JP4398996B2 - headset - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a headset as a wireless communication terminal to be worn on the ear, and more particularly to a method for ensuring an optimum holding state for an ear shape having individual differences.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a headset that allows a call to be performed in a hands-free state, instead of performing a call while being held by a hand like a telephone handset or a mobile phone terminal, has been used. When using a headset, you can operate the keyboard of your computer while making a call, and it is said to be good for your health because it allows you to talk in a natural posture, and it will be used for various purposes in the future. It is expected to be.

  In such a headset, if it is based on a wireless communication system based on a standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), at least an earphone and an amplifier circuit for sound output, a microphone and a modulation circuit for sound input, an antenna, It has a transmitter / receiver circuit, a battery, and a power supply circuit, and various forms are adopted in terms of mechanism, but the earphone part, the microphone part, and the ear hook part constitute main components, and each of the above circuits is an IC chip. It is built into the main body and ear hook including the earphone part.

  As one of the problems that are always raised when using the headset, there are a mounting and holding function with respect to the ear of the entire apparatus and a position adjusting function of the earphone unit and the microphone unit. In other words, the headset is hooked in such a manner that the ear hook part bypasses the back from the upper part of the pinna, and the ear pinch is sandwiched between the ear hook part and the microphone part and fixed to the ear. However, in reality, there are individual differences in the shape of the auricles, and it is difficult to ensure optimal wearing and holding conditions for the user.

  With respect to this problem, for example, in “separated ear hook for ear receiver” in Patent Document 1 below, “ear hook (ear hook) is soft and elastic, flexible and comfortable. In general, it is designed so as to obtain a comfortable wearing feeling as much as possible by considering the material of the ear hook itself.

Further, in the “ear-hook type headset” of Patent Document 2 below, “a part of the ear-hook portion that is in contact with the back side of the pinna is supported via an elastic body, and the projection dimension from the surface of the ear-hook portion is variable. Proposals have been made of a "protrusion" structure. Specifically, by using a foamed urethane rubber, a coil spring or a leaf spring as an elastic body, the protrusion is elastically brought into contact with the back side of the auricle, so that even if there are individual differences in the shape of the auricle The clamping force against the media is stabilized.
JP 10-178692 A (page 3) JP-A-4-306943

  By the way, according to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is only a consideration of the wearing feeling due to the material surface of the ear hook part, and the ear hook part is naturally a latching part, so it must naturally have a certain rigidity and strength. Therefore, the elasticity which can absorb the individual difference of the shape of the pinna cannot be secured.

  On the other hand, the configuration of Patent Document 2 is intended for individual differences in the shape of the pinna itself, but the individual differences include the individuality of the line across the entire back of the pinna and the thickness of the pinna (particularly The distance between the periphery of the ear canal side and the back of the auricle) is individual, and it is impossible to absorb the individual differences by the elastic protrusion attached to a part of the ear hook. In particular, the headset is often rotated as a whole when adjusting the position of the earphone part and the position of the microphone part after wearing, and it is not always possible to cope with only a partial contact condition. .

  Further, it is necessary to provide an elastic body holding mechanism inside the ear hook (see FIGS. 2, 4, and 6 of Patent Document 2), but at least the attached portion must be hollow, There are disadvantages in that the design and production of the part is difficult and the product is expensive. Further, when considering the engagement portion on the periphery of the protrusion, the ear hook itself must be designed to be somewhat thick, and the shape and weight of the ear hook may increase with the incorporation of the mechanism.

  Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention can cope with a wide range of individual differences in the shape of the auricle and is extremely easy to adjust after wearing, and can always provide a comfortable wearing state. Is to provide a simple headset.

The present invention has a wireless communication system transmission / reception function, and is attached to a user's ear by hooking a curved rod-shaped ear hook part from the upper side of the auricle along the back, and the earphone part is attached to the ear hole In a headset that is used by placing the microphone part in the vicinity of the mouth at a position opposite to the pad, a pad formed with a linear through hole at a position deviated from the center of the sphere made of sponge material is placed in the through hole. The headset is attached to a curved portion of the ear hook by inserting the ear hook.

  According to the headset of the present invention, when worn on the ear, the hemispherical portion of the pad is interposed between the ear hook and the back of the pinna, which is made of a sponge material. The pinna is deformed flexibly in accordance with the shape of the earpiece, and the auricle is sandwiched between the microphone portion while ensuring good adhesion and elasticity. Therefore, even if there is an individual difference in the shape of the pinna of the user of the headset, it can be absorbed and dealt with widely, and a comfortable wearing feeling can be obtained. In addition, if there is unnaturalness or discomfort in the hooked state of the ear hook, or if the headset is not tilted properly and the microphone is not positioned properly, point the hemisphere behind the pad. You can easily adjust the wearing state by picking. Moreover, since the through-hole of the pad is formed in a straight line, the ear-hanging portion has a curved rod shape, so that the ear-hanging portion deforms the through-hole so that the ear-hanging portion and the pad The frictional force between them becomes large, and it becomes difficult for the pad to fall off from the ear-hanging portion, and there is also a mechanical advantage that the holding force at the rotational angle position becomes large even when the pad is rotated by the adjusting operation.

  Further, if the through hole of the pad is formed at a position shifted from the center of the sphere, it is convenient for the adjustment work. This is because if the pad is rotated around the ear hook, the thickness of the pad member interposed between the ear hook and the back of the pinna is changed due to the deviation from the center of the sphere. This is because the resilience urging force due to the elasticity can be variably set.

  According to the headset of the present invention, even if there are individual differences in the shape of the user's auricle, it is possible to always obtain a good wearing state in response to a wide range, and the adjustment of the wearing state can be easily performed. It can be carried out. Further, since the curved ear hook is inserted into the linear through hole of the pad, the pad is difficult to move and drop off, so that the mounting work is facilitated and the pad can be prevented from being lost. Furthermore, by forming the pad's through hole at a position deviated from the center of the sphere, the pinching pressure for the auricle can be variably set simply by rotating the pad, making it extremely easy to wear with the optimal pinching pressure. Can be realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the headset of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIGS. 1A and 2 are external perspective views of the headset. FIG. 1A is a side view of the ear wearing side, and FIG. It is a figure. In each figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a main body, and in its case, an electric circuit [transmit / receive circuit (including an antenna module), amplifier circuit, modulation circuit, control circuit for wireless communication system and its control] A control circuit such as transmission / reception switching, and a power supply circuit] are incorporated in an IC chip, and speaker elements are also incorporated at positions corresponding to a battery holding unit and an earphone unit described later.

  A tubular rod 11 is erected and fixed to the distal end surface of the housing of the main body portion 10, and a microphone portion 12 is attached to the distal end of the tubular rod 11. Here, the tubular rod 11 is an element for positioning the microphone portion 12 forward, but the inside of the tube serves as a lead wire passage for connecting the electric circuit in the housing of the main body portion 10 and the microphone portion 12. Yes.

  An earphone unit 13 is formed on the side surface of the housing of the main body unit 10. The earphone unit 13 has a structure in which a short cylindrical portion (not shown) that protrudes by holding the speaker element from the main body unit 10 side is covered with a speaker housing, and the speaker housing serves as a surface facing the ear hole. A flange portion 14 and a hollow cylindrical portion 15 in which the short cylinder portion is fitted and fixed are provided. The flange portion 14 is formed with a large number of small holes (acoustic holes) communicating from the front surface to the inside of the hollow cylindrical portion 15, and the outer circumferential surface side of the hollow cylindrical portion 15 near the flange portion 14 is circumferentially extended. Triangular teeth 15a that are continuous at a predetermined pitch are formed.

  On the other hand, 16 is an ear-hanging part, which has a curved planar shape that bypasses the back from the upper part of a human ear, and is made of a bar material that is flexible to some extent. The ear hook 16 and the main body 10 are coupled by an adapter 20. The adapter 20 has a cylindrical holding portion 21 that fits and holds the end portion of the ear hooking portion 16 so as to be rotatable, and a hollow cylindrical portion 15 of the earphone portion 13 that fits and rotates. It comprises an annular holding part 22 that is externally fitted and held in a possible state, and a connecting part 23 that connects these holding parts 21 and 22.

  More specifically, the cylindrical holding portion 21 is provided with an elastic lock mechanism for the rotation of the ear hooking portion 16, and in the state shown in FIG. When the anti-torque is generated to maintain the state and the rotation angle θ is increased to a certain value or more against the anti-torque as shown in FIG. It can be rotated with. Further, the annular holding portion 22 is formed with a latch arm that meshes with the irregularities of the triangular teeth 15a of the hollow cylindrical portion 15 on the inner peripheral side thereof, and has an appropriate strength for each angle corresponding to the circumferential pitch of the triangular teeth 15a. The lock state is configured.

  In addition, a face pad 10a made of a sponge material is attached to the front side surface of the main body 10, and when a headset described later or a large inertial force or moment of inertia is applied in the usage state of the headset. Consideration is given so that the microphone section 12 does not hit the face.

  Although the main mechanism of the headset has been described above, the headset of this embodiment is characterized in that the pad 30 is attached to the ear hook 16. Here, the pad 30 is formed by forming a straight through hole 31 in a sphere made of a sponge material, and by inserting the ear hook 16 into the through hole 31 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, It is attached to the curved section of the ear hook 16. In this pad 30, the axis of the through hole 31 passes through the center of the sphere.

  In the attached state, since the ear hooking portion 16 side is curved, the through hole 31 on the pad 30 side is a straight line. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The inner surface is pressed against the surface of the ear hook 16 in a manner distorted by the hook 16. Therefore, unless the pad 30 attached to the ear hook 16 is picked and moved by a finger, its position is maintained by friction in the pressure contact area on the inner peripheral surface, and the pad 30 does not fall off the ear hook 16.

  By the way, when attaching the headset of this embodiment to a user's ear, first, as shown in FIG. 3B, the main body 10 and the adapter 20 are opened from the ear hook 16 and the unlocking is performed. In this state, the ear hook 16 is hooked on the auricle, and in the hooked state, as shown in FIG. Attach the entire headset to the ear by holding the pinna 50 between the ear hook 16 and the earphone 13.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the earphone 13 faces the ear hole 51 and the ear hook 16 bypasses the back from the upper side of the auricle 50. In the headset of this embodiment, the pad 30 One hemispherical portion of this is interposed between the ear hook 16 and the back of the pinna 50 in a flexible manner.

  In general, the shape of the ear hook 16 in the headset is designed assuming a standard ear shape, and the position of the earphone 51 and the thickness of the auricle 50 are also determined with respect to the position of the earphone 13. Designed as a premise. However, since the shape around the ear hole 51, the thickness of the auricle 50 itself, the line 52 formed by the root behind the auricle 50, and the like vary greatly from person to person, the ear hook 16 actually has the auricle 50. It can hardly be hooked in a perfectly adapted manner from the top to the back of the door, and it is often the case that a local and unreasonable contact condition is configured, so that it is uncomfortable and cannot be used for a long time. There are many cases.

  On the other hand, according to the headset of this embodiment, the pad 30 is flexibly deformed by the gap G between the ear hook 16 and the back of the pinna 50 as described above, and the root behind the pinna 50 is formed. Since it is closely intervened in the direction of the line 52 to be formed and the width direction of the concave portion as the center of the line 52, a stable and comfortable wearing condition is always obtained. In addition, when pinching the pinna 50 between the ear hook 16 and the earphone unit 13, both the pin hook 16 and the earphone unit 13 are rigid, and the pinching condition using the elasticity of the pinna 50 is used. However, in this embodiment, since the elasticity of the pad 30 is used, a soft wearing feeling can be obtained even with the same clamping pressure.

  Further, in the initial mounting operation from the state of (B) in FIG. 3 to the state of (A), the position of the earphone unit 13 and the microphone unit 12 of the headset is not always optimal, and usually the position is adjusted after the mounting. Is done. Even in that case, pick the almost undeformed hemispherical part of the back half of the pad 30 with your finger, change the angle of the ear hook 16 to adjust the angle of the entire headset, or pad the ear hook 16 30 positions can be adjusted. As for the position adjustment of the microphone section 12, the angle adjustment of the main body section 10 can be performed because it is possible to perform a rotation adjustment that locks at a certain angle based on the fitting relationship between the hollow cylindrical portion 15 and the annular holding section 22 of the speaker housing. And the rotation adjustment may be used in combination.

  Next, in the above embodiment, the pad 30 in which the axis of the through hole 31 passes through the center of the sphere is used. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the position where the axis of the through hole 36 is shifted from the center of the sphere. You may use the pad 35 which passed (it shifted | deviated only the distance b in the same figure).

In that case, when the ear hook 16 is inserted into the through hole 36, the through hole 36 is distorted by the ear hook 16 and pressed against the surface of the ear hook 16, as in the above case. When the pad 35 is rotated to the center, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the thickness of the hemispherical portion of the pad 35 inside the curved section of the ear hook 16 changes. That is, (A) in FIG. 7 is the state where the thickness is the thinnest (thickness: w1), and (B) is the state where the thickness is the thickest (thickness: w2). When the pad 35 is rotated 180 ° from the state, the other state is obtained, and the wall thickness can be increased or decreased within the range of w1 to w2 at the rotation angle therebetween.

  Accordingly, assuming that the pad 35 is used in place of the pad 30 in FIG. 5, the auricle 50 between the ear-hooking portion 16 and the earphone portion 13 is based on the individual difference related to the ear structure described above. When the clamping pressure on the pad is too small or too large, the optimum clamping pressure can be realized by rotating the pad 35 around the ear hook 16 and changing the thickness of the pad 35 in the gap G. it can. This operation can be performed very easily and quickly by simply picking and rotating the hemispherical portion behind the pad 35 with the finger while the headset is worn on the ear.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to a headset that is attached to a user's ear and performs transmission / reception by a wireless communication method by arranging an earphone part at a position facing the ear hole and a microphone part near the mouth.

(A) is an external perspective view of the headset according to the embodiment of the present invention (a view of the side surface on the ear mounting side seen obliquely from above), and (B) is a cross-sectional view of the pad mounting portion with respect to the ear hooking portion. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a headset according to an embodiment of the present invention (a view of a side opposite to a side attached to an ear as viewed obliquely from above). It is a front view which shows the rotation state of the main-body part and an adapter with respect to an ear hook part, (A) shows the mounting state (locked state) of a headset, and (B) shows the state before mounting | wearing (unlocked state). It is a figure which shows the use condition of a headset. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the pinna, the ear hook part, and the pad in the usage condition of a headset. However, the pinna is indicated by a broken line (the line formed by the root behind the pinna is a thick broken line), the ear hook is indicated by a thick solid line, the pad (cross-section hatched) is indicated by a solid line, and the other parts are indicated by thin two-dot chain lines. It is. (A) is a top view of the pad which concerns on other embodiment, (B) is XX arrow sectional drawing in (A). It is sectional drawing of the attachment part of the pad which concerns on other embodiment with respect to an ear hook part, (A) is the state where the thickness of the pad inside the curved area of an ear hook part became the thinnest, (B) is The thickest state is shown.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Body part, 10a ... Face pad, 11 ... Tubular stick, 12 ... Microphone part, 13 ... Earphone part, 14 ... Flange part, 15 ... Hollow cylindrical part, 15a ... Triangular tooth, 16 ... Ear hook part, 20 ... Adapter 21 ... Cylinder holder, 22 ... Ring holder, 23 ... Coupling part, 30 ... Pad, 31 ... Through hole, 35 ... Pad, 36 ... Through hole, 50 ... Auricle, 51 ... Auricle, 52 ... Auricle A line made by the roots behind.

Claims (1)

It has a wireless communication system transmission / reception function and is attached to the user's ear by hooking a curved rod-shaped ear hook part from the upper side of the auricle along the back, and the earphone part is opposed to the ear hole In the headset that is used by placing the microphone part near the mouth,
A pad formed with a linear through hole at a position deviated from the center of a sphere made of sponge material is attached to the curved portion of the ear hook by inserting the ear hook into the through hole. And a headset.

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