a notification signal indicating removal of the earphone from the user's ear or a notification signal indicating that the earphone may be removed from the user's ear And having
The earphone characterized in that the lid and the opening / closing controller are provided in the second space.   The earphone according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing control unit includes a latch-type actuator having a plunger connected to the lid unit, and the lid unit is opened / closed by energization control of the latch-type actuator.   The opening / closing control unit is triggered by receiving a notification signal indicating that a device that supplies a sound signal to the speaker is turned on or a notification signal indicating that reproduction of a musical sound is started by the device. The earphone according to claim 1, wherein the lid is closed.   A signal indicating that an operation for turning off the power to a device that supplies a sound signal to the speaker has been performed, or a signal indicating that the device has been instructed to stop playing a musical sound. The earphone according to claim 1, wherein the earphone is used as a notification signal indicating that the earphone may be removed from the ear. A pressure-sensitive sensor is provided in a portion inserted into the user's ear canal among the constituent members of the earphone,
The signal indicating that the pressure applied to the pressure-sensitive sensor has started to decrease is used as a notification signal indicating removal of the earphone from the user's ear. Earphone as described in. An optical sensor is provided in a portion of the earphone component that is inserted into the user's ear canal,
4. The signal according to claim 1, wherein a signal indicating that the amount of light received by the optical sensor has started to increase is used as a notification signal indicating removal of the earphone from the user's ear. Earphones.

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