Electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12072230-B2
Application number	US-202218047390-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2022
Priority date	Mar 18, 2021
Publication date	Aug 27, 2024
Grant date	Aug 27, 2024

Abstract

An electronic device is provided that includes a first casing and a second casing, and a distortion sensor attached to an inner wall of the casing. One side of the first casing is opened by a first opening, one side of the second casing is opened by a second opening, the casing is formed by fixing the first casing to the second casing to face each other. Moreover, the first and second casings are fixed by two or more fixing portions, the distortion sensor has a strip shape having first and second ends in the longitudinal direction, and the distortion sensor is attached to an inner wall of the second casing such that the longitudinal direction is a direction along an edge of the second opening, the first end is relatively close to the fixing portion, and the second end is far from the fixing portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing including at least a first casing having a first opening and a second casing having a second opening that faces the first opening when the first casing is fixed to the second casing; and
a distortion sensor attached to an inner wall of the housing and having a strip shape with a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction and having a first end and a second end at respective ends in the longitudinal direction,
wherein the first casing is fixed to the second casing by two or more fixing portions, and
wherein the distortion sensor is attached to an inner wall of the second casing such that the longitudinal direction is a direction that extends along an edge of the second opening, such that the first end is disposed towards one fixing portion of the two or more fixing portions and the second end is disposed farther from the one fixing portion than the first end.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sounding body disposed inside the housing.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is at least one of an earphone, a hearing aid, and a headset.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2 , further comprising an ear hole insertion portion configured to be inserted into a human ear hole and that is disposed on a side of the first casing that is opposite to the first opening.

5. The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the first casing is formed as an ear hole insertion portion configured to be inserted into a human ear hole.

6. The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the distortion sensor is configured as the sounding body.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein a side of the second casing that is opposite to the second opening is closed.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the two or more fixing portions comprises three fixing portions.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two or more fixing portions includes a claw disposed on one of the first casing and the second casing and a locking portion disposed on another of the first casing and the second casing and that is configured to lock the claw.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the claw has a width that is equal to or less than 5 mm.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the inner wall has a shape that is a circle or an ellipse in a section of the second casing in a region where the distortion sensor is attached as viewed from an opening direction of the second opening.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11 , wherein a diameter of the circle or a length of a major axis of the ellipse is equal to or greater than 28 mm and equal to or less than 40 mm.

13. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is configured to connect to an external main body electronic device in a wired or wireless manner.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13 , wherein the distortion sensor is configured to acquire a signal that is transmitted to the main body electronic device.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14 , wherein the main body electronic device is at least one selected from a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, a recording and reproducing device, a video reproducing device, a radio, and a television.

16. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the distortion sensor comprises a rectangular shape with longer sides extending in the longitudinal direction and shorter sides extending in the lateral direction, such that the first and second ends are disposed on opposite sides of the rectangular shape in the longitudinal direction.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16 , wherein the distortion sensor comprises a piezoelectric distortion sensor that includes a pair of electrodes disposed on opposing principal surfaces of a piezoelectric sheet.

18. The electronic device according to claim 16 ,
wherein the first end of the distortion sensor is configured to expand in a lower region of the second casing and is configured to contract in an upper region of the second casing, and
wherein the second end of the distortion sensor is configured to contract in the lower region of the second casing and is configured to expand in the upper region of the second casing.

19. An electronic device comprising:
a housing including a pair of casings that each have respective openings configured to be coupled to each other by two or more fixing portions; and
a distortion sensor attached to an inner wall of the second casing and having a strip shape that extends in a longitudinal direction along an edge of the second opening, such that a first end of the distortion sensor is disposed towards one fixing portion of the two or more fixing portions and a second end of the distortion sensor is disposed farther from the one fixing portion than the first end.

20. The electronic device according to claim 19 ,
wherein the inner wall of the second casing has a shape that is a circle or an ellipse in a section of the second casing in a region where the distortion sensor is attached as viewed from an opening direction of the second opening, and
wherein a diameter of the circle or a length of a major axis of the ellipse is equal to or greater than 28 mm and equal to or less than 40 mm.

Assignees

• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Kitada Hiroaki

Classifications

• H04R1/1058

  Manufacture or assembly · CPC title

• H04R1/1016

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• G01H1/12

  of longitudinal or not specified vibrations · CPC title

• B06B1/0688

  with foil-type piezoelectric elements, e.g. PVDF · CPC title

• G01H11/08 Primary

  using piezoelectric devices · CPC title