earphone adapter

Abstract

The present invention relates to an adapter (2) that can be releasably connected to an earphone (1) and serves to secure the earphone (1) to a human ear without compromising the sound output of the earphone. To secure the adapter to the earphone (1), a shell-like portion (5) of the adapter (2) surrounds a spatial region of the earphone (1), and the shell-like portion contacts the earphone (1) in a flat plane under pressure, the compressive force being mainly caused by elastic bending deformation of the shell-like portion (5) as a result of contact with the earphone (1).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an adapter for earphones and to an earphone and adapter combination. [Background technology]

[0002] An earphone within the meaning of this document is an electrically operated device intended to be fixed directly to the outer part of the human ear in such a way that it projects at least into the pinna and capable of generating in a controlled manner sounds intended to be clearly audible by the ear to which it is fixed. The earphone is usually connected, either by cable or wirelessly (i.e., wirelessly), to a further device, such as a telephone or a device for playing music, from which it receives information to be reproduced acoustically. A device comprising an earphone can also be, for example, a hearing device, i.e., a hearing aid, which serves to compensate for hearing impairments of the ear by amplifying sounds currently coming from the environment in the relevant frequency range directly in the ear canal. However, earphones can also be, for example, part of a so-called headset, i.e., a device which, in addition to a loudspeaker, also comprises a microphone and which exchanges information representing sound in the form of electromagnetic signals by cable or wirelessly with a device located at a distance.

[0003] An essential functional aspect of devices comprising earphones relates to the fixation of the earphones to the human ear, and in this regard the relevant prior art will now be described.

[0004] EP 1355508 B1 presents an earphone and an adapter secured to the earphone, the adapter having a narrow channel through which sound propagation away from the earphone is limited to the ear canal 1. The adapter is made of a rubber-elastic material. The adapter is secured to the earphone by fitting over the earphone and elastically stretching. As a result of elastically stretching around the earphone, the adapter abuts the earphone under pressure and is held against relative movement relative to the earphone by frictional engagement. Optionally, the adapter has a protruding extension, if used, that protrudes into the pinna area to improve retention in the ear. Retention of the adapter in the earphone by elastic stretching is disadvantageous because it does not enforce a precise fit and because the adapter material undergoes highly indeterminate elastic deformation during attachment and removal, resulting in rapid fatigue, expansion, and tearing. Furthermore, particularly precise attachment of the adapter to the earphone requires a great deal of skill, time, and care.

[0005] EP 2566187 A2 presents an adapter for earphones, which, when used as intended, has an extension that projects to a point on the pinna that is located a certain distance from the entrance to the ear canal and abuts thereon, resulting in improved fixation in the pinna. The adapter has a shell-like region that can be positioned over the entire area of ​​the earphone by slight elastic bending and can be fastened to complementary fastening recesses in the earphone by two fastening protrusions. Thus, form-fitting retention of the adapter on the earphone can be achieved in all six possible degrees of freedom of relative movement between the earphone and the adapter. Disadvantages include the requirement of a separate recess in the earphone, and rapid, severe wear during attachment and detachment due to a combination of high surface pressure and friction.

[0006] Documents US 2018310089A1, US 2014119589A1, and US 2019261079A1 each show, in the case of earphones, an adapter like the adapter according to EP 2566187A2, which has an extension that, when used as intended, projects to a point on the pinna and abuts thereon. As with the adapter according to EP 1355508B1, in this case the adapter consists of a rubber-elastic material that, in the attached state, is in tension around the earphone and, in the process, is deformed mainly by elastic stretching.

[0007] Chinese Utility Model Application No. 206922980U also presents an adapter for earphones to better secure them to the auricle. The adapter is fastened to the earphone so as to be pivotable about an axis, and for this purpose, two extensions of the adapter, curved in the shape of a portion of a circle, surround the waisted region of the earphone with a clearance fit. The two extensions elastically bend only during attachment and detachment of the adapter to and from the earphone.

[0008] U.S. Patent No. 4,965,838 proposes a ring-shaped enclosure for a circular sound-emitting surface of an earphone, which serves to focus sound propagation. The enclosure has a plurality of hook-shaped tongues. When attached to an adapter, the earphone must be pushed onto the tongues via a ring-shaped connecting region between the tongues, so that the earphone first reaches the foot of the tongue and then the tip. The process is reversed during attachment and detachment. The ring-shaped connecting region must be elastically stretched. This results in a relatively difficult attachment process and early adapter failure.

[0009] US Patent Application Publication No. 2005147269A1 presents an earphone and an adapter fixed to the earphone, the adapter having a narrow channel through which sound propagation away from the earphone is intended to be limited from the earphone to only the ear canal 1. The adapter has a series of short, wide protrusions closed in a ring shape, which together surround a region of the earphone in the attached state and abut this surrounded region of the earphone under elastic bending pretension. The protrusions are curved toward the surrounded region and abut the earphone with maximal linear contact. This linear contact creates very high surface pressure on the contact surface of the earphone, which therefore quickly develops visible signs of wear and damage.

[0010] GB Patent Application Publication No. 2220819A presents earphones and an adapter fixed to the earphones. When fixed together, the disc-shaped area of ​​the earphones is surrounded by the ring-shaped area of ​​the adapter, and the adapter uses a short, elastically bent spring tongue to abut at a point against a groove in the earphone provided separately for this purpose. The high surface pressure at the contact point would immediately damage the two components when fixing or removing them, so this design is suitable for repeated fixing and removing of the earphones and adapter relative to each other only to a very limited extent. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The object on which the present invention is based is to provide earphones with an adapter that can be removably connected to the earphones and that helps to fixate the earphones in the ear. Compared to already known adapters, this new adapter is intended to be better than before insofar as it has the following overall combination of advantages: -The propagation of sound away from the earphones is not (appreciably) affected by the adapter. The adapter can be attached to the earphone with a simple movement, and in the process it simply moves to a precisely defined relative position to the earphone and then remains there. The adapter can be detached from the earphones with a simple movement. - The earphones do not need to have any special geometric shapes intended to improve the retention of the adapter (i.e., no locking grooves, locking lugs, bayonet connection halves, etc. are required on the earphones). - Numerous attachment and removal cycles will not cause any damage to either the adapter or the earphones. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] To this end, an adapter design is used (known from EP 2566187 A2) having the following characteristics: The adapter has a shell-like portion that, when attached, locally surrounds the surface of the earphone, so that the earphone is held form-fittingly in the adapter, form-fitting in all six degrees of freedom and preventing relative movement of the two relative to each other. There are multiple contact surface areas between the adapter and the earphones where they abut against each other under mutual pressure, the pressure force being the result of elastic deformation of the adapter as it abuts against the earphones. No part of the adapter protrudes into the spatial region outside the earphone, from which a connecting line is conceivable that extends in a straight line into the air and intersects the sound emission surface of the earphone at a right angle.

[0013] In order for the adapter to fulfill the purpose of holding the earphone in the ear in an improved manner, the adapter has a support extension and / or is formed from a material, typically silicone, that has a higher coefficient of friction with human skin in the surface area that abuts the human ear when used as intended.

[0014] In some cases, when placed against the ear, the support extension extends between the vicinity of the earphone and an area on the concave side of the pinna, which area is spaced from the ear canal of the ear and is under pressure as a result of elastic deformation.

[0015] As a further development according to the invention, the following additional features are proposed: a The shell-like portion of the adapter has at least two extensions (further referred to as "retention extensions") and a common connection area of ​​the retention extensions, which protrude from the connection area in a peninsular shape and, when attached, abut against the earphones as a surface. b. In the attached state, the retention extensions and their connection areas securely hold the spatial region of the earphone from various sides, and in the process are elastically preloaded, primarily by bending stresses, in a direction away from the center of the secured spatial region relative to its orientation in the elastically relaxed state. c) When the adapter is attached and detached, the holding extension abuts against the spatial region to be firmly held, causing it to temporarily bend elastically with greater strength in a direction away from the center of this firmly held spatial region.

[0016] The present invention includes additional advantageous features and will be illustrated and discussed in more detail on the basis of drawings of exemplary embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] The left part shows a first combination according to the invention of earphones and an adapter according to the invention in a detached state, and the right part shows said combination in an assembled state. [Figure 2] The left part shows a second combination according to the invention of earphones and an adapter according to the invention in a detached state, and the right part shows said combination in an assembled state. [Figure 3]At the top, the third combination according to the invention of earphones and an adapter according to the invention is shown in a detached state, and at the bottom, said combination is shown in an assembled state. [Figure 4] 1 shows an adapter according to the invention alone for a fourth combination according to the invention. [Figure 5] In FIG. 1 a variant of the adapter according to the invention, which is formed from two individual parts that can be detachably connected to one another, is shown in exploded view (at the top) and assembled (at the bottom). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] In various instances, parts having similar functions are designated in each instance by the same item number.

[0019] 1, the illustrated combination according to the invention consists in each case of an earphone 1 and an adapter 2. The earphone 1 has a sound emitting surface 3 and a number of sensor surfaces 4.

[0020] The adapter 2 has a shell portion 5 from the outside of which protrudes a support extension 6. The shell portion 5 comprises a plurality of retention extensions 7 and a connection region 8 connecting the retention extensions 7, the transition between the retention extensions 7 and the connection region 8 being typically smooth.

[0021] In the attached state, the shell-like portion 5 of the adapter 2 surrounds the spatial region of the earphone 1 from various sides, thus holding the earphone 1 in a form-fitting manner. Here, the retention extension 7 abuts the earphone 1 as a surface, specifically with an outwardly convex domed surface. Here, the shell-like portion 5 is not elastically relaxed, but rather is slightly bent relative to its relaxed position; thus, specifically, the retention arms are pressed slightly further away from the center of the enclosed space relative to the relaxed position of the shell-like portion 5. This means that, as a result of abutting the earphone 1, the retention extension 7 is bent slightly away from the enclosed region. As a result of the elastic restoring force thus induced, the retention extension 7 abuts the earphone 1 under pressure, and therefore without play, in a precisely predetermined position. Relative movement between the earphone 1 and the adapter 2 from said predetermined position will result in an increasing elastic deformation of the shell portion 5 over the entire first area, thus providing a restoring force which, in the absence of other influences, will cause the earphone 1 and the adapter 2 to slide relative to each other and return to their predetermined ideal position relative to each other.

[0022] Ideally, this retention extension 7 is shaped so that, in the attached state, it abuts against the earphone 1 and, when bent slightly upwards by the earphone 1, abuts firmly against the earphone 1. This then means that at least a large part of its surface facing the earphone 1 has the same shape and dimensions as the surface area of ​​the earphone 1 facing it. As a result of the "wide-area" abutment of the retention extension 7 against the adapter 2 achieved in this way, the surface pressure, i.e., the force per unit area, at the contact surface between the retention extension 7 and the surface of the adapter 2 is relatively weak. Therefore, there is no risk of damage. However, as a result of the large contact surface, there is advantageously a large amount of static friction.

[0023] To attach the adapter 2 to the earphone 1, the ends of the holding extensions facing away from the connection area 8 first reach the enclosed spatial area of ​​the earphone 1, then slide over the surface of said area, spreading slightly apart in the process, and finally closing again over said area until they firmly abut the surface of the enclosed area of ​​the adapter 2, as the two move towards each other.

[0024] The fact that the retention extension 7 abuts against a convex or outwardly domed surface area of ​​the adapter 1 means that the relative movement between the adapter 2 and the earphones 1 required to connect and disconnect the adapter 2 from the earphones 1 can be easily achieved by only having to bend said retention extension slightly from its relaxed position compared to its attached state, thereby enabling the connection and disconnection process without the application of significant force and reducing the risk of damage during said process.

[0025] When abutting against the earphone 1, the shell portion 5 of the adapter 2 undergoes elastic deformation. In this case, the dimensions of the shell portion 5 are determined so that said deformation is predominantly bending and not primarily strain loading, as is the case with prior art adapters made of, for example, silicone-like materials. By configuring the required elastic deformation of the shell portion 5 as bending, the direction in which the elastic deformation of the holding extensions 7, specifically their outward bending, is achieved can be very precisely defined. Thus, when connecting the adapter 2 and the earphone 1, it is easy to ensure that these two parts slide relative to each other and remain in exactly one single, precisely defined, and stable relative position.

[0026] It is therefore equally easy to achieve, and here desirable, that no covering by any part of the adapter 2 is realized under any circumstances in the surface area of ​​the earphone 1. This may in particular also relate to the sound emitting surface 3, the possibly provided sensor surface 4 and / or additional sound emitting openings, as well as the surface area on or below which the antenna is located.

[0027] The optional support extension 6, which may improve retention in the ear, may be formed and function as in prior art designs. It is typically made of a soft, elastic material with high friction against human skin, such as silicone. When used as intended, it projects as its free end into a concave area of ​​the pinna that is clearly spaced from the ear canal.

[0028] The shell portion 5 and the support extension 6 are made of different materials, preferably the material of the support extension 6 having a lower modulus of elasticity than the material of the shell portion 5 .

[0029] According to a further advantageous development, the shell 5 has on its outside a surface layer, the material of which has a lower modulus of elasticity than the material of the underlying shell 5. It is further preferred that the material of said surface layer has a higher coefficient of friction with human skin than the material of the underlying shell 5.

[0030] According to a further advantageous development, the shell part 5 has, at least locally at its intended contact surface with the earphone 1, a surface coating which is elastically relatively soft and / or has a higher coefficient of friction with respect to the surface of the earphone 1 than the material of the shell part 5 covered by said coating.

[0031] According to a further advantageous development, the support extension 6 and the outer coating of the shell part 5 consist of the same material, and the support extension 6 and said coating are produced in a common manufacturing process.

[0032] According to a further advantageous development, the material of the support extension 6 extends locally to the side of the shell-like part 5 intended to abut against the earphone 1, so that said material also abuts directly against the earphone 1. For example, for this purpose, the shell-like part 5 can be provided with a passage opening through which the material of the support extension 6 extends. In this case, the support extension 6 and the material extending to the inside of the shell-like part 5 can be applied in a joint manufacturing step and formed into the required shape. This design makes it possible to improve the holding stability of the adapter 2 on the earphone 1, without thereby making the desired attachment and detachment more difficult.

[0033] Preferably, at least one of the retention extensions 7 is longer than it is wide. More preferably, all retention extensions 7 are longer, i.e., the length of the (imaginary) boundary line between the retention extension 7 and the connection region 8 is shorter than the distance of said boundary line from the free end of that retention extension. Compared to less elongated embodiments of the retention extension 7, a greater deformation distance can be achieved in this way for the same elastic stress of the material, and therefore the desired degree of elastic deformability can be more easily achieved.

[0034] In the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 4, a surface-shaped permanent magnet 9 is attached to the shell part 5 of the adapter 2. This is intended to interact with the ferromagnetic part or magnetic field of the coil in the earphone 1, thus making it possible to achieve an additional (possibly even switchable) holding action between the earphone 1 and the adapter 2.

[0035] In the exemplary embodiment of the adapter 2 according to the invention in Fig. 5, the shell-like part 5 and the support extension 6 are detachably connected to one another. In the illustrated example of a detachable connection, from a surface 10 of the support extension 6 which abuts against the outer surface of the shell-like part 5 in the intended mounting state, a connecting extension 11 of a waisted shape projects for this purpose, the shell-like part 5 having an opening 12 in the surface area which will come into contact with the support extension 6. In the connected state, the connecting extension 11 projects from the outside into the space enclosed by the shell-like part 5 via the opening 12, the outer surface of the opening 12 abutting against the waisted area of ​​the connecting extension 11.

[0036] The process of creating the connection between the shell-like portion 5 and the support extension 6 may be realized in several ways, and the details of the components to be connected may be specified to be optimized in an adapted manner. Said details can be easily specified by a person skilled in the art in the course of their daily professional activity, and for this reason will not be further explained here. Without claiming completeness, examples of connection variants will be mentioned. The free end region of the connecting extension 11, which is widened relative to the waisted region, is forced into the opening 12 while simultaneously being deformed. The support extension 6, with its free end region at the front, is pulled through the opening 12, excluding the connecting extension 11, and is temporarily deformed at the end region located above the connecting extension 11. The cross-sectional shape of the free end region of the connecting extension 11 is very different from that of a circle. The cross-sectional areas of the openings 12 in the shell-like part 5 have, for this purpose, at least approximately the same shape and size. For connection, the free end region of the connecting extension 11 is pivoted relative to the shell-like part 5 in a suitable manner so that it can be easily inserted through the openings 12. It is inserted through the openings 12 and then pivoted parallel to its cross-section, so that the longitudinal directions of the cross-sectional areas of the connecting extension 11 and the openings 12 are no longer parallel to each other, but are then preferably perpendicular to each other. The outer surface of the opening 12 is not closed like a ring, but has an open side like the coastline of a bay, and therefore constitutes an enclosure that is open on one side. In order to fix the support extension 6 to the shell-like part 5, the constricted area of ​​the connecting extension 11 is pressed into the opening 12 through the open side of the outer surface of the opening 12, i.e. the open side that is parallel to the area of ​​the opening 12 and not perpendicular thereto.

[0037] The fact that the support extension 6, and therefore also its connection extension 11, is preferably formed from a soft elastic material, typically silicone, means that the mentioned connection methods, and any readily conceivable complementary methods for releasing the connection, are easily realised.

[0038] The design with a detachable connection extension 6, considered in particular with reference to Fig. 5, offers the advantage, compared to the previously considered designs of the adapter 2, of being able to choose between different designs of the support extension 6, and that the soft elastic material of the connection extension 11, which preferably has a relatively high coefficient of friction compared to the material of the shell portion 5, also abuts the earphone 1 when the adapter 2 and earphone 1 shown in Fig. 1 are connected as intended. The static friction between the material of the connection extension 11 and the outer surface of the earphone 1 improves the static friction between the adapter 2 and the earphone 1. This additional static friction can be compensated for by lowering the elastic bending pretension of the retention extension 7.

Claims

1. An adapter (2) that is detachably connected to an earphone (1), a shell-like portion (5) that abuts against at least a portion of the outer surface of the earphone (1) at a plurality of contact surface areas; A restoring force based on elastic deformation of the shell-like portion (5) maintains a predetermined position relative to the earphone (1) and resists relative movement from the predetermined position to return to the predetermined position; The earphone (1) includes a support extension (6) extending from the shell-like portion (5), and is disposed in a spatial region between the vicinity of the earphone (1) where the support extension (6) extends and the concave side of the pinna; The earphone further comprises a holding extension (7) extending from the shell-like portion (5), the holding extension (7) abutting against an outer surface of the earphone (1) to form part of the plurality of contact surface areas, and mutual pressure at the abutment is applied as a result of elastic deformation of the shell-like portion (5). Adapter (2).

2. 2. The adapter (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding extension (7) is in surface contact with the outer surface of the earphone (1) and abuts at a plurality of contact surface areas.

3. 3. The adapter (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shell-like portion (5) is made of an elastic material, and the tip of the holding extension (7) has a dome-shaped curved surface.

4. The adapter (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the adapter (2) has a support extension (6), the shell-like portion (5) and the support extension (6) are made of different materials, and the material of the support extension (6) has a lower modulus of elasticity than the material of the shell-like portion (5).

5. An adapter (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the shell-like portion (5) has a surface layer on its outside, the elastic modulus of the material of which is lower than that of the material of the shell-like portion (5) located underneath.

6. 6. The adapter (2) according to claim 5, characterized in that the shell-like part (5) has a surface layer on its outside, the coefficient of friction of which with respect to human skin is higher than the coefficient of friction of the material of the shell-like part (5) located underneath.

7. The adapter (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the shell (5) has, at least locally, a surface coating on its surface that comes into contact with the earphone (1), the material of which has a lower modulus of elasticity and / or a higher coefficient of friction with respect to the surface of the earphone (1) than the material of the shell (5) covered by the surface coating.

8. The adapter (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the adapter (2) has a support extension (6), the support extension (6) and the outer coating of the shell-like portion (5) are made of the same material, and the support extension (6) and the outer coating of the shell-like portion (5) are manufactured in a common manufacturing process.

9. Adapter (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least one of said holding extensions (7) is longer than it is wide.

10. Adapter (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a permanent magnet (9) is attached to the shell part (5) of the adapter (2).

11. The adapter (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the adapter (2) comprises a support extension (6) detachably connected to the shell-shaped portion (5), the support extension (6) abutting and engaging with a constricted portion having a radial narrowing formed in the axial middle portion of the extending extension (11) of the earphone (1), and the engagement restricts relative movement against the elastic restoring force of the shell-shaped portion (5).

12. A combination of an earphone (1) and an adapter (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, detachably connected to the earphone (1) by means of an elastic fit.

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