Open-type earphone

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an open-type earphone which does not create an oppressive feeling with respect to the ear, which makes it easy to hear surrounding environmental sounds, which has excellent sound insulation performance, and which does not leak sound. [Solution] An open-type earphone 1 comprises: an earphone body 2 having a built-in speaker 5; an acoustic duct 3 that extends obliquely from the earphone body 2 and that is inserted into the external auditory canal 11 of an ear; and an ear-ring 4 attached to an outer lateral surface of the acoustic duct 3. The acoustic duct 3 has formed therein: a first communication passage 6 for communicating the speaker 5 with the external auditory canal 11 of the ear; and a groove 7 for communicating the atmosphere with the external auditory canal of the ear. An angle of inclination of the acoustic duct 3 with respect to the earphone body 2 is 50°-70°. The ear-ring 4 is configured by connecting and integrating two rings 4A, 4B made of an elastic material. One end of the two rings 4A, 4B in the longitudinal-direction is attached to the outer lateral surface of the acoustic duct 3.

Description

Open-back earphones

[0001] The present invention relates to open-type earphones that can also take in ambient sounds.

[0002] Normally, sound vibrations transmitted by air are transmitted to the eardrum inside the ear, and the vibrations of the eardrum are transmitted to the cochlea via three ossicles inside the eardrum. The cochlea contains lymph, and the vibrations of this lymph are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the auditory nerve, which the brain recognizes as sound.

[0003] Incidentally, some earphones worn in the user's ears reproduce sound by applying an audio signal to a speaker placed close to the ear, and these earphones can be broadly divided into two types: inner-ear type and canal (earplug) type.

[0004] Inner-ear type earphones (see, for example, Patent Document 1) are used by hooking onto a part of the ear called the concha at the entrance to the ear, and have the advantage of not feeling any pressure and making it easy to hear surrounding environmental sounds.In contrast, canal type earphones (see, for example, Patent Document 2) are used by inserting earplug-type earpieces into the ear, and have the advantage of providing high sound insulation and preventing sound leakage.

[0005] JP 2006-222492 A JP 2019-145962 A

[0006] However, inner-ear earphones have the disadvantage of poor sound insulation and prone to sound leakage, while canal-type earphones have the disadvantage of placing earpieces deep inside the ear, which puts a strong pressure on the ear and makes it difficult to hear surrounding environmental sounds.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide open-type earphones that do not feel oppressive to the ears, make it easy to hear surrounding environmental sounds, and have high sound insulation and no sound leakage.

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an open-type earphone comprising an earphone main body with a built-in speaker, an acoustic duct that extends diagonally from the earphone main body and is inserted into the ear canal of the ear, and an ear ring that is attached to the outer surface of the acoustic duct, wherein the acoustic duct has a first communication passage that connects the speaker to the ear canal of the ear, and a second communication passage that connects the atmosphere to the ear canal of the ear, the angle of inclination of the acoustic duct relative to the earphone main body being 50° to 70°, and the ear ring is formed by connecting two rings made of an elastic material together, with one end of the two rings in the longitudinal direction attached to the outer surface of the acoustic duct.

[0009] The present invention also provides the above-mentioned open-type earphone, wherein the ear ring is detachably attached to the acoustic duct.

[0010] The present invention also provides the above open-type earphone, wherein the longitudinal length of the ear ring is 12 to 20 mm.

[0011] The present invention also provides the above open-type earphone, wherein the inclination angle of the ear ring relative to the acoustic duct is between 60° and 100°.

[0012] The present invention also provides the above open-type earphone, wherein the length of the acoustic duct on the central axis is 5 mm to 13 mm.

[0013] The present invention also provides the above-mentioned open-type earphone, wherein the second communication path is configured by a groove formed on the outer surface of the acoustic duct.

[0014] According to the present invention, the acoustic duct is formed with a first communication passage that connects the speaker to the ear canal of the ear and a second communication passage that connects the atmosphere to the ear canal of the ear, so that ambient environmental sounds are introduced into the ear canal of the user's ear through the second communication passage. Therefore, the user can simultaneously hear the speaker sound introduced into the ear canal through the first communication passage and the ambient environmental sounds introduced into the ear canal through the second communication passage.

[0015] Furthermore, in the present invention, if speaker sound leaks into the atmosphere, it must pass through the first communication path and then the second communication path. The acoustic duct of the open-type earphone of the present invention extends obliquely from the earphone body and is inserted into the ear canal, lengthening the path the speaker sound takes to escape into the atmosphere. This prevents speaker sound from leaking to the outside (sound leakage). Furthermore, because the speaker sound is reliably introduced into the ear canal through the acoustic duct, the user can clearly hear the speaker sound even in places with loud ambient noise, and also prevents touch noise and the user's own voice from echoing.

[0016] The open-type earphone of the present invention also has an ear ring attached to the outer surface of the acoustic duct. The ear ring is formed by connecting two rings made of elastic material together, and one longitudinal end of each ring is attached to the outer surface of the acoustic duct. Therefore, when the open-type earphone of the present invention is worn, one end of the ear ring abuts against the tragus of the ear and the other end abuts against the inner wall of the concha, more specifically, the inner wall of the concha, and the acoustic duct is sandwiched between the tragus of the ear and the inner wall of the concha by the ear ring. This provides high wearing stability and prevents the acoustic duct from pressing against the ear, providing a comfortable fit for the user.

[0017] Therefore, with the open-type earphone according to the present invention, it is possible to enjoy only the advantages of both inner-ear type earphones and canal type earphones while eliminating the disadvantages of each.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an open-type earphone according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an open-type earphone according to the present invention, viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an open-type earphone according to the present invention, viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 4 is a view of an embodiment of an open-type earphone according to the present invention, viewed from above. FIG. 5 is a view of an embodiment of an open-type earphone according to the present invention, viewed from the front. FIG. 6 is a view of an embodiment of an open-type earphone according to the present invention, viewed from the rear. FIG. 7 is a view of an embodiment of an open-type earphone according to the present invention, viewed from below. FIG. 8 is a cutaway side view of a modified example of the open-type earphone according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cutaway cross-sectional view of a user's ear showing a state in which a modified example of the open-type earphone according to the present invention is used. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the names of each part of the auricle.

[0019] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view of an open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment, seen obliquely from above. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment, seen obliquely from below. Fig. 4 is a view of the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment, seen from above. Fig. 5 is a view of the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment, seen from the front. Fig. 6 is a view of the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment, seen from the rear. Fig. 7 is a view of the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment, seen from below.

[0020] 8 and 9 show a modified example of the open-type earphone 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cutaway side view of a modified example of the open-type earphone 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cutaway cross-sectional view of a user's ear showing a modified example of the open-type earphone 1 according to the present embodiment in use. The modified example shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 differs from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 in the angle of the bottom surface 3A of the acoustic duct 3 and the angle at which the ear ring 4 is attached, but other parts are configured substantially the same as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7. When describing the open-type earphone 1 according to the present embodiment, parts common to the modified example shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0021] In the following description, the directions of the arrows shown in FIG. 1 are the "front-rear" direction and the "up-down" direction, respectively.

[0022] The "up and down" direction is the direction in which the open-type earphone 1 connects with the user's ear when the user wears the open-type earphone 1 in their ear, in other words, the direction in which the open-type earphone 1 is inserted into or removed from the ear. The direction from the open-type earphone 1 toward the user's ear, i.e., the direction in which the open-type earphone 1 is inserted into the ear, is defined as the "down" direction, and the direction from the user's ear toward the open-type earphone 1, i.e., the direction in which the open-type earphone 1 is removed from the ear, is defined as the "up" direction.

[0023] The "front-to-back" direction is a direction perpendicular to the "up-down" direction, and is the direction connecting the position where the open-type earphone 1 abuts against the tragus of the user's ear and the position where it abuts against the inner wall of the concha when the user wears the open-type earphone 1 in their ear. The direction from the open-type earphone 1 toward the tragus of the ear is the "back" direction, and the direction from the open-type earphone 1 toward the inner wall of the concha is the "front" direction.

[0024] FIG. 10 shows the names of each part of the auricle. As shown in FIG. 10, the tragus (also called the tragus) is a protrusion on the face side of the entrance to the ear canal. The curved outer part of the auricle is called the helix. The concha is composed of the cavity of the concha and the vestibulum of the concha, as shown in FIG. 10. The cavity of the concha is a depression located immediately at the entrance to the ear canal. The vestibulum of the concha is located outside the cavity of the concha when viewed from the entrance to the ear canal, and is a depression separated from the cavity of the concha by part of the helix. The open-type earphone 1 of the present invention abuts against the inner wall of the vestibulum of the concha. In this specification, the "inner wall of the concha" or "inner wall of the vestibulum of the concha" refers to the wall that forms the edge of the depression that makes up the concha or vestibulum of the concha.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment includes an earphone body 2, an acoustic duct 3, and an ear ring 4.

[0026] The earphone main body 2 is a case body that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction and has an oval shape in a plan view. The earphone main body 2 is a case body that can be separated in the top-to-bottom direction and is formed by joining an upper case 2A and a lower case 2B together. At least a speaker 5 is built into the earphone main body 2. In addition to the speaker 5, the earphone main body 2 may also contain various electronic components and circuit boards on which they are mounted.

[0027] In the present invention, the earphone main body is not particularly limited to this embodiment as long as it is a case body that can house a speaker. In the present invention, the earphone main body may be, for example, a case body that can be separated in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, in the present invention, the earphone main body is not limited to an oval shape that is long in the front-to-rear direction, and may have a circular shape when viewed from above, or any other shape such as a square, rectangle, or polygon.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 8, the speaker 5 is located directly above the acoustic duct 3 inside the earphone body 2 so that it does not come into contact with the user's ear. By locating the speaker 5 in this position, even if the diameter of the speaker 5 is made large enough to improve the sound quality of the speaker 5, the speaker 5 will not get in the way of the ear. In this embodiment, the speaker 5 is housed horizontally inside the earphone body 2, but the speaker 5 may also be housed vertically.

[0029] The acoustic duct 3 is a cylindrical member that extends obliquely from the earphone main body 2 and is inserted deeper than the tragus into the ear canal of the user's ear. The acoustic duct 3 is formed so that it extends downward from the bottom of the front end (front end) of the earphone main body 2, slanting backward. The inclination angle θ1 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of the acoustic duct 3 relative to the earphone main body 2 can be set to, for example, θ1 = 60°. However, in the present invention, the inclination angle θ1 is not limited to this and can be set to, for example, 60° ± 10° (50° to 70°). If the inclination angle θ1 is between 50° and 70°, the open-type earphone 1 fits more securely in the user's ear, achieving greater wearing stability.

[0030] In this embodiment, the acoustic duct 3 has a cylindrical shape and is capable of introducing sound from the speaker 5 into the ear canal. However, in the present invention, the acoustic duct is not limited to this and may have an oval cylindrical shape or a polygonal cylindrical shape. The cross-sectional shape of the acoustic duct may be a shape similar to the shape of the ear canal, such as a circle, an ellipse, or a semi-cylindrical shape. Furthermore, the acoustic duct may be configured to taper from the bottom to the tip of the earphone body, or may have a constant thickness.

[0031] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the bottom surface 3A of the acoustic duct 3 is formed so as to be parallel to the cross section of the acoustic duct 3. However, in the present invention, the bottom surface of the acoustic duct is not limited to this and can be at any angle, and for example, as shown in the modified examples shown in Figs. 8 and 9, it may be formed so as to be parallel to the bottom surface of the earphone main body.

[0032] The length of the acoustic duct 3 is such that it can be inserted deeper than the tragus into the ear canal of the user's ear. The length from the bottom of the earphone body 2 to the tip of the acoustic duct 3 along the central axis of the acoustic duct 3 is not particularly limited as long as it is long enough to introduce speaker sound into the ear canal of the user's ear. For example, a length of 5 mm or more can reliably introduce speaker sound into the ear canal of the user's ear. Furthermore, a length of 8 mm or more along the central axis of the acoustic duct 3 can more reliably introduce speaker sound into the ear canal of the user's ear. The length of the acoustic duct 3 along the central axis is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 13 mm or less, which can provide a comfortable fit without causing the user to feel any pressure. Furthermore, a length of 10 mm or less along the central axis of the acoustic duct 3 can provide a more comfortable fit without causing the user to feel any pressure.

[0033] The length of the acoustic duct in the present invention can be such that it is inserted at least 10 mm deep into the ear canal of the user's ear from the point where it contacts the tragus. This length ensures that speaker sound can be reliably introduced into the ear canal of the user's ear when worn on a standard adult ear.

[0034] In this embodiment, the earphone main body 2 (upper case 2A and lower case 2B) and acoustic duct 3 are made of a hard resin such as ABS resin, which has high rigidity. Note that, in the present invention, the earphone main body and acoustic duct are not limited to this embodiment and can be made of any hard material. Hard materials include, for example, not only ABS resin but also various other resins such as polypropylene and polystyrene. Furthermore, acoustic duct 3 may be formed integrally with the earphone main body 2 (e.g., lower case 2B) or separately.

[0035] Even if the open-type earphone of the present invention has an acoustic duct made of a hard material, it can be securely fitted because the earring attached to the acoustic duct holds it between the tragus and the inner wall of the concha. Furthermore, the acoustic duct in the open-type earphone of the present invention does not need to completely cover the ear canal, and a gap may be formed between the acoustic duct and the inner wall of the ear canal. Therefore, the open-type earphone of the present invention does not require a component like an earpiece attached to the tip of a canal-type earphone that elastically deforms to be inserted deep into the ear and fixed, and therefore can provide a comfortable fit without putting pressure on the ear.

[0036] 8 and 9, a circular hole-shaped first communication passage 6 is formed in the axial center of the acoustic duct 3. The first communication passage 6 is a passage that connects the speaker 5 built into the earphone body 2 with the ear canal 11 (see FIG. 9) when the open-type earphone 1 is worn by a user. The upper end of the first communication passage 6 opens into the earphone body 2, and the lower end of the first communication passage 6 opens into the ear canal 11.

[0037] Furthermore, a groove (second communication passage) 7 is formed in the outer surface on the front side (left side in FIG. 8 ) of the acoustic duct 3 in the longitudinal direction of the acoustic duct 3. The groove 7 is a passage that connects the atmosphere with the inside of the ear canal 11 of the ear when the earphones are worn. As shown in FIG. 3 , the groove 7 is a linear groove that is formed in the longitudinal direction of the acoustic duct 3 from just below the attachment position of the earring 4 to the tip of the acoustic duct 3. By forming the groove 7, when the open-type earphones 1 are worn by a user, a gap that functions as a second communication passage is created between the open-type earphones 1 and the ear canal. By forming the groove 7, the user can simultaneously hear the speaker sound that is introduced into the ear canal through the first communication passage 6 and the surrounding environmental sound that is introduced into the ear canal 11 through the second communication passage formed by the groove 7.

[0038] In the present invention, the groove can be formed at any position on the outer surface of the acoustic duct. For example, the groove may be formed from above the earring attachment position on the outer surface of the acoustic duct to the tip, or from a position close to the bottom surface of the earphone body to the tip of the acoustic duct. Also, in the present invention, the groove may be formed on the outer surface of the acoustic duct other than the front side surface.

[0039] Furthermore, in the present invention, the second communication passage is not limited to a groove as in this embodiment, and may be, for example, a passage formed separately from the first communication passage in the side portion of the acoustic duct. When the second communication passage is a passage formed in the acoustic duct, its upper opening may be a hole formed in the front side portion of the acoustic duct that opens to the atmosphere, and its lower opening may be a hole formed in the bottom surface of the acoustic duct that opens to the ear canal.

[0040] When the second communication passage is a passage formed in the acoustic duct, its upper opening can be formed at any position on the front side surface of the acoustic duct 3. The upper opening of the second communication passage may be located either above or below the earring attachment position of the acoustic duct. Also, the upper opening of the second communication passage may be formed in a position close to the bottom surface of the earphone body.

[0041] The ear ring 4 is a component formed by connecting two rings 4A and 4B made of an elastic material together, and is attached to the outer surface of the acoustic duct 3. The two rings 4A and 4B are connected together so that ring 4B protrudes outward from the front portion of ring 4A. The ear ring 4 is attached so that the rear portion of ring 4A, which is one end in the longitudinal direction, surrounds the outer surface of the acoustic duct 3 in the circumferential direction. The ear ring 4 is attached so that it extends forward (to the left in FIG. 1 ) from the acoustic duct 3. In this embodiment, the rings 4A and 4B are substantially circular, but this is not particularly limited in the present invention and may have any shape surrounded by curves or straight lines, such as an ellipse or a polygon. By connecting the two rings 4A and 4B together, the ear ring 4 has improved springiness and can flexibly and elastically deform to fit the shape of the user's ear, thereby achieving an effect of easily fitting any ear.

[0042] 9 , when a user wears the open-type earphone 1, one end of the ear ring 4 abuts against the tragus 12 of the ear, and the other end abuts against the inner wall 13 of the concha. Specifically, the rear portion (one end) of the ring 4A that abuts against the rear side surface of the acoustic duct 3 abuts against the tragus 12 of the ear, and the tip (other end) of the ring 4B that extends forward abuts against the inner wall 13 of the concha, more specifically, the inner wall of the concha. In this way, the acoustic duct 3 is held by the ear ring 4 between the tragus 12 of the ear and the inner wall 13 of the concha, ensuring a highly stable fit.

[0043] The longitudinal length of the ear ring 4, i.e., the length from the part of ring 4A attached to acoustic duct 3 to the tip of ring 4B protruding forward, can be set appropriately depending on the size of the ear, and is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 12 to 20 mm from the perspective of wearing stability. Furthermore, if the longitudinal length of ear ring 4 is, for example, 13 to 18 mm, wearing stability can be further improved.

[0044] The inclination angle θ2 of the ear ring 4 relative to the acoustic duct 3 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 8) is not particularly limited, but if it is, for example, 60 to 100 degrees, the stability of the fit can be further improved. Also, if the inclination angle θ2 of the ear ring 4 relative to the acoustic duct 3 is, for example, 60 to 90 degrees, the stability of the fit can be further improved. For example, the inclination angle θ2 may be approximately 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 1, or may be less than 90 degrees as shown in the modified example of FIG. 8.

[0045] The ear ring 4 may be detachable from the acoustic duct 3, or may be configured as one unit with the acoustic duct 3. If detachable, it may be configured so that it can be attached to the acoustic duct 3 by fitting the inner circumferential side of the ring 4A into an attachment position on the rear side of the acoustic duct 3. Furthermore, in the present invention, the ear ring is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be configured so that a hole having approximately the same shape and size as the cross section of the acoustic duct is formed in the inner circumferential part of the ring 4A, and it can be attached to the acoustic duct by fitting the acoustic duct through the hole.

[0046] In the present invention, when the earrings are detachable, a plurality of earrings of different sizes can be prepared, allowing the user to select an earring of an appropriate size according to the size of their ears.

[0047] The position at which the earring 4 is attached to the acoustic duct 3 can be any position between the bottom surface of the earphone body 2 and the tip of the acoustic duct 3. The length from the front end of the earphone body 2 to the earring 4 attachment position and the length from the earring 4 attachment position to the tip of the acoustic duct 3 are not particularly limited, but if the ratio is, for example, 1:9 to 9:1, the open-type earphone 1 can be securely fitted to the user's ear. The length from the front end of the earphone body 2 to the earring 4 attachment position and the length from the earring 4 attachment position to the tip of the acoustic duct 3 is preferably 2:3 to 2:5, which allows the open-type earphone 1 to be securely fitted to the user's ear.

[0048] The ear ring 4 is made of an elastic material, i.e., a material that can be elastically deformed. The ear ring 4 can be made of, for example, soft silicon, elastomer, rubber, or the like.

[0049] The above describes the configuration of the open-type earphone 1 that is worn on one ear (left or right) of the user, but the configuration of the open-type earphone 1 that is worn on the other ear (left or right) is exactly the same as or symmetrical to that of the other ear, so illustrations and descriptions of this will be omitted.

[0050] 9 shows the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment being worn in a user's ear. The open-type earphone 1 is worn with the rear end of the ear ring 4 (ring 4A) abutting the tragus 12. That is, the acoustic duct 3 is inserted into the ear canal 11, and the open-type earphone 1 is worn in the user's ear. At this time, the rear end of the ear ring 4 (ring 4A) abuts the tragus 12. The ear ring 4 is then pressed by the tragus 12, so that the front end of the ear ring 4 (ring 4B) is pressed against the inner wall 13 of the concha—more specifically, the inner wall of the concha—and the ring 4B elastically deforms and bends into an arc. As a result, the ear ring 4 is sandwiched between the tragus 12 and the inner wall 13 of the concha, and the acoustic duct 3 is stably sandwiched between the tragus 12 and the inner wall 13 of the concha by the ear ring 4. Therefore, the open-type earphone 1 is securely attached to the user's ear in a state where it fits snugly in the user's ear.

[0051] 9 , in the open-type earphone 1 of this embodiment, the acoustic duct 3 is sandwiched between the tragus 12 of the ear and the inner wall 13 of the concha by the earring 4, so the acoustic duct 3 can be made of a hard material and can be thinner than the ear canal. Therefore, unlike conventional earplug-type earphones that are worn by inserting earpieces or the like attached to an acoustic duct into the ear, the acoustic duct 3 does not press against the ear canal 11. In other words, the acoustic duct 3 can be stably held in the ear canal by the earring 4 without pressing against the inner wall of the ear canal 11. Therefore, the user can enjoy a comfortable fit without feeling any pressure.

[0052] As described above, when the open-type earphones 1 are fitted and worn in the left and right ears of a user, the sound (speaker sound) emitted from the speaker 5 passes through the first communication passage 6 formed in the center of the acoustic duct 3 and travels through the eardrum to the cochlea, as indicated by arrow a in Fig. 9. The vibrations of the sound transmitted to the cochlea cause the lymph fluid in the cochlea to vibrate, which are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve, where they are perceived as sound. Furthermore, ambient sounds pass through the groove 7 formed in the acoustic duct 3 and travel through the eardrum to the cochlea, as indicated by arrow b in Fig. 9. The vibrations of the lymph fluid in the cochlea are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve, where they are perceived as sound.

[0053] Furthermore, in the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment, the acoustic duct 3 is formed with a first communication passage 6 that connects the speaker 5 to the ear canal 11 and a groove 7 that connects the atmosphere to the ear canal 11. This allows ambient environmental sound to be introduced into the user's ear canal 11 through a second communication passage formed by the groove 7. Therefore, the user can simultaneously hear the speaker sound that is introduced into the ear canal through the first communication passage 6 and the ambient environmental sound that is introduced into the ear canal 11 through the groove 7. Furthermore, when the speaker sound escapes into the atmosphere, it must pass through the first communication passage 6 and then the second communication passage, the groove 7, which increases the path, preventing the speaker sound from leaking to the outside (sound leakage). Furthermore, the speaker sound can be clearly heard even in places with loud ambient noise, without touch noise or the user's own voice echoing.

[0054] Furthermore, the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment is clamped with the acoustic duct 3 inserted deeper than the tragus into the ear canal of the user's ear. This ensures that speaker sound is introduced into the ear canal 11 through the acoustic duct 3, allowing the user to clearly hear the speaker sound even in places with loud ambient noise, while preventing touch noise and the user's own voice from echoing.

[0055] Furthermore, if the ear ring 4 is configured to be detachable from the acoustic duct 3 (earphone main body 2), the ear ring 4 can be easily replaced with one that fits each part of the user's ear and the size and shape of the ear canal 11.

[0056] As a result of the above, the open-type earphone 1 according to this embodiment makes it possible to enjoy only the advantages of both inner-ear type earphones and canal type earphones while eliminating the disadvantages of each.

[0057] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the application of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and the technical ideas described in the specification and drawings.

[0058] 1: Open-type earphone, 2: Earphone body, 2A: Upper case, 2B: Lower case, 3: Acoustic duct, 4: Ear ring, 4A, 4B: Ring, 5: Speaker, 6: First communication passage, 7: Groove (second communication passage), 11: Ear canal, 12: Tragus, 13: Inner wall of the concha

Claims

1. An open-type earphone comprising: an earphone body with a built-in speaker; an acoustic duct extending obliquely from the earphone body and inserted into the ear canal; and an ear ring attached to the outer surface of the acoustic duct, wherein the acoustic duct has a first communication passageway that connects the speaker to the ear canal and a second communication passageway that connects the atmosphere to the ear canal, the acoustic duct is inclined at an angle of 50° to 70° with respect to the earphone body, and the ear ring is formed by connecting two rings made of an elastic material together, and one end side of the two rings in the longitudinal direction is attached to the outer surface of the acoustic duct.

2. The open-type earphone according to claim 1, wherein the earring is removably attached to the acoustic duct.

3. The open-type earphone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the longitudinal length of the ear ring is 12 to 20 mm.

4. The open-type earphone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inclination angle of the ear ring with respect to the acoustic duct is between 60° and 100°.

5. The open-type earphone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the length of the acoustic duct along the central axis is 5 mm to 13 mm.

6. The open-type earphone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second communication passage is constituted by a groove formed on the outer surface of the acoustic duct.

Images