JP4250133B2 - Single ear hearing improvement device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a monoaural hearing improvement device having an out-of-head localization discrimination function that collects sound waves from the outside with a monaural microphone and can recognize the position of the sound source even when reproduced by a monoaural earphone.

  In a binaural hearing improvement device such as a hearing aid, sound generated by a sound source is collected by left and right microphones and reproduced by left and right headphones so that the position of the sound source can be determined.

  FIG. 18 shows a conventional hearing-improving device. A sound collector 1 is provided with left and right microphones 2 and 2 and earphones 5 and 5 in proximity to the microphones 2 and 2. To use the sound collector 1, a plug 8 provided at the end of the wiring 7 from the sound collector main bodies 6, 6 is inserted into a jack 9 provided in the amplifier 3.

The sound received by the microphones 2, 2 provided in the sound collector main bodies 6, 6 is converted into an electric signal and input from the wiring 7 to the amplifier 3, and the electric signal amplified by the amplifier 3 is collected via the wiring 7. The left and right ears enter the speaker units 4 and 4 of the earphones 5 and 5 provided in the main bodies 6 and 6. Thereby, the user of the hearing improvement device can distinguish the direction and the generation position of the sound source from the outside.
JP 2002-369295 A

  As described above, the out-of-head localization discriminating function for discriminating the generation position of a sound source collects incoming voice signals with the microphones 2 and 2 provided on the left and right and reproduces them with the left and right earphones 5 and 5. However, it is troublesome to wear the earphones 5 and 5 on the left and right ears, and for those who cannot hear one ear, the incoming sound is collected by the microphones 2 and 2 provided on the left and right and reproduced by the left and right earphones 5 and 5. This makes it impossible to distinguish the location of the sound source.

  Furthermore, with conventional microphones, the sound collection effect decreases in inverse proportion to the square of the distance away from the sound source, so it was necessary to increase the sensitivity of the hearing improvement device. On the other hand, the level was too high, giving a feeling of fatigue.

The present invention collects sound with a monaural microphone device and has an out-of-head localization discrimination function that distinguishes the position of the sound source even when played back with a single-ear type earphone, and can easily listen to sound waves from a distance. Is,
First, sound waves from a sound source are collected by a microphone device having an ear shape effect, and the collected sound waves are reproduced by a single ear type earphone placed in the same phase as the microphone device. Provided is a monoaural hearing improvement device that distinguishes between occurrence positions.

  Second, a sound wave from a sound source is collected by a microphone device having an ear-shaped effect that enhances a specific frequency band, and the collected sound wave is collected by a single-ear type earphone placed in the same phase as the microphone device. Provided is a monoaural hearing improvement device that reproduces and recognizes the generation position of the sound source.

  Third, the device for improving hearing loss of a single ear in which the specific frequency band is substantially a frequency of 8 KHz and the vicinity thereof.

  Fourthly, the present invention provides a monoaural hearing improvement device in which the microphone device and the earphone are arranged close to each other in the vertical direction.

  Fifth, the microphone device provides a monoaural hearing improvement device including an ECM microphone and a reflection tube that is attached to the ECM microphone and resonates with a sound wave of 8 KHz that enters from a sound collection port.

  Sixth, the earphone provides a single ear hearing improvement device which is a single ear sealed earphone.

  The single ear hearing improvement device of the present invention collects sound with a microphone device having an ear shape effect that enhances sound waves of a specific frequency, and the collected sound waves are single ear type earphones placed in the same phase as the microphone device. Since reproduction is performed, it is possible to provide an out-of-head localization determination function that allows the position of the sound source to be determined by a microphone and a single-ear earphone. Therefore, it is only necessary to attach an earphone to only one ear, and even a person who does not function one ear can determine the generation position of the sound source.

  The monoaural hearing improvement device of the present invention collects sound with a microphone device having an ear shape effect that enhances sound waves of a specific frequency, and reproduces the collected sound waves with earphones. Enhance the sound wave of the sound source. Therefore, it becomes easy to hear a sound source from a distant place, and since it is not necessary to increase the sensitivity of the single ear hearing improvement device more than necessary, the feeling of fatigue can be alleviated.

  In particular, by enhancing an audio signal having a frequency of 8 KHz and its vicinity that arrives at the microphone from the horizontal direction, there is a further effect on the out-of-head localization determination function that can specify the generation position of the sound source and the improvement of the hearing sensitivity.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a model diagram showing a method for measuring the directivity characteristics of the pinna, and shows a method for measuring the direct sound collection characteristic in a horizontal plane. An electrolet microphone (hereinafter referred to as an ECM microphone) is provided at the outer ear introduction portion of the artificial pinna 15. 16).

  As shown in FIG. 2, a battery 17 and a resistor 18 are connected to the output of the ECM microphone 16, and an AC voltage induced at both ends of the resistor 18 is measured by an AC voltmeter 19. The speaker 20 is placed in front of the ECM microphone 16, moves the speaker 20 in a horizontal plane, collects sound on the ECM microphone 16 at 45 degrees and 90 degrees forward and backward from the front, and measures the converted electric signal.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the speaker 20 is positioned at the front of the ECM microphone 16, the electrical signal generated from the speaker 20 and collected by the ECM microphone 16 and converted by the ECM microphone 16 becomes 5 mv. Thus, the size of the resistor 18 is adjusted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the speaker 20 includes a woofer 20A and a tweeter 20B. Then, the white noise generated by the white noise generator 22 is band-passed by the band-pass filter 23 to pass only the frequency signal to be measured, amplified by the power amplifier 24, and sent to the woofer 20A or tweeter 20B via the changeover switch 25. Add.

  The white noise generator 22 generates white noise including a frequency of 50 Hz to 50 KHz.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the 500 Hz band-pass filter 23 passes +12 db of the 500 Hz sound wave, but becomes 0 db for the 250 Hz and 1 KHz sound waves.

  Similarly, FIGS. 4B to 4D show sound waves having frequencies of 1 KHz, 2 KHz, 4 KHz and the vicinity thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 4E, the bandpass filter 23 having a frequency of 8 KHz and the vicinity thereof passes the sound wave of the frequency of 8 KHz and the vicinity thereof by +12 db, but becomes −6 db for the sound wave of 4 KHz, and further to 16 KHz. On the other hand, it is attenuated to 0 db.

  A sound wave of 125 to 2 KHz that has passed through the bandpass filter 23 is applied to the woofer 20A via the switch 25, and a sound wave of 4 to 16 KHz is applied to the tweeter 20B.

  5 to 10 are directivity characteristic diagrams of the right ear obtained by measuring sound waves of each frequency by the method described above.

  First, directivity characteristics in a vertical plane of a 500 Hz sound wave are measured.

  FIG. 5 is a directivity characteristic diagram in the horizontal plane of a sound wave of 500 Hz in the right ear. As shown in FIG. 5, an electric signal of 500 Hz is passed through the bandpass filter 23 among the white noise generated from the white noise generator 22, and the changeover switch 25 is added to the switching woofer 20A. Then, a 500 Hz audio signal is generated from the woofer 20A.

  The resistance value of the resistor 18 is adjusted in the same manner as described above so that the electric signal of 500 Hz at 0 degree when the woofer 20A is positioned in front of the ECM microphone 16 becomes 5 mv.

  In such a state, the woofer 20A is positioned 45 degrees forward and 45 degrees backward, and sound waves generated from the woofer 20A are collected by the ECM microphone 16. The electrical signal converted and extracted by the ECM microphone 16 at this time is 4 mv. The 500 Hz electrical signal when the woofer 20A is positioned at 90 degrees forward and backward is 3 mv.

  Thus, it can be seen that the directivity characteristic of the pinna in the horizontal plane of the sound wave of 500 Hz in the right ear is almost a half egg shape.

  FIG. 6 is a directivity characteristic diagram in the horizontal plane of the sound wave of 1 KHz at the right ear shown in FIG. 4. In this case as well, when the woofer 20A is positioned at the front of the ECM microphone 16 at 0 degrees as in the case of 500 Hz. The resistance value of the resistor 18 is adjusted in the same manner as described above so that the 1 KHz electrical signal becomes 5 mv.

  In this state, when the woofer 20A is positioned 45 degrees forward and 45 degrees rearward, sound waves generated from the woofer 20A are collected by the ECM microphone 16. The electrical signal converted and extracted by the ECM microphone 16 at this time is 4 mv. Further, when the woofer 20A is positioned at 90 degrees forward and backward, the 1 KHz electrical signal is 3 mv.

  It is confirmed that the directivity characteristic of the auricle in the horizontal plane of the sound wave of 1 KHz in the right ear is also almost a half egg shape.

  FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are directivity characteristics diagrams in the horizontal plane of sound waves of 2 KHz and 4 KHz in the right ear.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram of directivity characteristics of the auricle in the horizontal plane of sound waves having a frequency of 8 KHz and its vicinity in the right ear. At this time, the tweeter 20B is positioned in front of the ECM microphone 16, and an electrical signal taken out from the ECM microphone 16 at that time is set to 7 mV.

  When the electrical signal is measured when the tweeter 20B is positioned at 45 degrees forward and -45 degrees backward, it is 5 mv. The electrical signal when the tweeter 20B is positioned 90 degrees forward and -90 degrees backward is 3 mv.

  In this way, the directivity characteristic in the horizontal plane that collects sound waves at frequencies of 8 KHz in the right ear and in the vicinity thereof with the auricle is not a half egg shape, and the directivity characteristics that efficiently collect sound waves from the front. It can be seen that there is an ear shape effect shown.

  10 to 14 are directivity characteristics diagrams in the horizontal plane of sound waves of 500 Hz to 8 KHz in the left ear. Similar to the directivity characteristic diagram of the sound wave in the right ear in the horizontal plane, the directivity characteristic of the pinna in the horizontal plane of the sound wave of 500 Hz to 4 KHz is also substantially half-eye shaped. It can be seen that the directivity characteristic in the horizontal plane that collects sound waves of frequencies of 8 KHz and the vicinity thereof with the auricle has an ear shape effect indicating the directivity characteristics of efficiently collecting sound waves from the front.

  As described above, the human pinna enhances and collects sound waves in the vicinity of 8 KHz from the front in front and frequencies in the vicinity thereof, and the sound waves in the vicinity of frequencies of 8 KHz and its vicinity can determine the position of the sound source. it can. Sound waves in the vicinity of 8 KHz and frequencies in the vicinity act on the right brain to promote its action, and at the same time, by inducing the generation of alpha waves and theta waves in the brain, it is possible to improve hearing and activate the brain. It is for illustration.

  The position of the sound source is generally determined by physical conditions such as the level difference, phase difference, or time difference to reach in the left and right directions, and the perspective direction is determined by the volume level. Understood. However, each person has experienced that even if a loud sound is generated nearby, a small sound farther than that can be heard. In other words, the human ear does not feel the loud sounds nearby. Although it has not been clarified theoretically, it has been found that it is appropriate to think that the position of the sound source can be discerned by the directivity characteristics of the frequency of 8 KHz and its vicinity due to the ear shape effect and the function of the right brain. Therefore, even with a single ear alone, the sound source generation position can be determined by the ear shape effect of one ear and the function of the right brain. However, depending on the conditions, there may be a slight error in the sound source generation position.

  FIG. 15 is a side view of the microphone device 29 used in the monoaural hearing improvement device of the present invention.

  The microphone device 29 includes an ECM microphone 30 and a reflection tube 36 that reflects sound waves provided on the ECM microphone 30. The ECM microphone (electret microphone) 30 is a commercially available ECM microphone. Electric waves of 20 Hz to 20 KHz that are applied to the diaphragm 38 from a sound collection port 37 that is provided in front of the reflecting tube 36 according to the magnitude are electrically generated. Convert to signal.

  The ECM microphone 30 is attached to the upper part of the reflection cylinder 36 so as to face the reflection bottom 39, and the length of the reflection cylinder 36 is selected so as to resonate with a sound wave of 8 KHz. Actually, the reflecting cylinder 36 has an inner diameter of 6 mm, a length of 15 mm, and a width of the sound collection port of 1 mm.

  The sound wave coming from the front enters the reflection tube 36 from the sound collection port 37 and is applied to the diaphragm 38 of the ECM microphone 30 to vibrate the diaphragm 38 and convert it into an electrical signal. By the way, 8 KHz of the sound waves entering the reflection cylinder 36 are directly applied to the vibration plate 38 of the ECM microphone 30 and are reflected by the reflection bottom 39 of the reflection cylinder 36 to resonate and reinforce and are applied to the vibration plate 38.

  Therefore, if the sound collection port 37 of the microphone device 29 is faced to the front, the microphone device 29 having directivity of 8 KHz in which a sound wave of 8 KHz from the front horizontal direction is enhanced by cavity resonance can be obtained.

  In general, when collecting sound with a microphone, a high-frequency sound wave including 8 KHz is attenuated logarithmically with respect to the distance from the sound source. In the same manner as described above, the sound wave having a high frequency of 8 KHz is lifted to the extent that it has an ear-shaped effect that attenuates in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the sound source. As a result, the directivity characteristic at 8 KHz, which is the same as that actually heard by the ear, is recovered by compensating for the shortcoming of sound collection by the microphone.

  FIG. 16 is a model diagram of the monoaural hearing improvement device of the present invention using the above-described microphone device 29. The present invention comprises a monaural microphone device 29, a single-ear sealed earphone 42 provided for preventing oscillation, an amplifier 46, and the like. The output line 41 of the microphone device 29 and the input line 43 of the single-ear sealed earphone 42 are connected to a plug 44, respectively. A terminal 45 of the plug 44 is connected to a jack serving as an input / output terminal of the amplifier 46.

  The sound collection port 37 of the microphone device 29 is directed to the front, and the microphone device 29 and the earphone 42 are arranged close to each other in a straight line so as to be in phase with the sound wave in the horizontal direction. Actually, the microphone device 29 is attached to the output line 43 of the single-ear type earphone 42 at a distance of 5 to 7 cm from the earphone 42, and the microphone device 29 is suspended by the output line 43 and is arranged in a straight line. Thus, they are arranged so as to be in phase with respect to the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a method of using the monoaural hearing improvement device of the present invention. The terminal 45 of the plug 44 is inserted into the jack of the amplifier 46, and the power of the amplifier 46 is turned on. The sealed single earphone 42 is inserted into either the right or left ear 48 and the amplifier 46 is placed in a pocket or the like. Since the microphone device 29 is attached to the output line 43 of the single-ear type earphone 42 at a distance of 5 to 7 cm from the earphone 42, the microphone device 29 is suspended, and the earphone 42 and the microphone device 29 are aligned vertically. It arrange | positions and it arrange | positions so that it may become an in-phase with respect to a horizontal direction.

  In this state, the sound wave from the sound source that has arrived at the user of the single ear hearing improvement device enters the reflection tube 36 from the sound collection port 37 of the reflection tube 36 of the microphone device 29 and is applied to the diaphragm 38 of the ECM microphone 30 to vibrate. The plate 38 is vibrated and converted into an electrical signal proportional to the magnitude of the applied sound wave.

  The converted electrical signal is applied from the plug 44 to the amplifier 46 via the output line 41. The applied electric signal is amplified by the amplifier 46, and then the volume 50 is adjusted to an electric signal having a magnitude that the user feels as a sound source generation position, and then applied to the earphone 42 via the plug 44. appear. The sound wave generated from the earphone 42 is transmitted to the brain via the eardrum etc., and senses the generation position of the sound source.

  More specifically, the sound wave from the sound source comes from the front in the horizontal direction of the user of the monoaural hearing improvement device, and is cavity-resonated with the sound wave of 8 KHz out of the sound waves that enter the reflection tube 36 from the sound collection port 37. Accordingly, the 8 kHz sound wave is reflected by the reflection bottom 39 of the reflecting tube 36 and is resonated with the cavity, so that the sound wave enhanced by the cavity resonance is one wavelength than the sound wave directly applied to the diaphragm 38 from the sound collection port 37. It is added with a delay, and the diaphragm 38 is subjected to cavity resonance in which the directly applied sound wave and the reflected sound wave are added and added. Accordingly, high-frequency sound waves including 8 KHz are attenuated logarithmically with respect to the distance from the sound source, but the high-frequency sound waves of 8 KHz are attenuated in inverse proportion to the distance from the sound source by the microphone device 29 of the present invention, as in actual hearing. The sound wave of 8 KHz is converted into an electric signal in an enhanced state by lifting up to such an extent that it has an ear shape effect.

  The converted electrical signal is applied from the plug 44 to the amplifier 46 via the output line 41. The applied electric signal is amplified by the amplifier 46 and then applied to the earphone 42 via the plug 44 to generate sound. Since the earphone 42 and the microphone device 29 are in the same phase, the sound wave reproduced by the earphone 42 and the sound wave applied to the microphone device 29 are in phase. Moreover, since the high frequency sound wave of 8 KHz is lifted up to the extent that it has an ear-shaped effect that attenuates in inverse proportion to the distance from the sound source by the microphone device 29, it can be heard from outside the head by the action of the right brain. An out-of-head localization effect is generated, and a sound source generation position can be recognized by directivity characteristics of 8 kHz determined in the surrounding environment.

  It is thought that the discrimination of the sound source generation position is performed by the right brain processing the sound wave coming from the actual sound source by the bodily sensation effect. When the sound source has not actually reached from the sound source, specifically, the sound wave from the sound source in the adjacent room cannot be heard three-dimensionally, if you can feel the sound source directly, listen to it three-dimensionally by processing the right brain I can do it.

It is a figure which shows the measuring method of the directivity characteristic of the pinna which is the principle of this invention. It is a circuit diagram of the microphone used for the measuring method of the directivity characteristic of the pinna which is the principle of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram of the speaker used for the measuring method of the directivity characteristic of the auricle which is the principle of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a waveform diagram of a sound wave used in the method for measuring the directivity characteristics of the auricle, which is the principle of the present invention, FIG. 4A is a waveform diagram of a sound wave of 500 Hz, FIG. (C) is a sound wave waveform diagram of 2 KHz, FIG. 4 (D) is a sound wave waveform diagram of 4 KHz, and FIG. 4 (E) is a sound wave waveform diagram of 8 KHz. It is a 500 Hz horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic figure of the right pinna which is the principle of this invention. It is a horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic figure of 1 KHz of the right auricle which is the principle of the present invention. It is a 2 KHz horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic figure of the right auricle which is the principle of the present invention. It is a horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic diagram of 4KHz of the right auricle which is the principle of the present invention. It is a horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic diagram of 8 KHz of the right auricle which is the principle of the present invention. It is a horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic figure of 500Hz of the left pinna which is a principle of the present invention. It is a horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic figure of 1KHz of the left pinna which is a principle of the present invention. It is a horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic figure of 2KHz of the left pinna which is a principle of the present invention. It is a horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic figure of 4KHz of the left pinna which is a principle of the present invention. It is a horizontal direction sound collection directivity characteristic figure of 8KHz of the left pinna which is a principle of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the microphone apparatus used for the hearing-improving apparatus of this invention. It is a model figure of the hearing-improving apparatus of this invention. It is a model figure which shows the usage method of the microphone apparatus using the hearing-improving apparatus of this invention. It is a model figure of the conventional hearing improvement apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 29 Microphone apparatus 30 ECM microphone 36 Reflection cylinder 37 Sound collection port 39 Reflection bottom 42 Single ear type earphone 46 Amplifier

Claims (2)

A microphone device comprising a microphone and a reflecting tube provided with a sound collecting port on the front face and having a reflection bottom provided at a position that resonates with a sound wave having a frequency in the vicinity of 8 KHz, and a sound wave in a horizontal plane from the sound source to the microphone device It consists of a single ear type earphone placed close to a straight line in the vertical direction so as to be in phase with respect to the
By the microphone device, wherein with added collected sonic sound collecting port of the reflective tube directly microphone, the sound waves of a frequency of the internal 8KHz and vicinity thereof of the being collected by the sound collecting port of the reflective tube waves Reflecting at the reflection bottom of the reflecting tube and resonating with the cavity, the sound wave of the resonant frequency of 8 KHz and the frequency in the vicinity thereof is collected by the sound collecting port and delayed by one wavelength from the sound wave directly applied to the microphone. In addition to superimposing on sound waves, the diaphragm of the microphone is vibrated and converted into an electric signal, and the generated position of the sound source can be recognized even when the converted electric signal is reproduced with a single ear type earphone. A single ear hearing improvement device.   The single ear type hearing improvement device according to claim 1, wherein the earphone is a single ear sealed earphone.

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