Sleeve structure

Abstract

The present invention provides a sleeve structure, which is provided in a lead-out portion of a headset, for example, in which left and right earphone units are connected by a cable and a remote control unit or a battery unit is clamped on the cable, and in which a cable is led out from the remote control unit, etc., to prevent the cable from being disconnected near the lead-out portion. The sleeve structure is provided at a lead-out portion (5a) of a cable (4), and comprises a sleeve body (2), which is provided at the lead-out portion and has a first through hole (2a2) for inserting the cable, and the diameter of the first through hole gradually increases toward the lead-out direction of the cable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sleeve structure. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sleeve structure that is provided in, for example, an earphone in which left and right earphone units are connected by a cable and a remote control unit or a battery storage unit is sandwiched on the cable (referred to as a "semi-wireless earphone"), and in which a cable is led out from a remote control unit or the like, and can suppress the cable from being disconnected near the lead-out portion. Background Art

[0002] Nowadays, the following usage of headphones is widely prevalent, for example, a smartphone and headphones are connected and used based on a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0003] As a headset utilizing wireless communication, a semi-wireless headset 50 can be cited, which is as follows: Figure 8 As shown, the headset includes left and right earphone units 51 and 52 , a cable 53 for physically connecting the left and right earphone units 51 and 52 , and a remote control unit 54 interposed on the cable 53 .

[0004] Although not shown in the figure, the remote control unit 54 is equipped with a circuit substrate, a battery, etc. for wireless connection with a smartphone, etc., and is heavier and larger in size than the remote control unit provided in the existing wired headphones.

[0005] Furthermore, depending on the product, there is a type in which the circuit substrate and the battery unit are provided separately as disclosed in Patent Document 1, but neither the circuit substrate nor the battery unit can be sufficiently miniaturized.

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Patent literature:

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Utility Model Patent No. 3209356 Summary of the invention

[0009] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0010] However, when the semi-wireless earphone is stored in a bag or pocket, the cable 53 is often wrapped around the remote control unit 54, or the remote control unit 54 is not easily damaged. Fig. 9 As shown, the cable 53 is wound into a ring shape for bundling.

[0011] However, when the cable 53 is wound around the remote control unit 54, the sleeve body 55 located at both ends of the remote control unit 54 is loaded, and the cable 53 is bent near the top end of the sleeve body 55, so there is a problem that the cable 53 is easily disconnected.

[0012] Especially if Fig.10As shown in the partial cross-sectional view of , in the case of the convex-shaped sleeve body 55 that has been widely used in the past, if its elasticity is large or hard, the cable 53 is easily bent at an acute angle on the top end side of the sleeve body 55.

[0013] More specifically, when the semi-wireless earphone is stored in a bag or pocket, when the cable 53 is wound around the remote control unit 54, even if the cable 53 is lightly wound around the remote control unit 54, the remote control unit 54 may be easily damaged. Fig.11 As shown in (a), the shape of the sleeve does not change much, and the cable 53 can be easily bent at an acute angle.

[0014] On the other hand, Fig.11 As shown in (b), if the cable 53 is wound around the remote control unit 54 with a large force to the extent that the sleeve body 55 is bent, the bending angle of the cable 53 can be made gentle. However, since the sleeve body 55 is subjected to a large load as a whole, there is a problem that the peripheral structure (installation part, etc.) of the sleeve body 55 becomes easy to be damaged.

[0015] In addition, to ensure that the cable 53 does not bend at an acute angle in the sleeve 55, the lead-out portion of the cable may be made into a corrugated structure, for example, so that the bending of the sleeve body 55 becomes smooth. However, in this case, the size of the sleeve body 55 needs to be further increased, which greatly reduces the degree of freedom in the design of the remote control unit 54 and the like.

[0016] The present invention is completed to solve the above-mentioned problem, and its purpose is to provide a sleeve structure, which is arranged in the lead-out part of the cable leading out from the remote control part, etc., in the earphones in which the left and right earphone units are connected by a cable and the remote control part or battery part is clamped on the cable, and can prevent the cable from being broken near the lead-out part.

[0017] Solutions for solving problems

[0018] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a sleeve structure, which is arranged at the lead-out part of the cable. The sleeve structure is characterized in that it has a sleeve body, which is arranged at the lead-out part and has a first through hole for the cable to be inserted, and the diameter of the first through hole gradually increases toward the lead-out direction of the cable.

[0019] Furthermore, it is preferable that the inner peripheral surface of the first through hole is formed in a convex arc shape in cross section.

[0020] Furthermore, the sleeve structure of the present invention preferably includes a disengagement prevention portion connected to the lower portion of the sleeve body, the disengagement prevention portion having: a second through hole communicating with the first through hole and allowing the cable to be inserted and engaged; and a locking portion locked to the lead-out portion.

[0021] In addition, the anti-detachment portion is preferably formed of a material harder than the sleeve body. For example, the sleeve body is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the anti-detachment portion is formed of polypropylene.

[0022] As described above, in the sleeve structure of the present invention, the cable lead-out portion includes a mortar-shaped through hole, which is larger than the cable diameter and gradually increases in diameter toward the cable lead-out direction around the cable axis.

[0023] Thus, for example, when the user of the wireless headset holds the remote control with one hand and winds the cable around the remote control with the other hand, the cable near the lead-out portion will contact the inner peripheral surface of the mortar-shaped first through hole with a relatively long line width. Therefore, the load applied to the cable near the lead-out portion is dispersed, and the cable can be prevented from being broken. In addition, in particular, by forming the inner peripheral surface of the first through hole into a convex arc cross-section, the cable can be led out in a state where the cable is bent relatively gently, thereby preventing the cable from bending at an acute angle.

[0024] In addition, the sleeve body is concave, not convex from the lead-out portion of the cable. Therefore, the remote control unit to which the sleeve body is mounted is not subject to design restrictions such as making the lead-out portion of the cable a folded structure. That is, the freedom of design of the remote control unit is increased, and the design of the product having the remote control unit is improved.

[0025] Moreover, the sleeve body disposed at the portion where the load is applied to the cable portion is formed to be soft, and the anti-slip portion disposed at the portion where the load is not applied to the cable is formed to be hard. Thus, the anti-slip performance of the sleeve is improved, and the load applied to the cable can be absorbed by the sleeve body.

[0026] Effects of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sleeve structure capable of suppressing the cable from being disconnected near the lead-out portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing an enlarged sleeve structure of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 It is a side view of the sleeve structure of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 (a) is a top view of the sleeve structure monomer of the present invention, Figure 3 (b) is Figure 3 (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the AA direction.

[0031] Figure 4 (a) is Figure 3 (a) is a side view of the device viewed from the direction B. Figure 4 (b) is Figure 3 (a) is a side view as viewed in the direction of arrow C.

[0032] Figure 5 (a), (b), and (c) are cross-sectional views of the sleeve structure of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve structure of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 7 It is a side view of the sleeve structure of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 8 It is a front view of an existing semi-wireless headset.

[0036] Fig. 9 This is a perspective view of a conventional semi-wireless headset with its cables bundled in a ring shape.

[0037] Fig.10 It is a side view of the existing sleeve structure.

[0038] Fig.11 (a) and (b) are side views of the existing sleeve structure.

[0039] Description of Reference Numerals

[0040] 1: Sleeve structure

[0041] 2: Sleeve body

[0042] 2a: Cylindrical part

[0043] 2a1: Inner circumference

[0044] 2a2: Through hole (first through hole)

[0045] 2b: Flange

[0046] 3: Anti-slip part

[0047] 3a: Through hole (second through hole)

[0048] 3b: Flange receiving part (locking part)

[0049] 4: Cable

[0050] 5: Remote control

[0051] 5a: Lead-out section DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The following describes an embodiment of the sleeve structure of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] Figure 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the sleeve structure 1 of the present invention. The sleeve structure 1 is attached to the lead-out portions 5a respectively arranged at both ends of the remote control portion 5 of the earphone. The earphone cable 4 inserted in the remote control portion 5 is led out of the remote control portion 5 from the lead-out portions 5a. Figure 2 is a side view of the sleeve structure 1. In addition, Figure 1 , Figure 2 The state where the cover of the remote control unit 5 is opened is shown. Figure 3 (a) is a top view of the sleeve structure 1 monomer, Figure 3 (b) is Figure 3 (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the AA direction. In addition, Figure 4 (a) is Figure 3 (a) is a side view as viewed from the direction B. Figure 4 (b) is Figure 3 (a) is a side view as viewed in the direction of arrow C.

[0054] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the sleeve structure 1 includes a sleeve body 2 located on the cable lead-out side and a retaining portion 3 disposed therebelow. The sleeve structure 1 includes a two-layer structure of the sleeve body 2 and the retaining portion 3.

[0055] The sleeve body 2 has Figure 3 The cylindrical portion 2a having the through hole 2a2 (first through hole) as shown in (b) and Figure 4 As shown in (b), the flange portion 2b protrudes to the left and right from the lower end thereof. The inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the through hole 2a2 is recessed in a mortar shape. The through hole 2a2 penetrates in the up-down direction.

[0056] The inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the through hole 2a2 (cylindrical portion 2a) has a curved surface with a convex arc cross section. When the diameter of the cable 4 (sheath) is 2 mm, the curvature R of the convex arc cross section is 1.57 mm.

[0057] In addition, in the sleeve body 2 , the minimum diameter of the mortar-shaped through hole 2 a 2 is substantially the same as the diameter of the cable 4 .

[0058] In addition, the anti-falling part 3 has the following features: Figure 3 (b) shows a through hole 3a (second through hole) arranged below the through hole 2a2. The through hole 3a is arranged so that the central axis of the through hole 3a is aligned with the central axis of the through hole 2a2. The diameter of the through hole 3a is the same as the minimum diameter of the through hole 2a2 of the sleeve body 2 (the diameter of the cable 4). The cable 4 is inserted and fitted into the through hole 3a and the through hole 2a2.

[0059] Furthermore, the anti-detachment portion 3 includes a flange receiving portion 3 b (locking portion) on which the flange portion 2 b of the sleeve body 2 is disposed.

[0060] Moreover, if Figure 4 As shown in (b), the convex portion 3c of the anti-detachment portion 3 in the sleeve body 2 is inserted into (connected to) the concave portion 2c of the sleeve body 2, and is engaged with the anti-detachment portion 3. The concave portion 2c is formed (configured) between a pair of flange portions 2b of the sleeve body 2. The convex portion 3c is formed (configured) between a pair of flange receiving portions 3b of the anti-detachment portion 3.

[0061] Here, the cable 4 is inserted and fitted into the through hole 2a2 of the sleeve body 2 and the through hole 3a of the anti-detachment part 3. The flange part 2b is locked to the circular opening edge part 5b ( Figure 1 , Figure 2 In other words, the sleeve structure 1 is fitted into the opening edge 5b of the remote control unit 5 and is installed in the remote control unit 5 in a state where it cannot be easily drawn out from the remote control unit 5.

[0062] Moreover, as mentioned above, the reason why the through hole 2a2 of the sleeve body 2 is formed in a mortar shape is that Figure 5 As shown by the dotted line in (a), the contact range between the cable 4 and the inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the through hole 2a2 is extended in the axial direction of the cable 4 (in order to disperse the load applied to the cable 4).

[0063] For example, Figure 5 As shown in (b), if the through hole 2a2 is not formed in a mortar shape, the contact point between the cable 4 and the sleeve body 2 is concentrated at one point, and the cable 4 is likely to be broken.

[0064] Furthermore, in the present embodiment in which the through hole 2a2 of the sleeve structure 1 as the lead-out portion of the cable 4 is formed in a mortar shape, the sleeve structure 1 is composed of two components, the sleeve body 2 and the anti-detachment portion 3. This is because, compared with integrally molding the sleeve structure 1 in a mortar shape, it is easier to injection-mold only the mortar-shaped through hole 2a2 in the sleeve body 2 in terms of mold structure.

[0065] Furthermore, by forming the sleeve structure 1 from two parts, the sleeve body 2 can be formed from a material different from that of the anti-detachment portion 3. That is, for example, the sleeve body 2 is formed from TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), and the anti-detachment portion 3 is formed from PP (polypropylene). In this case, the sleeve body 2 disposed at a portion where a load is applied to the cable 4 is soft, and the anti-detachment portion 3 disposed at a portion where a load is not applied to the cable 4 is hard. Therefore, the performance of preventing the sleeve structure 1 from detaching from the remote control portion 5 is improved, and the sleeve body 2 absorbs the load applied to the cable 4.

[0066] In the remote control unit 5 using the sleeve structure 1 constructed as above, for example, Figure 6As shown, when the cable 4 is bent in the direction of the arrow, the contact range between the cable 4 and the inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the through hole 2a2 ( Figure 5 The range shown by the dotted line in (a) depends on the angle of the cable 4 toward the inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the mortar-shaped through hole 2a2.

[0067] That is, the contact range of the cable 4 with the inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the through hole 2a2 becomes longer in the axial direction of the cable 4. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cable 4 from being disconnected due to the contact point between the cable 4 and the sleeve body 2 being concentrated at one point.

[0068] In addition, when the cable 4 is tightly wound around the remote control unit 5, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, even if the cable 4 runs along the housing of the remote control unit 5, the lead-out portion 5a is in a mortar shape with a convex arc cross section, so the bending shape of the cable 4 is also a curve. As a result, the load applied to the cable 4 can be dispersed, so the cable 4 is less likely to break.

[0069] According to the embodiment described above, the sleeve structure 1 of the present invention has a through hole 2a2 formed in a mortar shape, and the through hole 2a2 is formed in the lead-out portion 5a of the remote control unit 5 around the cable axis toward the lead-out direction of the cable 4 ( Figure 3 (b) above) is larger than the cable diameter, and the diameter gradually increases.

[0070] Thus, for example, when the user of the wireless headset holds the remote control unit 5 with one hand and winds the cable 4 around the remote control unit 5 with the other hand, the cable 4 near the lead-out portion 5a contacts the inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the mortar-shaped through hole 2a2 of the sleeve structure 1 with a relatively long line width. Therefore, the load applied to the cable 4 near the lead-out portion 5a is dispersed, thereby preventing the cable 4 from being broken. In addition, the inner peripheral surface 2a1 of the through hole 2a2 is formed in a convex arc shape in cross section, so that the cable 4 is led out in a relatively gentle curved state, thereby preventing the cable 4 from bending at an acute angle.

[0071] In addition, the sleeve structure 1 is in a concave shape, not in a convex shape protruding from the lead-out portion 5a of the cable 4. Therefore, the remote control unit 5 mounted with the sleeve structure 1 is not subject to restrictions on the appearance design, such as making the lead-out portion 5a of the cable 4 a folded structure. That is, the freedom of the appearance design of the remote control unit 5 and the like is increased, and the appearance design of the product equipped with the remote control unit 5 is improved.

[0072] Furthermore, the sleeve body 2 configured at the portion of the cable 4 that is subjected to the load is formed to be soft, thereby absorbing the load applied to the cable 4. In addition, the anti-detachment portion 3 configured at the portion of the cable 4 that is not subjected to the load is formed to be hard, thereby improving the performance of preventing the sleeve structure 1 from detaching from the remote control unit 5.

[0073] In addition, the embodiment described above is configured as follows: the sleeve structure 1 is arranged at the lead-out portion 5a at both ends of the remote control unit 5. However, the sleeve structure of the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. For example, when a cable is led out from the battery portion of a semi-wireless headset, etc., the sleeve structure of the present invention can be applied to the lead-out portion.

[0074] In addition, the above-described embodiment is an example of applying the sleeve structure of the present invention to a semi-wireless headset, but the application occasions of the sleeve structure of the present invention are not limited thereto. Regardless of the type, the sleeve structure of the present invention can be applied to the cable lead-out portion of all products from which the cable is led out.

Claims

1. A sleeve structure, which is arranged at a lead-out portion, wherein the lead-out portion is formed at a remote control portion and is used for leading out a cable, The sleeve structure is characterized in that: have: a sleeve body, the sleeve body being disposed at the lead-out portion and having a first through hole formed therein for inserting the cable; and an anti-slip portion, the anti-slip portion being connected to the lower side of the sleeve body and being accommodated in the remote control portion, The first through hole is larger than the diameter of the cable around the cable axis toward the lead-out direction of the cable, and the diameter gradually increases. The anti-fall-off portion comprises: a second through hole into which the cable is inserted and engaged; and a locking portion, which is locked to the remote control portion around the lead-out portion, The second through hole communicates with the first through hole.

2. The sleeve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner peripheral surface of the first through hole is formed in a convex arc shape in cross section.

3. The sleeve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anti-detachment portion is formed of a material harder than the sleeve body.

4. The sleeve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sleeve body is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer. The anti-detachment portion is formed of polypropylene.

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