headphone device

Abstract

This invention provides a headphone device with a simple configuration that can control airflow in accordance with the audio and video scenes. [Solution] The headband 10 is equipped with air blowing speakers 21 at both ends, which generate wind by vibrating a diaphragm at a low frequency based on low-frequency components contained in an external audio signal. A wind collector 23 is provided opposite the diaphragm of each air blowing speaker 21 to blow the wind out. A plate-shaped member 25a with holes 25b for air to pass through is provided on the front side of each wind collector 23, and a sound speaker 24 is attached to the plate-shaped member 25a. An ear pad 26 is provided on the front side of each plate-shaped member 25a. A gap 28 is formed between the ear pad 26 and the plate-shaped member 25a, allowing air to circulate with the outside world.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a headset device that is worn on the head and used to listen to sound when listening to music with a CD player or the like, or when watching videos, movies, etc. on a personal computer, television, or the like.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when enjoying videos, movies, etc. on a personal computer, television, DVD player, etc., the number of people using headphones while considering the people around them has been increasing. In recent years, in order to enhance the sense of presence when playing videos, movies, etc., variously devised headphones have been developed. For example, there are commercially available headphones that are devised so that powerful bass can be enjoyed according to the scenes of videos, etc. Also, regarding the sound of a person's voice, there are headphones that are devised not only to feel the sound but also to actually feel the flow of air, for example, to feel the breath, in order to enhance the sense of presence. For example, inside the housing of the headphones, there are provided a pump for sending out air, a tube for carrying the air sent out from the pump to air holes, and a valve provided in the tube, and by controlling the opening and closing of the valve based on an audio signal, there is known a headphone that can blow air toward the user's ear (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this headphone, by varying the amount of air blown from the air holes toward the user's ear when the audio signal is a voiced sound and when the audio signal is a voiceless sound, different amounts of breath for voiced and voiceless sounds are reproduced, and thus a feeling as if a person is speaking near the ear can be given to the user, so that the sense of presence of the user listening to the sound can be further improved. Furthermore, there is also known an ear pad device using a blower to cause a flow of air (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Note that this ear pad device is for reducing ear pain caused by air pressure changes without giving a large stress to the user, and does not control the flow of air to make the user feel a person's breath.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-127573 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-068831 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] Incidentally, the headphones described in Patent Document 1 use a pump, an air-carrying pipe, and a solenoid valve to supply and control air. As a result, this headphones have the problem of being large in size. On the other hand, the earmuff device using a blower described in Patent Document 2 takes time to rotate at the rated speed after power is supplied to the blower, and even if the power supply is stopped, the blower does not stop rotating immediately. Therefore, it is not possible to quickly control the airflow. Consequently, this earmuff device has the problem of being difficult to control the airflow in a timely manner in accordance with the scenes in the video.

[0005] This invention was made based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide a headphone device that can control airflow in accordance with the sound and video scenes with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the headphone device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a headband; a blower speaker provided at each end of the headband for generating and sending air forward by vibrating a diaphragm at a low frequency based on low-frequency components contained in an audio signal sent from the outside; a concentrating device provided at a position opposite the diaphragm of each blower speaker for collecting the air generated by the blower speaker and ejecting it to the outside from a discharge part; a sound speaker positioned in front of the concentrating device with its central axis offset from each blower speaker for generating sound in response to an audio signal sent from the outside; and ear pads for covering the user's ears, provided at a certain distance from each concentrating device so as to allow air to flow with the outside world.

[0007] Furthermore, the headphone device according to the present invention for achieving the above objectives is characterized by comprising: a headband; a blower speaker provided at each end of the headband for generating wind and sending it forward by vibrating a diaphragm at a low frequency based on low-frequency components contained in an audio signal sent from the outside; a wind collector provided at a position opposite the diaphragm of each blower speaker for collecting the wind generated by the blower speaker and ejecting it to the outside from a discharge part; a plate-shaped member provided on the front side of each wind collector, having a hole formed at a position corresponding to the discharge part of the wind collector; a sound speaker attached to each plate-shaped member for generating sound in response to an audio signal sent from the outside; an ear pad positioned on the front side of each plate-shaped member for covering the user's ears; and an ear pad attachment part provided on the front side of each plate-shaped member so as to allow air to flow between the plate-shaped member and the ear pad at a certain distance, for attaching the ear pad.

[0008] Here, for example, a bass speaker capable of reproducing audio signals with components in a predetermined frequency range between 20 Hz and 150 Hz is used as the blower speaker, and a full-range speaker is used as the sound speaker.

[0009] As described above, the headphone device according to the present invention is equipped with a blower speaker that vibrates a diaphragm at a low frequency based on the low-frequency components contained in an external audio signal. When an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the blower speaker, the blower speaker directs the air in front of the diaphragm perpendicular to it, instantly generating wind. Furthermore, by providing a wind collector opposite the diaphragm of the blower speaker, the wind generated by the blower speaker can be collected in a small area via the wind collector and sent towards the user's ear. Moreover, by maintaining a certain distance between the wind collector and the ear pad to allow air to circulate with the outside world, the wind sent from the blower speaker via the wind collector is discharged to the outside world without lingering after hitting the user's ear. As a result, the wind sent from the blower speaker can be effectively directed to the user's ear. Therefore, the headphone device of the present invention can control airflow with a simple configuration, and when an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the headphone device of the present invention, the user can feel the airflow, such as wind, generated by the air blower speaker in a timely manner in accordance with the sound from the sound speaker and the scenes in the video accompanied by that sound.

[0010] Furthermore, in the headphone device of the present invention, each air collecting device may include a hollow frustum mounted so as to cover the diaphragm of the air blowing speaker, and a cylindrical ejection part formed approximately in the center of the frustum.

[0011] Furthermore, in the headphone device of the present invention, each ear pad mounting section may include an annular member for attaching the ear pad and a plurality of connecting sections that connect the annular member and the plate-shaped member such that there is a certain gap between them. Here, it is desirable that the gap between the annular member and the plate-shaped member in each ear pad mounting section be a predetermined gap within the range of 5 mm to 15 mm.

[0012] Furthermore, in the headphone device of the present invention, when an external audio signal is amplified by an amplifier and then sent to each of the ventilation speakers and each of the sound speakers, it is desirable to provide an attenuation circuit on the input side of each sound speaker to reduce the audio signal. This allows the user to fully feel the wind generated from each ventilation speaker, while also preventing loud noises from being generated from each sound speaker. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] In the headphone device according to the present invention, when an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the blower speaker, the blower speaker directs the air in front of its diaphragm in a direction perpendicular to the diaphragm, instantly generating wind. Furthermore, the wind generated by the blower speaker can be collected in a small area via a wind collector and sent towards the user's ears. Moreover, by configuring the device to allow air to flow with the outside world through a certain gap between the wind collector and the ear pad, the wind sent from the blower speaker via the wind collector is discharged to the outside world without lingering after hitting the user's ears. As a result, the wind sent from the blower speaker can be effectively directed to the user's ears. Therefore, the headphone device of the present invention can generate airflow with a simple configuration, and when an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the headphone device of the present invention, the user can feel the airflow, such as wind, generated by the air blower speaker in a timely manner in accordance with the sound from the sound speaker and the scenes in the video accompanied by that sound. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a headphone device, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the main body of the headphone device. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a portion of the main body of the headphone device cut out. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a part of the main body of the headphone device is cut away. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a blower speaker and a blower speaker housing portion included in the main body of the headphone device of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of an air collecting device included in the main body of the headphone device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a sound speaker and a sound speaker mounting portion included in the main body of the headphone device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of an ear pad mounting portion included in the main body of the headphone device. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention according to the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a headphone device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the main body of the headphone device, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic perspective views showing a state in which a part of the main body of the headphone device is cut away.

[0016] The headphone device 1 of the present embodiment is used by being worn on the user's head in the same manner as ordinary headphones. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the headphone device 1 includes a headband 10, and a pair of main bodies 20a and 20b provided at both ends of the headband, which generate sound according to an audio signal, and a cord 30 drawn into one of the main bodies 20a. Further, in the present embodiment, in addition to generating sound according to an audio signal, the main bodies 20a and 20b have a blower function of generating wind according to the audio signal and sending it to the user's ear. Although FIGS. 2 to 4 show the structure of the main body 20a, the structure of the main body 20b is substantially the same as that of the main body 20a.

[0017] The headband 10 is configured to connect two main body parts 20a and 20b in a swingable manner. When the headset device 1 is in use, the headband 10 is arranged to straddle the user's head top or the back of the neck. At this time, the main body parts 20a and 20b are respectively arranged to cover at least a part of the user's left and right ears. Thereby, the sound and the air flow generated in the main body parts 20a and 20b are transmitted to the user's ears.

[0018] Also, the cord 30 is for transmitting the audio signal output from an external acoustic device (reproducing device) to the main body parts 20a and 20b. Here, as the acoustic device, a smartphone, a personal computer, a CD player, a DVD player, a Blu-ray player, a television, etc. are used. For example, a two-channel left / right audio signal is output from the acoustic device and sent to the main body parts 20a and 20b via the cord 30 respectively.

[0019] In this embodiment, the original audio signal obtained by reproducing a sound source such as a CD or a DVD from the acoustic device is output as it is. However, an audio signal obtained by processing the original audio signal with the acoustic device may be output. The audio signal of the low-frequency component included in the audio signal output from the acoustic device is related to the operation of the blower function of the main body parts 20a and 20b.

[0020] Also, in this embodiment, instead of directly outputting the audio signal output from the acoustic device to the headset device 1, an amplifier is arranged between the acoustic device and the headset device 1, and the audio signal output from the acoustic device is amplified by the amplifier and then the amplified audio signal is output to the headset device 1. The reason for outputting the signal amplified by the amplifier to the headset device 1 in this way is, although it will be described in detail later, to enable the user to sufficiently feel the wind generated by using the blower function of the headset device 1 of this embodiment.

[0021] Each main body section 20a, 20b, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, includes a blower speaker 21, a blower speaker housing 22, an air collector 23, a sound speaker 24, a sound speaker mounting section 25, an ear pad 26, and an ear pad mounting section 27. When describing these parts of the main body sections 20a, 20b, the direction on which the ear pad 26 is provided in the main body sections 20a, 20b will be referred to as the "front."

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of the air blower speaker 21 and the air blower speaker housing 22 in the headphone device 1 of this embodiment. As shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, the air blower speaker housing 22 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, with an opening on its front side. Specifically, the diameter of this air blower speaker housing 22 is approximately 60 mm, and its length is approximately 40 mm. The air blower speaker 21 is housed in the air blower speaker housing 22 so that its diaphragm faces forward.

[0023] The blower speaker 21 generates wind and sends it forward by vibrating its diaphragm at a low frequency based on the low-frequency components contained in the audio signal sent from the outside. Therefore, when an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the blower speaker 21, it can instantly create wind by directing the air in front of its diaphragm in a direction perpendicular to the diaphragm. In this embodiment, the blower speaker 21 is a bass speaker capable of reproducing audio signals with components in a predetermined frequency range (for example, a range of 30Hz to 80Hz) within the range of 20Hz to 150Hz. It is known that such a bass speaker is used in pachinko machines to notify the player of the occurrence of a chance state. In this case, the bass speaker is installed in the handle part of the pachinko machine, and when a chance state occurs, the bass speaker vibrates at a low frequency, and the wind generated from the bass speaker is sent towards the player's hand.

[0024] The air collector 23 is mounted at the opening of the speaker housing 22, that is, at a position facing the diaphragm of the speaker housing 21 housed in the speaker housing 22. Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of the air collector 23. As shown in Figures 2 and 6, the air collector 23 has a hollow frustum 23a, a cylindrical ejection part 23b formed at the top of the frustum 23a, and a side wall part 23c formed to cover the frustum 23a. The frustum 23a and the ejection part 23b are formed in a roughly funnel shape as a whole. The frustum 23a is mounted in the speaker housing 22 so as to cover the diaphragm of the speaker housing 21. At this time, as shown in Figure 2, the side wall part 23c is integrated with the side wall of the speaker housing 22. Therefore, the air collector 23 also serves as a lid for the speaker housing 22. The discharge section 23b collects the air generated by the speaker 21 at the frustocone 23a and then acts as a duct to expel the collected air forward.

[0025] Furthermore, a speaker mounting section 25 is detachably attached to the front of the air collecting device 23. For example, the speaker mounting section 25 is fitted into the air collecting device 23. Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of the speaker 24 and speaker mounting section 25 in the headphone device 1 of this embodiment. As shown in Figures 2 and 7, the speaker mounting section 25 has a substantially circular plate-shaped member 25a, a first hole 25b formed at a position on the plate-shaped member 25a corresponding to the nozzle 23b of the air collecting device 23, and a second hole (not shown) for fitting and mounting the speaker 24 into the plate-shaped member 25a. The first hole 25b is for allowing air ejected from the nozzle 23b of the air collecting device 23 to pass through. In this embodiment, the first hole 25b is formed in the approximate center of the plate-shaped member 25a. This allows the air generated by the blower speaker 21 to be collected in a small area via the air collector 23 and then sent to the user's ear through the first hole 25b. A second hole is also formed near the first hole 25a. Figures 2, 3, 4, and 7 show the sound speaker 24 fitted into the second hole of the plate-shaped member 25a.

[0026] The sound speaker 24 converts an externally transmitted audio signal into sound, that is, it generates sound in response to an externally transmitted audio signal. In this embodiment, a small full-range speaker is used as the sound speaker. Specifically, the speaker M00303H0 manufactured by Kitanippon Onkyo Co., Ltd. is used. When viewed from above, the shape of this sound speaker 24 is roughly circular, with a diameter of approximately 28 mm and a thickness of approximately 5 mm.

[0027] As described above, the audio signal output from the external sound device is amplified by an amplifier, and then the amplified audio signal is sent to each main unit 20a and 20b via the code 30. The audio signal sent to each main unit 20a and 20b is then split into two and sent to the air blower speaker 22 and the sound speaker 24, respectively. However, in this embodiment, an attenuation circuit (attenuator) (not shown) is provided on the input side of the sound speaker 24 to attenuate the audio signal sent from the amplifier, so that the sound speaker 24 receives an audio signal with a reduced level from the amplifier. This is because if the audio signal amplified by the amplifier is input directly to the sound speaker 24, a loud sound will be generated from the sound speaker 24, which would be a great burden on the user's ears. Therefore, the blower speaker 22 receives an audio signal at a level greater than the audio signal output from the sound device, while the sound speaker 24 receives an audio signal at approximately the same level as the audio signal output from the sound device.

[0028] After fitting the sound speaker 24 into the second hole of the plate-shaped member 25a, the plate-shaped member 25a is placed on the air collector 23 such that the first hole 25b faces the ejection nozzle 23b of the air collector 23 and the diaphragm of the sound speaker 24 faces forward. Then, the sound speaker mounting portion 25 is attached to the air collector 23.

[0029] The ear pad 26 is for covering the user's ear (or part thereof) and is positioned in front of the sound speaker mounting section 25 (plate-shaped member 25a). Specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the ear pad 26 has a substantially ring-shaped pad body 26a, a fabric portion 26b provided on the back side of the pad body 26a, and a mesh portion 26c provided between the pad body 26a and the fabric portion 26b. The fabric portion 26b is for attaching the ear pad 26 to the ear pad mounting section 27. The mesh portion 26c serves to separate the pad body 26a from the sound speaker 24. In addition, a hole 26d is formed in the central part of the mesh portion 26c to allow air blown out from the first hole 25b of the plate-shaped member 25a to pass through.

[0030] In this embodiment, the ear pad 26 is attached to the ear pad mounting section 27, not to the speaker mounting section 25. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the ear pad mounting section 27 is provided in front of the speaker mounting section 25. Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of the ear pad mounting section 27. As shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 8, the ear pad mounting section 27 has an annular member 27a for attaching the ear pad 26 and a plurality of connecting sections 27b. In this embodiment, four cylindrical connecting sections 27b are provided. The ear pad 26 is attached to the ear pad mounting section 27 by covering the annular member 27a with the fabric section 26b from the outside.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the connecting portion 27b of the ear pad mounting portion 27 connects the annular member 27a and the plate-shaped member 25a of the sound speaker mounting portion 25 so that there is a certain gap between them and air can circulate to the outside world. Here, the connecting portion 27b of the ear pad mounting portion 27 is attached to the plate-shaped member 25a of the sound speaker mounting portion 25 by, for example, screws (not shown). Therefore, a gap 28 is formed between the ear pad 26 and the sound speaker mounting portion 25. Here, it is desirable that the gap between the annular member 27a and the plate-shaped member 25a be a predetermined gap within the range of 5 mm to 15 mm. In this embodiment, this gap is set to approximately 10 mm. As described above, in this embodiment, the ear pad mounting portion 27 is provided with a certain gap between the sound speaker mounting portion 25 and the ear pad 26 to allow air to circulate with the outside world. As a result, the sound generated from the sound speaker 24 leaks out to the outside through the gap 28. However, because of the presence of the gap 28, the air sent from the air blowing speaker 21 through the holes 27d provided in the plate-shaped member 25a hits the user's ear and is then discharged to the outside world through the gap 28. Consequently, the air sent from the air blowing speaker 21 effectively hits the user's ear. In fact, when the user uses the headphone device 1 of this embodiment, they can feel as if a natural breeze is hitting their ear.

[0032] In this embodiment, the case in which the ear pad mounting portion 27 has four connecting portions 27b is described. However, as long as the main body portions 20a and 20b are configured to allow air to flow between the sound speaker mounting portion 25 and the ear pad 26, the connecting portions 27b are not limited to a cylindrical shape and can be of any shape, and the number of connecting portions 27b may be two, three, or five or more.

[0033] Incidentally, the inventors conducted an experiment to confirm how the user perceives the wind when a normal output level audio signal with only a 45Hz frequency component is input directly from the sound device to the blower speaker 21, and when the audio signal is amplified by an amplifier to approximately twice its original level and then input to the blower speaker 21. As a result, in the former case, the user was able to feel the wind hitting their ears to some extent, but in the latter case, the user was able to feel the wind hitting their ears much more clearly. Therefore, it was found that when a normal level audio signal is output from the sound device, by outputting the amplified audio signal to the headphone device 1, the user can sufficiently feel the wind generated using the blower function of the headphone device 1 of this embodiment.

[0034] Furthermore, when the inventors developed the headphone device of the present invention, they created a prototype in which the ear pad 26 was directly attached to the sound speaker mounting part 25, preventing air circulation between the ear pad 26 and the sound speaker mounting part 25. When they used this prototype, they found that the user could hardly feel any wind from the air blowing speaker 21. This is thought to be because the wind from the air blowing speaker 21 hits the user's ear and then lingers in the vicinity of the ear. Therefore, it was found that in order to effectively deliver air to the user's ear in the headphone device of the present invention, it is necessary to adopt a structure that allows air circulation between the outside world and the vicinity of the user's ear.

[0035] Next, we will explain how to use the headphone device 1 of this embodiment. First, the user connects the output terminal of the external audio device to the input terminal of the amplifier with a cord, and connects the cord 30 of the headphone device 1 to the output terminal of the amplifier. Then, the user sets the output level of the amplifier. For example, the user sets it to output an audio signal at approximately twice the level of the audio signal sent from the audio device.

[0036] Next, the user puts on the headphone device 1. Then, the user selects a desired audio signal in the sound device and plays the selected audio signal. As a result, the audio signal is output from the sound device to the amplifier, amplified by the amplifier, and then sent to the main units 20a and 20b of the headphone device 1. In each main unit 20a and 20b, the amplified audio signal is input to the blower speaker 21, while the sound speaker 24 is input to the audio signal that has been amplified by the amplifier and then attenuated by the attenuation circuit.

[0037] In this way, the user can hear the sound emitted from the sound speaker 24. Meanwhile, the air blower speaker 21 responds to signals with a frequency of 30 to 80 Hz, so when the sound signal includes signals with a frequency of 30 to 80 Hz, it vibrates its diaphragm in response to the low-frequency sound signal and generates wind. This wind is delivered to the user's ears through the air collector 23, the first hole 25b of the sound speaker mounting part 25, and the holes 26d formed in the mesh part 26c of the ear pad 26. In this embodiment, a low-frequency speaker is used as the air blower speaker 21, and by utilizing its low-frequency vibrations to generate wind, the air blower speaker 21 can instantly respond to signals with a frequency of 20 to 80 Hz when the sound signal includes signals with a frequency of 20 to 80 Hz and generate wind. Therefore, for example, when an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the headphone device 1 of this embodiment, the user can hear the sound from the sound speaker and feel the wind generated by the air blower speaker in sync with the sound. In particular, when the user uses the headphone device 1 of this embodiment while watching a video, for example, when a climax scene containing a low-frequency audio signal is displayed, wind is instantly generated from the air blower speaker 21 in sync with the video scene, allowing the user to feel as if they are actually in the location of the video, thereby enhancing the sense of realism. When the video scene ends, the wind from the air blower speaker 21 can be instantly stopped. Furthermore, for example, in video scenes of people performing strenuous exercise or women sighing, an airflow can be generated that allows the user to feel the heavy breathing or sighs.

[0038] In this embodiment of the headphone device, a blower speaker is provided that vibrates a diaphragm at a low frequency based on the low-frequency components contained in an external audio signal. When an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the blower speaker, the blower speaker directs the air in front of the diaphragm perpendicular to it, instantly generating wind. Furthermore, by providing a wind collector opposite the diaphragm of the blower speaker, the wind generated by the blower speaker can be collected in a small area via the wind collector and sent to the user's ear through a hole provided in a plate-shaped member. Furthermore, by providing an ear pad mounting section on the front of the plate-shaped member with a certain gap between the plate-shaped member and the ear pad to allow air to circulate with the outside world, the air sent from the blower speaker through the holes in the plate-shaped member is discharged to the outside world without lingering after hitting the user's ears. As a result, the air sent from the blower speaker can be effectively directed to the user's ears. Therefore, the headphone device of this embodiment can control airflow with a simple configuration, and when an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the headphone device of the present invention, the user can experience the air generated by the blower speaker in time with the audio from the sound speaker and the scenes in the video accompanied by that audio.

[0039] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of its essence.

[0040] For example, in the above embodiment, a case was described in which the ear pad 26 had a substantially ring-shaped pad body 26a, a fabric portion 26b provided on the back side of the pad body 26a, and a mesh portion 26c provided between the pad body 26a and the fabric portion 26b. However, the ear pad 26 does not necessarily have to have a mesh portion 26c.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an amplifier was placed between the sound device and the headphone device of the present invention, and the case in which the audio signal output from the sound device is amplified by the amplifier and then output to the headphone device was described. However, the amplifier may also be built into the main body of the headphone device.

[0042] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described a case in which an attenuation circuit (attenuator) for attenuating the audio signal is provided on the input side of the sound speaker, it is not necessarily required to provide an attenuation circuit in the headphone device of the present invention. An example of a case in which an attenuation circuit is not required is when the tone control function of an amplifier is used to amplify only the level of the low-frequency audio signal from the external audio signal, and then the resulting audio signal is output to the headphone device of the present invention. In addition, when an audio signal is created by using a personal computer or the like to add a low-frequency component signal in the range of 30 Hz to 80 Hz, which has a higher level than the original audio signal, to a desired location in the original audio signal, and then outputting the created audio signal to the headphone device of the present invention, it is not necessary to provide an amplifier in addition to an attenuation circuit. In this case, it is desirable to use a sound speaker that does not reproduce audio signals in the frequency band of 150 Hz or higher, but does not reproduce audio signals in the frequency band of 150 Hz or lower, so as not to reliably reproduce the added low-frequency component audio signal.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, we described a case where the air generated from the blower speaker 21 is sent straight towards the ear from approximately the center of the ear pad 26 and directed approximately perpendicularly to the ear. However, for example, a nozzle that sends air in a certain angular direction, rather than perpendicular to the plane of the plate-shaped member 25a, may be attached to the first hole 25b of the sound speaker mounting part 25, and the air from that certain angular direction may be directed to the user's ear through the nozzle. Alternatively, a nozzle configured to allow the direction of airflow to be freely changed may be used. Using such a nozzle, for example, the user can adjust the direction of the airflow so that the air sent from the nozzle does not directly hit their ear canal. [Industrial applicability]

[0044] As described above, in the headphone device according to the present invention, when an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the blower speaker, the blower speaker can instantly generate wind by directing the air in front of its diaphragm in a direction perpendicular to the diaphragm. Furthermore, the wind generated by the blower speaker can be collected in a small area via a concentrator and sent to the user's ear. Moreover, by configuring the device to allow air circulation with the outside world by leaving a certain gap between the concentrator and the ear pad, the wind sent from the blower speaker via the concentrator is discharged to the outside world without lingering after hitting the user's ear, thus effectively directing the wind from the blower speaker to the user's ear. Therefore, the headphone device according to the present invention can control airflow with a simple configuration, and when an audio signal containing low-frequency components is sent to the headphone device according to the present invention, the user can experience the airflow, such as wind, generated by the blower speaker in a timely manner in accordance with the sound from the sound speaker or the scenes in the video accompanied by that sound. Therefore, the headphone device according to the present invention is suitable for use when listening to music on a CD player or the like, or when watching videos or movies on a personal computer, television, DVD player, or the like. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1. Headphone device 10 headbands 20a, 20b Main body 21. Air blower speaker 22. Storage compartment for ventilation speaker 23 Air collector 23a frustum of a cone 23b Spout part 23c Side wall part 24-speaker 25 Speaker mounting section for sound 25a Plate-shaped member 25b First hole 26 Ear pads 26a Pad body 26b Nunobe 26c Mesh section 26d hole 27 Ear pad attachment area 27a Annular member 27b Connection part 28 gaps 30 Codes

Claims

1. Headband and, A blower speaker is provided at each end of the headband, which generates and sends air forward by vibrating a diaphragm at a low frequency based on the low-frequency components contained in an audio signal sent from the outside, A wind collecting device is provided at a position opposite the diaphragm of each of the aforementioned blowing speakers, for collecting the air generated by the blowing speaker and ejecting it to the outside from the ejection part, A sound speaker, positioned in front of the air collector with its central axis offset from each of the aforementioned air blowing speakers, generates sound in response to an audio signal sent from the outside, An ear pad for covering the user's ears is provided, with a certain distance between it and each of the aforementioned air collecting devices, to allow air to circulate with the outside world. A headphone device characterized by comprising the following:

2. Headband and, A blower speaker is provided at each end of the headband, which generates and sends air forward by vibrating a diaphragm at a low frequency based on the low-frequency components contained in an audio signal sent from the outside, A wind collecting device is provided at a position opposite the diaphragm of each of the aforementioned blowing speakers, for collecting the air generated by the blowing speaker and ejecting it to the outside from the ejection part, A plate-shaped member having a hole formed at a position corresponding to the ejection part of the air collector, provided on the front side of each air collector, Each of the aforementioned plate-shaped members is equipped with a sound speaker for generating sound in response to an audio signal sent from the outside, Each of the aforementioned plate-shaped members is positioned on the front side of an ear pad to cover the user's ears, An ear pad attachment portion for attaching the ear pad is provided on the front side of each plate-shaped member, with a certain gap between the plate-shaped member and the ear pad to allow for air circulation with the outside world, A headphone device characterized by comprising the following:

3. The headphone device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the air collecting devices comprises a hollow frustum mounted so as to cover the diaphragm of the air blowing speaker, and a cylindrical ejection part formed in approximately the center of the frustum.

4. The headphone device according to claim 2, characterized in that each ear pad mounting portion comprises an annular member for mounting the ear pad and a plurality of connecting portions that connect the annular member and the plate-shaped member such that a certain distance is maintained between the annular member and the plate-shaped member.

5. The headphone device according to claim 4, characterized in that the distance between the annular member and the plate-shaped member in each ear pad mounting portion is a predetermined distance within the range of 5 mm to 15 mm.

6. The headphone device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the blower speaker is a bass speaker capable of reproducing audio signals of components in a predetermined frequency range within the range of 20 Hz to 150 Hz, and the sound speaker is a full-range speaker.

7. The headphone device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an attenuation circuit for attenuating audio signals is provided on the input side of each of the aforementioned sound speakers.

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