Earphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10448141-B2
Application number	US-201715854056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2017
Priority date	Dec 26, 2016
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

An earphone capable of making it easy to remove foreign substances that have accumulated on a nozzle portion and easy to control sound characteristics thereof is provided. The earphone includes a driver, a housing defining an electrical component mount on which the driver is mounted, a nozzle portion provided at one end of the housing and defining therein a nozzle hole communicating with the electrical component mount, a nozzle cap detachably coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion, and a nozzle mesh provided at the nozzle cap so as to cover the nozzle hole, wherein the nozzle cap serves to decrease output in a second peak region in a graph of output over frequency for the earphone and to increase a fourth peak region or expand a bandwidth of the fourth peak region in the graph.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An earphone comprising:
a driver;
a housing providing an electrical component mount on which the driver is mounted, the housing including a nozzle portion provided at one end of the housing, the nozzle portion having a nozzle hole communicating with the electrical component mount, the nozzle portion having an outer circumferential surface;
a plurality of nozzle caps having an opening and interchangeably coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion, the plurality of nozzle caps including a first nozzle cap, a second nozzle cap and a third nozzle cap; and
a nozzle mesh provided at the opening of each of the plurality of nozzle caps so as to cover the nozzle hole,
wherein an outer boundary region of the nozzle mesh overlaps an inner surface of the nozzle cap and is interposed between the nozzle portion and the nozzle cap.

2. The earphone according to claim 1 , wherein sound characteristics of bass are increased upon coupling of the first nozzle cap to the nozzle portion relative to coupling of either the second nozzle cap or the third nozzle cap to the nozzle portion, sound characteristics of midrange are increased upon coupling of the second nozzle cap to the nozzle portion relative to coupling either the first nozzle cap or the third nozzle cap to the nozzle portion, and sound characteristics of treble are increased upon coupling of the third nozzle cap to the nozzle portion relative to coupling either the first nozzle cap or the second nozzle cap to the nozzle portion.

3. The earphone according to claim 2 , wherein assuming that, in a graph of output over frequency for the earphone, assuming that an output value corresponding to 1 kHz is designated as R, an area of an output value between 100 Hz to 1 kHz is designated as A and an area of an output value between 1 kHz to 10 kHz is designated as B, a value of B/(A+B) is less than 0.35 upon coupling of the first nozzle cap to the nozzle portion, the value of B/(A+B) is 0.35 to 0.65 upon coupling of the second nozzle cap to the nozzle portion and the value of B/(A+B) exceeds 0.65 upon coupling of the third nozzle cap to the nozzle portion.

4. The earphone according to claim 2 , wherein, in a frequency range of 2 kHz to 6 kHz, there is a frequency range in which an output upon coupling of the first nozzle cap is increased by 3 dB or more than an output upon coupling of the second nozzle cap and a frequency range in which an output upon coupling of the third nozzle cap is decreased by 3 dB or more than the output upon coupling of the second nozzle cap.

5. An earphone comprising:
a driver;
a housing providing an electrical component mount on which the driver is mounted, the housing including a nozzle portion provided at one end of the housing, the nozzle portion having a nozzle hole communicating with the electrical component mount, the nozzle portion having an outer circumferential surface;
a nozzle cap having an opening and detachably coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion by one of the following:
(a) a hook unit provided on an outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion and an inner circumferential surface of the nozzle cap,
(b) a bent portion extending from the nozzle cap and bent toward an inner circumferential surface of the nozzle portion, the bent portion being engaged with a depressed portion formed in the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion, and
(c) a screw engagement between the nozzle cap and the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle; and

a nozzle mesh provided at the opening of the nozzle cap so as to cover the nozzle hole,
wherein an outer boundary region of the nozzle mesh overlaps an inner surface of the nozzle cap and is interposed between the nozzle portion and the nozzle cap.

6. The earphone according to claim 5 , wherein the nozzle cap is detachably coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion by the hook unit.

7. The earphone according to claim 6 , wherein the hook unit comprises:
a protruding portion provided on one of the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion and the inner circumferential surface of the nozzle cap; and
a depressed portion provided in a remaining one of the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion and the inner circumferential surface of the nozzle cap to receive the protruding portion.

8. The earphone according to claim 6 , wherein an outer diameter of the nozzle cap is larger by a predetermined value than an outer diameter of a first region of the nozzle portion adjacent to the nozzle cap.

9. The earphone according to claim 8 , wherein an outer diameter of a second region of the nozzle portion spaced apart from the nozzle cap is equal to the outer diameter of nozzle cap, the first region being located between the nozzle cap and the second region, and
wherein the earphone further comprises an ear tip coupled to the nozzle cap to surround the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle cap and the second region of the nozzle portion.

10. The earphone according to claim 6 , wherein the nozzle cap includes an ABS material, and is integrally formed with the nozzle mesh.

11. The earphone according to claim 6 , wherein a diameter of the opening of the nozzle cap is equal to an inner diameter of the nozzle portion.

12. The earphone according to claim 6 , further comprising an ear tip coupled to the nozzle cap at an upper surface of the nozzle so as to surround the nozzle cap and the nozzle.

13. The earphone according to claim 12 , wherein the ear tip includes an opening,
wherein the nozzle mesh is exposed to an outside of the earphone through the opening in the nozzle cap and the opening in the ear tip, and
wherein a diameter of the opening in the nozzle cap is equal to a diameter of the opening in the ear tip.

14. The earphone according to claim 5 , wherein the nozzle cap includes the bent portion and the nozzle portion includes the depressed portion.

15. The earphone according to claim 5 , wherein the nozzle cap is coupled to the nozzle portion by screw engagement.

16. An earphone comprising:
a driver;
a housing providing an electrical component mount on which the driver is mounted, the housing including a nozzle portion provided at one end of the housing, the nozzle portion having a nozzle hole communicating with the electrical component mount, the nozzle portion having an outer circumferential surface;
a nozzle cap detachably coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion; and
a nozzle mesh arrangement provided at the nozzle hole so as to cover the nozzle hole, the nozzle mesh arrangement including a first nozzle mesh and a second nozzle mesh overlapping the first nozzle mesh,
wherein the first nozzle mesh is stacked on the second nozzle mesh, and the first nozzle mesh is provided in a portion of the second nozzle mesh and not in another portion of the second nozzle mesh.

17. The earphone according to claim 16 , wherein the first nozzle mesh is provided at the nozzle cap,
wherein the second nozzle mesh is provided in the nozzle hole in the nozzle portion, and
wherein the nozzle cap is rotatably coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle portion such that an airflow amount into the earphone is adjustable by changing the orientation of the first nozzle mesh relative to the second nozzle mesh.

18. The earphone according to claim 17 , wherein the second nozzle mesh defines a plurality of parallel linear holes, and the first nozzle mesh defines a plurality of parallel line

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Na Yonghyuk
• Kang Jungyoun
• Lee Jaeyoung
• Yoo Taehoon
• Han Shin

Classifications

• H04R1/2803

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/12

  Sanitary or hygienic devices for mouthpieces or earpieces, e.g. for protecting against infection · CPC title

• H04R1/1091

  Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083 · CPC title

• H04R1/2807 Primary

  Enclosures comprising vibrating or resonating arrangements (for the reduction of undesired resonances or vibrations H04R1/2869) · CPC title

• H04R1/1033

  Cables or cables storage, e.g. cable reels (cord reels per se H02G11/02; arrangements for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of conductors or cables B65H75/34; extensible conductors or cables, e.g. self-coiling cords H01B7/06) · CPC title