Earphone with detachable external accessory

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to an earphone, which comprises an earphone body and an external accessory. The external accessory is detachably arranged outside the earphone body via magnetic force.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a wearable device, in particular, to an earphone with a detachable external accessory. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the advent of the wireless era, various wireless earphones have been introduced to the market to allow users to enjoy the wearing experience without being bound by wires, whether in static or dynamic activities. To meet the basic needs of listening and talking, earphones are equipped with microphones in addition to components that convert electrical current into sound to collect the speaker's voice.

[0003] However, the microphones of existing wireless earphones are mostly built-in and housed in the earphone housing, but this makes the microphone too far from the speaker's mouth, making it more difficult to collect the speaker's voice and easily collecting more environmental noise, which greatly affects the clarity of the voice. To this end, some manufacturers have proposed plug-in microphones, but their convenience in use still needs to be improved. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, one of the purposes of the present application is to provide an earphone to solve the above problems.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present application, an earphone is disclosed, which includes an earphone body and an external accessory. The external accessory is detachably disposed outside the earphone body by magnetic force.

[0006] According to the earphone disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application, the external accessory can be detachably disposed outside the earphone body by magnetic force, so that the user can select the required accessory according to different use situations. When the microphone is used as an external accessory, the user can quickly attach the microphone to the earphone body by magnetic attraction when there is a need for communication, but can easily remove the microphone when simply listening to music or not needing communication, thereby improving the user experience when facing various different use situations.

[0007] The above description of the present application and the following description of the embodiments are used to demonstrate and explain the spirit and principles of the present application, and provide further explanation for the claims of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 A perspective view of an earphone according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0009] Figure 2 An exploded view of the earphone of Figure 1

[0010] Figure 3 An exploded view of the earphone of Figure 1 ​A partial enlarged view of the assembly joint between the earphone body and the microphone assembly of the earphone according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Figure 4 An exploded view of the earphone body and the battery unit of the earphone according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] Figure 5 An exploded view of the earphone body and the external accessory of the earphone according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Figure 6 An exploded view of the earphone body and the external accessory of the earphone according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Figure 7 An exploded view of the earphone body and the external accessory of the earphone according to still another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The detailed features and advantages of the present application will be described in detail in the embodiments below, which are sufficient for those skilled in the art to understand the technical content of the present application and to implement it, but do not limit the scope of the present application in any way.

[0016] The following embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and for the purpose of neatness of the drawings, some conventional structures and elements may be shown in a simplified manner in the drawings. In addition, some features in the drawings may be slightly enlarged or have their proportions or sizes changed to facilitate understanding and viewing of the technical features of the present application, but this is not intended to limit the present application. In addition, for the purpose of viewing, some structural lines in some of the drawings may be represented by dashed lines.

[0017] In addition, the terms "end", "portion", "part", and the like may be used in the following description to describe certain elements and structures or certain technical features thereon or therebetween, but these elements and structures are not limited by these terms. The term "at least one" may also be used in the following description to describe the number of elements referred to, but unless otherwise explicitly stated, it should not be limited to only the case where the number is "only one".

[0018] First, please refer to Figures 1-2 , which are a perspective view and an exploded view of an earphone 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. The earphone 1 of the present embodiment can be suitable for different use scenarios of various different activities such as listening to music, general calling, conference, sports, and mobile game playing, and generally includes an earphone body 10 and an in-ear earpiece 30, and the earphone 1 further includes a microphone assembly 20 that can be selectively attached to the earphone body 10.

[0019] The earphone body 10 can be, but is not limited to, a main earphone of a true wireless Bluetooth earphone (TWS). The so-called true wireless Bluetooth earphone refers to a truly wireless Bluetooth stereo. The main earphone is connected to a mobile phone through Bluetooth technology, and the main earphone is connected to a secondary earphone through a wireless manner, that is, information is transmitted between the main and secondary earphones and the mobile phone through a wireless manner.

[0020] The in-ear ear sleeve 30 can be connected to one side of the earphone body 10. The user can wear the earphone 1 by inserting the in-ear ear sleeve 30 into the ear canal, but the present application is not limited to the in-ear ear sleeve 30, its shape, material, size, and the like. In other embodiments of the earphone, a suitable ear hook can be additionally provided to increase the stability of wearing.

[0021] The microphone assembly 20 can be detachably attached to one side of the earphone body 10 to provide the function of a microphone, which can be considered as an external accessory that the user can choose to use with the earphone body 10 according to the use situation.

[0022] Specifically, the microphone assembly 20 can include an assembly portion 21, an extension portion 22, and a microphone 23. The assembly portion 21 is a part of the microphone assembly 20 for being arranged on the earphone body 10. As shown in the figure, the earphone body 10 can have a receiving portion 11, which can be a recess formed on the outer surface of the earphone body 10. The receiving portion 11 can have a contour matching the assembly portion 21 and a size suitable for accommodating at least part of the assembly portion 21, so that the local assembly portion 21 of the microphone assembly 20 can be stably located in the receiving portion 11, and the contour of the assembly portion 21 and the receiving portion 11 has a foolproof design, which helps to exclude the situation that the assembly portion 21 is installed in the receiving portion 11 in the wrong direction. Understandably, any suitable geometry that can achieve this purpose can be applied to the assembly portion and the receiving portion of the present application.

[0023] The extension portion 22 extends outwardly from the assembly portion 21, and the microphone 23 is arranged at one end of the extension portion 22 and can be connected to the assembly portion 21 through the extension portion 22. The extension portion 22 can be, but is not limited to, made of a flexible material, which can maintain the relative position of the microphone 23 and the assembly portion 21, and also allow the microphone 23 to be relatively close to the mouth of the wearer to improve the quality of sound collection. However, it should be noted that the length of the extension portion 22 shown in the figure and the proportion thereof to the assembly portion 21 and the microphone 23 are only for illustration and do not limit the present application in any way.

[0024] In this embodiment, the assembly portion 21 of the microphone assembly 20 and the earphone body 10 are fixed by magnetic attraction. For this purpose, please further refer to Figure 3, which is a partial enlarged view of the assembly joint between the earphone body 10 and the microphone assembly 20 of the earphone 1. In the present embodiment, the earphone 1 further comprises at least one first magnet M1, at least one second magnet M2, at least one first connection terminal T1 and at least one second connection terminal T2. The first magnet M1 and the second magnet M2 can be made of any suitable material commonly used for magnets, but the present application is not limited in terms of the material, size, etc. of the magnets. The first connection terminal T1 and the second connection terminal T2 can be, but are not limited to, any suitable pogo pin connector commonly used for signal transmission, which has the advantages of small size and high reliability, but the present application is not limited in terms of the material, size, type, specification, etc. of the pogo pin connector.

[0025] In terms of configuration, the first magnet M1 and the first connection terminal T1 are both located in the accommodating portion 11 of the earphone body 10, and the second magnet M2 and the second connection terminal T2 are both located in the assembly portion 21 of the microphone assembly 20. When the assembly portion 21 of the microphone assembly 20 is arranged in the accommodating portion 11 of the earphone body 10, the first magnet M1 corresponds to the second magnet M2 respectively, and the magnetic poles of the first magnet M1 and the corresponding second magnet M2 are opposite, so that a magnetic attraction force of opposite poles attracting each other can be generated to firmly fix the microphone assembly 20 to the earphone body 10. At the same time, when the first magnet M1 corresponds to the second magnet M2 respectively, the first connection terminal T1 corresponds to and is electrically connected to the second connection terminal T2 respectively, so that the microphone assembly 20 and the earphone body 10 can transmit electricity and signals.

[0026] In this way, the user can only need to wear the earphone body 10 when listening to music in daily life, and when there is a need for communication or conference, etc., the user only needs to pick up the microphone assembly 20 and slightly approach the assembly portion 21 of the microphone assembly 20 to the earphone body 10, and the microphone assembly 20 can be quickly attached to the earphone body 10 by the magnetic attraction force of the first magnet M1 and the second magnet M2.

[0027] It is further explained that, as mentioned above, since the assembly portion 21 of the microphone assembly 20 and the accommodating portion 11 of the earphone body 10 correspond in profile and have a foolproof design, even if the user does not completely align the assembly portion 21 with the accommodating portion 11, as long as the distance between the two is close enough, the magnetic attraction force of the first magnet M1 and the second magnet M2 can drive the assembly portion 21 to be placed in the accommodating portion 11 at the correct angle, so that the microphone assembly 20 is assembled on the earphone body 10 in a predetermined manner, and ensures that the first connection terminal T1 can be properly docked with the second connection terminal T2.

[0028] Of course, when the microphone function is not needed, since the microphone assembly 20 is attached to the earphone body 10 only by magnetic attraction, the user only needs to apply a slight force to quickly remove the microphone assembly 20 from the earphone body 10, which is simple and labor-saving and does not affect the function being performed by the earphone body 10.

[0029] In addition, as shown, the first magnets M1 and the first connection terminals T1 are arranged in a straight line, and the first magnets M1 are between the first connection terminals T1, and correspondingly, the second magnets M2 and the second connection terminals T2 are also arranged in a straight line, and the second magnets M2 are between the second connection terminals T2, but this configuration is only one example that meets the requirements of easy operation, reliability, alignment accuracy, etc. while achieving the quick attachment of the microphone assembly 20 to the earphone body 10, and is not intended to limit the present application. As long as the purpose of quickly attaching and electrically connecting the microphone assembly 20 to the earphone body 10 by magnetic attraction is achieved, the number, type and arrangement of the first magnets M1, the second magnets M2, the first connection terminals T1 and the second connection terminals T2 can be adjusted based on various practical considerations such as overall volume, appearance design, cost, etc.

[0030] For example, the first magnets M1 and the first connection terminals T1 can be arranged in a staggered configuration or jointly form a cross-shaped configuration, and the arrangement of the second magnets M2 and the first connection terminals T1 can be adjusted accordingly; or the number of the first magnets M1, the second magnets M2, the first connection terminals T1 and the second connection terminals T2 can all be reduced to one; or yokes can be selectively provided on the first magnets M1 and the second magnets M2 to further enhance the magnetic attraction.

[0031] In addition, the aforementioned microphone assembly 20 is only one example of an external accessory that can be matched with the earphone body 10, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, please refer to Figure 4, in the earphone 1a of the present embodiment, the external accessory 20a selectively attached to the earphone body 10 can also be a battery unit, which can also be referred to as the battery unit 20a for the sake of convenience. The battery unit 20a can internally house any suitable battery (not shown) commonly used for charging earphones, and the battery unit 20a and the earphone body 10 are respectively provided with the first magnet M1 and the first connection terminal T1 and the second magnet M2 and the second connection terminal T2 as described in the foregoing embodiment. Therefore, the battery unit 20a can also be quickly attached to the earphone body 10 in a similar manner. When the magnetic attraction of the first magnet M1 and the second magnet M2 stably fixes the battery unit 20a to the earphone body 10, the first connection terminal T1 is electrically connected to the second connection terminal T2, whereby the battery unit 20a can transmit electrical energy to the earphone body 10 through the first connection terminal T1 and the second connection terminal T2, so that the user can charge the earphone body 10 without interruption to extend the use time.

[0032] Of course, the earphone of the foregoing embodiment is only one of the examples of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Without departing from the foregoing spirit, the present application can be variously adjusted and modified to meet different actual needs in other embodiments. For example, referring to Figure 5 is an exploded view of an earphone body 10a of an earphone 1b and an external accessory 20b according to another embodiment of the present application, but for the sake of brief description, only the differences between the present embodiment and the foregoing embodiment will be described below, and similar or identical parts can be understood by referring to the corresponding paragraphs of the foregoing embodiment without further description.

[0033] As shown, the external accessory 20b of the earphone 1b can be, but is not limited to, a microphone assembly 20 similar to the foregoing embodiment, and the signal transmission therebetween can also be achieved by electrically connecting the first connection terminal T1 and the second connection terminal T2, but considering factors such as overall size, cost, or number of parts, the earphone body 10a and the external accessory 20b can only be assembled by the magnetic attraction of a set of first magnets M1 and second magnets M2.

[0034] In addition, in the present embodiment, the earphone body 10a of the earphone 1b can be selectively provided with a stabilizer 40, which can be but not limited to made of any suitable plastic or metal material, and can be but not limited to additionally assembled on or integrally formed on the earphone body 10a. The stabilizer 40 extends outwardly from the earphone body 10a to abut and / or insert into the ear cartilage bend or wrinkle of the wearer. When the earphone 1b is worn by inserting the in-ear ear sleeve 30 into the ear canal, the stabilizer 40 abuts and partially inserts into the ear cartilage bend or wrinkle of the wearer, thereby the earphone 1b can be firmly maintained in the current wearing state, so as to ensure that the wearing stability of the earphone 1b is not affected by the additional weight of the external accessory 20b.

[0035] Alternatively, please refer to Figure 6 For the exploded view of the earphone body 10b of the earphone 1c and the external accessory 20c according to yet another embodiment of the present application, for the purpose of brief description, only the differences between the present embodiment and the foregoing embodiments will be described below, and the similar or identical parts can be understood by referring to the foregoing corresponding paragraphs without further description.

[0036] As shown, the external accessory 20c of the earphone 1c can be but not limited to the microphone assembly similar to the foregoing embodiments, and the signal transmission between the external accessory 20c and the earphone body 10b can also be achieved by electrically connecting the first connection terminal T1 and the second connection terminal T2, but in the present embodiment, the microphone module (not shown) is internally provided in the earphone body 10b, so when the external accessory 20c is additionally attached, at least one of the microphone modules inside the earphone body 10b can be cut off or turned off. For this purpose, in the present embodiment, the earphone 1c can further include a third connection terminal T3 and a fourth connection terminal T4, which are respectively provided on the earphone body 10b and the external accessory 20c, when the external accessory 20c is attached to the earphone body 10b, the third connection terminal T3 is electrically connected to the fourth connection terminal T4, so as to turn off the microphone inside the earphone body 10b, so that the earphone 1c is switched to the state of using the external accessory 20c.

[0037] In addition, in the present embodiment, the first connection terminal T1 and the third connection terminal T3 on the earphone body 10b and the second connection terminal T2 and the fourth connection terminal T4 on the external accessory 20c can be but not limited to arranged in a straight line, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0038] In addition, in the present embodiment, the magnetic attraction between the earphone body 10b and the external accessory 20c is arranged around the connection terminals, as shown. The first magnet M1' can be arranged around the first connection terminal T1 and the third connection terminal T3, and correspondingly, the second magnet M2' can be arranged around the second connection terminal T2 and the fourth connection terminal T4. In this way, the first magnet M1' and the second magnet M2' can also generate magnetic attraction of opposite poles to firmly fix the external accessory 20c to the earphone body 10b.

[0039] Alternatively, please refer to Figure 7 For the exploded view of the earphone body 10c of the earphone 1d and the external accessory 20d according to another embodiment of the present application, for the purpose of brief description, only the differences between the present embodiment and the foregoing embodiments will be described below, and the similar or identical parts can be understood by referring to the foregoing corresponding paragraphs without further description.

[0040] In the present embodiment, the signal connection and assembly fixation between the earphone body 10c and the external accessory 20d can be but not limited to any of the configurations described in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be described herein. However, in this example, the external accessory 20d of the earphone 1d can but not limited to accommodate a microphone 23' and a battery B. The microphone 23' can but not limited to be similar to the microphone 23 of the foregoing embodiments or any suitable microphone commonly used in earphones; the battery B can but not limited to be any suitable battery commonly used for charging earphones. In other words, the external accessory 20d integrates the functions of the microphone and the battery into one. In this way, the external accessory 20d can be used as a microphone when attached to the earphone body 10c, and at the same time, it can also transmit power to the earphone body 10c, so that the user can charge the earphone body 10c without interruption to extend the use time.

[0041] It is additionally explained that, in order to further ensure that the wearing stability of the earphone 1d will not be affected by the weight of the additional external accessory 20d, in one example, the earphone body 10c of the earphone 1d can also be selectively provided with the support 40 as shown in the foregoing Figure 5 embodiments. In addition, in order to further ensure that the assembly stability between the earphone body 10c and the external accessory 20d will not be affected by the weight of the external accessory 20d, in one example, the shell of the earphone body 10c and the external accessory 20d can be selectively formed with any suitable protrusion and groove structure (not shown) that matches the profile, or further provided with any suitable concave-convex threads (not shown) on the surface of the protrusion and groove structure to enhance the assembly strength between the earphone body 10c and the external accessory 20d.

[0042] According to the earphone disclosed in the foregoing embodiments of the present application, the external accessory can be detachably arranged outside the earphone body by magnetic force, so that the user can select the required accessory according to different use situations. In the embodiment in which the microphone is used as the external accessory, the user can quickly attach the microphone to the earphone body by magnetic attraction when there is a need for communication, but can easily remove the microphone when there is no need for communication, such as when simply listening to music, thereby improving the user experience of the user when facing various different use situations.

[0043] Alternatively, in the embodiment in which the battery is used as the external accessory, the user can quickly attach the battery to the earphone body by magnetic attraction during the use of the earphone, so that the earphone can be charged and the use time can be prolonged without interruption.

[0044]

Symbol Description

[0045] 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d: earphone

[0046] 10, 10a, 10b, 10c: earphone body

[0047] 11: accommodating portion

[0048] 20: external accessory, microphone assembly

[0049] 20a: external accessory, battery unit

[0050] 20b, 20c, 20d: external accessory

[0051] 21: assembly portion

[0052] 22: extension portion

[0053] 23, 23': microphone

[0054] 30: in-ear ear cap

[0055] 40: support

[0056] B: battery

[0057] M1, M1': first magnet

[0058] M2, M2': second magnet

[0059] T1: first connection terminal

[0060] T2: second connection terminal

[0061] T3: third connection terminal

[0062] T4: fourth connection terminal

Claims

1. An earphone, characterized by comprising: A headset includes: a headset body; an earbud connected to one side of the headset body, and the earbud is configured to be inserted into an ear canal of a user; and an external accessory removably attached to the headset body via magnetic force, and the external accessory includes a microphone; wherein the headset further includes at least one first magnet disposed on the headset body and at least one second magnet disposed on the external accessory, and the headset body and the external accessory are connected via magnetic force between the at least one first magnet and the at least one second magnet; wherein the headset further includes at least one first connection terminal disposed on the headset body and at least one second connection terminal disposed on the external accessory, and the at least one first connection terminal is electrically connected to the at least one second connection terminal when the headset body and the external accessory are connected via the at least one first magnet and the at least one second magnet; wherein the headset further includes a third connection terminal disposed on the headset body and a fourth connection terminal disposed on the external accessory, and a microphone inside the headset body is turned off when the third connection terminal is electrically connected to the fourth connection terminal; wherein the at least one first magnet surrounds the at least one first connection terminal and the third connection terminal, and the at least one second magnet surrounds the at least one second connection terminal and the fourth connection terminal; wherein the external accessory further includes a battery unit configured to charge the headset body via the at least one first connection terminal and the at least one second connection terminal, and the external accessory includes an assembly portion and an extension portion, the at least one second magnet is disposed on the assembly portion, and the microphone of the external accessory is connected to the assembly portion via the extension portion to be relatively far away from the headset body, the headset body has a receiving portion, the at least one first magnet is located in the receiving portion, and at least part of the assembly portion is received in the receiving portion.

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