Pillow with built-in bone conduction speaker

Abstract

We offer a pillow with a built-in bone conduction speaker that reduces noise, allowing you to listen to soothing and comfortable sounds. [Solution] The device comprises a cushioning material 12 having an upper surface 12a and a lower surface 12b, a housing space 14 formed inside the cushioning material 12, and a bone conduction speaker 16 housed in the housing space 14. It also includes a silicone sheet 24 superimposed on the upper surface 12a of the cushioning material 12 and in contact with the vibrating part of the bone conduction speaker 16, and a cover material 26 covering the outer surface of the silicone sheet 24. It includes a drive device 28 that vibrates the bone conduction speaker 16, a storage device 34 that records a specific vibration waveform signal which is the intrauterine sound of an infant during the fetal period, and a signal processing circuit 36 ​​that sends the specific vibration waveform signal from the storage device 34 to the drive device 28. The drive device 28 of the bone conduction speaker 16 causes the bone conduction speaker 16 to oscillate with the specific vibration waveform signal by the drive circuit 42 of the drive device 28.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a pillow incorporating a bone conduction speaker used for hypnosis, healing, other recuperation, sleep induction, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a method of soothing or lulling to sleep infants who generally cry at night, people sing lullabies or let them listen to music that gives a sense of comfort. Further, as a more proactive method of inducing sleep, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a method of letting them listen to a recorded sound of the mother's in-utero sound is also adopted. This utilizes the fact that a fetus hears and recognizes sounds and vibrations even while in the mother's womb. In particular, the rhythmic heartbeat (heart sound), breathing, and other in-utero sounds when the mother is healthy and emotionally stable, as well as sounds such as the voices of people in the mother's daily life, bring a sense of security to infants after birth. Among the above sounds, in particular, the mother's heartbeat audible in the womb and the blood flow sound flowing through the umbilical cord are constantly felt and heard by the fetus, and in particular, bring a sense of security to infants.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the sound by the bone conduction speaker disclosed in the above patent documents is such that various noises are superimposed when vibrations are transmitted to the user's head, and both infants and adults may feel the noises and have discomfort.

[0005] This invention was made in view of the problems of the background technology described above, and aims to provide a bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow that reduces noise from bone conduction speakers and allows users to listen to comfortable and soothing sounds. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow comprising: a cushion material having an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface and the lower surface having an appropriate thickness and being spaced apart; a housing space formed inside the cushion material and communicating with the upper surface of the cushion material; a bone conduction speaker housed in the housing space; a silicone sheet superimposed on the upper surface of the cushion material and in contact with the vibrating part of the bone conduction speaker; and a cover material covering the outer surface of the silicone sheet, wherein the user's head is placed on the cover material and sound waves are generated from the bone conduction speaker.

[0007] The bone conduction speaker-embedded pillow comprises a drive device for vibrating the bone conduction speaker, a memory device that records a specific vibration waveform signal which is the intrauterine sound of an infant during the fetal stage, and a signal processing circuit that sends the specific vibration waveform signal from the memory device to the drive device. The memory device and the signal processing circuit are provided within the main body of the device. The drive device of the bone conduction speaker is connected to a receiving circuit for the specific vibration waveform signal, and the signal processing circuit is connected to a transmitting circuit that transmits the specific vibration waveform signal recorded in the memory device. The drive circuit of the drive device causes the bone conduction speaker to oscillate the received specific vibration waveform signal.

[0008] The storage device is connected to a microphone that records the prenatal sounds, and it captures the specific vibration waveform signal, which is the prenatal sound, and records it in the storage device. The specific vibration waveform signal is a prenatal sound of an infant, a dolphin's call, or a sound wave between the audible range and ultrasound emitted by a dolphin. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The bone conduction speaker-embedded pillow of this invention reduces the unpleasant noise of bone conduction speakers, allowing users to listen to soothing and comfortable sounds. It has a high calming effect, does not leak sound to the surroundings, and has high therapeutic effects such as healing, making it comfortable for people of all ages, from infants to adults. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] These are a left side view (a), a partially cut front view (b), a right side view (c), and a bottom view (d) of a bone conduction speaker-embedded pillow according to one embodiment of this invention. [Figure 2] This is a front view of the bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the use of the bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic block diagram of the electrical circuit of the bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments of this invention will now be described based on the drawings. Figures 1 to 5 show one embodiment of this invention, in which the bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow 10 of this embodiment is provided with a pillow body 11 on which the user's head rests and which generates sound waves from a bone conduction speaker 16, which will be described later.

[0012] The pillow body 11 has an upper surface 12a and a lower surface 12b, and a cushioning material 12 is provided between the upper surface 12a and the lower surface 12b, with a suitable thickness and spaced apart. The cushioning material 12 is made of, for example, urethane and has a suitable elasticity. The shape of the upper surface 12a and the lower surface 12b of the cushioning material 12 is a rectangle that is long in one direction, with the long side being the left-right direction.

[0013] A housing space 14 is provided inside the cushioning material 12, and the housing space 14 is in communication with the upper surface 12a of the cushioning material 12. Two housing spaces 14 are provided, positioned at equal intervals to the left and right in the direction of the center of the cushioning material 12. A bone conduction speaker 16, which is an output device, is housed in each of the two housing spaces 14. The bone conduction speaker 16 transmits vibrations of audible sounds, etc., through the human skull, etc., and transmits sound to the auditory nerve of the cochlea in the inner ear without passing through the eardrum. It is a speaker equipped with a diaphragm that transmits vibrations to the bone and a voice coil, etc.

[0014] The right case 18 is attached to the right corner of the left-right end of the cushioning material 12, which is shown in Figure 1(b) on the right side of the paper. The right case 18 is made of a hard synthetic resin or the like and is rectangular in shape with approximately the same thickness as the cushioning material 12. Alternatively, the corner of the cushioning material 12 could be cut out in a rectangular shape and embedded in the resulting space. The right side surface 18a of the right case 18 is exposed to the outside of the cushioning material 12 and is equipped with a volume knob, speaker jack, microphone jack, etc.

[0015] The left case 20 is attached to the corner of the cushioning material 12 at the opposite end in the left-right direction, which is the left corner on the left side of the paper in Figure 1(b). The left case 20, like the right case 18, is made of a hard synthetic resin or the like and is rectangular with approximately the same thickness as the cushioning material 12. Alternatively, the corner of the cushioning material 12 may be cut out in a rectangular shape and embedded in the cut-out space. The left side surface 20a of the left case 20 is exposed to the outside of the cushioning material 12 and is equipped with a USB jack, power switch, indicator lamp, etc. The battery 22 is housed inside the left case 20.

[0016] On the upper surface 12a of the cushion material 12, an elastic silicone sheet 24 made of silicone resin that covers the pair of accommodation spaces 14 is attached. The silicone sheet 24 is an elongated rectangle in the left - right direction with a size that covers the two accommodation spaces 14, and its thickness can be freely set. For example, a thickness of 1 mm is preferable. If the silicone sheet 24 is thin, there is no noise - reduction effect, and if it is too thick, the vibration sound of the bone - conduction speaker 16 is attenuated too much and cannot be heard. Therefore, the thickness is within a range that effectively propagates vibrations of bone - conductive frequencies and attenuates vibrations in the audible range that become noise. Specifically, the thickness of the silicone sheet 24 is preferably about 0.5 mm to 5 mm, and more preferably 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm.

[0017] The bone - conduction speaker 16 is approximately the same depth as the accommodation space 14, or when the upper surface 12a of the cushion material 12 sinks due to the weight of placing the head on the silicone sheet 24, the size is good when the bone - conduction speaker 16 contacts the silicone sheet 24 and the vibration is transmitted to the head. The silicone sheet 24 reduces the noise of the bone - conduction speaker 16 by indirectly contacting the vibrating part of the bone - conduction speaker 16 with the head. The contact between the bone - conduction speaker 16 and the silicone sheet 24 only requires that the silicone sheet 24 contacts the vibrating part of the bone - conduction speaker 16. In addition to the case where the silicone sheet 24 directly contacts the diaphragm of the speaker body, it also includes the case where the vibrating part of the bone - conduction speaker 16 contacts the silicone sheet 24 through other members that are the vibrating parts in contact with the diaphragm.

[0018] On the outer surface 24a of the silicone sheet 24, which is opposite to the bone - conduction speaker 16, a cover material 26 is provided. The cover material 26 is, for example, a cotton material, has the same shape as the upper surface 12a of the cushion material 12, and covers the entire upper surface 12a including the silicone sheet 24. The right case 18 and the left case 20 are also covered by the cover material 26, and only the side surfaces 18a, 20a are exposed on the right and left sides of the cushion material 12. Thus, it becomes a pillow body 11 on which the user places the head and the bone - conduction speaker 16 generates sound waves.

[0019] The user is an infant 17 here, from birth to about 4 years old. A pair of bone conduction speakers 16 are provided on the left and right so as to contact the head of the infant 17 even when the infant 17 turns over. The pillow main body 11 is provided with a driving device 28 for driving the bone conduction speakers 16, and the driving device 28 is provided separately in either or each of the right case 18 and the left case 20 of the pillow main body 11. The driving device 28 includes a receiving circuit 40 and a driving circuit 42.

[0020] The signal of a specific vibration waveform emitted by the bone conduction speaker 16 is transmitted from a device main body 30 provided with a transmission circuit 38. The device main body 30 is provided with a storage device 34 that records the signal of the specific vibration waveform to be transmitted. The signal of the specific vibration waveform is sent from the storage device 34 to a signal processing circuit 36, and a digital signal obtained by processing a predetermined specific vibration waveform is transmitted via the transmission circuit 38. The device main body 30 is provided separately in either or each of the left and right cases 18, 20 of the pillow main body 11. Alternatively, it may be provided separately on the side of the pillow main body 11.

[0021] A microphone 32 for recording intrauterine sounds, which is attached closely to the abdomen for recording, is connected to the signal processing circuit 36. The microphone 32 collects a specific vibration waveform signal, which is the intrauterine sound of the infant 17 during the fetal period, particularly during the late pregnancy, and records it in the storage device 34.

[0022] Although various circuits of the driving device 28 and the device main body 30 are connected by wire, when the device main body 30 is separate from the pillow main body 11, there is a risk that the wiring may get entangled with the infant 17, so wireless is preferred. The transmission circuit 38 and the receiving circuit 40 can be appropriately selected, such as being connected by wire, using radio waves, using infrared rays, etc.

[0023] The storage device 34 may be a well-known digital recorder, and may be saved in MP3 format so that it can be stored on a personal computer. The storage device 34 may be a semiconductor memory storage medium such as a CD or SD card, and the main unit 30 may be a CD or IC recorder, etc. The signals from the signal processing circuit 36 ​​to the receiving circuit 40 are digitized, and it is sufficient if the drive circuit 42 is equipped with a D / A conversion circuit.

[0024] Next, the method of using the bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow 10 will be explained based on Figures 4 and 5. First, the case in which the bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow 10 is used to induce sleep in infants 17 will be explained. The infant 17 is laid on the mat 44, and their head is positioned so that it is in contact with the bone conduction speaker 16 of the bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow 10. Then, the receiving circuit 40 is set to the receiving state. In this state, the main unit 30 retrieves data of a specific vibration waveform, such as the sound of blood flow in the womb, from the storage device 34, and transmits it via the transmitting circuit 38 using the signal processing circuit 36. The transmitted data is digitized, and the digital signal is subjected to predetermined processing before transmission. The receiving circuit 40 sends the received signal to the driving circuit 42, which performs processing such as D / A conversion, further amplifies it to a predetermined output, and drives the bone conduction speaker 16.

[0025] As a result, the infant 17 hears the sounds of the womb through bone conduction, recalls being in the mother's womb, and falls asleep quickly and peacefully. After sleep, the bone conduction speaker 16 can be turned off, but it is also fine to leave it on.

[0026] The bone conduction speaker 16 can transmit not only sounds from inside the womb via bone conduction, but also, for example, the soothing sounds of dolphins. In recent years, it has been suggested that dolphin sounds may have therapeutic effects, and this has been actively researched. This is called dolphin therapy or dolphin therapy, and it is used as a type of animal therapy.

[0027] Experiments have shown that listening to dolphin calls during rehabilitation can lead to faster functional recovery, and that blood levels of catecholamines and beta-endorphins increase after rehabilitation. Furthermore, some experiments have shown that playing with dolphins increases the production of theta waves in the human brain, waves not normally present during wakefulness. This is thought to be because dolphin calls contain ultrasonic waves, which are high-frequency sounds beyond the human hearing range.

[0028] Bone conduction is a good way to effectively and discreetly listen to the various effects of dolphin calls without disturbing others. Dolphin calls have a high calming effect, and like sounds in the womb, they have a sleep-inducing effect on infants and young children, as well as a calming effect on adults.

[0029] Therefore, by listening to dolphin sounds via bone conduction while sleeping or relaxing, one can fall asleep quickly without disturbing those around them, and achieve mental stability and a calming effect. For adults, it is best to use existing headphone-type bone conduction speakers 16. Air conduction sounds can also be audible to nearby family members such as a mother. The type of sound can also be the sound of rippling waves.

[0030] According to this embodiment of the bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow 10, when putting an infant 17 to sleep, the pillow 10 allows the infant to easily experience the familiar sounds of the womb through bone conduction. This quickly stabilizes the infant's psychological state, making it easier for them to fall asleep. It can also prevent night crying. It provides a sense of security to a fussy infant 17, reducing the burden on the mother. Moreover, because it uses a bone conduction speaker, there is little sound leakage and minimal impact on the surroundings. Since the sound does not leak out to the surroundings, it can be used only on the infant 17, making it convenient for use in rooms with multiple people, such as hospitals or rooms with siblings. In particular, by playing a recording of the sounds of their mother in the womb, a sense of security can be provided more reliably, enabling smoother sleep induction. It has a high mental stabilizing effect, does not leak sound to the surroundings, and has high therapeutic effects such as healing.

[0031] Furthermore, when using dolphin sounds, they can be used for mental therapy, sleep induction, and other therapies for infants and adults alike, and can be used anywhere without disturbing the surroundings, providing a healing effect.

[0032] The bone conduction speaker 16 has a simple structure that contacts the user's head via a silicone sheet 24, making it inexpensive and effective in reducing noise. The silicone sheet 24 reduces the vibration sound of the bone conduction speaker 16 to a level where it is not perceived as noise, eliminating unpleasant vibration sensations, reducing noise, and allowing for comfortable and soothing sound listening. Furthermore, bone conduction sound can provide smooth stimulation to the brain. Bone conduction sound can also be used for auditory training in babies with hearing loss.

[0033] The bone conduction speaker-embedded pillow of this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The materials for the cushioning and cover materials may be other than those described above. The pillow may be an integrated unit with the sound source built into the pillow body. It may also have a function to add sound source material such as the mother's voice. The shape of the pillow body is not limited to a rectangle and can be freely designed. The size and thickness of the silicone sheet can also be selected as appropriate. The bone conduction speaker may be attached to something other than the pillow body. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 10. Pillow with built-in bone conduction speaker 12 Cushioning material 12a Top side 12b Bottom side 14 Containment space 16 Bone conduction speakers 17 Infants and toddlers 24 Silicone Sheets 24a External surface 26 Cover material 28 Drive unit 30 Main unit of the device 32 Mike 34 Storage device 36 Signal Processing Circuits 38 Transmitter Circuit 40 Receiving Circuit 42 Drive Circuit

Claims

1. A pillow with a built-in bone conduction speaker, characterized by comprising: a cushioning material having an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface and the lower surface having an appropriate thickness and being spaced apart; a housing space formed inside the cushioning material and communicating with the upper surface of the cushioning material; a bone conduction speaker housed in the housing space; a silicone sheet placed on top of the upper surface of the cushioning material and in contact with the vibrating part of the bone conduction speaker; and a cover material covering the outer surface of the silicone sheet, wherein the user's head is placed on the cover material to generate sound waves from the bone conduction speaker.

2. The bone conduction speaker-embedded pillow comprises a drive device for vibrating the bone conduction speaker, a memory device that records a specific vibration waveform signal which is the intrauterine sound of an infant during the fetal period, and a signal processing circuit that sends the specific vibration waveform signal from the memory device to the drive device, wherein the memory device and the signal processing circuit are provided within the main body of the device, and the drive device of the bone conduction speaker causes the specific vibration waveform signal to oscillate from the bone conduction speaker by the drive circuit of the drive device.

3. The bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow according to claim 2, wherein a microphone for recording the intrauterine sounds is connected to the storage device, and the specific vibration waveform signal which is the intrauterine sound is collected and recorded in the storage device.

4. The bone conduction speaker-equipped pillow according to claim 2, wherein the aforementioned specific vibration waveform signal is a sound from inside the womb during the fetal period of an infant, a dolphin's cry, or a sound wave between the audible range and ultrasound emitted by a dolphin.

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