KR20230154585A - Sound transducing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment relates to a sound conversion device that acquires impact sounds generated during occlusion between upper and lower teeth from a microphone inserted into the user's external auditory canal and uses them as a control command.
An embodiment of the sound conversion device includes a case in which first and second receiving spaces are formed, a nozzle that communicates with the outside of the second receiving space of the case and can be inserted into the user's external auditory canal, and is mounted in the case to accommodate the first and second receiving spaces. A blocking unit that divides the space and separates it from communicating with each other, a speaker that is mounted in the second accommodation space in the case and emits sound in the direction toward the nozzle, which is the sound emission direction, and a speaker that is mounted in the second accommodation space of the case and transmits sound to the human body. A front microphone that acquires sound from the inside, a rear microphone that is mounted in the first accommodation space of the case and acquires sound from outside the human body, a communication unit that performs communication with an electronic communication device, and electronic communication through the communication unit. It communicates with the device and controls at least one of the front microphone or rear microphone or speaker to perform sound playback and phone call functions, but the collision sound generated when the teeth of the upper jaw and the lower jaw occlude is not heard from the front microphone. It is configured to include a processor that causes control operations corresponding to the impact sound to be performed when included in the sound from the microphone.

Description

Sound transducer {SOUND TRANSDUCING APPARATUS}

The embodiment relates to a sound conversion device, and in particular, to a sound conversion device that acquires the impact sound generated during occlusion between the teeth of the upper jaw and the teeth of the lower jaw from a microphone inserted into the user's external auditory canal and uses it as a control command.

Research and development on wearable devices are actively conducted, and the use of wearable devices is also increasing significantly.

One of these wearable devices is an earset that combines an earphone and a microphone.

This wearable type of earset can transmit and receive acoustic information using a wireless communication method to increase the user's mobility and convenience.

In addition, since communication with electronic communication devices such as smart phones is possible using wireless communication, sound information can be transmitted and received with electronic communication devices through a short-range wireless communication module such as Bluetooth communication to listen to music or listen to music. You can make phone calls.

These types of earsets include a band shape that is mounted on the head or neck so that the user can carry them on the user's body, a type that hangs on the ear, and a type that is worn in the ear. , there was the inconvenience of having to control that function.

The purpose of the embodiment is to provide a sound conversion device that acquires the collision sound generated during occlusion between the upper and lower teeth from a microphone inserted into or close to the user's external auditory canal and uses it as a control command.

An embodiment of the sound conversion device includes a case in which first and second receiving spaces are formed, a nozzle that communicates with the outside of the second receiving space of the case and can be inserted into the user's external auditory canal, and is mounted in the case to accommodate the first and second receiving spaces. A blocking unit that divides the space and separates it from communicating with each other, a speaker that is mounted in the second accommodation space in the case and emits sound in the direction toward the nozzle, which is the sound emission direction, and a speaker that is mounted in the second accommodation space of the case and transmits sound to the human body. A front microphone that acquires sound from the inside, a rear microphone that is mounted in the first accommodation space of the case and acquires sound from outside the human body, a communication unit that performs communication with an electronic communication device, and electronic communication through the communication unit. It communicates with the device and controls at least one of the front microphone or rear microphone or speaker to perform sound playback and phone call functions, but the collision sound generated when the teeth of the upper jaw and the lower jaw occlude is not heard from the front microphone. It is configured to include a processor that causes control operations corresponding to the impact sound to be performed when included in the sound from the microphone.

Additionally, the processor preferably stores acoustic characteristic data of the impact sound to determine whether the sound from the front microphone includes the impact sound.

Additionally, it is desirable for the processor to perform a control operation corresponding to the number of collision sounds during a preset time.

Additionally, the control operation preferably includes playing sound or stopping sound play, accepting a call, ending a call, rejecting a call, or recognizing a voice.

Additionally, it is desirable for the processor to generate control commands corresponding to control operations and transmit them to the electronic communication device through the communication unit.

In addition, while performing a sleep mode in which only the rear microphone is activated, the processor performs an active mode by activating the front microphone and the communication unit when the sound signal applied from the rear microphone includes a wake up word. It is desirable.

In the embodiment, the collision sound generated during occlusion between the upper and lower teeth is acquired from a microphone inserted into or close to the user's external auditory canal and used as a control command, without the need for a physical input means such as an input unit, that is, without the user's physical input. , it is effective in quickly performing control using collision sounds and ensuring security by preventing input from being exposed to the outside.

1 is a simplified cross-sectional view of an acoustic conversion device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a control configuration diagram of a sound control system including the sound conversion device of FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, embodiments are described in detail through the drawings. However, this is not intended to be limiting to specific embodiments, and the described embodiments should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numbers may be used for similar components.

In this document, expressions such as “have,” “may have,” “includes,” or “may include” refer to the existence of the corresponding feature (e.g., a numerical value, function, operation, or component such as a part). , and does not rule out the existence of additional features.

In this document, expressions such as “A or B,” “at least one of A or/and B,” or “one or more of A or/and B” may include all possible combinations of the items listed together. . For example, “A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, or “at least one of A or B” (1) includes at least one A, (2) includes at least one B, or (3) it may refer to all cases including both at least one A and at least one B.

As used herein, expressions such as "first", "second", "first", or "second" may describe various elements in any order and/or importance, and may refer to one element as another. It is only used to distinguish from components and does not limit the components. For example, a first user device and a second user device may represent different user devices regardless of order or importance. For example, a first component may be renamed a second component without departing from the scope of rights described in this document, and similarly, the second component may also be renamed to the first component.

A component (e.g., a first component) is “(operatively or communicatively) coupled with/to” another component (e.g., a second component). When referred to as being “connected to,” it should be understood that any component may be directly connected to the other component or may be connected through another component (e.g., a third component). On the other hand, when a component (e.g., a first component) is said to be “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component (e.g., a second component), It may be understood that no other component (e.g., a third component) exists between other components.

The expression “configured to” used in this document may mean, for example, “suitable for,” “having the capacity to,” or “having the capacity to.” It can be used interchangeably with ", "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of." The term “configured (or set) to” may not necessarily mean “specifically designed to” in hardware. Instead, in some contexts, the expression “a device configured to” may mean that the device is “capable of” working with other devices or components. For example, the phrase "processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" refers to a processor dedicated to performing the operations (e.g., an embedded processor), or executing one or more software programs stored on a memory device. By doing so, it may mean a general-purpose processor (eg, CPU or application processor) capable of performing the corresponding operations.

Terms used in this document are merely used to describe specific embodiments and may not be intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural expressions, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field described in this document. Among the terms used in this document, terms defined in general dictionaries may be interpreted to have the same or similar meaning as the meaning they have in the context of related technology, and unless clearly defined in this document, they may be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. It is not interpreted. In some cases, even terms defined in this document cannot be interpreted to exclude embodiments of this document.

1 is a simplified cross-sectional view of an acoustic conversion device according to an embodiment.

The sound transducer includes a case 10 in which first and second receiving spaces S1 and S2 are formed, and a nozzle that communicates with the outside of the second receiving space S2 of the case 10 and can be inserted into the user's external auditory canal. (12), a blocking portion 14 mounted in the case 10 to separate the first and second accommodating spaces S1 and S2 so that they do not communicate with each other, and a second accommodating space in the case 10 ( A speaker 20 is mounted on S2 and emits sound in the direction toward the nozzle 12, which is the direction of sound emission, and is mounted on the first receiving space S1 of the case 10 to acquire sound from outside the human body. It is configured to include a rear microphone 30 that is mounted on the second receiving space (S2) of the case 10 and a front microphone 40 that acquires sound from the inside of the human body.

In the embodiment, the sound emission direction of the speaker 20 is referred to as the front side, the side opposite to the sound emission direction of the speaker 20 is referred to as the rear side, and the first receiving space (S1) is a space on the rear side of the receiving space, The second accommodating space S2 may be referred to as a space on the front side of the accommodating space.

An eartip made of an elastic material may be mounted on the outer surface of the nozzle 12.

When the nozzle 12 is inserted into the user's external auditory canal, the rear microphone 30 is outside the case 10 and acquires sound from outside the user's body, and the sound from outside the human body is transmitted to the front by the blocking unit 14. By preventing or blocking transmission to the side microphone 40, the front microphone 30 can more clearly acquire sound from inside the user's body. Additionally, the front microphone 40 may be inserted into the external auditory canal together with the nozzle 12 when inserted into the user's external auditory canal, and is located close to the external auditory canal.

The control configuration diagram of the acoustic conversion device is described in detail in FIG. 2 below.

FIG. 2 is a control configuration diagram of a sound control system including the sound conversion device of FIG. 1.

The sound processing system communicates with the electronic communication device 200 to perform a sound reproduction function and a phone call function, and determines a control command corresponding to the collision sound generated during occlusion between the upper and lower teeth. It is configured to include a sound conversion device 100 that performs control according to the control command, and an electronic communication device 200 that communicates with the sound conversion device 100 to perform a sound reproduction function and a phone call function.

The sound conversion device 100 includes a speaker 20 that receives an electrical signal, which is an acoustic signal, from the processor 90 and emits sound, and a rear side that is behind the nozzle 12 and is opposite to the sound emission direction of the speaker 20. A rear microphone 30 that acquires sound and applies it to the processor 90, a front microphone 40 that acquires sound in front of the nozzle 12 and applies it to the processor 90, and a power supply unit that supplies power ( 52), an input unit 54 that obtains input from the user (e.g., power on/off, etc.) and applies it to the processor 90, and information from the processor 90 (e.g., power unit 52 ), a display unit 56 that displays the power status, etc.), a communication unit 58 that performs wired or wireless communication with the electronic communication device 200, and a sound playback function and a phone call function by controlling the above-mentioned components. Performs the control by receiving an acoustic signal from the front microphone 40, determining a control command corresponding to the collision sound generated during occlusion between the maxillary teeth and the mandibular teeth included in the applied acoustic signal, and determining the determined control. It is configured to include a processor 90 that performs control according to commands. However, the speaker 20, the power supply unit 52, the input unit 54, the display unit 56, and the communication unit 58 correspond to technologies naturally recognized by a person skilled in the art and are familiar with the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Explanation is omitted. The power supply unit 52, the input unit 54, the display unit 56, the communication unit 58, and the processor 90 are mounted in the first accommodation space (S1), and the electrical connection between the processor 90 and the front microphone 40 is maintained. The connection line and the electrical connection line between the processor 90 and the speaker 20 may be formed through the blocking portion 14.

The rear microphone 30 may include a plurality of microphones, such as a microphone for phone calls and a microphone for improving call quality.

The front microphone 40 acquires minimal sound from outside the human body and sound from inside the human body by the blocking unit 14 and applies them to the processor 90.

The processor 90 controls the communication unit 58 to communicate with the electronic communication device 200 to perform a sound reproduction function and a phone call function. The processor 90 controls at least one of the rear microphone 30 or the front microphone 40 and the speaker 20 to perform a phone call function, and controls the speaker 20 to perform a sound reproduction function. .

In addition, the processor 90 includes a digital signal processing device (DSP) that performs Fourier transform and inverse Fourier transform, voice recognition functions, etc., and a storage unit (e.g., memory, etc.) that stores acoustic characteristic data of the impact sound. It is composed of an electrical and/or electronic circuit including.

The acoustic characteristic data of the collision sound includes frequency conversion values (size, magnitude, etc.) or power characteristics in the frequency domain of the collision sound, and signal waveforms in the time domain.

The processor 90 performs a voice recognition function for the sound from the rear microphone 30, performs control commands accordingly, or switches from sleep mode to active mode. In sleep mode, the processor 90 ensures that only the rear microphone 30 is activated and also deactivates the front microphone 40 and the communication unit 58. In sleep mode, the processor 90 performs an active mode by activating the front microphone 40 and the communication unit 58 when the sound signal applied from the rear microphone 30 includes a wake up word. can do.

In the active mode, the processor 90 determines that the collision sound was generated by the user when the acoustic signal from the front microphone 40 includes acoustic characteristics according to the acoustic characteristic data of the collision sound. Before determining whether the acoustic signal from the front microphone 40 includes a collision sound, the processor 90 selects a preset frequency band (for example, a frequency of 45 Hz or less) in the acoustic signal from the front microphone 40. ) By performing filtering processing on, only acoustic signals in a frequency band exceeding the preset frequency band can be used. Since the preset frequency band contains a lot of sounds with noise characteristics, it is desirable to remove them.

The processor 90 generates a control command according to the number of judgments or calculations of the collision sound during a preset time (eg, 2 seconds) as shown in Table 1 below.

number control action 1 time Play/stop sound (music), accept call/end call Episode 2 call rejection 3rd time voice recognition

When the collision sound is one time, the processor 90 generates a control command corresponding to the control operation according to the function currently being performed. First, when performing a sound playback function through communication with the electronic communication device 200, when sound playback is stopped, the processor 90 generates a control command corresponding to the sound playback control operation and determines the sound playback state. In this case, the processor 90 generates a control command corresponding to the sound reproduction stop control operation. Next, when performing a phone call function through communication with the electronic communication device 200, when an outgoing signal for a phone call is received through the communication unit 58, the processor 90 is used to perform the phone call function. When generating a control command corresponding to a call acceptance control operation and performing a phone call function, the processor 90 generates a control command corresponding to a call termination control operation.

When there are two collision sounds, the processor 90 generates a control command corresponding to a call rejection control operation even if an outgoing signal for a phone call is received through the communication unit 58.

The processor 90 transmits the above-described control command to the electronic communication device 200 through the communication unit 58.

When there are three collision sounds, the processor 90 generates a control command to perform a voice recognition operation. The processor 90 may transmit the generated control command to the electronic communication device 200 to stop the currently performing operation (eg, sound playback function, phone call function).

In addition, even when the processor 90 is performing the active mode without performing the sound reproduction function and the phone call function, the processor 90 performs a control operation according to the calculated number of collision sounds in Table 1 described above, or performs a control corresponding to the control operation. A command may be generated and transmitted to the electronic communication device 200 through the communication unit 58.

The electronic communication device 200 includes an input unit 254 that obtains input from the user (e.g., sound playback, phone call, etc.) and applies it to the processor 290, and a wired or wireless communication device with the sound conversion device 100. It is configured to include a communication unit 258 that performs a processor 290 that controls the above-described components and performs a sound reproduction function and a phone call function while being communicated with the sound conversion device 100. However, the power supply unit (not shown), input unit 254, communication unit 258, etc. correspond to technologies that are clearly recognized by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments belong, and thus their descriptions are omitted.

The processor 290 communicates with the audio conversion device 100 through the communication unit 258 and performs a sound reproduction function or a phone call function. As described above, the processor 90 of the acoustic conversion device 100 performs a determination process as to whether the acoustic signal from the front microphone 40 includes a collision sound, and if the collision sound is included in the above determination process, the collision sound is Perform the process of calculating the number of occurrences. The processor 90 performs a control operation corresponding to the calculated number of collision sounds, or generates a control command corresponding to the control operation and transmits it to the electronic communication device 200 through the communication unit 58. The processor 290 receives control commands through the communication unit 258 and performs control operations according to the received control commands.

As described above, the sound conversion device 100 quickly performs control using impact sounds without a physical input means such as the input unit 54, that is, without physical input from the user, and provides security by preventing the input from being exposed to the outside. You can also secure a castle.

At least a portion of the device (e.g., processor or functions thereof) or method (e.g., operations) according to various embodiments is stored in a computer-readable storage media, for example, in the form of a program module. Can be implemented as stored instructions. When the instruction is executed by a processor, the one or more processors may perform the function corresponding to the instruction. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, memory.

Computer-readable recording media include hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic media (e.g. magnetic tape), optical media (e.g. CD-ROM, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), magnetic media) It may include magnetic media (e.g., a floptical disk), hardware devices (e.g., ROM, RAM, or flash memory, etc.), etc. Additionally, program instructions may include strings such as those generated by the compiler. It may include not only machine language code but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc. The above-described hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of various embodiments, The same goes for the station.

The processor or functions provided by the processor according to various embodiments may include at least one of the above-described components, some of them may be omitted, or other additional components may be included. Operations performed by modules, program modules, or other components according to various embodiments may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or in a heuristic manner. Additionally, some operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or other operations may be added.

As explained above, it is not limited to the specific preferred embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made by anyone skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the claims. Of course, such changes are within the scope of the claims.

100: Acoustic transducer 200: electronic communication device

Claims (6)

a case in which first and second accommodating spaces are formed;
a nozzle that communicates with the second receiving space of the case and the outside and that can be inserted into the user's external auditory canal;
a blocking portion mounted in the case to partition the first and second accommodating spaces and separate them from communicating with each other;
a speaker mounted in the second accommodation space within the case and emitting sound in a direction toward a nozzle, which is the direction of sound emission;
a front microphone mounted in the second receiving space of the case to acquire sound from inside the human body;
a rear microphone mounted in the first receiving space of the case to acquire sound from outside the human body;
a communication unit that performs communication with an electronic communication device;
Communication is performed with an electronic communication device through the communication unit, and sound playback and phone call functions are performed by controlling at least one of the front microphone, rear microphone, or speaker. This occurs when occlusion occurs between the teeth of the upper jaw and the lower jaw. A sound conversion device comprising a processor that performs a control operation corresponding to the collision sound when the collision sound is included in the sound from the front microphone. According to claim 1,
An acoustic conversion device characterized in that the processor stores acoustic characteristic data of the collision sound to determine whether the sound from the front microphone includes the collision sound. According to claim 1,
An acoustic conversion device characterized in that the processor performs a control operation corresponding to the number of collision sounds during a preset time. According to claim 3,
A sound conversion device characterized in that the control operation includes playing sound or stopping sound play, accepting a call, ending a call, rejecting a call, or recognizing a voice. According to claim 3,
An acoustic conversion device, characterized in that the processor generates a control command corresponding to the control operation and transmits it to the electronic communication device through the communication unit. According to claim 1,
While the processor is performing a sleep mode in which only the rear microphone is activated, if the sound signal applied from the rear microphone includes a wake up word, the processor performs an active mode by activating the front microphone and the communication unit. An acoustic conversion device.