Microphone device

Abstract

To provide a microphone device in which a failure of a microphone unit due to intrusion of liquid such as rainwater or sweat is unlikely to occur.SOLUTION: A microphone device S1 includes: a headband unit 10 mounted on a head part of a user; a microphone support member 81 extending from the headband unit 10; and a microphone part 80 having a microphone unit 100 provided on the microphone support member 81. The microphone unit 100 includes an electroacoustic transducer 125, a housing 110 having an internal space for accommodating the electroacoustic transducer 125 and having an opening 115h for communicating between the internal space and the outside, and a breathable sheet member 121 disposed so as to cover the opening 115h.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a microphone device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a headset-type acoustic device has been known that has a headband worn on the user's head and a sound-collecting microphone (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This type of acoustic device includes one that has a pair of speaker units, and one that does not have speaker units and simply has microphone functionality. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-331970 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The acoustic device described above is worn on the user's head when in use, but when the user uses the device in rainy weather or at a concert, for example, liquids such as rainwater or sweat can seep into the microphone unit, causing the device to malfunction.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a microphone device in which the microphone unit is less likely to malfunction due to the intrusion of liquids such as rainwater or sweat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The microphone device of the present invention comprises a headband unit to be worn on the user's head, a microphone support member extending from the headband unit, and a microphone section having a microphone unit provided on the microphone support member, wherein the microphone unit comprises an electro-acoustic transducer, a housing that forms an internal space to accommodate the electro-acoustic transducer and has an opening that connects the internal space to the outside, and a breathable sheet member arranged to cover the opening.

[0007] The housing has a fixed surface to which the outer periphery of the sheet member is fixed, and a recessed area recessed from the fixed surface in a direction away from the sheet member and in which the opening is formed, and in the recessed area, the sheet member does not have to be in contact with a member of the housing.

[0008] A protrusion is formed in the center of the recessed region, protruding from the bottom surface of the recessed region toward the sheet member, and the distance between the protrusion and the sheet member may be shorter than the distance between the bottom surface of the recessed region and the sheet member.

[0009] The electro-acoustic transducer may be arranged so that its directional axis is oriented to intersect with the extension direction of the housing, and the opening may be formed on a side surface of the housing, with the sheet member provided to cover the opening.

[0010] The housing may be cylindrical, and a plurality of holes may be formed on the side of the housing to allow sound to enter from the side, and a breathable protective member may be provided on the housing to cover the plurality of holes.

[0011] The housing may be cylindrical, and the side of the housing may have a protrusion formed to protrude radially outward to prevent a windscreen attached to the housing from coming loose.

[0012] The housing may be cylindrical, with the opening provided at the end of the cylinder, and the microphone support member may be fixed to the headband unit in a direction extending toward the user's mouth when the microphone device is worn by the user, and the housing may be arranged so that the opening side is lower than the base end side of the housing when the microphone device is worn by the user.

[0013] The housing may be cylindrical, with the opening provided at the end of the tube, and the end of the housing may have a ring-shaped rib formed to surround the sheet member and protruding in the thickness direction of the sheet member beyond the surface of the sheet member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The present invention has the effect of providing a microphone device in which the microphone unit is less likely to break down due to the intrusion of liquids such as rainwater or sweat. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the microphone device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a microphone device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the microphone device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the microphone unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the microphone unit. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a structure for preventing the windscreen from coming off. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration in which no recessed region is formed. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the sheet member is bent. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the microphone device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the microphone device. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the microphone device. Fig. 2(a) is a plan view, Fig. 2(b) is a front view, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the microphone device.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the microphone device S1 includes a headband unit 10 and a microphone section 80.

[0018] The headband unit 10 is a part that is worn on the user's head, and includes a head wire 11, a right contact pad portion 15, and a left contact pad portion 20.

[0019] The head wire 11 is an elastic wire formed in a substantially arc shape. In the microphone device S1 of this embodiment, the head wire 11 is provided in a direction that extends from the user's temples along the back of the head when the microphone device S1 is worn on the user's head. Note that the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the head wire 11 may be configured to extend from the temples to the top of the head.

[0020] The right contact pad portion 15 is provided at one end of the head wire 11. The right contact pad portion 15 has a flat shape. The right contact pad portion 15 is the portion that comes into contact with the right side of the user's head.

[0021] The left contact pad portion 20 is provided at the other end of the head wire 11. Like the right contact pad portion 15, the left contact pad portion 20 also has a flat shape. The left contact pad portion 20 is the portion that comes into contact with the left side of the user's head. The left contact pad portion 20 supports the microphone portion 80.

[0022] 1, the microphone section 80 has a microphone support member 81 and a microphone unit 100. In this embodiment, the microphone section 80 is supported by the left contact pad section 20, but the microphone section 80 may also be supported by the right contact pad section 15.

[0023] The microphone support member 81 is formed to extend from the headband unit 10. The microphone support member 81 is, for example, in the shape of a round rod, and has a portion made of a deformable flexible material so that the orientation of the microphone can be changed. Specifically, when the microphone device S1 is worn by a user, the microphone support member 81 is supported by the left contact pad portion 20 in an orientation such that it extends from the headband unit 10 toward the user's mouth.

[0024] The microphone unit 100 is provided on the microphone support member 81. The microphone unit 100 may be provided at any position on the microphone support member 81, but in this example, it is provided at an end of the microphone support member 81.

[0025] Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the microphone unit. Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the microphone unit. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of microphone unit 100. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure for preventing the windscreen from coming off. Note that protective tape 123 (Fig. 4) is not shown in Fig. 6.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the microphone unit 100 has, as its main components, a housing 110, a sheet member 121, and an electro-acoustic transducer 125.

[0027] The electroacoustic transducer 125 is an element that converts sound waves into an electric signal, and may have a conventionally known configuration. One example of the electroacoustic transducer 125 is an electret condenser microphone unit.

[0028] The housing 110 is a member that forms an internal space that accommodates the electro-acoustic transducer 125. The housing 110 has a tubular shape. Specifically, the housing 110 has a cylindrical shape. As shown in FIG. 5 , the housing 110 includes a peripheral wall portion 111 and an end portion 115.

[0029] The peripheral wall portion 111 is a portion that forms the side surface of the housing 110. A plurality of holes 111h are formed in the peripheral wall portion 111. The holes 111h are sound holes that allow sound to be taken in from the side surface of the housing 110. In this embodiment, specifically, the plurality of holes 111h are formed in an annular recess 111a that is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the housing 110.

[0030] A protective tape 123 is attached to the recess 111a so as to cover the multiple holes. The protective tape 123 is a sheet-like protective member that prevents liquids such as water and sweat from entering the housing 110. The protective tape 123 is not limited to a particular shape, but as an example, has a long, narrow rectangular shape. The protective tape 123 is attached to the recess 111a with, for example, double-sided tape. As an example, this double-sided tape has holes formed in portions corresponding to the holes 111h. The protective tape 123 is made of a breathable material so as not to interfere with sound collection by the electro-acoustic transducer 125. In this embodiment, the protective tape 123 is made of the same material as the sheet member 121. The detailed material will be described later together with the material of the sheet member 121. If the protective tape 123 is made of a stretchable material, for example, a cylindrical protective tape may be attached to the housing 110.

[0031] A protrusion 113 is formed on the peripheral wall 111. The protrusion 113 is a portion for preventing the windscreen W (FIG. 7) attached to the housing 110 from coming off. In this example, the protrusion 113 is formed at a position adjacent to the recess 111a, as shown in FIG. 6. The protrusion 113 is formed in an annular shape, for example. The protrusion 113 has a cross-sectional shape that protrudes radially outward from the housing 110. The diameter of the protrusion 113 is longer than the diameter of other parts of the housing 110 (including the portion of the protective tape 123).

[0032] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the protrusion 113 has a radial surface 113a and an inclined surface 113b. The radial surface 113a is a surface that extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the windscreen W is inserted. The inclined surface 113b is a tapered surface that narrows toward the end 115 of the housing 110. When the windscreen W (Fig. 7) is attached to the housing 110, the protrusion 113 comes into contact with the windscreen W, thereby preventing the windscreen W from coming off.

[0033] Referring again to Figure 5, end 115 of housing 110 is formed with a fastening surface 116, a recessed area 117, a protrusion 118, and an annular rib 119.

[0034] The fixing surface 116 is an annular region. The fixing surface 116 is formed in a flat shape, for example. The fixing surface 116 is a portion to which a sheet member 121, which will be described later, is attached.

[0035] The recessed region 117 is formed on the inside of the fixing surface 116. The recessed region 117 is formed so as to be recessed from the fixing surface 116. In this example, the recessed region 117 is a circular region, but it may be, for example, a square, a polygon, an ellipse, or a combination thereof. Specifically, the recessed region 117 is recessed in a direction away from the sheet member 121, as can be seen from FIG. 6 .

[0036] Openings 115h are formed as sound holes in the recessed region 117. The openings 115h are sound holes that communicate between the interior space of the housing 110 and the outside. The number of openings 115h is arbitrary, but in this embodiment, four openings 115h are formed.

[0037] The sheet member 121 is arranged to cover these openings 115h. Similar to the protective tape 123, the sheet member 121 is a member for preventing liquids such as water and sweat from entering the inside of the housing 110. The sheet member 121 is not limited to a particular shape, but in this example, it is formed in a circular shape. The outer periphery of the sheet member 121 is fixed to the fixing surface 116 by, for example, double-sided tape.

[0038] Like the protective tape 123, the sheet member 121 is made of a breathable material so as not to impede the electroacoustic transducer 125 from collecting sound. In this example, the sheet member 121 is made of a flexible material that can be deformed by receiving sound pressure. The sheet member 121 may be made of woven fabric or nonwoven fabric (e.g., a porous material), but in this embodiment, the sheet member 121 is made of woven fabric as an example. Specifically, the sheet member 121 is a mesh fabric made of a polymer material such as nylon or polyester.

[0039] In this example, the sheet member 121 has water repellency. For example, the water repellency may be grade 1 or higher, preferably grade 2 or higher, as determined by a test conducted based on "JIS L 1092 Waterproofing Test Method for Textile Products, Water Repellency Test (Spray Test)" (corresponding to grades 1 and 2 of the ISO 4920 test, respectively).

[0040] The sheet member 121 may or may not be water-resistant. For example, the sheet member 121 may be water-resistant if the result of a test conducted based on "JIS L 1092 Waterproofing Test Method for Textile Products, Water Resistance Test (Hydrostatic Pressure Method) Method A (Low Water Pressure Method)" is 100 mm or more.

[0041] The protrusion 118 is a portion that protrudes from the bottom surface 117a of the recessed region 117 toward the sheet member 121. In this example, the protrusion 118 is formed in the center of the recessed region 117. As shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion 118 is formed so that the distance between the protrusion 118 and the sheet member 121 is shorter than the distance between the bottom surface 117a of the recessed region 117 and the sheet member 121. In other words, in the assembled state of FIG. 6, the tip of the protrusion 118 is not in contact with the sheet member 121.

[0042] (Technical Significance of the Recessed Region 117 and the Protrusion 118) Fig. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration in which a recessed region is not formed. Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the sheet member is bent. In the microphone device S1 of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 8, the end of the housing may be formed flat and a sheet member 121 may be provided to cover the opening. By providing sheet member 121 in this manner, it is possible to prevent liquid such as sweat from entering the inside of the housing through opening 115h, compared to a configuration in which sheet member 121 is not provided.

[0043] 8 can also prevent liquid from entering, but in this embodiment, as described above, recessed region 117 is formed, and space Sa (FIG. 9) is formed inside sheet member 121. In the portion facing this space Sa, sheet member 121 is not in contact with the housing member.

[0044] 8, in this configuration, even if liquid soaks into the sheet member 121, the liquid is less likely to enter the opening 115h, and the infiltration of the liquid can be effectively prevented. Additionally, in the configuration of this embodiment, the sheet member 121 is flexible and has the recessed region 117, so that the sheet member 121 can bend under sound pressure, as shown in FIG. 9. This reduces the air pressure (sound pressure) transmitted to the electro-acoustic transducer 125 (FIG. 6), thereby suppressing the generation of so-called pop noise.

[0045] If a large external force is applied to sheet member 121 of microphone device S1, for example, when a user presses it with a finger, it is conceivable that sheet member 121 may bend, deform, or be damaged. Therefore, in order to prevent such deformation, protrusion 118 is formed. Protrusion 118 has the function of abutting against a part of deformed sheet member 121 as shown in FIG. 9, thereby preventing deformation.

[0046] The protrusion amount of protrusion 118 may be set to an extent that allows sheet member 121 that has been bent by the application of an external force to return to its original shape (i.e., an extent that does not cause permanent deformation of sheet member 121). The protrusion is not necessarily limited to a cylindrical shape and may have any shape, and multiple protrusions may be provided.

[0047] (Technical significance of the annular rib 119) In the microphone device S1 of this embodiment, an annular rib 119 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is formed to surround the sheet member 121. The annular rib 119 is formed to protrude in the thickness direction of the sheet member 121 beyond the surface of the sheet member 121. With this configuration, the sheet member 121 is less likely to peel off, compared to a configuration in which no annular rib is formed as shown in FIG. 8. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the microphone device S1 of this embodiment is arranged so that the side of the opening 115h (the side of the sheet member 121) is lower than the base end side of the housing 110 when the microphone device S1 is worn by a user. In this configuration, since the annular rib 119 is provided on the housing 110, even if liquid such as sweat flows downward along the microphone support member 81 and the housing 110, the liquid does not flow in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4 and is therefore less likely to flow toward the sheet member 121. This results in an effect of less liquid seeping into the housing 110.

[0048] (Effect of microphone device S1) As described above, according to microphone device S1 of the present embodiment, breathable sheet member 121 is provided so as to cover opening 115h of housing 110 of microphone unit 100, and therefore liquids such as rainwater and sweat are less likely to seep into opening 115h compared to a configuration that does not have sheet member 121. Therefore, it is possible to provide microphone device S1 that is less likely to cause malfunction of microphone unit 100 due to the intrusion of liquids such as rainwater and sweat.

[0049] In this embodiment, the housing 110 is also provided with a recessed region 117. Therefore, when sound pressure is applied, the sheet member 121 can bend as shown in Fig. 9, and as a result, the sound pressure is alleviated and the occurrence of pop noise is reduced.

[0050] In this embodiment, in the configuration in which recessed region 117 is provided, protrusions 118 are formed in recessed region 117. These protrusions 118 prevent sheet member 121 from bending too much, and therefore, even if sheet member 121 is deformed by being pressed with a finger, for example, damage to sheet member 121 is prevented.

[0051] (Variation) In the above-described embodiment, the microphone device S1 is illustrated as not having a speaker unit, but the present invention is also applicable to a configuration in which the headband unit 10 has a pair of speaker units and a head wire. Here, the speaker units may be bone conduction type heaters. In the above-described embodiment, the cylindrical housing 110 is illustrated as an example, but the cross-sectional shape of the housing may be any shape other than a circle, such as a polygon, an ellipse, or a combination thereof.

[0052] In the present invention, the direction of the directional axis of the microphone (electroacoustic transducer) may be in any direction relative to housing 110. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the microphone device.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 10 , the electro-acoustic transducer 125 may be disposed such that its directivity axis A1 intersects with the extending direction A2 of the housing 110-1. In such a configuration, for example, the housing 110-1 does not need to have an opening at its tip, but an opening 110h is formed on a side surface of the housing 110-1. The housing 110-1 is not necessarily cylindrical, and may have any shape that can accommodate the electro-acoustic transducer 125 therein. In this example, the opening 110h is a single hole provided at a position facing the sound collecting portion of the electro-acoustic transducer 125, but multiple openings may be formed. The extending direction A2 of the housing 110-1 is, for example, parallel to the extending direction of the microphone support member 81.

[0054] A sheet member 121 is provided to cover opening 110h. Sheet member 121 is made of the same material as in the above-described embodiment, and providing sheet member 121 in this manner prevents liquids such as sweat and rain from penetrating into housing 110-1. Note that in this example, no hole corresponding to hole 111h in Fig. 5 is formed, but one or more holes having a similar function may be provided in housing 110-1.

[0055] Sheet member 121 may be fixed in a curved shape to match the shape of the side surface of housing 110-1, but is not limited to this. Sheet member 121 may also be fixed in a flat shape, as in the above-mentioned embodiment. In addition, a structure such as recessed region 117 described above may be formed, and a structure such as protrusion 118 may be further formed inside thereof.

[0056] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 Headband unit 11 Head Wire 15 Right contact pad 20 Left contact pad 80 Microphone section 81 Microphone support member 100 microphone units 110 Housing 111 Peripheral wall section 111a recess 111h opening 113 Protrusion 113a Radial plane 113b Slope 115 End 115h opening 116 Fixed surface 117 Recessed Area 117a Bottom 118 Protrusion 119 Annular Rib 121 Sheet material 123 Protective Tape 125 Electroacoustic Transducer S1 Microphone Unit Sa space W Windscreen

Claims

1. a headband unit to be worn on the user's head; a microphone section including a microphone support member extending from the headband unit and a microphone unit provided on the microphone support member; Equipped with The microphone unit comprises: an electroacoustic transducer; a housing that forms an internal space for accommodating the electroacoustic transducer and has an opening that communicates the internal space with the outside; a breathable sheet member arranged to cover the opening; having Microphone device.

2. The housing includes: a fixing surface to which an outer periphery of the sheet member is fixed; a recessed region provided so as to be recessed from the fixing surface in a direction away from the sheet member, and in which the opening is formed; and In the recessed region, the sheet member is not in contact with the housing member.

2. The microphone device according to claim 1.

3. At the center of the recessed region, a protrusion is formed that protrudes from the bottom surface of the recessed area toward the sheet member, a distance between the protrusion and the sheet member is shorter than a distance between a bottom surface of the recessed region and the sheet member; 3. The microphone device according to claim 2.

4. the electroacoustic transducer is arranged such that a directional axis thereof intersects with an extension direction of the housing, The opening is formed in a side surface of the housing, and the sheet member is provided to cover the opening.

3. The microphone device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The housing is cylindrical, A plurality of holes are formed in the side surface of the housing to allow sound to enter from the side surface, a breathable protective member is provided on the housing so as to cover the plurality of holes; 3. The microphone device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The housing is cylindrical, A protrusion formed to protrude radially outward is provided on a side surface of the housing to prevent the windscreen attached to the housing from coming off.

3. The microphone device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The housing is cylindrical, and the opening is provided at an end of the cylinder. the microphone support member is fixed to the headband unit in a direction extending toward the user's mouth when the microphone device is worn by the user, the housing is provided so that the opening side is lower than the base end side of the housing when the microphone device is worn by the user.

3. The microphone device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The housing is cylindrical, and the opening is provided at an end of the cylinder. An annular rib is formed at the end of the housing so as to surround the sheet member and protrude beyond the surface of the sheet member in a thickness direction of the sheet member.

3. The microphone device according to claim 1 or 2.

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