Eyeglass temple with speaker

Abstract

Conventional VR glass speakers have sound leakage. When a PSZ speaker is simply used for a speaker of VR glasses, a low band is attenuated. In order to address these problems, an eyeglass temple with a speaker according to the disclosed technology is provided with the speaker and a pipeline. The speaker is disposed close to the front frame end of the eyeglass temple. The pipeline has an opening at a position close to the ear hook end of the eyeglass temple and in the vicinity of the external ear hole when worn, or at a position in the middle of the eyeglass temple, and propagates the sound of the speaker to the opening.

Description

Glasses temples with speakers

[0001] The disclosed technology relates to eyeglass temples with speakers that are suitable for presenting audio content with VR glasses or AR glasses.

[0002] There are VR glasses and AR glasses that have speakers located on the temples of the glasses to provide users with audio content linked to video content. VR stands for Virtual Reality, and AR stands for Augmented Reality. Hereinafter, VR glasses, AR glasses, and the like will be collectively referred to as "VR glasses." Figure 1 shows an example of VR glasses. The speakers are located on the temples at position 101, near the ears. Unlike speakers that are worn to block the external ear canal, speakers located on the temples are preferable as audio presentation devices for VR and AR because they put less strain on the ears even when worn for long periods of time. However, because the sound from the speakers diffuses into the air, there is a problem in that, although the video content projected on the glasses is only visible to the user, the audio content played from the speakers is radiated to the surrounding area, exposing information.

[0003] Earphones (Personalized Sound Zone earphones, hereafter referred to as "PSZ earphones") that can suppress sound leakage to the surroundings without blocking the external ear canal have been proposed (see Patent Document 1). FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a speaker unit of a PSZ earphone. (a) is a side view of the speaker unit 2, (b) is a perspective view, and (c) is a diagram of the speaker unit 2 placed on the ear (right ear). Reference numeral 201 denotes a magnet, 202 denotes a coil, and 203 denotes a diaphragm. An induced magnetic field is generated when a signal current flows through the coil 202, and this magnetic field interacts with the magnetic field of the magnet 201 to vibrate the diaphragm. Note that the magnet and coil are omitted from FIG. 2(b) to make the opening easier to see. Sound waves are emitted from the diaphragm 203 in both directions D1 and D2. The sound waves in the D1 direction and the D2 direction are in opposite phase to each other. Here, the sound in the D1 direction is called the positive-phase sound, and the sound in the D2 direction is called the negative-phase sound. Reference numeral 204 denotes an opening that guides the sound of the positive phase from the speaker unit 2 to the external ear canal 207. Reference numeral 205 denotes an opening that guides the sound of the negative phase to the outside of the speaker unit 2.

[0004] Without opening 205, sound waves emitted from opening 204 would propagate to spaces other than the external ear canal, resulting in sound leakage to the surroundings. By superimposing a sound wave of the same amplitude but in the opposite phase on the original sound wave, the original sound wave can be canceled or reduced. Therefore, when sound of the opposite phase is emitted from opening 205, it interferes with sound of the positive phase that propagates from opening 204 in directions other than the direction of the external ear canal, and the two waves cancel each other out near speaker unit 2. As a result, sound of the positive phase reaches the external ear canal, but the speaker sound is canceled or suppressed due to interference near speaker unit 2, realizing earphones that do not leak sound to the surroundings.

[0005] International Publication No. WO 2023 / 0814817

[0006] Using PSZ earphones (speaker unit 2) as the speakers for the VR glasses shown in Figure 1 is expected to prevent audio content from leaking to the surrounding area. However, because speaker unit 2 has opening 205 positioned in the D2 direction, the sound pressure of the reproduced sound decreases in the low range. When presenting content through VR glasses, it is undesirable for the audio content to have a weak low range.

[0007] To solve the above problems, the disclosed technology provides a speaker-equipped temple that includes a speaker and a conduit. The speaker is located near the front end of the temple. The conduit has an opening near the ear end of the temple, which is near the external ear canal when the glasses are worn, or halfway through the temple, and transmits sound from the speaker to the opening.

[0008] The disclosed technology makes it possible to realize VR glasses with PSZ speakers that do not block the ear canal, do not leak sound to the surrounding area, and have a rich low-frequency range.

[0009] 1 is a diagram showing an example of existing VR glasses; 2 is a diagram showing a speaker unit of a PSZ earphone and its arrangement on the ear; 3 is a diagram showing an example of a speaker unit used in the VR glasses of the first embodiment; 4 is a perspective view of a glasses temple with a speaker (for the right ear) according to the first embodiment; 5 is a perspective view of a glasses temple with a speaker (for the right ear) according to the first embodiment; 6 is a perspective view of a glasses temple with a speaker (for the right ear) according to the first embodiment; 7 is an overall perspective view of the VR glasses of the first embodiment; 8 is an exploded view, a bottom view, and a cross-sectional view of a glasses temple (for the right ear) according to the first embodiment; 9 is a perspective view of a glasses temple with a speaker (for the right ear) according to the second embodiment; 10 is an exploded view, a bottom view, and a cross-sectional view of a glasses temple (for the right ear) according to the second embodiment; 11 is a perspective view of a glasses temple (for the right ear) according to the third embodiment; 12 is an exploded view of a glasses temple (for the right ear) according to the second embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosed technology will be described in detail. Note that components having the same functions are assigned the same numbers, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0011] Small speakers generally have difficulty reproducing rich bass sounds. The bass reflex system is known as a technology for reproducing rich bass sounds from small speakers. The bass reflex system connects a small speaker to a space (resonance space) designed to obtain the desired resonance frequency, and obtains low-frequency sounds amplified by resonance.

[0012] In the disclosed technology, in order to strengthen the low frequencies of PSZ earphones, the temples of the VR glasses are used to form a long, thin duct through which the air that the speaker transmits vibrations is diverted. This increases the weight of the air that acts on the speaker when it vibrates, increasing the load on the speaker and lowering the lowest resonance frequency (so-called f ０) can be reduced. Hereinafter, low-frequency amplification using the disclosed technology will be referred to as "low-frequency boost." The outlet for the low-frequency boosted sound is placed near the ear canal, and the speaker for low-frequency boost is placed near the glasses to increase the distance of the conduit. Then, interference between the positive-phase low-frequency boost sound and the negative-phase low-frequency boost sound is used to prevent sound leakage to the surroundings. Because high frequencies can be reproduced even with speakers with small diameters, the high-frequency speaker is placed near the ear and the playback volume is reduced, thereby adjusting the overall sound quality and reducing sound leakage.

[0013] [First Embodiment] Figure 3 shows an example of a speaker unit used in the VR glasses of the first embodiment. An existing speaker unit may be used as the speaker unit. Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are a side view and a perspective view of a low-frequency boost speaker unit 31. The sound from the speaker unit 31 is PSZ controlled, but the housing for PSZ control is realized by the temples of the glasses, so the speaker unit 31 is bare and does not have an enclosure. As with the description of the prior art, sound from direction D1 will be referred to as positive phase sound, and sound from direction D2 will be referred to as negative phase sound. Note that the magnet 301 and coil 302 are not shown in Figure 3(b). Figure 3(c) is a side view of a high-frequency speaker unit 32. Because the high-frequency speaker unit 32 is not PSZ controlled, it has an enclosure 305 for sealing the back.

[0014] Figures 4 and 5 are overall perspective views of temples with speakers according to the first embodiment. Both Figures 4 and 5 illustrate temples for the right ear. Figure 6 is an overall view of VR glasses 6 according to the first embodiment. The temple 5 for the left ear is a mirror image of the temple 4 for the right ear. Reference numeral 601 denotes a front frame into which the glasses are fitted, and the end 602 of the temple will be referred to as the "front frame end." Reference numeral 603 denotes an ear hook portion, and the end 604 of the temple will be referred to as the "ear hook end." Figure 7 is an exploded view of temple 4 according to the first embodiment. The temple for the right ear will be described in detail using Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7.

[0015] 4 shows the right-ear temple as seen from the right side (R side in FIG. 6). A high-frequency speaker 32 is located near the ear, and a low-frequency boost speaker 31 is located (built-in) closer to the glasses. The temple mainly consists of a temple board 401, a partition plate 402, and a conduit cover 403.

[0016] 7(a) to 7(c) are exploded views of the right-ear temple 4, with 701 representing the speaker unit support. (d) is a bottom view of the temple 4, (e) is a cross-sectional view of (d) taken along the line A-A, and (f) is a cross-sectional view of (d) taken along the line B-B. As shown in FIG. 7(e), the temple substrate 401 and the partition plate 402 form one low-frequency boost conduit (positive-phase conduit 711), and the partition plate 402 and the conduit cover 403 form another low-frequency boost conduit (negative-phase conduit 712). (f) is a cross-sectional view of the temple at the position of the low-frequency boost speaker 31. As described in FIG. 3, positive-phase sound is emitted in the direction D1 of the speaker unit 31, and negative-phase sound is emitted in the direction D2. Therefore, the positive-phase sound is guided to the positive-phase conduit 711, and the negative-phase sound is guided to the negative-phase conduit 712.

[0017] The sound amplified in the low frequencies by the positive phase duct 711 is radiated from the first low-frequency boost port 405. The sound amplified in the low frequencies by the negative phase duct 712 is radiated from the second low-frequency boost port 404. As shown in FIG. 5, the first low-frequency boost port 405 opens toward the ear canal. As shown in FIG. 4, two second low-frequency boost ports 404 are provided at the end of the duct cover closest to the ear, and open in a direction approximately parallel to the head. As a result, the sound emitted from the low-frequency boost speaker is amplified in the low frequencies and reaches the user's ear, and the sound radiated from the first low-frequency boost port and the sound radiated from the second low-frequency boost port interfere with each other, eliminating or reducing sound leakage to the surroundings.

[0018] The high-frequency speaker 32 is disposed with its opening facing the ear canal, as shown in Fig. 5. The high-frequency speaker reduces the playback volume, adjusts the overall sound quality, and reduces sound leakage.

[0019] The above is a description of the temples with speakers according to the first embodiment. In the above description, a high-frequency speaker is placed near the ear in addition to a low-frequency boost speaker, but a configuration in which sound is provided only by a low-frequency boost speaker without a high-frequency speaker may also be used.

[0020] [Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the lengths of the positive phase line 711 and the negative phase line 712 are equal, and the second low frequency boost port is provided near the first low frequency boost port. In the second embodiment, the negative phase line is shorter than the positive phase line, and the second low frequency boost port is provided midway along the temple.

[0021] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a speaker-equipped temple according to the second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the conduit cover 801 constituting the anti-phase conduit 712 is shorter, and a second low-frequency boost port 802 is provided midway along the temple. FIGS. 9(a) to 9(c) are exploded views of the right-ear temple 8 according to the second embodiment, (d) is a view of the temple 8 from below, (e) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in (d), and (f) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in (d). The temple substrate 401 and partition plate 402 constituting the positive-phase conduit 711, and the first low-frequency boost port 405 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0022] By providing a second low-frequency boost port (antiphase sound radiation port) midway through the temple, it is possible to shift the radiation position of the antiphase sound. This creates a distance between the radiation position of the positive phase sound and the radiation position of the antiphase sound, making it possible to suppress cancellation of low frequencies. Furthermore, sound leakage may occur at a distance from the earphones due to the reflected components of the positive phase sound generated by the head or auricle, but this can be suppressed by adjusting the radiation position of the antiphase sound midway through the temple (on the side of the head). This concludes the description of the temple with speaker according to the second embodiment.

[0023] [Third Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the positive-phase and negative-phase conduits are configured by utilizing the length of the eyeglass temples as they are. When the available space volume is limited, the effect of the low-frequency boost can be enhanced by utilizing the space in a more elongated and narrow manner. Therefore, in the third embodiment, a long conduit is provided inside the eyeglass temples.

[0024] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the temple 10 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the temple 10 according to the third embodiment. Reference numeral 1001 denotes a temple substrate, 1002 denotes a partition plate, and 1003 denotes a conduit cover. By providing the same type of partition walls on the temple substrate 1001, the partition plate 1002, and the conduit cover 1003 and overlapping them, a conduit longer than the length of the temple is formed from the speaker unit receiving portion 1010 to the first low-frequency boost port 1005 and the second low-frequency boost port 1004. Increasing the distance of the low-frequency boost conduit increases air resistance, thereby improving the low-frequency enhancement effect.

[0025] The above is a description of the temple with a speaker according to the third embodiment.

[0026] [Variations] Although a configuration in which the low frequencies of the speaker are reinforced using a low-frequency boost structure has been shown, a PSZ earphone may be placed near the ear canal to present audio content without sound leakage, and an actuator may be placed in the temples of the glasses to reinforce the low frequencies.

[0027] 31 Low-frequency boost speaker 32 High-frequency speaker 401, 1001 Temple board 402, 1002 Partition plate 403, 801, 1003 Pipe cover 405, 1005 First low-frequency boost port 404, 802, 1004 Second low-frequency boost port 701, 1010 Speaker unit holder 711 Positive phase pipe 712 Reverse phase pipe

Claims

1. A temple with a built-in speaker, comprising: a speaker disposed adjacent to the front end of the temple; and a conduit having an opening adjacent to the ear end of the temple and close to the external ear canal when the glasses are worn, or halfway through the temple, for transmitting sound from the speaker to the opening.

2. A pair of temples with speakers as described in claim 1, wherein the ducts are comprised of a first duct having a first opening adjacent to the ear end of the temple and located near the ear canal when the glasses are worn, and a second duct having a second opening adjacent to the ear end of the temple and located near the ear canal when the glasses are worn, and wherein when sound generated from one side of the speaker's diaphragm is defined as positive phase sound and sound generated from the other side is defined as negative phase sound, the first duct transmits the positive phase sound from the speaker to the first opening, and the second duct transmits the negative phase sound from the speaker to the second opening.

3. A pair of temples with speakers as described in claim 1, wherein the ducts are comprised of a first duct having a first opening close to the ear hook end of the temple and close to the ear canal when the glasses are worn, and a second duct having a second opening halfway along the temple and closer to the front frame end than the first opening, wherein when sound generated from one side of the speaker's diaphragm is defined as positive phase sound and sound generated from the other side is defined as negative phase sound, the first duct transmits the positive phase sound from the speaker to the first opening, and the second duct transmits the negative phase sound from the speaker to the second opening.

4. A temple with a speaker as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second speaker located adjacent to the ear hook end and close to the ear canal when the glasses are worn, the second speaker radiating mainly high-frequency sounds, and the opening, the first opening and the second opening radiating mainly low-frequency sounds.

5. A temple with a speaker as described in claim 2, characterized in that the first pipe line and the second pipe line are separated by a partition inside the temple, and the pipe line length is longer than the straight-line distance between the front frame end and the ear hook end.

6. A temple with a speaker according to claim 2, wherein the first opening is open toward the ear canal when the glasses are worn, and the second opening is open in a direction approximately parallel to the head when the glasses are worn.

7. A temple with a speaker according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the first duct and the second duct are formed by dividing the hollow temple into two spaces by a partition plate.

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