JP2016201811A - Listening method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a useful listening method.SOLUTION: The listening method transfers vibrations to a tragus through a finger by bringing the finger receiving the vibrations based on a voice signal into contact with the tragus, and also increases the pressing force of the finger to close an external auditory canal with the tragus. Furthermore, air conduction sound that is generated inside the external auditory canal by the vibrations transferring to the tragus is transferred to a tympanic membrane. Also, the pressing force of the finger should be increased during increasing a hearing aid ability. Also, the finger should be brought into contact with the tragus so as to incline an ear toward the voice of the other party with a palm.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a conversation system using cartilage conduction and a voice listening method.

  In Patent Document 1, as a method of using a bone conduction speaker having a vibration surface that comes into contact with the tragus, the pressure of contact between the vibration surface and the tragus is adjusted by manual operation, thereby increasing the level of external noise. In addition, it has been proposed to change the transmission ratio of voice information via cartilage guidance and voice information via air guidance.

Japanese Patent No. 4541111

  However, in order to increase the usefulness of the conversation system using cartilage conduction, there are many problems to be further examined.

  In view of the above-mentioned problems found by the inventors of the present application, an object of the present invention is to provide a useful conversation system using cartilage conduction and a voice listening method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a conversation system according to the present invention is a conversation system having a ring and a conversation device body, wherein the ring includes a first short-range wireless communication unit and a first short-range wireless communication unit. A vibration output unit provided at a position in contact with a finger to convert the audio signal received by the cartilage conduction vibration and output, and a first power source for supplying power to the first short-range wireless communication unit and the vibration output unit The conversation device body includes a second short-range wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the first short-range wireless communication unit, a microphone, and a voice picked up by the microphone. A configuration (first configuration) including: an audio signal output unit that outputs to the audio signal; and a second power supply unit that supplies power to the second short-range wireless communication unit, the microphone, and the audio signal output unit. Has been.

  In the conversation system having the first configuration, the ring further includes a power switch for turning on / off the power supply of the first power supply unit, and the second power supply unit includes the first short-range wireless communication. It is preferable to adopt a configuration (second configuration) in which remote control is performed according to the on / off state of the power switch transmitted from the unit via the second short-range wireless communication unit.

  Further, in the conversation system having the second configuration, the power switch has a self-holding function of holding the on state for a predetermined self-holding time, and the counting operation of the self-holding time is performed by the power switch. A configuration (third configuration) that is reset and restarted at each ON operation may be used.

  In the conversation system having any one of the first to third configurations, the vibration output unit includes a piezoelectric bimorph, and the first power supply unit includes a booster circuit for driving the piezoelectric bimorph ( The fourth configuration may be used.

  Further, in the conversation system having any one of the first to third configurations, the vibration output unit may be configured to include an electromagnetic vibration unit (fifth configuration).

  In the conversation system having any one of the first to fifth configurations, the conversation device main body may be configured to be further connectable to an acoustic earpiece (sixth configuration).

  The conversation system having any one of the first to sixth configurations may be configured as a hearing aid system (seventh configuration).

  In the conversation system having any one of the first, fourth and fifth configurations, the ring may further include a microphone (eighth configuration).

  Further, the conversation system having the eighth configuration may be a mobile phone system (9th configuration).

  Further, the conversation system according to the present invention is a conversation system having a ring and a conversation device body, wherein the ring is used to transmit a power switch for turning on / off the power and an on / off state of the power switch. A first short-range wireless communication unit; and a first power supply unit that supplies power to the first short-range wireless communication unit, wherein the conversation device main body wirelessly communicates with the first short-range wireless communication unit. A distance wireless communication unit, a microphone, a voice signal output unit that outputs a voice picked up by the microphone as a conversation device voice, and the first short-range wireless communication unit and the second short-range wireless communication unit A second power supply unit that is remotely controlled according to the on / off state of the power switch and supplies power to the microphone and the audio signal output unit (tenth configuration).

  The conversation system ring according to the present invention is a ring used in a conversation system, which converts a short-range wireless communication unit and a voice signal received by the short-range wireless communication unit into cartilage conduction vibration and outputs the same. In order to do so, a configuration (eleventh configuration) is provided that includes a vibration output unit provided at a position in contact with the finger, and a power supply unit that supplies power to the short-range wireless communication unit and the vibration output unit.

  The conversation system ring having the eleventh configuration further includes a power switch for turning on / off the power source, and the short-range wireless communication unit determines whether the power switch is on / off. (12th configuration).

  Further, in the conversation system ring having the twelfth configuration, the power switch has a self-holding function of holding an on state for a predetermined self-time, and the counting operation of the self-holding time is performed by the power switch. It is good to make it the structure (13th structure) which is reset and restarted for every ON operation.

  In the conversation system ring having any one of the first to thirteenth configurations, the vibration output unit includes a piezoelectric bimorph, and the power supply unit includes a booster circuit for driving the piezoelectric bimorph ( The fourteenth configuration may be used.

  In the conversation system ring having any one of the above-described first to thirteenth configurations, the vibration output unit may include an electromagnetic vibration unit (fifteenth configuration).

  In the conversation system ring having any one of the first to fifteenth configurations, the conversation system may be configured as a hearing aid system (sixteenth configuration).

  The conversation system ring having any one of the eleventh, fourteenth, and fifteenth configurations may further include a microphone (a seventeenth configuration).

  In the conversation system ring having the seventeenth configuration, the conversation system may be configured as a mobile phone system (eighteenth configuration).

  The ring for a mobile phone according to the present invention is a ring used together with a mobile phone, wherein a short-range wireless communication unit and an audio signal received from the mobile phone received by the short-range wireless communication unit are subjected to cartilage conduction vibration. A vibration output unit provided at a position in contact with a finger for conversion into an output, a microphone for converting sound into an electrical signal and transmitting the signal from the short-range wireless communication unit to the mobile phone, and the short-range The wireless communication unit, the vibration output unit, and a power supply unit that supplies power to the microphone are configured (19th configuration).

  The mobile phone ring having the nineteenth configuration further includes a control unit that starts power feeding by the power supply unit by receiving an incoming signal via the short-range wireless communication unit (twentieth configuration). ).

  The mobile phone ring having the twentieth configuration may further have a configuration (21st configuration) further including an incoming call vibration unit for notifying an incoming call by the incoming signal.

  The cellular phone ring having the twenty-first configuration may be configured such that the vibration output unit also serves as the incoming vibration unit (a twenty-second configuration).

  The cellular phone ring having any one of the nineteenth to the twenty-second configurations further includes a manual operation switch, and the short-range wireless communication unit outputs a signal corresponding to an incoming / outgoing operation by the manual switch. A configuration for outputting to the mobile phone (a 23rd configuration) is preferable.

  In the cellular phone ring having any one of the nineteenth to twenty-third configurations, the vibration output unit includes a piezoelectric bimorph, and the power supply unit includes a booster circuit for driving the piezoelectric bimorph ( (24th configuration)

  In the cellular phone ring having any one of the nineteenth to twenty-third configurations, the vibration output section may include an electromagnetic vibration section (25th configuration).

  In addition, the ring-type mobile phone according to the present invention includes a mobile phone communication unit and vibration provided at a position in contact with the finger in order to convert a voice signal received by the mobile phone communication unit into cartilage conduction vibration and output it. A configuration comprising: an output unit; a microphone for converting sound into an electric signal and transmitting from the mobile phone communication unit; the mobile phone communication unit, the vibration output unit, and a power supply unit that supplies power to the microphone (26th configuration).

  Note that the ring-type mobile phone having the above-described twenty-sixth configuration may have a configuration (a twenty-seventh configuration) further including an incoming call vibration unit for notifying an incoming call.

  The ring type mobile phone having the twenty-seventh configuration may be configured such that the vibration output unit also serves as the incoming call vibration unit (a twenty-eighth configuration).

  In the ring-type mobile phone having the above-described twenty-sixth to twenty-eighth configurations, the vibration output unit includes a piezoelectric bimorph, and the power supply unit includes a booster circuit for driving the piezoelectric bimorph (29th embodiment). Configuration).

  Further, in the ring type mobile phone having any one of the above-described 26th to 28th configurations, the vibration output unit may include a configuration including an electromagnetic vibration unit (30th configuration).

  Also, the audio listening method according to the present invention has a configuration (31st configuration) including a step of converting an audio signal into a cartilage conduction vibration and transmitting it to a finger, and a step of bringing the finger into contact with the cartilage. ing.

  In the audio listening method having the thirty-first configuration, the cartilage may be a tragus cartilage (a thirty-second configuration).

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a useful conversation system using cartilage conduction.

The schematic diagram which shows roughly the whole image of the conversation system which concerns on this invention A block diagram showing a first embodiment of a conversation system (a hearing aid system including a ring and a hearing aid body). Block diagram showing a second embodiment of the conversation system (a hearing aid system consisting only of rings) Block diagram showing a third embodiment of a conversation system (a mobile phone system including a ring and a mobile phone main body) Block diagram showing a fourth embodiment (ring type mobile phone) of a conversation system Sectional drawing which shows one structural example of the ring 1 typically Sectional drawing which shows the example of 1 structure of the main unit 10 typically Sectional drawing which shows the example of 1 structure of the power supply unit 20 typically Sectional drawing which shows one structural example of the communication unit 30 typically

<Overview of the system>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing an overall image of a conversation system according to the present invention. A conversation system (such as a hearing aid system or a mobile phone system) according to the present invention includes a ring 1, a conversation device main body 2, and an earpiece 3. In FIG. 1, a configuration in which the ring 1 and the conversation device main body 2 are provided as separate bodies (among the first to fourth embodiments described later, in particular, the first embodiment (FIG. 2) and the third embodiment). (Configuration corresponding to FIG. 4) is depicted. When the use of the ring 1 is scheduled, the earpiece 3 is removed from the conversation device main body 2, and therefore it is not normally assumed that the ring 1 and the earpiece 3 are used at the same time.

  The ring 1 is attached to a user's finger A (for example, a third joint), converts an audio signal input from the conversation device main body 2 into cartilage conduction vibration, and transmits it to the finger A. In a state where the cartilage conduction vibration is transmitted to the finger A, when the user brings the finger A into contact with the cartilage C in the vicinity of the ear B (hereinafter abbreviated as the ear cartilage C), the cartilage conduction generated by the ring 1 is performed. The vibration is transmitted to the ear cartilage C via the finger A. As a result, the audio signal from the conversation device main body 2 is transmitted to the cartilage around the ear canal as a cartilage transmission sound, and air conduction generated inside the ear canal is generated and transmitted to the eardrum, and a part is directly transmitted to the inner ear through the cartilage. The In addition, the example of the ear cartilage C used as the contact point of the finger A is the cartilage around the ear canal entrance including the tragus. The contact point of the finger A is not limited to this, but may be various ear cartilage sites, but the cartilage around the ear canal entrance including the tragus is effective for generating air conduction sound inside the ear canal based on cartilage conduction. In addition, the ear hole part is a part that is generally conscious as a part that listens to sound, and is suitable for guiding an unconscious action of placing the finger A on the ear. In addition, by such an operation, when the finger A is applied to the ear canal entrance, the finger A naturally hits the protruding tragus, so that the tragus is particularly noticed as a contact portion. Furthermore, since the tragus has a structure in which the ear canal is closed by pushing it, it is also suitable for inducing the effect of the ear plug bone which will be described later. The configuration and operation of the ring 1 will be described in detail later.

  The conversation device body 2 is carried in the user's hand (such as a breast pocket) and transmits an audio signal to the ring 1 or the earpiece 3. For example, when the conversation system according to the present invention is a hearing aid system, the hearing aid body is the conversation device body 2, and the sound detected by the microphone is converted into an electrical sound signal and transmitted to the ring 1 or the earpiece 3. The When the conversation system according to the present invention is a mobile phone system, the mobile phone main body becomes the conversation device main body 2, and a voice signal received via the telephone line is transmitted to the ring 1 or the earpiece 3. The configuration and operation of the conversation device main body 2 will be described in detail later.

  The earpiece 3 is a small acoustic speaker that converts an audio signal input from the conversation device body 2 into air vibration. Therefore, when the earpiece 3 is attached to the ear B, the audio signal from the conversation device main body 2 is transmitted as an air conduction sound to the auditory nerve (inner ear) via the eardrum (middle ear).

  The conversation system according to the present invention can be used, for example, as a hearing aid system suitable for a user who has begun to hear a little distance. The user of this hearing aid system does not usually wear the earpiece 3 on the ear B, and only temporarily hears the finger A when hearing aid is necessary (for example, when the other party's voice is low or far). By abutting on the cartilage C, it becomes possible to assist the listening of the sound using the cartilage conduction. Note that the operation of bringing the finger A into contact with the ear cartilage C is similar to the natural operation of listening to the voice of the other party, so that there is no sense of incongruity for the user himself / herself and for the conversation partner and surrounding people. Further, by increasing the pressing force of the finger A and closing the ear canal with a tragus or the like, or by directly closing the ear canal with a fingertip, it is possible to enhance the hearing aid ability by a so-called ear plug guide effect. In addition, when the user desires to wear the earpiece 3 on the ear B when the user wants to wear the earpiece 3, the conversation device main body 3 is configured to be able to perform hearing in the same manner as an existing hearing aid system.

  Thus, if the hearing aid system includes the ring 1 for transmitting the cartilage conduction vibration to the ear cartilage C through the finger A, the user wears the unpleasant earpiece 3 unless the hearing aid is necessary. You can live a daily life without. In addition, when the need for hearing aid arises, the user can immediately assist in listening to the sound by a natural operation of bringing the finger A into contact with the ear cartilage C. Further, since the ring 1 is in the form of being worn on the finger A, it is less uncomfortable when worn compared to the earpiece 3 worn on the ear B, and the physical burden or mental burden on the user is greatly reduced. Is also possible.

  1 illustrates a configuration in which the ring 1 and the conversation device main body 2 are provided separately from each other, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this, and the ring 1 includes the conversation device main body 2. Functions may be incorporated as appropriate. Such a modification will be described in detail in the second embodiment (FIG. 3) and the fourth embodiment (FIG. 5), among the first to fourth embodiments described below.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the conversation system (a hearing aid system including a ring and a hearing aid main body), and corresponds to the schematic diagram of FIG. 1. The hearing aid system of the first embodiment includes a ring 100 and a hearing aid main body 200.

  A ring 100 corresponds to the ring 1 of FIG. 1 and includes a piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101, a drive unit 102, a control unit 103, a power supply unit 104, a booster circuit 105, a self-holding timer 106, and a remote control switch. An operation unit 107 and a short-range communication unit 108 are included.

  The piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101 is a vibration output unit that generates cartilage conduction vibration and transmits it to the finger A (see FIG. 1). The piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101 is provided at a position where the ring 100 comes into contact with the finger A while the ring 100 is attached to the finger A. The piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101 needs to receive a boosted voltage from the booster circuit 105 as a piezoelectric bimorph drive voltage. By combining the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101 and the booster circuit 105, a compact cartilage conduction vibration unit suitable for mounting on the finger ring 100 can be realized. However, the method of the cartilage conduction vibration unit is not limited to the method using the piezoelectric bimorph, and for example, an electromagnetic cartilage conduction vibration unit may be used. In addition, when using an electromagnetic type cartilage conduction vibration part, since a booster circuit is not required, the circuit configuration can be simplified.

  The drive unit 102 drives the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101 based on an instruction from the control unit 103.

  The control unit 103 is a main body (for example, a CPU [Central Processing Unit]) that comprehensively controls the operation of the ring 100. For example, the control unit 103 performs drive control of the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101 via the drive unit 102 so as to convert and output the audio signal received by the short-range communication unit 108 into cartilage conduction vibration.

  The power supply unit 104 generates a predetermined internal voltage from the battery voltage and supplies power to each unit of the ring 100.

  The booster circuit 105 boosts the internal voltage generated by the power supply unit 104 to generate a drive voltage for the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101. As the booster circuit 105, a booster switching regulator or a booster charge pump can be used.

  The self-holding timer 106 controls the control unit 103 and the power supply unit so as to hold the ring 100 in an on state for a predetermined self-holding time Ton (for example, 5 minutes) after the power-on operation is received by the remote control switch operation unit 107. A power switch for sending an instruction to 104. Note that the counting operation of the self-holding time Ton by the self-holding timer 106 is reset and restarted every time a power-on operation is accepted by the remote control switch operation unit 107. Accordingly, when the remote control switch operation unit 107 accepts a power-on operation again during the counting operation of the self-holding time Ton by the self-holding timer 106, the ring 100 is turned on for the self-holding time Ton from that point. The power-on period of the ring 100 is extended so as to hold it. On the other hand, when the power-on operation is not accepted by the remote control switch operation unit 107 over the self-holding time Ton, the self-holding timer 106 sends an instruction to the control unit 103 and the power supply unit 104 so as to switch the ring 100 to the off state. .

  With the configuration including such a self-holding timer 106, after the power-on operation is accepted by the remote control switch operation unit 107, the ring 100 is automatically held after being held on for the self-holding time Ton. 100 is switched off. Accordingly, hearing aid can be performed over a relatively long period of time without requiring a complicated power on / off operation. In addition, since the power is automatically turned off when the self-holding time Ton elapses, power consumption of the ring 100 can be suppressed.

  Further, in the configuration including the self-holding timer 106 described above, the count of the self-holding time Ton is restarted from the last operation only by repeating the power-on operation at a natural timing shorter than the self-holding time Ton. The power-on period of the ring 100 can be extended.

  By the way, when a piezoelectric bimorph is used as the cartilage conduction vibration unit 101 as in the embodiment, for example, depending on the booster circuit, a predetermined time may be required until the drive voltage reaches a predetermined target value. Immediately after that, hearing aid using cartilage conduction cannot be performed. For this reason, if the power-on operation of the ring 100 is performed whenever necessary, an important statement immediately after the power-on may be missed. On the other hand, if the self-holding timer 106 is configured as described above, the power-on unit 104 and the booster circuit 105 are turned on for at least the self-holding time Ton after the power-on operation is accepted by the remote control switch operation unit 107 once. Since it can be kept in a state, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the above-mentioned disadvantages.

  The remote control switch operation unit 107 is a user interface that accepts a power-on operation of the ring 100. For example, when a push button is employed as the remote control switch operation unit 107, the user can perform a power-on operation of the ring 100 with only one push of the remote control switch operation unit 107.

  The near field communication unit 108 performs wireless communication with the near field communication unit 201 provided in the hearing aid main body 200 based on an instruction from the control unit 103. As a specific example, the short-range communication unit 108 receives an audio signal from the short-range communication unit 201 and sends it to the control unit 103. In addition, the short-range communication unit 108 transmits a remote control switch operation signal from the control unit 103 to the short-range communication unit 201. The remote control switch operation signal is an information signal indicating whether or not the power-on operation is accepted by the remote control switch operation unit 107, in other words, whether or not the ring 100 is in an on state. As the short-range communication unit 108, a wireless communication module IC compliant with a wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be suitably used.

  The hearing aid main body 200 corresponds to the conversation device main body 2 of FIG. 1, and the short-range communication unit 201, earpiece connection unit 202, control unit 203, audio signal output unit 204, microphone 205, switch operation unit 206, and so on. , A power switch 207 and a power supply unit 208.

  The near field communication unit 201 performs wireless communication with the near field communication unit 108 provided on the ring 100 based on an instruction from the control unit 203. As a specific example, the short-range communication unit 201 transmits an audio signal from the control unit 203 to the short-range communication unit 108. The short-range communication unit 201 receives a remote control switch operation signal from the short-range communication unit 108 and sends it to the control unit 203. As the short-range communication unit 201, a wireless communication module IC that conforms to a wireless communication standard such as Zigbee (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be suitably used.

  The earpiece connection unit 202 is an interface for connecting the acoustic earpiece 3 (see FIG. 1). If it is the structure provided with the earpiece connection part 202, the hearing aid system which has the cartilage conduction type ring 100 based on the existing hearing aid system which consists of the normal earpiece 3 (refer FIG. 1) and the hearing aid main body 200 is comprised. Can do.

  The control unit 203 is a main body (for example, CPU) that comprehensively controls the operation of the hearing aid main body 200. For example, when the hearing aid main body 200 is set to the standby state, the control unit 203 transmits a remote control switch operation signal (on / off state of the ring 100) transmitted from the short-range communication unit 108 via the short-range communication unit 201. , And remote control (on / off control) of the power switch 207 is performed in accordance with the remote control switch operation signal.

  In a hearing aid system, battery capacity (battery driving time) is a particular problem. Therefore, the control unit 203 is configured to turn on the hearing aid main body 200 (more specifically, the power switch 207) in conjunction with the ring 100 being turned on. By adopting such a configuration, the power consumption of the entire hearing aid system is reduced as much as possible when hearing aid is not necessary, while the entire hearing aid system can be immediately turned on when the need for hearing aid occurs. Become.

  When hearing is performed using the earpiece 3 (see FIG. 1), the ring 100 can also be used as a remote controller (remote power switch) of the hearing aid main body 200. By adopting such a configuration, it is not necessary to separately prepare a remote controller for the hearing aid main body 200, and the possibility of losing the remote controller is reduced. When the ring 100 has only the remote control function of the hearing aid main body 200, the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101, the drive unit 102, and the booster circuit 105 are not required among the components depicted in FIG. It becomes.

  The audio signal output unit 204 performs various signal processing (such as noise removal processing) on the audio signal generated by the microphone 205 and outputs the processed signal to the control unit 203.

  The microphone 205 converts ambient sound into an electrical sound signal.

  The switch operation unit 206 is a user interface that receives an operation switching operation of the hearing aid main body 200. The hearing aid main body 200 is provided with three operation states (always-on state, always-off state, and standby state). In the always-on state, the hearing aid main body 200 is always turned on regardless of the on / off state of the ring 100. This operation state may be selected in the case where hearing is regularly performed using the earpiece 3 (see FIG. 1). In the always-off state, the hearing aid main body 200 is always turned off regardless of the on / off state of the ring 100. This operating state may be selected when there is no need for hearing aid (when the user is sleeping, etc.). In the standby state, as described above, the on / off state of the hearing aid main body 200 is remotely controlled in conjunction with the on / off state of the ring 100. This operation state may be selected when emergency hearing is performed using the ring 100.

  The power switch 207 performs on / off control of the power unit 208 based on instructions from the control unit 203 and the switch control unit 206.

  The power supply unit 208 generates a predetermined internal voltage from the battery voltage and supplies power to each unit of the hearing aid main body 200. When the hearing aid main body 200 is in a standby state, the power supply unit 208 connects the circuit blocks (the control unit 201 and the short-range communication unit 203) necessary for waiting for a remote control switch operation signal transmitted wirelessly from the ring 100. While power supply is continued, power supply to the remaining circuit blocks is stopped.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the conversation system (a hearing aid system including only a ring). The ring 300 forming the hearing aid system of the second embodiment is a combination of the ring 100 of FIG. 2 and the hearing aid main body 200, and includes a piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 301, a drive unit 302, a control unit 303, A power supply unit 304, a booster circuit 305, a self-holding timer 306, a remote control switch operation unit 307, a microphone 308, an audio signal output unit 309, and an echo canceller 310 are included.

  Among the components shown in FIG. 3, the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 301, the drive unit 302, the control unit 303, the power supply unit 304, the booster circuit 305, the self-holding timer 306, the remote control switch operation unit 307, the microphone 308, and the audio signal The output unit 309 includes the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 101, the drive unit 102, the control unit 103, the power supply unit 104, the booster circuit 105, the self-holding timer 106, the remote control switch operation unit 107, the microphone 205, and the audio signal shown in FIG. This corresponds to the output unit 204. Therefore, in the following description, characteristic components and operations of the second embodiment will be focused on, and descriptions overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

  The control unit 303 drives the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 301 via the drive unit 302 so as to convert the sound signal transmitted from the sound signal output unit 309 via the echo canceller 310 into cartilage conduction vibration and output it. Take control.

  The echo canceller 310 generates a pseudo echo signal from the drive signal supplied from the drive unit 302 to the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 301 by an adaptive filter or the like, and adds it to the audio signal from the audio signal output unit 309. With the configuration provided with such an echo canceller 310, the echo component (the vibration component of the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 301 detected by the microphone 308) included in the sound signal from the sound signal output unit 309 is appropriately canceled. It becomes possible to do.

  As described above, the hearing aid system using the ring 300 with a built-in microphone eliminates the need for a hearing aid main body, and thus improves the portability of the hearing aid system.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the conversation system (a mobile phone system including a ring and a mobile phone body). The mobile phone system according to the third embodiment includes a ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 and a mobile phone main body 500.

  A ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 corresponds to the ring 1 of FIG. 1, and includes a piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401, a drive unit 402, a control unit 403, a power supply unit 404, a booster circuit 405, a microphone 406, An audio signal output unit 407, an echo canceller 408, a short-range communication unit 409, and a reception / call operation unit 410 are included.

  The piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401 is a vibration output unit that generates cartilage conduction vibration and transmits it to the finger A (see FIG. 1). The piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401 is provided at a position where the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 is in contact with the finger A when the finger-type transmission / reception attachment 400 is attached to the finger A. The piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401 needs to receive a boosted voltage from the booster circuit 405 as a piezoelectric bimorph drive voltage. By combining the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401 and the booster circuit 405, it is possible to realize a compact cartilage conduction vibration unit suitable for mounting on the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400. However, the method of the cartilage conduction vibration unit is not limited to the method using the piezoelectric bimorph, and for example, an electromagnetic cartilage conduction vibration unit may be used. In addition, when using an electromagnetic type cartilage conduction vibration part, since a booster circuit is not required, the circuit configuration can be simplified.

  The drive unit 402 drives the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401 based on an instruction from the control unit 403.

  The control unit 403 is a main body (for example, a CPU) that performs overall control of the operation of the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400. For example, the control unit 403 performs drive control of the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401 via the drive unit 402 so that the received voice signal received by the short-range communication unit 409 is converted into cartilage conduction vibration and output. . In addition, the control unit 403 performs communication control of the short-range communication unit 409 so that the transmission voice signal generated by the microphone 406 is wirelessly transmitted to the mobile phone body 500.

  In addition, the control unit 403 performs drive control of the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401 via the drive unit 402 so as to generate an incoming notification vibration in response to an incoming signal from the mobile phone body 500. With such a configuration, it is possible to notify the user that there is an incoming call to the mobile phone body 500. If the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401 is also used as the incoming vibration unit, the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 does not need to be enlarged. Of course, in addition to the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401, an incoming vibration unit dedicated to incoming notification may be provided.

  Further, the control unit 403 is configured such that when the incoming signal from the mobile phone body 500 is received by the short-range communication unit 409 or when the user's call operation is received by the reception / call operation unit 410, On / off control of the power supply unit 404 is performed so that power supply to each unit of the mold transmission / reception attachment 400 is started. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 and extend the battery driving time.

  The power supply unit 404 generates a predetermined internal voltage from the battery voltage and supplies power to each unit of the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400. Note that when the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 is in a standby state, the power supply unit 404 waits for an incoming signal wirelessly transmitted from the mobile phone body 500 and a circuit block (waiting for a call operation by the user) ( The power supply to the control unit 403, the short-range communication unit 409, and the reception / calling operation unit 410) is continued, while the power supply to the remaining circuit blocks is stopped.

  The booster circuit 405 boosts the internal voltage generated by the power supply unit 404 to generate a drive voltage for the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401. As the booster circuit 105, a booster switching regulator or a booster charge pump can be used.

  The microphone 406 converts ambient sound (user-generated sound) into an electrical sound signal.

  The audio signal output unit 407 performs various signal processing (such as noise removal processing) on the audio signal generated by the microphone 406 and outputs the processed signal to the echo canceller 408.

  The echo canceller 408 generates a pseudo echo signal from the drive signal supplied from the drive unit 402 to the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401, adds this to the audio signal from the audio signal output unit 407, and outputs it to the control unit 403. To do. With the configuration provided with such an echo canceller 408, the echo component (vibration component of the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401 detected by the microphone 406) included in the audio signal from the audio signal output unit 407 is appropriately canceled. It becomes possible to do.

  The near field communication unit 409 performs wireless communication with the near field communication unit 501 provided in the mobile phone main body 400 based on an instruction from the control unit 403. As a specific example, the short-range communication unit 409 receives the received voice signal from the short-range communication unit 501 and sends it to the control unit 403. Further, the short-range communication unit 409 transmits the transmission voice signal obtained by the microphone 406 to the short-range communication unit 501. The short-range communication unit 409 transmits a signal corresponding to the reception / call operation accepted by the reception / call operation unit 410 (hereinafter referred to as a reception / call operation signal) to the short-range communication unit 501. . As the short-range communication unit 409, a wireless communication module IC that conforms to a wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be suitably used.

  The reception / call operation unit 410 is a user interface (manual operation switch) that receives a user's reception / call operation.

  The mobile phone main body 500 corresponds to the conversation device main body 2 of FIG. 1, and includes a short-range communication unit 501, an audio signal input unit 502, an audio signal output unit 503, a telephone function unit 504, and a microphone 505. , A speaker 506, a display unit 507, a storage unit 508, a control unit 509, a power supply unit 510, a power switch 511, and a switch operation unit 512.

  The near field communication unit 501 performs wireless communication with the near field communication unit 409 provided in the ring type transmission / reception attachment 400 based on an instruction from the control unit 509. As a specific example, the near field communication unit 501 transmits the received voice signal from the voice signal output unit 503 to the near field communication unit 409. In addition, the short-range communication unit 501 receives a transmission voice signal from the short-range communication unit 108 and sends it to the voice signal input unit 502. The short-range communication unit 501 receives a call / call operation signal from the short-range communication unit 409 and sends it to the control unit 509. As the short-range communication unit 501, a wireless communication module IC that conforms to a wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be suitably used. Accordingly, the short-range communication unit 501 can perform short-range wireless communication with not only the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 but also the transmission / reception attachment such as an in-vehicle audio device or a headset.

  The voice signal input unit 502 sends the transmission voice signal received by the short-range communication unit 501 to the telephone function unit 504 (particularly, the transmission unit 504a).

  The voice signal output unit 503 sends the received voice signal received by the telephone function unit 504 (particularly the receiver unit 504b) to the short-range communication unit 501.

  The telephone function unit 504 can perform a voice call via a wireless telephone line using the transmitter unit 504a and the receiver unit 504b. The telephone function unit 504 can also perform data communication via a wireless telephone line using the telephone communication unit 504c.

  Further, the telephone function unit 504 determines whether short-range wireless communication is established between the mobile phone body 500 and the external device (ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 in FIG. 4) via the short-range communication unit 501. Accordingly, a function of switching input / output destinations of the transmitter 504a and receiver 504b is provided. For example, when short-range wireless communication is established between the mobile phone main body 500 and the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400, a transmission voice signal is transmitted from the voice signal input unit 502 to the transmission unit 504a, and the incoming call is received. The received voice signal is transmitted from the unit 504 b to the voice signal output unit 503. On the other hand, when short-range wireless communication is not established between the mobile phone main body 500 and the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400, a transmission voice signal is transmitted from the microphone 505 to the transmission unit 504a, and from the reception unit 504b. The received voice signal is transmitted to the speaker 506. That is, in the former case, a voice call using the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 is performed, and in the latter case, a voice call using only the mobile phone main body 500 is performed.

  The microphone 505 converts the surrounding voice (spoken by the user) into an electrical voice signal and outputs it to the transmitter 504a. Note that the microphone 505 acquires the transmitted voice during a voice call using only the mobile phone body 500.

  The speaker 506 outputs a ringtone and various guidance voices according to control from the control unit 509. The speaker 506 also outputs a received voice during a voice call using only the mobile phone main body 500. Note that the earpiece 3 in FIG. 1 can be used as the speaker 506.

  The display unit 507 displays characters and images according to control from the control unit 509. As the display unit 507, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL [Electro Luminescence] display can be suitably used.

  The storage unit 508 stores various programs that are read and executed by the control unit 509. The storage unit 37 is also used as a temporary storage area for data necessary for the operation of the control unit 509 and a development area for various programs.

  The control unit 509 is a main body (for example, a CPU) that comprehensively controls the operation of the mobile phone body 500.

  The power supply unit 510 generates a predetermined internal voltage from the battery voltage and supplies power to each unit of the mobile phone body 500.

  The power switch 511 performs on / off control of the power supply unit 510 based on instructions from the control unit 509 and the switch operation unit 512.

  The switch operation unit 512 is a user interface that receives a user operation. Note that, as the switch operation unit 512, in addition to various keys and buttons, a touch panel or the like can be preferably used.

  As described above, by constructing the mobile phone system using the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 including the cartilage conduction vibrator and the small microphone, the user can confirm the incoming call and the voice without touching the mobile phone body 500 at all. It is possible to make a call. Note that the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibrator can also be used as a vibration body for the manner mode. In this case, since vibration is sensed by a finger instead of an ear, it is not necessary to set the vibration frequency to an audible range, and a low frequency that can be easily felt by a finger can be used. The manner mode vibrating body is not limited to the case where the cartilage conduction vibrator is also used, and a separate vibrating body may be employed.

  In FIG. 4, the description has been given by taking as an example a configuration in which only one ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 is connected to the mobile phone body 500, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this, Alternatively, the cartilage conduction vibrator, the small microphone, and the separate manner mode vibrating body function unit may be separately housed in the ring-type transmission / reception attachment, and these may be connected by short-range communication. With such a configuration, for example, the cartilage conduction vibrator is housed in the first ring-type transmission / reception attachment that is attached to the finger of the hand that is easy to touch the dominant ear, and the first attachment that is attached to the finger of the other hand. It is possible to reduce howling by storing a small microphone in the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 2. In addition, since the control of the vibrator for the manner mode may require a small amount of information, it is also possible to employ a short-range communication means such as Zigbee (registered trademark). As the block 500 of the third embodiment, not only a normal size mobile phone but also a large screen mobile communication terminal having a telephone function may be adopted. In this case, “mobile phone main body 500” in FIG. 4 is read as “large-screen mobile communication terminal 500” or the like.

<Fourth embodiment>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a fourth embodiment (ring type mobile phone) of the conversation system. The ring type mobile phone 600 forming the conversation system of the fourth embodiment has a configuration in which the ring type transmission / reception attachment 400 and the mobile phone body 500 of FIG. 4 are combined, and includes a piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 601, a drive unit 602, transmission / reception function control unit 603, power supply unit 604, booster circuit 605, microphone 606, audio signal output unit 607, echo canceller 608, audio signal input unit 609, audio signal output unit 610, , A telephone function unit 611, a display unit 612, a storage unit 613, a mobile phone function control unit 614, a power supply unit 615, a power switch 616, and a switch operation unit 617.

  Among the components shown in FIG. 5, the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 601, the drive unit 602, the transmission / reception function control unit 603, the power supply unit 604, the booster circuit 605, the microphone 606, the audio signal output unit 607, the echo canceller 608, An audio signal input unit 609, an audio signal output unit 610, a telephone function unit 611, a display unit 612, a storage unit 613, a mobile phone function control unit 614, a power supply unit 615, a power switch 616, and a switch operation unit 617, respectively. Piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 401, drive unit 402, control unit 403, power supply unit 404, booster circuit 405, microphone 406, audio signal output unit 407, echo canceller 408, audio signal input unit 502, audio signal output unit in FIG. 503, telephone function unit 504, display unit 507, storage unit 508, control unit 509, power supply unit 510, power supply unit Pitch 511, and corresponds to the switch operation unit 512.

  That is, it can be said that the ring-type mobile phone 600 has a configuration in which the ring-type transmission / reception attachment 400 and the mobile phone main body 500 of FIG. With such a ring-type mobile phone 600, the mobile phone main body is not necessary, and the portability of the mobile phone system can be improved.

<Ring>
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration example of the ring 1. The ring 1 of this configuration example has a structure for applying a cartilage conduction vibration to the third joint of the finger A, more specifically, a ring structure that is attached to the third joint of the finger A and provides the cartilage conduction vibration. Have. Focusing on the constituent elements, the ring 1 of this configuration example includes a main unit 10, a power supply unit 20, a communication unit 30, a cable 40, and a ring type housing 50.

  The main unit 10 is a unit for mainly applying cartilage conduction vibration to the finger A, and is housed in the ring-shaped housing 50 so that the finger-shaped housing 50 is on the back side of the finger A when the finger-shaped housing 50 is attached to the finger A. Has been. The internal configuration and operation of the main unit 10 will be described in detail later.

  The power supply unit 20 is a unit that mainly supplies power to the main unit 10 and the communication unit 30, and when the ring type casing 50 is attached to the finger A, the ring type casing is located on the back side of the finger A. 50. The internal configuration and operation of the power supply unit 20 will be described in detail later.

  The communication unit 30 is a unit that mainly performs wireless communication with the conversation device main body 2, and is housed in the ring-shaped housing 50 so as to be on the back side of the finger A when the ring-shaped housing 50 is attached to the finger A. ing. The internal configuration and operation of the communication unit 30 will be described in detail later.

  The cable 40 is housed in a ring-shaped housing 50 so as to electrically connect the main unit 10, the power supply unit 20, and the communication unit 30. In addition, as the cable 40, FPC [Flexible Printed Circuits] etc. other than a general covered electric wire can be used suitably.

  The ring-shaped housing 50 houses the main unit 10, the power supply unit 20, the communication unit 30, and the cable 40, and is attached to the third joint of the finger A.

  As described above, if the ring 1 is attached to the third joint of the finger A, the ring 1 drops from the finger A in daily life unless the user intentionally removes the ring 1 from the finger A. Therefore, it is possible to construct a conversation system that does not restrict user behavior.

  In addition, if the ring type housing 50 is formed of a flexible material (silicon rubber or the like), it is possible to give a large degree of freedom to the size that the ring 1 can be attached.

  Moreover, it is desirable that the ring-shaped housing 50 has a waterproof structure. By adopting such a configuration, even when wet with water (rain) or sweat, it becomes difficult to break down. When the ring 1 is shared by many people, the ring 1 can be kept clean by washing the entire ring-type housing 50 with water.

  Moreover, in the above configuration example, the configuration in which the main unit 10, the power supply unit 20, and the communication unit 30 are independent units is given as an example, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this, Multiple units may be combined into one. Further, the storage positions of the main unit 10, the power supply unit 20, and the communication unit 30 in the ring-shaped housing 50 are not limited to the above configuration example.

<Main unit>
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration example of the main unit 10. The main unit 10 of this configuration example includes a first substrate 11, a piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 12, a control unit 13, a drive unit 14, a connector 15, a second substrate 16, and an operation unit 17. Including.

  A piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 12 is mounted on the surface of the first substrate 11, and a control unit 13 and a drive unit 14 are directly mounted on the back surface of the first substrate 11. In addition, a cable 40 for establishing electrical connection with the power supply unit 20 and the communication unit 30 is also connected to the first substrate 11. In addition, electrical connection is established between the front surface and the back surface of the first substrate 11 through through holes and vias. Thus, since the area of the first substrate 11 can be reduced by effectively utilizing both surfaces of the first substrate 11, the main unit 10 does not protrude from the third joint of the finger A. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to be aware of wearing the ring 1.

  The piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration part 12 is a vibration output part that generates cartilage conduction vibration and transmits it to the finger A (FIG. 1). The piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration part 101 (FIG. 2), the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration, and the like. This corresponds to the vibration part 301 (FIG. 3), the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration part 401 (FIG. 4), or the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration part 601 (FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 7, the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 12 is provided at a position in contact with the finger A while the ring 1 is attached to the finger A.

  The control unit 13 is a main body (for example, a CPU) that comprehensively controls the operation of the ring 1, and includes the control unit 103 (FIG. 2), the control unit 303 (FIG. 3), the control unit 403 (FIG. 4), Alternatively, it corresponds to the transmission / reception function control unit 603 and the mobile phone function control unit 614 (FIG. 5).

  The drive unit 14 is a driver that drives the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 12 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 13. The drive unit 102 (FIG. 2), the drive unit 302 (FIG. 3), and the drive unit 402. (FIG. 4) or corresponds to the drive unit 602 (FIG. 5).

  The connector 15 is a conductive part for vertically stacking the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 16.

  An operation unit 17 is directly mounted on the front surface of the second substrate 16, and a connector 15 is connected to the back surface of the second substrate 16. In addition, electrical connection is established between the front surface and the back surface of the second substrate 16 through through holes and vias.

  As described above, by adopting a laminated structure of a plurality of substrates, the area of the first substrate 11 and the area of the second substrate 16 can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which all circuit elements are mounted on one substrate. Can do. Therefore, the main unit 10 can be accommodated in a size that does not protrude from the third joint of the finger A, and thus the user does not need to be aware of wearing the ring 1.

  The operation unit 17 is a user interface that accepts user operations. The remote control switch operation unit 107 (FIG. 2), the switch operation unit 307 (FIG. 3), the call / call operation unit 410 (FIG. 4), This corresponds to the switch operation unit 617 (FIG. 5). Note that the operation unit 17 may be configured to be provided on the side surface of the ring instead of the upper surface of the ring as shown in FIG. 7 in order to avoid inadvertent misoperation such as when the back of the hand collides with a door or the like.

<Power supply unit>
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration example of the power supply unit 20. The power supply unit 20 of this configuration example includes a substrate 21, a battery 22, a power supply unit 23, a booster circuit 24, and a charging circuit 25.

  A battery 22 is directly mounted on the front surface of the substrate 21, and a power supply unit 23, a booster circuit 24, and a charging circuit 25 are directly mounted on the back surface of the substrate 21. Further, a cable 40 for establishing electrical connection with the main unit 10 is also connected to the substrate 21. Note that electrical connection is established between the front surface and the back surface of the substrate 21 through through holes and vias. Thus, by effectively utilizing both surfaces of the substrate 21, the area of the substrate 21 can be reduced, so that the power supply unit 20 can be reduced in size, and the user can wear the ring 1 as a result. You don't have to be aware of

  The battery 22 is a power supply source necessary for driving the ring 1, and a lithium ion secondary battery, an electric double layer capacitor, or the like can be suitably used. As described above, the battery-driven ring 1 does not need to be connected with an external power supply cable, and thus does not restrict the user's action when constructing a conversation system using the ring 1. In this configuration example, since the battery 22 with high flatness is disposed immediately above the finger A, it is possible to increase the affinity when the ring 1 is attached to the third joint of the finger A, Does not require the user to be aware of wearing the ring 1.

  The power supply unit 23 is a DC / DC converter that generates a predetermined internal voltage from the battery voltage supplied from the battery 22 and supplies power to each part of the ring 1. The power supply unit 104 (FIG. 2) This corresponds to the unit 304 (FIG. 3), the power supply unit 404 (FIG. 4), or the power supply unit 604 and the power supply unit 615 (FIG. 5).

  The booster circuit 24 is a circuit block that boosts the internal voltage generated by the power supply unit 23 to generate a drive voltage for the piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 12. The booster circuit 105 (FIG. 2) and the booster circuit 305 described above. (FIG. 3) corresponds to the booster circuit 405 (FIG. 4) or the booster circuit 605 (FIG. 5).

  The charging circuit 25 performs charging control of the battery 22 by receiving external power supply. The external power supply method may be a contact method using a USB [Universal Serial Bus] cable or the like, or a non-contact method such as an electromagnetic induction method, an electric field coupling method, and a magnetic field resonance method. It may be. With such a configuration having the battery 22 charging means, battery replacement work is not required, and the convenience of the ring 1 can be improved. When the ring-type housing 50 is made waterproof, it is desirable to employ a non-contact method as a power supply method to the charging circuit 25 from the viewpoint of completely eliminating external terminals.

<Communication unit>
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration example of the communication unit 30. The communication unit 30 of this configuration example includes a substrate 31 and a wireless communication circuit 32.

  A wireless communication circuit 32 is directly mounted on the surface of the substrate 31. Further, a cable 40 for establishing electrical connection with the main unit 10 is also connected to the substrate 31.

  The wireless communication circuit 32 is a circuit block that performs short-distance wireless communication with the conversation device body or performs a voice call via a wireless telephone line. The short-range communication unit 108 (FIG. 2), This corresponds to the distance communication unit 409 (FIG. 4) or the telephone function unit 611 (FIG. 5).

<Other variations>
The configuration of the present invention can be variously modified in addition to the above-described embodiment without departing from the gist of the invention. That is, the above-described embodiment is an example in all respects and should not be considered as limiting, and the technical scope of the present invention is not the description of the above-described embodiment, but the claims. It should be understood that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are included.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the hearing aid system and the mobile phone system have been described as independent conversation systems. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this, and includes both a hearing aid function and a mobile phone function. It is also possible to construct a conversation system.

  The present invention can be used, for example, to realize a useful hearing aid system or a mobile phone system using cartilage conduction.

A finger B ear C ear cartilage (tragus)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ring 2 Conversation apparatus main body 3 Earpiece 10 Main unit 11 1st board | substrate 12 Piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration part 13 Control part 14 Drive part 15 Connector 16 2nd board | substrate 17 Operation part 20 Power supply unit 21 Board | substrate 22 Battery 23 Power supply part 24 Booster circuit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 25 Charging circuit 30 Communication unit 31 Board | substrate 32 Radio | wireless communication circuit 40 Cable 50 Ring-type housing | casing 100 Ring 101 Piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration part 102 Drive part 103 Control part 104 Power supply part 105 Booster circuit 106 Self-holding timer (Power switch)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 107 Remote control switch operation part 108 Near field communication part 200 Hearing aid main body 201 Near field communication part 202 Earpiece connection part 203 Control part 204 Audio | voice signal output part 205 Microphone 206 Switch operation part 207 Power switch 208 Power supply part 300 Ring 301 Piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration Unit 302 Drive unit 303 Control unit 304 Power supply unit 305 Booster circuit 306 Self-holding timer (power switch)
307 Remote control switch operation unit 308 Microphone 309 Audio signal output unit 310 Echo canceller 400 Ring type transmission / reception attachment 401 Piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 402 Drive unit 403 Control unit 404 Power supply unit 405 Booster circuit 406 Microphone 407 Audio signal output unit 408 Echo canceller 409 Short-range communication unit 410 Reception / call operation unit 500 Mobile phone body 501 Short-range communication unit 502 Audio signal input unit 503 Audio signal output unit 504 Telephone function unit 504a Transmission unit 504b Reception unit 504c Telephone communication unit 505 Microphone 506 Speaker 507 Display unit 508 Storage unit 509 Control unit 510 Power supply unit 511 Power switch 512 Switch operation unit 600 Ring type mobile phone 601 Piezoelectric bimorph cartilage conduction vibration unit 602 Drive unit 603 Control unit 604 Power supply unit 605 Booster circuit 606 Microphone 607 Audio signal output unit 608 Echo canceller 609 Audio signal input unit 610 Audio signal output unit 611 Telephone function unit 611a Transmission unit 611b Reception unit 611c Telephone communication unit 612 Display unit 613 Storage unit 614 Control unit 615 Power supply unit 616 Power switch 617 Switch operation unit

Claims (4)

  A vibration to be transmitted based on an audio signal is brought into contact with the tragus by bringing the finger into contact with the tragus, and the vibration is transmitted to the tragus via the finger, and the external ear canal is blocked by the tragus by increasing the pressing force of the finger. Listening method.   The listening method according to claim 1, wherein an air conduction sound generated inside the ear canal is transmitted to the eardrum by the vibration transmitted to the tragus.   The listening method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the finger pressing force is increased when enhancing hearing ability.   The listening method according to claim 1, wherein the finger is brought into contact with the tragus so as to listen to the voice of the other party with a palm.

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