JP7681890B2 - sound equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an audio device.

In recent years, binaural recording has been attracting attention. Binaural recording is a technique for recording the sound transmitted to the eardrums of both human ears. For binaural recording, a microphone placed near the eardrum is used. By playing back binaurally recorded sound through earphones or headphones, it is possible to reproduce a realistic sound that makes you feel as if you were actually there.

For example, the following Patent Document 1 proposes a binaural recording device that uses a noise-canceling microphone attached to the outside of earphones that are held in the ears by inserting earpieces into the ear canals.

JP 2009-49947 A

The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 and other publications had various disadvantages. For example, because the ear canal was blocked, it was difficult for the user to clearly hear surrounding sounds.

Therefore, the present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide an audio device that can be properly attached to the ear.

In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an acoustic device that can be worn by a user, the acoustic device having a curved portion that curves from the front of the auricle to the back of the auricle so as to pass outside at least either the helix or the earlobe when the acoustic device is worn by the user, a frame that holds the auricle from the front and back sides, and a microphone that is provided on the frame at a position on the front side of the cavity of the concha.

The microphone may be positioned facing away from the direction toward the concha.

The microphone may be removable.

The audio device may further include a speaker.

The speaker may be provided on the frame at a position in front of the auricle when the audio device is attached to the auricle of the user.

The speaker may be removable.

The frame may be made of an elastic material and may clamp the auricle by a restoring force that is generated when the curved portion is deformed in a direction that widens the curvature.

The frame may clamp the concha cavity with an area on the inside of the curved portion near the end on the front side of the auricle and an area near the end on the back side of the auricle.

As described above, the present invention provides an audio device that can be worn appropriately on the ear.

1 is a front view of an acoustic device according to an embodiment of the present invention worn on a user's left ear. 1 is a side view of an acoustic device according to an embodiment of the present invention worn on a user's left ear. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a frame according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of the frame according to the embodiment.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that in this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description.

<1. Technical issues>
Playing back binaurally recorded content is also called binaural playback. In order to improve the sense of realism of the content, it is desirable to perform advance measurement and binaural playback using a microphone and a speaker whose relative positions to the eardrum are fixed. In advance measurement, device characteristics and user pinna characteristics are measured by recording the sound output from the speaker with a microphone. In binaural playback, binaurally recorded content is played back after applying a digital filter based on the inverse characteristics of the device characteristics and the inverse characteristics of the pinna characteristics measured in advance.

The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses an ear canal insertion type device that is held in the ear by inserting an earpiece into the ear canal, and that has a speaker and a microphone. However, such binaural recording devices that have been developed so far have had various disadvantages.

First, when an ear canal insertion type device is worn, the ear canal is blocked, making it difficult for the user to clearly hear surrounding sounds.

Secondly, because the diameter of the ear canal varies from person to person, some users may have difficulty fitting ear canal insertion devices properly.

Thirdly, ear canal insertion devices have a weak retention force for the earpiece, making them prone to falling off. In particular, ear canal insertion devices are vulnerable to the movements of the user. Specifically, when the user yawns or puts pressure on the jaw or head, the temporalis muscle or masseter muscle moves, widening the diameter of the ear canal and weakening the retention force of the earpiece. Alternatively, the earpiece could be made hollow to allow the user to hear sounds around them, but in that case the retention force of the earpiece would be even weaker.

Fourthly, it was difficult to properly measure the device characteristics and the pinna characteristics. For example, in an ear canal insertion type device, the ear canal is blocked and the microphone is often placed at a position that protrudes far outward from the ear, making it difficult to properly measure the pinna characteristics. In the first place, since the ear canal is sealed by the earpiece, it is difficult to record the output sound from the speaker (i.e., the earphone driver) with a microphone, so that it is difficult to measure the pinna characteristics. Another possible method is to provide only a microphone in the ear canal insertion type device and wear headphones so as to cover the ear canal insertion type device, so that the output sound from the headphones is recorded with the microphone and the pinna characteristics are measured. However, in this method, the relative positions of the headphones, the microphone, and the user's eardrum change depending on how the ear canal insertion type microphone and the headphones are worn. Therefore, it is difficult to sufficiently improve the sense of realism even when binaural playback is performed using the measured pinna characteristics.

Fifth, microphones are difficult to replace, even though their characteristics are easily degraded and they are vulnerable to dust and moisture. As a result, when a microphone deteriorates, it is sometimes necessary to replace the entire device. For example, even though speakers are less susceptible to deterioration than microphones, when a microphone deteriorates, it is necessary to replace the entire device, including the speaker.

Sixth, it was difficult to perform binaural playback with the minimum necessary equipment configuration.

Seventh, it was difficult to perform binaural recording using the minimum necessary equipment configuration.

Therefore, in this embodiment, we provide an audio device that can solve the first to seventh technical problems described above.

2. Configuration example
FIG. 1 is a front view of an acoustic device 1 according to the present embodiment worn on the left ear of a user. FIG. 2 is a side view of an acoustic device 1 according to the present embodiment worn on the left ear of a user. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the acoustic device 1 can be worn by a user. Note that, although FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the acoustic device 1 worn on the left ear of a user, the acoustic device 1 for the right ear is configured symmetrically thereto. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the acoustic device 1 has a frame 10, a microphone 20, and a speaker 30. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the frame 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a top view of the frame 10 according to the present embodiment.

The frame 10 is a member that holds the audio device 1 on the user's auricle 40. The frame 10 can store the microphone 20 and the speaker 30, and can fix the relative positions of the microphone 20, the speaker 30, and the user's eardrum.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the frame 10 has a curved portion 11 that curves from the front of the auricle 40 to the back of the auricle 40 so as to pass through the outside of at least one of the helix 41 or the earlobe 42 when the acoustic device 1 is worn by a user. The frame 10 then clamps the auricle 40 from the front and back of the auricle 40. The frame 10 may clamp any location of the auricle 40 to hold the acoustic device 1 on the auricle 40. For example, of the inner side 11a of the curved portion 11, a region 11ab near the end 11b on the front side of the auricle 40 and a region 11ac near the end 11c on the back side of the auricle 40 may abut against the auricle 40 so as to clamp the cavity of the concha 43 from the front and back. In this case, the frame 10 clamps the cavity of the concha 43 between the region 11ab and the region 11ac. In this case, the audio device 1 is held on the auricle 40 with the region 11ab of the frame 10 hooked on the concha 43, and the weight of the audio device 1 is supported by the concha 43. This configuration makes it possible to firmly hold the audio device 1 on the auricle 40.

Furthermore, this configuration solves the first to third technical problems. More specifically, the acoustic device 1 can be made not to block the ear canal 44 when worn by the user. This allows the user to clearly hear surrounding sounds while wearing the acoustic device 1. Furthermore, since the acoustic device 1 is not inserted into the ear canal 44, it can be worn by the user in an appropriate manner even if there are individual differences in the diameter of the ear canal 44. Furthermore, since the shape of the auricle 40 is not likely to change in response to the user's movements, it is unlikely to come off even if the user moves.

When the audio device 1 is worn by a user, it is desirable for the curved portion 11 to pass outside the helix 41. When the curved portion 11 passes outside the helix 41, the inside 11a of the curved portion 11 comes into contact with a relatively hard and uneven part of the auricle 40. Therefore, at this contact part, the audio device 1 can be held firmly by the auricle 40.

The frame 10 is formed from an elastic material such as silicone resin. The frame 10 holds the auricle 40 by the restoring force that occurs when the curved portion 11 is deformed in a direction that widens the curve. The frame 10 may be formed by coating the surface of a more elastic member, such as a wire that is variable in shape and has shape memory, with silicone resin or the like. In this case, it is possible to further improve the restoring force against deformation. Also, the inner side 11a of the curved portion 11 that comes into contact with the user can be made soft, which can reduce the discomfort felt by the user when wearing the device.

The frame 10 may be formed so that the space 19 surrounded by the inner side 11a of the curved portion 11 other than the areas 11ac and 11ab is equal to or smaller than the size of the target user's auricle 40. In that case, when the audio device 1 is attached to the user's auricle 40, the inner side 11a of the curved portion 11 will come into contact with the auricle 40 other than the areas 11ac and 11ab. With this configuration, a wide contact area between the frame 10 and the auricle 40 can be ensured. Therefore, even if the force with which the frame 10 clamps the auricle 40 is small, the audio device 1 can be firmly held to the auricle 40. If the clamping force is small, the user will not feel pain when wearing the device and the device can be used for a long time.

It is desirable that the frame 10 be rounded overall, especially on the inside 11a of the curved portion 11. This configuration improves fit to the auricle 40 and reduces discomfort felt by the user when wearing the earphones.

As shown in FIG. 4, the frame 10 may be formed so that it is thinner toward the back side of the auricle 40 and thicker toward the front side of the auricle 40. In this case, it is possible to provide the frame 10 with sufficient strength to store the microphone 20 and the speaker 30.

The specific dimensions of the frame 10 can be set arbitrarily depending on the attributes of the target users.

The microphone 20 is a device that captures surrounding sounds. More specifically, the microphone 20 converts sounds resonating in the surrounding space into analog signals and outputs the converted analog signals. The microphone 20 is connected to a cable 21 that is connected to an ADC (Analog Digital Converter), an amplifier, a recording device, etc.

The microphone 20 is provided at a position on the front side of the concha 43 of the frame 10. More specifically, the frame 10 has a protruding portion 12 that protrudes from the end 11b of the curved portion 11 on the front side of the auricle 40. The protruding portion 12 is a cylindrical member, and is formed so that the bottom surface of the cylindrical portion smoothly extends the inner side 11a of the curved portion 11. When the audio device 1 is worn by a user, the protruding portion 12 is located in the space in front of the concha 43 while not contacting the auricle 40 or partially contacting it. The microphone 20 is arranged so as to be inserted into the hollow portion 13 of the cylinder. The microphone 20 is arranged in the opposite direction to the concha 43. That is, the microphone 20 is arranged facing outward and captures sounds arriving at the external ear canal 44 from the outside. With this configuration, it is possible to preferably perform binaural recording by the microphone 20 arranged in the concha 43 near the user's eardrum.

According to this embodiment, the microphone 20 can be placed near the cavity of the concha 43, and the acoustic device 1 does not occupy the cavity of the concha 43. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately measure the characteristics of the pinna. In this respect, the fourth technical problem described above is solved.

In this embodiment, the microphone 20 is placed outside the ear canal 44, so the diameter of the microphone 20 can be made larger than in the comparative example in which the microphone is placed inside the ear canal 44. This makes it possible to perform binaural recording more optimally.

The microphone 20 is provided so as to be detachable. For example, the microphone 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is detachably inserted into the hollow portion 13 of the protrusion 12. Therefore, if the microphone 20 deteriorates, it is possible to replace only the microphone 20. In this respect, the fifth technical problem described above is solved. Furthermore, the audio device 1 is capable of performing binaural playback with the microphone 20 removed. In this respect, the sixth technical problem described above is solved.

The speaker 30 is a device that outputs sound. More specifically, the speaker 30 converts an input analog signal into sound and emits it into the surrounding space. A cable 31 that is connected to a DAC (Digital Analog Converter), an amplifier, a playback device, etc. is connected to the speaker 30.

The speaker 30 is provided at a position on the front side of the auricle 40 of the frame 10 when the acoustic device 1 is attached to the auricle 40 of the user. In detail, a recess 14 having a cylindrical internal space is provided at the end 11b of the curved portion 11 on the front side of the auricle 40, adjacent to the protruding portion 12. The speaker 30 is then arranged so as to be inserted into the recess 14. The speaker 30 is arranged in the direction of the ear canal 44 (i.e., in the direction of the protruding portion 12) and outputs sound toward the ear canal 44. According to this configuration, since the space between the speaker 30 and the microphone 20 is open, it is possible to obtain the output sound from the speaker 30 by the microphone 20 and appropriately measure the device characteristics and the auricle characteristics. Also, according to this configuration, since the microphone 20 and the speaker 30 are fixed to the acoustic device 1 and the user wears the acoustic device 1, the relative positions of the microphone 20, the speaker 30, and the user's eardrum can be fixed. Therefore, when content binaurally recorded using the microphone 20 is binaurally played back from the speaker 30, it is possible to sufficiently improve the sense of realism. In this way, the fourth problem described above is solved.

The speaker 30 is provided so as to be detachable. For example, the speaker 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is detachably inserted into the recess 14. Therefore, the audio device 1 is capable of binaural recording even with the speaker 30 removed. In this respect, the seventh technical problem described above is solved.

<3. Supplementary Information>
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which the speaker 30 is disposed on the front side of the auricle 40 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the speaker 30 may be provided at a position on the rear side of the auricle 40 of the frame 10 when the audio device 1 is attached to the auricle 40 of the user. In this case, it is desirable that the frame 10 is provided with a sound guide section having a pipe structure that propagates the sound output from the speaker 30 from the rear side of the auricle 40 to an output hole disposed on the front side of the auricle 40. According to such an example, the sound output from the speaker 30 passes through the sound guide section and is emitted from the output hole disposed on the front side of the auricle 40, so that the user can clearly hear the sound output from the speaker 30.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the microphone 20 is placed closer to the eardrum than the speaker 30, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the speaker 30 may be placed closer to the eardrum than the microphone 20. In more detail, the speaker 30 may be inserted into the hollow portion 13 of the protruding portion 12, and the microphone 20 may be inserted into the recess 14 formed in the end 11b of the curved portion 11 on the front side of the auricle 40.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the microphone 20 is connected in a wired manner via the cable 21, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. The microphone 20 may be connected wirelessly via Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. In that case, the audio device 1 will have a wireless communication interface instead of the cable 21. The same applies to the speaker 30. That is, the speaker 30 may be connected in a wired manner via the cable 31, or may be connected wirelessly. In the latter case, the audio device 1 will have a wireless communication interface instead of the cable 31.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Acoustic device 10 Frame 11 Curved portion 11a Inside of curved portion 11 11b Front end of curved portion 11 11c Rear end of curved portion 11 11ab Area of inside 11a of curved portion 11 near front end 11b 11ac Area of inside 11a of curved portion 11 near rear end 11c 12 Protruding portion 13 Hollow portion 14 Recess 20 Microphone 21 Cable 30 Speaker 31 Cable 40 Auricle 41 Helix 42 Earlobe 43 Concha cavity 44 External auditory canal

Claims (7)

1. A user-wearable audio device, comprising:
a frame having a curved portion that curves from a front side of the auricle to a back side of the auricle so as to pass outside at least one of the helix and the earlobe when the acoustic device is worn by a user, the frame clamping the auricle from the front side and the back side of the auricle;
A microphone is provided on the frame at a position on the front side of the cavity of the concha;
Equipped with
the frame holds the cavity of the concha between an area near an end of the front side of the auricle and an area near an end of the back side of the auricle, on the inside of the curved portion;
sound equipment. The microphone is positioned facing away from the direction toward the concha.
2. An acoustic device according to claim 1. The microphone is provided detachably.
3. An acoustic device according to claim 1 or 2. The audio device further comprises a speaker.
An acoustic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. the speaker is provided on the frame at a position on the front side of the auricle when the acoustic device is attached to the auricle of a user;
5. An acoustic device according to claim 4. The speaker is provided detachably.
6. An acoustic device according to claim 4 or 5. the frame is made of an elastic body, and holds the auricle by a restoring force generated when the curved portion is deformed in a direction in which the curve widens;
An acoustic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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