JP5662254B2 - Audio output device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an audio output device used as an earphone or a headphone.

  A speaker unit that generates sound based on electrical signals and a mounting part that is attached to the auricle side so as to face the external auditory canal, and outputs sound from the speaker unit such as earphones and headphones that transmits sound from the external ear canal to the eardrum side Devices are conventionally known. Such an audio output device is called a sealed type in which the back side opposite to the auricle side of the speaker unit is covered with a cover for soundproofing, and the back side of the speaker unit is opened. It is distinguished from what is called an open air type.

  Open-air earphones and headphones have the advantage that sound does not stay on the ear canal side, so that a refreshing sound with good elongation is produced, while the sound leakage is increased. In contrast, sealed earphones and headphones have the advantage of good low-frequency characteristics, but are not only distracting because the external sound is blocked, and the burden on the eardrum is also great. Has the disadvantages.

  As described above, since the two types of audio output devices have advantages and disadvantages, respectively, an open-air type and a sealed type can be switched, and earphones, headphones, etc. that can be used separately according to the situation. Audio output devices have been developed and are publicly known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2008-66976 A JP 2008-283398 A

However, the audio output device of the above-mentioned document requires an operation and work for switching between an open air type and a sealed type, as well as a drawback of the open air type of sound leakage, an inaudible external sound, and a high burden on the eardrum. However, it is impossible to improve the hermetic type defects at the same time, leaving room for improvement.
The present invention is an audio output device used as an earphone or a headphone, which can simultaneously improve the open air type defect of sound leakage and the sealed type defect that external sounds cannot be heard and the burden on the eardrum is high. It is an object to provide an apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, first, the speaker unit 3 that generates sound based on an electrical signal and a mounting unit that is mounted on the auricle E2 side so as to face the external auditory canal E1 are provided. An audio output device for transmitting sound from the ear canal E1 to the eardrum side, wherein a housing portion 11 for housing the speaker unit 3 is formed inside a housing 4 formed in a C shape or an annular ring shape. The mounting portion is configured so that sound can be conducted at the end portion of the accommodating portion 11 on the ear canal E1 side, and the end portion on the opposite side of the outer ear canal E1 of the accommodating portion 11 is sealed by the cover portion 12 for soundproofing. An exposed portion 7 that exposes the ear canal E1 is formed on the hollow center side of the housing 4 mounted on the E2 side, and the exposed portion 7 and the accommodating portion 11 are partitioned by the inner peripheral wall 9 of the housing 4. Characterized in that it comprises.

  Secondly, the accommodating portion 11 is formed in a C shape or an annular shape along the entire shape of the housing 4, and the speaker unit 3 is provided in an annular shape or an arc shape along the accommodating portion 11.

  Third, the vibrating body 14 of the speaker unit 3 is provided in an arc shape or an annular shape along the housing portion 11.

  Fourthly, a portion other than the vibrating body 14 of the speaker unit 3 is provided in an arc shape or an annular shape along the housing portion 11.

  Fifth, the housing 4 is formed such that the outer peripheral wall 8 side of the housing 4 is locked at at least four positions of the tragus E2a, the antitragus E2b, the antipodal lower leg E2d, and the antichair E2c.

  Sixth, the detachable body 6 whose diameter is enlarged is provided on the outer peripheral wall 8 of the housing 4 so as to be detachable.

  Seventh, the detachable body 6 is formed in a C shape or an annular shape along the housing 4.

  Eighth, the detachable body 6 is configured to be elastically deformable.

  According to the above configuration, since the end portion on the opposite side of the ear canal of the housing portion in which the speaker unit is housed is sealed by the cover portion, while the sound characteristic is improved and sound leakage is prevented, The exposed portion that exposes the ear canal makes it easier to hear external sounds and reduces the burden on the eardrum.

  Further, if the housing portion is formed in a C shape or an annular shape along the entire shape of the housing, and the speaker unit is provided in an annular shape or an arc shape along the housing portion, sound can be efficiently generated in the housing portion. It becomes possible.

  Furthermore, if a removable body that expands the diameter is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the housing so that the removable body can be attached and detached, the housing of the audio output device can be smoothly attached to the auricle side of multiple people of different sizes and shapes by attaching and detaching the removable body Is possible, and versatility is improved.

It is a perspective view of the right and left earphones to which the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view of an ear pad. It is explanatory drawing of the earphone equipped with the ear pad. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. (A) is a side view of the ear, and (B) is a front view of the ear when the earphone is worn.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of left and right earphones to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of ear pads, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of earphones with ear pads, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3, FIG. 5A is a side view of the ear, and FIG.

  An earphone 1 which is a kind of audio output device includes a speaker unit 3 that converts an electrical signal transmitted from the audio device side, the portable terminal having an audio reproduction function or the computer side via the cable 2 into audio, and the speaker unit 3. The housing 4 is a case that houses the interior, and the ear pad 6 that is a detachable body that is detachably attached to the housing 4.

  The housing 4 is provided in a pair of left and right so as to be respectively attached to the left and right ears E, and corresponds to stereo reproduction. Each housing 4 is formed in a circular ring shape whose center side is a hollow portion 7, and specifically includes an outer peripheral wall 8 and an inner peripheral wall 9 having a circular ring-shaped cross section having the same center, and is formed into a hollow shape. Has been.

  In other words, a circular donut-shaped space formed over the entire circumferential direction between the large-diameter outer peripheral wall 8 and the small-diameter inner peripheral wall 9 becomes an internal space of the housing 4. An accommodation space (accommodating portion) 11 for accommodating the speaker unit 3 is configured.

  An audio output shaft S that is an axis that penetrates the center of the housing 4 vertically (in other words, an axis that extends in a direction parallel to the width direction of the outer peripheral wall 8 and the inner peripheral wall 9 and penetrates the center of the cavity 7). The outer peripheral wall 8 side of the housing 4 is mounted so as to be engaged and supported by the auricle E2 so as to extend to the inner side of the ear canal E1 along the direction in which the ear canal E1 is formed. Specifically, the outer peripheral wall 8 of the housing 4 (or the outer peripheral surface of the ear pad 6 when the ear pad 6 is attached) is connected to the tragus E2a, the earlobe E2b, the earring E2c in the auricle E2. The housing 4 is detachably mounted by being hooked and engaged with at least four positions of the lower leg E2d.

  When mounted on the pinna E2, the cavity 7 of the housing 4 wraps with the external auditory canal E1 to expose the external auditory canal E1 when viewed in the direction of the audio output axis S. In other words, the housing 4 is mounted on the auricle E2 side so that the outer peripheral wall 8 faces front and rear and up and down.

  That is, the housing 4 itself becomes a mounting portion that is detachably mounted on the auricle E2 side, and the hollow portion 7 of the housing 4 becomes an exposed portion that exposes the ear canal E1 when mounted. The exposed portion 7 is partitioned from the accommodation space 11 by the inner peripheral wall 9 described above, and prevents the sound in the accommodation space 11 from being directly transmitted to the exposed portion 7. Since the external auditory canal E1 is partially opened to the outside, it is possible to prevent sound from being trapped on the external ear canal E1 side and to easily take in external sound toward the external ear canal E1 side.

  Further, one end of the accommodation space 11 in the direction of the sound output axis S is an open end that is opened, and the other end is a sealed end that is sealed and covered by a back cover portion (cover portion) 12. When the housing 4 is mounted on the auricle E2 side, the open end faces the external auditory canal E2 side while the sealed end faces outward.

  The back cover portion 12 that seals the sealed end side of the housing space 11 is soundproofed so that sound generated from the speaker unit 3 in the housing space 11 does not leak outward from the sealed end. On the other hand, the open end of the accommodation space 11 is opened so that the sound generated from the speaker unit 3 in the accommodation space 11 is efficiently transmitted toward the back side of the ear canal E1.

  Incidentally, the back cover part 12 is integrally formed with the inner peripheral wall 8 and the outer peripheral wall 9. In other words, the back cover portion 12 has a circular ring shape when viewed from the audio output axis S direction, the cylindrical inner peripheral wall 9 integrally extending from the inner diameter side edge of the back cover portion 12 to the ear canal E1 side, A circular ring-shaped housing 4 is constituted by a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 8 integrally extending from the outer diameter side edge of the cover portion 12 to the ear canal E1 side.

  In addition, the member constituting the housing 4 may be made of a hard synthetic resin or may be made of metal, but the member constituting the housing 4 is used to prevent sound from being transmitted through the member itself. It is preferable to employ a material having excellent soundproofing properties.

  As the driving method of the speaker unit 3, various conventionally known ones such as a balanced armature type, a magnetic type, a dynamic type, an electrostatic type, a piezoelectric type or a crystal type can be adopted. A balanced armature type speaker unit 3 that is easy to make is used.

  The balanced armature type speaker unit 3 includes a vibration generating unit 13 having a coil, an iron piece, a magnet, a driver rod, and the like, and a diaphragm (vibrating body) 14 called a diaphragm. The driving means of the speaker unit 3 will be briefly described. In the vibration generating unit 13 that generates vibration based on the electric signal received via the cable 2, the iron piece vibrates without vibrating the coil itself, and this vibration is generated by the driver. It is conveyed to the rod. The vibration is transmitted to the diaphragm 14 via the driver rod of the vibration generator 13, and a sound based on the received electric signal is emitted from the diaphragm 14.

  The diaphragm 14 of the speaker unit 3 is curved and formed into an annular shape or an arc shape along the circular donut-shaped accommodation space 11. Specifically, the diaphragm 14 has an annular or arc-shaped cross section extending in the circumferential direction between the outer peripheral wall 8 and the inner peripheral wall 9 (annular extending in the entire circumferential direction in the illustrated example), and the diaphragm 14 is set to a direction along the width direction of the outer peripheral wall 8 and the inner peripheral wall 9 (more specifically, the same direction), and a direction along the audio output axis S (more specifically, an audio output axis). (Direction parallel to S).

  In other words, the diaphragm 14 is smaller in diameter than the outer peripheral wall 8 and larger in diameter than the inner peripheral wall 9, and has the same center as the outer peripheral wall 8 and the inner peripheral wall 9. Has been placed. For this reason, the accommodation space 11 is partitioned and divided by the diaphragm 14, and an outer circumferential space 11 a is formed across the entire circumferential direction between the outer peripheral wall 8 and the diaphragm 14. A space 11b closer to the inner periphery is formed between the diaphragm 14 and the entire circumferential direction.

  The open end of the outer peripheral space 11 a is opened, but the closed end of the inner peripheral space 11 b is closed by the front cover portion 16. The front cover portion 16 is formed integrally with the inner peripheral wall 9 and has a circular ring shape parallel to the rear cover portion 12. Between the front cover portion 16 and the rear cover portion 12, a circumferential direction is formed. Along with this, the diaphragm 14 is fixed in a fitted state.

  Further, the vibration generating unit 13 which is a part other than the diaphragm 14 of the speaker unit 3 is fixed in a state of being fitted and accommodated in the outer peripheral space 11a. Specifically, the vibration generating unit 13 is fixed to the outer periphery of the accommodating space. Although it may be formed in an arc shape along the near space 11a, it may be formed in an annular shape along the entire outer space 11a, or may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. It is shaped like an arc.

  The cable 2 is inserted through a wiring hole 8 a formed in the outer peripheral wall 8, and wiring from the outside to the vibration generating unit 13 side in the accommodation space 11 is performed.

  The ear pad 6 is formed of a synthetic resin such as silicon that is molded into a ring shape that is externally mounted on the housing 4 so as to cover the entire outer peripheral wall 8 and is elastically deformable. Due to the elastic deformation of the ear pad 6, the ear pad 6 is detachably mounted on the peripheral surface of the housing 4 in a close contact state. In addition, the ear pad 6 is provided with a cable hole 6a through which the cable 2 is inserted, and a notch-like insertion / removal operation in which the cable 2 is removably inserted into the cable hole 6a from the peripheral surface side. A portion 6b is formed.

  The earphone 1 configured as described above is versatile because it can be attached to various ears E of different sizes and shapes for each individual by attaching and detaching the ear pad 6 and elastic deformation of the ear pad 6. high. The earphone 1 attached to the pinna E2 of the ear E vibrates the diaphragm 14 of the speaker unit 3 disposed in the accommodation space 11 based on the electric signal received from the cable 2, and the vibration Sound is generated by propagating to the air in the outer peripheral space 11a and the inner peripheral space 11b, and the generated sound is transmitted from the open end side of the accommodation space 11 through the ear canal E1 to the eardrum side.

  At this time, since the external auditory canal E1 is exposed by the exposed portion 7 and no sound is accumulated, the sound is good and the burden on the eardrum is reduced. Is also transmitted to the external auditory canal E1, and it is possible to prevent distraction from being blocked by external sounds. On the other hand, the back side opposite to the external auditory canal E1 of the accommodation space 11 is covered with the back cover part 12 in a hermetically sealed state, and a soundproof property of a predetermined level or more is ensured. Besides improving the characteristics, sound leakage can also be prevented.

  The directivity and sound quality of the sound output from the open end side of the accommodation space 11 to the external auditory canal E1 can be changed by changing the inclination of the outer peripheral wall 8, the inner peripheral wall 9 or the diaphragm 14 with respect to the sound output axis S, or the open end. It is possible to adjust by changing the degree of opening. For example, in FIG. 4, when the outer peripheral wall 8 is tilted toward the center of the housing 4 toward the ear canal E1 as indicated by a virtual line, the sound emitted from the speaker unit 3 is transmitted from the audio output shaft S. The earphone 1 can have directivity that concentrates on the axial center side.

  Further, by replacing and cleaning the ear pad 6, it becomes possible to keep the mounting portion on the auricle side in the housing 4 clean, and various color variations can be provided by changing the color of the ear pad 6. You can also.

  The accommodation space 11 is open at one end, but the open end may be covered with a sheet-like cover body (not shown). By constructing the cover body from a net-like sheet or the like, if the structure itself is configured to transmit sound (in other words, a structure that does not block sound), the above-described technically advantageous characteristics can be obtained. Without changing, the cover body can efficiently suppress the entry of dust or the like into the accommodation space 11.

  Further, by attaching an attachment that closes the exposed portion 7 to the housing 4 so as to be detachable, the sealing rate may be further increased, thereby improving sound insulation and transmitting a deeper sound toward the eardrum side. It becomes possible.

  Moreover, although the example in which the housing 4 is formed in an annular shape has been described, it may be formed into an arc shape having a C-shaped cross section. In this case, the outer peripheral wall 8, the inner peripheral wall 9 and the diaphragm 14 are also It is necessary to form a curved shape in a C shape, whereby the accommodation space 11 is also formed in a C-shaped arc shape.

  Furthermore, although an example in which the present invention is applied to an earphone has been described, the present invention may be applied to a headphone and other types of audio output devices called a neckband type, an ear hook type, and a clip type.

1 Earphone (sound output device)
2 Speaker unit 4 Housing (mounting part, case)
6 Ear pads (detachable body)
7 Exposed part 8 Outer peripheral wall 9 Inner peripheral wall 11 Accommodating space (accommodating part)
12 Back cover (cover)
14 Diaphragm (vibrating body, diaphragm)
E1 External auditory canal E2 Auricle E2a Tragus E2b Anti-tragus E2c Anti-aural ring E2d Anti-aural lower leg

Claims (8)

  A speaker unit (3) that generates sound based on an electrical signal, and a mounting portion that is attached to the auricle (E2) so as to face the ear canal (E1), and the sound from the speaker unit (3) is transmitted to the ear canal (E1) is an audio output device transmitted to the eardrum side, and a housing portion (11) for housing the speaker unit (3) is formed inside a housing (4) formed in a C-shaped or annular ring shape, The housing (4) constitutes the mounting portion, and the end portion on the ear canal (E1) side of the housing portion (11) is configured to be able to conduct sound, and the housing portion (11) is opposite to the ear canal (E1). An end portion is hermetically sealed by a cover portion (12), and an exposed portion (7) is configured to expose the external auditory canal (E1) on the hollow central side of the housing (4) attached to the auricle (E2) side. The exposed portion (7) and the accommodating portion ( 1) and the audio output device comprising partitioned by the housing (4) the inner wall (9) of the.   The housing portion (11) is formed in a C shape or an annular shape along the entire shape of the housing (4), and the speaker unit (3) is provided in an annular shape or an arc shape along the accommodating portion (11). Voice output device.   The sound output device according to claim 2, wherein the vibrating body (14) of the speaker unit (3) is provided in an arc shape or an annular shape along the housing portion (11).   The audio output device according to any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein a portion other than the vibrating body (14) of the speaker unit (3) is provided in an arc shape or an annular shape along the housing portion (11).   The housing (4) is configured such that the outer wall (8) side of the housing (4) is locked at at least four positions of the tragus (E2a), the antitragus (E2b), the antipodal lower leg (E2d), and the antichairal (E2c). The sound output device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sound output device is formed.   The audio output device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a detachable body (6) for expanding the diameter is detachably provided on the outer peripheral wall (8) of the housing (4).   The audio output device according to claim 6, wherein the detachable body (6) is formed in a C shape or an annular shape along the housing (4).   The audio output device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the detachable body (6) is configured to be elastically deformable.

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