Earphone device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9451350-B2
Application number	US-201213565160-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2012
Priority date	Aug 31, 2011
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

There is provided an earphone device of an ear-hole insertion type having a noise cancelling function, the earphone device including a left channel housing unit that accommodates a left channel driver unit outputting a left channel sound; and a right channel housing unit that accommodates a right channel driver unit outputting a right channel sound. A microphone for noise cancelling and a battery are accommodated in each of the left and right channel housing units.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An earphone device comprising:
a left channel housing unit that accommodates a left channel driver unit outputting a left channel sound;
a left microphone accommodated in the left channel housing unit;
a left battery accommodated in the left channel housing unit;
a left noise cancelling processing unit that generates a noise cancelling signal based on a sound signal recorded from the left microphone;
a right channel housing unit that accommodates a right channel driver unit outputting a right channel sound;
a right microphone accommodated in the right channel housing unit;
a right battery accommodated in the right channel housing unit; and
a right noise cancelling processing unit that generates a noise cancelling signal based on a sound signal recorded from the right microphone,
wherein a remaining battery level of the left battery is checked and a remaining battery level of the right battery is checked,
and wherein each of the left and right noise cancelling processing units operate only when both of the battery levels of the left and right batteries are each more than a predetermined level.

2. The earphone device of claim 1 , wherein the left noise cancelling processing unit is accommodated in the left channel housing unit and the right noise cancelling processing unit is accommodated in the right channel housing unit.

3. The earphone device of claim 1 , wherein the earphone device is a canal type earphone device.

4. The earphone device of claim 3 , wherein each of the left channel driver unit and the right channel driver unit is a balanced armature type driver unit.

5. The earphone device of claim 1 , wherein the microphone is a MEMS microphone.

6. The earphone device of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a button type secondary battery.

Assignees

• Ide Kenji
• Kito Kazuhisa
• Tsunoda Naotaka
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Ide Kenji
• Kito Kazuhisa
• Tsunoda Naotaka

Classifications

• H04R2201/003

  Mems transducers or their use · CPC title

• H04R2201/107

  Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication · CPC title

• H04R1/1025 Primary

  Accumulators specially adapted for earpieces; Arrangements specially adapted for charging thereof · 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

• H04R1/1083 Primary

  Reduction of ambient noise (active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06) · CPC title