JP2021036635A - earphone - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an earphone with excellent reception sensitivity.SOLUTION: An earphone 1 includes earphone bodies 2, 3 and performs wireless communication with a smart phone 101. The earphone body 2 and the earphone body 3 perform wireless communication. One of the earphone bodies becomes a master and receives a sound signal from the smart phone 101. The other one of the earphone bodies becomes a slave and receives a sound signal from the earphone body to be a master. The earphone body at a higher level in radio wave intensity with the smart phone 101 becomes a master and the earphone body at a lower level in radio wave intensity with the smart phone 101 becomes a slave between the earphone bodies 2, 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to earphones.

With the spread of smartphones, Bluetooth (registered trademark) (hereinafter referred to as "BT") headphones and BT earphones are becoming more popular. Among these, the market for left and right independent earphones (TWS: True Wireless Stereo), in which the left channel earphone body and the right channel earphone body are not connected by a cable, is booming these days. Left and right independent earphones (see, for example, Patent Document 1) are on the market from each company. In the left and right independent earphones, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a master (left channel (Lch)) and a slave (right channel (Rch)) are paired. Then, a daisy chain configuration may be adopted in which a voice signal is transmitted from the transmitting side such as a smartphone to the master and the voice signal is transmitted from the master to the slave.

It is considered that users often put their main devices, such as smartphones, in their pants pockets or in their bags. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the master and the smartphone are on the same left side, for example, there is no obstruction between the master and the smartphone, so that the reception sensitivity of the master is good. However, as shown in FIG. 3B, for example, when the user puts the smartphone in the right pocket and the master is attached to the left ear, an obstacle such as a human body is formed between the master and the smartphone. Intervene. Therefore, the reception sensitivity may decrease due to the influence of obstacles. When the human body becomes an absorber of radio waves and the radio wave intensity becomes weak, it may cause sound interruption. In this way, the reception sensitivity is affected by the positional relationship between the smartphone and the master.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-099259

As described above, the reception sensitivity may decrease depending on the positional relationship between the master and the audio signal transmitting device (for example, a smartphone).

An object of the present invention is to provide an earphone having good reception sensitivity.

The earphone of the first invention is an earphone that includes a first earphone main body and a second earphone main body and performs wireless communication with an external device, and the first earphone main body and the second earphone main body perform wireless communication. Then, one of the earphone main bodies becomes the master and receives an audio signal from the external device, and one of the earphone main bodies becomes a slave and receives an audio signal from the earphone main body which becomes the master. In the main body and the second earphone main body, the earphone main body having a high radio intensity level with the external device serves as a master, and the earphone main body having a low radio intensity level with the external device serves as a slave. To do.

In the present invention, the earphone main body having a high radio field intensity level with an external device serves as a master, and the earphone body having a low radio field strength level with an external device serves as a slave. As a result, the reception intensity level between the master earphone main body and the external device is high, so that the reception sensitivity of the earphone becomes good.

The earphone of the second invention is characterized in that, in the first earphone, the first earphone main body and the second earphone main body monitor the radio wave intensity level with the external device.

The earphone of the third invention is the earphone of the first or second invention, and the master earphone main body receives the stereo audio signal of two channels on the left and right from the external device, and the audio signal of one of the channels. Is transmitted to the slave earphone main body, and the slave earphone main body receives an audio signal of one of the channels from the master earphone main body.

According to the present invention, the reception sensitivity of the earphone is good.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the earphone which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of an earphone. It is a figure for demonstrating the problem of the conventional earphone.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an earphone 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the earphone 1 includes earphone bodies 2 and 3. The earphone 1 wirelessly communicates with the smartphone 101 (external device) in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) (hereinafter referred to as “BT”) standard. Here, the smartphone 101 is illustrated as an "external device", but a digital audio player (DAP), a tablet PC, or the like may be used as long as it is a device capable of transmitting an audio signal by BT.

The earphone body 2 (first earphone body) is an earphone body for the left channel. The earphone body 2 (second earphone body) is an earphone body for the right channel. The earphone body 2 and the earphone body 3 perform wireless communication in accordance with the BT standard. The earphone body 2 and the earphone body 3 are independent. In other words, the earphone body 2 and the earphone body 3 are not connected by wire. That is, the earphone 1 is a left-right independent earphone.

The earphone main body 2 includes a SoC 21 and a BT module 22. The SoC (System on Chip) 21 (control unit) has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a memory, and the like, and controls each unit constituting the earphone main body 2. The BT module 22 (wireless communication unit) is a module for performing wireless communication in accordance with the BT standard. The earphone main body 3 includes a SoC 31 and a BT module 32. The SoC31 (control unit) has a CPU, a DSP, a memory, and the like, and controls each unit constituting the earphone main body 3. The BT module 32 is a module for performing wireless communication in accordance with the BT standard. Here, in the earphone main bodies 2 and 3, only the configuration related to the present embodiment will be described, and the description of other configurations will be omitted.

In the earphone 1, some earphone bodies 2 and 3 serve as masters, and any earphone body 2 and 3 serve as slaves. The master earphone body receives, for example, a stereo audio signal of LR (left and right) 2 channels from the smartphone 101. The master earphone body transmits the audio signal of one of the channels to the slave earphone body. The master earphone body reproduces audio based on the audio signal of the other channel.

The slave earphone body receives the audio signal of one of the channels from the master earphone body. The main body of the earphone as a slave reproduces the sound based on the sound signal of one of the channels.

When the earphone main body 2 for the left channel becomes a slave, the earphone main body 2 receives the stereo audio signal of LR (left and right) 2 channels from the smartphone 101. The earphone main body 2 transmits an R channel audio signal to the earphone main body 3 which is a slave. The earphone main body 2 reproduces the sound based on the sound signal of the L channel. The earphone main body 3 serving as a slave receives the R channel audio signal from the earphone main body 2. The earphone main body 3 reproduces the sound based on the sound signal of the R channel.

When the earphone body 3 for the right channel becomes a slave, the earphone body 3 receives the stereo audio signal of LR (left and right) 2 channels from the smartphone 101. The earphone main body 3 transmits an L channel audio signal to the earphone main body 2 which is a slave. The earphone main body 3 reproduces the sound based on the sound signal of the R channel. The earphone main body 2 serving as a slave receives the L channel audio signal from the earphone main body 3. The earphone main body 2 reproduces the sound based on the sound signal of the L channel.

In the present embodiment, the master earphone body and the slave earphone body are determined based on the radio field intensity levels of the smartphone 101 and the earphone bodies 2 and 3. The SoC21 of the earphone main body 2 and the SoC31 of the earphone main body 3 monitor the radio field intensity level between the earphone main bodies 2 and 3 and the smartphone 101. When the radio field intensity level of the earphone main body 2 for the left channel is high, the SoCs 21 and 31 use the earphone main body 2 as a master and connect to the smartphone 101. Further, the SoCs 21 and 31 use the earphone main body 3 as a slave and connect to the earphone main body 2.

When the radio field intensity level of the right channel earphone body 3 is high, the SoCs 21 and 31 use the earphone body 3 as a master and connect to the smartphone 101. Further, the SoCs 21 and 31 use the earphone main body 2 as a slave and connect to the earphone main body 3.

Hereinafter, the processing operation of the earphone 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the SoCs 21 and 31 shift to the pairing mode (S1). Next, the SoCs 21 and 31 determine whether or not the radio field intensity level is earphone body 2 (Lch)> earphone body 3 (Rch) (S2). When it is determined that the SoC21 and 31 have the earphone body 2 (Lch)> the earphone body 3 (Rch) (S2: Yes), the SoC21 and 31 are connected to the smartphone 101 with the earphone body 2 (Lch) as the master, and the earphone body 3 (Rch). Is connected to the earphone main body 2 (Lch) as a slave (S3). When it is determined that the earphone body 2 (Lch)> the earphone body 3 (Rch) is not satisfied, the SoCs 21 and 31 are connected to the smartphone 101 with the earphone body 3 (Rch) as the master, and the earphone body 2 (Lch) is connected. Connect to the earphone main body 3 (Rch) as a slave (S4).

SoC21 and 31 determine whether or not a certain time has elapsed after the processing of S3 or S4 (S5). SoC21 and 31 repeatedly execute the process of S5 while it is determined that a certain period of time has not elapsed (S5: No). When it is determined that a certain time has elapsed (S5: Yes), the SoCs 21 and 31 execute the process of S2.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the earphone body having a high radio field intensity level with the smartphone 101 serves as the master, and the earphone body having a low radio wave intensity level with the external device serves as the slave. As a result, the reception intensity level between the master earphone main body and the external device is high, so that the reception sensitivity of the earphone becomes good.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. is there.

The present invention can be suitably adopted for earphones.

1 Earphone 2 Earphone body (1st earphone body)
21 SoC (control unit)
22 BT module (wireless communication unit)
3 Earphone body (second earphone body)
31 SoC (control unit)
32 BT module (wireless communication unit)

Claims (3)

An earphone that has a first earphone body and a second earphone body and performs wireless communication with an external device.
The first earphone main body and the second earphone main body perform wireless communication and perform wireless communication.
One of the earphone bodies becomes the master, receives an audio signal from the external device, and receives an audio signal.
One of the earphone bodies becomes a slave and receives an audio signal from the master earphone body.
In the first earphone body and the second earphone body,
The earphone body, which has a high signal strength level with the external device, becomes the master.
An earphone characterized in that the earphone main body having a low radio field intensity level with the external device serves as a slave. The earphone according to claim 1, wherein the first earphone main body and the second earphone main body monitor a radio wave intensity level with the external device. The master earphone main body receives stereo audio signals of two left and right channels from the external device, and transmits the audio signal of one of the channels to the slave earphone main body.
The earphone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the slave earphone main body receives an audio signal of one of the channels from the master earphone main body.

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