JPS626780Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a vibrating pickup type ear microphone that picks up bone conduction audio signals transmitted to the wall of the external auditory canal and transmits speech.

[Prior Art] Ear microphones, that is, microphones for attachment to the ear canal, include vibrating pickup type microphones that pick up bone conduction audio signals transmitted to the wall of the ear canal (Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-39763, Publication No. 53-49607, Publication No. 54-49).
17385, etc.), and the sound pressure type that generates sound pressure by occluding the ear canal and picks up the sound pressure (see
53-164826, 54-11618, 55-68888, etc.), but the latter sound pressure type requires the ear canal to be occluded to generate sound pressure.
This has the fatal disadvantage of causing a closing effect on the external auditory canal, resulting in significant discomfort during use.

In this respect, the former vibration pickup type ear microphone is used by being inserted into the ear canal like the sound pressure type, but it has the advantage that the ear canal does not need to be closed.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] As a result of continuing research on such vibrating pick-up ear microphones, the inventor has found that, in practical use,
I learned that clarity and wearability are especially important. If we subdivide this wearability, we can subdivide it into (1) ease of insertion into the ear canal, (2) quality of fixation when worn, (3) alleviation of pain when worn, and (4) degree of blockage of the ear canal when worn. We found that there are four points for mitigation.

The technical object of the present invention is to provide an ear microphone that has good clarity and good wearability in the four points (1) to (4) mentioned above.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention, which solves the above technical problems, is a vibrating pick-up type ear that picks up bone conduction audio signals from the ear canal wall by providing a vibrating pick-up in an adapter that contacts the ear canal wall. In the microphone, the adapter is removably attached to the ear microphone body, has a substantially parallel portion on the front side, and a tapered portion connected to the substantially parallel portion and gradually enlarges on the rear side, and has a tapered portion on the rear side that connects to the substantially parallel portion and gradually expands. It is characterized by a configuration that reduces the degree of clogging.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the configuration is as follows. (A) a vibrating pick-up element that picks up bone conduction audio signals; (B) a lead wire connected to the vibrating pick-up element via an impedance conversion semiconductor; and (C) a sound output hole from an external speaker. A vibrating pickup type in which an adapter to be attached to the ear canal is removably attached with a space formed between the part of the body to which the vibrating pickup element is attached, and the sound emitted from the exit of the sound conduit reaches the space. The ear microphone is for transmitting and receiving calls, and the adapter has a substantially parallel portion at the front and a tapered portion at the rear continuous with the substantially parallel portion, so as to reduce the degree of blockage of the ear canal. .

The material of the adapter used in the present invention may be polyethylene, noryl resin, silicone rubber, polypropylene, ABS resin, metal, or the like.

[Operation of the invention] One of the features of the invention is that the adapter has a substantially parallel portion and a tapered portion connected to or continuous with the substantially parallel portion. The substantially parallel portion has a smaller diameter than the tapered portion, so it is easier to insert into the external auditory canal, and even if the tapered portion is pressed against the external auditory canal wall and fixed, and the adapter swings, the substantially parallel portion will not be inserted into the external auditory canal. It stops when it hits the external auditory canal wall, makes it difficult to fall out of the external auditory canal, improves fixation, and furthermore, the tapered part presses against the external auditory canal wall with an appropriate force, causing no pain and reducing the degree of blockage of the external auditory canal.

Furthermore, the ear microphone according to the present invention has a single sound intelligibility and a syllable intelligibility of about 96% and about 96%, respectively.
92%, respectively about 3-7% compared to the comparison ones.
It was confirmed that the improvement was approximately 5 to 12%.

The present invention can be expected to have the following additional effects. In other words, the size of the ear canal varies from person to person, so one type of adapter cannot be the same for everyone, but for example, if the outer diameter of the parallel part is approximately
5.5mm, length approx. 4mm, taper part slope approx.
Setting the angle to 10 degrees and the length to approximately 9 mm provides wearability suitable for most adults.

Moreover, in the present invention, since the adapter is detachably attached to the main body, it can be replaced with adapters of various sizes, and compatibility depending on individual differences can be further improved by alleviating the degree of blockage of the ear canal.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the adapter 1 has a sound output hole 2 at its tip, a substantially parallel portion 3 at the front, and a tapered portion 4 connected to the parallel portion 3 at the rear side with a ratio of approximately 1:2. It is formed by length. The adapter 1 is detachably attached to the main body 5 with a space g formed between the protruding portion and the adapter 6.

A vibrating pickup element 7 for picking up the wearer's own bone conduction audio signal to be transmitted to the ear canal wall 17 is inserted into the protruding portion 6 of the main body 5 and fixed by a stator 8. 8
A printed circuit board 9 provided with an impedance converting semiconductor (not shown) is fixed to the main body 5, a through hole 10 is provided at the front of the main body 5, and a lid 16 is attached to the rear of the main body 5.

One end (not shown) of the sound conduit 11 is connected to an external air conduction type speaker (not shown), and the other end 12
is inserted into the lower part of the main body 5, and is connected to the outlet 1 of the sound pipe 11.
3 communicates with the internal space G of the main body 5. Further, the flexible tube 15 containing the lead wires 14a and 14b is
It is inserted into the main body 5, and the lead wires 14a and 14b are connected to the vibration pickup element 7 via an impedance converting semiconductor.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is constructed almost the same as the previous embodiment, but the other end 12 of the sound conduit is connected to the main body 5.
The outlet 13 of the sound conduit 11 communicates directly with the space g. In addition, 18 in the figure is 1 to
Five, preferably two, through holes are shown.

The ear microphone according to the present invention is worn by inserting the adapter 1 into the ear canal and bringing a part of the tapered portion 4 into close contact with the ear canal 17. Bone conduction audio signals transmitted to the wearer's own external auditory canal wall 17 are picked up by the vibrating pickup element 7, and the output current is taken out to the outside via lead wires 14a, 14b and can be transmitted.

The sound transmitted from the speaker passes through the sound conduit 11, and in the embodiment shown in FIG.
exits into the internal space G of and enters the space g through the through hole 10,
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the sound exits from the outlet 13 of the sound conduit 11 into the space g, exits from the sound exit hole 2 of the adapter 1 into the external auditory canal, reaches the eardrum, and can receive speech.

[Effects of the invention] Not only are we satisfied with all of the above-mentioned wearability (1) to (4), but we can also expect an improvement in clarity, and it can be replaced with adapters of various sizes.
Compatibility due to individual differences can be further improved by reducing the degree of blockage of the ear canal.

In order to judge the effects of the above-mentioned adapter of the present invention, comparative adapters [A], [B] and [C] with the configurations shown in Figs. I went. Figure 6 shows the results for the intelligibility of single sounds and syllables (shown as the average value of 14 tests). On the other hand, with regard to wearability, the product of the present invention satisfied all of the four points (1) to (4) above, but the comparative items [A], [B], and [C] did not meet the above-mentioned (1).
- (4) were unsatisfactory in at least one of the points.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are cross-sectional views of ear microphones showing different embodiments of the present invention, FIGS. 3 to 5 are cross-sectional views of comparative adapters, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a comparative adapter. This is a graph showing. 1 is an adapter, 3 is a substantially parallel portion, 4 is a tapered portion, 7 is a vibrating pickup element, and 11 is a sound conduit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) A vibrating pickup type ear microphone that picks up bone conduction audio signals from the external auditory canal wall by providing a vibrating pickup in an adapter that contacts the external auditory canal wall of the ear, wherein the adapter is attached to the ear microphone body. It is attached removably,
A vibrating pickup type characterized by having a substantially parallel portion on the front side and a tapered portion connected to the substantially parallel portion and gradually expanding on the rear side, so as to alleviate the degree of blockage of the external auditory canal. ear microphone. (2) The vibrating pickup type ear microphone according to claim 1, wherein the ear microphone has an air conduction type receiving system and is configured for transmitting and receiving calls.