JP7406369B2 - Electroacoustic transducers and audio equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electroacoustic transducer that is worn on the ear and transmits sound to the auditory senses, and an audio device using this electroacoustic transducer. The present invention relates to an electroacoustic transducer that transmits sound by vibrating it, and an audio device that includes the electroacoustic transducer, a sound source, and the like.

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of electroacoustic transducers that transmit sound to a wearer and audio equipment using such electroacoustic transducers are known. In a typical electroacoustic transducer, a diaphragm is placed inside the main body of the device (earphones), and a sound hole is provided in the housing of the earphone to serve as an outlet for sound. It is configured to output from.

Earphones with a different structure convert electrical signals into mechanical vibrations using an electromechanical transducer built into the housing, and use these mechanical vibrations to vibrate the earphone housing to generate air-conducted sound (vibrating the air in the ear canal). Earphones without a sound port are also known, which transmit sound to the auditory senses by generating bone-conducted sound (sound transmitted by vibrating the skull) or bone-conducted sound (sound transmitted by vibrating the skull). Earphones with the above-mentioned sound apertures are concerned about problems such as earwax, etc. getting stuck in the sound apertures, causing the sound to become low or no sound to come out, but earphones without sound apertures do not have such problems. never occurs.

Regarding earphones without a sound port, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a bone conduction earphone that generates bone conduction sound. This bone conduction earphone is formed in an ellipsoid shape and has convex portions on the inside (referred to as the front side in Patent Document 1) and the outside (referred to as the back side in Patent Document 1). It has a bone conduction vibrating part, and when it is attached to the concha cavity, one end of the bone conduction vibration part in the length direction is pressed against the tragus and the wall of the concha cavity, and the other end is in contact with the concha cavity. It is configured such that it is pressed against the tragus and the wall of the concha cavity, the outer convex part is pressed against the tragus, and the inner convex part is pressed against the wall of the concha cavity around the entrance of the external auditory canal. .

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a receiver device including a rod-shaped bone conduction speaker section and a ring-shaped vibration transmission section. This bone conduction speaker section is configured such that one longitudinal end is connected to the vibration transmission section via the support section and protrudes from the vicinity of the intertragal notch to the outside of the auricle, and the vibration transmission section is connected to the tragus and the antitragus. The size is such that it can be pressed into contact with the

JP2012-222682A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-103989

By the way, when the bone conduction earphone of Patent Document 1 is worn in the concha cavity, the portion that is visible from the outside is large and easily noticeable. Furthermore, in the receiver of Patent Document 2, the bone conduction speaker section is disposed outside the intertragal notch, and the vibration transmitting section is also visible from the outside, so that it is unavoidably conspicuous when worn. On the other hand, if the part to be worn on the ear is made smaller with emphasis on appearance, it becomes difficult to hold it stably in the ear. Furthermore, since the contact with the auricle becomes unstable, the generated vibrations cannot be sufficiently transmitted to the auricle, and it is also assumed that performance in terms of volume and sound quality cannot be achieved.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve these problems, and there is no problem caused by clogging with earwax, etc., and it is not only inconspicuous when worn, but also can be stably held in the ear. The purpose is to provide electroacoustic transducers and audio equipment.

The electroacoustic transducer of the present invention includes an electromechanical transducer that converts an electrical signal into mechanical vibration, a cord that transmits the electrical signal to the electromechanical transducer, and an electroacoustic transducer that accommodates the electromechanical transducer therein. The device has a casing that vibrates and generates sound due to the mechanical vibration of the device, and the cord connected to the electromechanical transducer extends outside and is inserted into the ear canal. and a holding member that is attached and comes into contact with the inner wall of the external auditory canal during use , and the device body is located further into the external auditory canal than the holding member when inserted into the external auditory canal .

In such an electroacoustic transducer, the holding member includes a coupling part coupled to the cord, and a contact part coupled to the coupling part and abutting against the inner wall of the external auditory canal with the external auditory canal closed. is preferred. Further, it is preferable that the holding member includes a coupling portion coupled to the cord, and a contact portion coupled to the coupling portion and abutting against the inner wall of the external auditory canal in a state in which the external auditory canal is opened.

Further, the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention includes an electromechanical transducer that converts an electrical signal into mechanical vibration, a cord that transmits the electrical signal to the electromechanical transducer, and a cord that accommodates the electromechanical transducer therein, A device main body having a casing that vibrates and generates sound due to mechanical vibrations of a transducer, the cord connected to the electromechanical transducer extending outside, and used by being inserted into the ear canal; and the cord. or a holding member that is attached to the housing and comes into contact with the inner wall of the external auditory canal during use; the holding member is connected to the cord or the housing, and has an elastic It has a deformable, linear shape, and is characterized by comprising a contact portion that, when inserted into the external auditory canal, abuts against the inner wall of the external auditory canal in an open state and in a curved state. be.

Preferably, the device main body includes a connector that allows the cord to be attached and detached.

The present invention also provides an audio device using any of the electroacoustic transducers described above.

The electroacoustic transducer of the present invention and an audio device using the same vibrate a housing using an electromechanical transducer, thereby generating sound. That is, since sound can be emitted without providing a sound hole in the housing, problems caused by earwax or the like clogging do not occur. Furthermore, since the main body of the device and the holding member are inserted into the ear canal for use, they are hidden inside the ear canal and are less noticeable even when worn in the ear. Furthermore, since the holding member comes into contact with the inner wall of the external auditory canal, it can be stably held in the ear.

1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer and an audio device embodying the present invention; FIG. It is a figure showing a 2nd embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer. It is a figure showing a 3rd embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer. It is a figure showing a 4th embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer. It is a figure showing a 5th embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer. It is a figure showing a 6th embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer. It is a figure showing a 7th embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer. It is a figure showing an 8th embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer. It is a figure showing a 9th embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer. It is a figure showing a 10th embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer. It is a figure showing an 11th embodiment of an electroacoustic transducer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An electroacoustic transducer and an audio device embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of an earphone unit (corded earphone) that is an example of an electroacoustic transducer, and a hearing aid (behind-the-ear type hearing aid) that is an example of an audio device. The hearing aid 1 of this embodiment includes a hearing aid main body 2 and an earphone unit 3, and the earphone unit 3 includes a cord 4, a holding member 5, and an earphone 6. In the hearing aid 1, with the earphone unit 3 connected to the hearing aid body 2, the earphone 6 and the holding member 5 are inserted into the ear canal (inserted from the earphone 6 first), and the hearing aid body 2 is placed above the base of the back side of the auricle. It is placed and used. For convenience, in this specification, etc., the hearing aid 1 will be described with the hearing aid 1 in the ear. On the other hand, the side on which the earphones 6 are located will be simply referred to as the "inner side," and the entrance side of the external auditory canal will simply be referred to as the "entrance side."

The hearing aid main body 2 includes a casing that is generally gently curved. Inside the housing, there is a microphone that converts sound into electrical signals, a hearing aid processing means that processes the electrical signals output from the microphone to match the hearing ability of the wearer, and a power supply for each part of the hearing aid. Contains batteries, etc. to be supplied.

The cord 4 connects the hearing aid body 2 and the earphone 6. The cord 4 of this embodiment is made of a relatively thin wire that transmits electrical signals from the hearing aid body 2 to the earphone 6, and a flexible polymer material (such as thermoplastic elastomer or nylon). It is composed of a covering material that covers the outside. A body side connector 7 for connection to the hearing aid body 2 is provided at one end of the cord 4 . Further, the other end of the cord 4 in this actual embodiment is connected to an earphone 6 (an electromechanical converter to be described later) by soldering.

In this embodiment, the holding member 5 is made of an elastic and flexible material (for example, silicone, thermoplastic elastomer, etc.), and has an overall hemispherical shell shape (dome shape), and has a central portion 8 and a central portion. The outer circumferential portion 9 is provided on the radially outer side of the portion 8 . The central part 8 is provided with a through hole having an inner diameter that is approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cord 4, and as shown in FIG. 1(b), by inserting the cord 4 through this through hole, the cord A holding member 5 can be coupled to 4. When the outer peripheral part 9 is inserted into the external auditory canal, the outer edge thereof contacts the inner wall of the external auditory canal (the outer edge may contact the inner wall of the external auditory canal over the entire circumference, or (There may be some gaps). Further, the outer peripheral portion 9 is provided with an opening 10 passing therethrough. That is, when the holding member 5 is inserted into the external auditory canal, the external auditory canal is in an open state (the inside of the external auditory canal communicates with the outside world through the opening 10).

The earphone 6 has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing 11 made of a relatively hard material (for example, ABS resin). An electromechanical converter connected to the cord 4 is provided inside the housing 11 . The electromechanical transducer vibrates based on the electrical signal from the hearing aid body 2 transmitted via the cord 4, and includes, for example, an electromagnetic type (balanced armature type that uses the restoring force of a spring) and an electrodynamic type. , what is called a piezoelectric type is used. In this embodiment, a rectangular parallelepiped electromechanical transducer as shown in Japanese Patent No. 5,579,335 is used. The housing 11 may be formed into a spherical or ellipsoidal shape, for example, for a rectangular parallelepiped electromechanical converter; By adopting this, wasted space is reduced and downsizing can be achieved. Further, the electromechanical transducer of this embodiment is attached to the housing 11 in such a direction that the housing 11 is vibrated in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 1(a) (the direction along the longitudinal direction of the external auditory canal). When the earphone 6 is connected to the cord 4, the holding member 5 may be positioned with a gap from the earphone 6 or may be in contact with the earphone 6, but the effect on the vibration of the housing 11 is reduced. It is preferable to provide a gap between the holding member 5 and the earphone 6.

In configuring the earphone 6 as described above, the housing 11 has a two-part structure (the housing 11 has a half located on the back side, and a through hole located on the entrance side through which the cord 4 is inserted). A structure consisting of two halves provided with a housing 11 is used when the two halves are combined to form the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 1(b), after the cord 4 is inserted through the holding member 5 and the cord 4 is inserted through the through hole in the entrance half of the housing 11, the electromechanical converter and the cord are inserted. This is achieved by soldering the other end of the housing 11 to the other end of the housing 11, and joining the halves of the housing 11 without any gaps (for example, by sealing the seam between the halves with an adhesive or the like).

In the hearing aid 1 having such a configuration, when the housing 11 of the earphone 6 inserted into the ear canal is vibrated by the electromechanical transducer, the housing 11 itself functions as a diaphragm and generates sound. The sound corresponding to the electrical signal from 2 can be transmitted to the auditory senses. Incidentally, since the housing 11 is not provided with a sound port which serves as an outlet for sound, there is no problem of the sound port becoming clogged with earwax or the like.

The holding member 5 inserted into the ear canal can stabilize the position of the earphone 6 because the outer edge of the outer peripheral portion 9 comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal. Therefore, for example, even if the head is moved while wearing the earphone 6, the earphone 6 does not easily shift from the position when the earphone 6 is worn, and there is no need to adjust the position of the earphone 6 every time the head is moved, so that the earphone 6 can be used comfortably. Note that since the holding member 5 is made of a resilient and flexible material as described above, it does not significantly impede the vibrations generated from the housing 11. Further, since the holding member 5 is provided with an opening 10 and the external auditory canal is in an open state, it is possible to suppress unpleasant stuffy feeling and stuffiness in the external auditory canal. Furthermore, since the ear canal is in an open state, in addition to the sounds transmitted from the earphones 6, the user can also hear sounds from the outside world.

The electroacoustic transducer and audio equipment of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, but can also be realized, for example, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 to 11. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the parts in the drawings that have the same basic functions as those described above, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 2 shows an earphone unit 12 of a second embodiment that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention. The earphone unit 12 includes a holding member 13 in place of the holding member 5 of the earphone unit 3 described above. Although not shown, the earphone unit 12 can also be connected to the hearing aid main body 2 (see FIG. 1).

The holding member 13 includes an annular central portion 14 and an extending portion 15 connected to the central portion 14 and extending radially outward. The inner diameter of the through hole provided in the central part 14 is approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cord 4, and as shown in FIG. 2(c), by inserting the cord 4 into this through hole, the cord A holding member 13 can be coupled to 4. Further, the extending portion 15 has elasticity, and by bending the extending portion 15 so that both ends approach each other as shown in FIG. 2(a), an arc-shaped holding member as shown in FIG. 2(b) can be formed. 13 can be formed.

In such an earphone unit 12, the earphone 6 and the holding member 13 are inserted into the ear canal while being bent so that the outer diameter of the two arcuate extending portions 15 becomes smaller. Then, the bent extension part 15 is restored and comes into contact with the inner wall of the external auditory canal, so that the position of the earphone 6 can be stabilized. In addition, in this state, the ear canal is open, so it is possible to suppress the feeling of being stuffy when wearing the earphones, and it is also possible to listen to sounds from the outside world in addition to the sounds from the earphones 6.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of an earphone unit 16 that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention. The earphone unit 16 includes a cord 17, a holding member 18, and the earphone 6 shown in FIG.

The cord 17 includes the above-mentioned body side connector 7 at one end, and has an earphone side connector 19 connected to the earphone 6 at the other end. Although not shown, a connector connected to the earphone side connector 19 is provided on the inlet side of the earphone 6.

Further, the holding member 18 has a generally hemispherical shell shape (dome shape) like the holding member 5 shown in FIG. However, the difference is that the opening 10 is not provided.

Also with such an earphone unit 16, since the outer edge of the outer circumferential portion 9 comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal during use, the position of the earphone 6 can be stabilized. Further, the holding member 18 is not provided with the opening 10 shown in FIG. 1, and when the holding member 18 is inserted into the ear canal, the ear canal is closed (sealed). Obtainable. Note that when using the holding member 18, there is a concern that a feeling of being muffled may occur, so if emphasis is placed on the feeling of volume in the low range, the holding member 18 is used, and if the aim is to reduce the feeling of being muffled, the holding member 18 is used. It may be selected as appropriate depending on the situation, such as using member 5.

Further, in the earphone unit 16, the cord 17 and the earphone 6 are connected by the earphone side connector 19 and a corresponding connector, so the cord 17 can be removed from the earphone 6. That is, even if the holding member 18 is damaged after long-term use, for example, it can be replaced with a new holding member 18, so that it can be used comfortably for a long time.

FIG. 4 shows an earphone unit 20 according to a fourth embodiment that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention. The earphone unit 20 includes a cord 17 (see FIG. 3), a holding member 13 (see FIG. 2), and an earphone 6 (see FIG. 1).

Similarly to the earphone unit 16 shown in FIG. 3, in the earphone unit 20, the cord 17 can be removed from the earphone 6 using the earphone side connector 19, so the holding member 13 can be removed. Also, like the earphone unit 12 shown in FIG. 2, the extension part 15 comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal, so the position of the earphone 6 can be stabilized, and since the ear canal is open, there is no muffled sound when wearing it. Feelings can be suppressed.

FIG. 5 shows an earphone unit 21 of a fifth embodiment that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention. The earphone unit 21 includes a cord 4 (see FIG. 1), an earphone 22, and a holding member 23.

The earphone 22 includes a housing 24 that houses an electroacoustic transducer inside. The casing 24 of this embodiment has a cylindrical middle portion and a spherical shell shape at the back portion. Further, a disk-shaped flange 25 is provided on the entrance side of the housing 24.

The holding member 23, like the holding member 5 shown in FIG. It has a larger diameter than the through hole.

The earphone unit 21 is assembled by soldering the other end of the cord 4 to the electromechanical transducer of the earphone 22 to connect them, and inserting the housing 24 into a through hole provided in the central portion 26 of the holding member 23. It will be done. The holding member 23 is made of a resilient and flexible material (for example, silicone, thermoplastic elastomer, etc.), and the inner diameter of the through hole is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the spherical shell-shaped portion of the housing 24. There is. When the housing 24 is strongly pushed into such a holding member 23, the through hole expands and overcomes the spherical shell-shaped portion, and the holding member 23 is pushed into the middle portion (cylindrical portion) of the housing 24. It is attached. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the holding member 23 is prevented from coming off on the inlet side by the flange 25, and on the back side by the spherical shell-shaped portion of the housing 24. Thereby, even if the holding member 23 rubs against the inner wall of the ear canal, the holding member 23 will not easily move to the entrance side or the back side, so that the position of the earphone 22 when worn can be stabilized.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5(c), the flange 25 is provided on the housing 24, but as shown in FIG. 5(d), the flange 25 is configured to be inserted through the cord 4 and held there. You can.

FIG. 6 shows an earphone unit 27 according to a sixth embodiment that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention. The earphone unit 27 includes a cord 17 (see FIG. 3), an earphone 28, and a holding member 29.

Earphone 28 includes a housing 30 containing an electromechanical transducer inside. The housing 30 of this embodiment is formed into a cylindrical shape. Furthermore, a disk-shaped flange 31 is provided on the entrance side of the housing 30, as shown in FIG. 6(c). Although not shown, a connector connected to the earphone connector 19 is provided on the inlet side of the earphone 28.

The holding member 29 is annular and includes a center portion 32 having an inner diameter larger than the center portion 14 of the holding member 13 shown in FIG. Note that the inner diameter of the central portion 32 is approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the housing 30. On the outer circumferential surface of the central portion 32, a pair of the above-mentioned extending portions 15, which are elastic and extend radially outward, are provided.

In the earphone unit 27, the central portion 32 of the holding member 29 can be inserted into the housing 30 of the earphone 28 to couple them together. At this time, by inserting the holding member 29 until it comes into contact with the flange 31, the position of the holding member 29 in the longitudinal direction of the housing 30 will not vary. In addition, since the earphone side connector 19 and the corresponding connector are provided, for example, if a problem occurs with the cord 17 or the earphone 28, the two can be separated and replaced with a new cord 17 or earphone 28. . Further, like the earphone unit 12 shown in FIG. 2, when the earphone unit 12 is worn, the extending portion 15 comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal, so that the position of the earphone 28 can be stabilized. Furthermore, since the ear canal is open in this state, it is possible to suppress the feeling of stuffiness when wearing the ear canal.

FIG. 7 shows an earphone unit 33 according to a seventh embodiment that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention. The earphone unit 33 includes a cord 4 (see FIG. 1), an earphone 34, and a holding member 35.

The earphone 34 includes a housing 36 containing an electromechanical transducer therein. The housing 36 of this embodiment is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape (the length along the external auditory canal is longer than the length in the vertical direction when worn on the ear). Further, the housing 36 is provided with an attachment hole 37 that vertically passes through the housing 36 and has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape. Note that the electromechanical converter and the cord 4 are connected by soldering the other end of the cord 4 to the electromechanical converter.

In this embodiment, the holding member 35 is made of a resilient and flexible material (for example, silicone, thermoplastic elastomer, etc.), and is shaped like a long plate as a whole, with a flange provided at one end. There is. Note that the peripheral portion of the holding member 35 where the flange is provided is referred to as a root portion 38, and the other portion is referred to as a tip portion 39. The cross-sectional shape of the root portion 38 is substantially rectangular similarly to the opening shape of the attachment hole 37, and its size is approximately the same or slightly larger than that of the attachment hole 37. Such a holding member 35 is inserted into the mounting hole 37 with the distal end 39 leading until the flange of the root 38 comes into contact with the housing 36, so that the root 38 is held in the mounting hole 37. Earphone 34 and holding member 35 can be combined.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the earphone unit 33 bends the distal end 39 of the holding member 35 (for example, by bending it in an arc), and inserts the earphone 34 and the holding member 35 into the ear canal. Then, the tip portion 39 that had been bent is restored and comes into contact with the inner wall of the external auditory canal, so that the position of the earphone 34 can be stabilized. Furthermore, since the ear canal is open in this state, it is possible to suppress the feeling of stuffiness when wearing the ear canal.

FIG. 8 shows an earphone unit 40 of an eighth embodiment that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention. The earphone unit 40 includes a cord 4 (see FIG. 1), a holding member 41, and an earphone 6 (see FIG. 1).

The holding member 41 is in the form of a so-called binding band, and has an elongated band portion 42 and a hole portion 43 having a locking mechanism provided at one end of the band portion 42. . The holding member 41 is made of a resilient and flexible material. The holding member 41 inserts the tip of the band portion 42 into the hole 43, inserts the cord 4 through the ring-shaped portion of the band portion 42 formed at that time, and further pulls the band portion 42 to reduce the inner diameter of the ring-shaped portion. It is combined into code 4 by doing this.

As shown in FIG. 8(a), such an earphone unit 40 is constructed by bending the band portion 42 of the holding member 35 (for example, bending it in an arc) to insert the earphone 6 and the holding member 41 into the ear canal. insert. Then, the band portion 42 that had been bent is restored and comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal, so that the position of the earphone 6 can be stabilized. Furthermore, since the ear canal is open in this state, it is possible to suppress the feeling of stuffiness when wearing the ear canal.

FIG. 9 shows an earphone unit 44 of a ninth embodiment that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention. The earphone unit 44 includes a cord 45, an earphone 46, and a holding member 47.

The cord 45 has the same basic structure as the cord 17 shown in FIG. 4, but differs in that it includes an earphone connector 49 having a different shape from the earphone connector 19 in the cord 17.

The earphone 46 includes a housing 50 that houses an electroacoustic transducer inside. The housing 50 of this embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a cylindrical portion on the back side. Further, on the entrance side of the housing 50, a connector 51 corresponding to the earphone side connector 49 is provided.

In this embodiment, the holding member 47 is made of an elastic and flexible material, and includes a central portion 52 having a circular plate shape, and a central portion 52 that extends from the back side toward the front side as it goes radially outward from the outer edge of the central portion 52. It includes a plurality of elastic pieces 53 that extend in a curved manner.

Such an earphone unit 44 combines the earphones 46 and the holding member 47 by attaching the inner cylindrical portion of the housing 50 and the central portion 52 with adhesive or the like, and also connects the earphone side connector 49. and the connector 51, and the electromechanical transducer of the earphone 46 and the cord 45 are connected and assembled. When the holding member 47 and the earphone 46 are inserted into the ear canal, the elastic piece 53 comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal, so that the position of the earphone 46 can be stabilized. Further, a gap is provided between adjacent elastic pieces 53, and in this state, the ear canal is open, so that it is possible to suppress the feeling of stuffiness when wearing the ear canal.

FIG. 10 shows an earphone unit 54 of a tenth embodiment that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention. The earphone unit 54 includes a cord 45 (see FIG. 9), an earphone 55, and a holding member 56.

The earphone 55 includes a housing 57 that houses an electromechanical transducer inside. The casing 57 of this embodiment is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped with rounded corners. Although not shown, a connector connected to the earphone connector 49 is provided on the inlet side of the earphone 55.

The holding member 56 is formed by winding an elastic wire (for example, a metal wire) into a barrel shape.

In such an earphone unit 54, the inlet end of the holding member 56 is expanded radially outward, the earphone 55 is inserted through the expanded opening, and the housing 57 is housed inside the holding member 56, thereby coupling the two. . When the holding member 56 containing the earphone 55 is inserted into the ear canal, the holding member 56 comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal, so that the position of the earphone 55 can be stabilized. Further, in the holding member 56, there are gaps between the wound wire rods, and the external auditory canal is open, so that the feeling of being stuffed when worn can be suppressed.

FIG. 11 shows an earphone unit 58 according to an eleventh embodiment that embodies the electroacoustic transducer of the present invention, and a hearing aid main body 2 (see FIG. 1) to which the earphone unit 58 is connected. The earphone unit 58 includes a cord 4 (see FIG. 1), an earphone 59, and a holding member 60.

The earphone 59 includes a housing 61 that houses an electromechanical transducer therein. The housing 61 of this embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape (when worn in the ear, the length along the external auditory canal is longer than the length in the vertical direction), and the rear side is for attaching the holding member 60. A cylindrical portion (not shown) is provided. Note that the electromechanical converter and the cord 4 are connected by soldering the other end of the cord 4 to the electromechanical converter.

The holding member 60 includes a central portion 62 having a through hole having a larger inner diameter than the through hole of the central portion 8 shown in FIG. The inner diameter of the central portion 62 is approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion of the housing 61 described above, and by inserting the central portion 62 through this cylindrical portion, the holding member 60 and the earphone 59 are coupled. do.

In such an earphone unit 58, when the earphone 59 and the holding member 60 are inserted into the ear canal, the outer edge of the outer peripheral portion 9 comes into contact with the inner wall of the ear canal, so that the position of the earphone 59 can be stabilized. In addition, since the holding member 60 is provided with the opening 10 and the external auditory canal is in an open state, it is possible to suppress the feeling of being stuffy when worn.

Although one embodiment embodying the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such a specific embodiment, and unless specifically limited by the above explanation, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in the claims. Various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the invention. For example, the audio device of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned hearing aid, but may also be a sound collector or an audio device. Furthermore, the effects of the embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the effects resulting from the present invention, and do not mean that the effects of the present invention are limited to the above effects.

1: Hearing aids (acoustic equipment)
3, 12, 16, 20, 21, 27, 33, 40, 44, 54, 58: Earphone unit (electroacoustic transducer)
4, 17, 45: Code 5, 13, 18, 23, 29, 35, 41, 47, 56, 60: Holding member 6, 22, 28, 34, 46, 55, 59: Earphone (device body)
8, 14, 26, 32, 52, 62: Center part (joint part)
9: Outer periphery (contact part)
11, 24, 30, 36, 50, 57, 61: Housing 15: Extension part (contact part)
19, 49: Earphone side connector (connector)
38: Root part (joint part)
39: Tip part (contact part)
42: Band part (contact part)
43: Hole (joint part)
53: Elastic piece (contact part)

Claims (6)

an electromechanical converter that converts electrical signals into mechanical vibrations;
a cord conveying an electrical signal to the electromechanical converter;
It has a casing that houses the electromechanical transducer therein and that vibrates and generates sound due to the mechanical vibration of the electromechanical transducer, and the cord connected to the electromechanical transducer extends outside and is inserted into the ear canal. The main body of the device used by inserting it into the
a holding member attached to the cord and abutting against the inner wall of the external auditory canal during use ;
The electroacoustic transducer is characterized in that the device main body is located further into the ear canal than the holding member when inserted into the ear canal . 2. The holding member includes a coupling part coupled to the cord, and a contact part coupled to the coupling part and abutting against the inner wall of the external auditory canal in a state in which the external auditory canal is closed. electroacoustic transducer. 2. The holding member includes a coupling part coupled to the cord, and a contact part coupled to the coupling part and abutting against the inner wall of the external auditory canal with the external auditory canal open. electroacoustic transducer. an electromechanical converter that converts electrical signals into mechanical vibrations;
a cord conveying an electrical signal to the electromechanical converter;
It has a casing that houses the electromechanical transducer therein and that vibrates and generates sound due to the mechanical vibration of the electromechanical transducer, and the cord connected to the electromechanical transducer extends outside and is inserted into the ear canal. The main body of the device used by inserting it into the
a holding member that is attached to the cord or the housing and comes into contact with the inner wall of the external auditory canal during use;
The holding member has a connecting portion that is connected to the cord or the housing, and is connected to the connecting portion, is elastically deformable, has a linear shape, and is in a state where the external auditory canal is opened when inserted into the external auditory canal. An electroacoustic transducer comprising: a contact portion that contacts an inner wall of an external auditory canal in a curved state . The electroacoustic transducer according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the device main body includes a connector that allows the cord to be attached and detached. An audio device using the electroacoustic transducer according to any one of claims 1 to 5 .

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