Mobile telephone utilizing cartilage conduction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10158947-B2
Application number	US-201715632195-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2017
Priority date	Jan 20, 2012
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

There is provided is a stereo headphone provided with a pair of earphones having a cartilage conduction unit, a sheath unit connected to the cartilage conduction unit, and a piezoelectric bimorph of a vibration source connected to the cartilage conduction unit covered by the sheath unit without making contact with the inner wall thereof. The cartilage conduction unit is an elastic body. The cartilage conduction unit is in contact with the entrance to the external auditory meatus and has a passage hole in communication with the external auditory meatus. The vibration source is supported by a thick portion on the tragus side at the periphery of the passage hole. In accordance with a more specific feature, the thick portion is provided. The outer shape of the sheath has a thickness in the direction of the earhole that is less than the thickness in the direction orthogonal thereto.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile telephone comprising:
a sound signal source unit configured to output an audio signal;
a cartilage conduction vibration source configured to be vibrated by the audio signal from the sound signal source unit;
a cartilage conduction unit to which vibrations of the cartilage conduction vibration source are transmitted; and
an equalizer configured to perform a first equalization of the audio signal in which a total frequency characteristic of sound pressure in the external auditory meatus caused by direct air conduction from the cartilage conduction unit and also by cartilage conduction from the cartilage conduction unit is substantially flat in a predetermined frequency region.

2. The mobile telephone according to claim 1 , wherein a high-band-side end of the predetermined frequency region is 3.4 kHz or higher.

3. The mobile telephone according to claim 2 , wherein the high-band-side end of the predetermined frequency region is 7 kHz or higher.

4. The mobile telephone according to claim 2 , wherein a low-band-side end of the predetermined frequency region is 300 Hz or lower.

5. The mobile telephone according to claim 1 , wherein the first equalization is that a frequency characteristic of sound pressure in the external auditory meatus caused only by the direct air conduction from the cartilage conduction unit is excessive in a high-band portion of the predetermined frequency region.

6. The mobile telephone according to claim 5 , wherein the high-band portion of the predetermined frequency region is 3 kHz or higher.

7. The mobile telephone according to claim 1 , wherein the equalizer is further configured to perform a second equalization of the audio signal in which a frequency characteristic of sound pressure caused by direct air conduction from the cartilage conduction unit is substantially flat in a predetermined frequency region.

8. The mobile telephone according to claim 7 , wherein the frequency characteristic of sound pressure in the second equalization is of outer part of the ear.

9. The mobile telephone according to claim 7 , wherein the equalizer is further configured to switch between the first equalization and the second equalization.

10. The mobile telephone according to claim 1 further comprising an earphone jack at which the audio signal from the sound signal source unit is outputted, wherein the equalizer is further configured to perform a second equalization of the audio signal for output from the earphone jack, wherein the first equalization and the second equalization is different.

11. The mobile telephone according to claim 10 , wherein the equalizer is configured to perform the first equalization ranging to 7 kHz for the cartilage conduction vibration source and the second equalization ranging to 20 kHz for the earphone jack.

12. The mobile telephone according to claim 1 , wherein the equalizer is further configured to perform an additional equalization of the audio signal in which a frequency characteristic of sound pressure in the external auditory meatus caused by cartilage conduction from the cartilage conduction unit with an entrance of the external auditory meatus occluded is substantially flat in the predetermined frequency region.

13. The mobile telephone according to claim 12 , wherein the additional equalization is that the total frequency characteristic is reduced in a high-band portion of the predetermined frequency region.

14. A mobile telephone comprising:
a sound signal source unit configured to output an audio signal;
a cartilage conduction vibration source configured to be vibrated by the audio signal from the sound signal source unit;
a cartilage conduction unit to which vibrations of the cartilage conduction vibration source are transmitted; and
an equalizer configured to perform an equalization of the audio signal in which a frequency characteristic of sound pressure caused by direct air conduction from the cartilage conduction unit is substantially flat in a predetermined frequency region.

15. The mobile telephone according to claim 14 , wherein the equalization is that a total frequency characteristic of sound pressure in the external auditory meatus caused by direct air conduction from the cartilage conduction unit and also by cartilage conduction from the cartilage conduction unit is reduced in a high-band portion in the predetermined frequency region.

16. The mobile telephone according to claim 15 , wherein the total frequency characteristic is reduced in a high-band portion higher than about 3 kHz.

17. The mobile telephone according to claim 14 further comprising an earphone jack at which the audio signal from the sound signal source unit is outputted, wherein the equalizer is further configured to perform an equalization of the audio signal for output form the earphone jack, wherein the equalization for the cartilage conduction vibration source and the equalization for the earphone jack is different.

18. The mobile telephone according to claim 17 , wherein the equalizer is configured to perform the equalization ranging to 7 kHz for the cartilage conduction vibration source and the equalization ranging to 20 kHz for the earphone jack.

19. A mobile telephone comprising:
a sound signal source unit configured to output an audio signal;
a cartilage conduction vibration source configured to be vibrated by the audio signal from the sound signal source unit;
a cartilage conduction unit to which vibrations of the cartilage conduction vibration source are transmitted;
an earphone jack at which the audio signal from the sound signal source unit is outputted; and
an equalizer configured to perform an equalization of the audio signal for vibration of the cartilage conduction unit, the equalization being based on the cartilage conduction in which the vibrations of the cartilage conduction unit are conducted to ear cartilage to generate, from a surface of an external auditory meatus, an air conduction sound proceeding through an inside of an external auditory meatus to reach a tympanic membrane, and an equalization of the audio signal for output from the earphone jack, wherein the equalization for the cartilage conduction vibration source and the equalization for the earphone jack is different.

20. The mobile telephone according to claim 19 , wherein the equalizer is configured to perform the equalization ranging to 7 kHz for the cartilage conduction vibration source and the equalization ranging to 20 kHz for the earphone jack.

Assignees

• Rohm Co Ltd
• Finewell Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hosoi Hiroshi
• Hosoi Yoji
• Morimoto Masashi
• Tanaka Masahide

Classifications

• H04R25/606

  acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window · CPC title

• H04M1/6058

  involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone · CPC title

• H04R2410/05

  Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone · CPC title

• H04R17/00

  Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers (piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners {H10N30/00}) · CPC title

• H04R5/04

  Circuit arrangements, {e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments (combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S)} · CPC title