Earphone microphone

Abstract

To provide an earphone microphone capable of suppressing ambient noise and clarifying conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. [Solution] An earphone microphone comprising: an earphone microphone body having an internal space that communicates with the sound-insulated acoustic space formed within the ear canal by inserting the tip into the ear canal; a microphone housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body; and a speaker housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, wherein the noise level within the acoustic space is suppressed to approximately 60 dB.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an earphone microphone, and particularly to an earplug type used by inserting it into an earhole, which is devised so as to be able to suppress environmental noise during simultaneous transmission and reception in a high-noise environment and clarify conversation sounds.

Background Art

[0002] As something that discloses the configuration of this type of earphone microphone, for example, there is Patent Document 1. The voice input ear microphone according to the invention described in this Patent Document 1 has the following configuration. First, there is a main body made of synthetic resin, and an insertion portion formed in a size suitable for an ear hole is provided on this main body. An opening is formed in the insertion portion. An ear pad is attached to the tip of the insertion portion.

[0003] An elastomer is installed inside the main body, and a microphone is included in this elastomer. This microphone captures a voice signal propagated as air vibration through the opening, that is, voice inside the ear canal. The elastomer is provided with a sound collecting channel communicating with the opening and a sound collecting hole. The voice inside the ear canal input through the opening is input to the front side of the microphone through the sound collecting channel and the sound collecting hole.

[0004] The elastomer is provided with a branch channel branched from the sound collecting channel, and another sound collecting channel is provided from this branch channel. This sound collecting channel communicates with the inner road surface side of the microphone. A part of the voice inside the ear canal is input to the rear side of the microphone through the branch channel and the sound collecting channel.

[0005] There is also Patent Document 2 that discloses the configuration of a similar earphone microphone.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4781850

[0007] [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4850524 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] The above conventional configuration had the following problems. In other words, the earphone microphone configurations described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 had the problem of not being able to suppress ambient noise or clarify conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments.

[0009] I will explain this point in more detail. For example, in order to enable simultaneous transmission and reception in a high-noise environment such as 90 dB, it is necessary to suppress environmental noise in the input and output signals of the call audio and clearly transmit and receive only the conversation audio. Furthermore, while the frequency components of noise are within the human audible frequency range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, the frequency band of the voice signals handled by simultaneous transmission and reception devices such as transceivers and mobile phones is approximately 100 Hz to 10,000 Hz.

[0010] On the other hand, the audio frequency band required for phone calls is approximately 500Hz to 4000Hz, and audio signals outside this frequency band need to be removed as unwanted noise. Furthermore, if you try to speak loudly to overcome ambient noise, you end up in an endless loop, resulting in feedback, popping sounds, and other unusual noises.

[0011] In the case of the earphone microphones described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, no measures have been taken to address these issues, and as a result, it is not possible to suppress ambient noise or clarify conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments.

[0012] This invention is based on these considerations and aims to provide an earphone microphone that can suppress environmental noise and clarify conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] To solve the above problems, the earphone microphone according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises an earphone microphone body having an internal space that communicates with the sound-insulated acoustic space formed within the external auditory canal by inserting its tip into the external auditory canal, a microphone housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, and a speaker housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, characterized in that the noise level within the acoustic space is suppressed to 70 dB or less. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone described in claim 1, the degree of contact of the earphone microphone body with the ear canal is increased, and an ear pad is attached to the tip of the earphone microphone, thereby suppressing the noise level in the acoustic space to 70 dB or less. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 3 comprises an earphone microphone body having an internal space that communicates with the sound-insulated acoustic space formed within the external auditory canal by inserting its tip into the external auditory canal, a microphone housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, and a speaker housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, characterized in that the noise level within the acoustic space is suppressed by 20 dB or more. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone described in claim 2, the degree of contact of the earphone microphone body with the ear canal is increased, and an ear pad is attached to the tip of the earphone microphone, thereby suppressing the noise level in the acoustic space by 20 dB or more. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone according to claim 1 or claim 2, the microphone sensitivity of the microphone above 4000Hz in the acoustic space is suppressed. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 6 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone described in claim 5, the earphone microphone body is inserted into the external auditory canal so that approximately half of the external auditory canal becomes the acoustic space, thereby suppressing the microphone sensitivity of the microphone above 4000Hz within the acoustic space. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 7 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone described in claim 6, the volume of the acoustic space is 1.00 cc or less. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 8 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone described in claim 7, the volume of the acoustic space is 0.3cc to 0.8cc. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 9 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone described in claim 5, the microphone sensitivity of the microphone below 500Hz in the acoustic space is suppressed. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 10 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone described in claim 9, the microphone is a bidirectional microphone, thereby suppressing the microphone sensitivity of the microphone below 500Hz in the acoustic space. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 11 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone according to claim 1 or claim 3, the rear side of the speaker is closed to the internal space. Furthermore, the earphone microphone according to claim 12 is characterized in that, in the earphone microphone according to claim 11, the speaker is a BA receiver. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] As described above, the earphone microphone according to claim 1 of the present application comprises an earphone microphone body having an internal space that communicates with the sound-insulated acoustic space formed within the external auditory canal by inserting the tip into the external auditory canal, a microphone housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, and a speaker housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, wherein the noise level within the acoustic space is suppressed to 70 dB or less, thereby suppressing environmental noise and clarifying conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. Furthermore, according to the earphone microphone of claim 2, in the earphone microphone described in claim 1, the degree of contact of the earphone microphone body with the ear canal is increased, and an ear pad is attached to the tip of the earphone microphone, thereby suppressing the noise level in the acoustic space to 70 dB or less. This makes it possible to suppress environmental noise and clarify conversation sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. Furthermore, according to claim 3, the earphone microphone comprises an earphone microphone body having an internal space that communicates with the sound-insulated acoustic space formed within the external auditory canal by inserting its tip into the external auditory canal, a microphone housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, and a speaker housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, wherein the noise level within the acoustic space is suppressed by 20 dB or more, thereby enabling the suppression of environmental noise and the clarification of conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. Furthermore, according to the earphone microphone of claim 4, in the earphone microphone described in claim 2, the degree of contact of the earphone microphone body with the ear canal is increased, and an ear pad is attached to the tip of the earphone microphone, thereby suppressing the noise level in the acoustic space by 20 dB or more. This makes it possible to suppress environmental noise and clarify conversation sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. Furthermore, according to the earphone microphone of claim 5, the earphone microphone described in claim 1 or claim 2 is configured to suppress the microphone sensitivity of the microphone above 4000Hz in the acoustic space, thereby enabling the suppression of environmental noise and clarification of conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. Furthermore, according to the earphone microphone of claim 6, in the earphone microphone described in claim 5, the earphone microphone body is inserted into the ear canal, thereby making approximately half of the ear canal an acoustic space. This suppresses the microphone sensitivity of the microphone above 4000Hz within the acoustic space, thereby suppressing ambient noise and clarifying conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in noisy environments. Furthermore, according to the earphone microphone of claim 7, in the earphone microphone described in claim 5, the volume of the acoustic space is 1.00cc or less, which makes it possible to suppress environmental noise and clarify conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in a high-noise environment. Furthermore, according to the earphone microphone of claim 8, in the earphone microphone described in claim 7, the volume of the acoustic space is 0.3cc to 0.8cc, which makes it possible to suppress environmental noise and clarify conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in a high-noise environment. Furthermore, according to the earphone microphone of claim 9, the earphone microphone described in claim 6 is configured to suppress the microphone sensitivity of the microphone below 500Hz in the acoustic space, thereby enabling the suppression of ambient noise and clarification of conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. Furthermore, according to the earphone microphone of claim 10, in the earphone microphone described in claim 9, by making the microphone a bidirectional microphone, the microphone sensitivity of the microphone below 500Hz in the acoustic space is suppressed, thereby enabling the suppression of environmental noise and the clarification of conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in a high-noise environment. According to the earphone microphone according to claim 11, in the earphone microphone according to claim 1 or claim 3, since the rear surface side of the speaker is closed with respect to the internal space, even if the internal space communicates with the acoustic space side, distortion does not occur in the communication voice or the clarity does not deteriorate. According to the earphone microphone according to claim 12, in the earphone microphone according to claim 11, since the speaker is a BA receiver and the rear surface side is closed with respect to the internal space, distortion does not occur in the communication voice or the clarity does not deteriorate.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of an earphone microphone. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a front view of an earphone microphone. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is an exploded perspective view of an earphone microphone. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is an exploded front view of an earphone microphone for explaining a sound path. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of a microphone. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of a speaker. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram schematically showing the structure inside the ear. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a table showing the relationship between the sound insulation value and the frequency band. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the relationship between the sound insulation value and the frequency band. [Figure 12]This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the configuration of a measuring device for measuring the frequency response characteristics of a microphone. [Figure 13] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of an ear canal simulating nut fixing device. [Figure 14] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of multiple types of ear canal simulated nut fixing devices. [Figure 15] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the relationship between the volume of the acoustic space in the ear and the frequency response of a microphone. [Figure 16] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the relationship between the volume of the acoustic space in the ear and the frequency response of a microphone. [Figure 17] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the relationship between the volume of the acoustic space in the ear and the frequency response of a microphone. [Figure 18] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the relationship between the volume of the acoustic space in the ear and the frequency response of a microphone. [Figure 19] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the relationship between the volume of the acoustic space in the ear and the frequency response of a microphone. [Figure 20] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the relationship between the volume of the acoustic space in the ear and the frequency response of a microphone. [Figure 21] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the relationship between the volume of the acoustic space in the ear and the frequency response of a microphone. [Figure 22] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the relationship between the volume of the acoustic space in the ear and the frequency response of a microphone. [Figure 23]This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the frequency response characteristics of a bidirectional microphone. [Figure 24] This figure illustrates one embodiment of the present invention and is a graph showing the measurement results of an experiment to confirm the frequency response of an omnidirectional microphone. [Figure 25] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view showing the state of use of the earphone microphone. [Figure 26] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view showing the state of use of the earphone microphone. [Figure 27] This figure shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of an earphone microphone. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 27. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the earphone microphone 1 according to this embodiment, and first there is the earphone microphone body 3. This earphone microphone body 3 is composed of a front part 5 and a rear part 7.

[0017] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the front part 5 comprises a front body 9, the tip of which (left side in Figure 1) is tapered and has an opening 11. An ear pad (shown by dashed lines in Figure 5) 13 is detachably attached to the tip of the front body 9, as shown in Figure 5. The ear pad 13 is in close contact with the inner wall of the ear, thereby sealing and insulating sound within the ear canal.

[0018] A rear body 15 is provided at the rear section 7, and an interior member 17 having a roughly shaped form is housed inside this rear body 15. The leading edge of the interior member 17 protrudes from the rear body 15 and forms an insertion portion 19. The insertion portion 19 is inserted into the opening 21 of the front body 9. A member 23 is attached to the rear end of the rear body 15.

[0019] The rear body 15 is provided with an opening 25, and the interior member 17 is also provided with an opening 27. Cables, which will be described later, are routed through these openings 25 and 27.

[0020] An elastomer 29 is housed inside the interior member 17 of the rear section 7. An elastomer 31 is housed inside the front body 9 of the front section 5. An internal space 33 is formed within the elastomer 29, between the elastomer 29 and the elastomer 31, and within the elastomer 31. A microphone 35 is installed within this internal space 33. The microphone 35 is a bidirectional microphone. A sound-collecting hole 37 and a sound-collecting channel 39 are formed on the left side of the microphone 35 in Figure 5. Sound generated within the ear canal is input to the front side of the microphone 35 via the opening 11, the sound-collecting channel 39, and the sound-collecting hole 37.

[0021] Furthermore, some of the sound generated within the ear canal is also input to the rear side of the microphone 35 via the branched channel 41 that branches off from the sound collection channel 39 and the internal space 33. The microphone 35 has the appearance shown in Figure 7.

[0022] A speaker 43 is installed within the internal space 33. In this embodiment, a Balanced Armature Receiver (BA) is used as the speaker 43. The speaker 43 has the appearance shown in Figure 8. A sound-emitting section 44 is provided at one end of the speaker 43. The parts other than the sound-emitting section 44 are enclosed by a housing. That is, the rear side of the speaker 43 is closed off from the internal space 33. A sound-emitting port 45 is provided on the side of the sound-emitting section 44 of the speaker 43. An audio signal transmitted from an external transceiver (not shown) is received by the earphone microphone 1, amplified by the speaker 43, and output into the ear canal via the sound-emitting section 44 and the sound-emitting port 45.

[0023] The sound emitted from the speaker 43 is propagated to the front side of the microphone 35 via the sound collection path 39 and the sound collection hall 37. At the same time, it is also propagated to the rear side of the microphone 35 via the branch path 41 and the internal space 33.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, four cables 47 housed in a tube 45 extend from the rear body 15, and these four cables 47 are connected to repeaters, mobile terminals (not shown), etc., which will be described later.

[0025] The earphone microphone 1, having the above configuration, is worn in the ear. The structure of the ear will now be explained with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ear. First, there is the auricle 51 on the outside, and inside this auricle 51 is the external auditory canal 53. At the back of this external auditory canal 53 is the eardrum 55. Behind the eardrum 55 are the Eustachian tube 57, ossicles 59, semicircular canals 61, cochlea 63, vestibular nerve 65, and cochlear nerve 67.

[0026] The earphone microphone 1 is worn with its tip inserted into the ear canal 53 (the earphone microphone 1 is shown by a dashed line in Figure 9). At this time, the tip of the earphone microphone 1 makes approximately half of the space inside the ear canal 53 an acoustic space 71.

[0027] Next, I will explain in detail the measures taken to suppress environmental noise and improve the clarity of conversation sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. The first innovation is to suppress the noise level within the acoustic space 71 to 70 dB or less, for example, to about 60 dB, and to achieve a sound insulation effect of 20 dB or more, for example, about 30 dB. To this end, as an example, the degree of contact of the earphone microphone body 3 with the ear canal is increased, and a sealed space is formed by the ear pad 13.

[0028] This point will be explained in detail with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10 is a table showing the JIS Class 1 earplug standard value and the sound insulation value of the Auro series (implementation product according to this embodiment) side by side for each frequency (Hz). The voice frequency band usually required for phone calls is approximately 500Hz to 4000Hz. The sound insulation effect in such frequency bands can be confirmed in Figure 10. Looking at the sound insulation values ​​for frequencies of 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz, and 4000Hz in Figure 10, the JIS Class 1 earplug standard values ​​are 15dB or more, 20dB or more, 25dB or more, and 25dB or more, respectively, while the sound insulation values ​​for the Auro series (implementation product according to this embodiment) are 17dB, 21dB, 30dB, and 30dB. It can be seen that the Auro series (implementation product according to this embodiment) achieves a sound insulation effect equal to or better than that of JIS Class 1 earplugs. In particular, a sound insulation effect of 30 dB can be obtained at 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz. For example, assuming that the ambient noise is 90 dB, the noise level within the acoustic space 71 can be suppressed to about 60 dB.

[0029] The second innovation is to suppress microphone sensitivity exceeding 4000Hz within the acoustic space 71. To achieve this, as an example, the tip of the earphone microphone 1 is used to create a highly sealed acoustic space 71 in approximately half of the space within the ear canal 53.

[0030] The third innovation is to suppress microphone sensitivity below 500Hz within the acoustic space 71. To this end, a bidirectional microphone is used as the microphone 35. Through the second and third improvements, high microphone sensitivity is provided in the range of 500Hz to 4000Hz within the acoustic space 71.

[0031] The first, second, and third improvements mentioned above will be explained with reference to the graph in Figure 11. Figure 11 is a graph showing the relationship between frequency (Hz) on the horizontal axis and noise level (dB) on the vertical axis. First, let's assume we are in an environment with a high noise level of 90 dB, regardless of frequency (Figure a).

[0032] Next, we examine the first improvement, namely the sound-insulating effect of the earplugs. The sound-insulating effect of the earplugs is shown in the table in Figure 10, and line b was obtained by plotting the value obtained by subtracting the sound-insulating value from 90 dB for each frequency. As shown in line b, the sound-insulating effect of the earplugs gradually increases from the low frequency band to the high frequency band and then stabilizes, achieving a sound-insulating effect of approximately 30 dB in the range of 2000 Hz to 10000 Hz. As a result, the noise level can be reduced to 70 dB or less, for example, in an environment with high noise of 90 dB, it can be reduced to approximately 60 dB.

[0033] Next, we examined the effect of the second improvement, namely, making approximately half of the space within the external auditory canal 53 a highly sealed acoustic space 71. In this case, a microphone 35 was inserted into an opening in a space simulating an acoustic space with a volume of 1.5cc or less, and sound was output from the speaker 43 while changing the frequency. The results of picking up the sound with the microphone 35 were measured to obtain diagram d. As shown in diagram d, the microphone sensitivity decreases after exceeding 4000Hz.

[0034] Next, we will examine the third improvement, namely the effect of using a bidirectional microphone as the microphone 35 described above. First, an omnidirectional microphone (not shown) was inserted into an opening in a space simulating an acoustic space with a volume of 1.5cc or less. Sound was output from speaker 43 while varying the frequency, and the results of picking up the sound with microphone 35 were measured to obtain diagram c. As shown in diagram c, the level is maintained at around 60dB from the low frequency range up to around 4000Hz and then decreases. In contrast, when using the bidirectional microphone 35 according to this embodiment, the microphone sensitivity below 500Hz is reduced, as shown in the diagram d already described. Sensitivity suppression starts around 1000Hz, and there is a sensitivity suppression effect of about 20dB around 500Hz.

[0035] We will now provide a more detailed explanation regarding the measurements related to the second and third improvements mentioned above. Figure 12 shows the configuration of the measuring device, first of which is an ear canal simulated nut fixing device 81. As shown in Figure 13, this ear canal simulated nut fixing device 81 has a container shape, and an ear canal simulated nut 83 of any size is detachably attached to its inside. An earphone microphone 1 according to this embodiment is detachably attached to the ear canal simulated nut 83. The internal space of the ear canal simulated nut 83 is simulated as an acoustic space 71. In Figure 14, the ear pad 13 is attached to the simulated ear nut 83 mentioned above.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, an operation box 85 and a personal computer 87 are installed, and this personal computer 87 is pre-loaded with a predetermined measurement program, data, etc. Then, a predetermined sound, i.e., a pure tone (100mvrms) represented by a sine wave, is output through the speaker 43 of the earphone microphone 1, received through the microphone 35, converted into an electrical signal, and the frequency response is measured. Sound input and output are controlled by the control box 85, and the measurement results are displayed on the display of the personal computer 87.

[0037] First, regarding the second point of innovation, basically, about half of the space inside the external auditory canal 53 is made into a highly sealed acoustic space 71. With regard to this, acoustic spaces of various sizes were simulated and the microphone characteristics of each were measured. For this reason, as shown in Figure 14, multiple types (eight types in this embodiment) of the ear canal simulation nuts 83 are available. The volume of the inner space of the ear canal simulation nuts 83 differs depending on their size, and specifically there are eight types: 0.005cc, 0.033cc, 0.14cc, 0.33cc, 0.63cc, 1.13cc, 2.61cc, and 5cc.

[0038] The measurement results are shown in Figures 15 to 22. Figure 15 shows the measurement results when using an ear canal simulation nut 83 with a volume of 0.005 cc. The vertical axis represents sound pressure level (dB) and the horizontal axis represents frequency (Hz). A pure sinusoidal tone (100 mvrms) is output from speaker 43 in the range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, which is received via microphone 35 and converted into an electrical signal. The detected signal waveform is shown in Figure A. As is clear from Figure A, the microphone sensitivity is not suppressed even in the frequency band exceeding 4000 Hz.

[0039] Figure 16 shows the measurement results when using an ear canal simulating nut 83 with a volume of 0.033cc, Figure 17 shows the measurement results when using an ear canal simulating nut 83 with a volume of 0.14cc, Figure 18 shows the measurement results when using an ear canal simulating nut 83 with a volume of 0.33cc, Figure 19 shows the measurement results when using an ear canal simulating nut 83 with a volume of 0.63cc, Figure 20 shows the measurement results when using an ear canal simulating nut 83 with a volume of 1.13cc, Figure 21 shows the measurement results when using an ear canal simulating nut 83 with a volume of 2.61cc, and Figure 22 shows the measurement results when using an ear canal simulating nut 83 with a volume of 5cc.

[0040] According to the measurement results shown in Figures 15 to 22, when the volume is 1.00 cc or less, i.e., in the cases of Figures 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, microphone sensitivity can be effectively suppressed in the frequency band above 4000 Hz. In particular, when using the ear canal simulation nut 83 with a volume of 0.33 cc in Figure 18, and when using the ear canal simulation nut 83 with a volume of 0.63 cc in Figure 19, microphone sensitivity can be suppressed more effectively in the frequency band above 4000 Hz. Based on these measurement results, in this embodiment, the volume of the acoustic space 71 is set to 1.00 cc or less, preferably 0.3 cc to 0.8 cc.

[0041] Next, regarding the third improvement, referring to Figures 23 and 24, the frequency response characteristics were measured and compared when using a bidirectional microphone and an omnidirectional microphone. The measurement apparatus configuration was the same as that shown in Figure 12, and measurements were taken with the earphone microphone 1 according to this embodiment using a bidirectional microphone 31 and the earphone microphone using an omnidirectional microphone attached. Furthermore, measurements were taken using an ear canal simulation nut 83 with a volume of 0.63 cc.

[0042] Figure 23 shows the measurement results when using the earphone microphone 1 according to this embodiment, which uses a bidirectional microphone 35. As shown in diagram A, the microphone sensitivity below 500Hz is effectively suppressed. Sensitivity suppression starts around 1000Hz and has a sensitivity suppression effect of approximately 15dB around 500Hz. In contrast, Figure 24 shows the measurement results when an earphone microphone using an omnidirectional microphone is attached, and as shown in Figure A, it can be seen that the microphone sensitivity below 500Hz is not suppressed.

[0043] Figure 25 shows the usage state of the earphone microphone 1 according to this embodiment. For example, there is a factory 91 with a high noise environment, and a worker 93 is working inside this factory. The worker 93 is wearing the earphone microphone 1 on their ear, and this earphone microphone 1 is connected to a repeater 97 via a cable 95. The repeater 97 is connected to a transceiver 101 via a cable 99. Multiple workers 93 are in different locations and communicate with each other.

[0044] Figures 26 and 27 show the case when a wireless earphone microphone 1' is used. In this earphone microphone 1', the ear hook part 111 and the ear insertion part 113 are connected via a cable 115. Switches 117, 119, and 121 are provided on the visible part 111. In addition, a cable connection jack 123 is provided, and a cap 125 is attached to this cable connection jack 123 so that it can be opened and closed.

[0045] Another point of improvement is the speaker 43. In this embodiment, a BA receiver is used as the speaker 43. In the case of a BA receiver, the rear side is closed to the internal space 33, so even if the internal space 33 and the opening 11 side are in communication, distortion will not occur in the communication audio or the clarity will not deteriorate. This point will be explained in detail.

[0046] The speaker 43 is typically used with the front space (the space on the opening 11 side) and the rear space (the internal space 33 side) of the diaphragm separated. This is to eliminate problems caused by the merging and interference of sound from the front space and the rear space.

[0047] In contrast, in this embodiment, the front space (the space on the side of the opening 11) and the rear space (the side of the internal space 33) are in communication via the sound collection path 39 and the branch path 41 and are not separated. Therefore, by using a BA receiver as the speaker 43, a closed configuration is made with respect to the rear space (the side of the internal space 33), thereby eliminating problems caused by the merging and interference of sound from the front space (the space on the side of the opening 11) and the rear space (the side of the internal space 33).

[0048] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. First, it can suppress ambient noise and improve the clarity of conversation sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. Firstly, this is because the earphone microphone body 3 and ear pad 11 improve the degree of contact with the ear canal 52 and, consequently, the sound insulation effect, thereby suppressing the noise level in the acoustic space 23 to 70 dB or less, or for example, around 60 dB. Secondly, by using the earphone microphone body 3 and ear pads 11 to create an acoustic space that occupies approximately half of the space within the ear canal 52, the microphone sensitivity above 4000Hz is suppressed. Thirdly, the adoption of a bidirectional microphone 35 suppresses microphone sensitivity below 500Hz. Furthermore, regarding the second point, by making the acoustic space 23 1.0cc or less, and especially 0.3cc to 0.8cc, it is possible to suppress microphone sensitivity above 4000Hz. Furthermore, since a BA receiver is used as the speaker 43, and the rear side of the BA receiver is closed to the internal space 33, even if the internal space 33 is in communication with the opening 11, distortion will not occur in the communication audio or the clarity will not deteriorate.

[0049] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the illustrated configuration is merely an example. [Industrial applicability]

[0050] The present invention relates to an earphone microphone, and more particularly to one that is designed to suppress environmental noise and clarify conversational sounds during simultaneous transmission and reception in high-noise environments. For example, it is suitable for use in various work sites. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1. Earphone microphone 3. Earphone microphone unit 5 Front 7 Rear 13 Ear pads 33 Interior space 35 Microphones 43 speakers 53 External auditory canal 71 Acoustic Space

Claims

1. An earphone microphone body having an internal space that communicates with the external auditory canal, forming a sound-insulated acoustic space within the external auditory canal by inserting the tip into the external auditory canal, The microphone housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, The speaker is housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body mentioned above. In an earphone microphone equipped with, An earphone microphone characterized by suppressing the noise level in the above-mentioned acoustic space to 70 dB or less.

2. In the earphone microphone according to claim 1, An earphone microphone characterized by increasing the degree of contact of the earphone microphone body with the ear canal and by attaching an ear pad to the tip of the earphone microphone, thereby suppressing the noise level in the acoustic space to 70 dB or less.

3. An earphone microphone body having an internal space that communicates with the external auditory canal, forming a sound-insulated acoustic space within the external auditory canal by inserting the tip into the external auditory canal, The microphone housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body, The speaker is housed within the internal space of the earphone microphone body mentioned above. In an earphone microphone equipped with, An earphone microphone characterized by suppressing the noise level in the above-mentioned acoustic space by 20 dB or more.

4. In the earphone microphone according to claim 2, An earphone microphone characterized by increasing the degree of contact of the earphone microphone body with the ear canal and by attaching an ear pad to the tip of the earphone microphone, thereby suppressing the noise level in the acoustic space by 20 dB or more.

5. In the earphone microphone according to claim 1 or claim 3, An earphone microphone characterized by suppressing the microphone sensitivity of the microphone above 4000Hz in the above acoustic space.

6. In the earphone microphone according to claim 5, The earphone microphone body is inserted into the ear canal, thereby creating an acoustic space that occupies approximately half of the ear canal, and is characterized in that it suppresses the microphone sensitivity of the microphone above 4000 Hz within the acoustic space.

7. In the earphone microphone according to claim 6, An earphone microphone characterized in that the volume of the acoustic space described above is 1.00 cc or less.

8. In the earphone microphone according to claim 7, An earphone microphone characterized in that the volume of the acoustic space described above is 0.3 cc to 0.8 cc.

9. In the earphone microphone according to claim 5, An earphone microphone characterized by suppressing the microphone sensitivity of the microphone below 500 Hz in the above-mentioned acoustic space.

10. In the earphone microphone according to claim 9, An earphone microphone characterized in that the microphone is a bidirectional microphone, thereby suppressing the microphone sensitivity of the microphone below 500 Hz in the acoustic space.

11. In the earphone microphone according to claim 1 or claim 3, The earphone microphone is characterized in that the rear side of the speaker is closed off from the internal space.

12. In the earphone microphone according to claim 11, The above speaker is an earphone microphone characterized by being a BA receiver.

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