Acoustic reproduction device and sound-collecting acoustic reproduction device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9686622-B2
Application number	US-201414786380-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2014
Priority date	Apr 25, 2013
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

This acoustic reproduction device can suppress a loss in sense of volume and sense of comfort. The acoustic reproduction device causes a user to hear sound and is provided with a vibration unit ( 10 ), which includes a piezoelectric element ( 101 ) that flexes and a panel ( 102 ) that vibrates by being bent directly by the piezoelectric element ( 101 ), and with a holder ( 60 ), which holds the vibration unit ( 10 ) at a position where the vibration unit ( 10 ) contacts the user's ear.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An acoustic reproduction device for causing a user to hear sound, comprising:
a vibration unit including a piezoelectric element that flexes and a panel that vibrates by being bent directly by the piezoelectric element; and
a holder configured to hold the vibration unit at a position where the vibration unit contacts the user's ear, wherein the holder comprises a support, an ear hook, and a body section, said body section having a predetermined weight and being placed behind the user's ear, and by the weight of the body section and the user's ear acting as a lever, a force is produced in a direction in which the vibration unit contacts the user's ear.

2. The acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , wherein the vibration unit causes the user to hear sound by contacting the user's tragus from inside the user's ear and transmitting vibration of the panel to the tragus.

3. The acoustic reproduction device of claim 2 , wherein the panel vibrates with an antinode at a central region of the panel and a node on both sides of the antinode, and
a location at the central region of the panel contacts the tragus.

4. The acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , wherein the vibration unit causes the user to hear sound by contacting the user's antitragus from inside the user's ear and transmitting vibration of the panel to the antitragus.

5. The acoustic reproduction device of claim 4 , wherein
the panel vibrates with an antinode at a central region of the panel and a node on both sides of the antinode, and
a location at the central region of the panel contacts the antitragus.

6. The acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , wherein the vibration unit further includes a pressing member that presses the vibration unit against the position where the vibration unit contacts the user's ear.

7. The acoustic reproduction device of claim 6 , wherein the pressing member is detachably held against the vibration unit.

8. The acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic reproduction device does not completely seal the user's external ear canal.

9. The acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , wherein the vibration unit causes the user to hear sound by contacting the user's tragus from outside the user's ear and transmitting vibration of the panel to the tragus.

10. The acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , wherein the vibration unit causes the user to hear sound by contacting the user's antitragus from outside the user's ear and transmitting vibration of the panel to the antitragus.

11. The sound-collecting acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a microphone; wherein
the user's ear is positioned between the microphone and the vibration unit.

12. The sound-collecting acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , wherein the vibration unit generates an external ear canal radiated sound inside the user's ear.

13. The sound-collecting acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , wherein the vibration unit is pressed against the user's ear with a force of 0.1 N to 3 N.

14. The sound-collecting acoustic reproduction device of claim 1 , wherein
the piezoelectric element is plate-shaped, and
the panel has an area between 0.8 and 10 times an area of a principal surface of the piezoelectric element.

Assignees

• Kyocera Corp

Inventors

• Inagaki Tomohiro

Classifications

• H04R2460/09

  Non-occlusive ear tips, i.e. leaving the ear canal open, for both custom and non-custom tips (H04R2460/11 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R2460/13

  Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers · 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

• H04R25/604 Primary

  of acoustic or vibrational transducers · CPC title

• H04R25/02

  adapted to be supported entirely by ear · CPC title