Earpiece with a machine

Abstract

To provide an earpiece which is capable of capturing external environmental sound while making a sense of incompatibility hard to be felt even if the earpiece is inserted in an ear and an ear-mounted apparatus.SOLUTION: An earpiece 100 comprises a mounting part 120 mounted to an insertion part of an ear-mounted apparatus, which is inserted in the external auditory meatus of a user, and a dome-like part 110 which has an approximately dome-like shape and with which the mounting part 120 is provided in the center. The dome-like part 110 is partially in contact with a wall of the external auditory meatus in a state where the insertion part is inserted in the external auditory meatus, and a first communication path 102 is formed in a portion which is other than a portion, where the mounting part 120 is provided, and is not being in contact with the external auditory meatus in the dome-like part 110. The earpiece 100 further comprises a reinforcement part 130 which reinforces the portion where the first communication path 102 is formed in the dome-like part 110 and in which a second communication path 131 communicating to the first communication path 102 is formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention ,ear Regarding wearable devices. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of an ear-worn device that is worn in the ear, there is an earphone (so-called in-ear earphone) in which sound is heard by inserting an earpiece attached to a main body into the ear canal. However, with this type of earphone, there is a problem in that the earpiece seals the ear canal, making it difficult to take in external environmental sounds.

[0003] Cited Document 1 discloses an earphone that makes it easier to hear external environmental sounds outside the ear canal even when the earpiece is inserted in the ear canal. In this earphone, a sound guide tube that forms part of the main body is formed with a through-hole that connects the ear canal to a space where a speaker is installed, and an air vent that connects the ear canal to the outside. As a result, even when the earpiece attached to the sound guide tube is inserted into the ear canal, external environmental sounds can be taken into the ear canal through the air vent. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2013 / 014852 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the earphones of Patent Document 1, in addition to a through hole for guiding sound from the speaker into the ear canal, the sound conduit is also formed with a vent hole for guiding external environmental sounds into the ear canal. This results in a problem in that the sound conduit is large, which can cause discomfort when inserting the earpiece attached to the sound conduit into the ear.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. , outside It can capture ambient sounds. ears The object is to provide a wearable device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The ear-worn device according to the present invention comprises: a device body having a sound generating unit and a first sound guide hole that guides sound from the sound generating unit; The inner wall of a cylindrical portion has an inner wall and an outer wall, and the inner wall The device body but The speaker is provided with a second sound guide hole that is connected to the first sound guide hole when attached, a through hole that is provided separately from the second sound guide hole, and an air passage that is connected to the through hole for ventilation. a porous material disposed around the outer wall; and an earpiece having a reinforcing portion, The air passage does not directly communicate with the second sound conducting hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention , outside It can capture ambient sounds. ears A wearable device may be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an ear-worn device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ear-worn device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a device body of an ear-worn device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an earpiece according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing how a reinforcing portion is provided. [Figure 5] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing an earpiece according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a side view of the earpiece as seen from the arrow VA in FIG. 4A, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the earpiece taken along the cutting line BB in (a). [Figure 6] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an ear-worn device according to an embodiment of the present invention inserted into a user's ear; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (Overview of ear-worn device 1) As shown in Fig. 1, the ear-worn device 1 includes a device main body 10 and an earpiece 100. The ear-worn device 1 is a so-called canal-type earphone that is worn in the user's ear by inserting the earpiece 100 attached to the device main body 10 into the user's ear canal. The ear-worn device 1 is available in left-ear versions worn on the user's left ear and right-ear versions worn on the user's right ear, and both have symmetrical configurations. Therefore, to avoid repetition, the following will describe the details of the right-ear ear-worn device 1, and will omit a detailed description of the left-ear ear-worn device.

[0012] (Configuration of device main body 10) As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the device main body 10 includes a housing 40 formed by combining a first housing 20 and a second housing 30, and a communication unit 50 and a sound generating unit 60 as electronic devices housed inside the housing 40.

[0013] The first housing 20 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and constitutes the portion of the housing 40 on which the earpiece 100 is attached, as shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first housing 20 has a bowl-shaped housing section 21 that defines part of the housing space S (FIG. 3) of the housing 40, and an insertion section 22 that is formed to protrude from the housing section 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the first housing 20 is also formed with a sound guide hole 23 that serves as a first sound guide hole that penetrates the housing section 21 and the insertion section 22. The sound guide hole 23 has a large-diameter first hole section 23a and a small-diameter second hole section 23b, and guides sound from the sound generating section 60 housed inside the housing 40 toward the tip of the insertion section 22.

[0014] As will be described later, the insertion section 22 is the section that is inserted into the user's ear canal when the ear worn device 1 (Fig. 1) is worn in the user's ear. As shown in Fig. 3, the narrowed-diameter portion of the insertion section 22 at the tip side is the wearing section 25 to which the earpiece 100 shown in Fig. 1 is worn. A protrusion 24 for locking the earpiece 100 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the wearing section 25.

[0015] The second housing 30 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and defines a part of the storage space S (FIG. 3) of the housing 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the second housing 30 forms the side of the housing 40 opposite to the side to which the earpiece 100 is attached.

[0016] 2, the communication unit 50 is mounted on a circuit board 51, and receives an electric signal from a mobile terminal (not shown) via wireless communication. The standard for this wireless communication is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0017] The sound generating unit 60 includes a D / A (digital / analog) conversion circuit (not shown). The sound generating unit 60 is electrically connected to the communication unit 50 via a circuit board 51. The sound generating unit 60 converts an electrical signal transmitted from the communication unit 50 to generate sound. As shown in FIG. 3, the sound generating unit 60 is disposed so as to face an opening formed at one end of the sound guide hole 23. As a result, the sound emitted from the sound generating unit 60 is released into the sound guide hole 23.

[0018] (Configuration of earpiece 100) The earpiece 100 is made of a soft material, such as silicone, that does not cause discomfort when inserted into the user's ear canal. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the earpiece 100 has a dome-shaped portion 110 that curves (bulges) in the direction of insertion into the ear canal (the direction opposite to the direction indicated by arrow IV in Figure 2, and the upward direction in Figure 5), a cylindrical detachable portion 120 (mounting portion 120) formed at the center and inside of the dome-shaped portion 110, and a reinforcing portion 130 provided in the space defined by an inner circumferential surface 110a of the dome-shaped portion 110 and an outer circumferential surface 120a of the detachable portion 120.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 5(b), a sound guide hole 101 is formed in the center of the earpiece 100 as a second sound guide hole that penetrates the dome-shaped portion 110 and the detachable portion 120. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the sound guide hole 101 has a large-diameter first hole 101a that is formed from the end of the detachable portion 120 toward the dome-shaped portion 110, and a small-diameter second hole 101b that is continuous with the first hole 101a and penetrates the center of the dome-shaped portion 110. When the earpiece 100 is attached to the device main body 10, the attachment portion 25 of the device main body 10 (FIG. 3) is inserted into this first hole 101a. As shown in FIG. 5(b), a locking groove 101c is formed in the first hole 101a along the circumferential direction so as to match the protrusion 24 of the inserted attachment portion 25. When attachment portion 25 is inserted into first hole 101a, protrusion 24 that fits into locking groove 101c resists a force that tries to pull earpiece 100 out of device body 10. This prevents the attached earpiece 100 from unintentionally coming off device body 10 (FIG. 3).

[0020] 5(b), a step 101d is formed at the boundary between the first hole 101a and the second hole 101b. The step 101d comes into contact with the tip of the attachment part 25 inserted into the first hole 101a. This positions the earpiece 100 relative to the device body 10.

[0021] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 4(a), the dome-shaped portion 110 of the earpiece 100 has eight through holes 102 formed at equal angular intervals on the circumference of an imaginary circle C centered at the center of the second hole portion 101b. Each through hole 102 is formed in the shape of a substantially equilateral triangle, with one of the vertices of the substantially equilateral triangle facing the center of the sound guide hole 101. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the through holes 102 are formed outside the region R in which the cylindrical attachment / detachment portion 120 is formed. In other words, the through holes 102 are independent holes provided around the sound guide hole 101 that penetrates the attachment / detachment portion 120.

[0022] The reinforcing portion 130 is made of a porous material with open cells, such as polyurethane foam, in which the cells are interconnected. The open cells within the reinforcing portion 130 form air passages 131, allowing air to pass through the reinforcing portion 130. The open cells within the reinforcing portion 130 have a complex structure in which cells of different sizes and shapes are connected in various directions. However, in FIGS. 5(b) and 6, the open cells are schematically illustrated as air passages 131 extending in one direction to facilitate understanding of the invention. In addition, in FIG. 4(b), the reinforcing portion 130 is illustrated with a dashed line, and the area where the reinforcing portion 130 is provided is hatched to allow the details of the reinforcing portion 130 to be seen. Therefore, the hatching on the reinforcing portion 130 in FIG. 4(b) does not represent a cross section. As shown in FIGS. 4(b) and 5(b), the reinforcing portion 130 is formed in a ring shape and is attached to the inside of the dome-shaped portion 110 so as to surround the detachable portion 120. The reinforcing portion 130 is attached using, for example, an adhesive. The reinforcing portion 130 attached in this manner covers all of the through holes 102 formed in the dome-shaped portion 110 from the inside of the dome-shaped portion 110. This connects the through holes 102 formed in the dome-shaped portion 110 and the ventilation passages 131 formed in the reinforcing portion 130, as shown in FIG. 5(b).

[0023] (How to use ear-mounted device 1) When using the ear-worn device 1 to listen to music, for example, the user first inserts the attachment portion 25 of the device body 10 shown in Fig. 3 into the first hole 101a of the earpiece 100 shown in Fig. 5(b). This allows the earpiece 100 to be attached to the device body 10. This allows the sound guide hole 23 formed in the device body 10 to be connected to the air passage 131 formed in the earpiece 100, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0024] 6, the user inserts the earpiece 100 attached to the device main body 10 into the user's ear canal 200. At this time, the dome-shaped portion 110 is pressed against the ear canal 200 from the outer periphery, and the earpiece 100 is inserted into the ear canal 200 in a reduced diameter state. This allows the ear-worn device 1 to be stably attached to the user's ear.

[0025] Similarly, the user inserts the earpiece 100 of the ear-worn device 1 for the left ear into the ear canal of the left ear, thereby making it possible to wear the ear-worn devices 1 on both the left and right ears.

[0026] Next, the user operates a mobile terminal (not shown) to generate sound from the sound generating unit 60 provided in the device main body 10. As indicated by arrow Y1, the sound generated from the sound generating unit 60 is guided through the sound guide hole 23 provided in the device main body 10 and the sound guide hole 101 provided in the earpiece 100, and is emitted into the user's ear canal 200 as emitted sound S1. Eventually, the emitted sound S1 passes through the ear canal 200 and reaches the eardrum 201. This allows the user to hear the emitted sound S1 from the earphone.

[0027] (effect) According to the above embodiment, when the ear worn device 1 is worn in the user's ear, as shown in FIG. 6 , the through-hole 102 serving as the first communication passage formed in the dome-shaped portion 110 and the air passage 131 serving as the second communication passage formed in the reinforcement portion 130 communicate with the external space E inside the dome-shaped portion 110 of the user's ear canal 200 (the eardrum 201 side). Here, the external space E is the space outside the dome-shaped portion 110 inserted into the ear canal 200. As a result, as shown by arrow Y2 in FIG. 6 , sound from the external space E passes through the air passage 131 and the through-hole 102 and is released into the ear canal 200 as ambient environmental sound S2. Therefore, even when the ear worn device 1 is worn, ambient environmental sound S2 is easily taken into the user's ear canal 200. As a result, the user can hear ambient environmental sound S2 even when the earpiece 100 is inserted in the ear canal 200.

[0028] Furthermore, by providing reinforcing portion 130 inside dome-shaped portion 110 of earpiece 100, the strength of earpiece 100, which was reduced by forming eight through-holes 102 in dome-shaped portion 110, is increased, and it is possible to provide appropriate strength to earpiece 100. This allows earpiece 100 inserted into ear canal 200 to fit tightly against ear canal 200, improving the fit of ear-worn device 1.

[0029] Furthermore, by providing the reinforcing portion 130 and configuring the earpiece 100 to have increased strength, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the through-hole 102 formed in the dome-shaped portion 110 and the air passage 131 formed in the reinforcing portion 130 are blocked by an external force acting on the earpiece 100 during normal use of the ear worn device 1. This ensures that an air passage through the earpiece 100 is maintained when the ear worn device 1 is in use, maintaining a state in which ambient environmental sound S2 can easily be taken into the ear canal 200.

[0030] Furthermore, the through-hole 102 and air passage 131 that connect the inside of the dome-shaped portion 110 of the user's ear canal 200 with the external space E are provided in the earpiece 100, but not in the insertion portion 22 of the device main body 10. As a result, the insertion portion 22 of the device main body 10 only has the sound guide hole 23 that guides sound from the sound generating unit 60 as a hole for guiding sound, and the dimensions can be made compact. This allows the earpiece 100, which is made of a soft material, to have a certain thickness, reducing the discomfort felt when the insertion portion 22 is inserted into the ear canal 200.

[0031] Furthermore, since the insertion section 22 of the device body 10 is configured to have only the sound guide hole 23, the configuration of the device body 10 can be simplified, and the manufacturing costs of the device body 10 can be reduced.

[0032] Furthermore, because the earpiece 100, which has the through-hole 102 and the air passage 131 formed therein, is configured to be detachable from the device main body 10, if it is desired to capture environmental sound S2 from the external space E, it is sufficient to use the ear-worn device 1 with the earpiece 100 attached. On the other hand, if it is not necessary to capture environmental sound S2 from the external space E, or if it is desired to hear only the emitted sound S1 emitted from the sound generating unit 60, it is sufficient to use an ear-worn device with a general earpiece attached that does not have a hole for capturing environmental sound S2. In this way, simply by changing the attached earpiece, it is possible to switch between a state in which it is easy to capture environmental sound S2 from the external space E and a state in which it is difficult to capture environmental sound S2 from the external space E.

[0033] (Variation) This invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible. In the above-described embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, eight through-holes 102 having a substantially equilateral triangular shape are formed on the circumference of an imaginary circle C centered at the center of the earpiece 100. However, the shape, number, and arrangement of the through-holes 102 can be determined arbitrarily, as long as the through-holes 102 are formed so that the inside of the dome-shaped portion 110 of the ear canal 200 can communicate with the external space E when the ear-worn device 1 is in use.

[0034] Additionally, it has been explained that the reinforcing portion 130 is made of polyurethane foam, which is an example of a porous material. However, the material of the reinforcing portion 130 can be arbitrarily selected from among porous materials. Specifically, any porous material can be used as the material for the reinforcing portion as long as it can reinforce the earpiece 100, whose strength has been reduced due to the formation of the through-holes 102, and allows air to pass through the through-holes 102. For example, the reinforcing portion 130 can be made of polyethylene foam, vinyl chloride foam, rubber sponge, or the like.

[0035] Furthermore, the material of reinforcing portion 130 is not limited to porous materials. For example, a reinforcing sheet having through holes of the same shape and dimensions as through holes 102 and arranged in the same manner as through holes 102 may be attached to inner circumferential surface 110a of dome-shaped portion 110 with through holes 102 aligned. This makes it possible to compensate for the loss of strength caused by the formation of through holes 102 and reinforce the area around through holes 102 of dome-shaped portion 110. The reinforcing sheet may be made of the same material as earpiece 100, or may be formed by processing a rubber sheet.

[0036] Furthermore, although the earpiece 100 has been described as being made of silicone, it may be made of other materials, such as polyurethane or acrylic.

[0037] Furthermore, although the reinforcing portion 130 has been described as being attached to the dome-shaped portion 110 with an adhesive, the attachment method can be selected from a variety of methods. For example, the reinforcing portion 130 may be attached to the dome-shaped portion 110 by two-color molding, in which the reinforcing portion 130 is molded after the dome-shaped portion 110 is molded. Alternatively, the reinforcing portion 130 may be attached using various joining methods such as welding and crimping.

[0038] Although the ear-worn device 1 has been described as an earphone that performs wireless communication with a mobile terminal (not shown), a wireless standard other than Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be adopted. Alternatively, the ear-worn device 1 may be a device that communicates with a mobile terminal (not shown) via a wired connection.

[0039] Furthermore, although the earpiece 100 has been described as being detachable from the device main body 10, a configuration in which the earpiece 100 is attached to the device main body 10 via adhesive may also be employed. In this case, adhesive is applied to the inner wall of the first hole 101a shown in FIG. 5(b) and is then adhered to the inserted attachment portion 25. In this case, the portion corresponding to the detachable portion 120 shown in FIG. 5(b) serves as an attachment portion and is attached to the attachment portion 25. Note that the attachment means is not limited to adhesive, and any known attachment means suitable for the materials of the earpiece 100 and device main body 10 can be used.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ear-worn device is described as an earphone, but the present invention may be applied to other devices. For example, the present invention may be applied to a device in which an insertion portion is inserted into a user's ear canal and a detection portion acquires biometric information of the human body. For example, the present invention may be applied to the devices disclosed in the specifications and drawings of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2019-172667 and 2019-172673. In this case, unlike the conventional case described above, there is no need to form a hole in the insertion portion inserted into the ear canal to capture external sound. This allows for sufficient space to provide a temperature sensor in the insertion portion, thereby facilitating the manufacture of the device.

[0041] The present invention allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. The invention as originally described in the claims of this application is set forth below.

[0042] (Addendum) (Appendix 1) an attachment portion attached to an insertion portion of an ear-worn device that is inserted into a user's ear canal; a dome-shaped portion having a substantially dome-like shape and having the attachment portion provided at the center thereof, the dome-shaped portion partially contacts a wall of the ear canal when the insertion portion is inserted into the ear canal; a first communication passage is formed in a portion of the dome-shaped portion other than the portion where the attachment portion is provided and that does not contact the ear canal; a reinforcing portion that reinforces a portion of the dome-shaped portion where the first communication passage is formed, and in which a second communication passage that communicates with the first communication passage is formed; When the insertion portion is inserted into the ear canal, a portion of the ear canal that is on the inside of the dome-shaped portion communicates with the outside that is on the outside of the dome-shaped portion via the first communication passage and the second communication passage. Earpiece.

[0043] (Appendix 2) The reinforcing portion is made of a porous material and has a plurality of air passages as the second communication passages, through which air can pass. The earpiece described in Appendix 1.

[0044] (Appendix 3) the first communication passage includes a through hole that penetrates in the insertion direction of the insertion portion, the reinforcing portion is provided in a space defined by an inner circumferential surface of the dome-shaped portion and the mounting portion so as to cover the through hole. 3. An earpiece as described in appendix 1 or 2.

[0045] (Appendix 4) the first communication passage includes a plurality of the first communication passages, and the plurality of first communication passages are arranged on a circumference centered on the center of the dome-shaped portion. An earpiece according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.

[0046] (Appendix 5) a housing in which an insertion portion is formed; an electronic device provided in the housing; The earpiece according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4 is attached to the insertion portion via an attachment portion. Ear-worn devices.

[0047] (Appendix 6) the electronic device has a detection unit provided in the insertion unit and detecting biometric information of the user; 10. The ear-worn device according to claim 5.

[0048] (Appendix 7) a first sound guide hole is formed in the insertion portion, a second sound conducting hole communicating with the first sound conducting hole is formed in the mounting portion, the electronic device has a sound generating unit that emits sound into the ear canal through the first and second sound guide holes, 10. The ear-worn device according to claim 5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ear-worn device, 10 device body, 20 first housing, 21 storage section, 22 insertion section, 23 sound guide hole, 23a first hole section, 23b second hole section, 24 protrusion section, 25 wearing section, 30 second housing, 40 housing, 50 communication section, 51 circuit board, 60 sound generating section, 100 earpiece, 101 sound guide hole, 101a first hole section, 1 01b... second hole portion, 101c... engagement groove, 101d... step portion, 102... through hole, 110... dome-shaped portion, 110a... inner peripheral surface, 120... detachable portion (mounting portion), 120a... outer peripheral surface, 130... reinforcement portion, 131... ventilation path, 200... ear canal, 201... eardrum, C... imaginary circle, E... external space, R... area, S... storage space, S1... emitted sound, S2... environmental sound

Claims

1. a device body having a sound generating unit and a first sound guide hole that guides sound from the sound generating unit; an earpiece including: a second sound conducting hole formed by the inner wall of a cylindrical portion having an inner wall and an outer wall, the second sound conducting hole communicating with the first sound conducting hole when the device main body is attached to the inner wall; a through hole provided separately from the second sound conducting hole; and a reinforcing portion made of a porous material and provided with an air passage connected to the through hole for ventilation, the reinforcing portion being arranged around the outer wall, The ear-worn device, wherein the air passage is not in direct communication with the second sound guide hole.

2. the device body has a mounting portion for mounting the earpiece, The ear-worn device according to claim 1 , wherein the attachment portion is provided with a protrusion for engaging the earpiece.

3. 3. The ear-worn device according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing portion of the earpiece attached to the device body is disposed on an outer circumferential side of the tubular portion that is in contact with the protrusion so that the inner wall faces the protrusion.

4. 4. The ear-worn device according to claim 2, wherein the first sound guide hole has a first hole portion and a second hole portion having a diameter smaller than that of the first hole portion, and the protrusion portion is provided on the outer periphery of the second hole portion.

5. The ear-worn device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of the air passages are provided, and a plurality of the air passages are connected to one of the through holes.

6. The ear-worn device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of the air passages and a plurality of the through holes are provided, and the through holes are connected to different air passages.

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