WO2021124776A1

WO2021124776A1 - Hearing device

Info

Publication number: WO2021124776A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/043020
Authority: WO
Inventors: 裕司細井
Original assignee: 株式会社ファインウェル
Priority date: 2019-12-17
Filing date: 2020-11-18
Publication date: 2021-06-24
Also published as: TW202127913A; JP2021097318A

Abstract

This hearing device, for example, may grip or pierce at least part of the auricle, and impart vibrations which have audio information to the cartilaginous tissue surrounding the periphery of the opening of the external auditory canal. The hearing device may have: an ornamental part which grips or pierces at least part of the auricle; a vibrator which generates vibrations and is directly or indirectly supported by the ornamental part; and a main body part which drives the vibrator and is directly or indirectly supported by the ornamental part. The ornamental part may support the vibrator and/or the main body section on the rear side of the auricle. The ornamental part may support the vibrator by gripping the same along with at least part of the auricle. The vibrator may have a shape which fits into the intertragic notch, and be connected to the main body section by an electric wire. The electric wire may be installed on the inner surface of the ornamental part or in the hollow interior thereof. The ornamental part may be the vibration transmission medium.

Description

Listening device

The invention disclosed in this specification relates to a listening device.

The applicant of the present application has proposed a large number of listening devices using cartilage conduction (registered trademark) [cartilage conduction (registered trademark)], mobile phones and hearing aids using the same (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-064237

However, there was room for further improvement in the usability of the conventional listening device.

The invention disclosed in the present specification aims to provide an easy-to-use listening device in view of the above problems found by the inventor of the present application.

The listening device disclosed in the present specification is configured to sandwich or penetrate at least a part of the auricle and give vibration having voice information to the cartilage tissue surrounding the external auditory canal opening (first configuration). ing.

The listening device having the first configuration includes an accessory that sandwiches or penetrates at least a part of the pinna, an oscillator that is directly or indirectly supported by the accessory to generate the vibration, and the accessory directly. A configuration (second configuration) may be configured in which a main body portion that is supported intentionally or indirectly to drive the vibrator is provided.

In the listening device having the second configuration, the accessory may have a configuration (third configuration) in which the vibrator, the main body, or both of them are supported by the back side of the auricle.

In the listening device having the second or third configuration, the accessory may have a configuration (fourth configuration) in which the vibrator is sandwiched and supported together with at least a part of the pinna.

In the listening device having the second or third configuration, the oscillator may have a shape that fits in the intertragic notch and may be connected to the main body via an electric wire (fifth configuration).

In the listening device having the fifth configuration, the electric wire may be laid on the inner surface of the accessory or inside the hollow (sixth configuration).

In the listening device having any of the second to fourth configurations, the accessory may be configured to serve as a transmission medium for the vibration (seventh configuration).

According to the invention disclosed in the present specification, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use listening device.

Anatomical chart of the ear Graph showing an example of actual measurement data showing the effect of cartilage conduction The figure which shows the 1st Embodiment (temporal side) of the listening apparatus The figure which shows the 1st Embodiment (occipital side) of the listening apparatus The figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment (occipital side) of the listening apparatus The figure which shows the 3rd Embodiment (temporal side) of a listening device. The figure which shows the 4th Embodiment (temporal side) of a listening device. The figure which shows the 5th Embodiment (temporal side) of the listening apparatus

<Cartilage conduction>
Prior to the specific description of the listening device of the present application, first, the listening mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 1 is an anatomical view of the ear.

The inventor of the present application, who is an otolaryngologist, has always used the cartilage tissue of the ear canal X2 surrounding the ear canal opening X1a, for example, the ear canal X2a or the ear canal cartilage X2b distributed behind the ear canal X2 (particularly). When an oscillator is applied to the ear canal (a part near the ear canal X1a), the vibration is transmitted to the ear canal X1b of the cartilage (= about half of the ear canal X1 on the front side close to the ear canal X1a) of the ear canal of the cartilage. When the air conduction sound (= air density wave due to acoustic vibration) generated from the inner surface reaches the ear canal X3 via the ear canal X1c (= about half of the ear canal X1 on the inner side close to the ear canal X3), the sound is produced. For the first time in the world, we discovered a new listening mechanism of hearing (= a third listening mechanism that is neither air conduction nor bone conduction, see the thick solid line arrow in Fig. 1), and named it cartilage conduction (registered trademark) and carried it. We are proposing to use it in telephones and hearing aids.

With the above cartilage conduction (registered trademark), unlike the conventional bone conduction that vibrates the heavy frontal bone and temporal bone, the lighter ear beads X2a and auricular cartilage X2b can be vibrated to hear the sound. , The driving energy of the vibrator can be very small.

In addition, in cartilage conduction (registered trademark), unlike the conventional air conduction (= the phenomenon that the air conduction sound entering from the outside of the ear canal opening X1a vibrates the eardrum X3, the sound is heard), the ear canal opening X1a is used as a finger or the like. When the sound is closed in, the sound energy inside the ear canal X1 increases and the sound becomes louder (= ear canal closing effect). Therefore, by closing the ear canal opening X1a, the sound can be clearly heard even in an environment with a large ambient noise.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing an example of actual measurement data showing the effect of cartilage conduction. This graph shows the inside of the ear canal 1 cm behind the ear canal entrance when the outer wall surface of the vibrating body vibrated by the cartilage conduction vibration source is brought into contact with at least a part of the ear canal around the ear canal entrance without contacting the helix. It shows the sound pressure in relation to the frequency.

The vertical axis of this graph is the sound pressure (dBSPL), and the horizontal axis is the frequency (Hz) on the logarithmic scale. In addition, in this graph, in order to show the effect of the contact pressure between the outer wall surface of the vibrating body and the ear cartilage around the entrance of the external auditory canal on the sound pressure in the external auditory canal, a non-contact state (= generated from the outer wall surface of the vibrating body). The sound pressure (when only the air conduction sound can be heard) is shown by the solid line, the sound pressure at a contact pressure of 10 weight grams is shown by a broken line, the sound pressure at a contact pressure of 250 weight grams is shown by a single point chain line, and the external auditory canal is closed by further increase in contact pressure. The sound pressure in the state (contact pressure of 500 weight grams) is shown by a two-point chain line.

As shown, the sound pressure increases from the non-contact state by contact with a contact pressure of 10 kilograms, further increases by an increase in contact pressure to 250 kilograms, and the contact pressure is further increased from this state to 500 kilograms. As a result, the sound pressure is further increased.

As is clear from this graph, when the outer wall surface of the vibrating body is brought into contact with at least a part of the ear cartilage around the ear canal entrance without contacting the helix, it is 1 cm deeper from the ear canal entrance than in the non-contact state. It can be seen that the sound pressure in the ear canal is increased by at least 10 dB in the main frequency band of the voice (500 Hz to 2300 Hz) (see comparing the non-contact state shown by the solid line with the state shown by the single point chain line).

In addition, as is clear from this graph, when the outer wall surface of the vibrating body is brought into contact with at least a part of the ear canal around the ear canal entrance without contacting the helix, the contact pressure changes 1 cm behind the ear canal entrance. It can be seen that the sound pressure in the ear canal of the ear canal changes by at least 5 dB in the main frequency band (500 Hz to 2500 Hz) of the voice (compare the slight contact state shown by the broken line and the contact state shown by the alternate long and short dash line). ).

From the above, it can be seen that the required sound pressure can be obtained by transmitting the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration source to the ear cartilage by contact without a mechanism for generating air conduction sound (for example, a diaphragm of a normal earphone). In addition, since the vibrating body is brought into contact with the ear cartilage around the entrance of the ear canal, the sound from the vibrator can be heard at the same time as the sound from the vibrator without blocking the ear canal while the ear canal is open. It can be seen that comfortable wearing without a feeling of blockage is possible.

Furthermore, as is clear from this graph, the ear canal is closed by bringing the outer wall surface of the vibrating body into stronger contact with at least a part of the ear cartilage (in the actual measurement in this figure, the outer wall surface of the vibrating body is pressed from the outside of the tragus). When the tragus is bent to close the ear canal), the sound pressure in the ear canal 1 cm behind the entrance of the ear canal is in the main frequency band (300 Hz to 1800 Hz) of the sound compared to the non-contact state. It can be seen that there is an increase of at least 20 dB. This shows a large sound pressure enhancing effect due to the addition of the ear canal closing effect (see comparing the non-contact state shown by the solid line and the state in which the ear canal is closed shown by the alternate long and short dash line).

The measurements in this graph are all in a state where the output of the cartilage conduction vibration source is not changed. In addition, the measurement in this graph is a state in which the outer wall surface of the vibrating body is in contact with at least a part of the ear cartilage around the entrance of the ear canal without contacting the helix. I'm going at. In addition, the measurement in the state where the ear canal is closed in this graph is performed by creating a state in which the tragus is folded back to close the ear canal by pressing the tragus more strongly from the outside as described above. ..

Also, this graph is just an example, and there are individual differences if you look closely. Further, in this graph, in order to simplify and standardize the phenomenon, the measurement is performed in a state where the outer wall surface of the vibrating body is brought into contact with a small area only on the outside of the tragus.

However, the increase in sound pressure due to contact also depends on the contact area with the ear cartilage, and when the outer wall surface of the vibrating body is brought into contact with the ear cartilage around the ear canal entrance without contact with the ear canal, the area around the ear canal entrance Contact with a wider area of the ear cartilage further increases the increase in sound pressure. Considering the above, the numerical values shown in this graph have generality indicating a configuration utilizing cartilage conduction, and are reproducible by an unspecified number of subjects.

Furthermore, in this graph, when closing the ear canal, the tragus is pressed from the outside to increase the contact pressure and the tragus is folded back, but the outer wall surface of the vibrating body is pushed into the ear canal entrance to push the tragus into the ear canal. Similar results can be obtained when the is closed.

<Listening device (first embodiment)>
3 and 4 are both views showing a first embodiment (temporal side and occipital side) of the listening device. The listening device 100 of the present embodiment is used, for example, as a headphone for a smartphone or a portable music player, or as a hearing aid or a sound collector, and has an accessory 110, a vibrator 120, and a main body 130. ..

The accessory 110 is an open ring (C-shaped) accessory called an "ear cuff" in Japan, and is worn so as to sandwich at least a part of the pinna X2 (for example, an ear ring or a pair of rings). As long as the accessory 110 does not fall off the auricle X2 while directly or indirectly supporting the vibrator 120 and the main body 130, its shape or structure, or its design (decoration) and its presence or absence are irrelevant. .. Further, the number, size, material, and attachment position of the accessory 110 to the auricle X2 are also arbitrary. The accessory 110 may be a dedicated product of the listening device 100, or may be a wide variety of ready-made products on the market. When an off-the-shelf product is used as the accessory 110, an attachment for attaching the vibrator 120 or the main body 130 to the accessory 110 may be prepared.

The vibrator 120 generates a vibration V corresponding to a voice signal S (= an electric signal including sound information), and the cartilage tissue surrounding the ear canal opening X1a (in this figure, the ear distributed behind the pinna X2). It is transmitted to the auricular cartilage X2b). As the vibrator 120, a piezoelectric element, an electromagnetic vibration element, or the like can be preferably used. The oscillator 120 may be built in the main body 130 or may be separated from the main body 130. The shape, structure, number, size, and mounting position of the vibrator 120 on the accessory 110 or the main body 130 are also arbitrary.

As shown in the balloon frame of FIG. 4, the main body 130 includes an audio signal receiving unit 131, a driving unit 132, and a power supply unit 133 as various electric circuits necessary for driving the vibrator 120. When the vibrator 120 is built in the main body 130, the entire main body 130 vibrates and vibration V is given to the auricular cartilage X2b. Further, the shape, structure, size, and mounting position of the main body 130 on the accessory 110 are arbitrary.

The audio signal receiving unit 131 wirelessly (or wiredly) receives the audio signal S generated by the external sound source 200 (for example, a smartphone or a portable music player) and outputs the received signal S1. Instead of the audio signal receiving unit 131, an internal sound source 134 that generates the audio signal S by itself and outputs the audio signal S to the driving unit 132 instead of the received signal S1 may be built in.

The drive unit 132 performs predetermined signal processing (amplification processing, waveform shaping processing, etc.) on the received signal S1 to generate a drive signal S2, and drives the vibrator 120 using this.

The power supply unit 133 is a means for supplying electric power to each unit of the main body unit 130, and a button-type primary battery or a secondary battery can be preferably used.

In this way, the ear cuff type listening device 100 that sandwiches at least a part of the auricle X2 and gives vibration V having voice information to the cartilage tissue surrounding the external auditory canal opening X1a has the above-mentioned cartilage conduction. You can enjoy all the actions and effects.

Further, since the listening device 100 of the present embodiment is difficult to fall off from the auricle X2, stable listening can be realized even in a non-resting state of the user (exercise state such as walking, jogging, running, swimming, exercising, etc.). Is possible.

Further, in the listening device 100 of the present embodiment, since the main body 130 is supported by the accessory 110 on the back side of the auricle X2 (= the position that cannot be seen from the front side of the auricle X2), at first glance, it is only an ordinary accessory. can not see. Therefore, the user can listen to music and voice very naturally without worrying about the surrounding eyes.

When the listening device 100 is used as a hearing aid or a sound collector, the external sound source 200 or the internal sound source 134 may be a microphone that collects ambient sounds. With such a configuration, in the listening device 100, the sound collected by the microphone is amplified and processed to drive the vibrator 120, so that the user with reduced hearing can hear a clear sound. it can. Also, when used as a hearing aid or sound collector, it is easier to collect the voice of the other party if the microphone is located on the front side (front) rather than on the back side of the pinna, so the microphone is attached to the front of the accessory 110. Is also convenient.

<Listening device (second embodiment)>
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second embodiment (occipital side) of the listening device 100. The listening device 100 of the present embodiment is based on the first embodiment (FIGS. 3 and 4) described above, but the support structure of the main body 130 (and the vibrator 120 built therein) is changed. Has been added.

More specifically, in the listening device 100 of the present embodiment, the accessory 110 sandwiches and supports the main body 130 together with at least a part of the auricle X2. That is, unlike the first embodiment (FIG. 4) described above, the main body 130 is attached to the inner surface of the accessory 110. Therefore, when the accessory 110 is attached to the auricle X2, the main body 130 is inevitably pressed against the auricle X2 (or the auricle cartilage X2b). As a result, the efficiency of transmitting the vibration V to the auricle X2 (or the auricle cartilage X2b) is increased, and the sound pressure in the ear canal X1 is increased, so that the driving energy of the vibrator 120 does not need to be increased unnecessarily.

When the oscillator 120 is separated from the main body 130, the oscillator 120 may be attached to the inner surface of the accessory 110 and the main body 130 may be attached to the outer surface of the accessory 110. With such a configuration, only the oscillator 120, which is smaller than the main body 130, is sandwiched between the accessory 110 and the auricle X2, so that the oscillator 120 is made stronger than the auricle X2 (or the auricle X2). It can be pressed against the auricular cartilage X2b). Further, since the main body 130 does not intervene between the accessory 110 and the auricle X2, the accessory 110 is more difficult to fall off from the auricle X2, and the user's discomfort (feeling of inserting a foreign object) is reduced. You can also.

<Listening device (third embodiment)>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a third embodiment (temporal side) of the listening device 100. The listening device 100 of the present embodiment is based on the first embodiment (FIG. 3) or the second embodiment (FIG. 4) described above, and the oscillator 120 separated from the main body 130 is paired with the tragus X2a. By being attached to the intertragic notch X2d (= lower part of the tragus cavity) sandwiched between the tragus X2c, the user can hear the sound.

The oscillator 120 is formed into a shape and size that fits in the intertragic notch X2d. For example, it is desirable that the oscillator 120 be formed into a spherical shape, a long spherical shape or an eccentric sphere, a hemispherical shape, a semi-long sphere or a semi-oblique sphere, or a chamfered cylindrical shape.

Further, the oscillator 120 is connected to the main body 130 (not specified in this figure) supported on the back side of the pinna X2 via the electric wire 140 (= transmission path of the drive signal S2).

The electric wire 140 may be laid by hiding at least a part of it inside the inner side surface or the hollow inside of the accessory 110. By performing such laying, the electric wire 140 can be made inconspicuous. On the other hand, the electric wire 140 may be exposed as a part of the design. In this case, the electric wire 140 may be decorated or colored.

With the listening device 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to realize stable and extremely natural listening as in the first embodiment (FIGS. 3 and 4) or the second embodiment (FIG. 5) described above. Become.

<Listening device (fourth embodiment)>
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a fourth embodiment (temporal side) of the listening device 100. The listening device 100 of the present embodiment is based on the third embodiment (FIG. 5) described above, and the accessories 110 and the main body 130 are modified.

More specifically, the accessory 110 is an accessory called "piercing" in Japan, and is worn so as to penetrate at least a part of the pinna X2 (earlobe in this figure) with a needle. As long as the accessory 110 does not fall off the auricle X2 while directly or indirectly supporting the vibrator 120 and the main body 130, its shape or structure, or its design (decoration) and its presence or absence are irrelevant. .. Further, the number, size, material, and attachment position of the accessory 110 to the auricle X2 are also arbitrary. The accessory 110 may be a dedicated product of the listening device 100, or may be a wide variety of ready-made products on the market. When an off-the-shelf product is used as the accessory 110, an attachment for attaching the vibrator 120 or the main body 130 to the accessory 110 may be prepared. These points are the same as when the accessory 110 is an "ear cuff".

The oscillator 120 has a shape and size that fits in the intertragic notch X2d, and is connected to the main body 130 via the electric wire 140, as in the third embodiment (FIG. 6) described above.

The main body 130 is a driving body of the vibrator 120, and includes the above-mentioned audio signal receiving unit 131, driving unit 132, power supply unit 133, and the like. In this figure, as a part of the design, an elongated columnar main body 130 is suspended on the accessory 110. Of course, the shape of the main body 130 and the like are not limited to this.

With the listening device 100 of the present embodiment, stable and extremely natural listening can be realized as in the case of the third embodiment (FIG. 6) described above.

The main body 130 may be incorporated into the accessory 110 itself.

Further, the main body 130 is not exposed to the front side of the auricle X2 as a part of the design, but as a so-called "catch" (= a member for fastening the needle of the accessory 110 on the back side of the auricle X2) of the auricle X2. It may be provided on the back side. With such a configuration, the main body 130 does not have to stand out, and the accessory 110 can be prevented from falling off.

Also, as the accessory 110, an accessory called "earring" in Japan can be used.

<Listening device (fifth embodiment)>
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a fifth embodiment (temporal side) of the listening device 100. The listening device 100 of the present embodiment is based on the first to fourth embodiments (FIGS. 3 to 7) described above, and is characterized in that the accessory 110 itself serves as a transmission medium for vibration V.

The accessory 110 is an accessory called "piercing" in Japan, as in the fourth embodiment (FIG. 7) described above, and penetrates at least a part of the pinna X2 (tragus X2a in this figure) with a needle 111. It is installed like this.

The accessory 110 includes the vibrator 120 and the main body 130. For example, in this figure, the main body 130 is the main part (decorative part) of the accessory 110, and the needle 111 is derived from the main body 130. Further, the oscillator 120 is built in the main body 130.

In the listening device 100 of the present embodiment, the vibration V generated by the vibrator 120 is not only transmitted from the main body 130 to the surface of the tragus X2a, but also through the needle 111 penetrating the tragus X2a. It is also transmitted to the inside of the tragus X2a. As described above, if the accessory 110 itself (particularly the needle 111 penetrating the tragus X2a) serves as a transmission medium for the vibration V, extremely good cartilage conduction can be obtained.

In order to obtain good cartilage conduction, it is desirable that the needle 111 penetrates the tragus X2a, but the mounting position of the accessory 110 is not limited to this, and the desired cartilage conduction can be obtained. As long as it is any part of the auricle X2, it may be used.

Further, the accessory 110 may be an accessory 110 that holds at least a part of the pinna X2 (including the above-mentioned "ear cuff"). For example, although not shown again, if the accessory 110 holds the tragus X2a with a clip, the vibration V can be transmitted to the tragus X2a via the clip. The higher the pinching force of the clip, the better cartilage conduction can be obtained, but it is desirable to adjust the pinching force to the extent that the user does not feel pain.

<Other variants>
In addition to the above-described embodiment, the various technical features disclosed in the present specification can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical creation. That is, it should be considered that the above-described embodiment is exemplary in all respects and is not restrictive, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and claims for patent. It should be understood that the meaning equal to the scope and all changes belonging to the scope are included.

The invention disclosed in the present specification can be used, for example, for headphones such as smartphones and portable music players, or for hearing aids or sound collectors.

100 ... listening device, 110 ... auricle, 111 ... needle, 120 ... oscillator, 130 ... main body, 131 ... audio signal receiver, 132 ... drive, 133 ... power supply, 134 ... internal sound source, 140 ... wire, 200 ... External sound source, X1 ... Ear canal, X1a ... Ear canal, X1b ... Cartilage external auditory canal, X1c ... Bone external auditory canal X1c, X2 ... Auricle, X2a ... Auricle, X2b ... Auricular cartilage on the back of the eardrum, X2c ... Anti-ear Beads, X2d ... Notches between beads, X3 ... Auricle

Claims

A listening device that sandwiches or penetrates at least a part of the auricle and gives vibration with voice information to the cartilage tissue surrounding the ear canal opening.
An accessory that sandwiches or penetrates at least a part of the auricle.
A vibrator that is directly or indirectly supported by the accessory to generate the vibration.
A main body that is directly or indirectly supported by the accessory to drive the vibrator, and
The listening device according to claim 1.
The accessory supports the vibrator, the main body, or both of them on the back side of the pinna.
The listening device according to claim 2.
The accessory supports the vibrator by sandwiching it with at least a part of the pinna.
The listening device according to claim 2 or 3.
The oscillator has a shape that fits in the intertragic notch and is connected to the main body via an electric wire.
The listening device according to claim 2 or 3.
The electric wire is laid on the inner surface of the accessory or inside the hollow.
The listening device according to claim 5.
The accessory serves as a transmission medium for the vibration.
The listening device according to any one of claims 2 to 4.